Karen Philips designed this mini photo album a few years back. She taught a workshop at a weekend retreat, leading us through the steps to make our own. After making a sample in class, I purchased a few of her kits. It’s been fun using her template to create a few designs of my own.
The album below is Karen’s design. I just added the flowers to bring in a bit of color
Today I put it to use as a small plant care log, then delivered it with my Earth Day project. This little album is the perfect size and color.
I photocopied the back of the plant care labels and included them in the book. After removing the pointy ends of the tags, I added those too.
Putting this together reminds me that I need to make more time for projects like this. It was so relaxing.
Fold Out Mini Album designed by Karen Philips
These photos show the steps for opening the mini album
Plant care instructions
Happy Birthday Shakespeare
Now one lives forever, however the brilliant collection of William Shakespeare is timeless. Today we celebrate The Bard’s 450th birthday. To ‘men of middle age.’
Here are a few of his garden quotes:
Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2.1.169-72)
When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh! the doxy over the dale,
Why, then comes in the sweet o’ the year;
For the red blood reigns in the winter’s pale.
The Winter’s Tale (4.3.1-4)
Here’s flowers for you;
Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram;
The marigold, that goes to bed wi’ the sun
And with him rises weeping: these are flowers
Of middle summer, and I think they are given
To men of middle age.
The Winter’s Tale (4.4.122-7)
Gardening Nirvana 
Those little books are wonderful. Already my brain is buzzing thinking up ways I could use them. I guess most people would use them as scrapbooking photo albums, but you have used yours in a left-field way. I love it! Does she sell them online?
Enjoy your day 🙂
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Thank you, Anne! This was fun to put together.
I asked Karen, and she said she still has several kits and asked me to pass on her email to you privately. I need to confirm that I have her correct address, and then I’ll do just that. xox
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Thanks Alys.
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That is such a good idea – and one that I, alas, have never thought of doing! Now why is that? For when I see it here, it seems so obvious – plant a collection and then record it – When the obvious questions arise – where/who did I get that from, when did I plant it? what is the name of that plant? does it need more sun or more shade? etc, etc, etc………. all possible information carefully recorded and all in the same place. Really, Wow!!
My random tossing of name tags into drawers, onto shelves, into garden utensil buckets, has never been particularly successful or tidy – I usually find tags for plants I have killed off or don’t need to know about right now thank you, never the tag I would appreciate having a quick read of…… I really MUST adopt this idea! I think I’ll just start with a notebook though 🙂
Thank you for that brilliant idea Alys And nice to have Will’s 450th celebrated too – thank you again :-0
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I’m so glad you like the idea, Pauline. I can already picture the amazing notebook you’ll put together for your plant tags. When your cold, winter days descend, you and Orlando can go on a treasure hunt around your house. Then you can toss the useless ones, and start fresh with your fabulous notebook.
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You wouldn’t believe, Alys, I just bought a compilation of William Shakespeare’s works today at a good price. The universe works in mysterious ways … Love the garden quotes.
The mini album is a fabulous idea – I have an up cycled potting bench that ends up buried beneath plastic tags. This idea would certainly bring order to the chaos – aaahh! … one day. xoxoxoxoxoxox
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Oh my gosh! That is amazing. I love this mysterious world of ours. I’m glad you like the garden quotes. He was a remarkable writer.
Those little garden tags are near impossible to throw away, aren’t they? I go through mine once a year and toss the tags for annuals or plants that didn’t make it for whatever reason. No sense having reminders about that! ;-0
This might make a fun project for T & T the next time they’re bored. They could gather the tags, give them a wash in warm, soapy water, then put them in alphabetically order. From there, you could sort by flowers, veggies, herbs.
Oh darn…now I want to come over to help. xoxo
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I’m with Pauline on this one. Loved the little booklet. As for Shakespeare, I started reading his work in 6th grade. My daughter has read all of his work as well. We bought her the collection for her birthday one year. Thanks for the lovely start to my day. Hugs
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Thank you. I’m so glad you liked it. It was a quick and fun project to put together, all I seem to have time for lately. That’s okay though, I’m not complaining.
I’m impressed that both you and your daughter are so well read. Because I was involved in theater for many years, I’ve seen many of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve also worked on a few. I sewed costumes for a college production of Twelfth Night, and worked costumes and crew for a huge college production of King Lear. I worked on a professional production of Macbeth in Berkeley, and saw several shows in Berkeley as well. I’ve seen a few shows in Ashland, and a lot here in the Bay Area.
Hugs to you, too.
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You did a gorgeous job corralling all the tid-bits we all love to save but seldom do well. I’m loving the colours and that you added flowers to the sleeve too. That’s a really clever fold ! It’d make a cute place to tuck photo’s too. I also fancy that you get to view both sides of the paper because I can never decide which side to display in a project. Great choice to use the corner rounder, it always reminds me of the 60’s and for me, fit’s perfect with that muted sea foam colour. Pinning for the oodles of inspiration!
Thank you for highlighting Shakespeare’s Garden quotes too. Silly question, but do you know why they refer to him sometimes as The Bard? I heard it before but have never know xoK
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Thank you so much! I love those tiny flowers and try incorporate them into projects. This little album is a lot of fun.
I used the same idea with a postcard album I put together several years ago. I made color copies of the back, then mounted the original, color photo with the slightly smaller writing next to it. Mike sent me a postcard every time he went on a business trip during the early years, and I saved them all.
I find these plant tags are well thought out. They include the photo, Latin name, the light and water requirements and planting instructions, all on a tiny little tag.
There are no silly questions, by the way. I couldn’t remember why we called Shakespeare the Bard either. It means traveling poet, which he was, among other things. I’m not sure why this stuck but it did. What a remarkable man. I toured his home when I was in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1989. So cool!
Thanks for being here with your always- thoughtful comments and ideas. xoxoxoxoxooxox
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That is genius and lovely. I just keep everything in a dirty ziplock bag. You know that is the second time you have mentioned that crafting is relaxing and that you should make more time for it!! So i guess you had better!
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LOL…I’m repeating myself. You know how it is: life. I have two teenage boys, a part-time business, a house to run, four cats, one husband…you know the drill. It feels like a luxury, but really it improves my mental health!
I’m so glad you like the little book.
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