Yeah, I said it. The Pioneer SJ-100 Jumbo Scrapbook. This is the only scrapbook I have ever used and I don’t foresee changing to something else. This thing is big. The pages measure 11 and 3/4 inches by 14 inches and can accommodate larger objects. When you scrapbook like I do with tons of bits and pieces, fitting newspaper articles, programs and huge pictures is a dream. It is also possible to scrapbook two smaller events onto a single page.
No Sleeves
Each book comes with 50 acid-free buff colored pages. It is advertised as “accepting unlimited refills” but I learned the hard way you can only take that so far before you have to seek out new binding options. More on that later.
Notice that these pages don’t have plastic sleeves or sheet protectors. I don’t do sleeves. It limits the design potential. I like being able to flip through programs or layer pictures and papers. I’ve heard that Pioneer may have discontinued them for this book, but you may be able to find some. Not using sleeves adds a degree of difficulty because designs have to be made back-to-back. Don’t let this intimidate you, it just takes a little bit of thought beforehand. I’ll cover this separately in another post.
Where to Buy
Back in the day before scrapbooking really took off, this jumbo book was available in craft and fabric stores. I bought my first one over thirteen years ago. It disappeared from stores when 12×12 became the rage. When I couldn’t find it, I almost went to 12×12 but couldn’t do it. I trolled the internet until I found someone that sold them.
Archival USA is the only place I have found to purchase these. Yes, you can find them on other websites, including Amazon, but there’s a catch: you can’t specify what color you want at other retailers. Archival USA offers them in your choice of white, navy, burgundy and three prints, for $8.50 each.
Almost Never Clever 