Handbags Full of Memories Product Review
Scrapbook Bag Collection
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| Randi's Review |
Rachel's Review |
Cathy's Review |
Lynn Anne's Review |
Catherine's Review |
Review by Randi
Handbags Full of Memories has an idea that is sure to be a hit. How many times have you been asked if you had a photo of your child (grandchild, pet, new home etc.)? Here is a fashionable way to really show off those special people and memories! When you purchase a bag from Handbags Full of Memories you get a handbag and a coordinating, attachable scrapbook. You can choose from three sizes:
- The "oversized tote bag" which comes with a 12" x 12" scrapbook
- The "everyday bag" which comes with an 8 1/2" x 11" scrapbook
- The "evening bag" which comes with a 5" x 7" scrapbook
The bag is roomy enough to carry the matching scrapbook inside, or use the quality buckles and snaps to attach your album securely to the outside of your bag. Don't worry that your layouts will be ruined. The albums have a zipper closure so that everything stays safe.
Each scrapbook comes with ten page protectors. They are held in the ablum with pretty twine bows. Refill page protectors are also available. One thing I really liked about these albums is that my layouts didn't require any trimming of the edges in order to fit inside. I'm very impressed with the overall design of the bag and how the manufacturer has taken care to keep the album so secure. The album construction is excellent, the zipper sturdy, and the stitching is quality.
The oversize tote bag that I received regularly sells for $55.95, and is on sale right now for $48.85. I feel this is an excellent price for the bag AND matching scrapbook. These bags and albums are a unique idea and would make the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love. Visit Handbags Full of Memories today and pick out your favorite size and design.
Review by RachelHandbags Full of Memories is a company I had not heard of until I received their product to review. This is an incredible concept. I received a tan evening bag. My tan evening bag measures 10 inches by 7 ½ inches. It has a snap closure and a chain strap with a shoulder cushion. The accent color of my tan purse is copper. This purse is made out of suede-like material and has various sizes of leopard spots filled with a copper color accent. The inside of the purse is lined with the beautiful copper faux leather and is completely kept closed by a zipper. I love that feature! I don’t have to worry about losing things out of my purse unless I forget to zip it shut. The inside of the purse is small which is exactly why it is an evening bag and not an everyday bag.
Here is the feature that sets Handbags Full of Memories apart from other handbag companies: on the back of the evening bag is a removable scrapbook. It is attached with snaps and also with buckles so there is no fear of losing this scrapbook. The scrapbook attached to this evening bag is a 5" x 7" scrapbook. The scrapbook is a top loading album. It is not attached with posts instead it is attached with ribbon ties. The page protectors are acid, lignin, and PVC free. It comes with 10 pages of page protectors so 20 scrapbook layouts. Included in the album are instructions on how to rethread the ribbon which was quite helpful to me. Another tip for threading the ribbon through the page protectors is this! I had a hard time threading the ribbon through the page protectors. I was getting quite impatient so I decided to grab my daughter’s plastic beginner’s needle. I threaded the ribbon through there and then through the page protectors. I was able to do more than one page at a time that way and had all the pages put back in the album pretty quickly using that method.
Just a little warning with this scrapbook, the page protectors are not actually true 5 inches x 7 inches. Your actual layout will measure 5 ¼ inches x 7 ¾ inches. I actually thought this was good because you can use a little more dimension on your layouts if you would like and not worry about it fitting into the page protectors. You can buy refill page protectors off their website for $3.95.
Scrapbook:
I thought this evening bag would be perfect for a Mother’s Day gift so my Mom can always have her grandchildren with her wherever she goes. Following are a few of the layouts that I have completed so far:
Title Page:
Products used:
Cardstock: Frosted Pink, Classic Purple – Prismatics
Rub-ons: Wholy Cow – BasicGrey and Alphabet – All Mixed Up – Doodlebug
Flower: Prima
Ribbons: Offray
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner & PVA Glue – Adhesive Tech
The Cousins:
Products used:
Cardstock: Nero – Exclusives – Prism & Classic Red – Prismatics
Rub-ons: Wholy Cow – BasicGrey
Pen: Zig
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner – Adhesive Tech
Beautiful Princess:
Products used:
Cardstock: Nero – Exclusives & Classic Red – Prismatics
Rub-ons: Wholy Cow – BasicGrey
Pen: Zig
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner – Adhesive Tech
This evening bag retails for $39.95 at the Handbags Full of Memories website. The shipping is based on the weight of the bag. The evening bag comes in 3 colors: Black, Tan, and Light Grey. They are on sale right now at Handbags Full of Memories for $33.95. This evening bag would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift, birthday gift, or a shower gift for a mom-to-be. I would love to see some different colors added to the selection. This handbag is just not another handbag and it is definitely “just not another photo album.”
Review by CathyHandbags Full of Memories has a exciting product for scrapbookers. The special assortment of handbags come with a detachable scrapbook. This makes showing off your memories very easy. The scrapbook is covered in suede like fabric that matches the purse. The scrapbook has a zipper closure and contains 10 (top loading) page protectors for 5" x 7" pictures.
I received the Grey Evening Bag, which has a pretty silver trim and a chain shoulder strap. This bag sells for $39.95 normally, but is on sale for $33.95.
The purse has a decorative flap that snaps in place and a generous roomy interior with fabric separating the inside. I have loaded up my purse and there is room to spare.
Inside the special removable scrapbook, I created mini layouts with 5 x 7 inch pictures. I had room for a small border around the outside of the pictures. I really love this idea. It is so wonderful to be able to take a special group of photos and show them without having to open my purse. Storing the scrapbook on the outside of the purse keeps it safe from spills or debris. The scrapbook is secured by a double heavy duty snap on the back of the scrapbook and a belt across the front of the album.
Products used:
Handbags Full of Memories: Grey Evening Purse;
Prism: Exclusive Papers: Cillegia;
Flair: Velvet Ribbon; and
Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner.
Products used:
Handbags Full of Memories: Grey Evening Purse;
Prism: Exclusive Papers: Cillegia;
Prima: Got Flowers;
Brads: Unknown; and
Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner.
I really love the idea of bringing a scrapbook along to show my pictures to my friends. The Grey Evening Bag is elegant enough to bring to special events but would also look nice with jeans. I definitely give Handbags Full of Memories a high recommendation. The quality of the purse is excellent, it is stylish and the interior is roomy. The website shows many different styles and fabrics including some really fun bright floral designs. I encourage you to visit the website at Handbags Full of Memories and view the whole line of handbags.
Review by Lynn Anne
Handbags Full of Memories offers an entirely new take carry-it-with-you brag book. Zippered albums ride shotgun on coordinating handbags of various sizes, from evening bags to supersized totes, and come in a variety of fabrics and styles. The unique features of these bag-and-album combos will make your Handbag Full of Memories the talk of family, friends and colleagues in short order - and, of course, help you show off those beautiful photographs you show off in your scrapbooks.
Handbags Full of Memories are offered in several sizes, ranging from evening bags that come with a detachable 5" x 7" scrapbook, to a supersized tote coupled with a detachable 12" x 12" album. The bag I received for review is the mid-sized "Everyday Bag." Offered in green, tan, or black, these bags sport an 8.5" x 11" album and a fuzzy 'suede-like' material with leather-look accents. A decorative flower accent hangs from a double strap. The strap is not adjustable, but I found it to be a comfortable length for my 5'4" frame.
Handbags Full of Memories "Everyday Bag" in Black
Inside the bag, a lightweight fabric lining includes two smaller open pockets, and a deeper zipper pocket. Nice bag. But it's not the bag itself that's going to make everyone stand up and take notice.
Each handbag comes with a coordinating scrapbook album that rides on the bag, snapped on with two hefty snaps (it took me a minute to get the leverage I needed to snap these suckers - but I'm certainly not worried about the album coming loose!) and also strapped on with a two-buckle system. The album zips shut all the way around so that your precious pages don't fall out or get their edges crumpled. The album does fit inside the zipper bag as well, but keeping it on the outside saves it from bumping around against other items you may carry in your purse. This unique 'shotgun' design allows the owner to remove the album from the bag entirely to pass it around the room, or to open the album while it's still attached, for extra care in not misplacing it .
Opening the album while it's attached to the bag
Inside the album, ten archival quality page protectors (enough to house twenty 8.5" x 11" pages) are ready for all of the layouts you want to keep close. Pages are top-loading, but instead of using posts to bind the pages, these bags use decorative ribbon! My black bag came with three sturdy but beautiful strips of black ribbon with sparkling silver accents in the pattern. Tying them with a bow makes even the album binding stylish and fun. Additional pages are available separately on the Handbags Full of Memories website.
The first thing that occurred to me was to use these as a 'brag book' for showing family photos. But these would also be ultra convenient for designers or others who use portfolios in their work. Handbags Full of Memories are much easier to tote into shops or around convention centers than bulky scrapbooks - and the bag alone will demonstrate at first glance that you've got a top-notch sense of style, right down to the details. I would love to see additional albums offered separately for each bag, so that I could have more than one album made up at a time and switch them out at a moment's notice without needing a second bag, or having to individually change out all of the pages, but this option is not currently offered.
Although I love this bag and would NOT give it up, this is not the particular bag I would have chosen for myself. I live in a house with two cats, one dog, two babies...and lots and lots of hair, fur, lint and other tiny floaters that always seem to be attracted to anything remotely like suede! So I have to tell you that one of the little things I appreciated most in the presentation of this bag is that each one comes with an additional 'gift bag.' This oversized bag is a lightweight red tote of the kind often given away as freebies at trade conventions. Although the company refers to it as a 'gift bag' to use when giving one of these handbag sets as a gift, I love it as a safe place to STORE my Handbag Full of Memories - out of the reach of cats, kids, and lint, so that it remains clean and neat in between outings.
A favorite feature - the protective gift bag that comes with each set!
The $45.00 price tag on Handbags Full of Memories' Everyday Bag seems absolutely reasonable for this handsome handbag-and-scrapbook album set. Right now I'm having fun filling it with family layouts to share with friends, but I can't wait till the first time I get to bring it to a crop or a convention! This is a useful, stylish set, fairly priced, and there's nothing else like it. Recommended.
Review by Catherine
Handbags Full of Memories, Inc. is a new company with a fun, innovative concept in combining scrapbooks with purses. When I received my Handbags Full of Memories Every Day Bag, I was a little taken aback by the size of the purse. I usually carry a much smaller purse and a separate diaper bag or messenger bag to carry large objects. After testing out the Every Day Bag from Handbags Full of Memories, I have to say that my mind was changed about the size of the bag. I love the fact that this purse is not only sturdy and fashionable, but also that it is so large. I was able to carry a great deal of “stuff” in my bag, and I also had the option of adding the coordinating scrapbook to it when I wanted to.
The Handbags full of Memories bag that I received is called the Every Day Bag and is a lime green color in a beautiful suede-like fabric. The purse itself measures 14" x 13½", with a 25" strap. The strap and bottom, along with the top border are leather in the same color of green as the suede main part of the purse. There are snaps and straps to hold the detachable 8 ½" x 11" scrapbook. The detachable scrapbook that comes with the purse is a style that I have not seen before, in that it has a fun ribbon tie closure instead of being strap-hinge, 3-ring, or post-bound. The ribbon tie closure makes it so easy to add or remove pages if needed. I truly appreciate the fact that the scrapbook is attached to the purse with both a belt and buckle closure and sturdy snaps.
My Every Day Bag:
Me & My Every Day Bag:
The Every Day Bag also comes in Black and Tan. And, if you are like I was at first and don’t like to carry such a large bag, they have Evening bags with 5" x 7" detachable scrapbooks. Each scrapbook in the different Handbags Full of Memories lines comes with ten acid-free top-loading page protectors to slip your memories into. You can also order more page protectors to fit inside the Handbags Full of Memories scrapbooks. My favorite bag, after looking at the Handbags Full of Memories website, I think would be the Oversize Tote Bag, which comes with a detachable 12" x 12" scrapbook.
After using my bag for over a month, I have to say that I really have enjoyed it. The size, while large by some standards, is very accommodating for a great deal of stuff. I took my Every Day Bag with me when the family visited the zoo last week, and I was able to carry not only my regular wallet and paraphernalia, but also my Digital SLR camera and a zoom lense. Not many bags can do the same. Non-scrapbookers don’t quite “get” the attached scrapbook thing, but most avid scrappers can totally understand the need (or want) to take a scrapbook along with them to a number of functions. The Handbags Full of Memories bag is fun, functional, and affords the opportunity for “Making Your Memories Mobile”, as the website promises!
For more information visit
Handbags Full of Memories Inc.