My new CK magazine came yesterday. I love the days when a new scrap magazine comes. When we got back to the States one of the first things I did is subscribe to a few different magazines (CK, Scrapbooks, Etc. , and Simple Scrapbooks). The subscription price is soooo much cheaper than the newsstand price...and having it delivered to your door sure beats looking around shops and bookstores each month.
When a new one comes, I get so excited. I just know I am going to open it up and be mesmerized. I get a little different feeling with each of the different magazines and I tend to approach each one a little differently. With Simple Scrapbooks, I know that the actual LO's will knock the wind out of me. Don't get me wrong, they are GORGEOUS, but they are more simple in nature, with a lot of LO's only using a piece of paper or two, and one or two elements. Nothing wrong with that. Some LO's call for that. But what I ADORE about Simple, and why I will continue to receive it, is the Simple Philosophy ~ the subject of the LO's. Simple seems to embrace scrapping the everyday things...the little quirks and bits of information that make use truly unique. As much as I love birthday and Christmas LO's, I much prefer seeing LO that record things like little indulgent purchases made, a record of a really bad day, or the funny things that come our your child's mouth (words or other assorted things!) Simple had a special edition called SLICE OF LIFE -- I LOVED it. It was exactly as the title suggests...a slice of life. When you cut a piece of cake you get past the beautiful exterior and into the even more delicious interior. The books helps people see how to record the every day things -- the places you live, the things you do, the people you love. The other thing I LOVE about the SIMPLE philosophy is Stacey Julian's (founding editor) approach to scrapbooking. She really helps people get past the "I SHOULD scrapbook"..."I am sooo behind!"..."I have to organize everything first!" mentalities. She takes all the guilt out of what is supposed to be a fun and creative activity. There are so many woman who want to scrapbook, or even claim to scrapbook (meaning they own lots and lots of stuff but feel so overwhelmed about where to start that they don't), but just cannot get past how "far behind" and "unorganized" they are. Stacey Julian, in her THE BIG PICTURE , she helps people move past the guilt and the shoulds and onto actually recording their family's history and memories. It was so liberating! You don't have to scrap "in order." You don't have to scrap every picture you have. Instead, you scrap what you want when you want. I adore the way she organizes her pages too...she doesn't scrap chronologically. Instead, she has albums like, "People We Love" and "Places We Go." LOVE the philosophy, and definitely see it as my own.
Now Scrapbooks Etc. is probably my favorite magazine...for no other reason than I think it is just the most "me" as far as style goes. I love almost all the pages and I think the style and techniques are most similar to what I do with my pages. I also love some of their features like "see the sketch". Sometimes it is hard to get past the photos and papers and see the actual design. Great magazine. And, I am proud to say, I will have a LO in it in April or May (can't remember!)
Then there is Creating Keepsakes. All I can say is WOW. The pages are so incredible...the techniques and the artistry are just amazing. I could never do half the stuff in there, but it doesn't stop me from being totally in awe. I got the March issues yesterday and was actually breathless at times looking through it. I was especially excited to see this issue because I knew they were doing a feature on this year's SCRAPBOOKER OF THE YEAR, C.D. Muckosky. I have adored her work from the very beginning when she started hanging out around 2Peas last year. Her work is 100% totally awe-inspiring. She has this amazing ability to convey emotion on her page like no other artist I have seen. Her pages are full and busy, but not without reason. All of the "extras" she has -- colors, embellishments, etc. all serve a purpose. There is a trend right now, especially in digital scrapping, to put anything and everything on a page. While it can be fun and liberating to do, I think for a lot of people the extra "stuff" actually takes away from the integrity of the page. I get so lost in the extras that I don't see the picture or the point. But C.D. always has purpose to her pages. I love looking closely at her pages and find all the little treasures she has in there. I find myself soooo inspired and could only dream of scrapping like her. Add to the talent is her amazing personality...sweet, genuine, a woman of faith, happy, and purposeful. I look at her pages and I just want to go hug my kids a little tighter, love my man a little bit better, and appreciate each day a little more intensely. THAT is an artist...one who can, though her art, inspire others to be better people. To love more, the cherish more, to dream more.
You can see her gallery HERE.
So, I took a nice long hot bath and read the magazine cover to cover. Loved it. Love the art. Love the inspiration.
Now if I could just find some time to scrap...Maybe this weekend.
Have a GREAT weekend, everyone. I am looking forward to the extra family time. Jason went into work early this morning so that he could take a few hours off this afternoon and hang out with the family. I think that we will go to the fitness center and get some exercise and some swimming in. Should be fun.
I LOVE Stacy J! I was very lucky and able to attend CKU in 2004 (when I was still a paper scrapper) and attended her class. She is amazing!! She honestly had me cracking up and crying at the same time! Wonderful wonderful woman and amazing speaker! And as for CD - her stuff just rocks. When I see one of her layouts, I just have to stop for a while and take it all in. She is amazing beyond words!
Have a fabulous weekend! We are busy busy at our house this weekend and next. I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend one of these days!! haha
Posted by: HaleyW | February 17, 2007 at 07:11 AM