Got Memories

How to Design a Unique DIY Memory Book with Rhinestones

Mother’s Day was fast approaching, and I needed a unique gift. This DIY memory book with rhinestones becomes a treasured personalized keepsake.  Memory books also make great gifts for birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries.  


For this project, I used:

• Heavy cardboard cut to 4 x 5
• Decorative scrapbook paper
• Ribbon
• Photo stickers
• Glue
• Scrapbook stickers
• Rhinestones
• Cardstock
• Instant coffee
• Pictures

Begin by cutting your decorative scrapbook paper about 1 inch larger than your cardboard. Glue the cardboard to the white side of the decorative paper so that the print is facing outward. Cut corners on the diagonals. Fold the corners inward and glue down.

For my endpapers and pages, I used coffee-stained white cardstock. To do this, place about ¼ cup of instant coffee on a cookie sheet. Pour boiling water into the cookie sheet, about halfway up to the top edge. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Place your cardstock into the coffee water, making sure to coat both sides with coffee water.

Remove the paper and place on a clean cookie sheet, or to get the polka dots like I did, place on a pizza tray. To dry, you can use 1 of 2 methods. You can dry it with a hair dryer, or dry it in the oven. Watch your papers carefully, as you do not want to start a fire.

Place in a preheated 200-degree oven for 5 -10 minutes, again watching carefully and removing as soon as dry. YouTube has several food videos on this if you need more instruction. Once your papers are dry, cut 2 pieces slightly smaller than your covers for your end pages.

Cut 2 pieces of ribbon about 17 inches long and sandwich the ribbon between the cover and end paper, glue the end paper to the cover. Next, I used an accordion fold to make the pages, again, just slightly smaller than my covers. I glued 2 accordion pages together to get my 6 inside pages.

Then, I put my photos on the pages using acid-free double-sided photo stickers, scrapbooking stickers, and rhinestones.

Here is a close up of the last page and you can see a bit clearer the rhinestones adding sparkle to the stickers :
 

Allow to dry completely and then tie up with the ribbon.

Sparkling memories to last a lifetime! This DIY memory book with rhinestones will be a treasured keepsake. 
 
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