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I am a fairly new demo for SU and I am about to open my first "book party" this afternoon. My hostess just emailed me and asked if I knew if SU scrapbooks "fit" CM pages. She has a customer who currently is latched onto CM and has done many pages that she (apparently) has in CM page protectors (and maybe books too), and wants to use a SU book for them.
Does anyone know if CM pages are compatible with SU books? I know sometimes there is a difference in the number of holes or the placement of the holes, and they just don't work together.
Creative Memories albums are strap hinge...the pages actually have something that looks a bit like a staple coming off of it on the side that you can thread the strap through...Stampin' Up Scrapbooks are post bound; the page protectors are open on the top and you slide the page in.
Unless she cuts off the metal protector on both sides of the CM page and slides it into an SU page protector, it is not compatible. She can use SU papers to background the CM page, but she'll have to cut them down because CM is not a true 12x12 (neither is SU for that matter, but SU's pages are bigger than CM.)
Hope that helps! I'm sure someone will have far more info to add!!!
CM albums are strap hinge. They have a cover, a plastic binding strap and pages held in by staples. The page protectors slip on horizontally over the pages.
SU Albums are either 3 ring or post bound. They're basically page protectors the you drop the pages in from the top after they're finished.
They're two very different types of albums...both good, just very different.
If she wants to use SU supplies, she can "wallpaper" the CM pages with any of our papers and, of course, stamp on them.
Nope - they're different kinds of albums. CM is "strap hinge" style and the page protectors slip on from the sides. Also, the CM pages have "jeeping" along the edges. SU's albums are "post style" and they come with the page protectors. You slip your 12x12 page (patterned paper, cardstock, etc) into the SU page protector from the top.
SU is much more versatile because you don't have to scrap on a white background. With CM, if you don't want a white background, you have to "wallpaper" the page, adding thickness, weight, and wasting a white page.
CM albums are VERY well-made and hold up well. I have one that I don't use anymore since discovering post-style albums that I can use with any cardstock of patterned paper. SU's are excellent quality as well, and allows for more flexibility.
You'll probably get more info from people who know more about this than I do, but that's my 2 cents!
I am not sure about the SU books but I do know that the CM albums are strap hindge and are connected by the actual pages and covered with page protectors - They are 11 1/2 inches wide by 12 inches tall (working space) - When I do the "scrap and stamp" classes I work with the SU paper and adhere to my CM album pages. If the background is white or black I work right on my CM page. (carry those to the class with me).
I am not sure how she has done her albums but if she worked right on the page it would be very costy to cut them out to put in a SU album.
I do not understand why she wants to move them to a SU album but I do not think it would be possible unless they were the same TYPE of album....SU albums are post bound right????
CM albums are indeed all strap-hinge, totally different from SU albums.
I am in the album deliemma myself, for a different reason. I have been a loyal CM customer for 6 years. I ahve around 12 completed albums and LOVE them. They are excellent quality.
I have been a SU demonstrator since May of this year. Now that SU has combined the scrapbook and stamping in one catty, more pople want me to do scrapbook pages. All mine are CM, and for my personal stuff I plan to continue to use CM albums.
Before I get totally flamed, here are my reasons:
1. My CM consultant is a great friend, and sells good quality products. (Of which I have MANY).
2. She holds crops on Friday nights which I regularly attend that are open to all CM product customers.
3. If I used SU products, I couldn't attend her workshops.
4. I have many friends at these crops, and we all have gone to the scrapbook convention together for the last 5 years, as a group.
5. I don't want to lose my "night out" , my relaxation.
6. Now that I'm a demonstrator, my "hobby" is more my "fun work" and the Friday night crop is my "fun", with no prep-work.
Even though I do promote SU stamps as very good quality, CM has equally as good products and the best circle and oval cutting system I have ever used, as well as awesome square and circle punches. These are all around 20 bucks a piece, and I have all 6 of them. Plus the 40 or so in the circle and oval system. I'm not going to stop using something that is very well made, I love, and have a lot invested, just because I'm a SU demonstrator. These products didn't all of a sudden become 'bad' products, when I signed my demo agreement; they are still very well made.
My solution is to promote fully all the stamping side, and go lighter on the scrapbook side. I am starting to do some of the 6 X 6 album stuff, just not all the big pages. I go all out and have a lot of the stamps. I do classes making cards using the eyelets, pearl-ex, dazzling diamonds, etc and do a wonderful job and create a lot of excitement and believe in both companies and products.
Also, I DO NOT and HAVE NEVER promoted CM at any SU workshop.
I too, have CM albums and love them. I would find out why she would want to move all her completed pages over. I continue to scrap in the CM albums I already have and I also scrap in the SU albums. I have an album for each "theme" so to speak. I am getting lazy tho and am moving more towards the SU just b/c it is quicker to scan a lo b/c I can just take it out. No threading. I love both companies and use both companies for my own use and for my nonSU classes.
__________________ Melissa Wadkins (Mel)
Peace begins with a smile.
Member #3785
However, prior to CM I used Pioneer top load post bound scrapbooks - worked well because I could just slide a 12X12 page in right???
Ummm not if you want to flip the pages easily..
I ended up cutting down my pages on the sides by about 1/4 of an inch to allow the pages to flip easier.
I don't know how SU compares to Pioneer as far as thier width...
I know I got my CM consultant and my SU demo together and they have actually done a class or 2 together to meld the 2 since a lot of my SU demo customers work out of CM scrapbooks.
With my SU scrapbooks if I want to work on a different color background I usually trim down my 12x12 paper (with my large Fiskers rotary trimmer) on the side so it fits within the plastic edges and don't "wallpaper"
Both my Pioneer albums have been dropped and the cover has ripped off both in the post area - which is why I will pay more $$ for a better quality scrapbook like CM (like I said I haven't dealt with SU' so I can't compare quality)
If you are going to demo scrapbook pages for use in CM albums I would just suggest trimming the side down by about 1/4-1/2 inch so it fits right on the page without wallpapering.
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
Theresa,
Are you sure your CM consultant won't let you use stamping stuff on your night out crops? I know they are taught to be pretty gung-ho about CM stuff, but if you are buying it and using the albums, you should be able to do whatever you want in them. Afterall, you are giving her plenty of business!
I am lucky in that my CM consultant was my dear friend first and also an artist. She would never restrict what I use in my CM albums. She herself attends stamping camps with me (I am not an SU demo, just a great customer!), she stamps in her albums, uses other companies' paper, draws free hand in her own albums, etc. I must admit she has separate albums for the extras she uses that she doesn't bring to any CM sponsored workshops (and she is more of a hobby CM consultant than a career one!). I would feel pretty upset if she said I couldn't come to any CM things and not bring my stamped pages! I think it is artwork no matter what you do in your albums and should be encouraged. Your consultant wants to be encouraging people to scrapbook, right? Anyway, if she is a really good friend, she might be more flexible about this point with you if you asked her to be! I am so greatful that my consultant is understanding on this point, maybe I am just extremely lucky!
Laurie
I have more than one CM consultant in my customer base and most of the scrapbook workshops have been hosted by them. So this is how I handle my scrapbook workshops:
a) I show our albums and point out the difference between a CM album and toploading SU! album (which are of far HIGHER quality than Pioneer...I have a number of Pioneer albums that are all falling apart now!) I say, "I know that most people like to stick with the album style they started out with, but if you haven't started scrapbooking I'd like you to know the advantage of using post bound or ring bound albums." I don't try to convert them; it's a waste of my time and theirs.
b) I ask the hostess what she uses when I book the workshop. If she uses CM albums, I ask her for two blank CM pages and some photos. In my demonstration I show how to use our products to enhance what they get from CM. I use the Pennants and Banners sheets, tag sheets, alphabet sets, plaid maker, vellum, dimensionals, hemp, brads...always some sort of embellishment. Last night I had a workshop and showed them how to brayer ink on the CM pages to make a soft background...they liked that, since it made such a difference to the layout and did not add any bulk to the pages. I scrap right on top of those CM pages and the hostess can put them right in her book. The hostess last night really loved her pages!
c) I spend most of my time talking about the scrappin' kits (one CM consultant in my class bought the Vintage kit and just raved over it at the last class...she loved it!), the pennants and banners, the tag sheets, the alphabet sets and spots. That's what most of the scrapbook customers go for in my workshops.
I also occasionally attend a crop put on by another one of my CM consultant customers. She does not require that you only use CM products at her crops...all the CM consultants in my area are much more laid back than I expected, having heard some of the horror stories of CM consultants who tell their customers that stamping in their scrapbooks will void the warranty, that putting brads in their scrapbook will give them rust marks on their pages (umm...they are made of aluminum...it doesn't rust....DOH!), or that using anything that is not made by CM will cause their albums to crumble to dust on contact (well...practically, LOL!)
2. She holds crops on Friday nights which I regularly attend that are open to all CM product customers.
Theresa
Are you serious? She wouldn't let you come if you use non CM products? My CM consultant does crops 2-4 times per month on Friday nights at our church and has never put restrictions like that on us. In addition, I will be attending her Croptoberfest event all day tomorrow and will be bringing tons of stamps and ink pads to work on my pages that will go into an SU post bound album. Did the same thing at her Nat'l Scrapbook day event. All of our friends who attend these event use non-CM products. The thing I like about CM is their organizational supplies, so that is all I ever buy from her and I use SU (I am a demo) for most everything else. I would never put a restriction like that using SU only products on my friends who want to come scrap with me.
Side note: I don't like strap bound albums. Nothing wrong with them, I just personally don't like them. My first two scrapbooks were made with them and now that I have tried post bound, I'll never go back.
I too have been using CM albums for years, and just became a SU demo. I still plan on using CM albums for my personal scrapbooks, but I've started using SU scrapbooks for other things like my dd's class scrapbook. I recently went to a CM crop with a consultant I've been friends with for a few years, and used the In Full Bloom Simply Scrappin kit there. She actually said that the pages using that were her favorite ones I did that day. They really were pretty, and very easy. She hasn't been to one of my workshops yet, but is planning on coming to the one I do next month. She has been great about telling her customers about my cards, and I've had a few of my customers buy CM punches from her. Each company's products can really work together and enhance pages more. I haven't decided which type of album I prefer as they both have their benefits. But I do prefer SU's paper over CM's.
Lisa
I, also, have both kinds of books. I am a SU demo and my sister is a CM
consultant. I actually was very disappointed in the CM alsbums. Meaning that I don't like having to use the black, natural, or white backgrounds only. I know you can wallpaper it but I seemed to have problems getting the paper smooth. ( I also was doing it at 11:00 at night, that may have something to do with it!). I like the SU albums better. (just my opinion)
I do feel the CM albums are very well made, but so are SU.
BUT, to me the two companies should "work" together. Sometimes you want to use a sticker because you may only want that theme once. Why spend the extra money on stamps. CM has so many neat products, that I mix the two together. I also love CM cutting system. I have gotten the coluzzle system and tried it and I found it was ok also. So now I will use the coluzzle for workshops but I definitely won't stop using my CM either.
Question About SU vs. CM Scrapbooks - Help?!?
