Scrapbooking, like witnessing a gentleman chop down a tree so his date may cross a moat, is a wholesome reminder of the past. Enjoy artistic nostalgia with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of scrapbooking supplies at Memories & Beyond in Downers Grove.
Memories & Beyond equips visitors with everything they need to preserve their memories in style. Throughout the vast scrapbooking boutique, customers can explore hundreds of paper, sticker, and die-cut options. Colors and cutouts for more than 300 schools, including middle schools, high schools, and colleges, live harmoniously in the scrapbooking menagerie alongside iconic Chicago options ($2.49) such as Cubs and Sox paper and skyscraper cutouts and customizable albums for military, fire, and police service members. Copic markers ($6.49) enable customers to adorn scrapbook pages with more than 300 color options, and each fourteen markers garner customers a fifteenth free marker. Custom fraternity and sorority die-cut letters ($1.99–$2.49) provide a suitable accent for graduation photos or photo albums commemorating road trips with Odysseus. An array of scrapbooking classes rotates monthly and guides preservationists in the creating of keepsakes such as baby albums ($28), thinking of you cards ($25), and The Wizard of Oz cards ($10).
Memories & Beyond
Memories & Beyond's papers, dies, stamps, tools, and classes equip crafters with all the materials and skills needed to preserve precious keepsakes. Underneath an enormous red sign reading "scrapbooking," 6,000 square feet of ribbon and stationery unfold before visitors, helping them to chronicle distant journeys with an extensive travel section or show off regional pride with a wealth of Chicagoland-themed papers. Each Friday and Saturday night, hobbyists gather amid the account machines, die cuts, and tables of the crop room to craft and share drinks and snacks. Classes hone basic and advanced scrapbooking skills sets, from matching basic colors and patterns to constructing stunning gift cards from layered paper or documenting memories before they even happen.