A Special Mini Album (My first!)

Hello, my cherished friends! As predicted, my little blog has been silent for a bit. This special project required a lot of time to come to fruition and I thank you for your encouragement along the way. :o) I've missed you and cannot wait to see what you've been up to!

I had it on my heart to create a mini album for 22-year-old Ashley, one of the recipients of May's I Feel the Love Project. She is battling her second form of cancer, which breaks my heart. She fought it off as a child, but 15 years later was diagnosed with a completely unrelated rare form of cancer. I badly wanted to make her something extra special. I hope she loves this and feels every ounce of love that I packed into it.

Because this is a picture-heavy post due to the nature of the project, I'll resist telling the tales I'd love to share... the reasons for the choices I made, the sappy inspirations, etc. All that truly matters is that my and God's love sparkle brilliantly through it. Hopefully that will be made clear from the pictures alone. :o)

Ready to see my first mini album?! It was a JOY to create, particularly since it is for such a worthy cause. I'll never know Ashley personally, but I like to think we're connected through my daily prayers for her.

99% of the designer papers in this album are from Graphic 45's Secret Garden collection, selected specifically for Ashley. I wanted to give her a beautiful garden. :o) The gorgeous shimmer I added to every flower and butterfly throughout does not show via photograph. This album is so very sparkly in person. Naturally! :o)

A better view of the spine covering is at the end of this post... I used a Crop-a-dile for the first time! *swoon*

This is the only time I'll show photo/journaling mats/tags. Most of the pages contain 2-3 that pull out, double-sided for extra storage of special moments.

Don't worry, I eventually ran out of time to show each page side-by-side. ;)

I couldn't resist sharing a close-up of this intricate fan. I adore it and hope Ashley does, too. It is a cut file from the Silhouette Online Store, which I adorned with some of my favorite things: rhinestones, crinkle ribbon, and a Wild Orchid Crafts rose.

Above is a garden gate, with the background paper one of my all-time favorites. I popped-up the embossed gate and set the photo mat just above the foam tape. This, and the lace lining one side, enables Ashley to switch out pictures whenever she likes. They nestle in nicely without requiring any type of adhesive.

My first gate-fold! The lacy heart opens up to reveal a decent sized photo mat, which is lined at the bottom with a border so she can swap out pictures.

A tab at the top pulls out a circular mat, which easily goes in and out of the frame that is popped-up only on the lower half. These Prima flowers are especially gorgeous in person, thanks to  their beautiful shades and a hefty dose of Shimmer Spritz. I went through ¾ of a bottle for this album. ;)

The sweet little envelope is a cut file from the Silhouette Store, which opens up to a tiny surprise. I tucked a note inside to remind Ashley how loved she is. :o)

And these goodies are stuffed into the main pocket. Scriptures and sunshiny words for her to keep in or out of the album. (I snuck presents into her present... ha!)

The last page, kept simple to hold a large mat for an extra special photograph. The butterfly is leaving a trail of sparkling love with a few rhinestone hearts. That glistening love extends far beyond this album.

I poured more into this project than anything I've previously done. Two bouts of cancer at only 22 is unacceptable. I've prayed for this gift to deliver healing love. And that waves of joy and grace overtake Ashley every time she holds this as she heals in His perfect love. She will beat cancer once again and will be filling this album with new pictures for decades to come. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a sparkly weekend of love, blessings, and all things beautiful. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Celebrate the Occasion~ Use a butterfly on any project
 *Craftin' Desert Divas~ Linky Part (Anything Goes with Ribbon/Twine)
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon
 *Divas by Design~ Tie a Ribbon
 *Fab 'n' Funky~ For the Girls
 *Frosted Designs~ Punches (I used a few, including the spine border on each page)
 *Fussy and Fancy~ Bling it On
 *Love to Create~ Read All About It! (Book, bookmark, or something to do with reading)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes