Organizing photographs

[minniecarousel]

So I went through 4 different (BIG!) boxes looking at old family photos. All I wanted was a cute picture of younger DS to frame and give to his GF for Christmas. I realized that I have a mess! I have quite a project for after the holidays. Most of the unused photo albums are the kind with the pages where you pull away the sheet and place the pictures on the sticky page and put the plastic back over the page. I noticed that the edges of the pages are yellowed. What is the best type of photo album to use? How do I get organized? I'd love to put photos in albums, in order, and use the long Rubbermaid-type long boxes for extra photos. (I really don't need photo albums full of pictures of my triplet niece and nephews.) I need some guidance - any ideas?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just a though, mc, maybe run thisby the folks on the scrapbook board, in addition to the CB here. Between both boards, I know you will get some great ideas. We have the same problem, LOL.

 

[IloveDMB]

I am a picture freak and always have various roles being developed or waiting to be picked up.

Here's what I do:
I buy photo albums where you slide the photos in. Most of them have a spot between the photos where you can write a little caption in.
When I go on vacation, I buy a special album for that because I like to look at an album and know what they are from
When you buy the photo albums, buy different colors and then you can organize the pictures by color or use labels and label the spine of the album by time period

Hope this helps

 

[MerryPoppins]

The ones with magnetic pages are death for your photos. Get them out asap! If you don't want to take the time to make scrapbooks (my favorite way to have my photos) then look for photo albums with pockets. Make sure they contain no PVC. Store the extras in photo boxes with dividers. Mine are sorted by year and filed away. It's an inexpensive way of storing them and you can label the year on the side of the box.

 

[Alice28]

Yes, those magnetic albums ARE the death of your photos because they contain acid and lignin- both naturally occuring substances in wood pulp (and esp in the glue that they put in those albums). I would first get your precious photos OUT of those albums and organize them by year or child or however you want to do it. Then, depending what kind of time and money you want to invest, I would do the following-

Not a lot of money or time- buy the sleeve albums, but make sure the are acid free

Want to invest just a little bit of money, but have memories that last a lifetime? Buy a Creative Memories scrapbook album- they are the best in the scrapbook world- the albums are guaranteed for life, and they are acid-free and lignin free. I became a Creative Memories convert a few years back and now sell the stuff I loved it so much. A 12x12 album with one extra refill of pages (30 pages total- 60 front and back) and two packs of page protectors (the plastic sleeving to protect the pictures) will cost you about $50. The best thing about Creative Memories besides the quality---you can contact a consultant who can really help you organize and give you step by step instructions how to get your pictures into albums quickly, so you can be done with it, and have time to actually ENJOY the photos! Let me know if you have any other questions. And you don't have to make them all fancy with papers and stickers if you don't want to---I have an album that was my wedding proofs- not the pictures I really wanted to display, but I had them in a Ziploc bag! So I just bought a plain ivory Creative Memories album and put the proofs in the album with not one sticker or fancy paper in sight. Now I know they are at least safe!

 

[Alice28]

I just wanted to also say hi former San Jose resident here-----not too far from Danville- would drive through it every time we would go to Sacramento!

Also, just an FYI- Creative Memories has a website if you want a looksie at their stuff- www.creativememories.com

 

[minniecarousel]

Thanks for the ideas. I have heard of Creative Memories & a few albums made up that way would be nice. I'll start looking for new albums for the time being. (Knowing how I procrastinate, I won't commit to the Creative Memories yet.)
So - just so the albums are the sleeve-kind without acid. The pictures of older DS (now age 24!) are in the sleeve type, but of course, I don't know if they're acid-free. I was truly shocked at how many boxes of pictures we have!

 

[pattyT]

I am a scrapbooker -
I use Creative Memories Books
but I take WAY TO MANY pictures to scrap them all - so with the others I have bought the boxes from Micheals Crafts -
Green Plaid for DS
Blue for DD
Black for Family
Green pretty ones for vacation photos
and white pretty ones for miscellaneous pictures

at first it was tough goign through all the boxes but in the end it works out nice - I get a new pack of photos I take out the current boxes - divi the photos out -
and now when DD and DS get older I can send them of into life with their boxes

hth

 

[MerryPoppins]

And don't forget to check for PVC content. That's bad too.