Simple Scrapbooks

the end, or is it?

Hi friends,

I invite you to sing along with me to the classic R.E.M. song:

"It's the end of this blog as we know it. (it's the...)
It's the end of this blog as we know it, and I feel fine."

Is that an insensitive way to announce the news? I didn't want to just blurt it out. Oh, and it's also the end of my job as we know it, and I feel surprisingly fine about that too. More on that in a couple of paragraphs.

Here's the story. Simple Scrapbooks magazine will be no more after the next two issues go off sale, and it won't be continuing as a separate brand. So there's really no point having a "behind the scenes" blog, you know? There are no scenes for anything to happen behind. We sent the May/June issue to press last week, just Cathy Z., Jennafer, and me. There will be no more Simple antics to report on anymore. And frankly, Simple was paying for this blog url. :-)

But wait, there's more. A while back, Cathy Z. told me a sweet story about how her husband Dan said, "Cathy, I only want to outlive you by one hour." Awwwwwwww, right? And so, last Friday, I said on the phone to Cathy, "I only want to outwork you by one hour." And I did. Minnesota is one hour ahead of Utah. Cathy's last day with CKMedia was also my last day with CKMedia. I worked 60 more minutes before closing up my office and driving home from the office by the prison one last time.

Here's my office, devoid of all my mess.

Note: In the grand cubicle reshuffling of last week, Jennafer Martin inherited my office. I asked her via iChat if there was still a wrinkly old pea sitting on the floor next to the computer tower. It was. I apologized...I'd been meaning to pick it up for weeks but never quite got around to it. It was like an old, gross friend. And the funny thing is...I don't ever remember eating peas in my office.

Why I'm leaving. When the Simple closing was announced, I was given the choice whether to stay or to go. There was a position available to me at CK...basically the same level of work I performed 7 years ago. I felt incredibly grateful to have options, to have a choice. I was treated very kindly and fairly by everyone at CK. As such, it took me a while to reach a decision, but I realized that the right choice for me would be to move on, to spread my wings, to try out new opportunities within the industry. I love scrapbooking. I love writing and editing. I love the talented editors over at CK (special shout out to Jennafer, Megan and Beth!). And I'm forever grateful for all the opportunities CKMedia has afforded me over the years. Nevertheless, it feels good and right for me to move on.

So what's next? 

1. I'm launching a new blog. Find me at angielucas.com. It's a scrapbooking-, journaling-, and writing-focused blog ("Yeah, Write"), and it's going to be FUN! I promise to post some behind-the-scenes looks at the Scrapbook Play with Photos special issue (on sale soon) and the May/June issue, on sale in April. I'll also post some pics from the (former) Simple editors' new Wednesday afternoon scrapbooking get-togethers. And I plan to carry on the Simple approach and philosophy the best way I know how.

2. Jennafer Martin, the best boss I've ever had (hands down!) and an extremely talented individual, will be at CK, helping to make sure bits and pieces of the Simple approach and philosophy carry on. Megan Hoeppner, who was our beloved senior editor for 9 whole months, is also over there doing her part. So please continue to support Creating Keepsakes magazine. They'll keep you apprised of their plans over at the CK blog.

3. Former Simple editors and contributors will be hosting a BLOG PARTY April 27 through May 1, two weeks after the final issue goes on sale. There will be really cool prizes, including an Epson Artisan 700 printer (possibly even TWO printers) and a few Making Memories desktop carousels. Why wait so long to throw the party? A huge percentage of Simple Scrapbooks readers will be hearing the news of the closing for the very first time when they receive their May/June issue. We want to celebrate what's great about Simple by posting layouts, sharing favorite memories and stories, and giving all our readers the opportunity to share their thoughts. So please, mark your calendars, and join us!

In closing. It's been a great ride. Please visit all your favorite Simple friends at the blog links on the left. They love you. They want to hear from you. Thanks for everything.

Long live Simple!

Lucas out.

p.s. I can't resist sharing a very applicable quote from The Simpsons, said in a voice-over just before a commercial break, when the Simpson family appeared to be in great peril. Feel free to substitute "Simple" for "Simpsons":

"Was this the end of the Simpsons?

 Yes it was.

Or was it?

No, it wasn't."

And the cheese goes to...

Random Number Generator picked commenter #7, Shelley P.! Congrats Shelley. Hopefully this cheese will brighten your day, not to mention the next three months of your life. Shelley, if you'd like to offer up an Oscar-style acceptance speech, we'd love to hear it.

Thanks everyone, for all the Simple love in your comments over the weekend.

~angie

Finally Friday! Time for some cheese.

And our last winner, thanks to Random Number Generator, was commenter number 60, Rita. Congrats to Rita!

But wait, that's not all! If you've been reading all week, then you know the BEST prize is yet to come. And I'm going to give you ALL weekend to leave your comment for your chance to receive a 3-month membership in the Cheese of the Month club! I'll pick a random winner on Monday.

Why cheese? Because everyone loves cheese. So let the comments fly...about anything you want: cheese, trimmers, Fridays, me, Simple, your hopes and dreams, whatever.

In closing, let me leave you with a quote from my favorite claymation film of all time, Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It's a quote we say quite frequently at my house, whether or not cheese is the topic of conversation or is anywhere in sight. It's surprisingly versatile:

"Oh, I do love a bit of gorgonZOLA!"

~Hutch the Rabbit

Comment away! And have a great weekend.
Angie

Thursday Trimmer Talk

Are you sick of trimmers yet? Well if you are, you'll love our last trimmer giveaway of the week, because it's not actually a trimmer; it's more of a "trimming system." And you'll REALLY love Friday's giveaway, because it doesn't resemble a trimmer in any way, shape, or form. It's cheese. Three months of cheese. So be sure to stop by tomorrow! Trimmer fun starts now.

1. Spotlight
The Crafter's Ultimate Cutting Toolkit by WeRMemoryKeepers! It comes with a 17x14 cutting mat, a magnetic ruler, an art knife WITH replacement blades, super strong magnets to hold pictures and papers in place, a rotary cutter WITH replacement blades, and a circle cutter that cuts from 1/2-inch to 6-inch circles! It's like a dream come true. It's ultimate, very ultimate.

 

2. Today's Tip
If your rotary trimmer starts misbehaving, before you switch out that blade take a look at your cutting track (aka the cutting channel). Most rotary trimmers have a rubber cutting track that absorbs the impact of the blade. And if you've worn it completely out, the blade won't perform as well. Step one is to flip the rubber track upside down and use up its reverse side (if your model allows that). And once you've worn that out, it's time to invest in a replacement cutting channel, which is MUCH cheaper than buying a new trimmer.

3. Giveaway
Leave me a comment by 2 pm MST on Friday, and I'll pick one random winner who will enjoy the ULTIMATE crafter's toolkit. Your topic: why are most trimmers purple and/or orange? Think about it: Fiskars=orange. Purple Cows=purple. Tonic=orange. WRMK pictured above=purple. Marvy Uchida=purple and blue. It's a mystery. I'd love to hear your theories.

4. Antics

This is me giving a little kiss to Porter Rockwell, who menacingly guards the entrance to our parking lot. How's that for antics? He's not so scary once you get to know him...nothing but a big teddy bear with a rifle.

And here's Jennafer in a pseudo-engagement picture with Porter. This is probably the most action he's seen in decades!

5. And More
Did you know that there's a super duper precision paper trimmer called the "Genesis" (MSRP roughly $390) that you have to get on a waiting list for several years before you can actually buy it? Apparently, they're now shipping orders taken in January 2006. And you can't even get on the waiting list at the moment. Eventually, when the manufacturer gets caught up with existing orders, new people will have the opportunity of waiting for several years. This better be a damn good trimmer. Does it also do your taxes for you? Was it blessed by the hand of Moses in the book of Genesis? Is it going to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity? What? It actually cuts straight? That's probably what all the fuss is about.

Wednesday's Winner

Random Number Generator picked number 31, so congratulations to Katy. Marvy Uchida is yours! I'll be emailing you for your addy. Thanks for playing.

And I just have to say that you guys are geniuses! You should all be trimmer designers, with all the cool names you've come up with. Here are a few of my favorites:
"Making the Cut" from nina
"Butter Cutter" because it will cut like butta (from BLo)
"Cut the Scrap" from Kim K
"Straight Cuts" from Rebecca K
"Cut to the Chase" from Ester
"Super Whiz Bang Cutter 3000" from Jo Andrew
"Totally Trimmin" from Julie Pfeiffer
"The Paper Tamer" from ScrappyMommy
"Crafty Companion" from Ashleigh
 "Straight & Easy" from Nita, who admits it sounds a bit naughty
"Super Duper Straight Cutting No Slipping Cutesiest Wutesiest Trimmer" from kristib, who is the mother of a 2-year-old
"Mighty Trim: The cuttin'est cutter in the West" from Shelley, who has been watching too much Bugs Bunny
"Slim Trim" from Joyce Lee. This tool "slices the smallest slivers of paper perfectly and doesn't take a lot of space on your table"
"Cat Cut" from Margaret S. Her invention would come in several designs--tiger stripes, leopard print, etc.
and last but not least...
"Nicer Slicer" from ikkinlala

More trimmer fun to come shortly!

Wednesday's Trimmer Talk

Well, we're halfway through the week, and it appears that we get fewer and fewer comments each day, so if you can just hang on until Friday, your odds of winning will go WAY up! You've got that Cheese of the Month membership IN THE BAG. Here goes...

1. Spotlight
The Paper Trimming Buddy by Marvy Uchida  (pronounced you-kyda in case you were wondering...actually that's just how I say it so correct me if I'm wrong). This cute trimmer comes with a free-style cutter and a total of eight decorative blades! The blades are sold separately, but I've got one of each style to give away to today's winner. You've got your straight, wave, scoring, scallop, pinking, victorian, perforating, and rhythm blades. It's a rotary-style trimmer and, because of the large blade housing (which is a nice safety feature), it can be a little bit tricky to see exactly where your blade is cutting, but you'll learn to rely on lining your paper or photo up with the plastic guide.

2. Today's Tip
Many trimmers have plastic guides that show you exactly where to place your fingers, allowing you to hold a photo in place as you trim without actually touching the photo. But, if your trimmer doesn't have this feature and you end up leaving a fingerprint or two on a photo, I've found that you can lightly rub fingerprints away (or at least make them much less noticeable) by going over them with a very soft cloth, like one you'd use to clean eyeglasses. Now glue smudges on a photo are a different story entirely...

3. Giveaway
Would you like to win this pretty blue-and-purple trimmer (aka the Paper Trimming Buddy) for your very own, plus all eight of the decorative blades, AND a replacement rubber track? Leave me a comment by noon tomorrow, and I'll pick one random winner! Your topic is: if you were to invent a brand new trimmer of your own, what would you call it? Discuss.

4. Team Antics
Today is Megan's birthday! Megan is the creative editor for Creating Keepsakes, but she was just our senior editor none too long ago. We had a tinkerbell party in the break room, featuring these adorable treats from  Mini's Cupcakes.

5. And More
Here is another "quote" that you'll thank me for NOT including in the magazine column. See if you can guess what the quote originally said before I inserted [trimmer]:

“Love isn’t finding a perfect [trimmer]. It’s seeing an imperfect [trimmer] perfectly.”
~Sam Keen

Happy Wednesday,
Angie

Tuesday's Winner

My Random Number Generator picked comment #3 from Jackie! Congrats. I'll email you for your address and get the Creative Memories trimmer on its way.

Tuesday's Trimmer Talk

Is it Tuesday already? Well, let's continue the trimmer fun with another spotlight, tip, giveaway, antic, and more. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post for answers to yesterday's questions.

1. Spotlight
The 12-inch Decorative Trimmer by Creative Memories! The Rock Paper Trimmer and this wavy trimmer were omitted from the magazine column only because they're "specialty" trimmers, and we were mostly sticking to the basics in the mag. But that doesn't make this any less of a must-have.

2. Today's Tip
Several of you asked about "straight cutting" trimmers yesterday. Read more about that below. (p.s. the trimmer above does NOT cut straight...not at all, so I can answer that question before you even ask it. :-) As we were testing trimmers for the issue, we were reminded that papers and photos are frequently not perfectly square (or rectangular) themselves. One of us would say "hey, this isn't cutting straight!" but the next person would have no trouble with it. We'd lay the original on a cutting mat and realize that it wasn't perfectly square in the first place. So here's the tip: before you give up on a new trimmer, double check that it's not the paper that's causing your problems.

3. Giveaway
Drop me a line on this post, and I'll draw ONE winner who will take home the cool wavy trimmer pictured above! Need a topic to post about? Tell me what trimmer you use and what you like (or don't like) about it.

4. Team Antic
Here's a picture of Wendy with the hosts of a craft show on DIY. They were demonstrating the merits of glittery mod podge and allowing us to play with it ourselves. I can't remember the name of the show or the delightful hosts, but I do remember the glitter.

5. More
A few answers to yesterday's questions: Several of you asked if the Rock Paper Trimmer cuts straight. And I can attest that it does! It must be noted that I'm not the pickiest person in the world when it comes to "straight," though. I hate an uneven square as much as the next person, but if it looks square enough to the naked eye, then I'm not going to pull out my T-square and double check. (psst...I don't even have a T-square!) If you're super finicky about perfectly straight lines (and if you are, stand up and be proud!), then nothing beats a ruler and a craft knife. But there is a bit of a learning curve involved to get comfortable with the tools.

If you're a trimmer gal, I can assure you that we personally tested and approved every single trimmer that was featured in our March/April issue. If it was difficult to figure out, didn't cut straight, or didn't live up to expectations, it didn't make the cut. (hahaha) All eight of those trimmers can do the job, and do the job well. (We also refused to give away any sub-par trimmers on this blog.) 

Disclaimer: just like anything else, it's possible to end up with a "lemon" trimmer. For example, we had two different models of the exact same trimmer in the office over the course of a couple of months. One of them cut like a dream, and the other one was just a little bit "off." We received the "off" one first, and we just couldn't understand why so many people raved about the trimmer. Then when the second model came in, we were converted.

Monday's Winner

The Rock Paper Trimmer goes to... Linda M. in Snohomish!

Linda, I'll email you for your addy, and then I'll ship 'er out. Thanks for commenting, everyone. More trimmer fun to come momentarily.

It's Trimmer Week!

In our March/April 2009 issue (our second to last), we promised to host "Trimmer Week" on this blog. And come hell or high water or magazine closings, we shall deliver! As you may have noticed, the March/April issue marks our fantastic new magazine reorganization, based on feedback we received from readers like you. My very short-lived new column, "Basics & Beyond" (page 25) is what sparked the idea for Trimmer Week. Well, that and an unusual tip we received from Mariane Handlir of Belcamp, MD, who says that it is possible to slice through a slice of American cheese using your standard trimmer.

Thus, today is our first installment of an entire week full of trimmer fun. Every day this week, you can enjoy "a spotlight, a tip, a giveaway, some team antics, and more," as promised on page 89 of the magazine. Are you ready?

1. Spotlight
Brace yourself for the latest revolution in trimmer technology! Ladies and ladies, may I introduce the "Rock, Paper, Trimmer" by Fiskars. Not only is it pretty and pink, it also plays music. Yes, you heard that right. Just plug in any MP3 player or iPod and rest it on the dock at the top of the trimmer, and you can rock out to your favorite tunes through the two speakers on the left. The only thing that would improve this invention is a built-in cheese cutter, so I don't have to dull my regular blades slicing my Kraft Singles into adorable shapes.

2. Today's Tip
Make sure you choose a brand of cheese that is both acid- and lignin-free! And if you take your Rock Paper Trimmer to a crop, please be courteous of other Rock Paper Trimmer owners by keeping the volume at a reasonable level.

3. Giveaway
One random commenter today will receive the Fiskars Rock Paper Trimmer spotlighted above! (Note: this is a model that we pulled out of the box in order to test and consider for the article. But it's "Like New" in eBay speak!) (Another note: iPhone pictured is NOT included in the prize. You wish.)

4. Team Antics
Did I specify that the antics had to be recent or trimmer related? Good. Here are some antics from our 2008 Christmas party. Wendy enjoys the HSM3 soundtrack given to her by Jen Wozab. I enjoy a cool game called "Lost Cities" that Rachel and baby Shelby gave to me. (Rachel found it on my kaboodle list...it was just what I wanted! If you haven't heard about kaboodle yet, you better go check it out.) And our designer Marin enjoys a lovely wreath from Cathy Zielske.

5. And More
To fulfill the "and more" requirements, here is a patched-together quote that we (thankfully) cut from the "Basics & Beyond" column, due to lack of space:

“Trimmer talk, trimmer talk
Another night of hearin’ myself talk, talk, talk
Wonder how it would be
To have someone to trimmer talk with me.”
~original “Pillow Talk” lyrics by Buddy Pepper and Inez James; sung by Doris Day

And that's it for day one of Trimmer Week! Make sure you check back all week long, because we've got three more trimmers to give away, and one Grand Prize winner is going to end up with a three-month membership to the Cheese of the Month club! I'm absolutely serious.