Note: Tutorial written with screen shots from Adobe Photoshop CS and Windows Vista.

Today, scrapbooking companies are offering all sorts of cute things made to alter. I'm going to show you how to create a super-cute mini album using a Band-Aid styled tin.

I started by measuring the inside of my tin with a small ruler to figure out how big my album pages could be and still have room to slide in and out of the tin easily. (Don't forget to take things into consideration like the lid closing!)

I created a canvas in Photoshop with the measurements I took, and created one "page" for each person in my family. I chose to highlight my family's favorite things.

After I completed each page, I checked for errors and printed them out. Tip: save time and paper by combining small projects onto one large canvas. Since all the pages together would fit on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, I created a new canvas at 7.5x10 and placed all the pages together on a white background. Setting the canvas at this size will ensure that your images won't be cut off because of margins, and you'll be able to see exactly where your images will print on your paper!

Next, prepare your tin. On most metal items you alter, you will need to rough up the finish, allowing a good base for paper to adhere to. Simply use a piece of sand paper to sand down your tin. Make sure to wipe the tin down with a wet cloth after you do this to remove any leftover dust.

Next, I collected the things I needed to alter the outside of the tin. When doing small items like a Mini Tin, it's best to have a large and small paintbrush handy so you can get into all the small areas. You'll also need a type of glue that is suitable to adhere to metal, as well as the papers you selected for your project.

When applying your paper to your tin, be sure to use very minimal amounts of glue. If you use too much, your paper will wrinkle and won't look very pretty! I even decorated the top of my tin by measuring out small pieces of paper, and rounding the edges with a corner rounder. I also punched small holes into each card and threaded it with a piece of ribbon. This acts like a little pull so you can pull each individual "page" out easily.

And a finished mini album I completed in a day! Of all the albums I create, people "Oooh" and "Ahh" over these mini albums the most. They're fun and easy when you're combining digital scrapbooking elements and even make super gifts.

Mini Tin Album by Amanda Sok
larger view

	Note: Commercial license versions of Journal Prompts Brush Set and Blackberry Brush Set are also available.

Tutorial written by Amanda Sok