From Creating Keepsakes magazine

[Maya]

Here is something I found on page 16 of the last CK issue. It is a letter from the reader withe the answer from the editorial team:

My December 2009 issue just arrived today. Over the years the trend has been towards seeing less of other than Christian religious holidays in the photographs and layouts. There used to be more of not only Chanukah, but Passover as well as others. I have been a subscriber for many years and really enjoy CK, but this current trend has bothered me. I would appreciate any comments in response. Thank you.
Lenore Denbin, Ardmore, PA

Thank you for writing Lenore. Your concerns are important to us. We would love to feature more pages alone these lines; unfortunately, we don't receive a lot of submissions for Chanukah or Passover pages, and since much of our content is based on submissions, we haven't been able to so far. Please submit these pages to editorial@creatingkeepsakes.com and invite others to do so as well. Hopefully we'll be able to include more in the future.
Your CK editorial team

What do you think??
I am going to make a priority to scrap all my Passover, Chanukah, Shavuot, Sukot, Purim and so on photos and send all pages to CK! And I encourage you all to do so

[scrapmama]

I don't buy it.  But I will KEEP submitting.

[anniem888]

How do you submit pages?  Do you have to send originals?  Do they send them back?  TIA

[philly*mom]

This page has their current "calls" for submissions on various topics.
http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/submissions/index.html

I think I saw one somewhere else for "newbie" submissions; but I can't find it now.

[boysmom]

hmmm, i don't submit but i usually do a whole bunch of passover layouts, I'll have to keep this in mind. (I don't subscribe either)

[philly*mom]

Maya (and anyone else published) - I would also like to know if you submit digital photos?  If you do, how do you make sure you don't have glare on the photos?
thanks!

[boysmom]

Maya (and anyone else published) - I would also like to know if you submit digital photos?  If you do, how do you make sure you don't have glare on the photos?
thanks!

I use a scanner mostly.
Try taking photos of your layouts or projects using natural light and don't use the flash.

[Maya]

Maya (and anyone else published) - I would also like to know if you submit digital photos?  If you do, how do you make sure you don't have glare on the photos?
thanks!

Usually you submit digital photos of the layouts and projects. If they are accepted you may be asked to mail the originals for professional photography. They will be returned to you. I am not a big expert since I didn't submit to any magazine yet LOL  My first submission was few weeks ago to Shimelle's call. She asked me to mail 2 layouts and I mailed them to UK! It is for idea book that should be published in May I think.

I don;t have a scanner, so I lay the layouts on the floor, try to hold my camera right above the layout, make sure it is straight. I use the text mode in my camera (I have point and shoot) that is equal to macro mode  + no flash. Better option is to tape the layout to the wall just in front of your face and take the picture that way. I usually use "I am feeling lucky" option in Picasa to fix the colors. You can see - very professional! LOL

[ScrappinJuls]

I'm with Lisa, I don't buy it that they don't get enough submissions.  I remember a few years ago on one of the other Jewish scrapping message boards, we all submitted stuff.  Regardless of quality, they only picked around TWO LO's. You couldn't convince us that out of 50 LO's submitted only two were worthy.  Maybe not a Rembrandt but I know there are very talented scrappers out there and what was published was nice, but nothing to go wow about.  I think we lost our mojo after that.  I'd be happy to submit if I believed that someone was actually looking at it seriously.  I haven't submitted anything in ages because of that.

I use a scanner too but I think Lisa does the take a picture of the LO as well.  If they pick it up, then yes, you send them the original for professional photography and they send it back.  I haven't been published in anything big like CK but I know that's how they all do it.  We should challenge ourselves and then submit everything.  Let them know we're out there.

[scrapmama]

I have submitted TONS of Judaic themed layouts to the magazines.  Scrapbook trends picked up three things one year and then every subsequent year hasn't even PRINTED any, let alone picked them up.  Scrapbooks etc has commissioned me to do several layouts for them.  I have one coming out in the June issue that is "Shabbat Shalom"...(although they've had it for a year!)

When I submit, I take a photograph of my layout and crop it square in Picasa, then resize down to 500 x 500.  I send the jpeg then to them for approval (which I don't get very often!).  If they want to use it, then you have to send it to them with a supply list.  And wait and wait for it to come back.  LOL  The nice thing about Scrapbooks etc is they pay $100 per layout.  I had 5 layouts in the last year pubbed with them (all but one Judaic) so that was some nice fun money.  I don't know if Creating Keepsakes pays for layouts (although I think they do) as I've never been pubbed with them.

[boysmom]

Wow, that is real money!

[scrapmama]

Yeah, it is nice that they pay.  Scrapbook trends just gives you a box of scrap stuff and a copy of the mag.  Most of the rest are only online now and they don't pay at all..so I won't submit.  I think it's wrong to use someone's work without paying them.

[scrapmama]

Did anyone submit to any of the Hanukkah calls with CK?  Good luck if you did and let us know if you get picked! 
ST did not call for Hanukkah layouts.  (grumblegrumble)