I have come up with a unique idea, at least I think it is!! We had a house fire back in 2002 and we managed to save most of our pictures, but the frames and books there were in were destroyed. I wanted to scrapbook them on pages, build a frame for them to fit the pages, and hang them up down my long empty hallway. My question is this...what do you ladies suggest I can use instead of glass? That would cost me a fortune! Plexiglass?? Cover them with contact paper?? Some other idea???
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!
~H.
thanks for the suggestions ladies!! They are greatly appreciated. I have found several sites that have frames especially made for scrapbooked pages, but even at $5/frame, that is a lot of money when you have several BOXES of pics you are working on! I think I am just going to build small, shallow, shadow boxes, and buy a bit for my saw that will safely cut plexiglass and use that. I just think that although it will be an investment up front, I will be able to MAKE many frames, all identical, and end up much cheaper than buying them retail...and will add a bit more "me" to the project.
thanks for everything ladies!!!
OH...and putting your pics on dvd/cd is one of the best things I have ever done!! We were lucky with our housefire...but most people aren't. That is indeed great advice!!!
~H.
Ikea has big frames that have the clips on the side and they are very affordable, I think they have a variety of sizes-check their website. I have thought about using the clear contact paper for keeping some of my daughter's artwork preserved, but I'm not sure it's really 'clear' enough, it's not quite like laminating...
Hmmm .. I don't have any suggestions .. but I would NOT contact paper them .. unless you're covering over copies. I know I've used some of those sleek acrylic frames from Michaels and they are often on sale for just a few dollars per frame ... that wouldn't break the bank as much as an official scrapbook page shadow box. Do let us know what you decide.
Please ensure that the papers and adhesives you use are Acid free. This is important for the longevity of your projects.
I agree with the lady that suggests that we take the time to digitally scan our pictures. By having soft copies stored on CD in a fire safe you can ensure that these memories are available for generations to come.
Have fun!
D. M.
Be careful what you put products you use. I had 4 of my wedding portraits in a frame that I got at Kohls. I had it handging on the wall for about 5 years when I walked by one day and say that my white dress was now yellow....with little yellow dots all over it. Come to find out, the mat in the frame was not photo safe materials and it ruined my precious photos. Since that time, I became a Creative Memories Consultant and now am able to preserve all of my photos in products that wont harm them. I have photos in albums which my kids can look at. I have photos in Digital Storybooks which I have out for my friends and family to view and I even have framed pieces hanging on my wall again, which came from Custom Framing by Creative Memories. And, I am proud to say that I have not paid for a single item in over 5 years because my business paid for it all. If you are serious about wanting to keep these memories for MANY years to come, please contact me and we can talk about how you can make it happen. And, possibly for FREE through the Creative Memories business and hostess opportunities. My website is www.mycmsite.com/mgraham. Please check it out and call me.
Blessings,
M. Graham
I'm not totally sure I'm following your idea... but if you want to scrapbook them and put them in clear frames... I know that Hobby Lobby and Michaels... surely many stores have the larger sized glass/glass frames that clip together and you can mount on the wall. They're rather inexpensive. I used to put my son's artwork in them... I liked it because I could change it out frequently with little effort. Not sure if that's the idea you're looking for... just thought I'd throw it out there in case. :)
For anyone worried about their precious photos in the case of a home disaster, I suggest having all your photos scanned and stored onto CDs/DVDs. Then you store the CDs/DVDs in a fire/water-safe container or keep them in a safety deposite box at the bank. This is the only surefire way to keep your photos safe.
I am a scrapbooker, too. Have you seen the scrapbook frames at Micheales? They fit the 12x12's great. they run 9.99 but are on sale a lot for 5.00 each. Also, a sheet of glass for a frame isn't too expensive. Have you looked at Hobby lobby or Micheals where they will cut the glass to size? I had this done for an odd sized frame and it wasn't very expensive.
I am afraid if you use plexiglass it's going to look cheap and it might start to warp over time. I have a frame that is of plastic, big poster size and everytime I look at it, all I see is my cheapness. I need to replace it.
since it is your family photos I would perserve them as much as possible.
Good luck!
T. in Allen
