Tutorial - Envelope Punch Board File Folder Album

My story of this gorgeous mini album begins with discovering this video on Youtube. The album this woman (who I only know as Angelwings14100) created was AMAZING!!! 

Anyway I wanted to find a written tutorial on it, but I couldn't find one. The video author did say she had been quite ill, and so she may not have gotten around to making one yet. I hope she's okay, as she is an amazing artist and seems to be a very nice person.

So instead of finding a written tutorial, I found this video by her and then this video by her. I have "Americanized" her instructions as we here in the States don't usually use A4 paper (8.27" X 11.69"). So if you check out her videos, there is that discrepancy. There are other minor changes I made just because this was easier for me.

6X6 paper packs are perfect for this project. A 24-sheet pack will make a book with 3 "pages," so if you want more pages, get two identical or coordinating paper pads. Of course, you can use regular sized scrapbook paper as well.

So let's get started on the tutorial:

We'll start with the outside of the book!

• Cut two pieces of chipboard to 6-1/4" X 4-3/4".
• Cut one piece of chipboard to 6-1/4" X 1-1/2".
• Cut a piece of cardstock to 6-3/4" X 12".
• Score the cardstock just shy of 1/4" on all four sides.
• Layer your chipboard on the cardstock as shown above. 
• Clip the corners of the cardstock.
• Place adhesive (I use ScoreTape) on all four edges of the card stock.

• Remove the release paper from the ScoreTape one edge at a time, fold the edge over the cardstock, and burnish with a bone folder. This is going to give you a very nice finished edge.

(Alternatively, you can cut your cardstock to fit just to the edge of the chipboard and paint or ink the edges. If so, cut your cardstock cover to 6-1/4" X 11-1/2".)

• Cut a piece of cardstock to 6-1/4" X 11-1/2" - this will be the inside of your cover.
• Cut a piece of cardstock to 8-1/4" X 3-1/2" - this will be the inside back pocket of the cover.
• Score the pocket piece at 1" on each end.

• Before you attach the inside cover to the book, wrap the pocket piece around the back of the inside cover, and glue it down on the back. See the photo above. The bone folder shows how you have made an open pocket. This will be critical for later.

• Attach the inside of the cover to the outside.
• With the edge (not the point!) of your bone folder, gently press the crease down.
• Fold your book cover closed. WOW - it's already starting to take shape!

• On the outside cover, run a piece of ScoreTape across the center of the book (see photo).
• Cut a yard of ribbon, center it, and adhere it to the book cover.
• Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper to 6" X 4-1/2", and adhere them to the front and back covers.
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 6" X 1-1/4", and adhere it to the spine of your book.
• Decorate! 

NOTE: If you want to sponge the edges of your paper, it's easier to remember to do it before you glue them to the cardstock - especially if your cardstock is light in color and you want it to stay that way.

• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 4-1/2" X 5-3/4" - adhere to the inside front.
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 6" X 1-1/2" - adhere to inside spine.
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 6" X 2" - adhere to inside back, and this piece will partially slide into your back pocket.
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to 6" X 3-1/4" - adhere to pocket.

Now we are going to make our very first file folder tab using the Envelope Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers.

• Cut two pieces of cardstock at 6" X 3".
• Score one long edge on each piece of cardstock at 1/4".
• With your Envelope Punch Board, punch the opposite long edge of your pieces of cardstock at 3" (see above).
• Line up either end (right or left corner) of that same edge so that the short edge bisects the very center of the punch (see second picture above).  Punch.

You now have two tabs on your cardstock, one of them is tapered on the end so it looks like a file folder tab, and one of them does not taper on the end and looks less like a file folder tab.

• Using your paper trimmer, trim off the tab that looks less like a file folder tab. 

If you have any questions about this poorly worded instruction, there are loads of YouTube videos on how to do this. Here's one by Catherine Pooler.

• Do the exact same thing to your second piece of 6" X 3" cardstock.

• Put a thin piece of ScoreTape on the folded edge of each piece of cardstock.

• Remove the release paper from the ScoreTape of one piece of cardstock and line it up right against the left-hand side of the inside of your book. Stick it down, but you might want to leave it a bit loose at this point in case you have to make any adjustments.

• Remove the release paper from the second piece of cardstock and line it up so that when the "doors" are closed they meet in the middle.
• When everything is lined up properly, press down firmly. I even go ahead and burnish the fold with my bone folder so it lays flatter.

• Cut a two pieces of matching scrapbook paper at 6" X 2-1/2" to cover the outside of the gatefold doors. 
• On each piece, make a file folder edge exactly like the ones you made from the cardstock. 
• THEN trim 1/8" from both of the short edges so your paper is now only 5-3/4" long. 
• Mat the scrapbook paper onto the cardstock gatefold doors.

• If you want to add "door knobs" with decorative brads, now is the time to do that. You can even attach a piece of ribbon to each brad so the doors are tied together.

• Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper exactly like you did for the outside of the doors.
• When you cut the tabs, however, cut the them on the OPPOSITE  side, because we're now working on the inside (or opposite side) of the door. (You'll figure it out.)

Congratulations! You have finished the outside of the book. Now it's time to make the pages.

• For each page that you make, cut one piece of cardstock to 6" X 11".  NOTE: The picture shows 8-1/2" X 6". What was I thinking? The correct measurement is 6" X 11".
• Score the cardstock parallel to the short edge at 1/4", 4-1/4", and 8-1/4".

(If you are using a Score-It Board, score at 1/4", then 4" from there, then another 4" from there.)

• With the 1/4" fold on your right, fold the 1/4" piece over and put thin ScoreTape along the edge.
• Put wider ScoreTape (or thin, it doesn't matter) on the bottom edge of the next panel on the right side (see picture above).

• Remove the release paper from the ScoreTape and fold it up so that you have a pocket with an opening at the top and a 2-3/4" wide extra piece on the left.
• Cut a tab on the extra piece as shown above.

The tab on this extra piece  can be either at the top or the bottom. I like to alternate them between pages, i.e., pages 1 and 3 will have bottom tabs, and pages 2 and 4 will have top tabs.

• Orient the page with the pocket at the top and the file folder flap on the right (see first photo above).
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper at 5-3/4" X 3-3/4" and adhere it to the front of the pocket.
• Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper at 6" X 2-1/2" and cut them to cover the inside and outside of your file folder flap.
• Decorate the outside file folder flap with more scrapbook paper and a border punch or edge die. You can use ribbon her to. Whatever you want. Go crazy.

Now make a tag for your top-loaded pocket:

• Cut a piece of cardstock at 6" X 3-1/2."
• Cut a tab by lining up one side at 2-1/2" inches on your Envelope Punch Board and then punching the right edge as well. 

• Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper at 5-3/8" X 3-1/4" and adhere them to either side of your tag.

• Flip the entire page over.
• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper at 5-3/4" X 2" and adhere it to the left side of the back page.

• Cut a piece of cardstock at 6" X 2-1/2" and cut a file folder tab in it.

Just like before, this file folder tab can be on either side, and I like to alternate them.

• Cut a piece of scrapbook paper at 6" X 2-1/4", cut a file folder tab in it, and adhere it to cardstock.

• Make "hinges" by taking a long scrap piece of cardstock and cutting it 3/4" wide. 
• Score it lengthwise down the middle.
• Put a piece of ScoreTape on both sides of the score line. This is what you will cut your "hinges" from.

• Flip your recently made file folder panel over so the cardstock is face up (scrapbook paper face down).
• Put a piece of ScoreTape on the long straight edge of the cardstock panel (opposite the file folder tab).
• Cut your "hinges" long enough to go from the ScoreTape to the edge of the panel where the file folder tab is. Do this on both ends of the cardstock.

• Remove the release paper from the ScoreTape and adhere the "pocket" to the back page as shown above. (The pocket is the pink part. You haven't made the brown part with the swirls yet.)
• Cut a piece of cardstock at 5-1/2" X 3-1/4".
• Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper at 5-1/4" X 3" and adhere them to either side of the cardstock. (That's the brown part with the swirls.)

• Make an achoring page by cutting a piece of chipboard and two pieces of scrapbook paper all at 6" X 3-3/4" and adhere them all together. This page is going to go behind your other pages and anchor the page into the cover.

After you have made 3 - 5 pages and your anchoring page, it's time to bind them. I used a Bind-It-All and just used six prongs in the very center of each page. This was very easy because the Bind-It-All punches six holes at a time.

Be sure to take your tags out of the pages before you punch them, and then put them back in when you have made your punches. This will ensure that you don't accidentally punch a tag and bind it in, thereby preventing the tag from ever coming out again.

• After all your pages and your anchoring page (behind the rest of the pages) have all be bound together, you can insert the anchoring page into the pocket that you made in the cover.

AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!!!

Be very careful when you make your first one. Seriously, these books are addictive. I didn't want you to say I didn't warn you.