Okay, so we have a blog. now what?   How on earth are you suppose to come up with stuff to say every single day   Well , we're not going to become obsessive with our fun little project; so we've decided to keep things light and fun.  This won't necessarily be a daily thing, but it will be delightfully occasional. 

I've decided that our blog will be part ramble, with maybe an odd rant from time to time ; and part learning. On some days I may be a bit ambitious and attempt all of the above, but don't hold it against me .

If you're new to the art of scrapbooking there's so much that one could absorb about the whole theory of the craft. When I started scrapbooking about ten years ago, It wasn't half the craze that it is now, and certainly not as high tech! 

My earlier projects were constructed from everyday, run of the mill art supplies, leftover fragments of ephemera ( a fancy word for ticket stubs and other stuff you find at the bottom of your purse or briefcase); and just creative cut and paste. The products on the market now have revolutionized the industry. Scrapbooks these days are truly masterpieces of graphic design, and interwoven fine arts techinques.  Not only can you purchase color coordinated themed packs, you can create very ornate journaling using downloaded computer fonts, or predesigned letters/sentiments etc.  It has made scrapbooking a craft to contend with, and the hobby has been reinvented!

With all of these products on the market, it's probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with a very basic concept...that of archival quality/or scrapbook safe products.  Here's a brief breakdown of the concept of what  really determines how protected your  beautiful projects are.

Acid free: if you've ever had a chemistry class, then you would remember that a ph of below 7 indicates acidity, whereas 7 or above is considered alkaline.  When papers are chosen for scrapbooking the acidity is important. If a paper contains acid or is exposed to acid from other elements used on your pages, the paper will become brittle and deteriorate. This can also damage the photos on your pages. In its most complicated form, this term can be analyzed for every single type of paper from vellum to chipboard. The most important point is to look for some designation of acid -free on the packaging. If photo safety is not a concern for you, then enjoy yourself and ignore the rest of this post. If however it is important, consider this: choose paper that has either been neutralized or buffered in the production process to prevent the effects of the acid.

Lignin free: the term lignin free automatically infers that the paper is wood based, and therefore has been processed chemically to break down the cellulose bonds that give the wood its strength. Paper that is not lignin free is at risk of yellowing, browning, and fading! Lignin by the way is a component of plants, and acts as a type of organic glue/sap.  When it is exposed to light it produces phenol as well as acid.

The take home lesson for today is:  look for products that are marked "scrapbook safe", "photo safe", "acid-free", or "Lignin-free".  Be cautious if something only states "archival safe", because this only really applies to how colorfast the product is, and not necessarily its acid/lignin content.

TLC's products are not only archival quality,they are scrapbook safe as well, so all bases are covered. 

Until the next time,

Happy Scrapping!