A Project!

How would you all like some step-by-step instruction for making a wonderfully personal MiniBook?

I'm going to be posting some things for the ScrappersChallenge yahoo group here for all to share! We are going to play with thoughts about our lives. I might even make a video! (I haven't decided yet...) But if you liked THIS PROJECT, gather some materials and prepare to play along. Don't let the plain brown cover fool you; this is an extremely satisfying book to make!

We are going to start gathering thoughts for these "chapters" in the book

1. Just the Facts: write a short biography for yourself. Include where/when you were born, things you did with your life, where you went to school, what you love to do, and what you do now. (and so on...).
2. Places: Where have you lived? Write it all down. Include the dates (if you can remember them) and the exact street addresses as well (if you can remember those too!) Don't worry if the list is too long for the book (as mine was), you'll still benefit from having this list written down.
3. Five Little Words: This is different than your biography. Your biography should be facts about your life; in this chapter, you are going to describe yourself with just FIVE words.
4. Very Very Very Important People: Make a list of the people you love the most. Who has influenced you in a positive way? Who would you take with you to be stranded with on a desert island? For some this will include your family members, but it doesn't have to be exclusive to family members.
5. Getting There Is Half The Fun: Make a list of your means of transportation over the years. Gather any pictures you might have of said transportation.
6. Choices: Think about the choices you've made in your life. Which ones are you glad you DIDN'T make? Which would you make again?
7. Passions: What are you passionate about? Do believe in a specific cause? Write it down. Share with all in this MiniBook.
8. "Dear Me": Write a letter to your High School self with some advice for growing up. If you are in High School, write a letter to your 40 year old self reminding that person of what's important to you.
9. Next!: Make a list of things to do before you're dead. There are no limits here, just let your imagination run wild! Don't leave anything out!

Materials: You'll need several sheets of 12x12 paper. I used SEI's Madera collection pack for my album. I have a couple left over you can buy directly from me if you want to. (email me at dianneknelson at yahoo dot com and we'll talk). I wanted something that was organic, so I used a lot of the velvet and flocked papers. You'll also need some chipboard. You can use cereal boxes, the backs of legal pads, etc. for the chip boards. You might want to use these clips (as I did) to hold it all together. You could also use a ribbon. You'll need some small letter stickers or stamps, some kind of circle template (I'm partial to this one from Crafter's Workshop) and a couple of pens (I used black and white). Circles play a big part in this book; one of my ideas was that the things this book talks about don't really end. I love the idea that the end of something is also the beginning of another thing; stuff in our lives just keeps going. If you don't have a circle template, just get some bowls and plates out of your cupboard that are different diameters. You'll also need the usual: paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive. We'll be punching a lot of holes for this, so get a hole punch as well. (I favor the Crop-a-Dile). If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

Questions? Leave me a comment and let me know. Otherwise, stay tuned for more details!