I had firmly decided that I was NOT going to post this little piece ... however ... my inspiration returned after an evening off and I'm wrapping up my replacement project this week.  So consider this a really BAD teaser for what I think is turning out to be a really GREAT project that is on its way!  So here it is ... the UGLY!


Have you ever had a project go bad?  I mean ... really take a turn somewhere along the way and go HORRIBLY WRONG?!  Well, that's what happened with this mini album.  And oh!  How I've debated sharing this with you ... but ... I feel like I have a duty ... and that duty is to prevent YOU from making this same HORRIBLE mistake!


I warn you ... what you are about to see is NOT pretty!  Not even close!


It all started with good intentions.  You see ... I had these photographs left over from a class I had taken.  We never used them in class!  They were all cut to the size required and ready to drop into my layout.  Well, when we got to the class ... it really had nothing to do with the photos we were required to bring.  So as I was straightening up the other day ... I found these photos.  They were all cut to size and ready to go.  Each photo represented something that made me happy.  PERFECT!  Half my work was done.


So ... I was so tired I thought I'd do something REALLY simple.  Take one page design and use it for every layout.  This is a common technique and the results are always great.  The main thing is to just rotate the layout every now and then for interest.  So, I pulled out my square chipboard and covered it with Lilly Anna Cardstock.  Then added my photos.  Before I embellished too heavily ... I wanted to go ahead and bind my mini album.  I've learned the hard way ... you BIND as soon as you can versus AFTER you've embellished.  So I finished my foundation and punched the bind-it-all holes in my mini album.  And then I bound it.


What you are about to see is what the layout was SUPPOSED to look like after binding ... and what it LOOKED LIKE after I bound it.  Of course ... on the SUPPOSED to look like ... try to NOT visualize the bind-it-all holes punched at the top!


Inside spread #1 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...





Inside spread #1 ... LOOKED like after binding ...





Inside spread #2 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...





Inside spread #2 ... LOOKED like after binding ...





Inside spread #3 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...





Inside spread #3 ... LOOKED like after binding ...





Inside spread #4 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...


I know you MUST be asking ... what makes me happy about this photo?  #40 is MY boy!  There were SIX kids (one is in front) from the blue team trying to take my boy down and he drug them along for a dozen yards or so!  (Okay ... don't really know how far ... but it was FAR!).  This is one proud mama!





Inside spread #4 ... LOOKED like after binding ... (this wasn't a proud mama) ...





Inside spread #5 SUPPOSED to look like layout ... (NOTE the pink cardstock background on the left and right pages) ...





Inside spread #5 ... LOOKED like after binding ... SERIOUSLY!  What happened to my other pink background?!  Did you see it on the previous layout?  That's where it is.





The only thing I can say in my defense is ... I was trying out a new liquid glue that a manufacturer wants us to start carrying and the fumes were apparently stronger than I had first thought.  That and it was after midnight!


Can I tell you how HAPPY I am that I didn't embellish any farther!  I wanted to add in the 'details' AFTER I had bound the album because it's hard to use the bind-it-all if you have too many layers of embellishments on your pages!


Thank goodness I hadn't adhered the front or back cover layouts yet!


Ok.  So this is what NOT to do.  I am going to make another one of these albums.  At this point ... it's not because I WANT to ... it's because I HAVE too!  Surely, surely ... I'm smarter than a bind-it-all???!  Don't worry ... I'll let you know if I am!