Mini Keyring Photo Album (Display Your Photos)

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'm sharing a very simple and inexpensive craft idea that I've had in my drafts for awhile. With summer fading away, how do we keep those beautiful sunny memories close to our hearts? I made a Mini Keyring Photo Album last year to display our beachy memories and I shared it as a guest post on another blog. Today, I'll show you how easy it was to do.

The beauty of this gift is that you do not need to be a scrapbooker to put one of these together! Anyone who can print a photo and cut a straight line can complete this project.

These are the supplies you'll need:

-Wallet Sized Photos
-Scrapbook Papers (double-sided is best)
-Coordinating Ribbon
-Pencil, Pen
-Ruler
-Scissors
-Glue Stick
-Binder Clips from office supply store
-Hole Punch (not pictured)
-Paper Trimmer (optional)
-Rub-ons or Sticker Embellishments (optional)
-Corner Rounder Punch (optional)

This is how you can create your own mini keyring album in just 10 simple steps:

1. Print your photos
You can print wallet-sized (2 x 3) photos at any Kodak kiosk (I use the one at Target) by choosing the Collage and Mini Print options. This will print 4 photos on a 4 x6 sheet. I spent less than $2.00 for 6 sheets. I recommend having 10 to 12 photos to work with.

2. Cut out each photo individually 

3. Lay your photos on the scrapbook paper and measure out "mats"
Be sure to leave enough room in the top left corner for a hole punch to go through.

4. (Optional) Use a craft punch or scissors to round the edges of your photos

5. Glue the photos down onto the scrapbook paper mats
You'll notice I also made a "cover" for my album, using a flower from the scrapbook paper. Too many layers of embellishments can make the laminate tough to adhere, so use them sparingly.

6. Have a local printer laminate your photos
Be sure they leave some space between the album pages when they laminate them. Less than $2.00 at my local shop. Laminating is clearly not the best thing for your pictures, but it helps the album with wear and tear.

7. Cut your album pages out again, being careful to leave a small border of laminate around each one
If you trim too closely to the edge of the paper, the laminate could peel open.

8. Punch a hole in the top left corner of each page
If you made a back cover for your album, be sure to punch through the opposite side.

9. Add your pages to your binder clip and snap closed

10. Embellish the ring with coordinating ribbon

There are so many fun themes to choose from! You could create albums for Holidays, Back to School, Grandparents, Favorite Things, Sisters/Brothers, Pets, Recipes, etc. These are a big hit in our family. I made one with copied heirloom photos for my husband's grandparents several Christmases ago, and they loved it. Gifts like this are perfect for those hard-to-buy-for folks, or older relatives who don't really need or want anything.

Grandmas love to carry these in their purses to show off. I keep mine in a little tray on our coffee table with some photo books.

People appreciate the love that goes into a handmade gift, and I love having a fun little reminder of our summer fun on display!

*I'm over at At the Picket Fence today, sharing my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. If you haven't met Heather and Vanessa yet, you must stop by!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin it" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. 

Linking to Positively Splendid, Home Stories A to Z, a glimpse inside, At the Picket Fence, Tatertots and Jello