I have to tell you that watching this snow accumulate is just totally aggravating me. Sharon tells me I get a bit grumpy this time of year. Of course when she complains of being cold with temperatures of 55 degrees, you can understand why I become grumpy, can’t you? {I still love you Sharon}.
My scrapbook magazine arrived in the mail today with the time sensitive material enclosed to renew my subscription. So to the Scrapbook Publication I send this open letter–
Do you really want my money? Well, if you want my money maybe you should begin recognizing exactly WHO I am. By your standards, I do not fit into the demographics of your magazine. Yeah, I am a mother. To three {young adults}as a matter of fact. Gasp! Yeah, I am a scrapbooker with children OVER the age of your standards– 22, 19 and 17 to be exact. So your contest of getting your kid on the cover with an age limit of 2-7 years old really pisses me off!
As a mother, my 22 year old daughter is just as cute, and in {my eyes} cuter than a 2 year old. So sorry, but I’ve made up my mind. Not only am I tired of seeing the {same} designers and their dogs in your publication, but seriously, with all of the blogs and communities online I’m bound to find inspiration from women who are going thru the empty nest syndrome also, for free!! So, I’m gonna take my $24.00 and buy myself something to play with instead.
I’ve been working on the sketch design for my invitations. One slight problem. I don’t know what our colors are. Ugh! I’ve sent out an email to my advisor, so hopefully she can steer me in the right direction. But I have to tell you that my invitations are going to rock!! 
Well, that’s my Monday rambling. Few more things to do before I call this a day. Until tomorrow–
xO-Jenny
Let’s flood their inbox, mail box, everything with our thoughts on this matter! It’s almost like once your kids hit a certain magical age, you don’t scrapbook them anymore?! Sure, they can be harder to pin down and snap photos of…but the only ones I ever see “published” are the prom ones. C’mon! And they want to preach to me/us about “keeping it real”?! Pah! Bunch of phony’s…and yeah, their contest is supposed to roll out in “several phases” or calls. I’m still waiting for my kid’s age range…that they are today, not 10 years ago! Grrrr. I’m with ya, sister. Stay warm!!
I was writting something here and just somehow deleted it all….oh well that is me….yes some of the older kids are cute too there seems to be a span time they are not scrapped I guess…..now I am not making any sense to me….oh well…..hey I am a cute kid too…just kidding….sorry girls didn’t work today and am tired for some reason…..I think I have to find some of the kids pictures and scrap them…..and sent them in….think they would know how many years ago that was by looking at them…..ok girls just teasing, think I better stop while I am ahead, but am hearing what you are saying…..and you ae right Sharon it usual is the prom ones…..love mom Fran
Perhaps I shouldn’t be chiming in here, but I couldn’t resist. One of my staff members forwarded your blog to me and I’m very intrigued by your comments. In fact, I’d love to hear more.
Scrapbook News & Review was created because my needs as a scrapbooker weren’t being met. As a lss owner, I felt I had a grasp on the needs of my customers and after intense focus groups and surveys and just long heart-to-heart conversations, I opened my doors.
I honestly believe that SNR meets the needs of the scrap public for three reasons:
1) I have no restrictions. All I ask is that the layouts be tasteful and relevant. Age, gender, topic, beliefs, etc aren’t up for debate. It’s the artwork and the love that goes into creating it that is the deciding factor on what we publish. And if you were to query any of our published scrappers, you’d be assured that I speak nothing but the truth.
2) I and my staff listened and continue to listen. If a section isn’t meeting their desires, we revamp it. If an idea is suggested, we run with it. Essentially, if people want A,B & C we provide and hopefully with a little X, Y & Z to boot.
3) Everyone on my staff are scrapbookers. We’re not celebrities. We’re not life artists. We’re not scrapbook desiners. We’re scrapbookers who create for the joy of scrapbooking and we have a passion to share it with the world. More importantly, my staff is of all skill levels and all styles and we pride ourselves on providing a plethora of different ideas, tips, tricks, techniques, layouts, cards and projects for everyone.
With that said, I invite you to check it out. Yes, we’re subscription based and at $4.99 a month some would even say we’re pricey, but you won’t heart that from my subscribers. In fact, many think for the quality content and 400+ layouts, cards and projects per month, we’re a darn good value. Oh, and I should add, that when you subscribe, you get all back issues at once. It’s all right there ready and waiting for you.
So, I’ll conclude by saying, not all scrapbook publications are created equal. Have an amazing day and thank you for sharing your feelings.
Caitlin Koch
Scrapbook News & Review
P.S. Best wishes with nursing school. I recently earned my degree in Nutrition and Alternative Health so I’m always interested in the “holistic” side of medicine.
Wow! I haven’t done much scrapbooking since I was in college, and then it was just pictures of me and the girls. Now I’m playing catch up, have some pictures of my nephew, but other than that it’s adults, vacation and of course my cat. I think most of my pictures are of sporting events. I don’t fit the demographic either way. Good for you for speaking up and hopefully more people hear this!
Jenny, You finally opened your mouth and said it like it is. Way to go girl!! Take a stand my sweet daughter and get the word out. You are not the only one who thinks the way you do. And what about the grandmother’s and grandfather’s are we hiding their pictures away for some reason? Just a thought.
Smiles, Mother
Take a close look at that bill…you subscription probably doesn’t run out until September 09. They want your money long before your subscription expires.