Memorabilia

Used sparingly in your organized photo album, memorabilia can give the importance of place, dates and time. I used a couple of business cards in my pet album to indicate the occupations of the pet owners. Use a photo mounting sleeve to hold your memorabilia or cover every page with a page protector to keep your photos from coming in contact with acidic memorabilia. The acid can cause the paper of memorabilia to deteriorate, turn brown and eventually crumble. You can purchase a special buffering spray that neutralizes the acid in the paper and provides a protective coating to fight against acid recurrence. Some examples of memorabilia:

Coins and paper money
Ticket stubs (airlines, train, bus, subway,museums, zoos, theaters)
Newspaper Articles
Brochures
Maps
Wrapping paper from stores
Small hotel souvenirs
Postage Stamps
Matchbooks
Stationery
Programs (recitals, graduation, religious ceremonies)
Postcards
TV Guides
Report cards, Book reports, and High School Varsity Letters
Recipe
Marriage licenses
Wedding invitations
Embossed wedding napkins
Field trip souvenirs
ID Cards and Business cards
Love letters
Award certificates and Ribbons
Announcements (engagement, wedding, birth. obituary)
Birth certificates
Hospital bracelets
Autographs
Children’s drawings and Scout badges
Note cards and Greeting cards
Bank papers
High School and College Transcripts and Diplomas
Church events
Prayers and Quotes
Famous Sayings
Memorials
Military dog tags and Buttons
Costumes
Penny from year of birth
Family portraits
E-mails

Embellishments

Scrapbooking takes a great amount of time in preparation. My business involves little of that type of activity but I do include some embellishments to make some of the photos more interesting in the album. The sky is the limit in the creativity of what makes an embellishment. They can be handmade, store bought, or items found around the house. Ideas for embellishments are boundless-anything that is somewhat flat and will fit in your book. Keep in mind that the item needs to be thin or you won't be able the get the book closed. Look through your sewing or craft supplies for scraps such as ribbon, embroidery floss, sequins, rick-rack, even old zippers. You could use loose buttons, snaps, eyelets, small paper clips. Often times, I use stickers, letters, and quotes purchased from places like JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, and Target (those are my favorite). For the pet album I recently made, a few quotes were taken from DogQuotes.com Glitter can add pizazz to your album - apply liquid adhesive with a small paint brush. I have saved my Christmas and birthday cards over the years and cut out images for the albums. Sometimes, I will incorporate full sheets of patterned paper for a 'mat' around the photo. Simplicity is the idea, though, because 'less is more'. Visit your local scrapbook stores - they may have more suggestions.

Jackie's Pet Album

Remember, I told you about assembling a pet album for my sister's friend, Jackie! I have included a few photos of the completed album.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .

We had a major snowstorm in Western Washington in December. It snowed for seven days in a row and actually stayed on the ground. Usually the mountains are covered by the snow and the moisture turns to rain by the time it hits us in the valleys. We have lived here for twenty years and have never seen anything like this. Of course, the children were ecstatic and built numerous snowmen - I felt inclined to take photos around the neighborhood to place in the Memory Album I maintain for my business.