Welcome to the November Heartfelt Creations Alumni Blog Hop! Each month, on the last Friday of the month, the Heartfelt Creations Alumni Team participates in a Blog Hop! The November Hop starts 8am EST on Friday, November 24th and closes Monday, November 27th at midnight. Be sure to visit each blog on the hop, and leave a comment, because one fortunate Blogger will be chosen to receive a $25 gift card to Heartfelt Creations! The winner will be announced on the Heartfelt Creations Blog and Facebook Page on Wednesday, October 6th. The winner should contact Heartfelt Creations at [email protected] with "Winner of the November Alumni Hop" in the subject line. This prize draw is closed. The winner of the November hop is from Emily Niehaus's blog and is Ava Gavloski. You should be coming to my blog from Amarilys Doria's Blog. After visiting me, head on over to Emily Niehaus' Blog. For a list of the Alumni Blogs, see the end of the post. I created a mini book for my project this month. I have a little tutorial AND a "show-off" video for you! This adorable little mini album is 4 1/2" tall and 3 1/2" wide, with a 1 3/16" spine. I love the traditional colors of the Festive Holly Paper Collection, plus I just love cardinals! I also used a bit of paper from the Sparkling Poinsettia Paper Collection, which is an older collection, but has the same traditional color scheme. I created three page sets for this little mini. Each page set has an accordion fold section, a flip page, and a pocket page. It is a lot packed into such a small space! The pages are perfect for wallet-sized photos and small notes. The pages are also great for showcasing the beautiful images of the collections. If you want to see every page in the book, please check out the video below. TUTORIAL: Here is a little tutorial for making your own mini. This is a very quick-to-make project! Cut two pieces of heavy-weight chipboard to 4 1/2" x 3 1/2". Cut a piece for the spine to 4 1/2" x 1 1/2". (The spine ended up being a bit too wide, so you could make the spine a bit narrower.) Cut black cardstock to 6 1/2" x 10 1/2" and attach the chipboard to the center, making sure to have 1/8" of space between each cover and the spine. Angle the corners as shown. Attach double-sided tape to the flaps and secure. Create a hinge system using the accordion fold method. Cut black cardstock to 4" x 6". Score at 1", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/2", 4", 4 1/2", 5". Fold on all score lines in a valley-mountain fold pattern. Turn the hinge system over and place adhesive between the 2nd, 5th, and 8th sections, as shown. Adhere the sections together to form the hinges. Place adhesive over the back of the hinge system. Attach the hinge system to the spine. Place double-sided tape to the front and back of each hinge. Create three page sets, one for each hinge. Each set will have a pocket, an accordion book, and a flip page. Create the pocket pages first, as they will attach to the hinges. Cut three piece of black cardstock to 4 1/8" x 6 1/4". Score at 3 1/8" on the long side. Fold on the score lines and burnish. Place double-sided tape at the bottom of the left page. Do not glue closed yet! Attach the open end of one of the pages to one of the hinges and secure. Then fold the page over the hinge and secure the bottom and the other side, forming a pocket. The pocket will accommodate one of the Graphic 45 ATC tag. Repeat the process with all three hinges. Create an accordion fold book for each page. Cut black cardstock to 4 1/8" x 9. Score on the long side at 1/2", 3 1/2", and 6". accordion fold and burnish the folds. Place double-sided adhesive on the 1/2" flap. Attach the accordion fold to the first pocket page by the 1/2" flap. Round the corners of the 2 1/2" wide section. Repeat for each pocket page/hinge in the mini. You will have three accordion fold sections in total. Burnish all score lines to make sure the pages fold easily. Create three flip pages. Cut black cardstock to 4" x 2 3/4". Score a 1/2" flap at the top of the panel. Round the bottom corners. Chose one panel of each page set to add the flip page. Simply adhere to the page by the 1/2" flap. Decorate the pages as desired. Once you have all of your pages attached to the book, decorate as desired. Thanks for hopping by! Hop on over to Emily Niehaus' Blog next. DON'T FORGET...POST A COMMENT FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $25 GIFT CARD TO HEARTFELT CREATIONS! November Heartfelt Creations Alumni Blog Hop List: Kathy Clement Vicki Dutcher Amarilys Doria Gloria Stengel - YOU ARE HERE! Emily Niehaus Deneen Treble Emilia van den Heuvel Martine Smith Sarah Miller Alissa Wells Heartfelt Creations Products: Festive Holly Paper Collection Sparkling Poinsettia Paper Collection Eyelet Circle and Basics Small Dies Circle Basics Large Dies Luggage and Tags Dies Other Products: Cardstock: WorldWin Papers Smooth and Silky Midnight Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon Christmas Red/Green Plaid Tags: Graphic 45 (black ATC) Circle punch: Stampin' Up (1/2") Corner rounder: Creative Memories Glitter: Ranger Stickles Icicle Enamel dots: Your Next Stamp White Sugar and Sparkle Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, foam tape, Ranger multi medium