5X7 Quick Mini Books: Making a Easy Brag Book

Think times run out to make a handmade gift?  Here are some of the quickest mini books you'll ever put together!  I made both of these in one night, in just a couple of hours.  Since a lot of the assembly is repetitive you can make them assembly style and make several at once. 

You'll need double sided papers, chipboard, binder rings, assorted embellishments, and ink if you like the look of inked edges.  It might sound like a lot, but I know most of my paper crafting divas have all this stuff on hand in their stash.  This is a good time to pull out a coordinating paper pad so you don't have to spend time trying to figure out what looks good together.

{Cutting Guide for Pages}

You can get four 5X7 pages out of one 12X12 sheet of double sided paper if you cut wisely.  Keep in mind that the designs on most pattern papers will mean you'll need to use two for a horizontal book and the other two to make a vertical book.  Cut as many of these as you need to make the book the length of you want.

Cut two pieces of chipboard and cover both sides with papers of your choice from the stack you just made for your pages.  I chose embossed papers for the covers to give it a fun texture and soft feel.

Arrange your papers, place your stack of pages inside of the covers, and punch holes for binding.  Decorate pages as desired.  I used punched ticket shapes to add spots for journaling, die cuts, and layered stickers.  The recipient can simply add their pictures to the pages that act as embellished photo mats.

I used a coordinating line of paper and embellishments from my holiday stash to make this quicker to make.  Things just go faster when I don't have keep searching my stash for matching embellishments.  You may remember these supplies from my Dec 2010 mini book, Part 1 & Part 2. 

Here is a look at the inside of my book.  I removed the decorative ribbon to make it easier to photograph to share with you.

I suggest you tell your recipient to disassemble that pages when adding their pictures.  The bulkier layered stickers can make things lumpy and it's easier to attach them with double sided tape if they aren't in a stack.  Then re stack, put the rings back in, and tie back on ribbons for a quick mini book.

Below are the rest of the pages from the Horizontal Quick Book, tomorrow I'll have the Vertical version to share.  These fit standard 4X6 pictures quite nicely, with some trimming to allow for the embellishments and binding holes.