Christmas is around the corner and the department stores are jam-packed of people jostling around just to find the exact gift. However many of us yearn to make Christmas more simple and more significant by giving stuff made out of love instead. You can easily make important gifts for everyone on your roll using scrapbook materials you may by now have. I love to create and give little scrapbook albums. They are fast and simple gifts that can be arranged with the use of pictures, patterned papers and a few add-ons. Here are some fundamental instructions to make an uncomplicated mini-album and ideas on how to customize it.

First buy a reasonably priced small photo album at a dollar or discount department store. Remove the front and back covers and make use of them as patterns to form new covers by means of colored cardstock or a preferred patterned paper. Make the heading using stickers, stamped or die-cut letters, chipboard, and add a few small trimmings. Slip the fresh front and back covers back into their niche. Tie a length of match up ribbon around the backbone of the album to dress it up.

Now settle on what will be contained by the album. Your first alternative is to make and give a "completed" album, filled of both photos and embellishments. What grandparent wouldn't adore receiving a mini-album filled of fresh photos of all the grandchildren? This would also be grand for family members who are distant or you haven't seen in a long time. Or how about making an album for your best friend packed with photos of the both of you over the years?

Another choice would be to make an "incomplete" album that holds ornamented pages, but no pictures in it. This would be functional for a hectic mom who doesn't have a moment to scrapbook the photos of her own family, or the traveler who has plenty of pictures from their adventures and trips. I also like to offer unfilled albums festooned with holiday themed ornaments so pictures from this year can be effortlessly slipped inside - an instantaneous Christmas album! If you prefer this alternative, make and beautify the pages, but put down bare spaces for the recipient to add their own pictures and journaling.

Lastly, this type of mini-album provides itself to many other ideas. It would also be exquisite filled with a compilation of inspiring quotes and complementary photos. Or how about replicating your much loved recipes onto 4 x 6 recipe cards, adorning them and slipping them inside the album? Or fashion a small calendar for the forthcoming year with monthly calendars downloaded from the internet highlighted by an assortment of seasonal photos and added extras. It can truly be customized for anyone.

Mini-albums are easy on the pocket, yet important gifts. And the best part is that because of their size they can be completed very promptly - you still have enough time to create one for everybody on your list for this Christmas.