So, in honor of her, I thought I’d use it in my title.
Back to scrapbooking. I love the idea of preserving memories, of having pictures the family can handle and feel, not just stuck on the computer. I hate/detest the idea of buying bows and dye-cuts (I finally figured out what those were), bells and miniature baby shoes, papers for every occasion, hole-punches the shape of my uterus for when I’m pregnant, small bits of carpet, and teeny-tiny disco balls for the pages about when Laylee and I go clubbing.
My friend is a mad-scientist-inventor-type person and she feels the same way about scrapbooking that I do. So, instead of talking to “a guy she knows” and having Sandi’s Palace of Scrapbooking Paraphernalia burned to the ground in a horrible tragic “accident”, she started talking to patent lawyers and invented these new photo/scrapbook/box/display/holder thingies.
Here’s how they work (Vanna, please):
On the outside they look like a box:
But when you open the heavy-duty (but not too hard to open) gripper/snaps:
They are albums:
They come in several sizes:
I bought small ones that hold 2 4×6 photos per sheet to use as gifts and the really big ones that hold 12×12 sheets for our family.
You can use just about any configuration of photos in them. Most of the sheets I bought just hold scads and scads of 4×6 photos but a few are full 12×12 sheets or split sheets so I can get creative here and there if I want, but I don’t have to.
They even have kits to make the little scrapbooky pages if you want them. They are super heavy-duty fabric or bonded leather, reasonably priced (if you don’t buy one million of them), they’re gorgeous and durable.
You add the photos from the inside of a two-sided sheet, sideways so the pictures won’t come out if you shake the book around and your kids can’t figure out how to get them out. Heck, I couldn’t figure it out until she showed me.
I am so excited for my new project for after Christmas and it will mostly involve shoving all of our old photos in at a rapid pace, periodically pausing to add a caption, a colored paper background or a picture of my face, cut out in the shape of an armadillo. I’m sure they have punches for that somewhere, right mom?
“Right, Mom?” I don’t even like armadillos. I thought we had established that.
Hey, I can’t help it that I like scrapbooking and you don’t. It must be the pre-school teacher in me – or the complusive organizer. You’ll remember that I’m the one whose friends gave a label maker on my birthday and I spent the whole day labeling everything that didn’t move (ok, I did also label your father. But he looked so cute with the “husband” label on his forehead. I have the pictures to prove it.)
I’m glad you’ve found a way you are comfortable with to preserve your pictures for your family. Remember how much fun you kids had when you were little pouring over the picture albums and reliving those great memories?
To Kathryn’s Mom: Do you have a blog? Because I really want to read it!
To Kathryn: Where did you get these wonderful things? I must have one! I’ve gotten so far behind in my scrapbooking that it’s not even fun anymore.
And I hate scrapbooking with all my soul. I would love those albums. Sweet, sweet! Bravo to your friend. I think we all agree, Brooke, that our mom should TOTALLY start a blog. I’d LOVE to read it!
My parents wouldn’t let me say “hate” after they got religion. Even now, when I let the word slip, they say, “Now hate’s a very strong word.” I should say. “No, ‘f*$$in’ hate’ is very strong. ‘Hate’ on its own is actually pretty mild.
But I don’t.
Hm, I’ve been coaching Cool to not say hate either. It sounds so ugly coming from a little person’s mouth.
ANYWAY- those books are SO AMAZING! Will one perhaps be traveling with you over the Christmas holidays? I’m sure people at rest stops along the way might enjoy a demo. I love to scrapbook but I’m so far behind it’s almost too discouraging to try to start again.
Nice promo for your friend. Will she be taking online orders?
Did I mention that I sell —-
To Brooke and Heather, Thank you for the kind thoughts. I couldn’t possibly blog, because I can’t come up with an original thought. I’m just happy to post little snippets on yours.
Those are adorable! Where do you get them?
Tuesday
Oh no Mrs Mom – your snippets are very valuable and original – you should definitely start a blog.
What a super idea. Now where’s the link so we can buy them???!!!
Very cool. I too *detest* scrapbooking but this I could do.
Wow, that’s awesome. I’m so envious. Those pic’s look really nice. Hope your friend makes some good dough for her great idea.
Why does everyone have to be knocking the scrapbooking?
I think I may be the only one here not super excited about your “find.” They are cute though.
But you know what? I didn’t always dig the scrapbooking, and I am still not a really traditional scrapbooker anyway. I wish I was going to be here when you come down, then I could show you my new “stuff.”
I too am on the anti-scrapbooking bandwagon but the stores with all of those different papers and crap…I love the stores.
Those albums are perfect. Must start college savings plan so that I can raid it…
whats so wrong with scrapbooking? i really enjoy it, although i dont do it as often as i’d like to.
Can they excommunicate you for that? I didn’t think you were allowed to be Mormon and not love scrapbooking. Or maybe that’s only for the ones who live in Utah. Oh, wait…Heather doesn’t like it either. Now my whole world is turned upsidedown! 😉
Oh, and on the subject of the word “hate”. I was always counseled that “hate is a very strong word” and “hate is forever”. The other day my kitty Rosemary did something bad, and I yelled at her (better than going at her with a broom!). The word “hate” slipped out. Days later, I STILL feel so guilty it makes me cringe whenever I think of it. And she doesn’t even know what the stupid word means, just that I was mad at her.
Let me clarify. I think scrapbooks are great. I just don’t have the patience or creative skills to make them. 🙂
I like to scrapbook too and I am a total sucker for all the accessories. I’m just way beyond ever catching up until my kids are both in school all day.
The big question is . . . are the acid and lignin free and will they preserve your photos forever? (Once a Creative Memories consultant, always a Creative Memories consultant, no matter if you haven’t sold that stuff for 10 years.)
I like having scrapbooks . . . but I’m behind three years making them. If only the laundry would STOP.
I’ve seen those. They are pretty neat. I do scrapbook though, although I’n not much of a punch fan, but if you ever find a uterus shaped punch, do let me know lol!!! Too funny!
I am very pleased that the whole scrapbooking phenom is just too overwhelming. And that I have not set foot in the aisle at Michaels.
I mean, one can SEE what blogging has done to me…can you imagine what would happen if I also needed hundreds of dollars worth of adorable supplies?
no.
of course you can’t.
Mel,
And are they buffered?
Oh, so good to be among those who can’t and won’t scrapbook. I have detested it for a VERY long time. I ‘photoalbum’ and some pages might look like I scrapbook but I don’t. I do love looking at books of talented scrapbookers. I have a great website for digital scrapbooks. Click, drag, paste, type and you have a book. I haven’t bought one yet, but their flip books are GREAT!!
http://www.shutterfly.com/shop/product_c10010/Photo_Books
By the way, did you really know a Sarah in High School?:-)
I thought a scrapbook was a technical term for one’s flashcards when they are full of pictures of all the latest and greatest events in our lives. I’m bummed to know I was so wrong, because I thought I was doing good- I have several flashcard scrapbooks!!! It is quite hard to look at the pictures and reminisce just by holding the storage device alone….. maybe I should get an un-scrapbook. Oh, and a printer. Or I could for myself to take the cards to Walgreens for developement. Ah, the choices.
Those are beautiful! I am like you, I can’t stand scrapbooking. I’m not artisitc, nor do I don’t have the patience for it for one, and I am just not really into all the kitchy stickers and paper punch outs shaped like hearts and shamrocks, or whatever. But this, the ‘un-scrapbook,’ is something I can not only do, but that I would be happy to look through again and again. Where oh where do I get them?
Also not a scrap-booker. I guess I’m just dumb, but can somebody explain to me what the difference is between the ‘unscrapbook’ and a photo album?
Good question. What I liked about it over standard photo albums is its customizability. You can do scrapbook pages or regular pages and it’s also cool that it’s a solid box so the pages are safer.
I just found your blog after googling “hate scrapbooking.” In front of me sits three paper-boxes of stuff I’ve meant to scrapbook since 1996, no kidding. I googled what I did to get some inspiration to organize the junk somehow.
I just must have those albums your friend sells. How can I get one???