"happy birthday to you" mini-book by lauren bergold

this month, though we can hardly believe it, my father-in-law will be celebrating his♥80th♥ birthday! since he is one of the nicest men i know, and also one of the most fun AND youngest-at-heart, i thought the fun papers and embellishments from the MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY kit would be perfect for making a little birthday book.

seriously, have you ever seen a more fabulous mix of colors and patterns? they're making me smile already! i created this little chipboard book with my bind-it-all; but you could do the same with book rings, or even use one of the many pre-made mini-books that are out there... i bet you have at least one in your stash! in this case, the cover is 4x6" and each successive page 1/2" longer, for a graduated look.

i think i used at least a little bit of each paper in the kit, either as a background, or an accent, in the form of hearts and clouds-- made with a decorative punch and a cuttlebug die, respectively. the brightly colored american crafts "flutterby" pennant banners in the kit add INSTANT festiveness to anything, don't they?!

for the text i've taken a favorite dr. seuss poem, called "happy birthday to you" which i formatted in bohemian typewriter font and printed on clear inkjet labels from the office supply store. then i broke the text up into an even amount to fill each page, taking into account the rhyme scheme and the natural rhythm of the poem.

i chose a few words to highlight on each page, using the two very generous alphabets on the 12x12" sheet of crate paper's "random" stickers from the kit, and my trusty dymo label maker. i love the way it accents each page, and gives even more color and interest to the pages. 

since the words really are the "stars" of the show, and it's a longish poem, i kept my design fairly simple, repeating the same simple shapes and basic colors on each page to tie the whole thing together.

i tend to like the "grunge" look anyway, but here's a confession: i have never made a BIG PROJECT where i didn't get some sort of smudge, smear, or ink spotSOMEWHERE... usually at the very end when it was too late to start over! luckily, i know that about myself, so i stay away from the very stark "clean and simple" look, except maybe on smallish cards, lol.

for this book i inked the perimeter of each chipboard page, the edges of each patterned paper panel, and my embellishments. i also did a fair amount of outlining with a very thin black permanent marker, just so each element would stand out.

i finished each page's paper panel before adhering them to my pre-cut graduated chipboard pages. then, at the very end, i used my trusty bind-it-all to make it into a book. there was plenty of paper in the kit, but i confess for the unadorned backs of the pages i used some leftover scraps from past pixie kits, just to bring in a few more fun colors and patterns! (and just in case i DID make a mistake!!!!)

my favorite part is how the graduated pages let you see a little bit of each one, while still keeping the entirety of the design in suspense! 

thank you for your patience in scrolling through ALLLLLLL of these many photos, but i wanted to show the whole poem, and afterall, we are celebrating a wonderful eighty-year life... it's only right we should spend a bit of time savoring the gift, isn't it?! ♥♥♥

* Supplies *

Pixie March Kit

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"

Paper Plus Pack

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and

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