So UKS has given in and has announced its long awaited by a very few cybercrop.
I've been for a look, inadvertently clicked on what I thought was a forum with details of how to register and I've found myself in the Totos. What a pity for them as they now have one member who has no intention of doing anything, although from the comments made on the last thread, the Tin Men, will have a few less members than they may think.
I don't see what all the fuss is about. I see one team has progressed from passing cyber drinks round to sharing cyber full English breakfasts while they wait for more details. Do grown women really have so little else going on in their lives that they want to spend all day and most of the night preparing for a weekend of speed scrapping, producing rushed work just to claim a few points for their team?
Well, I for one intend to stay well away. I have a real life crop on the Saturday where I shall sit and do a few layouts in my own time, drool over everyone else's new toys and drink lots of cups of real tea and eat real chocolate cake. Any of you care to join me?
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Friday, 23 October 2009
Scrapbook Inspirations RIP
Thank you to the several posters who emailed me with the news that Scrapbook Inspirations Magazine is to cease publication next month.
I am surprised at the news as it only recently announced the expansion of the design team in what looked like a response to criticism which was often talked about on here, and of all the UK magazines, it seemed to be the one which had the biggest following.
Personally I am not sorry to see it go. I felt it concentrated far to much on the beginners, and totally failed to realise that the beginners soon learn the basics and will look for more challenges and techniques to build on their skills. Once anyone had mastered the basics, SI didn't live up to its name - it became boring and predictable, with almost identical covers every month and layout after layout featuring the same kids in the same poses with just the papers changed. Inspirational it certainly was not, apart from the occasional gem in the readers gallery. I subscribed to SI for the first year or so, then chose to pick it up in Smiths each month so I didn't have to buy it if I didn't want it, but I gave up on it completely over a year ago. I know that most people at the crop I go to felt the same way about it and had stopped subscribing around the same time.
Whilst not perfect, Scrapbook Magazine does seem to be better at surviving. They have changed their team regularly, don't seem to have the requirement to be a member of a certain person's fan club to be selected for the gallery or to participate in challenges, and the work of Lindsay Hopkins apart - some of the layouts, ideas, techniques and articles really are inspirational, and they at least attempt to cater for the more advanced scrapper. I don't really care about the paper a magazine is printed on or if there is a dubious free gift attached to it, or even bothered about photographs of layouts. As long as the picture is clear enough for me to be able to scraplift the layout if I want to that's good enough for me. I don't hang on to mags as trends move so fast and there will be another one along next month so I read and either pass it on or recycle it so paper and picture quality isn't a huge issue for me, content however, is. Scrapbook Trends is a breath of fresh air and it does cater for intermediate and even advanced scrappers.
What are your feelings on the matter
I am surprised at the news as it only recently announced the expansion of the design team in what looked like a response to criticism which was often talked about on here, and of all the UK magazines, it seemed to be the one which had the biggest following.
Personally I am not sorry to see it go. I felt it concentrated far to much on the beginners, and totally failed to realise that the beginners soon learn the basics and will look for more challenges and techniques to build on their skills. Once anyone had mastered the basics, SI didn't live up to its name - it became boring and predictable, with almost identical covers every month and layout after layout featuring the same kids in the same poses with just the papers changed. Inspirational it certainly was not, apart from the occasional gem in the readers gallery. I subscribed to SI for the first year or so, then chose to pick it up in Smiths each month so I didn't have to buy it if I didn't want it, but I gave up on it completely over a year ago. I know that most people at the crop I go to felt the same way about it and had stopped subscribing around the same time.
Whilst not perfect, Scrapbook Magazine does seem to be better at surviving. They have changed their team regularly, don't seem to have the requirement to be a member of a certain person's fan club to be selected for the gallery or to participate in challenges, and the work of Lindsay Hopkins apart - some of the layouts, ideas, techniques and articles really are inspirational, and they at least attempt to cater for the more advanced scrapper. I don't really care about the paper a magazine is printed on or if there is a dubious free gift attached to it, or even bothered about photographs of layouts. As long as the picture is clear enough for me to be able to scraplift the layout if I want to that's good enough for me. I don't hang on to mags as trends move so fast and there will be another one along next month so I read and either pass it on or recycle it so paper and picture quality isn't a huge issue for me, content however, is. Scrapbook Trends is a breath of fresh air and it does cater for intermediate and even advanced scrappers.
What are your feelings on the matter
Monday, 5 October 2009
Sorry I've been missing/ Free for All
Sorry to have not updated recently, but as some of you know, my mum hasn't been well for some time, and I have had to be with her and my dad.
She died last Friday, and my dad has taken it very badly, and as you can imagine, I've got my hands full with real life at the minute, so I've put up a free for all for the time being as its awkward being on page 3 of the last thread.
I hope to be back on a regular schedule once life has calmed down, until then, here's a shiny new thread for you to chat on.
She died last Friday, and my dad has taken it very badly, and as you can imagine, I've got my hands full with real life at the minute, so I've put up a free for all for the time being as its awkward being on page 3 of the last thread.
I hope to be back on a regular schedule once life has calmed down, until then, here's a shiny new thread for you to chat on.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Has it all been done before?
Posting from the last thread.
"Anonymous said...
"It's all been done before, there's nothing new. Minibooks have been invented and re-invented; layouts of every possible shape and orientation have been explored, flat, bumpy, interactive, paper, fabric, plastic and more; every household/garden item has been altered/refashioned - there's nowhere to go".Good choice for a new topic I think - Has it all been done before?
05 September 2009 08:32"
Thanks for the suggestion and I think its worthy of being the new topic.
FWIW, I tend to agree. There are only so many ways to put photos and papers together on a 12x12 page, so there is very little new in the design department. I look at layouts in magazines and books and think I've seen that somewhere before and I don't think I'm the only one who finds that
I'm interested to hear your views on the subject.
"Anonymous said...
"It's all been done before, there's nothing new. Minibooks have been invented and re-invented; layouts of every possible shape and orientation have been explored, flat, bumpy, interactive, paper, fabric, plastic and more; every household/garden item has been altered/refashioned - there's nowhere to go".Good choice for a new topic I think - Has it all been done before?
05 September 2009 08:32"
Thanks for the suggestion and I think its worthy of being the new topic.
FWIW, I tend to agree. There are only so many ways to put photos and papers together on a 12x12 page, so there is very little new in the design department. I look at layouts in magazines and books and think I've seen that somewhere before and I don't think I'm the only one who finds that
I'm interested to hear your views on the subject.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
How much do you pay?
Thank you to Cal for bringing up the subject of crop and class charges on the last thread. I thought it was worthy of a subject in its own right.
I'd be interested to know how much we all pay for a days cropping and the classes we go to, just to see the variations from around the country. Up here in the North East the standard fee for a day's cropping seems to be around a tenner with drinks and biscuits included. I haven't been to too many classes but my friend does Stamping Up workshops and her charges vary depending on the projects she teaches at them but I did one which was a box with half a dozen cards which took us about 4 hours to complete and we paid £20 for the class and refreshments, and I didn't think that was too OTT.
So what about the rest of you? How much do you pay for a day doing what you love, or how much do you think is reasonable for a class?
I'd be interested to know how much we all pay for a days cropping and the classes we go to, just to see the variations from around the country. Up here in the North East the standard fee for a day's cropping seems to be around a tenner with drinks and biscuits included. I haven't been to too many classes but my friend does Stamping Up workshops and her charges vary depending on the projects she teaches at them but I did one which was a box with half a dozen cards which took us about 4 hours to complete and we paid £20 for the class and refreshments, and I didn't think that was too OTT.
So what about the rest of you? How much do you pay for a day doing what you love, or how much do you think is reasonable for a class?
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Threads on this blog
From Feb 2008 this blog will only hold 3 of the latest threads, as new ones are made the oldest will be deleted permanently.
I have been asked why I do this as some have tried to search for older posts. I feel it is only fair that there is a very short life span of some of the posts that can be upsetting to those being smacked regardless if they are a business or not.
We are, after all human and have feelings so if you have been smacked at all on this blog please note that probably within a week the whole thread will be gone!
If anyone who has been smacked would like to discuss the possible removal of comments about them before it would vanish using the 3 threads policy, please feel free to contact me directly, and I will consider each case on its merits.
However, please note that I will not deal with any email on this subject from third parties, if you want it to be removed you must contact me yourself.
UKSS
I have been asked why I do this as some have tried to search for older posts. I feel it is only fair that there is a very short life span of some of the posts that can be upsetting to those being smacked regardless if they are a business or not.
We are, after all human and have feelings so if you have been smacked at all on this blog please note that probably within a week the whole thread will be gone!
If anyone who has been smacked would like to discuss the possible removal of comments about them before it would vanish using the 3 threads policy, please feel free to contact me directly, and I will consider each case on its merits.
However, please note that I will not deal with any email on this subject from third parties, if you want it to be removed you must contact me yourself.
UKSS
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