Remembering the past can be a difficult experience, especially if you also can't remember that you aren't Millard Fillmore. Make all your memories more maintainable with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of scrapbooking materials and more at Memories & Beyond in Downers Grove.
A memory maintainer's paradise, Memories & Beyond houses colorful paper, custom die cuts, and eye-catching trimmings under one roof to keep avid archivists well-stocked in nostalgia-nabbing necessities. Start a crafty jaunt down the memory aisle by perusing the Chicagoland area's largest collection of Bazzill paper ($0.65 per 12"x12" sheet), available in a prismatic panoply of colors ranging from pretty pink, fire-engine red, and Colonel Mustard's pet-canary yellow. Once you've set the backdrop for past-experience provocation, add artful touches with Copic markers ($5.99), custom fraternity and sorority die cuts ($1.99–$2.49), or a thought-provoking sticker of a dog giving a thumbs-up. Stamps from Hero Arts, Penny Black, and Lockhart add a refined rubber residue customized for any occasion, and custom Chicagoland papers ($1.69 each) allow scrappers to immortalize their pride of the metropolitan motherland.
In addition to the chromatically covered shelves filling the front of the store, a back room with large craft tables allows remembrance reapers to gather for Crop Nights on Fridays and Saturdays. The scrapbook-minded staff of Memories & Beyond is always on hand to help you materialize memories, choose prints, or locate a particularly elusive laughter-colored marker.
Reviews
Five Yelpers give Memories & Beyond a near perfect average of 4.5 stars:
- The best thing about Memories & Beyond is the inventory and variety of items available for scrapbookers/stampers/card makers. – Aimee M., 1/28/10
- A wonderful store with so much to offer. – K B., 4/6/07
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.