Club Scrap

I have a confession to make: I do not belong to any scrapbook kit clubs! I am tempted by so many of them, but I have yet to take the plunge. However, the folks over at Club Scrap were kind enough to send me over the March kit to check out. Many clubs take products from different companies and mix them together in their kits, often with a couple original items that can only be found in that club kit. Club Scrap has a different take on originality — you can’t find anything in their kits anywhere else!

That’s right, the Club Scrap Design Team creates all the coordinating cardstock and embellishments that come in every monthly kit! The March kit, Common Threads, is absolutely beautiful – full of rich blues, golds, greens and purples. I plan on using mine to scrapbook a tropical vacation that my husband and I hope to take in the next couple of months…but have yet to plan.

Each kit from Club Scrap includes the “Main Entree” plus your choice of 1 of 3 “Side Orders” — an Embellishment Pack, a Wood Mounted Stamp Set, or a Greeting to Go Card Making Pack. There are actually 2 different kit clubs you can join — Club Scrap and Club Stamp; that’s right, they make their own rubber stamps too! Every member also can download “Assembly Line Scrapbooking” instructions each month for ideas and inspiration as well — and who can’t use some of that?

For more information on this company and how to become a member of Club Scrap and/or Club Stamp, click here.

Univenture Binders

I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for new ways to organize my large (okay, bordering on obnoxious) collection of scrapbooking supplies; I have found binders to be very useful. I use them in several ways — to store my acrylic stamps and to organize the many layout ideas I tear out from my favorite scrapbooking magazines.

I wasn’t aware of this, but there is a company called Univenture that manufactures innovative storage solutions, mostly for corporate customers — but many of them will work well for crafters too! I especially like these UniKeep Binders. They come in different sizes – and they snap close, so you can stuff all sorts of stuff in there and not worry about it falling out! I plan on using mine for stamp storage; I also think they would work well to store those pieces of memorabilia that never seem to find a good home before they make it into my projects.

For more information, check out the Univenture website. I know you’ll find other useful storage products there too!

Collected Memories Scrapbooks

In closing, I want to tell you about my favorite scrapbooks in the whole wide world. If you have never heard of Collected Memories, you are in for a real treat. This website sells many different scrapbooking products, but their 12″x12” and 8″x8″ post-bound scrapbook albums are the star (at least in my humble opinion).

They aren’t cheap (the 12″x12″ books cost $42.99 and the 8″x8″ ones are $24.99) – but the quality and designs are unparalleled. Where else can you find sturdy scrapbooks with tons of designs ranging from tropical themes to birds to sports like soccer and football?! I have collected a bunch of these scrapbooks over the 4 years I have been scrapbooking — using them for subjects ranging from my Hawaiian honeymoon and other tropical vacations to my 2007 book.

One of my favorite things is how easily expandable they are. I tend to stuff my scrapbooks to the absolute limit, and these expand so nicely that they allow me to get tons of pages in there! My husband jokes that my scrapbooks are so heavy they’re almost impossible to lift, but that’s another story.

Anyway, check out the website when you get a chance – I know you’ll be hooked! They also do wholesale orders, so if you are lucky enough to still have a local scrapbook store in your area, ask them to carry Collected Memories scrapbooks!

And as always, don’t forget to check out our Scrapbooking Reviews – and to bookmark Qwowi.com so you can keep coming back for more great reviews and giveaways!

So get ready — during the next couple of weeks we will review the newest paper and embellishments from some of the best companies in the industry, including (but not limited to): Making Memories, Pink Paislee, Jenni Bowlin Studio, Little Yellow Bicycle and Teresa Collins Designs. Sound intriguing? Well, it gets even better. Some of these companies were kind enough to give us some extra goodies to pass onto you, so we will be offering GIVEAWAYS along with our reviews!! 

As usual, we love to hear from you. Please let us know what you think of the reviews and/or the new products — and tell us what other scrapbooking products you’d like to see reviewed here on Qwowi! 

As Qwowi.com’s resident scrapbooker, I am excited to officially announce the addition of my favorite hobby to this website. Scrapbooking is a multi-million dollar industry that has grown exponentially over the last decade. There are tons of products out there for everyone from the beginner who wants much of the work done for them to the advanced scrapper who wants to create masterpieces out of their memories. In other words, there is no good reason not to give it a try.

In December, as part of our Holiday Tech Gift Guide, we will be featuring reviews of several hot new scrapbooking tools, including The Slice by Making Memories, along with other great items like a digital picture frame and a 2Pod Charger for your iPod/iPhone. Stay tuned for that, but for now – let me introduce myself and the world of scrapbooking to you by showing off my current favorites.  All of them would make great stocking stuffers!

Narratives Clear Acrylic Journaling Stamps This is one of several new clear stamp sets by Karen Russell, the woman behind Narratives and one of the most talented scrapbook artists ever! I pretty much own everything she ever made. (Don’t tell my husband.) There are so many beautifully-designed stamps on this stamp set that I am sure you will understand why it is a must-have. Don’t forget to check out all of Karen’s other products, especially her Bloom Collection; you’ll end up with it all too.

Page Maps by Becky Fleck There are a zillion idea books out there, but this is the only one you really need. No matter what format and/or style of scrapbooking you enjoy, Page Maps has sketches that will inspire you. My favorite part – the laminated cards that you can pop out and take with you to your next crop. Chances are, you’ll want to bring the whole book too. 

Paperie Collection by Making Memories I won’t lie to you – I love everything created by Making Memories. Now that I’ve confessed, let’s talk about Paperie. It’s a brand new collection featuring wonderful papers and embellishments in four color groups: mocha, poolside, greenhouse and rouge. Whatever you do, buy the spiral journaling books — all of them. Being a journalist, I of course love to write, but these papers will help any scrapbooker put pen to paper.

Scrapbooks Etc. Magazine My favorite scrapbooking magazine. Hands down. Don’t take my word for it; check it out, and you’ll see for yourself. Might I add that any scrapbooker would love to find a gift subscription in their stocking, under the tree, in their Hannukah basket, etc…

Jenni Bowlin Mini Die Cut Label Papers Die Cut shapes are all the rage right now, and these are the perfect addition to any collection. These 4″x4″ Die Cut Label papers are very versatile; they fit perfectly in these fabulous mini-books, or you can use them as stand-alone journaling cards on any kind of layout or project. Even if you don’t want to write on them, they make really cute embellishments. So get them. Now.

Maya Road Chipboard Books From circles, hearts and scallops to cupcakes, trains and birds, Maya Road has every chipboard album you’ll ever need (or want, or imagine). Their creativity is amazing – and what’s even more amazing is how awesome these books will look after you add paper, embellishments and pictures.

Teresa Collins Crush Collection This fabulous collection is so brand new that even I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet. But trust me – it’s only a matter of time!  Teresa Collins has not just come out with yet another Valentine’s Day line. No, as she explains on her blog, she has come out with these beautiful papers, transparencies, die cuts and stamps to be used to celebrate all kinds of love all year round. Who doesn’t need that?!

I could go on and on….and on….but I must stop typing and go scrapbook now. Just kidding; I do actually do other things! If the king of Qwowi.com permits, I will make this a regular feature, along with the many product reviews you will find in this Scrapbooking section. Please let me know what scrapbooking products you’d like to see featured here.