Accordion Book-- Enchanted Forest

I absolutely LOVE the newest from Graphic 45 this season. So I took my creative skills and went to town on the Enchanted Forest paper. Shockingly, I only used 4 sheets from this line, but I highly recommend you get creative and create your own work of art using whatever paper inspires you!! Here's what I did:

Start out by cutting yourself 6 pieces of chipboard or mounting board. They will all need to measure exactly 4 1/4" × 6 1/4"

I used one piece of 12 x 12 paper (turquoise) and 2 pieces each of the gold and burnt orange papers -- so 5 sheets total. I cut these sheets down to give myself 4 pieces of each color measuring 4 1/8" × 6 1/8" 

Next I took a piece of black paper and cut myself some hinges. I cut out 5 pieces that measure 2" × 5 1/2" . I used double sided tape to adhere it to my pieces of chipboard. *make sure to place it on opposite sides of the chipboard to create the accordion fold throughout the book* Then place your cut pieces of solid papers in a satisfying order and attach with double sided tape.

Now comes the fun part! ! Decorate your book! I love doing things that are interactive-- and chances are if you are giving this away as a gift, they will love it too!!

I cut out the knight and popped up different parts of his armor with pop dots for a 3D look, I cut out Fairies and interplayed them throughout the book, and I made frames for photos by using black cardstock and adding photo corners with the die cut from Elizabeth Crafts-- Corners 1

Something I was really excited to add was a book within a book, a mini accordion!! I cut a piece of text weight paper down to 9 1/2" x 4", scoring it every 3" to make space for my mini pages (which are 2 7/8" x 3 7/8"). In the same way we did in the main book, you can cut out your little characters, bringing them to life. I created a pocket in my main accordion book to hold my mini book, and it worked out perfectly without it being too thick.

*Make sure to glue your ribbon (for tying your book closed!) behind that last sheet of the last page of your main accordion book*

And there you have it! A great interactive book to really make your story come to life. Easy to make in any theme, it's just all about the paper! Using embellishments, like the die cut corners, Stickles, Crystal Laquer, and brads, you can really make this book to customize your project needs.

If you ever need help with an accordion book, or just want to stop by to see this one in person, we would love to show you! We are open 7 days a week and there is always something new to see.