Lasting Moments Scrapbooking Magazine

I have been subscribing to the Lasting Moments magazine for the past two years. Although life has taken scrapbooking off of my table, I still enjoy perusing the pages of this magazine.

The issues are delivered monthly and the information relating to scrapbooking is timely. There are numerous regular "departments" including "My Story," "Good Advice," "Color Cues," "Tech Talk," among many others. Generally, the magazine contains 72 pages chock full of layout ideas, personal stories relating to scrapbooking, different ways to use what you might ordinarily throw out (a favorite of mine), as well as other ways to use your scrapbooking tools and supplies (for photo frames, bags, invitations, etc).

In every issue they feature a "1 Page 3 Ways" layout for people who might like to only spend fifteen minutes on a page, while others might spend up to a half an hour. It's interesting to see the difference in quality based on the amount of time spent.

Co-founder Rhonda Anderson is a heavy contributor to the magazine offering her ideas on making scrapbooking a family tradition, tips on informative journaling and "Rhonda's Journal," a personal memo to subscribers.

One of my favorite regular features of the magazine is their "Between the Lines" patchwork of journaling prompts near the back. Every square asks a question, for example, for the topic, "Laugh Track" some of the questions are: "Favorite Comedian's Best line." and "A Recent Goofy Moment." In another issue, the topic is "Age" and some journaling prompts are, "The most difficult age for me was," and "I feel young at heart when." Because scrapbooking has become increasingly journal driven, these question/prompts get you thinking in new and different ways. They are sure to add interest to your scrapbooks, as well as portraying you, the creator, to your grandchildren (and beyond) more accurately.

There is usually one heart-wrenching story within each issue, based on someone's fight with cancer, or the pain of losing a child, and their story is the platform for scrapbooking's greatest goal - to preserve memories.

The folks at Creative Memories have created a virtual "hobby" empire and are marketing geniuses, with each issue we can preview upcoming products, made nice and pretty by appealing graphic layouts and bright colors that make me think of ice cream. Tucked in every issue you'll also find a "Shopping List" - where you can conveniently jot down the items you'd like to order. Every tool and supply used to create every page layout is specified in detail in the back (papers; stickers; tools; pens) so you, too, can create the exact layout you see before you.

All in all, Lasting Moments magazine is worth the $23 per year if you can afford it. If you are already into using Creative Memories products, you know how expensive the products can be. It has been my experience, however, that similar scrapbooking products from the leading chain hobby stores cannot hold a candle to the quality of Creative Memories products.