The American Crafts Grape Soda album is a 12×12 inch scrapbook album produced under the We R Memory Keepers brand, which is a part of the American Crafts family of craft products. It is made of acid-free faux leather, has snag-free D-rings, and is designed to be stored long-term in an archival environment to ensure the longevity of scrapbook pages and photographs. The name Grape Soda is based on the deep purple colorway of the album, which is one of the most recognizable of the We R Memory Keepers color range. This product is one of the most regularly reviewed products in its category.
Key Takeaways
- The American Crafts Grape Soda album is an album of the We R Memory Keepers brand, a sub-brand of American Crafts.
- It comes in two versions, a classic leather version (model 30655-9) and a faux leather version, both in the distinctive purple Grape Soda colorway.
- The album is acid-free, lignin-free and archival safe, which is designed to guard photographs and scrapbook pages against degradation over time.
- It takes 5-10 page protectors depending on the version bought, and can accept 12×12 page protectors as refills of the same.
- It is sold at American Crafts retail outlets, Amazon, Scrapbook.com, and through independent craft retailers.
- The Grape Soda colorway is a dark purple-violet color, one of a variety of color choices in the We R Memory Keepers album range.
The American Crafts Grape Soda Album
The Grape Soda album is part of the We R Memory Keepers Classic Leather Album line, distributed by American Crafts. American Crafts is a company based in Utah that manufactures scrapbooking, paper crafting, and memory keeping supplies under a variety of sub-brands such as We R Memory Keepers, Heidi Swapp, Crate Paper, Bazzill, Pebbles, and Studio Calico. Simon Says Stamp indicates that American Crafts is the most popular provider of colorful and stylish crafting supplies in the scrapbooking market.
The Grape Soda album is specifically in the 12×12 inch format in the signature purple-violet color of the brand. It has been marketed in two types:
- Classic Leather version (model 30655-9): comes with 10 page protectors, 1.5-inch D-rings, coordinating spine label, and decorative protective edges. It is crafted of Italian-style faux leather with edge stitching.
- Faux Leather D-Ring edition: It comes with 5 page protectors, snag-free rings and a decorative spine label. The cover material is stated to be soft acid-free faux leather.
The two versions are identical in terms of the core construction standard, which is acid-free, lignin-free, and archival safe materials that comply with the long-term preservation of photo requirements.
Product Specifications
| Feature | Detail |
| Brand | We R Memory Keepers (American Crafts) |
| Color | Grape Soda (deep purple-violet) |
| Size | 12 x 12 inches |
| Ring Type | D-ring, snag-free |
| Ring Capacity | 1.5 inches |
| Cover Material | Faux leather (acid-free) |
| Page Protectors Included | 5 (faux leather) or 10 (classic leather) |
| Archival Rating | Acid-free, lignin-free, archival safe |
| Spine | Metal label holder with coordinating label |
| Corner Reinforcement | Reinforced metal corners |
| Origin | Imported |
| Compatible Refills | We R Memory Keepers 12×12 page protectors |
Why the Grape Soda Color
The same name, Grape Soda, is used throughout the We R Memory Keepers product line to identify a particular shade of deep purple with a violet undertone. It is different to the other purple-related products of the brand like Plum, Wine, and Coral. The Grape Soda colorway is one of the most popular ones in the range, which is often mentioned in buyer reviews as the reason of purchase along with the structural quality of the album.
The color is bright on a bookshelf, which is important to scrapbookers who display their albums as part of a visual display of a room. Multiple confirmed buyers on Amazon specifically comment that the color is true to its product description and has a rich consistent tone throughout the cover spine and back.
Construction and Materials
The album cover of the Grape Soda album is of Italian-style faux leather. As shown in the product description on Scrapbook.com, the classic leather version is crafted of the best quality materials imported in Italy and embellished with stitching and silver metal accents. The faux leather is less hard than the normal binder material and less prone to cracking with time as compared to the alternatives made of vinyl.
One of the distinguishing characteristics is the D-ring system. D-rings are flat when the album is closed, that is, pages are lying evenly and the album is lying properly on a shelf without a gap at the spine. Snag-free rings ensure that the page protectors do not snag on the edges of the rings when inserting or removing the protectors, a frequent complaint with lower-quality ring binders.
The most important specification in the long term memory preservation is the acid-free and lignin-free construction of the album. The Library of Congress guidelines on archival storage explain that the non-acid-free materials will cause photographs to turn yellow and decay with time. The We R Memory Keepers album satisfies the criterion that archivists and conservationists suggest to preserve photographs.
The structural durability is reinforced by metal corners that ensure that the cover is not damaged at the most vulnerable points during handling and storage.
Page Protectors and Compatibility
The Grape Soda album is mounted on standard We R Memory Keepers 12×12 page protector sleeves. The brand offers a broad range of pocket designs that can fit into the D-ring system of the album, such as:
- Normal 12×12 full-page sleeves.
- Two 6×4 and three 4×6 pocket layouts.
- One 6×8 pocket layout and four 4×6 pocket layouts.
- Nine pocket layouts of pocket size 4×4.
- Six-up 4×6 layouts
- A 6×12 and several smaller pocket mixes.
This range of compatibility enables the album to be used in a wide variety of scrapbooking styles, including traditional full-page layouts and Project Life-style pocket page layouts. The 1.5-inch ring capacity holds about 40 to 50 loaded 12×12 page protector sleeves, depending on the thickness of the materials in each sleeve.
The album will also fit third-party 12×12 page protectors that use standard D-ring spacing to ensure snag-free operation with the ring mechanism.
The American Crafts Grape Soda Album: How to Use
Preparation of the Album
The album comes with 5 or 10 page protectors already in place. First, place your scrapbook pages or photographs into the protector sleeves and then place them in the rings. To open the rings, press the D-ring release button and slide the page protectors onto the rings, and release to close.
The spine label can be written on or printed out and inserted into the metal label holder on the spine allowing you to know what is in the album without having to remove it off a shelf.
Incorporating Pages over Time
The D-ring system enables unlimited addition and removal of pages. This is one of the main advantages in comparison with post-bound albums which need a post extender kit when the album is full. Just open the rings, put the new pages in the position that you want and close. No limit on the number of pages beyond the physical capability of the rings.
Storing the Album
Keep the album on an upright shelf, not in direct sunlight, high humidity, and extreme temperatures. The acid-free construction prevents the pages to be spoiled by chemical damages, but the environmental factors still remain the most serious threat to the preservation of photographs over decades.
American Crafts as a Brand
American Crafts is an American based company that has expanded to be one of the most widely distributed scrapbooking brands in the craft retail industry. Its sub-brands encompass an all-encompassing spectrum of craft styles and audiences. The product line of the brand includes albums, kits, cardstock, embellishments, adhesives, page protectors, stamps, tools, pens, and others in its entire line of sub-brands.
The sub-brand, We R Memory Keepers, which created the Grape Soda album, has a history over 90 years old based on the description of the product by the brand on Amazon. The brand is especially famous with its ring bound albums and the paper crafting tools. The brand has also rebranded its tool line as We R Memory Keepers in most retail markets in recent years.
The wider theme of how artists employ physical materials to provide a permanent expression to personal experience is closely connected to the wider theme of the range of creative expression that a well-organized memory album makes possible. This interplay of craft and memory is a topic that the discussion of the work in question on the Shani Levni art style page explores in depth through the prism of visual art.
The American Crafts Grape Soda Album can be purchased at the following locations
There are various retail outlets where the Grape Soda album can be purchased:
- American Crafts official site (americancrafts.com): Buy it directly at the manufacturer.
- Amazon: The traditional leather and faux leather are both available, and they both offer Prime shipping.
- Scrapbook.com: Features the entire We R Memory Keepers album line with product notes and compatible products.
- Memory Bound: Lists the classic leather Grape Soda album at $36.99.
- All Mixed Media and Cheap Scrapbook Stuff: Small retailers that sell old and new inventory.
- eBay: Can be found in discontinued colors or older versions by selling them on the secondary market.
The Grape Soda color version of the 12×12 album costs between about 27 and 37 at standard retail depending on the version and retailer. The leather edition, complete with 10 page protectors is generally more expensive than the faux leather version, which has 5 page protectors.
Grape Soda vs Other We R Memory Keepers Album Colors
The album range called We R Memory Keepers 12×12 album range features a wide range of colors. The decision between them is mostly an aesthetic choice, since the specifications of the construction remain the same, regardless of the colorway.
| Color | Tone |
| Grape Soda | Deep purple-violet |
| Wine | Dark burgundy-red |
| Coral | Warm orange-pink |
| Forest Green | Deep muted green |
| Navy | Dark blue |
| Vanilla | Off-white neutral |
| Black | Classic black |
| Cinnamon | Warm brown |
| Dark Chocolate | Deep espresso brown |
| Orange Soda | Bright orange |
The colorway (Grape Soda) is one of the most demanded, and it is often featured in sold-out notices at smaller retailers. It is a flexible option to be used in different room settings as it occupies an intermediate position between the cooler navy tones and the warmer wine tones.
What Buyers Say: Review Summary
On both Amazon and Scrapbook.com, the We R Memory Keepers Grape Soda album is rated highly on a regular basis. Themes that are common in confirmed reviews are:
- The color on the cover is correct and vivid in real life with rich and smooth texture.
- The pages are firmly held by the D-rings and they close without any space.
- The album contains about 50 full loaded 12×12 page protector sleeves without the pages sticking out of the sides.
- The album has been described as a long term purchase, with several reviewers stating that they have purchased the same album in a variety of colors over the course of years.
- One of the Amazon reviewers stated that the album can be used with Project Life-style pages with heavier pocket inserts, and that the rings are not opened even when the album is full.
The level of critical feedback is low and is mainly associated with price as compared to the generic alternatives but not the quality of the construction.
The very nature of the cautious, prolonged investment in materials which characterizes serious scrapbooking practice reflects the thought which underlies the way in which artists choose and take care of the physical objects in their practice. This analogy between craft and fine art is one that is worth developing further in the context of community-driven creative projects such as The Root Collective where physical materials are used as a means of sharing memory and identity.
Conclusion
The American Crafts Grape Soda album is a well-constructed, archival-quality scrapbook album in one of the most recognizable color options in the range of We R Memory Keepers. Its acid-free faux leather cover, snag-free D-rings, reinforced metal corners and its compatibility with a wide selection of 12×12 page protectors make it a dependable choice to any scrapbook collection builder who wants to make sure their collection lasts.
The uniformity of the album between and among the various versions of the product and across the years of production is what has made American Crafts and its sub-brands a lasting presence in the craft retail market. The Grape Soda album is a success in both respects, to scrapbookers who are concerned not only with the appearance of their work, but also with the archival integrity of their creations.
To get even more guides on creative supplies, artistic practice, and memory keeping, visit the entire spectrum of content at Shani Levni.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the American Crafts Grape Soda album?
The American Crafts Grape Soda album is a 12×12 inch scrapbook album that was produced under the We R Memory Keepers brand, owned by American Crafts. It has a faux leather cover in a deep purple-violet shade called Grape Soda, acid-free construction, snag-free D-rings, and was designed to be stored long-term in an archival setting, where photographs and scrapbook pages are stored.
Is the Grape Soda album acid-free?
Yes. Both the traditional leather and faux leather versions of the Grape Soda album are acid-free, lignin-free, and archival safe. Such properties ensure that photographs do not yellow or deteriorate as a result of chemical reactions of the album materials with the photograph over time.
Which size page protectors would fit the Grape Soda album?
The album is on 12×12 inch page protectors with standard D-ring spacing. We R Memory Keepers manufactures a very large variety of compatible pocket configurations to this album. Page protectors 12×12 with ring spacing can also be used.
How many pages are in the Grape Soda album?
The album has 1.5-inch D-rings, which hold about 40 to 50 full page protector sleeves, fully loaded with 12×12 pages. This is determined by the thickness of materials that are placed in each sleeve.
Where can I buy the American Crafts Grape Soda album?
It can be found on the American Crafts official site, Amazon, Scrapbook.com, Memory Bound and many other independent craft retailers. The price is between about 27 to 37 based on the version and the retailer.
What is the difference between the classic leather and faux leather versions?
The standard leather edition (model 30655-9) features 10 page protectors, edge stitching, and silver metal accents called Italian-style construction. The faux leather one comes with 5 page protectors and an equivalent soft cover. They are both archival safe and acid-free. The traditional leather model is normally more expensive.
Would the Grape Soda album work with Project Life scrapbooking?
Yes. The D-ring system supports We R Memory Keepers pocket page protectors in various formats, including formats designed specifically to support Project Life-style layouts. The rings will not open even when the album is loaded with heavier pocket pages.