Tuesday's Tips & Techniques: Acrylic Albums

Have you ever tried an acrylic album??? This is my very first try and I have to say, it was lots more fun that I thought it would be. I started this project back at CKC with an SEI Leafy Scroll album. I thought the modern look of the acrylic married well with these artsy photos of  the kids that I shot a few weeks ago.

When you work with acrylic, it is critical that you take into account how it will look from BOTH SIDES before you stick anything. I placed ALL my pictures first and simply cut the pictures that backed up to each other to the EXACT same size. There is no margin for error on this. {Had to get that dreaded ruler out and everything!}

 

It works really nicely if ALL your pictures "go" together nicely as then you can leave it so you can see what's coming {or what's going} from the current page. I left it so some of the train track was visible from other pages and I just LOVE how that looks.

 

Hard to see in this one I know, but the tracks from the boys' page peek through onto the girls' page. The cover shot is the best at showing this technique, here it is again:

 See the tracks peeking out? I just LOVE that~

 

I continued the playful theme of this album by turning the pictures a bit here and there. The album has such and interesting and unique feel to it...

And now, for my VERY favorite page of the entire album {maybe I will have to display it backwards...}

The back cover:

 

 Okay, so maybe it is not exactly my favorite page of the album but it IS my favorite photo IN the album!

A few notes on working with acrylic:

1. PLAN AHEAD. Adhesives, all of them, will show through the acrylic so you need to plan to have any adhesive used on one side covered by a photo, embellishment or paper on the other side. This is kind of like doing a puzzle. Fun or frustrating depending on how you like this sort of thing.

2. Remember that this entire album is transparent. Anything you put on any page may just show through to other pages so make sure all your colors etc. go together well.

3. Acrylic has lots of static. Take advantage of this "temporary adhesive" to see how things will look.

4. Try it, it's fun and it looks so neat when it is finished!