Hi crafty friends. It’s Kristine and I’m back again with another tutorial using the Stamperia Amazonia collection. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a concertina album. If you’re new to mini album making, this one is a pretty simple design. Although simple, it looks beautiful when decorated!
For this project, I will be using the gorgeous Amazonia collection by Stamperia. More specifically, I will feature the 8x8 paper pad along with fussy cuts from the Collectables sheets. We will also be using some of the chipboard stickers to decorate our concertina album pages. Finally, I will use some of the wooden shapes to decorate my wooden envelope that holds my concertina album, and ribbons will hold the album closed.
How to Construct a Concertina Album
To start, you will need three sheets of 8 1/2” x 11” Kraft cardstock for the base. First, score two pieces at 1/2” and 5 3/4”. Fold on the score lines in opposite directions.
Then, add glue to one of the 1/2” tabs and glue to the second piece, opposite the other 1/2” tab. The piece should have a zig-zag appearance of mountains and valleys. For the third piece, cut to 8 1/2” x 10 1/2” and score at 5 1/4”. Attach this piece to the 1/2” tab on the second piece of cardstock.
Then, cut four pieces of ribbon to 8” in length. Next, glue one piece onto each side of the front and back covers in the center. These ribbons will be tied on each side to hold the album closed.
Now, we will begin making pockets for the concertina album. There will be two pocket styles - a side pocket on the lefthand pages and a bottom pocket on the righthand pages. First, cut five pieces of Kraft cardstock to 4” x 9 1/2” and score at 1/2” along three of the sides. Then, miter the corners, folding on the score lines.
Then, glue one piece to the left side of each lefthand page on both sides of the concertina album. Next, cut five pieces of Kraft cardstock to 5 1/4” x 6 1/4”. Score at 1/2” along three of the sides. Then, miter the corners, folding on the score lines. Glue one piece to the bottom of each righthand page.
Cut 10 pieces of cardstock to 4 1/4” x 6 1/4” to create one photo mat for each pocket in the Concertina album. We will decorate these as we decorate the pages.
Matting the Album Pages
Before using the decorative Amazonia papers, I will be matting my entire concertina album in black cardstock. Starting with the covers, cut two pieces to measure 8 1/4” x 5” and glue to the centers. For each of the lefthand side pockets, cut a piece of cardstock to measure 3 1/4” x 8 1/4” (5 total) and glue to the centers. Next, cut five pieces of cardstock to 2” x 8 1/4” for the righthand side of the page, tucking the piece into the left side pocket. Then, cut five pieces of cardstock to 4 1/2” x 5” for the righthand bottom pockets and glue to the centers. Finally, cut five pieces of cardstock to 4” x 5” and glue to the top of the right page, tucking the piece into the bottom pocket.
Decorating the Concertina Album Covers
In the next step, we will begin decorating with the Amazonia papers. I will be starting on my front and back covers and then using the rest of the papers for the pockets. For my front cover, I am using the paper with the toucan and cutting it to 4 3/4” x 8”. The back cover will consist of the jaguar paper and will be cut to the same dimensions. All of my edges are inked with Black Soot Distress Ink.
Then, I will add just a bit of dimension to my covers with fussy cut images from the 8x8 papers and the Collectables pack, as well as the chipboard stickers.
Decorating the Pages
Below, I will give you a cutting guide for each of the pages in the concertina album. Feel free to make paper substitutions if you prefer a different look to your album. For each lefthand side page, you will need to cut a piece of Amazonia to measure 3” x 8” to cover the pocket. I will be leaving the righthand side of the page black.
To cover the righthand pages, you will need to cut one piece of paper in half for each page (5 total). I selected the papers with larger images for these pages. The bottom portion for the pocket should be cut to 4 1/4” x 4 3/4”, leaving a piece measuring 3 3/4” x 4 3/4” for the top, which will tuck down slightly into the pocket. Pictures below will show you each of the pages in my concertina album as a cutting guide if you choose to follow my example. You can also see how I use the fussy cuts and cut-apart images from the 8x8 paper to decorate the pages further. Also, you can watch the flip through video to see all of the pages at once.
Concertina Album Pages 1 & 2
To decorate these pages, I will use the animal print paper on the left and the parrot paper on the right. Follow the cutting measurements above for these papers. Then, I will add some cut-apart images to the top lefthand side and on the bottom right corner. Next, I will make a tuck spot with a chipboard sticker on the bottom righthand page with two small cut-apart images. Finally, one black photo mat is in each pocket, with a fussy cut butterfly along the edge .
Pages 3 & 4
On page 3, I chose to use the butterfly images on the lefthand panel and added a chipboard butterfly on top of the bottom one. Also, I added a chipboard butterfly to the top right corner of the page. A cut0-apart and photo mat are in the pocket. Moving on to the right page, I selected the map paper and carefully cut it to fit the width. Then I will tuck a photo mat and two cut-apart cards in the pocket.
Pages 5 & 6
For page 5, I cut a piece with the Birds of Paradise image. Then, I added a small fussy cut tag to the bottom right corner. A cut-apart card and photo mat are inside the pocket. Moving to page 6, I am using the paper with the sloth on the top. He is hidden behind the black photo mat in the picture. A small journaling card acts as a pocket on the bottom of the page and I have two small cut-apart cards tucked into it.
Pages 7 & 8
Then, for page 7 I will use the image of the jungle with the snake image. Also, I added a chipboard butterfly sticker to the center and a cut-apart quote at the bottom. On the top right corner, I will add another small cut-apart image. Moving to page 8, I will use the water lily paper and place the main image on the pocket with one of the chipboard flowers on it. Then, in the pocket, I have a photo mat and a strip of two cut-apart cards.
Pages 9 & 10
For page 9, I will use the smaller portion of the water lily paper to cover the pocket. Then, I will add one of the small cut apart quotes to the top center. A border strip and small cut apart decorate the righthand side, but are tucked behind the photo mat in the pocket. Moving to page 10, I am featuring the image of the Amazonia woman on the pocket. A chipboard feather is added over top the feather on the paper in the upper half of the page. Then, a photo mat is included in the pocket.
To see a flip through of the final concertina album, please check out my YouTube video below.
I hope you have enjoyed making this project and find it helpful in making your own concertina album. Don’t forget to check out the FotoBella online store to pick up your Amazonia supplies today.
Until next time, happy paper crafting!
~Kristine, FotoBella Design Team
Lovely project, pinned to save as I hope to travel to S. America in the next year and this would be a wonderful way to present some special photos and journaling.
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