Article Archives - Memory Lane Photo Solutions

Finding Just The Right Decorative Scrapbook Paper

October 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Article /by Caren Osborne

Sometimes finding just the right piece of decorative scrapbook paper to use in a project can be stressful.

I have been working on a project for a client who wants to have her original printed photos in a traditional scrapbook-style album. This will be the third album (and probably fourth) that I have done for her over the past two years. I work virtually with her and her administrative assistant as she lives over 3 hours from me. Because of that, I don’t have the option of reviewing the decorative scrapbook paper options and page layouts with her in person before I get started or during the project. Needless to say, for each album I have done for her I have stressed myself out trying to find just the right paper and embellishments to use on the pages even though she has repeatedly told me that she has complete faith in me, my capabilities, and my design style. She has loved the previous albums so why don’t I relax and just let it happen?

Currently, I am working with photos from her high school, college, and post-college years. The paper for the high school years for sports was an easy pick – I used the school colors. But the pages for the non-sports photos of theatrical productions she was in was not so easy. I have made several trips to the craft store in hopes of finding the perfect paper. The first time I went, I bought some paper but when I got home, I didn’t really love it so it is sitting on one of my work tables, along with the receipt, waiting.

The other day I was in the craft store to order a custom mat for a picture I wanted to have framed and, on the way out, decided to just walk down the scrapbook paper aisle. I studied the racks, again, and then all of a sudden, this paper just called out to me. It was in a section that I hadn’t really looked through before. I pulled out a sheet and said “this is it – it will be perfect!” and bought four sheets to get started. It is working out so well in the album.

It is just so crazy that I work myself into a tizzy over decorative scrapbook paper but then something unexpected, unplanned makes it all work out and pulls the whole project together.

Humidity is Killing Your Photos

September 16, 2019/0 Comments/in Article /by Caren Osborne

Are you aware that humidity is killing your photos?

During the summer months and into the fall, in many areas of the country, the amount of water vapor in the air increases as the temperature increases and everything feels damp and sticky.

Water is not a friend to printed photos and even water in the air will damage them. As the humidity increases so does the likelihood that your photos will feel damp and start deteriorating. They may start curling and sticking together depending on how they are stored, especially if they are stored in plastic bins or left in their old photo developing envelopes. Your photos could also be sticking to the plastic sleeves or plastic covers in older photo albums. Or worse, there could be mold forming on your photos due to this excess moisture.

Also, if your weather has significant fluctuations in temperature between the summer and winter months, this change from hot to cold could be damaging your photos as well.

So, what can you do?

It is recommended that you store your printed photos in a climate-controlled area of your house which means not in a damp basement or a very hot attic.
Next, you should get them out of the plastic bins and old photo albums and get them digitized and stored in archival safe boxes. Digitizing printed photos is the best way to be assured that they will be safe from further damage and last for many more years. (Learn why it’s important to digitize your photos).

Once your photos are digitized you can create beautiful custom photo books using various software options that are available online or for purchase. These books are printed on photo-safe paper and can be duplicated and shared with other family members.

Your precious photos tell a story, they tell your story, so it is important that they are preserved and protected from further damage or, worse, loss.

Do you have photos stored in plastic bins or old photo albums that may be getting damaged by humidity? Are you too busy to add this important project to your long to-do list?

Contact us to learn how we can make it easy for you. Don’t wait until it is too late!

What do you do with your vacation photos?

June 24, 2019/0 Comments/in Article /by Caren Osborne

Today most of us use our cell phones as cameras and as a result are taking hundreds of photos while on vacation. We want to capture every moment. But then those photos sit on our phones and we might scroll through them when we first get home to share special photos with family and friends. […]