Scrapbooks, Etc issue review and $7 offer!

I got the April 2010 issue of Scrapbooks, Etc. yesterday - the last issue on my subscription. I've been debating whether to renew, mostly because they have cut back to 6 issues. At $12 a year, I paid $2 an issue -- below retail price of $5.99, and cheaper than the $18 a year I was averaging picking up 2-3 issues that catch my eye at the supermarket. But my renewal forms are quoting a $15 renewal rate.

So the big question - would it be worth $2.50 an issue to a simple scrapper? Particularly now that they've shifted format to include more crafting?

This month's issue seemed less interesting previous ones. This is what grabbed my eye:

Simple Layouts or Interesting Topics:
Kelly Goree's Secret (p 12)
Aly Dosdall's From the Backseat (p 14)
Amy Licht's Happy (p 64)
Robyn Werlich's Petshop layout (p 96)- I need to scraplift this topic for my niece
Heidi Sonboul's Sweet on You layout (p 98)
Vivian Masket's Ask layout (p 102)
Erine Roe's Year in Hair (p104)
Pam Callaghan's Spin (p 105)
Erin Clarkson's Fetch (p106) - nice spin on a photo collage

Articles:
Baby Love article - hey, I've got the two cutest kiddies on the planet!
Pet Projects - the layouts were all great templates, even though I'm Pet-Phobic.

9 layouts, 2 articles. That's definitely lower than previous months - but more than I thought given how quickly I flipped through it and felt "done."

Not Interested:
Flower Power technique
The Topiary
The Wedding craftyness
On the Loose glitter article
Photo cards article
Paper piecing (all that hand-cutting - that's why I have dies and a Cricut!)
Scrap Lab - I usually like this feature, but this month's products aren't my style
Digi Fusion - I usually like this too, but not this month

So, I vaguely remember receiving an email offering a cheap subscription rate, and thanks to Gmail search, I was able to quickly find it. And the link still works! It's for a "gift" subscription - so my renewal is now a gift from my husband :) And while I was at it, I grabbed two gift subscriptions for scrappy friends. You can even send an e-card notifying them of the gift, which is pretty cool.

I know I will get at least $7 worth out of 6 issues, and I really don't want any more scrap magazines to fail, so if having 3 more subscribers helps, it was $21 well spent.

Need the link?
Scrapbooks, etc $7 Gift Subscription Offer

P.S. Has anyone tried the iPhone ScrapApp on p 78?

I *heart* eBay

I had high hopes for LOAD this February, but a nasty bout of RSV and a sleepless teething baby have turned me into a zombie for the last three weeks. All is not lost - I spent some of those sleepless nights using my iPhone and the eBay App to hunt down this shiny new tech toy that I've had for a few days:



And then this arrived tonight:



With a little bit of hunting and some good luck, I got a 2 month old MacBook Pro 13" and the 24" LED Cinema Display for cheaper than the spiffy new 27" iMac I was considering.



The 24" LED is still a huge upgrade from my 17" iMac, and I am so happy I get back the portability I missed when my iBook got broken. My goal is to be able to organize photos and scrap outside of the house. It's nearly impossible to get any concentrated time in front of the computer at home, and the old iMac was starting to show its age (3 years, ancient history in computer terms).

Amelia was quick to point out that I couldn't use the iMac (it's hidden behind the 24" LED right now), so I should move it to her table :) A Mac-addict in the making :)

Day 6 - February LOAD

Back to completing an unfinished paper layout today. And using up old stash.

Credits:
Papers: Imaginisce For Peep's Sake
Die Cutting: QuicKutz
Chipboard Letters: American Crafters
Date Label: American Crafts
Epoxy Sticker: Making Memories Garden Party
Ink: Doodlebug
Other: Pop Dots

Day 5 - February LOAD

Noodling around with this assignment's template and the 9 photos, I realized why 9 is such a special number. Then it took me all day to find pictures of all 7 of us "kids," plus our parents. It was worth the effort, though.

And at least I put the Help Haiti kit to good use, right away.

Journaling:
It’s hard to believe that the big kids, AND the little kids, are all grown up. That it has been a long time since we all lived under the same roof. Other than the girls’ weddings, we haven’t even been in the same place at the same time in over a decade. How can this be? A continent may separate us, and we may have new families to care for, but no matter what, we’re always part of that Bishop gang.
Photos 2005-2009, Journaling 2010

Credits:
Template: Cathy Zielske, Design Your Life (bigpicturescrapbooking.com)
Papers: Mindy Terasawa, Katie Pertiet, Help Haiti (designerdigitals.com)
Stitching: Anna Aspnes, Help Haiti (designerdigitals.com)
Font: American Typewriter

Day 4 - February LOAD

Back to digi again - I've sat down to scrap these photos 3 times on paper and never got the crop quite right. I LOVE digi templates!

The bad news is I broke my spending freeze - I didn't have any coral/peach papers in my digi stash, and I've had this kit in my wishlist for awhile. I also bought the Haiti kit while I was there.

Credits:
Template: Cathy Zielske, Design Your Life (bigpicturescrapbooking.com)
Papers, Tag, Button: Mindy Terasawa, Tangerine Dreams (designerdigitals.com)
Scallop Rectangle: KCSDesigns (kcsdesigns.typepad.com)
Font: Apple Garamond Light

Day 3 - February LOAD

A paper layout!

Credits:
Cardstock: Prism
Papers: Chatterbox (Really Old)
Ribbon: Michaels or AC, not sure
Metal Charm: Making Memories - probably one of the oldest things in my stash
Journal Spot: Making Memories Animal Crackers Ella
Title: QuicKutz Maddie Anne and Studio

Day 2 - February LOAD

Still working on Week 1 of Design Your Life. I actually pulled out Honeymoon (2004) photos for this one - I'm surfing iPhoto and pulling random things that catch my eye that I haven't scrapped. I bought the papers well over a year ago when Kim retired from designing, so its not available anymore. And I loathe purple, but it fit here.

Credits:
Template: Cathy Zielske, Design Your Life (bigpicturescrapbooking.com)
Papers: Kim Christensen, Dirty Boy (funkyplaygrounddesigns,.com)
Font: P22 Cezanne Regular, American Typewriter

Day 1 - February LOAD

Seems like I'm always using LOAD to get caught up on some theme album or class. This time around, it's Cathy Zielske's Design Your Life class.

Credits:
Template: Cathy Zielske, Deisgn Your Life (bigpicturescrapbooking.com) - rotated
Papers, Journal Spot: Erica Zane, Itty Bitty addon (scrapmatters.com)
Fonts: American Typewriter, Amelia