Hi! I was blessed with an early Christmas present: The Cinch. I have heard so many great things about this book binding tool but until I purchased it and played with it this past weekend, I didn't know what I was missing. Wow. This is some incredible piece of equipment and I have only bound one book. It is like the gift giving world has opened up to me and I can see so many uses for this.
I made one of my sisters a gratitude calendar out of a Heidi Swapp folder this past summer. She emailed me this morning asking me if I could make three of them for her family members, her husband and her two grown kids (one girl and one guy). I immediately thought I could use Heidi's mini chipboard folders for the outside and her free calendar printable to incorporate inside the book. I think for both of the guys the book binding method will be perfect using some Tim Holtz paper, gears, clocks, etc. I can't wait to start! Back to the project at hand, though.
When I brought the Cinch home, I knew I wanted to make a family recipe/traditions book with lots of interactive pages. I am going to ask my family members to email me their favorite holiday recipes and then I will insert them in the book. I am then going to take photos of my family's special traditions and add those as well with some journaling. What a neat gift to pass down from generation to generation.
Using Heidi's chipboard file folder as the front and back cover is a must, in my opinion. You can either use Color Shine or cover it with paper. I chose paper this time because I love Pink Paislee's City Sidewalks line and wanted the book to have that as an overall theme. I did add in some of Heidi's Vintage Chic papers in the form of mini-mini file folders that I cut from my Silhouette. I also added some pages out of a "brag book" so that I can slip some photos in those sleeves.
It was when I completed the book that I decided I needed to share this idea with everyone and offer a great deal on a kit. So, please see my previous post on the City Sidewalks Kit which retails for nearly $48.00 and I have on sale for $32.99. Crazy, I know, but you will love it and I wanted it to be affordable during this time when we spend more money.
I would love your feedback on my first book. Be honest, but be nice! :) I had a blast making it (and stayed up until 5:00 a.m. the other morning just to finish the inside pages). I can see so many more books in my future. I have watched all the episodes Heidi has on her My Craft Channel and have thought how nice those books would be. Now, I have completely jumped on the bandwagon and away I go! Thanks for stopping by and let me know when you make your book.
