Christmas album from rcycled kids book!

I'm finally got my 2011 Christmas album started.  Instead of using a premade album and just sticking photos inside, I decided to use my My Story machine.  I got it for $12.50 while on vacation with 3, yes 3 cricut 6"x12" mats.  What a steal!  (I had been drooling over one for several years and I just couldn't resist it at that price, so I decided to "gift" myself for Christmas.)

Some extra time came up in the last few weeks and it seemed the perfect time to try out this nifty machine.  I had gone to my local discount store a week or so ago and bought some used children's story books.  35 cents apiece!  More savings!

Choosing one of them, I removed the pages leaving the cover intact. Using the original pages as a template, I made new sheets out of scrapbooking paper.  I decided to include some filler strips between the pages so I could add embellishments.  I then discovered from the internet that a strip of hot glue gun glue can be substituted for the more costly My Story laminating strips.  Woo hoo!  Even more money saved! 

I recovered the book cover with holiday wrapping paper and set it aside to dry.  I drew a thick line of glue inside the spine where the pages would go, just short 1/4 inch of each end.  (The glue will spread out.) I let the glue dry for 5 minutes while I straightened my pages,making sure the ends were even. 

The glue eventually set and I was ready to put the cover in the My Story machine with the bundle of freshly cut papers placed between the covers and inside the spine area.  I held the pages in place for a little while and then let the process take care of itself.  It turned out wonderfully!  I was so thrilled with the result that I went out and got lots of children's books. 

So for a little money, I made a unique Christmas album from a recycled children's story book.  I plan to use the other children's books I purchased for other types of albums through the year.  In the meantime, I am having fun adding fun embellishments to the pages of the album I just made, making it even more a one-of-a-kind album.