Treasured Keepsakes or Clutter? A Look at MemorabiliaWritten by Christine Sutton
Handwritten notes, children’s artwork, report cards, ticket stubs . . . little tidbits of our lives. What’s worth keeping? What should be released? Only you can decide which items hold most meaning and importance for you. As you decide which items to keep, we do offer a word of advice. Keep those items that truly stir your heart or capture important events, and allow yourself to release rest. In her book, The Gift of Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh compares our lives to process of collecting seashells. Imagine that you are exploring beach, gathering shells along way. Each time you uncover a shell, you carefully consider its beauty and uniqueness. You decide whether or not it is worth keeping. By carefully choosing which shells to keep, you end up with a small collection of beautiful shells that bring you joy. If you had insisted on keeping every shell, then your beautiful shells would be lost in mass of other shells. The same can be said for your memorabilia. If you insist on keeping every item that is attached to a memory of an event or special person in your life, then you will soon be overwhelmed, and your truly precious keepsakes will be lost among masses. If you need more convincing, then just remember major side benefit of purging. Your task of organizing your memorabilia will be so much easier! Once you decide which items to keep, you can make secondary decision on how to store or display items. Whichever method you choose, you should be sure to protect your keepsakes from acid, lignin and PVC. Here's a quick explanation of these hazards: * Acid: A chemical substance that can weaken paper and cloth, causing it to brown and become brittle. * Lignin: An organic substance that is present in wood pulp. It becomes more and more acidic as it deteriorates. (The yellowing effect of a newspaper is an example of lignin.) * PVC: (also known as polyvinyl chloride) A chemically active plastic that, when combined with moisture in air can emit hydrochloric acid. This may sound complicated, but you don't need to worry about remembering details. Just remember that acid, lignin and PVC will damage photographs and memorabilia! For ultimate protection of your precious keepsakes, be sure that all of your storage and display materials are acid-free, lignin-free, and PVC free. If you would like to include your memorabilia in a scrapbook album, you have several options: 1. Test item. A pH-testing pen will allow you to determine level of acidity in your item. It might be acid-free, in which case you can put it directly into your album. pH pens are very simple to use; most have a color and pH chart on outside of pen. You simply mark your item in an inconspicuous place and check color against chart. 2. Use a de-acidification spray to remove acid from your items. If you choose this method, then please be aware that you may need to retreat items after a length of time. 3. Color photocopy your memorabilia on to acid-free paper.
| | Unique & Easy Gift-Giving Ideas for Grandchildren - that Cost Less than $10Written by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
It's that time of year again...the season of giving. Still not quite certain what to give Grandparents for holidays? We've all bought perfumes, lotions, wallets and ties. But what about some unique, novel gifts that are not only pleasing but useful and inexpensive as well? Each year, my own children get caught in gift-giving dilemma and can't seem to find anything that their grandparents might need or desire. So here are a few, simple gift ideas that may win hearts of grandparents everywhere: Gift Idea 1 - Special Gift Certificates Purchase colorful or seasonal, sturdy craft-paper. Cut into 8 equal segments, and have your children (especially teenagers) decorate one side of card with small items such as beads, glitter, or simple marker, crayon or colored pencil designs. Now, on opposite side, have you child write out little gift 'certificates;' redeemable by Grandparents. For example, gift certificates could say: "The Bearer of this Certificate is entitled to... One Free Vacuuming One Free Lawn Mowing One Free Back Massage One Free Car Wash One Free Laundry Day or One Free House Dusting." Of course, any and all of these sayings can be customized to fit age of child. Even heart-pleasing sayings like, "One Free Hug," or "One Free Dog Walk," make great gifts and are a simple way of saying, "I Love You." Gift Idea 2 - Elegant Potpourri Warmers Don't know what to do with all those empty glass jelly jars? Here's a novel idea - buy a couple of bags of fresh or festive aromatic potpourri. (Which you can purchase at local dollar store.) Second, you will need a few, miniature 35-light holiday strands. Third, purchase a few, white or ivory-colored, cloth doilies (also can be bought from a dollar store), a bag of rubber bands, and a roll of gold, silver or preferred color ribbon. Now, once you have all of necessary supplies (usually for less than $10) have your children carefully place one light strand per clean, empty jelly jar; with about 12-18" of plug extended from jar. Next, pack jar with potpourri. Now, place one small, doily over top of jar opening. Next, loop a snug-fitting rubber band around doily and jar to stay in place. Finally, cut a ribbon about 24" in length and pull around doily to disguise rubber band, and make a simple bow. This simple but elegant gift not only gives off a glowing light, but warmth of holiday light strand heats up potpourri and emits a pleasant scent in any room.
|