NOT SURE IF MINE CAME FROM THIS BUSINESS
When my husband told me a while back he was going to fix our wedding album for our 25th anniversary,  I had no idea he meant he was going to BUY a new one.  Maybe this business isn't the one he used, which I shudder to think there are more companies selling this album.  Regardless, we had a wonderful anniversary dinner, & coming home, a giant pkg was awaiting.  Silly me, I thought it was the latest 2021 Macbook pro or the new souped up iPad.<br /><br />Imagine my horror, when I saw this rustic photo album with "Our Anniversary"  [our names] and  [date]  with  "25 years  and Counting".  It seemed ironic since I've been declared cancer free for a year.  I had wrongly assumed my husband was going to rehab our luxurious original leather bound album that had gotten sprayed by our cat.  I had cleaned the whole album best I could, with the aim of going to a professional later.<br /><br />The album itself looks like a cheap kit.  I received the dark one, & yes, it is laser cut.  I ran my hands over each letter & number to make sure it wasn't screen printed on.  Mine looks just like the picture, with exposed hardware, & leather strips.  There is something wrong with the bottom latch, it took several attempts, but you have to jiggle it around & press down with the other finger to make it work.  Oh, how I wished I hadn't looked inside.  "Magnetic" pages is just a new name for old school "press & stick" .  These pages are not quality archival grade sleeves similar to what serious collectors use.  I own two of such photo albums from the 70s & 80s.  There is only one edge, so you lift the flap, position your photo on the sticky paper & then carefully bring over the acetate or plastic flap & smooth it out.  The problem comes with the bubbles & wrinkles, as this is not for the amature & takes experience, which dear hubs was clueless.  There is likely a tutorial somewhere that shows the best steps, & I highly recommend you do so before inserting any photos, as personalized albums are non-returnable.  With my old press & stick albums, the edge is what deteriorates first.  It turns a rust color, & loosens, & it works its way toward the photo(s).  The plastic flap becomes discolored & brittle with age, and the stickiness wears off due to air exposure, so that some pics stick, & some don't.  The one star may be harsh, but it was the tricky latch & non-archival pages, along with rough edges.  The inside back cover had something like flakes of sawdust on it.  I tried to hand, then use a cloth to  brush them off, but they must have been spray varnished on.  For those that love the rustic look, you will definitely like it.  My husband knows I'm not fond of Western/Rustic.  There is high quality rustic, then cheap rustic, which IMO (and being a city girl)  this falls under the latter.  If this is the company my husband got, he got what he paid for, in total $157.  Perhaps the album can be made without pages, & archival sleeves purchased through Creative Memories or elsewhere online if you want your album to become an heirloom.
Rating: 1 stars