I love chipboard books and all sorts of mini-albums. I don’t know why, and I don’t know exactly how it happened. I used to be a strict devotee of 12″x12″ scrapbook pages and albums. One of my friends with whom I scrapbook every week has always had a passion for mini books, but I never quite “got it.” And then, somehow, about a year or two ago I started seeing the light — and now I have at least three dozen blank ones and a number of completed ones around the house and in the hands of friends and family members who’ve received them as gifts!

So you might think I wouldn’t “need” any more, but when the folks at C&T Publishing were kind enough to send me a couple of their fabulous Ready to Go! Blank Board Books to review, I just couldn’t resist!

The Basics

Ready to Go! Blank Board Books from C&T Publishing come in many different shapes and sizes, including 3″x3″, 6″x6″, 7″ by 5″, and 8″x8″.  They are made of blank white pages that you can stamp, paint, draw and/or journal on, emboss, cut windows, embellish, etc. According to the company, the books are designed for everyone: croppers, journalers and altered-book fans, and as soon as you see one you will agree. They vary from traditional chipboard books in that the base is white, so you don’t necessarily need to paint every sheet and/or cover them with paper (although many scrapbookers including myself would still do so). Regardless, it’s always nice to have options.

Pros

In my opinion, the best thing about the Ready to Go! Blank Board Books from C&T Publishing is the variety of shapes and sizes that are available. Where else can you find mini books shaped like cupcakes, hearts, shells, dog bones, houses, tags, doors, cowboy boots and stars? (You can also buy what you might call “regular” books shaped like, you know, regular mini-books. But with all of these options, that just doesn’t seem to be as much fun.)

I was excited to use the Ready to Go! Scallop Blank Board Book, which is 8 1/4” x 5 1/2”, to create this mini-book that I called “Life’s a Beach.” (For a complete look at this album, click here.) My husband and I have been very lucky to travel to several different tropical locales (and Cape Cod too!), so I picked my favorite pictures of us on various beaches to use in this book.

I found the book reasonably easy to work with, although with intricately shaped books comes, of course, some tracing, cutting and sanding work! That being said, I think the result is worth it.

Cons

I really can’t say I noticed too many cons while working with this product. Like I said, it takes some work to make a book shaped like a seashell (or a house, dog bone, cupcake, etc.) but I think most people would know that going in — and since when are scrapbookers afraid of a little work for a good cause?!

Most of the other mini albums that I have worked with are held together by metal rings, which means you can work on individual pages while they are unattached. These books are bound, which means you have to trace and cut your paper (if you are covering with paper) pretty close to the right size if you want things to go smoothly. If you don’t want to work like this or you are concerned about the binding breaking as people flip through the book, you could always separate the pages, use your Crop A Dile to punch holes, and use a metal ring to hold the book together. Personally, I liked the look of the shell as it was, and so far I haven’t had any problems. I was pleased to see that these books are pretty sturdy.

The Bottom Line

If you are a scrapbooker, altered book fan or really any kind of crafter, you will love C&T Publishing’s Ready to Go! Blank Board Books; they offer something for everyone. (C&T Publishing even makes Ready to Go! Blank Board Boxes, including recipe boxes and shadow boxes!) If you’re like me and love mini books — or have never even tried one — you won’t be sorry if you add these unique books to your collection.

Ready to Go! Blank Board Books are available on the C&T Publishing Website. They range in price from $6.95 to $9.95. Readers of Qwowi will get 20% off their entire purchase from C&T Publishing by using coupon code qwow20-609 when placing an online order. Offer is good through June 30th, 2009. (This discount is not valid on eproducts, photography service and web specials.)

One lucky Qwowi Scrapbooking reader will receive a Ready to Go! board book of their very own – for free!! Leave a comment here by Thursday Friday June 26th to be entered to win. Oh, and here’s a hint – if you’ve got a furry best friend of the barking variety, this giveaway is especially for you!

Don’t forget to check out our other scrapbooking reviews and to bookmark Qwowi, so you can keep coming back for more great reviews and giveaways!

***Congrats to winner Michelle Newbold of Simi Valley, CA! Enjoy your prize, and thanks to all of you for reading Qwowi!***