DIY Flower Accordion Photo Album

Create a sweet accordion album for Mother’s Day using scrapbook paper and chip board! A fun gift and keepsake that can be displayed all year!

Hello Crafty Friends! Mother’s Day is coming up quickly and today I have a fun DIY gift you can create! I love giving picture gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, especially with little ones in our family now. Our kids are changing so quickly, it is nice to give updated photos to grandparents. These little accordion albums are perfect for displaying in the house or at the office.

This album is created with a sweet flower opening for the cover photo. This is where a cutting machine comes in handy. If you don’t have one, you can keep things simple by sticking with a square opening like my Christmas Accordion Album – it will be just as cute!

These albums don’t take a lot of supplies! Grab some decorative paper, chip board, and your favorite photos and you’re ready to go! This was my first time cutting chip board with my Cricut Explore and it was fun to play around with. I used a deep cut blade and was really pleased with how nice the flower cutout worked. I’m still excited every time I use my Cricut. I’m not sure if that novelty will ever wear off!

How to Make a DIY Accordion Album

Supplies Needed for DIY Accordion Photo Album

• Free PDF pattern and SVG Cut file: Grab the free files by filling out the purple form at the bottom of this post.
• Decorative paper – I used three different patterns from the DCWV paperstack “Copper Luxury”
• Chip board – this is the chip board I used with my Cricut Explore 3 and a new deep cut blade. 
• Adhesive – double-sided tape or tape runner or glue stick
• Cutting machine
• Deep Cut Blade
• Cutting mats and cutting tools

*If you’d like to make this album without a cutting machine, I recommend making an album with a square opening like my Holiday Accordion Album. 

Step by Step Tutorial

Preparing the File in Cricut Design Space

In Cricut Design Space, upload the file and insert it into a new project. The SVG includes score lines in bright pink. If you are using a cutting machine that is not capable of scoring, delete these layers. If you would like to use the scoring layers you will need to attach them to the correct pieces. 

Start by ungrouping the entire project.

Select all of the score lines and change the operation from “basic cut” to “score”. The lines will change from pink lines to dashed lines. 

Next, attach each score line to the piece they are positioned on top of. You can do this by selecting the score line(s) and the piece and using the “attach” tool located in the bottom right. Repeat for all of the pieces.

Change the color of the pieces to match the cardstock you plan to use. I made sure to make my chipboard pieces brown since this helps remind me to switch my settings before cutting those pieces.

You are ready to cut the file! Double-check your mats to make sure the score lines are attached. The dashed lines will appear on top of the pieces and “score” will be listed on the left. Don’t forget to insert your scoring tool. I changed my settings when cutting the chipboard pieces and used a deep cut blade.

Cutting out the Pieces

Cut out all of the pieces using a cutting machine. You can decide which way you want to position the flower opening. Make this decision before cutting your papers if using directional paper. The two albums I created each have the flower positioned a different way to better suit the photo I was using as you can see in the picture below.

You may want to go over the Cricut score lines with a scoring board and stylus. This isn’t necessary, but sometimes I do so my pieces are a little easier to fold and the score lines are deeper.

Wrap the Album Covers

Wrap the chipboard pieces with the decorative paper. After the decorative paper is scored along the fold lines, glue the chipboard in place, centering it on the back of the decorative paper covers.

Wrap the edges of the paper around the chipboard and glue them down. You can let these sit under a couple heavy books as you do the next step.

Next, create the center of the album by folding the long piece of paper along the score lines and folding it like an accordion. You can go over the Cricut score lines with a scoring board if you’d like. 

Assemble the Accordion Album

Adhere one of the lining pieces to the end of the accordion folded piece then attach it to the back cover. Make sure your album covers are going the right way if they have a pattern on them.

Repeat the step above for the front of the album cover, but leave a spot to slip a photo in. I used my tape runner for this and put a thin strip of tape along all three sides of the lining, leaving the top open and making sure I left a space large enough for the flower opening. You could also glue or tape your photo in before covering it with the lining. It wouldn’t be removable – but it would be easier! :)

Add the Pictures to the Album

The album will fit 7 photos total, including the cover photo. This is the really fun part! I love looking through the crazy amount of photos I take of our kids and choosing the perfect ones. I cut each photo that would be inside the album to 3.5″ x 3.5″. For the cover photo, I played around until I found a photo that worked well with the flower openings, then cut it to fit.

Tip: You could also alternate between photos and little pieces of artwork your children create!

I love these little albums! They really make great gifts any time of the year. Just by switching up the picture opening on the front, you can customize them for any occasion. The flower opening is perfect for this time of year, especially for a sweet little Mother’s Day gift! If you are looking for more fun DIY Mother’s Day gift ideas, visit my Mother’s Day craft page for more inspiration! :)

Below is a picture of the Holiday Album I made with a square opening! Just as cute and easier to make by hand without a cutting machine :) 

** For the purpose of these tutorial pictures, I used photos from Freepik.com to fill the albums. **Grandmother, Mother and Child: Designed by Freepik, Mom with Baby: Designed by Freepik

Get the Free Flower Accordion Album Files!

Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)