Lisa Bearnson Leaves Creating Keepsakes

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.