SO of VM album transition-have you switched? why & how?

My albums are all different sizes, shapes, colors. At one point I stressed that I would be unhappy with how that looked, but I then figured, all of my books are different colors, heights, textures, etc., and I don't have any issue with that, so why view my albums any differently?

When my current shelf runs out of space, I was going to decide if I wanted to switch to 8.5 by 11. The room will be out at the end of this year. I have a few ongoing projects in 8.5 by 11, but I really prefer a square page. DH will just have to build me another shelf...

I make about 2 albums per year (since 2004), although this year it might end up being 3, so they aren't quite taking over my house yet.  I can fit 5 albums per shelf on my current set up, so I guess I have about 20 on there.  

ETA: I use d-ring 12 by 12 cloth AC albums. I started with blue, green and brown. They are hard to find in any color except brown or black anymore... 

I'm one that has stuck with CM albums. I love the color variety, the quality, and the flexibility (especially now that they have top-loading page protectors). I've tried generic/other brands of strap-hinge albums, and they fallen apart. I very much dislike D-ring or 3-ring binders, and I don't do pocket pages or PL. (Although now CM actually has pocket pages too!)

ETA" looks like Night Owl and I were responding at the same time. I just have to reiterate how much I love the CM quality. Those albums hold up!

I switched from CM post bound albums with 8 1/2x11" pages to 3-ring binders with 12x12" pages, after I finished my first scrapbooks which were planned out chronologically and created that way. Going to 3-ring format gave me the freedom to scrap out of order, yet slip pages in where they "fit".

There were also a few other things going on at the time that brought me to believe I needed the larger format. I went from scrapping the past (my kids' lives birth to the time of album) to current (lives of my dgk's as they happened). Also cameras changed to digital, so I ended up taking and printing tons more photos. About the same time, I discovered all the glories of scrapbooking materials beyond papers and stickers. I wanted to pile on all the things, and I needed more real estate to include the plethora of pic's and the glories of embellishment.

I have worked with 6x8 pages for specific albums. But I am most comfortable playing with the 12x12 format, and actually usually see both pages together as a continuous LO, so actually a 12x24" canvas to tell each story.

I did not comment on the VM thread, but there is no way I am going back to change ANYTHING I have scrapbooked. Some of my pages are better than others; some not so good. But each carries a bit of me in them, even if it was the ME I used to be. If my style has changed as products have changed, skill has developed and techniques learned, so what? I had fun doing all those pages. And I put alot of love into most of them. Not gonna fool with that!

I've always used 12x12 albums & included page protectors of various sizes/configurations for extra photos/memorabilia. 

I've never used any CM product. 

I do that. I have purchased 8.5x11, 6x8, and 8x8 pager protectors to mix in with my 12x12 pages. I am really happy with the results. I have cut down pocket pages to 6x12, too. I think it makes my albums more interesting.

I did make a run through my completed albums and reduced the number of layouts by a bit. As a new grandmother, I felt the need to scrapbook every photo, LOL. I really don't think the grands need 6 layouts for Easter or their birthday. I also got rid of most of the animal photos from the zoo. There were enough photos including the kids to make it obvious we were at the zoo.

The one thing that I am so jealous of in paper scrapping that is much harder to do in digital is having differently-sized pages in the same album. I could technically create smaller pages in my digital albums but uploading the smaller sizes with white space into regularly-sized pages and then cutting the white space off when the album was delivered to me is a pain and doesn't have the same feel.

I scrap 12 x 12 but have them printed as 8 x 8 softcover Shutterfly albums. I did create a wedding coffee table book with just pretty photos and had that printed as a hardcover 11x8 album but I wouldn't do that all the time. My albums are not bulky, of course, so I currently have all 27 on the same shelf in my living room.

Ryann would you be willing to share where you found your 8x11 albums? They sound interesting!
I’m an equal opportunity user of all album sizes, and especially like using smaller albums for travel and specifically focused subjects, like December Daily.

I started with Creative Memories for a few years. Great albums but very limited space. Switched to faux leather 3 ringed albums and have those now. Sometimes the color or design changes a bit, but they are pretty similar.

I have switched to 8 1/2 x 11 as well, in huge part to running out of room for 12 x 12 d ring binders, in part to save money/use fewer resources. I use these binders as albums: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071R2LZKD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love them so far.

I am intrigued by switching my 12x12 albums (20ish, very full) to strap hinge to save room (tried postbound and just can't deal), but do strap hinge albums all include the bg cardstock? attached to the hinge? Because I don't necessarily want to wallpaper all my past layouts and have to replace the hundreds of page protectors I already have.

Creative Memories still offers the old-style pages that are attached to the hinge, but they also have top-loading page protectors so you can use any paper you like. You can also move pages around very easily. They do include a 12X12 white cardstock page inside the page protector, but I just pull it out and save it for something else. Hope that makes sense. Here is a link, which may clarify:

CM Top-Loading Page Protectors