what is the BEST ALBUM and pages brand to buy?

[pintradingwedding]

Hi there! I'm getting married at Disney and I would love to make a scrapbook album instead of a traditional wedding photo album.

THe gals over on the disney weddings/honeymoon boards told me the women (and a couple guys) over here in scrapbooking are awesome! So here I am!

I'm willing to invest a chunk of money since hopefully I will have this book for the rest of my life I want to get the nicest album cover I can.

This brand looks nice. It has a metal frame on the cover so I could put a photo in...

http://creativememories.com/MainMen...bums/Coversets/Window-Coverset-in-black-12x12

But if anyone out there knows of a BETTER album -- one that expands -- please, please let me know.

Or if there is a LEATHER one. (This album is 'bookcloth' -- not quite sure what that is)

Also if you know of a good quality DISNEY themed album.

Thanks!!!

lisa

 

[ncmomof2]

I love CM products and in my opinion they are the best. The album is expandable, meaning you can add two more refill packs (15 pages each) for a total of 45 pages. CM does have a Disney album. It is red with Mickey on the front.

 

[Mickster]

I too like the CM stuff. Totally expandable. They make a black leather one, too, I think. My friend has the one with the frame and it is gorgeous. You can add whatever color pages to it - she picked black for her wedding album. It was stunning! I hope you love whatever you pick!

They just came out with a very classy Disney one too. A cranberry color with a black Mickey on the cover.

 

[pintradingwedding]

I too like the CM stuff. Totally expandable. They make a black leather one, too, I think. My friend has the one with the frame and it is gorgeous. You can add whatever color pages to it - she picked black for her wedding album. It was stunning! I hope you love whatever you pick!

They just came out with a very classy Disney one too. A cranberry color with a black Mickey on the cover.

that is so great to know! was your friend's with the frame the same one? or was hers leather with a frame?

 

[Mickster]

I don't think it was leather. The bookcloth is very nice, matte finish, doesn't feel like cloth at all. Very durable (which is good when my DS (6) and DD (2) fight over who gets to see the albums first!! )

I hope this helps a little.

 

[Lisa]

The Creative Memories Wedding Coverset is beautiful. The material is a durable leatherette cover. Very easy to put a picture into the window.

My SIL used this coverset album for her wedding pictures, along with the CM wedding bouquet kit .

 

[MinnieAnn]

I have to recommend post-bound, top-loading albums because you can scrap out of order, add pages or rearrange them, and because you aren't scrapping on the back of a page you have already completed.

You can also add expander posts and make the book as thick as you like, although it can get too heavy if you expand too far. The spine expands with the book and the pages lay open completely flat, which is not possible with the spine albums.

I know I'm biased, but I absolutely love the leather Close To My Heart albums. They come in dark blue, burgundy, black and english tan. They are very durable. I have some that have been handled and carted around for the 6 years that I've been a consultant and they still look great.

CTMH also has simulated leather albums in dark blue, green, white and black. Those are not as pretty as the real leather ones, but they are durable.

The linen albums are very nice too, and they come in about twelve colors - some soft pastels and some bright colors. They do show handling more than the leather books, and are harder to clean, but I'm sure that's true for any linen, or other fabric album.

I think a wedding scrapbook is a great idea. I've been working on mine for the ten years that I've been married! I think I've put off finishing it because I want it to be perfect.

Have fun!

 

[disneysnowflake]

I like Close To My Heart albums, too.

The Creative Memories albums are okay, but I don't like to scrap in order. I like to be able to move my pages around and scrap in whatever order I want.

I've used Close To My Heart albums for a long time. They are post bound and expandable. The page protectors from CTMH are great, too. The quality is great.

I'm not sure if you can order from their website, or maybe there is someone on DIS who sells them. I ordered mine from a consultant quite a while ago. They are worth the money.

CM are nice, too, if you plan to scrap in order.

 

[JandJ]

I won a black leather CM album years and years ago at a crop and I plan to use that for our wedding album (I actually have two, and will probably use the second one for an anniversary trip or a possible future vow renewal). I had a plate engraved with our names and date to adhere to the front.

I agree it's easier sometimes to not scrap in order and for that post bound albums are better but most of the time, and especially for my wedding, I'll have all the photos in order before I even start. I scrap chronologically pretty much as a rule, so it's not an issue for me. Also, I take all the pages out of the album first. Some CM scrappers crop in the album and add pages as they get to the end, but I've found taking the pages out works really well for me.

Of course, I'm afraid to even start my wedding album yet

 

[DiznEeyore]

You can also scrap out of order in CM albums by slipping the page protectors on the white pages and then (as long as you're doing a separate page on cardstock or patterned paper and not just on the main page with the jeeping on either edge) just slide in your completed page.

I've been scrapping for over 10 years and have tried about every album out there. I also think CM albums are the best quality. Plus, if you do side-loading, you don't have to worry about dust settling in the tops of your open page protectors and getting on your pictures.

Lastly, if you like the CM albums but don't want to do side-loading, you *can* buy top-loading page protectors for them. Westrim makes them for their own albums, but they fit the CM albums perfectly. You can get them at Michael's. HTH!

And re: the Disney themed album -- CM actually makes one with Mickey embossed on the cover. There are other brands, too ... you might want to check out www.mousememories.com They have a great selection of Disney items and the owner, Barbara, is very nice. I've ordered through them a bunch of times.

 

[Lizzy1004]

I am with the CTMH group... I started out with CM, but really did not like using their pages to scrap on and if I didn't having to cut my 12x12 down to size to fit in the book. The CTMH page protectors are true 12x12, and the albums are very expandable (not sure exactly how much), so you can finish a page and pop it in. And although they are top-loading, the possibility of dust getting in is minimal...

 

[Spinning]

My favorite albums are called Forever Yours. It is a top loading album expands and is very study. I have CM albums and this one is just as good if not better than CM. Believe me I have tried many many albums.
Of course you can do the side mount thing for CM...but you will have to remember to trim your paper. Which to me is the biggest draw back to CM. I hate to trim the paper. I hate that I will forget and then realize it after the page doesnt fit right.
The dust issue always cracks me up. I have many many post bound albums and have never had a problem with dust finding it's way into my pages. And believe me i am not a super neat person!
I think the best thing to suggest is to decide what your style is. Do you like in order? are you planning to wall paper? Do you like bulky embellishments? even many layers of matts can cause problems getting a page to slide nicely in a CM page protector. Do you like page protectors? That is the one nice thing with cm you don't have to use them.
CTMH is a great album. I have used many of their 8x8 books and love the look and feel. The page protectors are very nice and heavy with lots of room for embellishments.
So...after my long windedness....I would really look at how you would like the book to work for you and then you can decide!
my only concern about the CM book and any book that has the raised photo frame is how it will effect the book next to it. Will it dent the cover? I had this happen with a CM book, my fault but I stored it flat before I started scrapping in it and for some reason had a hard back small book between it and another thing. Left a nice dent in it. So I would be careful about anything that would stick out.

 

[scrapperjill]

Another vote for CM. .. I have the black window alblum (used for my DCL vacation)...and LOVE it. The bookcloth is nice. CM does have the leather album ...but it dosn't come with the framed window...they also have the "wedding" album which is nice also. The thing I love about the CM albums is the quality. IT'S Awesome. Plus they all come with a lifetime guarentee, there photo safe and expandable. Another plus with the CM albums is after you get your album...you can send the cover and spine in to have it personalized with things like your wedding date (you are more limited with the window album)....but if you get a premier CM album you can even get a Mickey or other image embossed on the cover (text just on the spine)

I also don't think if your scraping your wedding you'll have much trouble or issues with scrapping out of order. (IMO that's more of a concern when your scrapping everyday life)...PLUS you CAN scap in any order you wish...the pages are removable...and if you do as someone else suggested to just "slip" in the pages instead of sticking them down...at least until your finished and sure everythings in it's proper place.

ANYHOW....CM albums are great quality albums

 

[Spinning]

just to add:
You can have Forever yours albums embossed and CTMH embossed.
Again it all boils down to your style and preference. I think the best thing to do is hold the album in your hands contact a CM rep and see if they have it in stock.

 

[skbachand]

I vote CM. I have always used CM albums-they have a lifetime guarantee and really are very sturdy. I have fit up to 45 pages in one album. Wanted to just add some info about the Embossing. CM works with Person imprinting and they have some great new Disney designs. Like previously said you can also get just names and dates as well. If you go to the creative memories web site you can see what they have to offer.

 

[Kitty347]

One thing I forgot to add! I always print my photos on semi gloss paper. It has a nice feel to it and doesn't show fingerprints as glossy photos will. This is important when you're handling the photos while cropping, matting, etc.

 

[tinkerbeth]

Another CM fan here. I use some other stuff for stickers and paper sometimes, but I'm stuck to my CM albulms.

Beth