One More Thing Your Children Will Thank You For

I'm a huge fan of displaying photos. I think they add life and personality to my house, especially the candid shots of the kids. My favorite thing to do is to enlarge the close-ups and frame them in 24x36 poster frames. Those little faces are so cute, I just can't get enough of them.

While it's tempting just to rush through the framing projects, this is one place where it's best to plan ahead and take your time. I've learned a lot over the years through trial and error about photo preservation. My friend Clay has also been a good resource for me for photo etiquette, as he has a vast collection of family photos that goes back many years. It takes much more work to do it right, but the results are worth the effort. Here is a list of the highlights:

When framing photos that are valuable to you, use acid free mats and photo safe materials. While you can purchase inexpensive frames just about anywhere, they're rarely the best choice for your pictures. Good sources that I like for well-priced museum quality frames are Pottery Barn and Exposures.

Use reproductions when you can, and store your original photos . I make copies of most of my photos and frame the copies rather than framing the photos themselves. Kinko's is a great resource for really high quality reproductions.

If you choose to frame your photos, rather than reproductions, don't hang them in the sunlight. The only thing that does more damage to an original photo than sunlight is a toddler with a crayon.

Everyone tells you to label your pictures, but no one reminds you to use a photo-safe pen. Using a regular pen can damage a photo beyond repair. And for goodness sake, don't write on the front of your photos with anything!

If you're like me and can't manage to get your photos into archival albums, at least store them in archival storage boxes so they can be protected from dust, light, kids and dogs.

When you hand your photo collection down to your children, be sure to pass on the rules of preservation also. They'll probably roll their eyes, but they'll thank you for it later.

Print this post