Treasured Keepsakes or Clutter? A Look at Memorabilia
Handwritten notes, children's artwork, report cards, ticket
stubs . . . little tidbits of our lives. What's worth keeping?
What should be released? Only you can decide which items hold
most meaning and importance for you.
As you decide which items to keep, we do offer a word of advice.
Keep those items that truly stir your heart or capture important
events, and allow yourself to release the rest. In her book, The
Gift of the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh compares our lives to the
process of collecting seashells. Imagine that you are exploring
the beach, gathering shells along the way. Each time you uncover
a shell, you carefully consider its beauty and uniqueness. You
decide whether or not it is worth keeping. By carefully choosing
which shells to keep, you end up with a small collection of
beautiful shells that bring you joy. If you had insisted on
keeping every shell, then your beautiful shells would be lost in
the mass of other shells.
The same can be said for your memorabilia. If you insist on
keeping every item that is attached to a memory of an event or
special person in your life, then you will soon be overwhelmed,
and your truly precious keepsakes will be lost among the masses.
If you need more convincing, then just remember the major side
benefit of purging. Your task of organizing your memorabilia
will be so much easier!
Once you decide which items to keep, you can make the secondary
decision on how to store or display the items. Whichever method
you choose, you should be sure to protect your keepsakes from
acid, lignin and PVC. Here's a quick explanation of these
hazards:
* Acid: A chemical substance that can weaken paper and cloth,
causing it to brown and become brittle.
* Lignin: An organic substance that is present in wood pulp. It
becomes more and more acidic as it deteriorates. (The yellowing
effect of a newspaper is an example of lignin.)
* PVC: (also known as polyvinyl chloride) A chemically active
plastic that, when combined with moisture in the air can emit
hydrochloric acid.
This may sound complicated, but you don't need to worry about
remembering the details.
Just remember that acid, lignin and PVC will damage photographs
and memorabilia! For ultimate protection of your precious
keepsakes, be sure that all of your storage and display
materials are acid-free, lignin-free, and PVC free.
If you would like to include your memorabilia in a scrapbook
album, you have several options:
1. Test the item. A pH-testing pen will allow you to determine
the level of acidity in your item. It might be acid-free, in
which case you can put it directly into your album. pH pens are
very simple to use; most have a color and pH chart on the
outside of the pen. You simply mark your item in an
inconspicuous place and check the color against the chart.
2. Use a de-acidification spray to remove the acid from your
items. If you choose this method, then please be aware that you
may need to retreat items after a length of time. 3. Color
photocopy your memorabilia on to acid-free paper.
4. Take photographs of your child's artwork. You can keep the
reminder and get rid of the bulk. By the way, this is a great
way to use up those last few pictures on a roll of film.
5. Use polypropylene memorabilia pockets to safely encapsulate
and display small items such as ticket stubs, hospital tags or
locks of hair.
6. Create a pocket page in your scrapbook album to hold awards,
greeting cards, report cards or children's artwork. To do this
you'll need two pieces of acid-free cardstock sized to fit your
album. Cut the top off of one piece so that it is three to four
inches shorter than the other piece (leaving the width as is).
Place acid-free adhesive on the bottom and the two sides and
adhere the shorter piece directly on top of the full-size piece
of cardstock. This will provide you with a pocket to hold your
assorted memorabilia, and you can embellish the front of the
pocket as you choose.
Be sure to use acid-free adhesives when mounting memorabilia
directly onto your album pages. You can use self-adhesive photo
corners or a corner slot punch for those items that you don't
want to permanently mount.
To safeguard your precious keepsakes, practice these "Don'ts":
Do not use rubber cement, tape or glue, which may contain acid
and harmful chemicals that will destroy your photos and
memorabilia.
Do not laminate memorabilia. Laminating with common heat-sealing
laminating machines permanently traps dust and contaminants in a
closed environment. Laminating machines that use heat subject
your memorabilia to high heat and strong pressure that can cause
it to age more quickly. And, laminating with a heat-sealing
laminating machine means that the lamination is irreversible.
Never put newspaper directly into your scrapbook albums.
Newspaper is a cheap paper that contains lignin. Have you ever
noticed how quickly a newspaper yellows especially if it exposed
to sunlight? The yellowing effect is the result of lignin.
Newspaper also contains acid. Storing photographs and
memorabilia with newspaper creates a damaging environment for
your keepsakes, as the acid will migrate from the newspaper.
If you do not want to create a scrapbook album, you can still
enjoy your items in the future, by ensuring their safety with
the use of archival-quality storage supplies such as: acid-free
file folders, archival boxes or polypropylene enclosures.
(Remember: All supplies for storing and displaying photos or
memorabilia should be acid-free, lignin-free, and PVC free!)
If you've been feeling guilty because you haven't organized and
protected your family's keepsakes, then take heart. This
accomplishment pales in comparison to the significance of the
journey you embark on each day -- creating joyful memories with
the people you cherish most in your life.
Copyright 2003-2004, by The Sentimental Playground. Article may
be reprinted with permission. Please contact
info@organizedphotos.com