Random Thoughts, Scrap Projects and Oprah's Skype

I can't believe May is almost over already! This year is going by so fast. Oh no -- my birthday is just around the corner - again! So what do I have to show for myself this year? Not much.

I feel like I've been suspended in mid air. Not having a job and not having something to do everyday really begins to drag you down. It's too bad I don't have children to keep me busy. And I've tried to keep myself entertained by actually getting some scrapbooking done, going to crops, hanging out with friends and creating and maintaining this blog, but I still feel empty and melancholy sometimes. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what step to take next. And it's a battle to keep yourself from becoming depressed. But anyway, this post was not meant to be a killjoy so on to my next topic.

I wanted to share a few pages I made.

This first one was made with a Pink Paislee set I've had for a while now. At first, I didn't have a clue what to use the owl page for and then I came across these pictures. Also, a good way to use some of these old "typewriter" letters I've been holding on to. I love to mix old products with new. This is why I hold on to stuff because I know eventually I'll use it.

This next one I combined an old transparency set by MME with "newer" Fancy Pants embellishments (chipboards and pins) and Queen & Co felt border.

This one was also a combination of a newer 3Birds paper kit and tags with older embellishments. Greg's name was created with an old set of cheap foam stamps. I also used a Page Map for the design inspiration. This is not a great picture of the page.

And my last subject: Oprah is addicted to Skype.

Have you noticed how crazy Oprah has gotten over Skype? I think Oprah needs to take her own challenge and give up Skype for 7 days.

Skype is an awesome new way to communicate via video over the internet, but I think Oprah is abusing it. I mean, is it just me or does it seem like her show is losing the Oprah personal touch? Why are most of her guests on a video screen now? Isn't one of the pleasures of being a guest on the Oprah show actually getting to meet Oprah?

So, this poses the question: Is Oprah becoming untouchable or is she just trying to save money on airfare and accommodations? I don't think "little miss billionaire" needs to be hoarding her money during these times. In fact, she would actually be helping out the travel industry which is also hurting.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say that Oprah should be out there throwing her money away. But if every billionaire and millionaire cut back drastically, wouldn't that also be hurting the economy some more? The Johnson & Johnson heir was on her show the other day talking about how the uber rich are cutting back because it's the "chic" thing to do. But isn't that selfish of them? I mean most people are cutting back out of necessity not because it's the "chic" thing to do. How annoying.

But I digress... Oprah needs to step back in time a little and try to remember what made people love her. It's okay to use Skype every once in a while but I believe she needs to get back to a more personal show.

A couple of weeks ago she stated that she had her feet on the ground. Sorry Oprah, but you've been floating on cloud 9 for quite a while now. I think that if it wasn't for the help of your producers & staff giving you some great topics for your show, I don't think I'd be much of a fan anymore.

Well that's my rant for this week. Tune in next week....or whenever I have something else to share.

Changes in the Scrap Industy

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.

I've been meaning to write about more changes in the scrap industry for a few days now. So let's catch up.

Well, it's official, Memory Makers magazine will stop publishing after their Sept/Oct 2009 issue. You can get more info here. It's just more sad news in the state of the scrap magazines. I believe this was one of the very first scrap magazines along with Creating Keepsakes. When I received my last issue of Memory Makers in January and noticed it was just a stapled "booklet" I decided not renew my subscription, just in case. Guess I was right.

Also Scrapbook Trends will be publishing their magazine digitally. You can subsribe for their online versions for $4.99 a month. This is not a bad idea but I still like the portability of the physical magazine.

So, how many scrap magazines are left now? I now have only 2 subscriptions, Scrapbooks Etc and Creating Keepsakes. At one point, I believe I was getting 6 scrap mags a month. Wow! What a difference a year makes.

So, how does this trend change how scrapbookers will get their ideas and information on new products? How will manufacturers promote their product lines and get their ideas out? How can we follow our favorite designers without having to sit for hours on the web reading blogs? Will new designers be discovered? Will we seek out the information or just follow what trends occur in our inner circle of scrap buddies? How do you get your information? Do you search the web or do you count on the magazines?

On that note, Lisa Bearnson is taking a leave of absence from QVC. Thursday was her last show. This makes me very sad, because I've been watching her on QVC for the 11 years she was on and I recorded a lot of her shows for the ideas. She introduced me to the proper scrapbooking techniques and got me hooked on this fun, creative hobby. Neither QVC nor Lisa elaborated on whether they will continue the Creating Keepsakes hour with another guest.

I can understand why Lisa is ready to retire from the live tv spots, but can't she pass the torch to someone else to continue it?

While browsing the web to see if I could get more information on this, I encountered some message boards with some nasty comments about Lisa Bearnson, QVC and HSN. Why do people have to be so judgmental, critical and just plain mean? People, cut them some slack. Remember, Lisa and some of the other guests are not broadcasting majors. They are just regular people like you and me, presenting their products.

Even though I sometimes get annoyed with some of the guests or hosts, I don't go around spewing mean things about them and bashing their products. Just because it won't work for me doesn't mean it might not work for someone else. Let's behave like adults should and keep it to ourselves. I can only imagine what kind of an example these people are setting for their children. Are these the parents of the children that bully other children to death (this is in reference to Oprah's show last week about victims of bullies)?

Well, I hope the scrap industry continues to grow and offer us new and exciting things. I love this hobby and don't intend to quit anytime in the near future.