Recently I was asked to show more about the basic construction of Skewer albums. This post is dedicated to that request :)
First a few thoughts about materials.
I first used long shish-K-bob skewers which had to be snipped using a garden tool then sanded. I really did not like that last part. Then I discovered that you can buy just the right length of skewer in the beauty supply store - and the ends are smooth and tapered so they did not need sanding! Bonus - the tapered end even makes getting the wood through the paper loops easier!
I prefer to use heavy-er card stock for the base of the mini album. You'll need one 12x12 piece of cardstock for each two double sided page you want in your album. You'll cut them each in half. You could use any color or pattern. For ease of viewing here I just used two neutrals.
Score each down the center. Stack and fold in half. Snip each sheet a little deeper then your individual skewer is wide (If I were to put dimensions here it may end up not fitting your particular items.) Just remember to snip them all the same depth. Also since your not using adhesive here you can pull out your skewer(S) and adjust where or when necessary!
Then take your first skewer and begin threading your first loop. Then thread the second loop of the second page. Then thread the third loop of the first page. Continue in this manner until you have threaded every second loop on your top layer with the skewer. For the very last layer you'll only have every second loop available. Just slide your skewer into those loops to finish up the spine.
For the second and remaining layers remember to alternate so each skewer is holding a loop from two layers which alternate. Also - this may sound confusing but when its in your hands it should make more sense. If you have questions I'll be happy to answer and can possibly provide additional pictures if need be.
Then take your first skewer and begin threading your first loop. Then thread the second loop of the second page. Then thread the third loop of the first page. Continue in this manner until you have threaded every second loop on your top layer with the skewer. For the very last layer you'll only have every second loop available. Just slide your skewer into those loops to finish up the spine.
For the second and remaining layers remember to alternate so each skewer is holding a loop from two layers which alternate. Also - this may sound confusing but when its in your hands it should make more sense. If you have questions I'll be happy to answer and can possibly provide additional pictures if need be.
After your pages are threaded with skewers you can treat them just as your other layouts. Embellish, matt and have fun! I chose the Fine and Dandy papers as well as some Bazzils for this project. I like to choose papers form a coordinating line. Although you can see I have shown the base of the book in solids you would also do well to use patterned cardstock and solid matts if you'd like.
Hope that you have a great week!
Hope that you have a great week!
