CM Albums are back

No, I won't be going back to CM albums, as much as I love them. I used the side-loading page protectors and love those things. I don't think they will bring those back. The full-sized page protectors they did have - for the picfolio max albums - were very thick and unattractive. I just don't think I can go back to paying $26 for an album. As I look at my shelf with all my CM albums on it, though, with all those jewel colors, it is really pretty.

I am very unhappy that they brought back those lame Ahni & Zoe 4 x 6 cards. They were either horizontal or vertical, no mixing up, and just weren't very interesting. I wanted them to do the true pocket page scrapbooking, but that did not happen. Their page protectors for the 4 x 6 pictures were also very thick and not attractive. I tried to mix up pocket scrapbooking with my layouts like I do in my PL album and the pages are all mismatched.

I find this confusing: correct me if I'm wrong, the CM partners/owners started Ahni & Zoe (which obviously failed). Rhonda Anderson, the CM founder, left and I thought I read somewhere recently someone new bought Ahni & Zoe, and it's now "CM" again.

Rhonda Anderson, CM founder, joined Heritage Makers after leaving A&Z and they have a new traditional scrapbook line Our Memories for Life. They also sell CM-type products, just not using the CM name.

I might have some of those details wrong, but it looks like 2 companies are selling CM-type products, with one under a different company.

When I used my CM albums, I never used their page inserts or page protectors. I didn't want to "wallpaper" either, and I thought the protectors were expensive. So I was using Pioneer page protectors. I don't know if they fit in either company's new albums.

Here's the info on Our Memories for Life:

blog.heritagemakers.com/index.php/new-products/

No. I loved my CM albums when I first started scrapping (well, except for the not-true 12x12 part). After I used up all my "stock", I bought several brands - Pioneer, AC, DCWV - and decided I like the WRMK leather albums best.

Maybe I have trust issues, but I am not sure I would want to "go back" to CM. Not going to buy adhesive from them either as they changed the format every few years so you would have to purchase a new holder for the adhesive. Enough time has passed that I have found other adhesive that I don't have to worry about repurchasing from the ground up so to speak.
Albums a no for sure. I don't want to live in a state of panic that the company can't supply me what I want to finish an album or heck make my shelf of albums match. And the expense with pages, protectors, and the album itself! Egads, no thank you!
Some of the tools I would consider but even those they lured you in and then you were buying new systems left and right every time they revamped. $$$ not cheap systems either.
I wish them luck and hope for their sake they are run better than previously but not sure if I want to take that chance.

I totally hoarded CM albums when they shut down, so I can't imagine needing to buy more in this lifetime. I used Westrim Top-loading strap-hinge pocket pages in my albums. You can probably still find some on eBay.

It's odd that they created a new company called Ahni and Zoe, but didn't use the Creative Memories name when they restructured after bankruptcy. The CM brand was still their most valuable asset. My former consultant (now a Heritage Makers rep) said it was all purchased by a Hong Kong investor.