MAKING IT LAST.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Summer vacation is well under way for millions, and family photographs capturing memories of beaches, mountains and lakes are a big part of it.

Once home, though, many of those photographs will end up gathering dust in boxes or stuffed into photo albums where they will yellow and fade.

What to do? Well, for Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley residents, the answer is easy; Just head on over to the local Pages of Ages store, whose motto is, ``Where memories age gracefully.''

Cindy Soto was shopping at the drug store next door to Pages of Ages in Lancaster when her daughter, Vanessa, pointed it out to her. She was thrilled to find a store that catered to scrapbookers.

``My son just graduated from high school, so I'm doing a picture for him so he has something to show his kids,'' said Soto.

Soto used to buy her scrapbooking products through home parties but now is happy to have a store to shop at.

A resident of Palmdale, Cecilia Erlenbach and her partner Karen Thomas opened their first Pages of Ages store in Canyon Country five years ago. The newest store, in Lancaster, is already attracting its own niche of customers by offering how-to classes in addition to scrapbooking supplies. Erlenbach brings 10 years of scrapbooking experience to the store.

``I think everybody keeps a book of their children. As far as making it a job, it seemed like a good opportunity,'' Erlenbach said.

On the counter of the store sits a sample scrapbook created by a customer, filled with artfully designed pages of her family, each page's design coordinated with the family photos.

A small children's play area in the front of the store leaves parents free to browse.

Customers who come in at any time of the day or evening will be able to find help and advice from the staff at Pages of Ages because Erlenbach only hires experienced scrapbookers.

Erlenbach herself gives a quick demonstration in calligraphy to a customer who needs help. In a few moments, the woman is writing her own name in calligraphy almost as well as Erlenbach.

As for those dusty boxes of vacation photos, Erlenbach had several suggestions.

``One of the main things you should do is document the trip, the people,'' she said. ``You should journal. If you can't journal right away, you can use a photographic marker to write on the back of your photos so you don't forget dates or people.

``Before you begin scrapbooking, you must organize yourself and your photos,'' she added. ``The main thing to be aware of is the safety of the pictures and mementos. Items used to make scrapbooks should be acid-free and archivable.''

The problem with many magnetic memory books, according to Erlenbach, is that they contain acid in the pages that causes the paper and photos stored in the books to turn yellow and eventually crack and fall apart.

She recommends protecting all completed scrapbook pages by placing them in page protectors.

Erlenbach also recommends archiving extra pictures and keeping the negatives in an acid-free environment. Or they can make a collage out of them by organizing photos thematically.

Customers to Pages of Ages make scrapbooks for all kinds of reasons. One grandmother made a book for her granddaughter after the child's mother died.

Another woman, who had Parkinson's disease, made a book for her grandchildren because they had never seen her walk. She used to be a professional dancer and wanted to show her grandchildren that she indeed had working legs at one time.

``Men are also scrapbooking now. They do it mainly for sports and travel,'' said Erlenbach. ``Their books are very nice because they're not afraid to put lime green and yellow together.''

Erlenbach advises taking a class. Pages of Ages offers several specialized classes in photo tinting and preserving wedding photos, as well as classes for kids.

The store in Lancaster is at 2018 W. Ave. J. The one in Canyon Country is at 19353 Soledad Canyon Road. Both stores are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For information or to register for a class, call the Lancaster store at [phone] or the Canyon Country store at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Instructor Susee Orlando teaches customers the finer points of scrapbooking, left, in the Pages of Ages scrapbook supply store, below, in Lancaster.

(3 -- color) Cecilia Erlenbach, owner of Pages of Ages, is a guide for scrapbookers.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer