The Mother and Child Reunion

This Simon & Garfunkel song has been going through my mind all weekend. Today my DS and I are reunited after his two weeks+ at summer camp. Of course he had a wonderful time, and I enjoyed my break, but we both are anxious to be together again...at least until I have to remind him of his chores :-)

I have a layout already designed in my mind. I think I'll get him to help me on it.

Hands-Down favorite

I'm thumbing through the August/September Memory Makers. (ACK! September?!?) Word is out that this is a phenomenal issue and that the new Memory Makers is on track to be an all-around great scrapbooking magazine.

I did my initial scan-through and immediately felt compelled to share with you my pick of the issue. Hands down his layout, "Hands-On Mom" by Linda Harrison (pg. 76), is my favorite.

There are so many reasons why this layout works, plus it's a PERFECT example to show beginners the basic rules of design and how they can successfully scrap that pile of photos. Do you see what I see?

• Rule of thirds (the photos on the right axis; the title on the top axis)
• Visual triangle (pink accents)
• Great use of older photos (those square black and white prints have the processing date in the white border)
• Poignant journaling - short, meaningful, heartfelt
• Effective title - sums it up and draws the viewer to read the journaling
• Good use of patterned paper - just one sheet of a tone-on-tone graphic

And if you look closely, you can see the repetitive use of circles inspired by the patterned paper: the hyphen of the title, the brads in the visual triangle, the rhinestones in the flower, and don't forget, the round blow-up pool in the photos.

Great job, Linda, and thank you Memory Makers for showcasing this layout.

I'll get to read in detail the entire issue, but I still see something missing -- from Memory Makers and the other consumer publications - - that could really help the scrapbooking industry. Can you guess what it is?

P.S. On a personal note (without any bearing on my decision to highlight this layout), Linda's page also is a comfort to me -- a single mother doing all I can to be a hands-on mom.

Tell me something I didn't know

Beth Mauro, editor of CNA Magazine, reported from GASC in Chantilly. Here are some quotes of note:

No matter what your crafting niche I highly urge you to attend consumer shows whenever possible. There is nothing better than seeing the industry through (these) customers' eyes. When crafting is your business there is a danger of getting jaded when it comes to products and projects. A short trip to a consumer show is like a shot of adrenalin.

My favorite part was seeing scrapbookers of every age, color, size and level of expertise. We saw three generations of scrapbookers visiting the show together and plenty of new moms looking to start a baby book. The crops were packed. Over a three day period, hundreds of scrapbookers dragged all their stuff in for the fun of scrapping with friends and soon-to-be-friends.

and

Digital Scrapbooking 101 classes were full as were sessions on getting photos off of your digital camera (I should take that one) and photo retouching. The fact that that attendees that come to this show are hardcore scrapbookers should prove that traditional scrapbooking and digital scrapbooking can co-exist under one roof. Will next year be the year of Hybrid Scrapbooking classes?

It boils down to this:

• Always remember the customer
• Scrapbooking is for everyone
• Never underestimate the passion of a scrapbooker

Don't let them define us

We need to take a stand against the antiquated mindset that scrapbooking is "dowdy" or "saccharine". There is a sexy side of scrapbooking, and we don't need (nor do we want) Martha Stewart to prove it for us.

Remember the Panty Journal?

How about Scrap City?

Consider some of the scraponistas out there and their cutting edginess.

Here's me looking down my nose at the Wall Street Journal article. Dowdy? Pfh.


We missed out when we failed to own our own definition of scrapbooking. And we're still explaining that it has nothing to do with doilies.

Mike Harnett warns us of stereotyping the category. And we need to heed the warnings across the board, especially regarding product development and usage. Not every scrapper wants the latest/greatest.

The only stereotype I want scrapbooking to have is that it's an activity for everyone. Scrapbooking is so personal and personalized that it can be whatever you want it to be. But the common denominator remains: memories.

So don't let some Wall Street know-it-all or high-brow hot shot define your passion or label your look. Besides, I'm quite sure the writers of both articles saved clippings of their printed stories, even before their first by-line.

So, what are your thoughts? Got any proof to the contrary? What image should scrapbooking have? Let's create it!

Let's get real

I'm pointing out the "reality" trend that has emerged in scrapbooking (perhaps a response to all those reality shows?). The trend has been looming, I mean, how many single photos layouts wallpapered with flowers can inspire Suzy Scrapbooker who only wants to organize and preserve her 3x5 snapshots of her teenager's ninth birthday?

To draw your attention to the recent surge, take these examples:

• Tara Governo's Imperfect Lives (F&W) tells the kind of wonderfully human, less-than-glorious stories that often go untold. Its pages are full of honest, edgy, quirky, humorous layouts about real life
• Tasra Dawson's Real Women Scrap and t.v. for busy women
• Memorytrends April 2007 cover story "What Women Want...and how scrapbooking gives it to them"
• The handful of blogs attacking and smacking celebs and wanna bes (and no, I won't provide the links...stay here and finish reading)

Here are some other observations. The number of inquiries for information for LSS business plans has decreased significantly. More hobbyists are waking up to the reality that operating an LSS is 99% retail and 1% scrapbooking. Real life (i.e., kids, the mortgage, aging parents, insert "any daily stress" here) or lack of business skills, foresight or critical thinking has pushed retailers to close their doors, and the predictions are realistic. Industry politicos worn of the impending doom; the number of LSSs in the US will be down to 800 by the end of the year; this vendor is not exhibiting at CHA-S, and that vendor is not going to Memorytrends.

All this is reactionary and old news in this cyber-fast world. What we really need is to be pro-active.

It’s raining men

Creating Keepsakes has announced its new editor. Replacing Tracy White is Brian Tippetts. Yep. A guy. He joins a handful of men making their way into the female-dominated world of scrapbooking. The guys have always been here; but now they’re getting face time.

CK started with Don Lampson. David Venable works side-by-side with Lisa Bearnson at QVC. And the first male Hall of Famer, Mitchell Kraft, was named in 2007.

F+W is doing it, too. David Pyle is now Group Publisher, formally held by industry matriarch Jeanne Wines-Reed. Steve Smith’s column, "Manly Memories," appears regularly in Memory Makers Magazine.

This sprinkle of men is just the beginning of the summer storm. There will be a gully-washing this year in the industry, brought on and carried out by the “guys who get it.” Are you ready to ride the winds of change?

My precious Winnifred

Today, my beloved Winnifred died. She was my shadow. I miss her. I mourn her. I have spent the day crying. As much as I loved her, she loved me more. She taught me what it meant to love.

When I told my nine-year-old son that Winnifred died, he responded in a way that touched my heart. He's been keeping a notebook in which he's outlined letters to spell out his classmates names. He quietly brought me the notebook and showed me the names he has done so far, one per page. Then he turned to the next blank page, slid the notebook to me, and said doing Winnifred's name would help me. So I drew her name and together Joseph and I colored in the letters. Purple was Winnifred's color.

I added a few recent photos, and this make-shift memorial was created:

I've been working on a layout of Winnifred for some time now. I've scheduled some time on Friday to finish it and will post it as soon as it's done.

Pets is a hot theme in scrapbooking, now more than ever. And because of Winnifred, I know why.

The Gift of Scrapbooking

It's finally Friday, and I'm relieved to wrap up a really crappy week.

My boyfriend's dog and faithful companion of over 15 years passed away on Wednesday after several days of seizures and constant care. Kiltie meant the world to Eddie, and I am humbled to be the one to comfort him in his deep loss. I plan to print off the many pictures I have of Kiltie and make a simple album so he can remember her and record his feelings for her. As a scrapbooker, I take lots of photos.

This week my child support case was elevated to a custody case and now involves lawyers. So far I have fought this battle alone. I have journaled my thoughts and fears as a way to express my frustrations. Journaling encourages me to search for the meaning of what’s happening in my life and to record my feelings at the time. As a scrapbooker, I journal.

I teach that scrapbooking is the creative preservation of memories using mainly photos, journaling and memorabilia. I truly feel that scrapbooking will help get me through the struggles of this week, just as it helps preserve the joys and celebrations of my life.

You know what I think? I think scrapbooking makes me a better person. Not a better person in comparison to other people, but better than I would be if I didn't scrapbook. It is times like these that I am so thankful for the gift of scrapbooking.

The week of "the call"; RIP Irv Rubens

Today is the day scrapbookers around the world (at least in the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), England and Wales) who entered the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contest anxiously await a call from founding editor Lisa Bearnson. She makes "the call" to all 25 winners. If you get "the call," it most likely will change your life forever.

Scrapbookers that make the Hall of Fame go on to contribute to the magazine on a consistent basis, design the hot products we will lust for a year from now, and get book deals that feature their special style or approach. Some accept the HOF as a pinnacle and go on to reach other life goals, scrapbooking-related or not.

There will be the drama...of waiting for the call, watching the boards, counting the number of secret toots, hearing the disappointments, then the jealousies. It's the same every year.

And every year I am blown away by the winners - and the honorable mentions - and their ability to inspire and touch scrapbookers of all levels. Their pages are very powerful. And everyone who enters a competition such as the Hall of Fame pours forth their best and newest work. Just entering the contest and meeting the required assignments can be self-satisfying.

Congratulations to everyone who entered, and especially to those who get "the call."

P.S. I just received notification that the founder of Pioneer Photo Albums, Jason ("Irv") Ruebens, passed away at the age of 99. Born in New York, he started Ruko Camera Cases in the early 1940's and then moved on to California in 1960, eventually creating the nucleus of what is today Pioneer Photo Albums. Pioneer Photo Albums continues on strongly with his work ethic, and is still run as a privately-owned company by the family members who will greatly miss his presence.

ScrapbookING, yes!

Here's an article that warns us that we --as a market/industry-- have gone overboard and scrapbooking is now alienating consumers. Perception has crossed from overwhelming to down-right frightening. From the author:

Scrapbooking is everywhere...There is even a television show about it, which I watched one time simply out of sheer disbelief.

Upon leaving the store, I had the urge to down a whiskey to counterbalance the act of purchasing scrapbooking supplies on a Friday night. But since I don't drink whiskey, I settled for a raspberry martini, which took the edge right off my uncomfortable foray into the world of scrapbooking.

It seems my old method of sitting down biannually with five photo albums and a shoe box full of pictures no longer cuts it.

...scrapbooking highlights my inadequacies in the craft department, takes too long, and makes my fingers and my neck ache.

It makes me sad, because there is only one rule in scrapbooking: If you're having fun, then you're doing it right. The author of the article was not having fun. And I don't know who looses more: that we loose a customer, or that she looses confidence in her capacity to creatively preserve her memories.

Scrapbooking is not about getting excited over the latest and greatest products. It's about finding and embracing a way to integrate memory preservation into our lifestyle so we become more passionate about our life.