I have always loved Stampin' Up's 6 inch square photo albums -- they're the size I think is great for a "brag book" to showcase highlights of one or two people (your kids or grandkids), scrapbook the year's highlights for your whole family or document things about yourself in an "All about me" album. Each August I start a scrapbooking club that makes a 20 page brag book size album as we meet throughout the coming months. (NOTE: If you're local to Florida's space coast and are interested in the club starting in August, send me an email at the link in the left column as there is room for you.)

Over the next few posts I wanted to share the two-page layouts that make up the inside "spreads" of last year's club album. First, here's a fall spread that used a unique color combo -- and see that page on the left? It was copied almost directly from Stampin' Up's great demonstrator magazine! Why design from scratch every time when SU helps us out? All I had to do was design the coordinating page.

Up next in our monthly meetings was another set of fall pages -- we made these last October and I like having multiple choices for the Halloween and Thanksgiving photos that are often the focus of Fall.  These used the time-saving technique of stamping one larger strip of card stock, with the leaves in this case, and then tearing it into two strips for your pages. Remember that this is a small format of just 6 inches so you don't need too much on these pages -- the focus should always be on the photos that scrap club members easily add at home. I love those Big Shot die cut leaves!

After Fall comes Christmas of course so the Wandering Words set from last year's Holiday Mini catalog was perfect to add Santa's sleigh -- embossed here with Chocolate Craft ink and clear powder. FYI -- that was the fall-themed image from Wandering Words on the fall pages above — can you see how this club made everyone see the versatility of that now-retired stamp set?

Look closer and you'll see the bling -- the stamped card stock was then covered with clear Versamark ink and embossed all over with our Iridescent Ice embossing powder. So pretty and the glitter is locked in this way and does not as easily migrate to your photos. This is one example of how I also use brag book pages to teach a technique that scrapbookers can then use on larger pages they may make at home.

The last page of this album was one I showed last fall and you can see it by clicking here. And the first page is one that I had showed along with a collage style card in this post. The first and last pages of an album are a great place to showcase a single page layout of course. I also love using the last page as a "dedication page" if this is a gift album for someone else — a place you can combine a photo that sums it up and journaling that lets the recipient know why they're so special.

If a giant scrapbook project seems overwhelming, think about this smaller size — it's a wonderful option and each page is almost like making a greeting card. And again, you are practicing techniques and layouts that you can always use for your larger format scrapbooking.

I'll share the remaining layouts over the next few days.