Preserving family photos through Art

How many of us have boxes full of old photos that Grandmother left us, or letters, deeds, diplomas and other ephemera, just sitting in the closet?  You keep thinking that you will sit down one day and get all of this stuff organized, but you just never get around to it.

The truth is that most of us never do.  These family treasures sit in the closet, get passed down, and around, until finally no one knows who those people are, and toss them or put them in an estate sale where they are lost to the family forever.

Let's talk about a fun way to record and preserve these things for our families through the crafts of scrapbooking and altered art.  This not only gets these things organized, but presents them in an attractive format that makes them appealing to family members.

Getting Started-Find those photos!

It's never too soon to find those photos your mother has stashed in the closet, or Grandma has in the bureau drawer.  Most of these photos were mounted on paper that was not acid free, and every day they remain stored this way, they deteriorate.

Ask family members if you can copy the photos they have.  A scanner or copier is invaluable for this and will save you the expense of taking them somewhere to be copied, many times over.  You can make as many copies as you need, and you don't have to use the originals. (after copying, store the originals in acid free folders and file away) Be sure to get any notes on the back, or have your relatives help you name the people in the photos.

I've also found Ancestry.com and other genealogy sites to be good places to get photos.  Once you locate the distant, unknown relatives, they are usually glad to trade email copies of their family photos for yours to add to their collection.

Once you have your photos, decide how you want to organize them.  Are you going to do the genealogy, or family tree, to organize them?  I've done that, putting each generation of a family on a separate page, along with any photos available of that generation.  Or you can do as I did with the board book, and put each generation in a separate piece of art. It's up to you to decide how you want to do this!

Now that you have your photos, it's time to decide how to do the individual pages-this is the really fun part!  So many things are available, it's sometimes hard to choose.

Craft or specialty stores have thousands of things to use to scrapbook-vintage look papers, stickers, chipboard pieces, rubber stamps, metal pieces, charms, embossing materials, and so much more.  It's easy to get carried away shopping, so plan ahead for the color scheme, style, page size, so that you have a plan in mind and can avoid costly purchases that end up in a box, unused.

Another option is to look for genuine vintage papers, keys, old jewelry bits and pieces, advertising, postcards and greeting cards, and similar items that reflect the era of the photos on a particular page.  You can find these, usually cheap, at estate sales, thrift stores, and in bins at antique shops. There are even people who sell this stuff online, if you are limited in shopping time. If you are concerned about acid content in these old papers, there are sprays available to neutralize them.

A combination of both types of supplies usually works best. Scrapbook papers can be used for the background and vintage pieces added for decoration.  You can also paint or glaze your background for added interest.

For supplies and ideas, check our store at www.texastreasures.ecrater.com/