Scrapbookers...lend me your ear....

[samanthadesigns]

I have a friend at work that is getting into scrapbooking...and because I do it sporatically I did not know the answer to her question. However, I knew club poshers would.

Does anyone know if greeting cards that are bought out of the store are acid free?

She wants to include some cards from her baby's first birthday in her scrapbook, but is worried they may fade or yellow.

Pleae help. :confused:

[stampire]

Hello,
I'm not sure if they are or not. Why not get one of those pens that tell you if paper is acid free? I know they are in the scrapbook section. That way she can test each card on her own. Plus, I could have sworn there is a spray that neutralizes acid. I am pretty sure I saw it on the Carol Duvall HIA special. Good Luck!

[cbsumm]

I did a family history book and included lots of items, including newspaper clippings. I found the product ARCHIVAL MIST to treat the papers that I questioned to be acid free.

You can purchase Archival Mist from Michaels or one of the other craft stores.

[drumcorpsmom]

I have cards we received when my daughter was born 27 years ago that have not faded or yellowed. I just checked! They are in an album - a baby book I also got as a gift 27 years ago and I know that it has lignin in its pages because they are beginning to yellow! But the cards haven't.

If your friend wants to include the cards on pages, why not get some pocket pages to hold them. She can take them out any time to read them. Or, if she mounts a special one or two on a page, she needs to make sure her paper is buffered, to keep the acid from migrating to the pictures on the page. She also needs to make sure the greeting card (or any item about which she is unsure) doesn't touch the photos. That way any acid that might be present won't harm the picture.

Page protectors are another important item - they do their job nicely, not only keeping the pages protected from any sticky fingers, but also protecting opposing pages from anything on a page that might possibly be harmful.

I have to tell say, though, as far as I am concerned, even if the cards HAD faded or yellowed a bit, I wouldn't care, nor would I exclude them. They may not hold up perfectly for 200 years, but they are also part of the special memories of a special time, and they deserve to be included! I have a letter that my great-grandfather wrote. Its edges are yellowed and it is a bit ragged around the edges - but it is precious! It is going in a heritage album whether it has acid in it or not.

hugs,
Mom

[teatah]

I agree. There are just some things that just have too many good memories in them to be e×cluded from our memory albums. That is why they are called memory albums. I have a letter that was written to my maternal grandmother back in 1923. I have that in the album for my mothers side of the family. It is a good thing to have as I never knew her.

[rocksgirl]

Hi

I don't believe that they are.. I know when I was at a Creative Memories Party (scrapbooking party) the demonstrator told us to use pocket protectors or get some kind of a spray.. She pushed more for the pocket protectors, but of course that is what she sold.. I have a friend who uses the spray, and likes it.. Hope that helped...

Have a great day!

sue

[Rochelle Pittman]

[COLOR=darkred][FONT=century gothic]:o Greeting cards are not acid free. Why not use the Archival spray to be save. Also, you could laminate the cards to protect your album.[/font][/color]

[Terri Blu]

I don't know if they are acid free, but like other Posh members have mentioned, I have many that are from my daughter's birth and baptism 23 years ago. Not one of them has yellowed or discolored. Again, like another member said, I wouldn't leave them out of the book. When my duaghter had a baby, she asked for her baby book. I explained that it belonged to me, but that I would make a copy of it just for her. I made the book special in every way. I scanned every card into the book. I even scanned her artwork from preschool. She loves the book I made her and the book I made for her daughter. I also place all pages into page protectors so that messy sticky fingers do not spoil a page.

Good Luck.

[rswizard]

Oh, you just opened a can of worms!!!! I just found some things my son did in Elementary School. When he graduated from the school, they sent home things he had made since he was in kindergarten and I just found the envelope when I was cleaning out things the other day. I will have to add it to the scrapbook. There's stories he wrote, pictures he drew, oh...it will be perfect for his scrapbook!!!

Thanks!!!