Starting with Memory Books
Creating Memory Books
Memories should not be scattered about in dresser drawers or stuffed into shoeboxes. They are meant to be shared and enjoyed. If the photos are not labeled we often forget the specifics of the event or the participants. How sad it is to end up with a box of life’s keepsakes and not know the stories behind them. Scrapbooks, also called memory books, provide peace of mind knowing that you will leave your loved ones an organized treasure of life. Using the proper techniques will allow your cherished memories to be kept and preserved for long term storage. New developments in acid-free paper and permanent markers help create archival albums that will prove valuable treasures to share with succeeding generations. In fact, sticky page photo albums cause premature fading and pocket page albums can release gases that cause rapid deterioration.
The Meaning of Archival Supplies
Using archival-quality materials will help preserve your memories. Archival does not necessarily mean that materials are acid-neutral or acid-free. In fact paper, because of its composition, is truly the only type of substance that can be referred to as having an acid level. Therefore, only paper products can be referred to as being acid-free. Because your photos and other memorabilia will be in contact with the paper in a scrapbook for a very long time, acid-free pages or sheet protectors are essential. When considering your other supplies, quality is what is most important.
Color Tinting Old-Time Black & White Photographs
Old-time photographs add charm and character to family history albums. Colorizing these old photos will give them an updated, vibrant, artistic look that is perfect for memory book pages. First, do not use your original photos for this process – photocopies work very well and allow for experimentation. Begin by determining what size the photo should be to fit the design of your page. Next, photocopy your photographs on a color copier set to black & white. Color copiers have a wider range of grayscale tones than standard copiers allowing for better reproduction of photos. Lastly, color in the desired areas of your photos using pastels, colored pencils, or the media of your choice. Color the sections in layers, building thin to thick to achieve the desired look.
It’s Not Work – It’s Fun!
Part of the fun of creating memory albums is decorating the pages. This can be done very simply with just photo corners, a permanent marking pen and your pictures or you can acquire a bevy of clever items and get really creative. Fanciful edged scissors and colored papers are used to create fun borders around photos and small decorative shapes are produced easily with paper punches. Rubber stamps can be used to embellish a page of photos by repeating one design as a border or as a single bold image. Colorful stickers are easy and fun to use and are often geared toward popular photo book themes such as weddings, holidays vacations and babies. Remember, events in the photos are more identifiable and memorable when titled–assorted archival-quality marking pens are essential.
Sources
An incredible source of inspiration and ideas are magazines dedicated to the scrapbooking subject – they’re also a great way to keep abreast of new techniques and the ever-changing product array. If you have access to the internet, there is a growing community of scrapbookers out there just waiting to share tips and techniques.
Perserving Paper Items
Many families preserve and scrapbook letters, diaries, or other written documents in which family members discuss their life and times. These articles may include war-time correspondence and newspaper clippings of important family announcements such as births, marriages and obituaries. Often when these documents are brought out of storage family members are upset to see the items
are disintegrating. Improper storage may be one of the causes for this deterioration but another has to do with the nature of paper. Since the 1860’s, manufacturers have been using wood to produce paper, and papers made of wood include acid. Acid is what causes paper to slowly turn brown, become brittle and eventually decay. No matter how well anything is stored eventually the item will degrade. When this point is reached copying is the only practical way to preserve the material for the future.
Paper items can be either photographed or photocopied. The image placed on paper by a photocopier is very stable, however, care should be taken to place the image on good-quality paper. Acid-free paper is best, and a high quality bond paper is a good second choice. Paper marketed as photocopier paper and loaded into most coin-operated photocopiers is usually of poor quality. When photographs are made care should be taken to select a photographer experienced in copy work. Copy photography is as much an art as a science, and an experienced hand will obtain the best image.