Angie Pedersen's Scrapbooking Industry News

EK to Explore Options

EK Success announced it has engaged Banc of America Securities as its financial advisor to help explore strategic alternatives for the company.

“The scrapbooking market and broader crafts industry continue to offer substantial growth prospects and have led to significant interest in the company, making this an opportune time to explore strategic alternatives,” says Chris Skinner, ceo of EK Success. “The company is actively pursuing several growth initiatives, including the Shoppe within a Shoppe merchandising concept about to be launched at several retail locations across the country, and a new lifestyle advertising campaign that spotlights specific examples of creative crafting as being Another EK Success Story™. These and other initiatives further our commitment to growth and continued market leadership, and we look forward to business as usual as we conduct this review.”

There is no assurance that the consideration of alternatives will lead to any transaction or other action by the company and, during the evaluation period, the company will not comment on its progress.

SOURCE: Craftrends News Digest

F+W Sold

ABRY partners has signed a definitive agreement to purchase F&W Publications. Details of the deal were not announced. F&W owns Memory Makers magazine, CNA magazine, and Krause Publishing, as well as several other special interest magazines, books, book clubs, and conferences.

[F+W also currently distributes Angie Pedersen's Book of Me series of books.]

David Steward will be ceo. He is the former coo and president of publishing of Martha Stewart Omnimedia and most recently was ceo of International Masters Publishers, a direct marketing company. He has also served as president of TV Guide Magazine.

ABRY, founded in 1989, is based in Boston and is a private equity fund that invests exclusively in media and communications companies. Other companies in its portfolio include Commonwealth Business Media, Consolidated Theatres, Cygnus Business Media, Hispanic Yellow Pages Network, Muzak, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Penton Media, and many others.

SOURCE: Craftrends News Digest

Intriguing Development Releases Mac Scrapbooking Software

Intriguing Development announced recently that it will start shipping its new Mac-only scrapbooking product, iRemember, on June 27.

Creating personalized scrapbooks is easy and enjoyable with iRemember. All the tools you need to create stunning scrapbooks are included. Create borders, backgrounds, and frames. Drag your photos from iPhoto and crop them to a variety of shapes and sizes. Embellish your pages with text and clip art.

iRemember includes clip art, templates, borders, backgrounds, and a clip art browser - everything you need to get started!

"Our beta testing program really showed us that scrapbooking on the Mac was in need of a tailored, easy-to-use solution", Doug Troxell, President of Intriguing Development said. "iRemember will bring scrapbookers, Mac OS X, and the Digital Hub together for the first time."

Priced at $49.95, iRemember will be available for purchase through Intriguing Developments online store, http://www.macscrapbook.com

About Intriguing Development, Inc.
Intriguing Development provides custom software engineering and programming services to the Mac community. Millions of Mac owners worldwide use software created by Intriguing Development. Intriguing Development is dedicated to exceeding expectations.

SOURCE: MacScrapbook.com.

ScrapBiz.com Launches Online Mentors Program

(PRWEB) June 25, 2005 -- America’s enthusiasm for preserving its memories in scrapbooks continues unabated, but people hoping to cash in on the hobby – selling everything from scissors and software to consulting services – should “look before they leap,” says ScrapBiz.com founder Kim Guymon.

To keep new businesses from becoming faded memories, ScrapBiz.com has launched an online mentoring program that provides members with immediate access to expert advice and current information. By visiting the message board at www.scrapbiz.com (known as “The Clubhouse”), members can link to seven different “Topic Guides” – veteran scrapbook entrepreneurs who specialize in a particular business category. Members are invited to ask questions and request information on a variety of subjects – from marketing and management to new products and technologies.

“The Topic Guides are another tool for our members – the ‘voice of reason’ we all need when launching a business,” says Guymon. “They offer insights that help members fine-tune their business models and bust the myths. A member might say, ‘Did anyone try this,’ and our seasoned consultants will reply, ‘Yes, that works’ or ‘Nope, don't try that.’”

• Canadian Topic Guide and Country Coordinator Sandra Brindley of the Memory Workshop (www.memoryworkshop.ca) offers updates on Canadian vendors and license requirements, as well as general information.
• Consultant Topic Guide Christy Gandara of One Creative Bug (www.onecreativebug.com) helps consultants who hold parties in scrappers’ homes, selling products from their inventory or from a product catalog.
• Product Development Topic Guide Cara Miller of Everything Bear (www.murphybear.com) consults with women who develop and manufacture their own scrapbook product lines – from paper and stickers to page layout kits.
• Crops and Events Topic Guide Laurie Neal of 123 Crop (www.123crop.com) helps members who facilitate large scrapbooking events, such as weekend retreat crops, bus-tours or day crops.
• Online Stores Topic Guide Staci Woods of Scrappin' Angels (www.scrappinangels.com) covers all aspects of e-tailing, offering members information and resources needed to create successful online stores.
• Home/Retail Stores Topic Guide Elizabeth Hewitt of Alluvus Scrap (www.alluvusscrap.com) consults with women who want to establish a home-based store, or even (eventually) a bricks and mortar store.
• Scrapbook Artist Topic Guide Jan Hicks of Scrapping Forever (www.scrappingforever.com) works with “scrappers for hire” – women who design scrapbooks for clients.

“It takes more than just a dream to be successful in this industry,” says Guymon. “That’s why we developed this program. It’s a great tool for helping members minimize the risk and expense of launching a new business, and the Topic Guides also serve as security blankets and cheerleaders for some people.”

For more information, visit www.ScrapBiz.com.

SOURCE: PRWeb

QuicKutz to Retire Three Alphabets

Announcing the latest Retirees from QuicKutz!  The Venus, Sophie and Empire alphabet sets are being retired! After July 29th, these three great alphabets will no longer be manufactured.Contact your local scrapbook store to get yours before they're gone!

Faces.com: Unlimited prints for $7.99/month

NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Faces.com, a new online photo service, launched today offering unlimited digital photo printing for consumers. Faces.com also offers unlimited photo prints for $7.99 per month. The service is free or with significant extras for a monthly subscription price starting at $3.99. Faces.com is the only photo service on the Web to offer unlimited prints for one monthly fee, an opportunity which is available to users for the lifetime of their membership.

Prints are made by professional photography labs and printed on Archive Quality paper for superior image quality. Users can upload photos from most any source, including digital cameras and camera phones. Photos are saved on users' private, personal Faces.com Web site (for example: http://demo.faces.com/ ).  As part of the free plan, Faces.com guarantees 500MB photo storage, also for the lifetime of user.

Photo Blogging
Faces.com takes the widely popular blogging phenomenon to a new level by adding personal photos into the mix. Like a social networking resource, Faces.com allows users to share photos online with known friends, or with other Faces.com members with similar interests. For instance, users can share photos taken from a boating trip with Faces.com members who also enjoy the sport. Users choose the level of privacy for their account at the sign-up stage, to ensure every member's privacy is protected.

"Photo networking is about strengthening real-world relationships," said Jonathan Atherton of Faces.com.  "We don't just want users to print their photos, but to really share them, talk about them and have fun.  We ensure that the site is easy to use and personalized so people can enjoy the experience."

Enjoy Scrapbooking?  We Do Too
During the next two weeks, Faces.com will begin to offer a wide variety of free photo editing software for users to enjoy, including popular scrapbooking templates, tools and ideas courtesy of a partnership with several companies such as Photomix and Lumapix, offering popular scrapbooking software (details are available at pre-release page: http://graphics.faces.com/public/downloads.htm).  The social networking aspect of the site, combined with opportunities for photo blogging, makes Faces.com an ideal community "meeting place" for scrapbookers to share projects and offer feedback.

Photo Uploading Made Easy with PhotoSync
Faces.com makes digital image uploading and managing photos simple with PhotoSync. PhotoSync automatically uploads new images located in a user's "My Pictures" directory on their computer to their personal Faces.com album. You can select multiple images at a time for upload to your photo album. With PhotoSync, there's no need to download photos from your digital camera and then upload to the Web. Faces.com streamlines this process so users can enjoy and share their photos quickly and easily from any place at any time.

About Faces.com
Faces.com is a photo networking site that delivers a way for people to connect with their photos and share through electronic distribution or getting professional quality prints.  The company operates worldwide, and has local printing partnerships in the United States, Australia and Europe with global delivery.

SOURCE: DigiCam News & PRNewsWire

ConsumerReports Reviews Digital SLR cameras

DigiCam News posted a notice that ConsumerReports.org recently reviewed seven digital SLR cameras:

All seven SLRs we tested are fine performers, with features that film camera users have come to expect from digital SLRs. We'll soon be posting full Ratings of all seven: Sigma SD10, Nikon D 70, Canon EOS 20D, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, Olympus E 300, and Pentax *ist DS.

In the meantime, there's a clear top choice in the group: the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. A few of the other cameras produced slightly better images with certain kinds of shots, but none performed as consistently well overall. At about 27 ounces, the Rebel was one of the lightest of the SLRs. It was also among the easiest to use, because of such attributes as a shutter that made it especially easy to prefocus on a subject. At about $1,000, the Rebel was also among the least expensive models tested. (Some in this group cost $1,500 or more.)

These reviews are available to read in full to Consumer Reports subscribers only.  However, Digital Photography Review also provides reviews of these cameras:

• Olympus E 300
• Canon EOS 20D
• Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
• Pentax *ist DS
• Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D
• Nikon D70
• Sigma SD10

 

Lexar's "Picure Perfect Pets" online photo contest

Is Fido ready for his close-up? Lexar Media, Inc., a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today announced the start of its online Picture Perfect Pets amateur digital photography contest, in conjunction with its sponsorship of the upcoming publication of "DOGS 24/7" and "CATS 24/7," by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen, follow-on books to the hugely popular "America 24/7" book series. Entry details for contestants are at www.lexar.com/pets.

"Pets are one of the most popular photography subjects and this contest promises to bring notoriety and fame to pets and photographers alike, just like those featured in 'Dogs 24/7' and 'Cats 24/7,'" said Jim Gustke, Vice President and General Manager, Lexar. "More and more people are discovering the advantages of digital photography and they're also discovering the dependability of high-quality Lexar memory cards. We appreciate that people trust their digital pictures they love to Lexar memory cards and look forward to receiving them in this contest."

To help amateurs interested in entering the contest, Lexar is featuring "Tips for Photographing Pets" by Nick Kelsh, Lexar Elite Photographer and author of "How to Photograph Your Life." Kelsh's tips offer professional insight and techniques on such things as lighting, proper lens and accessory usage and the advantages of shooting with digital, as it allows the photographer to experiment with their camera. Kelsh's tips can be found at www.lexar.com/pets.

How The Contest Works
The Lexar Picture Perfect Pets online contest will run from June 15 to June 30, 2005. Photographers should submit photos of their cats or dogs into the competition categories provided. Lexar is partnering with Webshots, the leading photo-sharing website, serving as the official photo submission site, and Purina PetCare, a leader in the pet products industry, providing grand prizes for contestants.

A panel of Lexar professional photographers will first consider entries in all categories, and will select three finalists to be judged online July 15. Visitors will then vote on their favorites for both overall Grand Prize winners in the Cats and Dogs categories, as well as for winners in each of the special categories. Winning images will be profiled on Lexar.com.

Categories for submission include:
DOGS
Youth - Under 14 Entrants
Man's Best Friend
Runway Models (Fashion and Accessories)
Four-Legged Phenoms (Action Shots)

CATS
Youth - Under 14 Entrants
Close-Up Shots
Furry Friends (Fashion and Accessories)
Friendly & Frisky (Action)

The Prizes
Grand Prize winners in both the Dog and Cat categories will receive a Lexar Memory Card of their choice (up to 1GB), a Lexar MultiCard Reader, a year's supply of Purina pet food, a complimentary one year premium membership to Webshots and a customized copy of either "DOGS 24/7" or "CATS 24/7" featuring their winning photograph on the cover.  The winners in each of the special categories will each receive a customized copy of either "DOGS 24/7" or "CATS 24/7" with their winning photo on the cover.

SOURCE: DigiCam News & Lexar.com

Update on Coterie Scrapbooking

On January 10th of this year, Primedia announced the formation of Coterie, " to expand opportunities in scrapbooking industry".  This new venture was to be headed by Lisa Bearnson, Founding Editor of Creating Keepsakes, and Becky Higgins, Contributing Editor of CK.  Their intention: to "develop a line of products and create new licensing opportunities that broaden exposure to scrapbook crafting in the marketplace." Recent rumors on scrapbooking message boards hinted that the venture was not going to proceed as initially expected. 

The following announcement was recently posted to the Coterie website:

Reaction within the industry toward Coterie was polarized -- it was either loved or hated.  Our objective has never been to alienate the industry but to address unmet needs and share our passion for scrapbooking with others.  Given the mixed reaction to Coterie, we reevaluated its purposed and mission and have decided to restructure.

We will continue to focus on growing the industry by addressing unmet needs, but rather than being viewed as competitive with existing manufacturers, we will realign product development efforts to collaborate with existing manufacturers.

We have been busy the past several months and are beginning to see the fruits of our labors.  Here are a few of the things you'll see from us in the near future:

• Our new book, Our Family Scrapbooks, will be available June 2005.
• The Ultimate Scrapbook and Card Kit will be QVC's TSV (Today's Special Value) on August 13.
• Becky's new book, Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking 2, will be available October 2005.
• Our new line of scrapbooking furniture and decor will launch winter 2006.

CHA Schedules Craft Business Workshop for August

The Craft & Hobby Association has scheduled its Craft Business Workshop, “Solutions for Sales Growth & Profit,” August 14-15, in southern California. The two-day program will be conducted by knowledgeable professionals and successful entrepreneurs, including Craftrends’ Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender.

Seminar sessions include: Profit Mastery: Get Control of Your Business!; Merchandising Tools & Displays; Set Projections for Sales and Budget for Expenses; Cost Effective Marketing; Improve Cash Flow, Profitability, and Operating Efficiencies; Five Easy Steps to Create Your Inventory Management System.

For more information, go to http://www.craftandhobby.org.

SOURCE: Craftrends News Digest