Making a Tall Tag Holder ...

Making a Romantic Vintage Style Tag Album with 

Graphic 45 Floral Shoppe and Alpha Stamps Tall Tag Folder!

When I got the supply box from Alpha Stamps with the materials to create a mini album from the terrific Tall Tag Folders, I was excited to see all the fun things I was going to be working (well, it was really like playing!) with!

 Beautiful papers, including the Graphic 45 Floral Shoppe collection, several styles German scrap images and borders, silk ribbons, tag blanks, miniature paper flowers, small metal pressing embellishments, delightful collage sheets, and - of course! - the requisite Tall Tag Holders!

The tags I made were only decorated on the front, so that the backs could be used to mount photos

or favorite poems, journaling notes, travel memories - or a combination of all three.

Remember! Just like always on Enchanted Revelries, if you want to get a closer look at a photo, just click it and you will be whisked to a larger version!

Another set of tags had vintage floral collage on the front with inked and collaged text borders. The backs have black and white collage sheet cuttings which will make lovely backgrounds for more photos or some special souvenirs or memories to keep in the album.

 These tags fit perfectly inside the Tall Tag Folder! Keeping the embellishments fairly slim and shallow allows the album to close completely.

So, you want to make one of your own? (Or maybe three or four? They are a charming gift idea! and the holidays are going to be here sooner than you expect!)

Alpha Stamps Tall Tag Folder Mini Album Tutorial 

I am going to show you how to make a mini-album using four Tall Tag Folders. If you would like to make one larger or smaller, using more or less Tall Tag Folders, you will only have to adjust the size of your hinge and your spine. Everything else would stay the same.

First, we're going to prepare the Tall Tag Folders. 

Fold on the pre-scored lines of each folder and glue with a spare bead of glue. In order to keep the edges perfectly square, I used some small binder clips to hold in place while drying. Then burnish well on every fold (if you don't have a bone folder, the back of a spoon will work for this!). Now is also the time you will want to ink the edges of your folder (I used a dark bark color on mine). This inking will define the edges of your pages, as well as add distressed age and character). You will want to ink on both the inside AND the outside of the folders! 

Put these aside to dry for a few minutes while we start on the album basic construction.

Next, we are going to create the hinge system which the pages will be attached to (in this case, the Tall Tag Folders are going to become our pages). 

Take one piece of the Floral Shop paper cut to 5 5/8" x 7".

Place paper with 5 5/8" side facing top and bottom - the 7" side is going sideways.

Score 5/8" at one end of the 5 5/8" side - then make 11 scores at every 1/2". This is best achieved by using a regular paper scoring board. If you don't have one, turn your paper over, draw lines with pencil at the instructed measurements, and then using a ruler, trace indentures GENTLY with a crisp metal straight edge, being careful not to cut through the paper.

Now you will start with the first 1/2" and apply adhesive, fold at the top and adhere down to the second 1/2" space. That is your first hinge! Skip the next 1/2" space (this is the gusset between your pages). Now repeat with the next two 1/2" spaces and continue on, always leaving the 1/2" space between the hinges. 

Clip the ends of the hinges at an angle approximately 1/4" from bottom of fold and over approximately 1/2"-3/4" from top. These angles will make it much (much!) easier to slip the pages over the hinges!

Set this aside with the Tag Folders while we make the cover!

Of medium weight chipboard, cut 

two covers at 3 5/8" x 6 1/2". 

Cut one spine at 6 1/2" x 2 1/2".

Of Tyvek, cut

two hinges 2" x 6 3/8".
Score and fold in half.

Apply Scor-tape to both inside halves of each hinge.
(You can use the Tyvek that is used in post office mailing envelopes if your office supply store doesn't stock it.)

 Lay out your cover pieces and spine leaving 3/8" between them. Adhere your hinges centered (the crease in the middle of the 3/8" space) and connecting each cover to the spine. Gently, fold the covers back and forth until the hinges are loose and fold evenly. Do not force them quickly, as you can tear the hinge.

Cut one piece of heavy cardstock 6 1/2" x 8". First adhere the center of the paper to the spine of the cover. Fold one of the covers closed, gently wrap the paper around the fold, and adhere the paper to the cover. Repeat for the second cover. If  your paper is too stiff and you can tell it's going to tear when you wrap it, you can lightly spritz it with water to moisten it to aid the bending. Be sure to let dry in place before gluing down to ensure a good 'stick.' After the paper is adhered, gently open the cover up and lay flat. There will be some buckling in the spaces left on either side of the spine. Run your two thumb nails along side each side of this buckle and crease into a little 'mountain.'

 

If you want to attach tassels or beads or any kind of charms to the outside spine of your album, now you will need to attach the hanging mechanism. First cut a piece of paper 6 3/8" x 2 3/8" and adhere to the spine of the outside spine.

I used a filigree metal pressing and a Tim Holtz Ring Fastener.  Pierce a hole in the spine where you would like your hook or fastener to be inserted. The prongs on the fastener go through the metal pressing and then opened on the inside of the spine and pressed flat with a hard object.

Turn your cover over. Cut a piece of the Floral Shop paper 6 1/2" x 2 1/2" and adhere to the inside spine, covering the prongs from the fastener ring. Run a piece of 1/4" Scor-Tape into the 3/8" space along side the spine. You will want this piece of paper to match the pattern you used for your hinge.

Now apply Scor-Tape to the ENTIRE back of your hinge system. This is what will hold all your pages into your album, so don't try to skimp on the adhesive! We want it strong. Remove the Scor-Tape from the spaces on either side of the spine. Center the hinge on the spine, with 1/2" left on the top and bottom (see red arrows in photo). The edges of the hinge will go into the space between the spine and the covers and onto the covers. Using bone folder (or a smooth paint brush handle) ease the hinge paper into the spaces beside the spine, and onto the cover. (The white arrows in the photo show the paper eased and smoothed into the spaces on either side of the spine.)

Cut two pieces of Floral Shop Paper 6 1/2" x 3 1/2". Adhere right next to hinge onto covers. Trim the small piece of extra off the edge of each cover. Ink each inside cover on the edges.

Cut two pieces of heavy cardstock 4 3/8" x 3". Score on 3 sides at 1/2". Fold and trim corners as shown.

Fold on the lines. Cut two pieces of Floral shop paper 3 3/8" x 2 1/2" and adhere to the centers of the pocket. Ink the edges of the pocket. Adhere Score-Tape to the back of the flaps and attach to the inside bottom of each cover.

 This completes the album cover and hidden hinge system! All we have to is put in the pages and fill up our album!

 Take one piece of Floral Shop paper and cut to 5 3/4" x 2 3/4" - taking a 1" paper punch, punch a half circle in the center of one long edge. Take another piece of Floral shop paper and cut to 5 3/4" x 1 1/4". Ink the edges of both papers.
Adhere the smaller piece of paper to the OUTER edge of the tag folder exterior. Then place Scor-Tape on the short edges only (see yellow arrows in photo below) and adhere to the INNER edge (fold) of the tag folder exterior. Use photo below for easy placing reference.
Repeat 7 more times (one for each exterior tag folder side). NOTE: The placement of the 1/2" circle is opposite on every other side! This will be necessary to allow your pockets to function!

 Now, put glue just inside the fold side edge of the outside paper. (There is a pocket created between the paper and the tag folder. Slip the pocket over the hinge, leaving approx. 1/4" at the bottom of the hinge. Press firmly and allow to dry. Repeat for all four folders, creating eight pages on four hinges (or 'signatures'). The photo below shows all the pages inserted and also shows the half-circle punch mirror imaged

Now measure the inside of your Tag Folders and cut Floral shop papers to size and ink the edges. I used a combination of the papers listed in the supply list and the Floral Shop paper pad papers.

 

Your construction is complete!
There are two more things to do. You can choose which order to them in. I made all my tags first, and because I embellished them so heavily, I was able to let them dry well while I was decorating the covers of my album.
If you want to decorate your cover now and save your tags for another day, that's up to you!

 The tags for the inside of the folders I made with the large manila tags. I used gold foil on the edges of all the tags, decorated with a combination of the papers and collage sheets listed in the supply list, as well as German scrap images and borders, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, miniature paper flowers, silk ribbon from Alpha Stamps and some silk grosgrain from my stash for the eyelet holes.

 The tags for the outside pockets of the folders were created with the smaller manila tags ... I had to trim them down so they would fit into the openings we created from the paper to attach the hinges. I made them all the same, using the images from a collage sheet and bordered them with watered distress ink on text stamped paper. The reverse sides are all covered with pieces of paper cut from the collage sheet.

Setting those aside to dry thoroughly, I decorated the front and back covers with papers from the Floral Shop collection, an image from the collage sheet , miniature paper flowers, silk ribbon, a chipboard embellishment from the Floral Shop collection and a doily I die-cut from a piece of the Floral Shop Paper.

The back cover has a piece of the Floral Shop paper and I strung several color matching beads with assorted findings and pressings along with pink silk ribbon on the spine.

And it's completed!

I certainly hope you'll try to make one (or more) for yourself and perhaps a friend or two! Please leave a comment and let me know you visited. And! If you make your own version of the Tall Tag Folder album, be sure to come back and leave a link to where I can see a photo of it - I would love to see what you've created!

The supply list for everything used in my album from Alpha Stamps is below. The only things that were from my own stash are the spine beads, the black cardstock, the large silk grosgrain ribbon on the tops of the tags and the Tim Holtz Ring Fastener. All other papers, ribbons, flowers, embellishments and supplies are from Alpha Stamps!

Thanks for visiting - now go make something beautiful!

´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´? Tristan

Alpha Stamps Tall Tag Holder Mini Album

Supply List

I'm Entering this Album in the
Mini Album Maker's Challenge
Click the link to see other entries!