handbook | amanda caves

Hey everyone! It's Amanda here to share a handbook I recently put together. I've had some images picked out for a while and wanted to make a mini book about BROTHERS. This was the perfect opportunity to do that, and I am lovin' this handbook. It's just such a great size to work with. There is room for plenty of pages and pictures, but the size is still compact enough to not be bulky. This was my first handbook, and I loved being able to customize it and make it my own. I chose a Wintergreen paint for the outside, with an Apple green for the inside.


For the "title" page, I chose one of my favorite pictures of the boys from our trip to the beach last year. I love the softness of this image and it shows their playfulness. I did not use a page protector for this page, but I could have easily used a non-divided page protector and inserted this page into it.


This page includes pictures of the boys from a few years ago, and it showcases their personalities perfectly. I loved the yellows and greens of this page.


Here's a mix of pictures from different years. I love that you can mix and match with the handbook, and it still all comes together perfectly. I love filling each little pocket with embellishments, stories, and images. I attached the butterfly to the outside of the pocket so that it can still retain its dimension.


As you can tell, I love the beach. This page features pictures taken on our Disney Cruise from a few years ago, as well as another image taken while on vacation at the beach. Both page protectors offer a great layouts for both vertical and horizontal images.


I just love the 3x4 pockets. They're so fun to work with and each little pocket is a chance to showcase a different image, a different story, a different year. I chose to include some journaling in a little bag on the right-hand side.

This spread spans different years as well. I love the two 4x6 slots to showcase larger photographs that can also be embellished over in the negative space in order to tell the story.



More mixing and matching of page protectors. I also chose to use a square photo here, and make up the different with a journal card.


This page is my forever favorite picture of the boys, which I chose to put on a handbook divider page.


The last page is a large bag in which I included a letter to the boys as brothers.


(supplies- Alphas, Journal Cards, Printable Labels: Studio Calico PL Kit, Pattern Paper, Twine, Stamp: Studio Calico Card Kit, Pattern Paper: October Afternoon, Studio Calico Abroad, Dear Lizzy, Journal Cards: Studio Calico Darling Dear, Overlay: Hambly, Embellishments: Labels: Bananafish Studios, Martha Stewart, Elle's Studio, Alphas: Studio Calico Yearbook, October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Thickers, Chipboard Shapes: Basic Grey, Squirrel Paper Clip: Studio Calico Studio Selections, Handbook Insert: Studio Calico Yearbook, Number Paper Clip: Studio Calico Yearbook, Veneers: Freckled Fawn Woodchips, Studio Calico Stars, Stitched Tag: Made by Mish, Vellum Word: Studio Calico Classic Frame, Adhesive: Tiny Attacher, Glue Pen

-Amanda Caves