Cardstock and Envelopes for DIY Box of Memories
For the prom, or graduation, birthdays or any time when you want to make keepsakes of memories, use the paper that feels smooth like suede, and cleans up like plastic. The paper is virtually indestructible, cuts like a dream, and holds up as a cover for a memory album.
Any excess glue can be cleaned up with Undo and it doesn’t leave residue. Designed for the world of graphics, this surprising, avant-garde product is the result of constant research at the service of creativity and communication. It is PLIKE and manufactured by Cordenons.
I used both the cover stock 122lb in red and used black in cover and text weight. The Sampler is a great way to get an introduction to the colors and the different weights.
Pick up a couple of them, so you have plenty of each color. The envelopes for this project are Mohawk Superfine, Ultra White ( Eggshell), with a Shiny Red Lining. I found the lining matched the Plike, Red, and also the Stardream Metallic, Jupiter.
Do all the easy parts first: it is all easy stuff, just a few more steps. There are actually 5 envelopes and cards in this album, held together by a paper binding. The photos have detailed step by step instructions for the binding. It is just paper that is accordion pleated, and taped into the book as a binding, with the cards taped to the pleats.
Using a full sheet of Plike Red, center 2 score lines, 5/8″ apart, and ease the folds so that it folds like a book, with a 5/8″ spine. Martha Stewart makes several vine and flower punches. That one is Blossom Eyelet; there are 2 rows glued down.
The lettering is Memory Box, Parker Lower Case, and the flower is Memory Box, Celia Flower Outline. The Red flowers are just the Blossom Eyelet carefully placed so the edging is intact. If you need to piece it, it will still work.
Attach the Black Plike at a diagonal with ScorTape; adjust the black so that the whole edge of the album is covered and has a 1.5″ overlap, which is scored, turned over and tape down. From the diagonal corner to the book edge is 5″. The cover, from the binding, is 6″, for a total page of 12 5/8″. If you want, apply the edging first. I did everything as I went along.
Follow the binding photo, taping the peaks together on the back, so the 1/2″ peaks stick up. Then put ScorTape on each 1/2″ side panel and compress the pleats into a binding, so that all the 1/8″ pieces touch, and add more tape across the bottom.
Center it in the album and add extra black pieces at the top and bottom, folding them over the edges, gluing to the front of the spine. I added full length 1/2″ black strips to clean up the inside binding edges.
To add the envelopes, put ScorTape on the black binding pleats. Since they are really slightly less than 1/2″, I used (2) 1/8″ pieces. Then decorate using 5 of Martha Stewart’s butterfly punches, in progressively larger sizes. and decorations using scraps of Red Plike.
Make cards to go in each envelope. using several different papers. Two were Red Jupiter, since it was such a great match to the Red Plike (as is the Shine Red Satin), one was Shine Onyx, and two sheets were Shine Pearl.
Add contrasting scraps as edging, butterflies and designs. If an edging punch is used, do both edges of each color before attaching with Scortape, so both the outside and inside of the card is decorated. Fill with photos, keepsakes, and handwritten memories.
In summary, this is basically just 5 cards taped to an accordion pleat in the middle of a faux book binding. Pretty simple. Hope you enjoy this project and fill it with loving memories!
