Maintaining Your Memorabilia

I love to include memorabilia such as ticket stubs, brochures, maps, newspaper and magazine articles in my layouts. However, they are almost always made of acidic materials which can harm your photos. In addition, newspaper clippings tend to yellow and become brittle over time. There are several ways to get around this problem and still include these items in your scrapbooks.

Spray It - The best way to include the actual item on your page is to spray the materials with a de-acidifying spray such as Archival Mist. It takes the acid right out of the item making it safe for your scrapbooks and it prevents newspaper articles from turning yellow. Even if the newspaper article has already started to yellow, a de-acidifying spray will prevent any further deterioration. Be sure to mist both the front and back sides of the item. In the example layout, I lightly misted the article from the booklet with Archival Mist and let it dry before adhering it to my layout.

Seal It – You can also include items on your page by sealing them in acid-free envelopes. Xyron, 3M and various other companies provide products such as transparent envelopes and laminating cards to help you preserve tickets, locks of hair, and other small embellishments. Sealing them off prevents them from spreading acidic materials to your photographs.

There are also other options for adding memorabilia to your scrapbooks without including the actual item.

Scan It - Scan the item and print it on acid-free paper. You can also reduce the size of large items before you print so they’ll fit better on your page.

Photograph It - Take a photo of the item and include the photograph on your layout instead of the original item. This works especially well for memorabilia items that are not flat such as a bouquet of flowers.

Color Copy It – If you don’t have a scanner at your disposal, many office supply stores can make a color copy of something and print it on acid-free paper.

Including items such as articles or newspaper clippings in your scrapbooks is a fun way to share more than just photos with others--and it is really easy to do!

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