Creating Keepsakes Founding Editor Lisa Bearnson announced via her blog today that she is saying goodbye to the magazine that she founded in 1996. Although she will remain titled as the magazine’s founding editor, Bearnson will have no duties for the company and her Editor’s letter will no longer appear in the magazine.
Bearnson had long ago given up day-to-day editorial control of the magazine, and in recent years had drastically cut back her presence both in and her appearances on behalf of the company. One of Bearnson’s last remaining public roles for Creating Keepsakes besides her Founder’s letter in the magazine was her appearances on QVC, and in May of this year, she indicated she was taking a “leave of absence” from those appearances.
According to Bearnson’s editorial from the upcoming January 2010 Creating Keepsakes issue, which she also published on her blog, this decision was made because she would like to spend more time with her family. She will continue writing for her personal website, and also continue producing her Lisa Bearnson Memory Keeping Collection product line.
Is this goodbye forever? Maybe not. In her editorial, Bearnson leaves the door open for the possibility of returning to the magazine’s pages to “write a feature here and there.” And Creating Keepsakes Editor-in-Chief Jennafer Martin tells Scrapbook Update, “The door will always be open for her to do more [for Creating Keepsakes], should her time allow it.”
2009 has been full of change for Creating Keepsakes. It’s parent company, CK Media, was bought by New Track Media in early July and Brian Tippetts was replaced by former Simple Scrapbooks & Digital Scrapbooking Magazine Editor Jennafer Martin as Editor-in-Chief. (Tippetts later rejoined the staff as a Contributing Writer.) In September, Becky Higgins announced her departure from the magazine, and then just yesterday, Ali Edwards announced the end of her Studio A column.
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Unfortunately, this was no surprise. With Becky and Ali gone, and no more Candice Stringham (or at least last 2 issues) as well as Jessica Sprague, either the new company wants all new people or they are retiring everyone to close out the magazine. CK has TERRIBLE customer service (have you ever called them?) and the magazine, in my opinion has really gone down hill. I personally love to get my issues each month (of this and Scrapbooks, Etc.) but have continued to be disappointed with the quality. They also have completely overlooked other minorities in the world – did you see the single Hanukkah item shown – an OLD Jolee’s. I will continue my subscription only because I want/need to support this hobby that I love so much.
Have a great holiday, Nancy. Hope you are recovered. Thanks for a great and thought provoking read every day.
Lisa
This magazine is dead in the water. What possessed me to renew 18 months ago is beyond me. The issues sit at the scrap stores that still carry them and my local Barnes and Noble won’t even stock it. I hope I get my money back on the remaining issues left in my subscription. What will happen with Papercrafts, too. At least that has some viability but not by much. The single produced zines are 100% better than these glossy dead trees.
I am afraid that I will no longer renew this subscription. The magazine really went downhill. I feel sorry for those still involved and who rely on the magazine for a living.
It really is sad to see so many magazines faultering, but it does lend itself to the viability of online magazines. I am fortunate enough to work with Scrap N’ Art Magazine and it is a print quality downloadable magazine with 100+ pages in each issue, that can easily stand up to CK or others without all the ads, etc. I am not adding a link here because I am not trying to sell anything but it does show how important our eco friendly alternatives are and to show support. These smaller magazines dont have the corporate clout, just hard working moms putting out fun and great content for a fraction of the cost.
[...] of its headline talent as well: Cathy Zielske, Becky Higgins, Ali Edwards, Jessica Sprague, and Lisa Bearnson, to name a [...]