For scrapbookers, this new media outlet can be a wonderful place to obtain new content. Digital media doesn’t require physical storage beyond your computer’s (or device’s) drive, is quick to access, and in many cases is portable on certain devices. There is no current industry standard, however, on platforms for delivery and access of digital content, so scrapbookers should educate themselves on the available options before making a purchase. I’ve collected digital publication data for several major scrapbooking magazines and compiled it all into a handy reference that should help when making purchasing decisions.

Creating Keepsakes does not offer a digital subscription to their magazine at this time, though premium members of their Club Creating Keepsakes community (currently $19.95 per year) are granted access to select digital back issues of Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, and Digital Scrapbooking magazines as well as a few special issues and books as one of the perks of membership. [Note: While this article was still in the editing process, Creating Keepsakes announced that they will be discontinuing the premium features of Club Creating Keepsakes as of December 2011 and will immediately stop selling paid memberships. No announcement has been made as to whether another form of online access to any Creating Keepsakes issues will be provided as a replacement. And that, my friends, is how quickly things are changing in this industry!] These issues are presented on the web-based based Issuu platform (using Adobe Flash) and are not downloadable for offline viewing. This also means that they are not viewable on the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Creating Keepsakes also offers all of their 2010 issues for purchase on CD for $14.95.

Papercrafts, a sister magazine of Creating Keepsakes, does not currently offer online access to any of their publications whether by subscription or as a catalog of back issues. Like Creating Keepsakes, though, they do offer their 2010 back issues on CD for $14.95.

Scrapbooks, Etc. recently moved their online publication wing from its previous host at Coverleaf to a new home on Zinio. The Zinio service provides applications for viewing on a number of platforms, including Windows and Macintosh computers and the iPad. A digital subscription to Scrapbooks, Etc. through Zinio is $19.97, which is actually higher than the current print subscription price of $14.95 as offered on the Scrapbooks, Etc. web site. One benefit to subscribers that was lost in the transition from Coverleaf to Zinio is access to digital versions for print subscribers. Under the Coverleaf platform, print subscribers could register to receive digital versions of the same magazine for no additional cost. This option is not available to print subscribers through Zinio.

Northridge Publishing (publisher of Scrapbook Trends magazine) offers digital subscriptions to all of their publications at a deeply discounted rate from both the cover and print subscription prices. A single-title digital subscription is $4.99 per month, and an “All-Access Pass” that provides readers with subscriptions to Scrapbook Trends, Cards, Simply Handmade, Bead Trends, and the Create Idea Book series is $9.99 per month. Subscribers have the option of adding Northridge’s Cricut magazine to the All-Access Pass for an additional $1.50 per month. Special issues and books such as Jessica Sprague’s “Stories In Hand” are also often made available to purchase in digital format, again at rates significantly less than the cover price. Northridge provides access to their digital publications either online as a download for offline viewing through the Yudu platform, which is Flash based and thus not compatible with the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.

F+W Media has several digital offerings for scrapbookers. Back issues of Memory Makers magazine (no longer in publication) are available to purchase on CD from their online store. Regular issues from 2006, 2007, and 2008 are all available as well as select special issues. All issues are provided in PDF format, which is viewable on any number of platforms including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

F+W also offers a large number of their idea books- including the popular PageMaps 2 by Becky Fleck – in eBook format on Amazon’s Kindle device. Due to limitations of the Kindle format, however, many of the visual elements that are integral to craft and hobby books such as icons, backgrounds, and complex page designs are lost in the translation to eBook format. The basic content and photos are present, but the experience for the reader is greatly diminished by the platform’s formatting limitations. A few recent F+W titles are also available through Apple’s iBook store, including Page Maps 2, but there again the format has limitations.

Canada-based Scrapbook and Cards Today has perhaps the most interesting digital publishing model of the current crop of available magazines. All issues of their magazine, both current and back catalog, are available to download in PDF format from their web site free of charge. Subscribers also have the option of paying for a traditional print subscription to this quarterly publication. iPad, iPhone, and almost all eReader owners can rejoice that this magazine is freely available in a format that is compatible with their device (though it will of course be best viewed on devices with color screens).

The lack of periodical publications for some of the most popular electronic reading devices can leave scrapbookers starved for fresh content. Several manufacturers have actually stepped in on their own to fill this void by providing free PDF newsletters on a regular (often monthly) basis. These newsletters serve the dual purpose of advertising manufacturers’ products directly to consumers and providing project ideas, page sketches, and editorial content to customers. My Mind’s Eye’s “In the Blink of an Eye,” Basic Grey’s “Just the Basics,” and Pink Paislee’s “Live Pink” are just three examples of this trend.

The portable content vacuum has also opened up a niche for independent publishers. Ella Publishing, founded by Simple Scrapbooks alums Lain Ehmann, Wendy Smedley, and Angie Lucas, sells professionally written, edited, and formatted scrapbooking eBooks through their web site. All eBooks are in PDF format and compatible with a wide array of platforms and devices. Bloggers can leverage Amazon’s Kindle store to provide their feeds as subscriptions that readers can download for later reading offline. Scrapbook Update, along with several other scrapbooking blogs, is available on Kindle.

The current fragmented state of digital publishing can be a confusing place. Scrapbookers have to keep track of which publications offer digital content at all, whether that content is available on a subscription basis or as back issues only, what platform and compatibilities are applicable to that content, and how much the digital content costs. That last one is the stickiest – under many of the offerings outlined here, scrapbookers can be left paying for digital content that they’ve already purchased in paper form, or in some cases paying more for the digital version of content than the printed version. Rules also vary widely on whether current print subscribers can convert their existing subscriptions to a digital format.

Digital publishing as a whole, not just publishing for scrapbookers and papercrafters, is without a doubt experiencing some growing pains as this new market is expanded and tested currently. These are exciting times, even with the frustrations being experienced right now, and as long as scrapbookers remain educated about the available choices and platform compatibilities they can enjoy stress-free access to this new media outlet.

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Today we are excited to bring you a Craft Month Q&A from Tami Morrison! Tami is a member of the Ella Publishing team and an instructor for Big Picture Scrapbooking. Her latest BPS class, Everyday Adventures, begins on April 15. You can also find her at her blog, Noodle Soup.

What was the first craft you ever remember doing? At what age? And what got you started?

Construction paper + paste, in Tiny Tots preschool. I think I must’ve been about 3. To this day, school paste is still one of my favorite smells!

Can you name all the crafts you have tried as hobbies?

It would probably be easier to name the ones I *haven’t* tried, but I’ll give it a go. In loose chronological order: paint by numbers, latch hook rugs (hello, 70s!), collage, Tulip paints on clothing (hello, 80s!), crafting of random objects seen in magazines (Christmas tree watering can, an assortment of wreaths and other holiday decor, embellished sweatshirts…), decoupage, scrapbooking, card making, handmade paper, painting, art journaling, altered items, paper arts, soap making, making hair bows & beaded barrettes, needle felting, sewing, embroidery.

What crafts do you currently do?

Scrapbooking and sewing, mainly…but I’m still a dabbler in many things, depending on my mood. Except for the Tulip paints on clothing and latch-hook rugs!

What other crafts have you incorporated into your scrapbooking?

Sewing, decoupage, collage, painting, felting.

What is your favorite craft & why?

Scrapbooking, all the way! It’s so much more than a single craft – it’s an opportunity to express myself creatively in a lot of different ways, but also a way to live an aware and appreciative life.

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Ehmann is transitioning to the role of an “Ella Friend,” the advisory board that assists Ella, and will no longer hold an ownership stake in the company. Ehmann was previously a Contributing Editor at Simple Scrapbooks magazine and is the author of Snippets: Mostly True Tales from the Lighter Side of Scrapbooking.

Although Ehmann indicated on her blog that she is leaving Ella due to the pressures on her family of working in a start-up company, she told Scrapbook Update that her fans will still see plenty of her. She will continue with Write.Click.Scrapbook, her Layout A Day challenge, her blog, and says she may even revive her podcast. In addition, The Scrap Review announced today that Ehmann has joined their staff of reporters. Scrapbook Update has also extended an open invitiation to Ehmann to repeat her guest appearance from late last year.

Ehmann will also continue as part of the new Paperclipping Roundtable podcast that is in the process of launching, along with Noell Hyman, Angie Lucas, Ana Cabrera, and Scrapbook Update’s editor, Nancy Nally.

To help fill the hole created by Ehmann’s departure, Wendy Smedley is joining Ella Publishing. Smedley was the Creative Editor at Simple Scrapbooks magazine for eight years and is the author of three books: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Scrapbooking, The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker, and a title coming in fall 2010.

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One of my favorite year end traditions is to look back and reflect on all that happened this year: what new authors I discovered, life events, changes made, and good things that have happened. This year I thought it would be fun to look over my crafting stash and share some of my new scrapbook discoveries from 2009.

As I sat down to write this I decided that the companies and products I selected must be new to me this year. In other words, they either didn’t exist or I had no knowledge of them or the specific product type prior to January 2009. I also decided they had to be something that I turn to and utilize on a regular basis and consider true additions to my crafting life this year.

In no particular order, here are six things that I consider great finds of the year:

Core’dinations cardstock: I discovered them in the spring, and it was love at first touch. The core is a different color than the cardstock’s front, and this makes for exciting sanding, embossing, tearing, and distressing opportunities.

The Jenni Bowlin Embossed Pack and the White Wash Collection are among my favorites from them – but to be honest I’ve yet to pick up a piece that I don’t love.

Webster’s Pages: This is a company that has been a sleeper for me. You see, I’ve received random single sheets of paper or stickers in kit clubs this year as well as picked a few up in a store but I never really thought about the company. When their latest releases hit the shelves (and I wanted all of it) I realized I’d underestimated the amount of creative love I have for them – and that they’d been flying under the radar for me.

The ribbons, papers, cameos, letter stickers, and everything else they offer is so beautiful – my hands are itching for more already.

The Girl’s Loft: This kit club started this summer and I was intrigued from first sight. The kits always have unique items and unexpected pairings – not to mention I find them very easy to work with. I don’t usually pay much attention to new kit clubs, but this one caught my eye and has held it with interesting kits and a very talented team of designers and great ownership.

Margie and her daughters, the owners, even came out with an e-book for Ella Publishing called Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts that is filled with their brand of crafty inspiration – and I hope we see more from them in future.

Smooch Ink: Clearsnap is one of those companies that has been around but I really don’t know much about or pay much attention to. One day cruising my local on-line store I came across Smooch Ink- and I needed to know more. It resembles closest my liquid eye-liner in consistency and in how the brush works. I use it for edging, doodling, detail work, even to hand-color images to stamp. It is so much easier for me to use than ink or paint in my detail work – and I’m totally addicted!

Taffy and Molasses continue to be my most used colors, and Gold Lame and Nautical Navy top my wish list. There is a whole rainbow of colors and even packaged sets available for purchase. How do you decide which to start with?

Making Memories Vintage Findings - I discovered this first on an end cap at Michael’s, and eventually saw them showing up in my favorite stores as well. I can not get over how happy the little packages of put together vintage inspired bits and pieces make me. It is my most sincere hope that we see a new batch of this product in stores in 2010 because I have yet to get my fill.

My favorite kits from this line include: Love, Girl, Nature, Bienvenue, and Christmas.

Lily Bee: Finally, this company suddenly started showing up all over my radar last summer. They are new this year, though the owner (kit-club owner) has been in the industry a long time. Their rub-ons and the French Couture paper line  caught my attention and they’ve held my rapt attention ever since. The products are great quality and always bring out the best in my photos – what more could a girl ask for?

The new tulle flowers, recurring damask patterns in patterned paper, and beautiful lines overall will keep me checking back in – and hoping for more lines that continue to grow in product types and offerings in the new year.

That wraps up six of my favorite new companies and products of 2009, and now I’m inspired to get out some of my favorites as my husband spends time watching bowl games and more NFL football than I can imagine. I know my list is not a complete one, so tell me: what are some of your picks from this year in crafting? I’d love to hear from you about your favorites from 2009, and about your hopes for what 2010 will bring too!

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Today Lain Ehmann joins Scrapbook Update as our guest blogger.

Lain Ehmann is CEO and co-founder of Ella Publishing Co. A former “Simple Scrapbooks” contributing editor, she is the author of “Snippets: Mostly True Tales from the Lighter Side of Scrapbooking.” She blogs at Five Things.

Why can’t we all get along?

American Crafts buys Pebbles, Inc. Rhonna Farrer, Heidi Swapp, and Janet Hopkins band together to create House of Three. Colorbok buys Heidi Grace from Fiskars. In addition to creating an entertaining game of corporate musical chairs to observe, mergers and partnerships like these say that the time of cooperation is at hand for the scrapbooking industry.

Social media is ushering in a new era of interactivity between companies, even those who appear to be at odds with each other. The Internet is such big property that one company or entity can’t cover it all, and the only way to make an impact is to team up. A great example of this is our very own Nancy Nally working with Noell Hyman of Paperclipping. Instead of viewing each other as competitors, they’ve teamed up to bring a very valuable – and fun! – resource to the scrapbooking community via Paperclipping News Break.

An area where I’ve seen rampant and impressive RAKs (random acts of kindness, for the uninitiated) is in the digital scrapbooking arena. In my experience, digital designers go above and beyond to promote other digital designers. For example, in a recent article for Ella Publishing Co.’s Scrapbook Ellaments eZine, digital designer Jodie McNally sang the praises of Paislee Press. “When I’m in need of a perfectly precise, quirky quote… I go straight to Paislee Press,” she writes. It reminds me of the scene in “Miracle on 34^thStreet” when Macy’s gained tons of great press when their Santa Claus forwarded children on to competitors when the toy they wanted couldn’t be had in-store. Not to call “Scrooge,” but when’s the last time you heard Stampin’ Up! sending people over to Close to My Heart?

Speaking of good ole’ Stampin’ Up!, they’ve been taking quite a beating lately. When they mandated that their demonstrators sever Internet ties with non-SU entities, the backlash was swift and immediate, with many demonstrators choosing to lay down their Stampin’ Up! aprons rather than forsake their friendships. The statement was clear: Consumers, employees, and industry bystanders have seen the power of connection and aren’t willing to relinquish their personal or professional networks in favor of corporate short-sightedness. And they shouldn’t have to.

Despite the economic realities of our times, the scrapbooking pie is a large one. Rare is the consumer who uses exclusively one product line; most have scrap rooms where Fiskars punches are used on Bazzill cardstock, and Fancy Pants patterned paper co-exists peacefully on the shelf next to Piggy Tales. It’s time for the manufacturers to realize the next generation is about interaction and support, not exclusivity and isolationism.

For manufacturers and designers who want to make their way in today’s social media but don’t know how, here are a few starting points:

Twitter. Open a Twitter account and freely offer your expertise and support to those around you – yes, even to your competitors! If that’s too big a step, start with companies or designers who sell complementary products rather than competing ones.

Facebook. Become a Facebook fan of a competitor. When you do so, the news is relayed to your entire network – what a powerful statement of solidarity!

Blogs. Mention a cool product you saw from a competitor on your blog. Go over to their blog and leave a supportive comment. Or in your next tutorial, use products from a competitor and give them credit. Instant karma boost!

To me, the future is clear: Those who pair up and work together will prosper, while those who insist on going it alone will suffer and eventually die off. Survival for all of us in this global economy, in this recession, depends on partnerships. After all, if you Tweet in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make any noise?

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