Keeping Your Memories Safe

I have a store bought album that my grandma MeeMee gave me when I was young, with old family photos that included me. Luckily I took the photos out after so many years, putting in my sticker collection instead, before the acidic material would’ve damaged those precious pictures. I still have the album and the pages are now a gross brown color. It’s a reminder every time I see it that photo albums need to be SAFE.

What to look for in a Scrapbook Photo Album •••

Scrapbook Page:

Documenting directly on the album page
Memorabilia may be added with the photos
Unlimited layout options

Acid-Free, Lignin-Free Buffered Paper:

Paper maintains its durability and whiteness for generations
Paper will not accelerate deterioration of the photos

Reinforced Edges:

Increased durability
Less wear with page turning
Less photo abrasion

Flex Hinge Binding:

Pages and photos lie flat
Allows for expandability and resequencing of pages

All Creative Memories photo albums are manufactured in the USA and are backed by their lifetime guarantee. They hold up to (3) refill packs of 16 pages each. The albums come without pages.

⇣ Download this handy CM Album Guide by clicking on either image ⇣

Creative Memories is always adding and removing products, so these colors are subject to change.

Please note: this was a page from my teaching album from the 90s and is NOT discolored. The Photo Splits are now called Tape Chips, there’s an adhesive pen, foam adhesive squares and tape AND the Tape Runner comes in a Repositionable version also for easy moving. (see adhesives HERE)

The refill pages come with page protectors and I highly recommend using them! My albums were left boxed in a storage container for 6 years and the photos I had on pages without them had stuck together in that environment. I was so happy to rescue them and my scrapbooking supplies!

Memorabilia and newspaper clippings should be housed in portrait sleeves, Pocket Pages or Peekaboo Pockets™ so the don’t come in contact with photos on your pages,

Meaningful Documentation and Photo Journaling

One of my favorite parts of scrapbooking is the journaling, because the photos can’t speak for themselves. Sometimes I worry that I just won’t have anything to say, but in the moment while doing a page, the memories come flooding back and the words just flow. I mention it here because it is important to use acid-free, fade-resistant, water-proof pens – and of course the CM pens fit the bill.

Also, if you print clip art or embellishments from your computer, make sure you’re using an “archival-ink” printer.

Typically, we use 4 styles of journaling when scrapbooking:

Who – What – Where – When Labeling
Quick Captions and Comments
Bullet Journaling – Capture the detail in phrases
Full-on Journaling – tell the whole story

Many people don’t love their handwriting and worry about keeping their lines straight. Your children and grandchildren associate your writing with YOU – don’t deprive them of that connection! CM has Lined Designer Paper Packs to keep your writing nice and tidy.