Favorite album style?

[bskts4bj]

I'm new to scrapbooking and looking for your thoughts. I'd like to start an album for each of my kids something along the theme "My life according to Mom", so this could become a rather thick book since I'd like to take it from birth to maybe high school graduation? (They're only 10 and 7 now.)

Would you suggest post bound or what? I'd think that it definitely needs to be expandable - HELP!

Looking forward to all your wonderful advice and wisdom!
Brenda

 

[ToDisney]

Personally, I like the top loading books (post bound) as opposed to the strap hinge. With strap hinge, you have to scrap in order. With top loading you can move your pages around if you don't scrap in order. I usually buy books from a stamp distributer (Close To My Heart) but theirs are so pricey that I've recently bought a K and Company book. I bought my K and Company at Hobby Lobby using a 50% coupon. You can also find them at your local scrapbook store. With the Close to My Heart ones, I have used extenders, but they get AWFULLY big and heavy. I wouldn't recommend adding more than one set of extenders. I don't know about the K and Co. yet. There are other brands of top loaders out there, but I don't have personal experience using them. Maybe someone else here can advise you.

 

[Swan]

I also like top loading. I have bought a few theme ones on line, but I usually get mine at hobby lobby when they are 50% off. I do find my self moving pages around.

 

[Spinning]

I have to agree with everyone else! I love top loading. I have done several strap hinge books and do love the binding and covers but find I like to jump around. Top loading allows you the freedom. I have used Scrap in a snap (very nice) also Mrs. Grossman Great price and has a nice feel. I haven't decided on which is my favorite top loading. I just bought another book but can't remember the name of it!

 

[kellyb2000]

My vote is for top-loading also, mainly because of what was said before, you can scrap out of order. I absoulutely LOVE the look of the strap-hinge books like Creative Memories or Westrim but if your doing your kids albums, I'm sure you would be better off with top-loading. My son is only 8 months and I have already gone back and added pages that I didn't start with.

Another thing about the strap-hinge paper is if you like patterned paper (as opposed to plain white or black backgrounds) you will have to "wallpaper" your pages which means you have to pay twice for that page because you had to pay for the page AND the paper. This may not be a big deal to some but I'm a penny pincher!

 

[JudithM]

I, too, use the top loading, hinged albums for many of the reasons already mentioned. My LSS let me order a case of Pioneer albums, & I was even able to mix & match colors.

 

[nicki dahling]

I am in the minority . ( those of you who know me , get it ). I love my strap hinge album . I have several post albums , but the quality and the guarantee that you get with straphinge ( specifically CM ) for me really makes a difference . I was surprised at the prices for postbound when the CK editors gave their favorites in the magazine a few months . I'd rather spend the $36 for a CM album. I do agree with the others that postbound are much easier to work with . It really just boils down to personal preference . As I have stated before I don't worry about taping my layouts to my refill pages , I just slip them into the page protectors , and so far this has worked for me . The only thing I would change about straphinge albums is ( and no it is not the jeeping , call me crazy I actually like the look ) the page protectors in postbound are much sturdier . Let us know how it goes , and welcome to scrappin . You will be hooked once you start .

 

[kellyb2000]

Ha, ha nicki dahling - I get it!! I don't get how you slip your pages into page protectors, though. Do you mean you don't attach the paper to the refill pages but just on top of them (so it's not flimsy)? If that's what you do, that's kind of interesting. I just bought a new post bound book for $19 at my LSS. It's called "the perfect scrapbook" and I think it takes the same kind of refills as Pioneer albums. It's nothing fancy but it gets the job done. I always assume that if a scrapbook store sells it, it must be decent. And I always wonder how rough am I going to be on a book to have to enforce a guarantee? I also love the K & Company books and when you catch them 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby you only pay $13 for it. I just hate that Creative Memories charges so much for their books. And when I realized that the little piece that covers the spine of your book costs $13 extra - I was in shock. So you know me, cheap, cheap, I got the one without the strap for $23 instead. It doesn't look near as good but I thought it was ridiculous that one with that cost $13 more.

 

[mcnuss]

As I have stated before I don't worry about taping my layouts to my refill pages , I just slip them into the page protectors , and so far this has worked for me

I don't get how that would work in a CM book. How do you then "Strap" the pages in? The pp's don't have the little staple thingies.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

My preference is for the top load Dalee brand books. They have three posts as opposed to the two so many top loads have. Although I understand that K & Co has 3. I've tried several different styles over the time I've been scrapping and find this is a style that works well for me, although my best scrapping buddy swears by strap hinge - only uses Creative Memory books. So it is really a matter of preference.

If you have many pics of the kids you're going to find that "book" will become a set pretty fast. Especially, if like most kids they become involved in extracurricular activities in middle & high school. My son's football pics alone are already filling one album for 7th - 9th grade. I'll start a new book this fall with JV - and I extend a couple of sets usually.

Deb

 

[mcnuss]

I've grown to despise my CM albums and won't buy anymore. I have about 10 pages left to use up and then I am done. The killer is that I have no more page protectors so need to buy a package to finish up.

Deb - have you ever used the Mrs. Grossman's albums? I love their colors and covers, but am not sure about the post issue which you brought up. Any thoughts?

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Hi Allison,

I have one Mrs. Grossman that a friend gave me for Christmas last year. The cover is gorgeous in a metallic blue. But it isn't a full 12 x 12. A little shorter like her borders. I can't remember how many posts but I think it was 2. This is one of the brands my LSS carries and when I looked at all of them some time ago none but the Dalee had the 3.

Also since the cover doesn't match any of my series I'll probably use it for a trip or something somewhere down the line.

Deb

 

[Spinning]

Mrs. Grossman's albums are true 12x12 albums. I never have to cut down paper. So far I have completed 2 albums. It only has 2 post so I don't think you could expand it very much. I have added I believe 20 extra inserts. Will try to count later. They are very nice albums. I have 2 complaints with it....The spine is a wee bit flimsy. I riped one. Totally my fault. I grabbed it by the top to pull it off the shelf. I also wish it had 3 post to be more stable. But for the price it is a good album. YOu start with 20 sleeves so this gives you 40 pages to scrap. Also in the sleeves she provides white paper which you can leave in or scrap on or use.

 

[BevS97]

I;ve had a few different top loaders, Dalee are my favorite - the page protectors are very thick and sturdy. I am using a K*Co right now and that's nice too, and if you can get one for $13 then that's an amazing deal. K&Co albums are definitely guaranteed, I had the cover tear off one recently, my dd picked it up by the cover and tried to carry it, and it just ripped off, they sent me a replacement without any quibbles, so I was quite impressed with that.
I've tried a few cheaper ones, like Pioneer, but I don't like the page protectors, they are too thin and they rip too easily.

Bev

 

[nicki dahling]

Maybe this will help explain how I use the strap hinge refill pages without taping them down.

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?gallery=1&cmd=display&layout_id=183171

 

[mcnuss]

When you said "I just slip them into the page protectors", I thought you meant that you slid just the layouts into the page protectors without the refill page behind it. That's why I could not figure out how they stayed in your album.

Allison

 

[nicki dahling]

Spinning ,
I forgot to add that this is the layout that I was telling you about .

 

[HunnyPots]

OK - I'm in an even smaller minority because I make my own albums! I start with a three ring binder, which I pad with quilt batting and then cover with fabric and decorate, depending on the theme of the album.

I make 8.5 x 11 pages and slip into top loading sheet protectors.
I love doing it this way so I can make each book special and unique.

I just completed my first WDW vacation album and used a 3 inch binder. I was able to put 75 pages in this album.