Yeah, Write

Oh Baby: Simple Offspring

For our next walk down memory lane, let's talk about the bevy of babies that Simple staffers have produced over the years. When I first started at the magazine, there were nothing but boys, boys, boys.  Stacy, Don, Wendy and Carolyn had a combined total of 17 boys and no girls! But it didn't stay that way for long. Don finally added a baby girl (Maya) to his brood of five boys, and Stacy brought baby Addie home to four adoring older brothers. And here's a photo retrospective of other new additions.

Baby Addie helps celebrate Simple Scrapbooks' 5th anniversary in 2007.

Kyler Snow stopped in for a visit with his mom, Elisha, who left big brother Ryan (then a rambunctious 2-year-old) with a sitter. Kyler was always happiest when very tightly swaddled.

Simple's first senior editor, Ali Monson, left us to stay home with beautiful little Spencer. And we can't say we blame her.

Rachel Gainer started editing for us from home part-time after miss Shelby Kate entered the picture.

Bridget Dillow accompanied her mother Elizabeth on an important trip to Utah for a meeting regarding Elizabeth's book, The Scrapbooker's Almanac. Mi'Chelle Larsen, a contributor to the book, came along to assist with baby duty.

Nathan Palmer and mom Candice, one of our editorial board members, popped in to the office one day for a quick visit. If I'm remembering my numbers correctly, six of our eight 2007 board members gave birth while working for Simple! Elizabeth, Candice, Rebecca Cooper, Beth Proudfoot, Marnie Flores, and Margaret Scarbrough.

Over the years, we became quite experienced with the good, old-fashioned baby shower.


And once they're here, we are not opposed to putting them to work right away.

Yesterday's Winner!
Congrats to commenter #15, Vanessa! (aka Vanessa Explains it all) Vanessa, click my Email Me link to send me your mailing address, and I'll send you your magazine.

To enter to win today's drawing for another copy of Scrapbook Play with Photos, leave me a comment sharing the best or worst baby names you've heard recently. To get you in the spirit, I'll share a fabulous list of weird celebrity baby names we rounded up for a sidebar in the very issue we're giving away: Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q (son of U2's Bono), Jermajesty (son of singer Jermaine Jackson), Audio Science (child of actress Shannyn Sossamon), Fifi Trixibelle (daugher of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates), and Seven Sirius (child of singer Erykah Badu).

More Chances to Win!
More cool prizes are being given away on these fun blogs TODAY, so please pop in and say hi!
Beth Proudfoot
Celeste Smith
Margaret Scarbrough
Rachel Gainer

Fun in the Photo Studio

One of the biggest highlights of working at Simple Scrapbooks was the time we were able to spend in the photo studio. It was a place where art happened—a very creative, collaborative, open, freeing space. Tall ceilings, colorful fabric hanging on the walls, natural light coming in through a wall of windows. There was always an eclectic mix of music playing in the background, and all musical tastes were welcome, from John Denver to The Strokes. And if there was ever a reason to photograph a pie, or cupcakes, or popcorn as a layout prop, you can be sure that we ate them straight away. Not to mention the fact that Brian, Symoni and Claudia (two photographers and one photo stylist) are just a blast to be around. Enjoy a quick slideshow of shots and outtakes from the photo studio!

Wendy Smedley and Aby Garvey being photographed for their book, The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker, which is completely sold out. I just spotted a used copy on Amazon.com for $313!


Cathy, Marin, and Brian checking a recent shot on the monitor.

The ever-chic Lin posing with her Mac for an editor's note image.

Symoni and Marin previewing shots that were taken for the original Scrapbook Play special issue. The point was to catch each of us laughing, which took quite a crew to accomplish. One person sat self-consciously in front of the camera while five others stood behind it cracking jokes and acting like idiots in hopes of inspiring an authentic laugh.


The fifth anniversary cake shot! A photograph of this cake, with half of my blurry head peaking up behind it, was used as a feature opener in our Jan/Fab 2007 issue. We devoured the cake as soon as Symoni said, "That's a wrap!" (Symoni doesn't really say things like that, but it sounded cool, right?)

Six faux chefs assembled for a Album Shortcuts photo shoot. See the gap between Ali and Stacy? That's Wendy's spot. Check Monday's post to see how seamlessly she was photoshopped in after the fact.


Poor Rachel, crouched in an extremely awkward position for at least a few minutes. Modeling is hard work. We needed a shot of hands that appeared to be stretching a graphic from the top of the page downward. It was for a "Stretch Your Supplies" feature opener. 

A little hand shot action for a recent issue. Modeling by: Angie. Photography by: Brian. This was for our Not-So Fussy Cutting feature in March/April 2009.


Women in black milling around before our big two-page anniversary issue photo spread. Look at that hot Cathy Z! Can anyone say "blue steel"?


Rebecca Cooper in her photo shoot for Real. Life. Scrapbooking., her best-selling book.

And finally, a photo collage I like to call "It Ain't Easy Being Green." This was the result of Marin's brilliant idea to have a witch hand model for a Halloween column. It only took 20 minutes of vigorous scrubbing with various nontoxic solvents to unstain my hand. (Let it be said that we had no idea if it would even come off when we started this process; that's how dedicated we are to our photo shoots!) The nails stayed black for several weeks, just because I enjoyed the looks I was getting.

Yesterday's Winner
Congrats to commenter #18, Lisa Hausmann. (Lisa, click my Email Me link to send me your mailing address, and I'll send you your magazine.) To enter to win today's drawing for another copy of Scrapbook Play with Photos, leave me a comment sharing one thing you struggle with when it comes to your own photography.

More Chances to Win!
More cool prizes are being given away on these fun blogs TODAY, so please pop in and say hi!
Elisha Snow
Rebecca Cooper
Marnie Flores
Cheryl Overton

Random Memories of The Simple Life

Perhaps, based on this post's title, you were expecting to see pictures of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Sorry to disappoint you. The closest I can get is this photo of the crowd lined up to see Paris introduce her lame new paper line at the last CHA tradeshow. I didn't care to get any closer than this. But what's with the bodyguards wearing sunglasses indoors? Does it make them look more intimidating? I suppose we can count this as Random Memory #1.

Random Memory #2
My very first layout published by Simple Scrapbooks. The assignment? Draw inspiration from product packaging. The theme of this layout (but definitely not the color palette) was inspired by a box of Charleston Chews, our treat of choice for our sleepovers at grandma's assisted living center. This beauty (hahaha) was featured in the Scrapbook Inspiration special issue from 2005. (Believe it or not, there's still one copy of the issue for sale here for $5.25, unless someone already beat you to it.)

Random Memory #3
The unflattering photo trifecta! One day, during a brainstorm in my office, Lin, Wendy, and I snapped three extremely unflattering photos of each other, right in a row, without meaning to. I challenge you to produce three consecutive photos that are quite this bad.



Random Memory #4
Our traditional Christmas breakfasts in the break room. Lynda Angelastro always brought British Christmas crackers, which contain a small toy and a silly paper hat.



Random Memory #5
Field trips. Jennafer and Wendy dreamed up a plan that allowed us to go shopping once a month on company time! Really, the point was to get out and about and soak in ideas and inspiration. We'd go to trendy boutiques and trend-setting retailers, and then find a cool place to enjoy a quick lunch. This picture is from Dear Lizzie, an upscale boutique and bistro in rural Highland, Utah.



Random Memory #6
The Amish headband. During our big yearly planning meeting in 2007, we discovered that while Ali looks adorable in a headband, I look like an Amish person when wearing one. (Not that there's anyting wrong with that.)

Random Memory #7
Video chats with Cathy Zielske, our Minnesota-based art director. The chats would usually start out fine, and then Cathy would slowly turn into a Picasso painting, and then a Monet. And then we'd have to give up and use the regular phone. Cathy could see me just fine, but she looked like this:

Random Memory #8
Angie Appreciation Day. I showed up for work one regular, average day to find that my office had been decorated, The Simple Blog had been hijacked, Cathy Z. had performed a song for me on her blog, there were presents arriving from all corners, and Stacy Julian had encouraged everyone to send me an "I appreciate you" email (I received hundreds). What an amazing team I had! That is still the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.

Random is the only organization method I could think of for this post. I've spent hours this week browsing through 1,400 photos taken over the years at tradeshows, photo shoots, field trips, everyday office events, and more. There's so much to say, to record, that it's hard to know where to start or what to say. These are just a few that stood out to me today, for whatever reason.

Yesterday's Winner
Wow, thanks for all your comments yesterday! And congrats to commenter #17, Rebecca Keppel. (Rebecca, click my Email Me link to send me your mailing address, and I'll send you your magazine.) To enter to win today's drawing for another copy of Scrapbook Play with Photos, leave me a comment telling me which special issue was your favorite or sharing anything else that's on your mind.

More Chances to Win!
More cool prizes are being given away on these fun blogs TODAY, so please pop in and say hi!
Elizabeth Dillow
Tina Cockburn
Candice Palmer
Jen Wozab

Let the Fun Begin!

Welcome to Celebrate Simple Week! All week long, former Simple staff and contributors will be sharing memories, photos, layouts, projects, and prize drawings on their blogs, giving you the chance to comment, commiserate, celebrate, and win really amazing prizes! Make sure you visit all the links in the Simple Scrappers blogroll listed at right, and check back here daily because I'll let you know who's giving away the coolest prizes each day.

For my first walk down memory lane, I've rounded up six favorite team photos taken throughout my years at Simple. I can say with complete honesty that I've never in my life worked with such a talented, inspiring, energizing, and united group of co-workers. We all believed wholeheartedly in the Simple Scrapbooks vision, which is a wonderful thing. But on top of that, we all truly enjoyed each others' company. And how often does a situation like that come along? Once in a lifetime.

2005
This photo, taken in the office lobby in 2004, was published in one of Lin's early editor's notes.
Back row: Mark Zoellner (associate editor and overall hilarious dude), Lin Sorenson (editor in chief with razor-sharp business mind), John Youngberg (art director and brother-in-law to Carolyn Jolley!), Carolyn Jolley (organizer in chief, aka editorial assistant), Angie Lucas (managing editor), Lynda Angelastro (special issues editor with adorable British accent)
Front row: Don Lambson (creative director, co-founder of Creating Keepsakes magazine, and nicest guy you'll ever meet), Elisha Snow (associate editor and fashion maven), Wendy Smedley (creative editor and the heart and soul of Simple), and Stacy Julian (founding editor and inspirer in chief).

2006
For our fifth year anniversary edition, we had a group shot taken in our newly built photo studio. We've had a few staff changes in the past year, haven't we? Photo taken in 2006 and published in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue.
Back row: Angie, Stacy, Carolyn, Wendy, and Cathy Zielske (our new creative director and entertainer in chief)
Front row: Elisha, Lin, and Rachel Gainer (our new associate editor and the best copy editor in the west)

February 2007
We dressed up like chefs for our 2007 Album Shortcuts special issue, which featured detailed recipes for theme albums (everything from baby to wedding to "all about me"). Wendy was violently ill on this day, so she had her photo taken later, and Marin (our new kick-butt art director) had her photoshopped in.
Back row: Lin, Ali Monson (lovely and talented new senior editor), Wendy, Stacy
Front row: Rachel, Angie, Elisha

June 2007
This is the only non-professional photo in this bunch, but I had to include it. This was the transition party where we said farewell to Lin, who was promoted to editorial director, and welcomed Jennafer Martin from Paper Crafts magazine as our new editor in chief.  Cathy and Marin had a "bad photoshop job" war where they pasted in photos of individuals who were unable to make it to the party.
Left to right: Angie, Marin's head, Carolyn, Lin, Jennafer (new EIC and absolutely amazing manager), Wendy, Lynda (now the managing editor of Digital Scrapbooking magazine), Rachel, Ali's head.
In flower pot: Cathy Zielske's head.

September 2007
Our Christmas card photo! This photo was taken just before Ali left to have her baby. Can you tell who was photoshopped into the image? Yup, Marin, in the upper left corner.
Uhhhh: I'm not exactly sure how to break this photo into rows in order to identify everyone, so I'll just assume that you know these people by now. The one new face is Jenny Willden (lower left corner), who joined the team as our new assistant editor and photo studio model! The modeling wasn't specifically part of her job description, but she's so adorable we couldn't resist.

2008
This group shot, the last one we ever had taken, was snapped in the courtyard in front of the building for our Quick & Easy Photo Albums special issue last year. We hauled the Ikea couch out of the lobby for this shot; it's really not a permanent fixture in the courtyard.
Behind couch: Carolyn, Rachel, Jennafer
On couch: Angie, Megan Hoeppner (short-lived but fabulous senior editor and life of the party who left to be creative editor of Creating Keepsakes), Wendy, Jen Wozab (aka J.Wo, new associate editor, bright ray of sunshine, and the third Jen to join the staff in less than two years!), Cathy

And that, folks, is the end of today's stroll down memory lane.

Note: the above photos (except for one very obvious exception) are the property of CKMedia.


Let's Talk Prizes!
Every day this week, I'll be giving away one copy of Simple's last special issue, Scrapbook Play with Photos. Just visit daily and leave me a comment to be eligible for each day's random drawing.

And this Friday, May 1, make sure you pop in to my blog, Wendy's blog, and Cathy's blog to be entered to win one of two Epson Artisan 700 Photo All-in-One Printers or one of three Making Memories desktop carousels. The three of us will be pooling our comments and choosing five random winners from the total group, so you can increase your chances of winning by commenting on all three blogs. Thanks to Epson and Making Memories for the generous prize donations. Hope to see you every day this week, but especially on Friday!

p.s. Also, thanks to Cathy Zielske, who designed our logo for the week. And she's not even on the payroll anymore. That's real dedication.

Winners!

Random.org and its "random integer generator" gave me the following random numbers:
59, 82, 97, 110 and 168.

And when I combine the comments from both posts and count from the beginning, HERE are my issue winners:

#59
what a great recap! the magazine is not out yet here in canada..i have checked and checked! i would love to win a copy. that would be lovely. thanks for all you hve done to keep it going.
Posted by: donna

#82
This behind the scenes tour is cool. I have been searching all over for a copy of the last issue. I am going to miss SS very much!
Posted by: SherryG

#97
Thanks for sharing The Behind the Scenes for us :) I was so sad when I heard that SS was no longer going to be in existence :( I definitely would love to have a copy of the last SS mag, alot of my friends have layouts in there and I wasn't able to find a couple when I looked last weekend. Thanks for the giveaway chance :)
Posted by: Karen M

#110
I am so missing the magazine already!! I can't believe this is the last issue and I would really love to have a copy of it, it always inspires me and I get such great ideas from it! I really wish the Scrapbook Play with Stamps was being published - I could really really use it!!
Posted by: Brenda

#168
I am still looking for the May-June issue of SS - it doesn't seem to exist in the stores! I tried ordering it online - no place to order! What's a girl to do? Beg and plead for a copy from you, I guess. Now that I've read your blog for the last couple of days, I especially want a copy of my own. I am so sorry to see the end of SS - it just doesn't seem right.
Posted by: Sandy

I'll be emailing ya'll for your addresses, but you're welcome to email me at the link under my picture as well. I'll pop the magazines in the mail this week. Thanks everyone for all your kind words about our last issue! If you're not sick of Simple Scrapbooks yet, make sure you tune in next week (April 27 through May 1) for our blog party.

In the meantime, I have lots to share! I just had the craziest weekend. One trip to the ER because my stepson experienced a "spontaneous pneumothorax" that is thankfully  resolving all on its own, one half-marathon race (finished by yours truly!), and one bike wreck involving my husband and his father's brand new $2,000 recumbent bicycle (which did NOT result in a second trip to the ER, but almost). Also, I need to share highlights from last week's grammar lecture! Stay tuned.

S.S. Behind the Scenes, part deux

Shall we continue?

pg. 10  Did you catch the "Important note for Simple Scrapbooks subscribers"? We did our best to call attention to it.

pg. 11  Margaret Scarbrough was our featured designer for this issue. Art Director Marin Barney was responsible for the cupcakes that surround the layout. After the photo shoot, they went straight to the free food desk outside Carolyn's cubicle, where they were promptly devoured by passers-by. Don't you love the new name of this section (that lasted all of two issues)? FUNdamentals. Genius.

pg. 12-13  Sniff. Cathy's last column, and the new format is SO good. Nicole Eshelman, who was going to be a 2009 Simple Gal, hit this layout assignment out of the park.

pg. 15  This layout is my favorite! I cannot get over the photo. Grandpa looks so proud and gentlemanly, and little Jack's grin is captivating:

pg. 16-17  Candid images like these can often mean so much more than posed shots, especially when you're dealing with such momentous interactions. With one snap of the shutter, an entire story is frozen in time. Grandparents can sometimes be reluctant to be photographed, but these pictures remind me how important it is to talk them out of their hesitations.

pg. 18  I spent an hour on a conference call with the CEO of Memeo (who used to work for Apple), and he walked me through the MemeoShare software online. The best descriptor I can think of is "ingenious"; I'm definitely going to talk my mom into signing up with me. See a video here.

pg. 21  I LOVE Elizabeth's layout. Those brief, to-the-point Facebook updates can provide an invaluable glimpse into our daily tasks, priorities, events, and mental processes—all worth preserving on a layout. This idea's infinitely scraplift-able. I'm even considering creating a whole Facebook/Twitter album, with Cathy Zielske as my coach! Check out her upcoming Big Picture Scrapbooking class here.

pg. 25  Can you believe how well the paper flowers (with green button centers) that surround this layout mimic the blossoms in the photo? It's remarkable. Again, nice work Art Director Marin.

pg. 26  This little 4 x 4 album is beyond adorable. Tiny pictures and tiny sentiments all add up to create a precious portrait of one family's summer. "You captured toads like it was your job." "You wrecked your bike five times and never really told me how." "You ordered a large Blizzard just so you could share it with your dad." "You ate my kitchen rug." These are perfect examples of exactly how much you can say in a single sentence. Plus, the design is killer. I'm in love:

pg. 31  I originally created the layout below for my book (which I co-authored with Lain Ehmann, and we're still hoping to publish!), but it wasn't one of the final choices for the book. So, we thought it would make a great simple scheme. I made sure to give my new blog a little shout out at the bottom of the page, even though the blog didn't exist at the time. If you build it, they will come. If you write about it in print, you will make sure it's up and running before the issue hits the streets. Here's the layout:




pg. 32-33  You people are so creative! I always love to see how people adapt schemes to their own devices. And what about Tina's layouts? These pops of color on kraft-colored backgrounds give her pages a fresh, friendly appeal. Mmm-hmmm.

pg. 35  That's my Baekgaard tape measure. After a reader submitted the tape-measure tip, I spotted this beauty on sale for $2 at Archiver's and simply had to add it to my tool stash. The hands in the pictures belong to Symoni Johnson, one of the talented photographers in the onsite photo studio. (Note: pronounce it "symphony" without the "ph.")

pg. 37  I'm really going to miss Photos First. Beth Proudfoot proposed an idea similar to this, but this exact concept wasn't solidified until we received a cool tip from an unidentified reader. This reader files layout ideas she clips from magazines into a three-ring binder, organizing them behind tabs based on the number of photos on the layout. Then, when she needs inspiration for a page, she turns to the tab that matches the number of photos she has to work with.

pg. 42-43  Wendy and Aby are both contributors to my co-authored book. They originally created these projects for said book, but they didn't make the final cut. Not because they weren't good enough, but because we had other, similar projects from other contributors. So, as awesome as these are, you can be sure that the book will contain even more amazing work from Wendy and Aby, among others! (That's probably all I can say about the book for now, being under strict confidentiality agreements until a contract is signed...hopefully.) Since this column is going away, make sure you stop by Aby's website for organizing hints and helps. And Wendy's been featuring really cool before-and-after photos of scrapbook spaces on her blog.

pg. 45  I originally proposed this feature idea as a way to promote a then-planned special issue, Scrapbook Play with Stamps (now cancelled). Still, the feature turned out pretty great. Not a bad way to stretch your stamp stash, eh?

pg. 52  This elephant card is my favorite thing in the world:

pg. 54  You know, it wasn't easy cinching myself into that tight corset for this photo! Cathy Zielske had to do quite a bit of Photoshop work to touch it up for publication. Just kidding of course. It's a stock image.

pg. 57  Paula's layout shows an awesome way to make the most of less-than-stellar photographs.

pg. 73  Caroline Ikeji's is one of my favorites in this issue. She created that cool background pattern by stamping bubble wrap on white cardstock. Cute, cute design.

pg. 79  LOVE these brads used as photo corners. Nice work, Cheryl.

pg. 80  This is another of my favorite layouts from the issue. Simple, beautiful, meaningful. Jody Wenke was going to be another of our 2009 Simple Gals.

pg. 90  Cathy was on FIRE during our column brainstorm; all of the good ideas you read here can be attributed to her. Luckily, we planned this column before we got the news of the closing. Otherwise, our creativity would have taken a real hit. I had to complete the layout post-news, however, and it was extremely hard to feel inspired or motivated. But I persevered. It's funny to me how I look like a giant next to my mom and a pixie next to my dad. (And yes, he is smiling. That's about as smiley as Dad gets in pictures.)

back cover  Thanks QuicKutz and BasicGrey for advertising. We owe you one.

Well, that's about all there is to say. I for one am thrilled with how our final issue turned out. I think our readers have plenty of touchpoints with their favorite designers, and we're all going to work to keep the Simple philosophy alive. (And that includes you!)

Don't forget to leave me a comment if you'd like to be eligible for one of five free May/June issues I'm giving away. You CAN comment on both posts to increase your chances of winnning. I'll pool all the comments from both posts and pick the winners from there.

Thanks for caring!

Simple Scrapbooks Behind the Scenes

Pull out your copy of the May/June issue and follow along, because you're about to hear more than you ever wanted to know about this most recent (and most final) installment of Simple Scrapbooks magazine. Don't have this issue? Don't worry! At the end of the post, I'm going to draw five winners for the copies pictured here.

(Prizes provided by Jennafer Martin at CKMedia. Thanks Jennafer!)

cover  To be truthful, Art Director Cathy Zielske and I kind of phoned this one in. Usually, we'd go through several cover versions, hang them on the wall and view them from 15 feet away, stick them in a fake newsstand in the office to see how they stood up to other designs, and ask for lots of opinions. We'd also spend hours tweaking the coverlines (aka "cover callouts") and making sure they used as many buzz words from the "cover handbook" as possible. Years ago, the circulation department gave us a handbook that contains eye-grabbing cover words that you can mix and match and PRESTO! produce a top-selling cover. (Words like "quick," "free," "easy," "best," "top," "solution," "expert," "win," "save," "lose weight," etc. Doesn't that list make you want to buy something from me RIGHT NOW?) But for this issue, it didn't necessarily matter whether this issue outsold the May/June 2008 and May/June 2007 issues or not; it wouldn't change the outcome. So Cathy and I just made it pretty for our subscribers, with a not-so-subtle "goodbye" message coming through on Celeste Smith's lovely cover layout. (Cover photo by Tina Cockburn, as usual.) Just for fun, I'll share a few guidelines we must consider as we assemble each issue's cover:

• Drastically different colors from previous issue, and preferably no two logos the same color in the same calendar year. (So customers know at a glance that they don't have this issue yet.)
• Large photo of a person, with strong eye contact to hypnotize people into picking up the issue. Children and babies tend to sell the best, but we always made sure to include an adult at least once a year to show that our magazine is about more than just children and babies. Did you know that, according newsstand lore, blond, blue-eyed babies are the very best-selling cover subjects of all? Well, babies and cleavage. Cleavage even sells well to women. Pay attention to the women's fashion and entertainment magazines at the checkout stand and count how much decolletage jumps out at you.
• Coverlines that can be read from 15 feet away.
• Coverlines listed along the left side because of the way it's likely to be overlapped on the newsstand,
• At least one large number, preferably odd. It's been proven that "101" will sell better than "100," because the latter number appears like you could be rounding up, while the former number gives the impression that you actually counted. (Note: I really counted every layout and text tip in the issue that could be considered quick or easy. The number came to 222, but we rounded down to 219 because it looked prettier and more authentic.)
• Include skybars (Collector's Edition!) and corner snipes (Final Issue!) whenever possible.
• Vary font choices and text sizes, and use exclamation points liberally. (But don't overdo it. You don't want an "!" on every single callout.)

page 3  The TOC has never before been this far forward in the magazine. While ad sales had been struggling for months, they were particularly low in this final issue. But, bonus for you, that means there was more editorial content for your viewing pleasure. We were allowed to drift out of the preferred 60 percent edit/40 percent advertising ratio one last time.

page 4  I wrote all these little blurbs about each column. It's a fun challenge to be descriptive, brief, and varied while writing twelve 12-15 word mini-paragraphs. My favorites? The descriptions of About Design and Simple Connections. Also, see that little note that says "The Rumors are True"? Well, a substantial portion of our readers read the print magazine only; they're not even really aware of our website or other online scrapbooking forums. For many of them, this will be the first they've heard that Simple is closing.

page 6  We were thrilled that Stacy Julian was willing and able to step in at the last minute and write our farewell letter. She did a beautiful job. I love the way she put this sentiment: "Over the years, our 'you can do this' message and our mantra to keep the focus on the memories have resonated with busy scrapbookers just like you, whether you live in Tennessee or Toronto or Taiwan."

page 7  I put together the "Simple Facts" and "Support Scrapbooking" sidebars. And that huge stack of magazines came from my office reference library. I still remember the very first issue I worked on; it's the black spine right next to the "Wondering what happens to your subscription?" note. There were 15 regular issues in the archives when I started working for Simple in July of 2004. Now there are 44. What an incredible journey this has been!

page 8  Just a few issues ago, we decided to add fun, personal touches to our masthead, an effort headed up by associate editor Jen Wozab. Isn't it fun to read people's parents' names? And how cute are Elizabeth Dillow's parents? "Bill" was the winning name among dads, and "Beverly" among moms.

page 9  We squeezed this page in at the last minute, hoping to give our readers lots of ways to stay connected to the Simple philosophy, in all of its forms. We'll be holding a Blog Party the week of April 27 to May 1, offering prizes, walks down memory lane, the works! And these aren't just any prizes. We're talking an Epson Artisan 700 Printer and Making Memories Desktop Carousels. The point of this week is to celebrate, not to mourn. To share our gratitude for all we've experienced together over the years. More details to come soon!

(**CORRECTION** I originally said the Blog Party was April 17 to May 1, but alert reader Barb Wong notified me of the error. The correct date is now listed above.)

Well, I think that's enough for today. This is taking much longer than I expected! I'll pick up tomorrow right where I left off. Feel free to leave a comment on today's post and/or tomorrow's post to be eligible for the free "collector's edition" random drawing.

Happy scrapbooking!

Angie

Simple Scrapbooks Behind the Scenes, The Prequel

I kept trying to write my Behind the Scenes post, but my introduction was just getting out of hand. I think I need to share a few circumstances surrounding the closing of the magazine before I can dive into my  play-by-play. For that, tune in tomorrow! In the meantime, enjoy a few ramblings about what was going on in my head while we wrapped up our final issue. ("Enjoy" might be the wrong word for this post. Get out your umbrella because I'm about to emote all over you.)

A bit of background. 
The day after our May/June handoff meeting, my manager Jennafer Martin stopped into my office to share some bad news: Simple Scrapbooks magazine was folding. The visuals for the May/June issue had all been assigned, requested, and labeled for photography. The articles had all been written and edited. And we had just spent the day brainstorming feature openers, props, and all that other good stuff. We were about to start planning our July/August issue, but it was not to be; the issue we had just handed off would be our last. Needless to say, it was a devastating blow.

I was grateful that we were given time to make this last issue the best it could be and to tie up all of our loose ends, but it was a very difficult six weeks. I showed up every day for work, feeling anxious, apprehensive, and sometimes angry at the circumstances. My productivity took a huge dive. Even the simplest tasks took three times as long as they should have, as I realized this would be the last time I'd call Cathy Zielske for design review. This would be the last time I'd receive first-bound copies of a special issue. This would be the last issue map I'd labor over, revising it again and again as the ad landscape continually shifted. (Okay, that's one task I don't miss!) This would be the last time Wendy would pop into my office spontaneously to a) pull me away from my task list to do something creative or fun, b) organize my office for me, or c) tell me a hilarious anecdote.

Every day, I'd drag myself to the office and put in my 8 hours, being constantly checked on by my husband via iChat: "How's it going today? Hang in there. It's going to be okay." Then I'd go home, briefly consider making dinner before surrendering to the allure of takeout, and then I'd escape to 18th century England.

I watched my way through every Jane Austen flick in my DVD collection, and then some. For two hours every night, I fled my troubles and fully embraced the illusion that life was simpler in that long-ago world. And when I wasn't watching film adaptations, I was reading a biography of the authoress, Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence, which de-romanticized the Regency period somewhat and put things into perspective for me. Trouble and disappointment have always been a part of life, and at least these days being single and/or childless doesn't relegate you to a life of terrifying dependency. Not to mention the fact that people routinely died from simple things like head colds. But I digress.

For a week after hearing the news, I felt numb and out of sorts, but I didn't cry. Being a fairly weepy individual, I was surprised that I hadn't yet dissolved into tears. What was I waiting for? Well, the next weekend arrived, and the floodgates opened. I spent two entire days bawling, nearly inconsolable as the depth of the loss finally hit me. Luckily, I had kind and wise friends telling me that it was okay to mourn, because this is a real loss.

Their kind words helped ease my guilt over my feelings of despair. After all, I kept reminding myself that I had plenty to be thankful for: my health, my family, my faith, my home, my freedoms, my friends. All I lost was a job. But, it wasn't just a job to me. This was something I put my whole self into. While I waited for other blessings to occur in my life, my job fulfilled me and gave me a creative outlet, a sense of accomplishment, and wonderful associations with amazingly talented women. On top of that, I was just a few months away from realizing lifelong dream: I had been co-authoring a book, due to be on sale in July of 2009 under the Simple Scrapbooks brand. My book went down with the ship as well. No job. No book. No Simple Scrapbooks.

And I wasn't alone. We were all slowly progressing through the stage of grief at our own individual paces. We were all trying to keep it together long enough to complete this last issue. And when we signed off on the last round of proofs, I think we all felt like we'd done the best we could. We went out singing a high note.

More about Jane Austen.
If you're not aware of the BBC's new adaptations of Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, and the new Masterpiece Theater Northanger Abbey, they're wonderful. These were three of my favorite indulgences from the last few months. Dealing with a few difficulties yourself? Escape to a world where magazines never closed (they had just barely been invented) and there were clear rules of conduct that everyone followed. And the romance, ah, the romance. Sure, women were completely dependent on men, marriages were treated as business transactions, and poverty was rampant, but no society is perfect. (Kidding, kidding!)

Here are a few links. Check them out:

You know, when my husband needs to escape, he watches an endless series of "spaghetti Westerns" he has downloaded to his iPhone. Me? It's all about the British Regency period. What about you? What genre do you turn to when you need a vacation from your life? Let's hear it.

Tune in tomorrow.

p.s. Note about the almost-book: we're shopping it around to several different publishers, and we've heard encouraging things from two of them. I've even been emailing back and forth with an editor in New York, which makes me feel like a real grown-up. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll have good news soon!

R.I.P.

It's the end of a tradition. This is the last time I'll be peeking around the newest issue of Simple Scrapbooks magazine for a quick self-portrait.

Yes folks, the issue I'm holding in my hands is the final installment of Simple Scrapbooks magazine. And, sadly, it was also only the second issue after our content makeover. Boy did we put a lot of work into that makeover! Hours upon hours of meeting, planning, discussing, debating, writing, rewriting, designing, and finally rolling out the new look. But at least the magazine was in tip top shape at the time of its unexpected demise. It can be an open-casket funeral.

Are you still interested in the behind-the-scenes scoop? If so, I'll happily do a play-by-play for all you loyal-t0-the-end Simple fans out there. But if you've all moved on, there's no point digging up the past, right? You guide me. YOU guide me.