Monday, May 4, 2009

It's All How You Fold It

Happy Monday everyone. Cheryl here. Did you see that Derby Race? 2nd biggest upset since the Derby began. I don't know about you but I was like, "Who the heck is that horse?" We also had a ton of fun with our own Give-away Derby. I think Tera was our luckiest winner of the derby raking in the most wins and it's not over because I know the Beeny's still have to count that large piggy bank of money. And today, I offer you a craft project easy enough for anyone.

A couple of weeks ago Claudia gave me a piece of paper that showed you how to fold a mini booklet out of one sheet of paper. I promptly misplaced it my cavernous purse but it stayed in my mind. I remembered the basics of it, figured it out and I want to share it with you today. I'm a visual learner so I've included lots of photos to help you follow along. This is a great solution for a fun card or an activity for the kids. Here we go... the instructions will be above the photos.

This is the template. You will draw, print out or apply stickers on. You content will be only on one side of the paper. The Page #'s below indicate which way is up on each of your pages.

Here are the three booklets I made. I used my computer and the Publisher software to insert my pictures. You could easily glue pictures, draw on or write fun messages on the pages. Get creative.

To begin, fold your page in half long ways so you can see 4 pages of your 8 page booklet. Below are my 3 booklets.

And then fold that in half again so you can only see 2 pages.
Here's a tricky part. Fold it in half again. If you think your pages are too thick you can fold each side towards the middle. I creased mine in each direction. You'll have an accordion fold down the long side of the paper at this point.


This is where the magic happens. Take an xacto knife and cut the paper between the middle four pages. Don't have an xacto? Remember when you would crease paper and then add a little bit of spit to get it torn. Gross. I know. Never mind. Dig out the xacto.


Here's what the hole will look like. Just cut the middle section out.

Now fold it back in half long ways and let the middle section poke out like this below.

Pinch it together and fold the pages around so that the front page is in the front...
And voila! Your very own Mini Booklet! Can't you see your kids making something special for their teacher? Or a special card for Mother's Day? Or a creative card for a friend?


Very easy and super creative. Even you can do it! What do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Do you have an easy, creative solution for something else? Feel free to share it with us today. Or, just report in and tell us about your weekend. What did you do for the derby? We want to hear from you.
Announcements:
Taste of USA begins today!
Don't forget to go and vote. Where do you want to go?

Claudia- did we get a winning cookie on Friday for Fancy Flours Cookie Challenge?

Signing off until tomorrow...

17 comments:

Heather said...

Cheryl,
I love this creative idea and am glad that you were able to explain it so well!
Happy Monday everyone!

Chaotic Kristi said...

this was a great demo! I've seen it before but this was VERY clearly explained. I miss Ray... still waiting on my T-Shirt!

Cheryl Houston said...

Chaotic, Your shirt came in last Friday. One step closer. And one more thing. Go back to vote on the polls on the sidebar. :)

Guess what I found! The little booklet. It also has some creative tips and I'll try to share them with you throughout the day.

Drew and I are off to the orthodontist this morning. ugh!

cassie p said...

it looks kind of complicated, but you explain it well, so im sure i could figure it out if i just followed along and did it. ill remember this for future use! now, im off to vote for taste of usa so i can hopefully make it there this year!!! gotta meet you, cheryl!

Anonymous said...

Exacto knives scare me. ;-) Won't a butter knife work? LOL

Kat said...

Great project! I may make a couple for my mom and grandma for Mother's Day. I love the new clicky voting for Taste of the USA! It makes it so easy to vote.

eknoxuk said...

We had an interesting derby. We had mint juleps-well everyone else did, the kids had on Derby hats and I had out some apps. However, the second the race was over they cut away to the Cowboys practice field collapse so we didn't get to enjoy the hoopla! The mini book idea is cute, not sure what I would use it for though, I'll stick it in my hat of tricks for the future.

Peggy said...

The whole family stopped what they were doing to watch the Derby. It was neat for me, because I was there for the first time last June!

In regard to today's topic... check out my blog spot where I went back to post a mini fold memory keeper similar to this.
http://prdesigns.blogspot.com

Being in the paper/card making world, there are so many "kewl" things you can do with paper, cardstock, brads, fiber, punches, die cuts, ink etc...if you have how to questions.... just ask! Paper crafters love to share ideas, templates and deals!!

b.k.root said...

A few thoughts...

1. I won't lie... I'm not a horse racing fan, so I didn't even attempt to watch the derby.

2. This little book idea looks pretty cool. I'll have to sit down and try to make one sometime this week.

3. I forgot to thank you, Cheryl, for my Ray shirt. It's very cool! I got it last week and completely forgot to acknowledge that I received it.

Claudia said...

Cheryl... Great demo and what fun little books you made. I might need a personal, one-on-one demo of how you did the one of JB and Drew. That is a great gift idea for grandparents.

No on the piggy bank. No tally yet. Our house has been throw completely topsy turvey because of Swine Flu. To be honest, we are in survival mode right now and counting the money just hasn't made it to the top of our to-do list. As soon as the verdict is in, we will let you know.


Tune in tomorrow morning (my day to post) o find out May's winning cookie cutter. I goota do something to keep you coming back!

I'm off to vote.

Cheryl Houston said...

If I ever claim to be organized promptly reminde me of this moment. I forgot the creative tips by my computer at home.

The orthodontist was fun today. Drew had an expander put in and I get to torture him nightly turning it.

Don't forget to vote at Taste of USA. Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Texas are currently all in the lead.

Cheryl Houston said...

Brian- Glad you got your shirt!

Katie said...

Cheryl, I love this! This would be a great (inexpensive) gift to give to my staff at the end of the year! I will have to keep that tucked away in my pocket for next year since I already have this year's gift in the makings (stay tuned for Wednesday for more info on that!).

I voted for Taste of USA! I can't wait to see where we will be going this year!

Stacie said...

How cute is that little book?? Now to decide who needs one of those! Would be a great way to make a little mini-photo album for the grandparents, I think.

Love the new voting for Taste of USA. I'm the only person so far to vote for Maine, though. Yes, I'm in Kentucky, and I don't want to be a traitor, but 1) I have a serious addiction to fresh Maine lobster, and 2) I'll be just over the border from Maine in NH for a long weekend in early September, so I was hoping if Maine won, I could actually attend (and get a break from my in-laws, if I'm being entirely honest). Looks like a long shot, though, so too bad for me. It's going to stink if Kentucky ends up winning the whole shebang and I'm out of town when it happens. :-(

Katie said...

I know that I'm a few days late, but I just completed my RAK. I delivered snickerdoodle and chocolate chip cookies to the professional staff in my office! They all said it was the sunlight to a week full of rain...how precious!

Claudia said...

Speaking of RAKs. I did one last week too, but never followed up to tell you.

My office mates were colleting money to do a Starbucks run one rainy and dreary afternoon last week. The woman making the run was all the way down the hallway when I chased after her, calling her name. I announced. "A round of drinks on me!"

So... not totally original, but I bought the office coffee one dreary and rainy afternoon.

Tera said...

Just stopping by to say hello. Super cute card idea, Cheryl! Peggy, I'm going to be emailing you soon to get some more cards :)

Happy Monday!