Family memorabilia - medals, jewelry, buttons, fabric scraps, pocket watches, etc. - make a great addition to any heritage scrapbook. Often these items carry with them tales of adventure, hard work, sorrow, joy, or simply a record of day-to-day life. Most such items can cause damage to your album, however, due to the fact that they are bulky and not acid-free. How then, can these treasured heirlooms be safely incorporated into your heirloom scrapbook?

Smaller, three-dimensional memorabilia items, such as locks of hair or small buttons, can be safely included in your album using archival memorabilia pockets. For larger items which are harder to store, make color photocopies or scan and print the items. A good quality print of an item which has been carefully trimmed and mounted in the album looks almost as good as having the original - without the bulk. You can also create beautiful background paper for your heritage scrapbook by copying newspaper clippings, maps, family quilts, or heirloom fabric from baby clothes or wedding dresses. Be sure to make your copies on acid-free and lignin-free paper and treat any original items that you choose to include - such as newspaper clippings - with a deacidifying spray, such as Archival Mist. And remember, you're not done until you've added the stories behind the mementos to your new pages!