Need some assembly advice

kendallt

kendallt

New member
Okay, so I'm making this brag book for the hybrid portfolio challenge. This is the first time I've EVER attempted hybrid, and I'm freaking out a little! :blink:

Here's my dilemma. I can't find a chipboard album ANYWHERE! I have no idea what to do as far as assembling my album. I'm planning to print the pages out as photos at Walgreen's but then what?!

I really wanted to go for something a little fancier than just putting the pages on cardstock, but it looks like that might be my only option. Any thoughts...advice...condolences??
 
The other option you have is to find some cardboard and use that as the base instead of chipboard. Do you have any empty cereal boxes, anything that weight? You could cover those...they are like a thin chipboard really. I printed my photos out on heavy cardstock and just glued them back to back. It still turned out nice.
 
SUPER cute album choice!! I did a mini album once where I used chipboard just for the front and back cover and then the inside pages were mounted on cardstock. I used a bind-it-all to bind it along the side, but you could also use jump rings with some cute ribbon tied on them.

Honestly, I think with that album, if you used either black, grey or Kraft colored cardstock and just cut it 1/8 or 1/4 inch larger all the way around than your album pages and mounted your album pages to the front and back it would look sooooo cute!! (that way a little bit of cardstock is showing all the way around - giving it a really nice "finished" look). You could use jump rings/ book binding ring in the top left corner with several coordinating ribbons tied in a knot around around the ring.

Of course, I've also just taken my mini album pages to Kinko's and had them laminated (using the heavy laminating stuff for sturdiness) and then cut them out and bound them with my bind-it-all. I do this a lot if it's for my toddler - that way he can't destroy them!! LOL.

I don't know? That's all I'm coming up with for now. Hope that helps!!
 
An alternative to buying a premade chipboad album is making your own using empty cereal or pizza boxes and covering them. You can buy bookrings from a craft store like hobby lobby and use those to bind it.
 
Thanks for the responses, girls! A few more questions (and please don't laugh at my cluelessness!):

What do you use to cover the chipboard when you use something like cereal boxes?

What's a bind-it-all?

If I want to use jump rings, how hard is it to punch the holes? All I have is a three-hole-punch. Do I need to buy a different tool? I've got my eye on a crop-a-dial (or however it's spelled!), but it's not in the budget at the moment.

You girls just don't know how much I appreciate the help/support!! :)
 
You can paint the cereal boxes with white paint, or whatever colour you'd like.

I've used jump rings and I use a single hole punch and it works like a dream. Got it at Staples for about $3. But if you only have a three hole punch, you could try spacing two of the punches where you want them and disable the third hole punch.

The bind-it-all is a book making system...as far as I know it punches the holes for the book binding system and then you can put them on the rings and close up the book.
 
So, do you use the paint to cover the printed side of the box too, or do you glue two pieces of the non-printed side of the box together?

Sorry for all these questions! I probably seem like a bafoon!
 
It's entirely up to you. I suppose it depends on how thick you want your pages. If you glued them together you could use Modge Podge on the printed side, and glue them so that the kraft colour is what you'd use for mounting your pics.

Questions are a good thing! :)
 
Okay, that makes sense! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll be sure to post pics once it's all done. Wish me luck!!
 
Personally, I would cover the chipboard from the boxes with paper, and then put my pages on that. Putting 2 chipboard pieces back to back (or front to front) will make for some pretty thick pages, just a thought.

Have fuuuuuunnnnnn!!
 
awesome thread. i'm getting ideas too. other than ordering online my local craft stores don't often carry chipboard either. i have plenty of empty cereal boxes with three kids, lol. i'll have to get crafty.....
 
ColleenSwerb said:
Personally, I would cover the chipboard from the boxes with paper, and then put my pages on that. Putting 2 chipboard pieces back to back (or front to front) will make for some pretty thick pages, just a thought.

Have fuuuuuunnnnnn!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, Col. Do you think it would be too thick even if I were using cereal boxes instead of the "regular" chipboard?
 
I think it's just personal preference, to be honest. Most of hybrid is, lol.

I would cut out 5 or 6 pieces to the size you want (however many pages + covers you will end up with - cut that amount out first), and look at them. And then just hold 2 of them together, and look at them. See which one you like the feel of better. See which one will be easier to turn the pages of when you put it on a ring or thread it with ribbon, or however you're going to bind. Cereal boxes are a lot thinner, so you might not have a problem with the thickness at all, I just wanted to throw it out there. If you like the thickness with 2 stuck together, cut out more pieces. If you don't, then you only spent time cutting out what you need, so you can get right to gluing or painting or what have you.

Just play with it. There is NO right or wrong way to hybrid, it is whatever you want it to be :)
 
Last edited:
My quickest solution to a brag book is to use post cards. They're heavier and sturdier than cardstock and I don't have to spend time cutting them to size since they're already the perfect size. :)
 
alien21xx said:
My quickest solution to a brag book is to use post cards. They're heavier and sturdier than cardstock and I don't have to spend time cutting them to size since they're already the perfect size. :)
Click to expand...

What an awesome idea! Wish I would have thought of that! Well, you guys. I did it! I finished the book, and I'm so proud of it. I haven't had a chance to upload pics yet, but I'll come back here and link them when I do.

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions. I just might be a hybrid convert! :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2026 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top