If something is BIG news, it will end up in the newspaper.  Don’t you agree?    And, when it does, we want to cut out the article, or picture, or recipe and save it.  I happen to have some very old clippings that my Mom had saved…and even some my Granny had saved, also. 

One clipping I saved myself was my engagement picture.  That would be some 39 years ago.  Someone took the clipping and had it laminated….probably because the laminating process was new and they thought that would be the best way too save it.  WRONG!!!  The ink from the front has transferred to the back and the words that were on the back have bled through to the front.  The whole thing has yellowed, and you can’t even tell it’s the young, and lovely me! 🙂  I have other clippings from the wedding, but not another one of those.

So, I want to talk today about preserving newspaper clippings.  If you are going to keep them, at least keep them well.  There are 2 ways that you can go about this.  (And this is my preferred method.)  I take the clippings and make copies of them…I also scan them into my computer.   IMPORTANT:  USE ACID FREE COPY PAPER !   I make 2 or 3 copies of the article, in case some one else wants one.  Then I store the copies and the original in a vinyl sleeve.  Plus the info is safe on my computer.  This is a perfectly acceptable way of preserving information if you just want it for a remembrance. 

If you wish to laminate an article  from the newspaper, laminate one of these copies.  If you want it to look exactly like the original…copy it on a color copy machine.

HOWEVER…….if the actual clipping itself is of value to you, there are other things you should do………

Spray the clippings with an archival, acid reduction spray. These aerosol sprays reduce the acidic content of the newspaper, the main source of fading and decay in newspaper clippings. Buy an “Acid-Free” spray at your local craft store.  Treating your newspaper clippings with this spray will help preserve them.

And some other things to remember…

***Keep the clippings in a cool place, away from light and humidity.

***Don’t fold, staple or mutilate the clippings.  Staples and paper clips can cause permanent stains.

***Don’t store the clippings in the ‘magnetic’ type of photo album.  This will hasten the deterioration.  (this goes for photographs as well).

***Do not laminate important clippings.  Clippings of historical events lose their value if they have been laminated. ***Place the clippings in a sturdy 3-ring binder with vinyl sleeves.  IMPORTANT…..Place only one clipping in each sleeve.  Do not let clippings overlap back to back.

Hope this information is helpful to you. 

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Just another thought…completely unrelated to the rest of this post.  That’s just the way my mind works…

If you have any container…say a box or plastic bowl or any sort of decorative box that has an odor to it that you do not find pleasant…this is what you do.  Take newspapers and pull them apart so you are working with one page at a time.  Crumble it up and fill the box with as much as it will hold.  The lid must be able to close tightly.  Leave it for several days.  Some particularly strong odors may require redoing the process. 

There’s no charge for this extra tip…..