Why you'll love making
and looking through — a keepsake book.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Special to the Jewish News

I

malittrA pvfkitie3

cm's

s taw, ca j ts

44, - * Att-
Cbq, Mk0 1464 'Pi Ise

k4

Vii")%

MO*
ACI: Oh

rkirko.

KWIC i► V4. Low/
*Ale tt,;#1i, fib 44
kit dwptillte,
tvia..i
'Not nitt ,
001.0n,
mot

WiNi

magine a bunch of people in loose-fitting,
plaid jackets and old jeans sitting around talk-
Looking for something completely
ing about the "good old days." Photos, lov-
new and different to chronicle?
ingly passed from hand to hand, invariably
Consider these:
elicit, "I remember that..." or "Wasn't it great
A child preparing to go to college
when..." or "Have you ever had such a good time..."
Starting a new job (it's good thera-
But there's no one older than 22 here.
py, too)
What could possibly inspire such a seemingly
Favorite Shabbat dinners and activi-
implausible scene?
ties throughout the year
A book.
Preparing for a bar or bat mitzvah
To be precise a memory book, a collection of
Learning a new hobby
photos, designs, scraps, drawings — any treasures
Moving into a new home (as if you
that take you back to a favorite moment or
weren't busy enough)
chronicle a particular event: a 10th birthday, a
A child's first day at school (remem-
wedding shower, high school graduation, a trip
ber, a scrap book does not have to be
abroad, learning to play the guitar.
70 pages long)
Keeping scrapbooks has been an American tradi-
Autumn or spring in your town
tion since the country was founded. Search through
flea markets and you'll find vintage treasures that
recall world wars, lives of Hollywood celebrities and
Before you get started, here are a
school memories.
few items you will need:
Today, making scrapbooks has become some-
X-acto knife, a must for clean
thing of an art. You can find kits (but pass these up;
and easy cutting
the best memory books are the ones you make your-
Adhesive acid-free paper
self) in all kinds of stores, and supplies abound in
Photo-safe paint
shops and on the Internet (see sidebar).
Archival quality photo-safe glue
If you've ever looked through scrapbooks from
Delta is:a good brand)
even 10 years ago, you'll note that the quality of
!Acid-free permanent markers
color on almost everything is disappointing; pho-
Acid-free photo albums
tos, drawings and papers are tinted yellow or
brown and fading. The problem is chemicals,
which are mercifully non-existent in items
))
marked "acid-free.
Additionally, any scrapbook album you purchase should read "PVC free." PVC stands for
polyvinylchloride plastics, which contain destructive chemicals. Top-of-the-line albums will say,
"Meets ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards."
Finally, be prepared to store your memory books where they will stay dry, but also have the
chance to breath. Though sentimental old films picture men and women rummaging through
trunks for long-lost love letters (which emerge, miraculously enough, in perfect condition) in

MEMORIES

on page 22