I was really excited when I saw this week’s challenge at The Rubber Café because the door was wide open for us to create anything as long as we made our own stamped background paper.  How fun is that?

Well I decided it would be fun to work up one of those toilet paper roll mini albums for a very special friend of mine for her birthday. Since she is a crafter herself, I thought I would let her decide what pictures to put in it and how to give it that final touch . . . something she can add her special pieces and notes to.

For the front cover I used the brand new stamp I-984 Pattern Royale, Versamark ink,  and black UTEE embossing powder to create a beautiful background. That stamp is so gorgeous and versatile. It’s definitely one of my favs.

I also had a lot of fun playing with Sculpey clay and the beautiful C-392 Small Trailing Butterflies stamp. I was able to make a mold and then create a custom embellishment for my album charm.  I topped it off with metallic paint so the intricate detail could be seen. The deeply etched stamps that The Rubber Café manufacturers makes making molds a breeze!

For the inside pages of this mini, I wanted to keep with a shabby chic rustic theme so I aged the cardstock with Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink using our TRC0050 Sponge Brush Little Inker and our dress form from the S-113 Steampunk Charity Wings set. I love how you can use one tool to get varying degrees of aging on your paper.

In between the pages I used an acetate sheet to give it more interest and bring the background alive.

On the second page I used the gears from the S-113 Steampunk Charity Wings set and Nestabling Heart Circles in brown to decorate the tag.

The background on this page was created from the I-987 18th Century Proclamation. The sizes of the stamps are just perfect for these little minis!

On page four my background stamp of choices was the S-120 Through the Window set.

Here is a close-up so you can see how the sponge brush works in conjunction with the stamps. It really gives it that aged worn look very easily.

On page five I used our I-985 Bingo stamp.  Who knew making background paper was so easy! I also created another clay embellishment using the clock from the S-114 Vintage Treasures set.

On the final page of the album, I used the I-985 Paris Nights stamps for my background. Again I left some areas for my very crafty friend to fill in. I think she will have fun putting the finishing touches on this mini.

and last but certainly not least a close-up of the tags that fit inside the pockets. After all. . . this is a toilet paper roll mini so it has built in pockets!

Well I hope you’ve enjoyed my mini album today and hopefully you might be inspired to get your fabulous Rubber Café stamps out and start making your own background.  It really is oh so easy.

Happy Crafting!