Flip-Flapper

Today I'm sharing some of my Smashbook pages that all have a common element: they feature flaps! I've recently come to really love this little interactive element because it allows me to include three or four times as many pictures as I would otherwise be able to have, and because it makes my Smashbook just that much more fun to look through. 

On this first page, I wanted to highlight my daughter's graduation from her Sprouts class, but I also wanted to sort of conclude the Awanas for the year for both kids. Her accomplishment was the more important one, so that picture made the front flap. 

When you flip the little tab, you can see the comparison picture underneath. I like to use the back of the top flap as extra scrapping space. Here I added a little paper tag and a bit of journaling. I almost always have something to say about every picture I put in, so that little bit of extra space for notes or stickers or whatever helps. You could add another photo to the back of the top one to really maximize the number of pictures you can get in the space. 

Generally, I make my flaps using washi tape. It works pretty well to secure the flap while still allowing for movement. I use a strip on top of the flap, just as if I was securing it to the page regularly. Then, I flip it over and add another strip to the underside where the first strip is on the front. You can use a fingernail or a bone folder to gently crease it on both sides, just to help it move a little easier. Just be careful not to tear your tape! I prefer to use the same tape for both sides, but you could switch it up if you were so inclined.
 

After laying my flaps down and taping them, I like to add a tab to make turning them easier and to show that there is more to see.
I make my tabs with this awesome punch from Fiskars. On my sister's graduation page to the right, I used a little bit of the scrap paper I had left over from making the banner for her party. Sometimes I tape them down with washi tape, but more frequently, I just staple them. It's easier and stays better through handling. There's extra interactivity in this page too, since you can pull her graduation announcement, party invitation and senior picture out of the envelope. The whole point of Smashbook, for me at least, is to have a place to keep that kind of precious memorabilia on hand. In a pretty way.

On this page, the flap situation is a little different. As we've previously established, I'm a bit of a nerd and like to document everything I read. With the final Sookie Stackhouse book having been recently released, I decided to re-read them all in preparation for the very last new Sookie story. And, since there are thirteen of them, I wanted to have a little cheat sheet for what happens in each book.

I used some old Rolodex cards that I found at the thrift store for a dollar. They were nicely aged and yellowed, but I did define the edges a little bit more with a yellow marker. And then I filled up all the pages with my untidy ramblings and brief plot outlines. So, if you haven't read the books, don't read my notes because they're full of spoilers.

On a related note, Dead Ever After was... better than I expected, but just kind of okay. Charlaine Harris bizarrely decided to narrate from other characters perspectives for the first time in the whole series, which gave away a lot of the mystery, not to mention detracted from the last of our time with Sookie. My speculations for the final outcome were mostly correct, but not the way I expected. It also felt mildly unfinished, so I'm thankful for the news that there is a "what happened next" book scheduled for the fall. I've been a fan of the Southern Vampire series for a long time, and I'm sad to see the conclusion. True Blood starts back in a couple of weeks, but last season was so atrocious (and that's likely because they completely stopped following the books) that I'm not sure that we'll watch anymore. So this was really kind of my last hurrah with Sookie. Well, until I read the books again in a couple of years. 

That's it for now. I'll be back in a day or two with more Smashbook pages and even (gasp!) a peek at my craft room.