Monthly Archives: July 2012

Project Zakka: Paper Frames

A cheap and cheery way to display photos, I’ve made some basic 4×6 paper frames to display some of my Hong Kong photos for this week’s Zakka.

These frames are very easy to make and like my other Zakka posts so far, are versatile enough to be made for different types of photos – just adjust the size!

I’ve kept the colours similar for each frame so that they can be easily displayed with one another but like any Zakka project, the frames can be decorated to as fun and crazy as you like.

Hope you’re enjoying my Zakka posts so far – stayed tune for the next post!

What you need:

  • 1 x A3 art card / thick paper
  • 5 x A5 paper sheets – try using a mixture of paper finishes and patterns!
  • General craft tools – ruler, glue, scissors/knife, cutting mat, pencils
  • Decorations – washi tape, stickers, stamps… whatever you like!

Instructions:

  1. Create backing cards for your frames by trimming the art card / thick paper to measure 10.5cm x 15.5cm (4”x 6”). Repeat this five times and set aside for assembly later on.
  2. To create the frame, trim the A5 paper sheets to measure 12.5cm x 17.5cm (4¾” x 6¾”).
  3. Once trimmed, create a 1cm (1/4”) wide fold all sides of your frame – this will allow you to glue your frame to the backing board.
  4. Trim off one of the folds at the short end of the frame – this will create an opening to allow you to slide your photo in and out of the frame.
  5. Cut out a rectangle in the centre of your sheet to create the frame – I’ve used a 2.5cm (1”) border but you can have your frame as thick or thin as you like!
  6. Assemble your frame by applying glue to the folds and sticking it down onto the backing card.
  7. Repeats Step 2-6 for all frames and let dry. Then decorate – your paper frames are complete!

Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, I love Hong Kong… it’s the place for me!

If you know this jingle then indeed like me, you love Hong Kong. After looking at some very lovely pictures posted by Inspiration Lab of Hong Kong, it made my heart flutter back to 18 months ago and inspired me to share some of my photos from my last HK trip.

Above: Icons of Mongkok and Central.

Always captivating, my eyes light up whenever people ask me about it and I chatter away about my love for the food, culture and cityscape of Hong Kong. But it’s not just another holiday destination – it also feels like a place I could call home.

Fleeing the Vietnam War, my parents sought refuge in Hong Kong for a few years whilst applying for refugee status for Australia. They lived, breathed and adopted the Hong Kong lifestyle as a way to start life fresh after the War – all that continues to influence who I am today including my heavy Hong Kong twang when I speak Cantonese!

Above: Victoria Harbour and the quintessential classic – Roast Duck & Chicken on Rice!

It’s a city that instinctively reminds me of me – a fusion of east and west, a reflection of old values and new. And while I will never consider myself truly from Hong Kong, it is a small part of what makes up who I am and whenever reminded, I love to celebrate it!

Project Zakka: Matchbook Instax Album

My first Zakka post revolves around my love for my Fuji Instax 25s – a frequent companion for all my travels!

Although there are albums you can buy to store your Instax shots – they’re generally clumsy to use, poorly constructed or aesthetically displeasing. Until recently, my Instax shots were sadly stored in a $2 plastic business card holder which prompted me to think – if I’m not happy with what other people have created, then why don’t I just make it myself?

When I was little, one of the easiest ways to make a book at home was by using a staple and some nice paper. With this idea in mind, I created my first Zakka… a Matchbook Instax Album!

Easy to customise, my instructions below can be used to create albums not just for Instax but Instagram shots or even regular sized photos – just change paper and cover size to suit.

Hope you love making your album as much as I did mine – enjoy!

What you need:

  • 1 x A4 art card – if you don’t have art card lying around, you can be resourceful like me and use an A5 sized envelope which has been neatly pulled apart!
  • 5 x square paper sheets – 10cm x 10cm (4” x 4”) will neatly fit an Instax photo
  • General craft tools – ruler, glue, scissors/knife, cutting mat, pencils
  • Decorations – washi tape, stickers, stamps… whatever you like!

 Instructions:

  1. Position, decorate and secure your Instax photos for each piece of square paper. Tip: always decorate first as it makes it easier for assembling later on!
  2. Trim the art card to be as wide as your paper square but double the length with an additional 2cm (¾”). In my sample, the art card was trimmed to be 10cm W x 22cm H (4” x 8 ¾”).
  3. Once trimmed, neatly create a 2cm (¾”) wide fold on the left hand short side of the card. This will form the ‘spine’ of your booklet.
  4. Neatly tuck your 5 sheets of square paper into the fold created in Step 3.
  5. Securely staple in the middle of the ‘spine’ then fold the cover in half – take care not to crumple your inside pages! If needed, trim the non-folded short edge so that it can neatly be tucked under the fold when closed – the staple will stop the cover from moving.
  6. Decorate your cover – your Matchbook Instax Album is complete!