We have so much fun putting together the content for each issue of Creating Keepsakes, and there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes that never gets mentioned. So, I’m here to offer you an insider’s look at the March 2009 issue!
1) Liesl Russell, one of our project coordinators, has been our hand model in Creating Keepsakes pictures for years. (You can see her hands on pages 76, 79, 99 and 111 in this issue.) But this month, you can see her face in the magazine! Turn to page 122, and you’ll see her cheerful smile on the M&Ms featured in “Brian’s Top 5.”
2) You’ll notice that we now have a pull-out of Becky Higgins’ sketches in each issue that you can tear out and put in a binder for future reference. (We have 100 this month! Check them out between pages 98 and 99 in the magazine, and you can download them for free here.) What you may not know is that Neko Carrillo, our senior designer, is the talented gal who puts that pull-out together for you each month.
3) We love holidays and couldn’t let St. Patrick ‘s Day pass without a mention, so we focused an entire article on the color green. Here are a couple of tidbits from that article we couldn’t fit in:
-Cindy Tobey’s layout on page 60 doesn’t just include the color green. She actually created a golfing green on her page to solidify the theme. Isn’t that clever?
-In Mou Saha’s layout (page 60) her green letter stickers were originally a bright lime color. To make them more muted, she sanded them gently and then applied green chalk with Q-Tips. What a cool trick!
For more St. Patrick’s Day ideas, be sure to check out our online article for ideas on photos to take and easy accents you can make from your scrapbook stash.
Now that you’ve got the behind-the-scenes scoop, I’d love to know what you think of the March issue. Leave a comment and tell me which article from this issue was your favorite and why. Monday (March 2) I’ll choose and announce three random commenters who’ll each receive a goodie bag of free scrap supplies.
Happy Spring!
Maurianne Dunn, Associate Editor
I really loved the organization types article! The “Creative Chaos” description fit me PERFECTLY! I had my husband read it and he thought it was funny that I obviously wasn’t alone in my “system.” LOL! It totally energized me and I am actually re-doing a major part of my system now! Thank you for the inspiration!
I have to agree with “Jingle”. The Creative Chaos is me too. LOL. I think most of us scrappers envision the perfect scrapbooking studio, with everything neatly tucked away, but the reality is that we use the space we’ve got and we need help keeping it organized. Thanks for all the great information. I need all the help I can get!
My favorite article was Studio A–but then again that’s my favorite in every issue……..Who doesn’t love Ali?
In reference to the sketches–they aren’t really all that helpful to me if the photo sizes are included on the sketch–it’s more like a guessing game–maybe that info could be included in the future.?
I LOVE that you focused an entire article on the colour green for St Patricks day..too often these cute little holidays get overlookd:)
Trace G
The March issue was the best one and I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning. I loved Mandy’s Challenge: Keeping Little Ones Quiet. I definitely want to make a few of these books!
My fave: Tips & Tricks. Loved the Post-it holders especially.
I am still waiting for my March issue to arrive….but I love that you started putting the sketches in one place that I can pull right out! It saves me time when I am looking for ideas.
I like the sketches because it will help me finish up a scrapbook about my dog.
I like the new changes you’ve made and the fact that you’re listening to what the readers are wanting. I love looking at the new products and how you use them. I especially like Jennifer McGuire’s articles on the many uses of one type of item. I also love that you have a pull out sketches now!
I’m always looking for new ways to organize my scrapbooking stash, so I love reading the organization aritlces. I love Ali’s approach to scrapbooking, and I occasionaly use some of Becky’s sketches, but only if I’m stuck!
Studio A has always been my favorite. And I enjoy Mou Saha’s layouts!
I still don’t have my March issue yet… but my fave is usually Becky’s sketches. I love to see one sketch tunred into so many different creations!
My favorite article from this issue was “Creative Chaos” I am one of the most unorganized scrappers there is…I love any organizational tips I can get
My favorite article was “Get in Photo Shape”. I liked it because it is a modern take on what we all did when we first started scrapbooking, cutting out photos into odd shapes! But this way we still get the shape and don’t lose everything else in the photo. And it is a great way to get multiple photos on a layout! Thank you!
An “Uber Organized” girl checking in to say, “Maurianne – you look so cute in that picture.”
I am an absolute fan of Becky! Loved her skectch… and that she includes two of her layouts with it! … and I so loved the “Shortcuts” artcle. Always enjoy her stuff
Always enjoy Becky Higgins’ stuff. But Elizabeth’s Ask Lizzy is becoming a favorite as well.
I love having the tear out copy of the page design blueprints…however it would be of much more use out of the magazine IF there were color thumbnails of the layout resulting from the page design included. While a page map is super…seeing a layout created from it will spur a scrapbooker to see at a glance if it may be a good choice for the photos she is working with. If it is too expensive to add this feature to the magazine…have it at the CK website and we can print it out for ourselves.
We all need time savers so we can get more done and not having to create a new layout design is such a help! Thanks for all CK does to enrich our lives as scrapbookers!!
Darlene
Loved all the organizational tips!! So needing that!
Since I work in a scrapbook store, I really look forward to the Must Haves. It’s very interesting to see what CK says to be on the look out for and then to compare what we have in the store and then another comparison for what I already do or would like to do. I enjoy keeping my customers informed and on the “know”. pp.30-31
Becky Higgins’ shortcut article and her monthly sketches are always my favorite.
My favorite is Becky’s Sketch because it’s the first time I’ve ever had a layout published!! (I don’t want to win anything, I just wanted to say that out loud!!)
I don’t know how I could choose just one. If I must, I would say it was Becky’s sketches. Since March is my wedding anniversary month, I can’t wait to use one of the sketches for our anniversary scrapbook.
I always like Jennifer McGuire’s articles.
Happy Spring to all of you!
My issue hasn’t arrived yet, so I can’t tell you what I like most this month. But seeing Liesl up-close-and-personal must be a blast! Her hands always look so great!
I ♥ Studio A by Ali Edwards too. She just has an amazing perspective that always inspires me to make something. I also loved that the sketches are all together and kudos to have so many! I really like having the options for all the sketch artists too. And if Mou could just telepath a fragment of her mojo to me, life would be complete.
How can I tell you what I love when I haven’t even received my issue yet? All I can say is I can’t wait to get it because I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this issue all over the message boards! Keep up the great work and thanks for always inspiring me!
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Becky’s bonus article was a delight. I love her down to earth approach to scrapbooking. I’m thankful for the bonus sketches this month.
I loved Seeing Green for the variety. It’s great to see different interpretations on a color theme. I also liked Thoughts: Mean What You Say, which was a very good review of different systems to capture journaling when it comes to you. I know I need to get better at that.
It’s hard to always choose just one but I always love Becky’s sketches because I can use these with my own stuff so I can complete a layout faster.
Wow–this is so hard since I love all of the mag! My favs are always the Tips and Techniques and Becky’s sketches-they always inspire me! I also enjoyed the organizational article–I’m always trying to make my small space more functional but once I start working on a project it looks like a whirlwind has been happening~
I always find myself inspired by Jessica Sprague’s articles. I luv the way she doesn’t just do digital pages but focuses on how you can combine digital and traditional. The punch cool designs article was great as always, and the layouts in the article are inspiring.
Secondly please don’t ever do away with Jennifer’s section. Her scrapbooking and card making are always in style!
My ongoing favorites are “Studio A” and “Computer Tricks” and anything by Becky Higgins. But this month I was also impressed with the article on designing with Microsoft Word by Beth Opel. And my favorite layout was “wilderness park” by Mou Saha.
The organizational tips were great, and of course, anything Ali Edwards always gets my vote!!
I love the sketches to get my mojo flowin! But let’s be realistic, who doesn’t love CK from cover to cover!
I loooooove the sketches. That’re wonderful ideas when we are not ispired!!!!
Kisses
I always love Jennifer McGuire’s section and this issue was no different. She is so talented and crafty! I also always love Jessica Sprague’s section and I like how over the last bunch of issues, she has done a paper version compared to a digital version of a technique.
I loved all of the great ideas in “10 Shortcuts to Scrapbooking Success”. It put things into perspective for me.
love, love, love the sketches in one pull-out, place! My favorite, but the organizational information was a close second. I am TRYING to get my office more efficient and still fun.
You really want me to choose just one article….not fair!!! there are too many good ones
)
OK if I must….the pull out sketches are heaven sent…it is so great that they can be used & filed…in my ‘newly organised’ scrap room’ thanks to your inspiring ‘organization types article’. I LOVE everything about CK right now…you guys are the creme-de-la-creme of scrappy mags & I will forever be a fan for life
)
Have a super spring day!
~Kim!
(PS: Maurianne, it is so great to put a face to the name at last)
I love the 5 degrees of organization! I really am a uber-organzied wanna-be.
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I love the sketched and the Studio A. I’m always excited when a new issues comes out!!! Love it!!