I started with two cereal boxes and opened them at the seam removing the outside edges. Then I cut them to 10" tall. The width is 7 3/4 and the spine 2 1/8, the actual size of the box. Using adhesive tape I glued both boxes together. Individually, the cereal boxes are pretty flimsy, so doubling up makes for a stronger album.
Next I picked pattern papers to be the front, back and inside of the album. Since this is going to be an album depicting the 1960s I chose popular colors from that era. Lime green, pink and wild prints. I would have loved to have made a dress out of these colors in junior high!
Using my gigantic Martha Stewart scoreboard, I score 1 in at the top, side and bottom of the back sheet. Then fold and burnish.
For the front piece, trim to 12 x 8 3/4, then score the top, bottom and 1 side at 1 inch, fold and burnish. Starting with the front, apply 1/2 inch Scor tape along the four sides and burnish with bone folder or credit card. Then using an exacto knife cut away the corners to make a proper fold.
Apply a generous amount of adhesive to the front cover cardboard before placing the patterned paper on top. Be extremely cautious to make certain you have the paper and book facing upward before applying adhesive. Remove the side strip of score tape and affix in place, burnish. Before wrapping the sides, apply adhesive onto the cardboard along the edges, just to make certain the sides will adhere when the score tape is removed.
The back cover will slightly overlap the front just beyond the spine. To ensure proper folds, the spine must have lots of adhesive. Trim corners with knife and apply adhesive to the cardboard before affixing the pattern paper to the front cover, fold edges and burnish.
Someone said once "paper only knows how to be flat" so you have to train it to fold. Using your bone folder in the grooves, GENTLY fold your book covers up and down until it remembers to stay closed. Use a clip, if necessary.
For the inside you will need one sheet 17 x 9 1/2 OR use two sheets, front 9 1/2 x 9 1/2. Back 8 1/2 x 9 1/2 in coordinating papers. I opted for the two sheets.
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