Cascading Pocket Mini Album

Hey everybody! Happy Friday – I hope you’ve had a great week and you’re all ready for Christmas! Leslie here, sharing a crafty girl cascading pocket mini album featuring White and Navy Blue cardstock from the new Lessebo cardstock line. I sure do love this cardstock – it’s a great weight and comes in some amazing colors! In addition to fun folds, I’m a mini album fanatic and this was definitely a fun one to make! My inspiration came from Helen Griffin and I’ll be sharing her measurements in this post with a couple modifications as I saw fit.

Cut & Score Mini Album Pieces

Cut pockets, binding strip and card layering panels from Lessebo White cardstock.
Pockets (6): 3-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ scored at 3″ and 6″ on the long side. Rotate counter clockwise and score again at 3″.
Binding strip (1): 2-15/16″ x 11″ scored every 1″ on the long side.
Card Layering Panels (6): 2-3/4″ x 2-3/4″.

Next, cut cards and narrow layering panels from Lessebo Navy Blue cardstock.
Cards (6): 2-7/8″ x 2-7/8″.
Layering panels for back side of album (6): 7/8″ x 2-3/4″.

Finally, cut layering panels from assorted patterned paper.
Layering panels for front and back sides of each pocket (12): 2-3/4″ x 2-3/4″.

Prepare Binding Strip & Assemble Pockets

Accordion-fold the binding strip on the score lines and set aside.

Fold all the score lines on the pockets. Trim the narrow flap off the bottom left side and miter the corners. Fold the piece in half and adhere the remaining two flaps to form the pocket. Repeat the process for all six pockets.

Using a 1″ punch, create a thumb notch on the open right side of each pocket.

Adhere patterned paper panels to the front and back sides of each pocket. Line up the edges and punch the thumb notch into the patterned papers.

Assemble Album

Starting at the rear of the album, adhere five pockets into the ‘valley’ folds of the strip. The final pocket, which will be the front of the album, will be adhered in ‘mountain’ fashion. Be sure each pocket is lined up with the one beneath it as they are adhered so all pages are even.

Adhere the narrow layering panels to the insides of the valley folds on the back side.

Embellish the back of the album with a strip of washi tape if desired (this is optional).

Create Cards & Embellish Album Front

Embellish the white card layering panels with strips of patterned paper and stickers. Adhere the white layering panels to the navy blue cards.

Insert the cards into the pockets.

Add chipboard elements and buttons to album front. The album is now complete, so let’s move on to the box.

Cut & Score Box Pieces

Cut box base and lid from Lessebo White cardstock.
Box base: 4-1/2″ x 9-1/2″ scored at 3″, 4-1/2″, 7-1/2″ and 9″ on the long side. Rotate counter clockwise and score again at 1-1/2″.
Box lid: 3-9/16″ x 5-1/16″ scored at 1″ on all four sides.

Cut layering panels for box and lid from Lessebo Navy Blue cardstock.
2-7/8″ x 2-7/8″ (2)
1-3/8″ x 2-7/8″ (2)
1-1/2″ x 2-7/8″ (1)
7/8″ x 2-7/8″ (2)
7/8″ x 1-1/2″ (2)

Similarly, cut layering panels for box and lid from a coordinating patterned paper:
2-3/4″ x 2-3/4″ (2)
1-1/4″ x 2-3/4″ (2)
1-3/8″ x 2-3/4″ (1)
3/4″ x 2-3/4″ (2)
3/4″ x 1-3/8″ (2)

Assemble Box & Complete Project

Fold all the score lines on the larger box piece and trim the small corner off the bottom left side. Adhere the narrow flap to the smooth side to form the box. Miter the corners of the small flaps and adhere.

Similarly, fold all the score lines on the lid piece, miter the corners of the small outside flaps, and adhere.

Adhere the patterned paper panels to the navy blue layering panels, then adhere them to all sides of the box and lid.

Embellish the lid with a chipboard element and buttons, and the project is complete.

Other products used:
PAPER: Keep It Simple Crafty Girls Flip Sides Pack with Die Cut Printed Chipboard
DIES/PUNCHES: Stampin’ Up 1″ Circle Punch
ACCESSORIES: Tonic Studios 12″ Guillotine Paper Trimmer, Bearly Art precision craft glue; Keep It Simple Crafty Girls Sticker Sheet, Buttons and Washi Tape; 1/2″ double-sided foam strip

I hope you’ve enjoyed this cascading pocket mini album! Be sure to visit the CutCardStock Facebook Page for more DT inspiration! Also, join our Creating with Card Stock Facebook Group for even more crafty inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today – we’ll see you next time!

Scrappy hugs,
Leslie