How To - Cover the mini album with pattern paper

Now that the chipboard cover is done we can cover the outside with pattern paper or you can use black card stock.  I will show you my way for this album first.  I should point out that I chose to do this size mini album, 6" x 8.5" x 2.5" spine after I looked at my paper. I wanted to make sure this paper would fit without making the mini album too big.

You can see that the orange paper does not cover the entire album.  The dark paper that covers the spine will overlap the orange paper.  By doing this I am reducing the amount of paper that has to bend when you open and close the mini album.

Here we have chosen (2) 12 x 12 sheets of cardstock and before I turn them upside down and set them on my table I want to make sure the pattern continues from the front to the back of the mini album.

Starting with the front we lay the chipboard cover down on top of the backside of the paper.  You can see that the white Tyvek hinge is 3/4" away from the paper.  Measure out from the cover 1" on the 3 sides.  Cut on the line.  You should have (2) pieces that measure 8 x 8 3/4.  Save the extra paper for later.

Trace a line around the chipboard cover and another line is 1" around the 3 sides so you know where the glue goes.  So far so good, this is pretty easy.  Now glue the covers down staying inside the lines. I use an old amazon gift card to smooth out the glue, saw it on You Tube :)

This line is drawn 1/4" away from the corner of the mini album.  This ensures that when the top and bottom flaps are folded up and then the side flaps are folded in that the four corners are covered.  I have tried 1/8"  but it doesn't work for me.

Now glue and fold up the bottom flap. The top flap has to be glued also before the next step.    
Here I have my score tool and I am gluing and flattening and that little piece of paper that keeps going off the edge. When the side flap is glued and folded onto the chip board the corners will be nicely covered.

The corners are covered and look awesome !  1" of cardstock is all you need to wrap around the chip board.  The next step is covering the binding.

Here is some sparkled black 8 1/2 x 11 paper.  Cut a piece so it measures 5 1/4 x 8.  I cut the paper this way so I have plenty for another project. Measure twice and make the best cut.  I love this paper the way it sparkles !

Here we have the spine in the middle then the 3/8" Tyvek hinges and the front and back chip board covers (the 6 pieces for the chipboard cover is glued up).  This is the inside of the mini album.  The sparkled paper is upside down underneath. The paper hangs 1" past on the top and bottom.  Where it says "no" this means "no glue".  I do not glue anything to the Tyvek.  The lines are drawn to the top so you know where to put the glue and where not to.

Because the Tyvek is 3/8" all you need is your thumb to crease the paper.  Fold the mini album closed as you run your finger along the bend.  We are almost done.

Looking good, our mini album opens and closes nicely.  Now we have to cover the inside chip board and Tyvek with some black card stock.  We will need 2 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

Sparkle paper looks good, it fold around and coves the orange paper a little bit. At this point there is one thing we could do before covering the inside.

How nice would a piece of lace look on a mini album, maybe not on this one but here is what we have to do:  same as the paper, we have to wrap 1" around the top and bottom.

I use a different glue when working with material, it's called Fabri-Tac by Beacon. All glues work, it just personal preference.  Clothespins help to hold it in place while the glue dries.

Here is a different way to cover the outside of your mini album.  Glue (2) sheets of black card stock so there is 1" all the way around.  Where the (2) sheets are overlapped and glued should be in the spine area, you don't want to see it on your front or back cover.  Glue the covers and spine to the black card stock, cut off the corners, 1/4" from the edge like we did with the orange paper.

My favorite black card stock is the "Black Cat", not all makers are the same so when it's on sale for $2.00 I stock up :)

Here's a little something added to the top of the spine, we are going to hang a tassell made with some ribbon, trim, fibers, beads and charms.  This is added before we cover the inside with paper.

Her we will use (2) sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 black card stock, overlap 1/2" and glue.  The overlapped are will be hidden in the spine area.  If you covered the front of your mini album with black card stock this is where the overlap would be.  This is the best place to hide the seam.

Cut the paper to fit leaving an orange border, I like it to be at least 1/4" to 3/8".  I spread the glue with my old Amazon card on the chipboard only, do not glue the Tyvek.  Using your finger again press into the Tyvek area as you are pressing the card stock at the same time.  You will want an indent in the paper where the Tyvek is before the glue dries.

And there you have it, your mini album is covered.  Next up will be "Adding the hinges to the spine, this will hold 6 pages.