The other day I mentioned my stack of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion magazines (hereafter referred to as MEHC.) I think I managed to save just about every issue. A lot of you commented that you also had hoarded away copies of MEHC. I thought that MEHC would go on forever, just as I thought Country Home and Cottage Living would go on forever. (By the way, I saved a lot of my Country Homes and Cottage Livings as well, but they’re tucked away on one of the lower shelves of this bookcase and I can’t get to them at the moment.)
My three favorite ‘shelter’ magazines. I loved them because they were lush with gorgeous photographs, eclectic homes, (unlike the trendy and like-every-other-home look I often see nowadays), wonderful features, informative articles. Opening each new issue was exciting, I knew I was in for a nice, long session amongst the pages. The sleeper among them, Cottage Living, was a brilliant mix of design, articles about cottage communities, how-tos, home tours, gardening – every page was a delight.
When they went under during the ‘magazine bust’, as I call it, I was shocked. I even wrote about it on this blog. I went into my own little period of mourning. In the meantime, the internet, blogs, Pinterest, etc. have taken up a lot of the slack. But none of them are a substitute for the glossy pages of a reasonably priced magazine with informative articles that is perfect for holding in your hands while sipping a cup of tea.
I used to be a sort of shelter magazine addict. I bought a lot of them every month. I looked forward to the day I knew I could find Country Home on my neighborhood magazine stand. I had a mental chart of each magazine’s publishing date. I knew when MEHC would arrive in my local store and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved nothing more than sitting down with a stack of newly published issues. Such a wonderful treat!
Now? I buy a magazine about once every six months. If that. Partly because I’m very careful with my money but mostly because I find the content less than inspired. Country Living doesn’t really do it for me anymore. Sad to say, it doesn’t inspire me. I usually stand in the aisles of the supermarket or the bookstore and thumb through the pages of an issue, carefully considering whether or not I should put out the cash to bring the magazine home with me. Almost always I come up with a firm “No.” And when I cave because I just want to treat myself, to try to re-experience that old pleasure of finishing everything I need to do so I can sit down and lose myself in the pages of a magazine, I end up disappointed and feel like I wasted my money.
Much of this is due to the competition from the internet and from blogs. How many times do you pick up a magazine and see a feature about a home and realize you’ve already seen it on the internet? It has to be tough for magazines to come up with original content. I don’t envy them that task. And while I’m thrilled for fellow bloggers who get featured in a magazine (I’ve been there a time or two and, believe me, I felt proud and honored) I seldom buy those issues because I’m already familiar with the content. If I had a lot of disposable income, it might very well be a different story.
There is also the sheer glut of home and decorating blogs and photos everywhere online. If that overabundance makes me tired, and it often does, then I’m probably not going to put out money to buy more of the same.
I also don’t want to pay $7.99 for a glossy issue that is 75% ads and 25% content. I understand the need for ad income and I wish I could fork out the money to support those magazines, but money is just too tight. I’m on a strict budget. On the other end of the spectrum, the Stampington magazines, Where Women Create, Somerset Life, etc. are gorgeous, beautifully designed, lush and a treat for the eyes, but they are over $15.00 a pop. They are worth every penny but I can’t afford them. And I still love specialized, niche magazines like Studios, where I know I will see lots of new-to-me features. Oh, and I forgot to mention Flea Market Style, which I adore, and buy.
Of course, I’m talking about my personal preferences in reading matter. I know that yours might very well be different. I’d love to hear about them.
So, some questions for you this morning, sparked by your comments on my stack of MEHCs. What shelter magazines do you miss? What magazines do you routinely buy? Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your thoughts?
Happy Tuesday.
I have collected Victoria magazine since the 80’s. It disappeared for a few years and then returned under a new publisher. Though the magazine in no way reflects the way I live, it is very a very peaceful and relaxing experience to sit quietly with a stack of old Victoria magazines and a cup of coffee/tea or a glass of iced tea in the summer. Each month or season, I pull out the old issues I have collected and enjoy them again. The photography is exquisite and the writing has a literary bent.
VIctoria has devoted readers – and it’s really beautifully done.
I also collected Victoria practically from the start and had boxes of them which I treasured. One day I decided I needed to de-clutter. After all, the magazine came out every month. So off they went to the swap shack. And then the magazine stopped. The new publisher does a good job trying to be competitive and retain some of the essence of Victoria, but it really cannot be replicated. Fortunately, I bought some of the books Victoria published and I won’t be relinquishing them. I used to love Romantic Homes, but now each home in the issue looks the same as the others. It must be very hard to be different in today’s tough magazine market.
I think it is very tough indeed. So much expense producing an issue and such an unstable market for them.
I know what you mean about Country Living. I recently ended my subscription with them because I realized my favorite feature was the questions about pets–not a great reason to buy a decorating magazine!
No, but I know what you mean – I love the pets feature as well!
My favorites were MEHC & Victoria. I don’t have any back issues because I gave them to a friend before I moved a few years ago. There were also a couple of handcraft magazines that I enjoyed and I can’t remember the names of them. I miss the satisfaction of coming home and spending a quiet afternoon poring over a new magazine. Like you, I find them lacking inspiration or way to expensive for me.
It’s sad, but true.
I miss all the magazines too! I hate to say this, but I stopped buying Martha Stewart too because it became all adds and studio shoots. I used to love when she had pictures of families at Thanksgiving hanging out of their windows watching the Macy’s parade and articles like that. Now she just has a picture of a turkey on a table. And even then the picture looks like it was taken from the light fixture and all you see is the tabletop. It makes me feel old because I am not participating in life, just complaining like some old lady. I never thought I would stop buying magazines. I do buy a few stitching magazines and have boxes of them downstairs so I should never run out of projects to make. I so miss MEHC. I kept them for years but got rid of them during a purge and clean. Sob.
Luckily, I didn’t purge them, Tana. Because I’ve sure purged a lot of other magazines!
I agree about Country Living as well. It used to be a favorite of mine, but over the past couple of years has begun to lack content. I did come across the British edition of Country Living at Barnes and Noble and it is just as you describe your favorite magazines. Lush photographs, wonderful content; each page is a must read. I began collecting them last year, and although I can’t subscribe to it, I scour the B&N stands each month and splurge to pay the $8 because the content is that good. Also, I’ve come across a new magazine produced here in the U.S. called Taproot. It also has beautiful photographs and content describing hearth, home and gardening. These two magazines are my current favorites, and I will be collecting them!
I love the British Country Living and other British Shelter mags. They’re a bit pricey, but I agree, the photography and articles are wonderful.
I have been thinking about this same subject for the past few months. I adored Cottage Living and was very surprised it went under. It was my all time favorite magazine. I still get Country Living but will drop it when the subscription runs out in July. That magazine has changed in a bad way. Less pages, the last issue had 100 pages. The old issues from around 2009 had double that. Too much into buying stuff instead of making or creating. Also all those Drug Company Ads!!! They did just get rid of the Editor, so maybe they are making a change, I have been going though all my old magazines and will be giving a pile of good ones to my sister who is fixing up an old cottage. I also love Country Garden which I keep for winter inspiration.
I just found your blog a few months ago, and enjoy reading you daily. Thanks
Yes, the amount of pages in an issue of almost any magazine has dwindled. And the Drug Company ads make me crazy, just as the make me crazy when they run on television. I think we’re the only country in the world that allows drug companies to run commercials.
So glad you are enjoying the blog.
I miss MEHC. Even the paper felt different. I was excited when Victoria came back — but it wasn’t the same old worlde lushness, or I don’t know, maybe my eyes have changed. I subscribe to that and Country Living because my Mum likes them and I send them on to her. I also subscribe to Every Day with Rachel Ray, but I flick through more than half of the magazine and the recipes are either beginning to look like variations on a theme or “where on earth would I find that ingredient” odd. So I’m going to let that one go when it expires.
I subscribe to two Stampington: Somerset Studio and Art Journaling. Am thinking of letting my Somerset Studio one lapse because I prefer the messier look of Art Journaling — and they are both expensive.
They are expensive for sure. Extremely well done but expensive!
I miss Country Home and Mary Engelbreit, too. I read quite a few that are fun and business related for me (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) like Flea Market Style, Flea Market Decor and Vintage Style. I also like Country Living. Some of my favorites have beautiful photography- I love The Cottage Journal, and I subscribe to Jennifer Carroll’s beautiful online magazine Celebrating Everyday Life. I love the Stampington magazines, too, but have to be very choosy. I will have to check out the British edition of Country Living! I’m looking forward to reading the comments, to see other reader recommendations!
Thanks for reminding me of Flea Market Style, a real favorite of mine. I went back and edited my post to include it! I don’t know if I’m familiar with The Cottage Journal….I’ll have to check that out. (I buy pretty much every Flea Market style/decor/vintage style mag. I find them to be the most interesting – at least for me.
I, too, subscribe to both Victoria and Country Living, but am disappointed in both and most likely will not renew my subscriptions. My taste has changed some, but both magazines have changed a lot and don’t offer what they used to provide. I used to read both magazines cover to cover…now I find it hard to look through 10 pages without becoming bored! Cottage Living was wonderful and I really miss that one a lot. Otherwise, I subscribe to Bon Appetit and Cooks Illustrated…oh, and Yankee because we just received an offer to get a year for $10.
I’m thinking about subscribing to Yankee, Vera. Love that magazine.
I loved Cottage Living and MEHC. I do miss them so much! The only magazine I get regularly is Simple Crochet. It’s British and is hard to find, so several weeks ago I used a limited time offer and subscribed to it. I sometimes pick up Mollie Makes, but only when I feel I really need a treat!
Mollie Makes is a rare indulgence for me. I really love it, but I have to have a little extra money that I’m willing to spend!
I love MEHC & have saved a bunch of issues. Most of the back issues of magazines I saved are the Thanksgiving & Christmas. I have also cut up magazines & filing pictures & articles to use later. The problem with that is I have lots of files that I hardly ever look at to pick out something to make or cook. My favorite magazines these days are Maryjane’s Farm & Flea Market Style. I also buy some of the Stampington magazines depending on the content. They are available @ Costco @ 30% off. Country Living I have not renewed for a couple years. I’m a total magazine junkie but due to money & space~~~I have cut way back~~~much to my husband’s delight :0) !
Linda
I wish there was a Costco near us, but there isn’t !
I echo the comments about Country Living. I’ve subscribed to it for years, but won’t be renewing my subscription. The content is bleh and there are way too many ads.
I also get tired of the cookie cutter houses out there that don’t have a touch of personality in them. No family photo’s, no knick-knacks of any kind. It makes me feel as though I have too much “stuff” in my house when I look at it through those eyes. They constantly tell you that your home should be a place anyone could walk in and live without feeling like they’re in someone’s home. To me, that’s a hotel. When and if we ever sell it, I’ll remove my pictures, my little happy things, my knitting and crocheting and make it a generic box, until then, it’s ours and I want us to feel like US in it. Does that even make sense?
Anyway, after Country Living is gone, I’ll have no more decorating magazines and will most likely just use the internet for inspiration.
Blessings,
Betsy
Like you, I want to see something with the warmth and essence of the owner or renter showing in the photos. Too often that is missing.
I used to subscribe to Country Living and had so many of the good old issues from lang ago. My favorite at Country Living was Jo Northrup…whose Simple Country Pleasures, ended each issue.Sadly,I got rid of them when I moved…Now I subscribe to the English version and find that to be better that the one here in the states. I have years of MEHC and I still go through them occasionally. I miss the old magazines…I was like you, Claudia…I knew when they’d be in the stores and would buy several and cuddle up on the couch… just absorbing all that country feeling.
Balisha
I remember Jo Northrup, Balisha! Yes, I loved her and I think I would love her even more now, as I’m finally living in the country.
Yes,I also think about the loss of “Our” magazines due to the internet.I still hope they will come back.There’s one still out there that’s fantastic-Romantic Country-I still have that subscription and recommend it
I like Romantic Homes and Romantic Country but there sure does seem to be a lot of ads – especially in Romantic Country!
My Mom gets me two magazine subscriptions a year for Christmas other than that I strictly use Pinterest for my magazine addiction now :O)
The only magazine someone has given me a subscription to is National Geographic. My dad gave us that for Christmas.
Hi Claudia – I’m still a magazine hoarder but I agree with all your points.I hated when Victoria magazine stopped publishing and was so excited when it was coming back. But too many times, they were reusing photos from old issues and it didn’t feel worth the money. I used to be crazy and buy at least a dozen magazines a month. Now my budget limits me to 2 or 3. I prefer the British magazines now because the style tends to be more thrifty, upcycled and comfy. I want a lived in look, not shiny new and modern. And you’re right, I find myself in the book store leafing through magazines and deciding I can go home and spend some time on Pinterest or blogs and it won’t cost anything. J
I love British magazines. I always have. When I went to England for 3 weeks, I couldn’t wait to buy as many of my favorites as I wanted to !
I truly miss the old magazines that BH&G used to offer quarterly….Decorating…Elegant Homes or some such. They were my dreaming reads! I used to occassionally pick them up at the grocery store, I think they were about $3.50 or so…not too much. And during afternoon nap time…I’d sit in my living room, with my hot cup of coffee….no music, or tv…and dreamily gaze at the glossy pages…oblivious to the mounds of laundry and toys around me! It was ‘me’ time! Now, my only indulgence in the magazine world, is Coastal Living, and Flea Market Style. I still have a couple of those old magazines, but I gave up hoarding them during the great purge of 2001!! I miss them….more content, less ads…and ads were on the left side, not the right as it is today. Can’t go back can we? ;)
I remember those quarterly editions. I wish they were still publishing them.
I guess we can’t go back. But I sure wish someone would start publishing them again.
I did a huge magazine purge a few years ago and got rid of so many. I did keep MEHC and Country Living Nov/Dec issues because they are still inspiring to leaf through. The ads in magazines today are ridiculous! And they aren’t just 1/2 page or full page ads, they go on for PAGES ~ esp the drug ads w/ disclaimers and side-effects. That seriously makes me crazy. There is so much less content and more junk when one opens a magazine today. I do believe that we are responsible for creating a lot of these “problems” by being so internet and Pinterest involved. I also think of the blogs I subscribe to as my daily magazines, I guess, and they create no piles of clutter in the house. But that fun when a new magazine arrived in the mail is something I do remember as “me” time as someone else said. But I still do have that same feeling daily when my fav blogs come in…… like MHC!!!! Thanks for that!
You’re so right, the drug ads go on and on and on.
We have to remember, though, that Country Home and Cottage Living and MEHC folded before Pinterest got started. They went down for the count in the early days of blogging, too, way before there were as many blogs as there are today.
Over the years I’ve subscribed to a boatload of magazines and most of them “domestically-inclined” – Woman’s Day, House Beautiful, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Traditional Home, Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Coastal Living, Victoria, Romantic Homes, Cooks Illustrated – and I KNOW I’m missing more. But in my case, I can’t really say I no longer subscribe to any of them because their quality has diminished. I started reading them in my 20s & 30s because I needed or wanted to know more about their “topics” – and dropped them when I either lost interest or pretty much felt I’d absorbed enough. The only magazine I currently receive is “Yankee” which I returned to about a year ago. I’ve loved New England as long as I can remember, Yankee is remarkably well-rounded with features on homes, food, people, art, travel, history, crafts, etc – and better than some, I think, it’s still the same magazine I can remember from my childhood – my mother took it for years starting in the 60s.
I never really subscribed to any but Better Homes and Gardens, and I think it was either Country Home or Cottage Living. That one I subscribed to about two months before it went under!
I’ve long been a subscriber of County Living, but hated that new big format and realized I wasn’t even reading them. Just looked and saw they switched back. I too will be letting my subscription lapse, it just isn’t the same anymore. I agree, the British version is beautiful, but they closed our B&N so can’t find a place to buy it now. I used to take BH&G but all of the advertisements drive me nuts. I remember how I used to love sitting down with a new CL at night and losing myself in the magazine, but no more. I have a ton of magazines I should part with in the spring clutter, we’ll see who wins: me or the magazine!
I hate when an ad is put on the same page as a short article and it’s hard to tell where one starts and one ends. I see that a lot!
I’ve always been a magazine junkie. Still am, though I don’t subscribe to half as many magazines as I used to. The only one I buy on the newstand is The Simple Things – a British publication. I love the Stampington publications, too but they are way too expensive (at least for me). That’s why Brian and I go to B&N about once/month and take a pile of our favorite magazines and go sit in the cafe and thumb through them all. We get our magazine fix for free! The one magazine I truly miss is Cottage Living. I currently have a subscription to Country Living, but when it expires, I’m not renewing it. It’s not as good as it used to be. I find myself going through the whole thing in about 15 min. and there’s rarely anything in it that really catches my eye. Three more magazine subscriptions that I will not be renewing: Real Simple, Mary Jane’s Farm, and Cooking Light. I will still keep my subscriptions to Clean Eating, Mother Earth Living, and Reader’s Digest. I gave up on reading women’s magazines (Family Circle, Women’s Day, Good Housekeeping) awhile ago and don’t miss those one bit.
I’ve not seen The Simple Things, Melanie. I’ll have to check it out!
Oh, I really miss Cottage Living!
ME was truly one of a kind. I can’t believe it didn’t make a bigger hit.
My indulgence is the quarterly American Bungalow. It is full of photos of large and small homes showing amazing rooms with beautiful woodwork, classic bathrooms and incredible kitchens. The vintage decorating always has me drooling for more.
Any body read the more affordable Cottage and bungalows? I believe it is put out by the same publisher as Victorian Homes. I am hanging on to my Country Living sub for their “What is it worth”, Real estate sampler and flea market columns.
American Bungalow is a magazine I used to buy. It’s really lovely. I was especially interested in it when I was living in a Craftsman Home in San Diego!
Oh how I once loved to sit down with a stack of new magazines and just looks to my heart’s content. Sadly those days are over for me and I miss them. I just got so fed up with all the ads and would so often just quickly glimpse through the issue and put it down. My last subscription was to Country Living but I haven’t renewed in a few years. My aunt passes on some of her magazines to me and once in a while if we are on a trip and I feel that urge to just grab something I’ll buy a new one but it’s not often that happens. I remember the excitement my sister and I felt as teenagers when someone gave us their copies of bridal magazines. Oh my, to look at all those lovely dresses and dream about what our’s might someday look like. Most of the time when I look through a new magazine now I just feel disappointment. Thank goodness for my books.
Me too, Janie. I get frustrated and disappointed. That makes me sad.
Hi Claudia
Wanted to chime in and say,I used to buy them all the time! After TH retired I gave up
My purchases in order to keep up the budget. I have the internet so it is a happy compromise. I miss thumbing through them and have many favorites stored here. I often think of passing them on or recycling; but still love to thumb through them.
I had the good fortune of winning a year of FOLK but that has expired. On occassion I’ve been gifted an issue here and there of Flea Market style. My favorite used to be Country Living. I sometimes miss not purchasing it. I happened to see an issue on the stand at the store last week and it was thin. I imagine it is going the way of the dinosaur too. Pat
Very thin, Pat. And a lot of that content is advertising. Ah well.
I’d be ashamed to say how many magazines I had subscriptions for…..and now don’t. Good Housekeeping, Country Living, and many others look to me like a bunch of pages filled with medical drug advertisements with a few articles thrown in between.
I’m very disappointed with the way U.S. magazine publishers seem to be in it to make a profit these days with all the advertising.. Doesn’t anyone care how little content there actually is to read?
My money goes to the British editions of Country Living, Country Home and Interiors and a few others. They are a feast for the eyes, well written and actually take more than 10 minutes to read. They remind me what U.S. magazines use to be.
I think I’m going to go out and buy an issue of the British Country Living. I like that magazine and I need to be reminded of what a quality magazine it is.
You know that I share your love for MEHC – I’ll never part with mine either. I used to be devoted to Country Living, but it has changed so much in the last few years that I buy it only rarely. I adore Where Women Create, but yes, it is a treat only when I can easily afford it. Pinterest has filled in some of that need for me, thank goodness, but I still haunt used book stores looking for beautiful decorating books!
I love Where Women Create, but alas, I can only indulge rarely. I do thumb through it at B & N!
Hi Claudia,
Many antique/vintage shops carry old issues of decorating magazines for $1. I know of several dealers like myself who subscribe to CL, BH&G, Martha Stewart, etc. and then put the issues in my booth. I justify the cost as market research for my business; people will flock in to find the current trendy items at better prices. I can’t seem to find Flea Market Style here in CT but I love it.I love design blogs but I still really enjoy turning pages.
My friend Heidi, who is a shop owner, carries old issues of shelter mags and the 50 cent cost is donated to our local library. I bought several old issues of Country Living Gardener (I think that’s the title) which was a magazine that I loved and that CL stopped publishing (of course) many years ago.
I loved Cottage Living and was very disappointed when it was discontinued. I regret not keeping them. I only have one copy I kept due to an inspiring article about a gorgeous garden. I always looked forward to reading each issue from cover to cover. The photographs were inspiring. Now when I browse through home and garden magazines I feel disappointed, or have sticker shock from the prices. Some of the special issue publications catch my interest, but like you I cannot afford to spend $10 to $15 on a magazine.
That was a magazine that I truly read cover-to-cover. That doesn’t happen any more, sadly.
My favorites are Flea Market Style, Flea Market Decor and Vintage Style..I still subscribe to Country Living because they still have article that I really enjoy even though they have changed..
I like all three of those magazines, Nancy. I tend to go for things that are vintage or that have been repurposed and the very definition of Flea Market Style implies eclecticism. Yay!
I love magazines, I like to stay current with everything so I subscribe to several (you have to subscribe, newsstand prices are out of this world). Real Simple and HGTV have a wealth of information on everything and anything. Redbook and Ladies Home Journal and More (the latter being focused on women over 40) keep me focused on fashion, health and a number of other issues relevant to my life. And I love People…just to keep up with how the other half lives! lol! The only decorating magazine (beside HGTV, which is more home advice than “show and tell”) I get is Better Homes & Gardens. I’m losing my interest in that as well, too many ads and the homes usually don’t get my interest. Like all of you, I miss Cottage Living. Country Living bores me and the British version, I just can’t identify with a lot of it.
Very interesting subject. I thought about doing a post on my favorite magazines, some people have never heard of Redbook and More! And if you love magazines, that cozy feeling of curling up at the end of the day with some good subject matter, subscriptions are the way to go. Write the check, save money and forget about it for a year or two.
XO,
JAne
Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything I really want to subscribe to! Maybe Flea Market Style? But that’s quarterly, so it might be easier to just buy it. xo
Quite a few years ago I went to a garage sale and bought some old issues of ME Home Companion (I didn’t buy them all – just ones that I liked the cover)….sometimes I regret that decision…they were just 25 cents each! Anyway, shortly thereafter, I subscribed to her magazine, only to have the magazine cease publication about a year and half later. Boo hoo! I was also given a gift subscription to Cottage Living – the following year when I asked to have it renewed – publication ceased. Boo hoo! I had subscribed to Country Home magazine for years – and then it went kaput. Boo hoo! I MISS MY MAGAZINES!
For years I have given my mom a Country Living subscription – and then she passes the publications on to me – but it has definitely changed over the years, but better than nothing. I was given a gift subscription to Romantic Homes Magazine which is growing on me. Within the past year I have subscribed to The Cottage Journal – just because I’m still in mourning from the magazines that stopped publishing four or five years ago. Nothing can really replace those original favorites. I will occasionally buy a Flea Market Style which I really do like – and once in a blue moon, when I’m at Costco where they discount their magazines by 30%, I’ll buy one of those specialty magazines.
I’m rather old-fashioned and still like to hold a magazine in my hands, dog ear the pages and stack them everywhere (much to my husbands chagrin)!
Same thing with me. I’m pretty sure I subscribed to Cottage Living and it ceased publication about two months later.
I was shocked!
You’re the second person who has mention The Cottage Journal and I am not familiar with it. I am definitely going to have to look for that.
I still get Country Living but when my subscription ends I won’t renew. I find I just don’t look at magazines like I use too. Once through and I’m done, so the price i pay isn’t worth it. I love Flea Market Style but it’s pricey for me because I just don’t look at it enough. I guess I get all I need from the internet and Pinterest. Sad isn’t it!
Well, the Internet and Pinterest have sure taken over. Pinterest, though fun, just doesn’t fill the same role for me as a good magazine does. I want text, and stories, and all that goes with a magazine.
Ditto to pretty much everything you and your readers have said today. I let my Country Living go several years ago and happen onto an issue occasionally and still find it lacking from days of past. I truly miss the original Victoria and certainly Country Home. Used to be you could pick up back issues fairly cheap, but not so much anymore. For years I was on the hunt for back issues of CL, CH and Victoria and kept a list on me at all times of those I was missing. Still missing many but you would be amazed at the stack of binders I have in my closet. I tore them apart to discard all the advertising, took a three-hole punch to them and they are still my “go to” especially during these cold winter months. They remain a great form of entertainment for me but I too miss curling up in my favorite spot with the latest of what once were some very fine magazines.
Remember how fat each issue of Country Home was? About the size of a Stampington publication. We just don’t see that anymore.
Hi Claudia,
Talk about obsessed! Mind you, I did have a valid reason for my hoarding: um, a house to build! So what’s a girl to do when she’s living in Europe but loves her Canadian House & Home and Style At Home, as well as her American favourites, Traditional Home and House Beautiful? Well, she gets hooked on the French and English counterparts and in the process, develops an eclectic style! Like you, I have suitcases full of these treasures, as well as displays of decades on my bookshelves and stacks in boxes. I have given some away over the years, but kept issues that are just a part of me and my style. Every so often, I get the urge to sit and read through many of them, as they conjure up memories of the whole creative process of designing my home, which is a mix of mostly French and English country.
Three years ago, blogs and magazine websites managed to steal me, (and my money), away from print publications. It is sad, though, as there truly is nothing like waking up to a hot cup of coffee, a sweet treat and a new, never opened, glossy magazine to melt away the morning. I remember studying every detail of many remarkable features, learning, admiring, questioning, wondering and appreciating the talent and fine workmanship found in beautiful homes.
Right now, the screen may be queen, but the printed page is a dream!
xo
Poppy
The printed page is a dream indeed, Poppy! Forgot about Canadian House and Home, I used to buy that magazine rather frequently!
I liked House & Garden, too. Now I’m getting sad again!
I also miss MEHC and also have every issue published except the one I lent to a friend. I had subscriptions to so many magazines in the past but–like you and so many others–I’ve come to think of them as so much clutter with very little content. I have kept my Better Homes and Gardens subscription because it is super cheap and does have some good things at times. Seriously, I think I subscribe because it is a habit. The only other magazine I currently subscribe to is Country Living but it’s not the same–or maybe I’m the one who has changed. I recently got an offer from Martha Steward offering a very low subscription price but after a few days that offer ended up in the recycle bin. I do still dig out MEHC issues now and again when I need a good magazine fix.
I used to subscribe to BHG because it was so cheap, as well. I let it run out eventually.
Oh, how I miss Home Campanion,Cottage Living, and Country Home! They were all wonderful reads. I used to look forward to the middle of the month, when the issues for the next month would arrive in my mailbox. The only ones that I receive now are The Cottage Journal (It is much cheaper by subscription) and Better Homes and Gardens. Oh, the good old days……….
You’re not kidding, Susan. The good old days….
I subscribe to Country Living and Somerset Studio. I probably won’t renew the Country Living because there’s nothing to it anymore and you can see most of it on-line anyway! I subscribed to Somerset Studio when the craft stores quit letting you use coupons on magazines. Which is fine because I pretty much quit going to the craft stores anyway. I love coming home and finding a new issue in my mailbox.
I miss the big fat Creating Keepsakes from back when scrapbooking was so popular. I have all the books though. I also miss Nutshell News miniature magazine. I love American Miniaturist but its too expensive as all the miniature magazines are. I try to buy back issues from the club tables at mini shows for $1 each. I love the Stampington mags but $15.00 is too much! I find them at garage sales sometimes. I also buy Taste of Home, Oprah and Martha Stewart when I find them at the sales.
When I need a magazine fix I go to the library and check out a big stack. I also buy them at Half Price Books and rummage sales are a great place to get magazines. Now I want to go dig out my MEHCs! I think I have a stack of craft mags I haven’t looked at from a garage sale last year too. I will have to go look.
I have heard of Nutshell News – which was published before I started getting in to miniatures. I’d love to read a copy someday. Go dig out your MEHCs!
Your words echo my thoughts. I used to get Victoria magazine and loved every issue. But when we moved from Ecuador to Canada, I got rid of most of them. Shortly thereafter the publication ceased, and while I applaud a new publisher trying to keep the publication alive, it’s lost much of its appeal for me. However, I have amassed quite a collection of the older issues.
My dollars now go to the British magazines. I find their publications have more individuality and the personalities of the homeowners comes through. Things are less perfect, less staged, less polished than the US (and Canadian) shelter magazines and much more appealing. I still purchase the Canadian Style at Home once in awhile, and Canadian Home – especially when they feature Sarah Richardson, who is my favorite designer.
I have a few issues of MEHC and enjoy perusing them as well. You are so right, a computer screen cannot replace the tactile experience of leafing through a print magazine.
I subscribe to two magazines. One is Victoria. I subscribed to Victoria the first time around and now again when it was reborn. It’s nice but not like it used to be. The other I subscribe to is Prims, which features handmade items with a primitive/folk quality. I didn’t subscribe to Country Home, but I did like picking up an issue now and again. I preferred it over Country Living, which I also is not what it used to be.
I read Country Living from the first issue and just loved it until it became advertising with an article. I loved the rich features and many stories and wonderful pictures and was sad when it became 50% advertising and when it went over that, forget it! When I realized that if I had seen the cover, I had seen the main part of the magazine, well….Many of the other mags did the same. I currently subscribe to Mary Janes Farm which isn’t glossy (as it is printed on recycled paper) but I do enjoy that and it only comes every other month so it doesn’t overwhelm. I really enjoy Tiny House Magazine which is a publication that I find so intriguing! Living in a 5th wheel, this really speaks to me right now. :)
Claudia,
I could have written this post myself! I feel exactly the same way. I miss Country Almanac , Country Decorating Ideas, Mary
Emmerling’s magazine and Country Home.
I also am on a tight budget and just can’t justify the cost anymore. I do pick up magazine occasionally, especially during the Holidays. The lack of quality, content, to much advertising and cost all played a factor.
But oh how I miss my magazines!
I do currentlly subscribe to BH&G because It was only 5.99 for the year. I also subscribed to Southern Living and Coastal Living for the same reason, they were offered for $l0.00 for the year.
Country Living was my first subscription mag back in the 1980’s and I enjoyed it for over 10 years. Then I started getting Martha Stewart’s Living for a few years and when I realized I was getting billed for subscription renewal when I had already paid and had over 17 months remaining and I was not really being sufficiently amused by it, I just cancelled it, Now I enjoy Fine Gardening and Better Homes and Gardens which my friend gave me the subscription. Once in a while I will grab something from the newsstand that catches my attention.
I just feel the same about those magazines. They are very expensive and should have more than one good idea. We ususally pass a magazine around. It might be my turn to buy one soon. “Schweizer Landliebe” is quite nice, and it has four editions a year. Happy moving! ;-)
The Cottage Journal is, I think, a quarterly or bi-monthly (or is every other month semi-monthly?). It frequently is a seasonal theme: The Cottage Journal Holidays, The Cottage Journal Christmas, etc. I will pick it up when I find it at CVS on a weekend I have a 30% off coupon (CVS is one of the few places where magazines are eligible for discounts). Or the magazine title may read something like “Spring Cottage”, “Summer Cottage”, etc
The Cottage Journal is published by the same company that revitalized Victoria. They also put out Southern Lady magazine and TeaTime (or some other Tea related title). It’s on nice quality paper which adds to it’s desirability in my mind.
My understanding is also that the photographer that “made” the original Victoria what is was died in the early 2000’s which was part of why it was discontinued. So despite all best intents, it will never be what it was without that photographers special artistry.
I love to go to Barnes and Noble every so often. The aroma of coffee and books is fabulous! That’s one reason why I go to B&N. The other reason is to pick up the British edition of Country Living. It’s wonderful! I began reading Country Living (USA) way back over thirty years ago. I loved the magazine then. It has never been the same since the format changed. I still buy a copy now and then, but it is so different now. I had stacks of the old CL’s for several years, but ended up recycling them. CL was my favorite, but there were many I enjoyed.
Gosh Claudia I’m just like you…except with the Victoria mags. I used to buy them and have them all from issue one to when they stopped producing them, and then, the new ones just aren’t the same…and expensive. Now I buy the British Country Living once in a while and a Vanity Fair for the airplane ride, or for the cabin weekend and that’s all. I also used to have a subscription to National Geographic. For years and years as my children were growing up. But then they grew up and the whole flavour of the magazine changed form an exploration of nature and science to doom and gloom the world will collapse and everything will become extinct forever. Now I know there are issues and worries, but the balance of wonderful photography and exploration went to 20% while the doom and gloom and horrors went to 80%, so I let my subscription lapse. I also have a magazine publishing/ CMNS degree and write magazine articles and sell them to various mags and usually buy an issue here or there where my articles are published and save the issue as a sort of tangible resume. :)
I’m adding my two cents worth here as magazine talk is always so interesting. I LOVED MEHC – from the quality paper and printing inks to the fabulous stories, decor ideas and such. I still love Mary’s cards and often buy them but I so miss the magazine. I also adored COUNTRY HOME – one beautiful and beautifully produced magazine -I remember the pretty damask edges around the pages – perhaps my most favorite mag ever, I cried when it ended! The original VICTORIA was also fabulous, the new version not so much. I always had subscriptions to these mags, kept most for years but then had to have a clear-out and took them to SuzAnna’s Antiques to give away. I still subscribe to COUNTRY LIVING however it is nothing like it used to be either – andI dislike the thin paper and the way they keep changing the format. I had several years of the lovely French mag. CAMPAGNE delivered – always enjoyed the photos and was able to read some of the content – but stopped that sub. last year when I had less time to read due to travel and the mags. were stacking up unread, and it’s expensive.
My most favorite though, the one I hope and pray never goes out of print, is the UK COUNTRY LIVING. This excellent mag has everything I crave – plus of course being British it keeps me updated on things at home. The entire mag is beautiful – even the ads, no drugs! – and the large format, heavy paper and fabulous printing, means photos are perfection, articles always so well written. It truly focuses on old-fashioned British ‘country style living’ at each season, but with loads of exciting modern touches. If you love cottage living/decor you will see the real things here. The recipes are awesome – the food photog. the best! The content includes ‘houses, gardens, food, crafts, decorating, travel, health’, what more do we need! I subscribe – and have for many, many years – through Canada’s Express Mag. It’s monthly and comes to my door all for about $6 a issue – much cheaper ad more convenient than on B&N newsstand! And NO, I’m not a shareholder or being paid by the publisher, LOL!
Hugs – Mary
I also saved most of my favourite magazines. It is sad that due to online coverage of magazines, which most of them do, subscriptions and simple buying off the shelf have dropped drastically. Around 7 years ago I got a deal and subscribed to Country Home and Country Living. Country Home was always my favourite. When I got the notice that it was being discontinued my heart sank. It was like losing a dear friend. The publisher fulfilled my subscription by changing it to two other publications, Tradional Home and Beautiful Homes and extending them for 3 years. Both are nice but not really my style. As for the shelf prices, when it comes time for renewal the price is so cheap it is kind of sad. Both publications I get renewed for under $20 a year because I have had them so long and Country Living is around $24 a year, if you take out a 2 year it is even cheaper. I keep renewing and pass on the magazines I don’t like to friends and family. I feel it is my obligation to continue so that the published page will not disappear. It will be a sad, sad day when that happens. Here in Canada we only have around 3 Home Design magazines left in publication and my favourite one is now gone.
Loved Nutshell News and ME my bad is I get a bad case of the I wants when I read the vintage genre mags. :(
Hi Claudia, I used to keep all the copies of certain magazines, including Country Home and Country Living and I still mourn the loss of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion! A quick word about the Stampington line of magazines… did you know that a couple times a year they have a huge sale and lots of those 14.95 magazines can be picked up for as little as .99? I kid you not, this past November I caught a sale and purchased about 30 back issues I had wanted but couldn’t afford when they were first released… I spent a total of about $74 which included my shipping fees!!! The next time I get an email for a back issue sale I will let you know… it is really the best way to collect those amazing magazines!
Hugs and keep warm my sweet blogging sister,
Beth P
Had I known that MEHC days were numbered, I would have saved more issues. I still have a substantial stack of them, but I routinely recycled my magazines twice a year to a friend with a lake cabin. The old issues make for great rainy day at the lake reading. Today, the only magazine I subscribe to is Country Living, because they still visit the featured sites with a professional photographer. I don’t care to pay good money for magazines that pull too dark photos directly from blogs, etc. My mother bought me a subscription to Consumer Reports, which I wasn’t too excited about, but I’ve found that the issues are filled with good homeowner information, and I’ll be saving the issues for future reference. I agree, that blogs and Pinterest can’t compete with sitting down with a brand new high quality magazine or book.
I, too, ordered (and am now hoarding) the Mary Engelbreit magazine. In terms of “shelter” magazines, right now I subscribe to Mary Jane’s Farm, Victoria, and Tea-Time. (The recipes in Tea-Time are to die for, as our the table settings, the tea history articles, and the articles about the best tea shops around the country. And I’ve been a subscriber of Victoria since their very first issue in the late 80s.) All three have very few ads and lots of content. I am also addicted to Vanity Fair and read it cover to cover when it arrives. (It’s been a gift susbscription for years and I’m so grateful for it!) Its writers are wonderful, the photography is wonderful, and I love the fact that in one magazine I might read about Marilyn Monroe, the Hadron Collider, the Agnellis, a little known work of art by Vermeer, and the new Roosevelt Memorial on the East River.