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Scrapbook Care

How to Preserve Your Valuable Scrapbooks

I Didn't Know These Things Were Slowly Destroying My Scrapbook!

By: Palyn Peterson

Once you spend your precious time and energy creating a scrapbook, make sure it lasts! Here are a few simple things you can easily do to ensure that your scrapbooks look just as good as the day you finished them for years to come.

The first thing to avoid is paper that is contains lignin. You've probably heard that before, and it is true, but what is lignin?

Lignin is a stiff component of a plant that quite literally holds it together. Although lignin is necessary for plants and trees, you want nothing to do with it!

After a while, lignin will cause photos, fabrics and other paper that touches it to turn brown. Yes, lignin-free paper does cost more, but it is a vital part of preserving your cherished scrapbooks.

If your scrapbook paper is not lignin-free, it will eventually discolor photos and other materials touching it. So when buying paper for your scrapbooking projects, be sure to look for packages that say lignin-free, because if it doesn't say it, then it most likely isn't.

Fabric is a big concern in preserving your scrapbooks, but unfortunately it is often overlooked. Many people assume that all fabrics are acid-free, but they aren't.

Silk actually goes through an acid bath during the manufacturing process, as do many tie-dyed fabrics. This isn't to discourage you from using it. Not at all.

Just try to make sure that no photos directly touch fabric, and if you need them to overlap, make sure there is a layer of paper between the two.

Another consideration when using fabrics is whether the color will bleed off onto your page and other things touching it. To test for this, cut a square inch off and soak it in a glass of water overnight.

If there is no color bleeding from it the next day, then there won't be any risk to your scrapbook. But if you do see color in the water or collecting at the bottom of the glass then don't use that fabric in your scrapbook at all.

When using glitter, be sure there is a top layer of spray adhesive to lock it down or better yet use special glitter glue where the glitter is mixed right in.

If this is not done right the glitter will slowly fall off, and loose glitter means scratched photos.

After you have planned the layout for your photos, be sure that you are using the right kind of mounting tape!

Regular mounting tape is fine for buttons and bottle caps, but when it comes to mounting photos, you need to use special photo mounting tape which is completely acid-free.

If you don't, your photos will slowly discolor. The tape should say acid-free right on the packaging.

These are just a few simple things you can do to ensure that your scrapbooks last and last.

Palyn Peterson publishes Expert Scrapbooking. Get more scrapbooking tips, tricks and techniques at Expert Scrapbooking

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Recommended Reading

These books are excellent resources for scrapbookers. They contain lots of new and original designs and ideas.

Outstanding Scrapbook Pages: 250 Of the Best Pages and Techniques from the World's #1 Scrapbooking Magazine Kerry Arquette

Special-Effects Scrapbooking: Creative Techniques for Scrapbookers at All Levels (Crafts Highlights) By: Jill Miller

Creative Memories : The 10 Timeless Principles Behind the Company that Pioneered the Scrapbooking Industry By: Cheryl Lightle

Scrapbooking Your Family History
By: Maureen Taylor

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