COTE DE TEXAS: Another One Bites The Dust

Another One Bites The Dust

 

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Meredith Corporation announced today that Country Home magazine’s last issue will be this March.  Stunning.  Country Home, with its modern take on the country and cottage lifestyle was a very popular magazine with a readership of over 8 million.   Today Meredith claimed a poor advertising climate forced their hand.   What wasn’t said was that the writing has been on the wall since  Editor Carol Sheehan, author of the popular book “Living with Dogs” left the magazine last year.  Sheehan started at Country Home in 1997, but since her departure the quality has suffered.  While at the helm, Sheehan recruited her friend, author Mary Emmerling to join her at Country Home, and this duo was formidable.  But Emmerling quietly disappeared shortly after Sheehan and the magazine couldn’t survive both their absences.  LuAnne Brandsen took over for Sheehan and after a rocky start, the magazine was finally getting back on tract, but it couldn’t have been easy for her with the two looming ghosts of giants Sheehan and Emmerling.   Brandsen persevered and the last few issues have been some of her best ones.   What a shame.  

 

  image The latest issue of Country Home featured this beautiful kitchen.

 

This freefall of discontinued magazines is getting a little scary.  Cottage Living and O Home are two of the latest to shut their doors.   Vogue Living is gone now, too.   House and Garden, finished.   Who’s next?   Along with announcing the death of Country Home, Meredith said 350 employees are getting pink slips.  They predicted that this is not the end – that other magazines are rumored to soon follow.  Hopefully – they won’t be other design titles.

 

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It wasn’t your mother’s country at  Country Home – it was a hybrid of Americana, English and French, with a little Swedish thrown in.

Magazines need to get with the digital explosion.   Lately, I’ve been subscribing to as many magazines digitally as are offered.  But, it’s still slim pickings.  Meredith should place their inventory for sale online – it might help.  Digital magazines are green, they save paper, shelf space, gasoline, printing expenses,  distribution expenses and landfills – how more 2000 can you get?  One other advantage to reading digitally is that all references are clickable to their websites – a  huge timesaver.  Digital magazines are the future, so why hasn’t Meredith signed on? 

All I can say is House Beautiful, Veranda, Southern Accents, and Elle Decor better be safe!  

 

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And,  in a bit of blogging business and shameless self promotion, I want to thank Terry Sapienza for naming Cote de  Texas to the Washington Post’s Blog Watch:  Top Ten Clicks for 2008!  Thanks Terry so very much!  I am flattered and honored to be named alongside such a great group. 

To read The Washington Post article, please go here.

93 comments :

  1. WOW... I sooooooooo miss House & Garden magazine!
    Do you think it has to do with everyone viewing Interior Design online? Are we bloggers hurting the magazines or helping them? Several magazines have online articles also... why buy a magazine if you can read it online?
    HOWEVER... I love to flip through magazines and unfortunately I LOVE to hang on to them too... my hubby can vouch (complain) for that.

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  2. I am such a magazine Junkie!

    So sad to here about soooo many stopping publication.

    I am with you, I hope that's it for a while...We must have our staple magazines... like Veranda!

    Nice article ;0)

    KayEllen

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  3. Oh Joni, congratulations on the Washington Post Top 10!! xoxo

    It's disheatening to hear of another magazine biting the dust -- and I hear you on the digital, and I know I shouldn't admit to this, it's so anti-green, but I love laying in my hammock flipping through the pages of paper magazine and really hate it when inside it gives a little tease on an article and says to go online to read it!!

    Congrats again!!
    xo Isa

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  4. Oh, no not another one of my favourite US magazines....GONE! They seem to be dropping like flies Joni!! Let's hope this is the last one!
    Thanks also for that gorgeous pic of the bathroom with the same wallpaper as mine....so lovely of you to send that to me!
    Hope you are well! Oh and congrats on the Washington Post mention....so exciting isn't it!!
    xxx
    Anna

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  5. bummer! i was really sick about cottage living and now this. yikes! your friend emailed me...that is too funny about the chair. she sent me a pic of it! i was cracking up! i just finished my version...but still lust after her's.

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  6. NOOOOOOOO! I got my February issue yesterday and I thought it felt kinda skimpy...

    Congrats on the top 10!!!

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  7. Hello - you mention online subscriptions - which publications have online subscriptions? Thank you ~ Stephanie in Texas

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  8. Joni, first let me say, "Congratulations!" You are so very deserving!

    I'm sorry to hear about "Country Home." I don't subscribe to magazines, but I do pick them up at Publix while shopping. This is one that I have really enjoyed. I hated when "House & Garden" went out of business because I read that for years. I hope the other shelter magazines stay out of the firing line.

    XO,

    Sheila... who is proud of YOU!

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  9. Maybe they will come back... "House & Garden" did. I can remember the first one I got after they had killed it initially. It was so exciting, and they had a neat, new format. Alas...

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  10. This is unbelievable. The media world is changing. The mags need to get more of an online presence quick! Ad revenue streams online could save some of them. Sad really. It's like the days when the car took the place of horse and buggy. Only much faster changes in our times. My goodness. I'm truly in shock over this one. I do see a huge opportunity for blogs/web to fill the gap. It's just not the same as holding a magazine is it?

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  11. Joni, This makes me so sad. I did not subscribe to Country Home but I would pick it up every now and then. The mags I subscribe to (Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Southern Accents and Veranda---and the former Cottage Living and New Old House) are like old friends that come to visit every month or so. I LOVE them and it makes me sad to think that they are folding. I love looking on-line but to me nothing compares to sitting down and looking at the magazine. I get excited every time a new one appears in my mailbox. All I can say is that I hope some of these will come back when the economy picks up.

    Kim

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  12. P.S. I fogot to say congrats on the Washingtom Post nod...that is Fabulous. I am off to look for some dining chairs this morning.... Going to "Found" and Interiors o Dunleavy...any other suggestions?

    Kim

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  13. Oh Joni, get ready. YOU HAVE NO IDEA who is going to be next.
    It is so dismal in publishing with advertisers completely evaporating and the overseas printers and color houses going under who produce the actual magazines.
    The entire landscape of home related retail and shelter magazines is going to DRAMATICALLY change in the next 12 months.
    IT IS VERY, VERY SCARY.

    Randy

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  14. Oh, my, Joni what is this world coming to??? It is getting kind of scary! So very sad to see so many out of jobs and suffering through this nat'l disaster,so to speak. Maybe just maybe THINGS will turn around soon.....I sure am praying for that!

    Congrats again on your honour! I think that is great!

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  15. I never was a subscriber to Country Home, I suppose the title threw me off. I had no idea the magazine had a modern and sophisticated approach to "Country" design. How disappointing.

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  16. Oh no... Cottage Living was bad enough. They better not touch House Beautiful!

    And which magazines/publications has online subscriptions?
    I know of myhomeidieas.com and housebeautiful.com, 1stdibs also has a great online mag...

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  17. Congrats to you Joni! You are so deserving of this honor from Washington Post.
    Country Home was not a "must read" for me but I hate to see another shelter magazine fold. I do hope House Beautiful is safe!!
    Does anyone know what Dominique Browning is doing these days?

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  18. I know we were just talking about this, but I'm not on the online bandwagon. I don't enjoy reading magazines digitally as much as in my hand (call me old fashioned) -plus I LOVE my clipping files and dont' want to have to turn on my computer to see them! But digital AND hard copy -now we're talking. I do like my blogs and online publications, but I would miss it if say...elle decor went 100% digital.

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  19. Yikes. Hopefully what will happen is the content of those remaining will be so strong they will survive these strange transitional times. I still like seeing rooms on a page.

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  20. The best-read, coolest people I know are reading (and quoted in) the Washington Post...Congrats! I'm going to start including it in my morning routine :)

    Have we just reached a cap on the number of mags we can take? I don't know, but there are months I don't even get to all of mine. That's allot of advertising!

    I agree with Niartist, "Country" thew me off a bit. And ArchDesign, I also love the glossy pages; maybe the ripped edges, and my stack of them yet to be filed?

    However, I look at my digital pics often, and have stored all of those great rooms from bloggers on my ipod. Great for a ferry line up!

    Great post Joni! Worthy of the W.Post!

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  21. Joni - Congratulations! You so deserve to be on any top 10 blog list!

    I don't know what I'd do without magazines. I really don't care to look at them online. Websites are great for research but will NEVER replace the printed piece. I subscribe to every mag. that I like, but I know it ultimately depends on ad revenue.

    Here's hoping Obama can get the economy turned around.

    -Lana

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  22. First of all, congratulations Joni! That's terrific news about being mentioned in the Washington Post.

    Publications in general just don't understand the paradigm shift in the way that information moves since the onset of the internet. I worked for the local newspaper and would tell them a thousand times that they needed to be listing and directing people to interesting web sites and blogs. They viewed the internet as their "enemy" and as such wouldn't even mention the word internet much less provide links. Well, you see the mess the newspapers are in.

    Advertising dollars are being spread thin and the piece of the pie that magazines garnered has been cut. I will truly miss Country Home. I was always more appealing to me than Country Living.

    Unfortunately, Mary Englebreit's Home Companion is also a casualty. She has lost her publisher. I'm very sad about this.

    - Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

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  23. Wow, that is disappointing. I didn't subscribe but would buy an issue once and awhile.

    Like Fifi Flowers I wonder if magazines will eventually see blogs as a problem. I haven't rec'd my House Beautiful yet this month but heard they had some bloggers send in pics of their living rooms.

    One of the first major design magazines to go online was Canadian House & Home. It's one of my favorites but I still get the paper version too. Bad for the environment but I love flipping the pages...

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  24. I'm so sad. I feel like I just learned that a dear friend has died. Country Home was my favorite. I stopped taking Veranda and Southern Accents years ago because I was so sick of every issue being a "designer showhouse." I look at magazines to see how real people live and CH did that the best in my opinion. I agree that it has lagged a bit since Carol and Mary left, and it was slowly coming back into it's own.... What a shame is right...

    On a happier note, "Congrats" on your shout out in the Washington Post!! What a well deserved honor!
    joan

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  25. Randy sounds like he knows something. Hmmmm...

    I've been a big fan of Country Home until recent years when the mags became skimpy and the design lean. I do love Traditional Home, Veranda and Country Living, though. I hope they're safe.

    Congrats, friend, on your Washington Post accolade. Well-deserved.

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  26. Congratulations on the Washington Post mention -- so wonderful!

    And yes -- another unhappy camper here too! I have subscribed to decor magazines like Country Home for years -- and would miss opening that first page with sheer bliss as I sip a martini or wine -- or even a hot tea depending on the time of day! (LOL!) I just don't enjoy digital books and magazines as much -- with the exception of blogs of course!

    I DO wonder (and this is JUST a discussion point!) if the rise in popularlity of Shelter-wise and Decor Blogs has anything to do with the fall of decor magazines?

    And I will be in a state of full decline if I lose out on Southern Accents; Veranda; House Beautiful; Traditional Home -- and Country Living .... (looks over her shoulder and shudders .....)

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage (who is a decor mag addict)

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  27. Oh no, Joni! Shelter magazines have been my main vice for so long that being weaned off of them one by one is actually painful. I'd be embarrassed to say how many I subscribe to. And I definitely did my part for Country Home for many, many years. So sad. It's great that the mags have online versions so I can get anytime/anywhere info but there's nothing like finding a new issue in your (real) mailbox then anticipating the treat it will be when your workday is finally over and you get to curl up on the sofa with your new/old friend. Curling up with my laptop has yet to give me that same feeling.
    To end on a happier note: BIG CONGRATS on your Washington Post mention! You continue to inspire.

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  28. It's funny (weird, not ha ha) because I'd just started receiving Country Home out of the blue. And now, poof. Gone. It did seem skimpy. I do think that the economy is playing a part, but so too is the explosion of online resources and ad dollars shifting away from traditional print. That said, there is nothing like seeing beautiful print spreads in high gloss. I also think that there was an explosion of shelter mags over the last 10 years and a contraction is not a surprise. Sad tho.

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  29. I love the great decor magazines, though I have given up several subscriptions. My tear sheets are one of my organizing "to do's in 09. That said, I barely can work full time, paint almost every day and read my fave blogs!!

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  30. :( I was so upset about Cottage Living... and now Country Home??? Any suggestions for similar reading?? (besides Country Living?)

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  31. GASP! CH is my favorite magazine! Foreclose all you want, you bad recession, you, but don't take my Country Home! (just kidding, btw!)
    I had noticed the difference in the editions since Sheehan left, but I was still loyal. So sad.
    Congrats on the props from the WP!! Very cool. As are you!

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  32. I don't really read this but it's disappointing news. I'm sad about Country Living and am still mourning H&G!

    I am worried about Domino.

    Kudos to you on all your fame and glory. :-)

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  33. I'm as shocked as everybody else! Now I have to go through withdrawls all over again ~ at least with my magazine addiction I cannot throw any out ~ Thank God!
    I just started getting Victoria again and was so happy after they started up again, haven't heard anything about them yet.
    Congratulations on your mention.

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  34. Congratulations Joni!
    Cote de Texas is a MUST read for me!
    I am glad I did not resubscribe my subscription last week to CH.
    A casualty of the economy....tragic!
    Love all that you do!
    lamaisonfoublogspot.com

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  35. i am saddened by the loss of ANY home magazine, though i gotta admit, i never even opened a "country living" magazine- just not really my thing. i do hope meredith doesn't shutter "traditional home" because for someone who has never considered himself traditional in style *at all*, i find it might be my favorite title on the market- they really get blending traditional styles with modern living, in a way that often feels forced elsewhere.

    what's going on with the magazine industry is truly frightening, especially with the rumors swirling that conde nast is thinking of closing domino (the most successful home magazine launch EVER mind you). the whole situation is sad, and what's sadder is i fear that bloggers like joni and myself are helping fuel the circulation declines because we offer similar content for free. if the mags go under, though, it will hurt us tremendously in the availability of things to publish and talk about, so it's a really viscous circle.

    one thing i think the magazines should consider is raising their subscription prices- i know i'm happy to pay the full cover price, yet prefer the convenience of having it delivered to my mailbox. to get domino for a dollar an issue seems ridiculous, and i think i got 3 full years of traditional home for under twenty! how can they afford to publish for that kind price, especially if ad revenues are no longer bearing the brunt of the costs?

    something's gotta give, and i hope that something is NOT the closing of more titles!

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  36. oops- in the heat of my rant, i forgot-

    CONGRATS, JONI!!!!!

    what an honor- that's got to be the blogging equivalent of a best actress oscar!

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  37. Congratulations on the Washington Post top ten honor. Well-deserved.

    Not suprised that Country Home is folding as without Sheehan and Emmerling it was lackluster issues. Emmerling went back to House Beautiful after all these years.

    Hope the Southern Livng group is financially stronger to weather this economy storm. When Veranda and Southeren Accents fold, it will be a sad, sad day for all of us.

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  38. I must admit, I have never even heard of this magazine. I guess I just focus on the ones I subscribe to...House Beautiful, Veranda, Southern Accents, and Traditional Home. I have let my Domino and AD expire.

    Congratulations on your Washington Post mention! You are definitely my #1 favorite blog and blogger!

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  39. I just want to say this - it's not the subscriptions that rule the budget, as far as I've been told - it's the advertising dollars which with more readers - creates more ads. I think their readership was fine. Truth be told - I don't think that design bloggers are quite as numerous as some claim. You have to read between the lines when quoting stats of readerships to blogs. So, no, I don't blogs are making the difference - I think we actually help the magazines by creating interest.

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  40. I'm still in shock over the demise of House and Garden...

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  41. Thank you everyone for your kind words - so very much appreciated!!! I was so excited when Things That Inspired told me about it!

    thanks again - y'all are the best!
    Joni

    p.s. Who is Randy talking about? It better not be House Beautiful!

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  42. I had no clue..it was one of my favorites also. I did stop subscribing to any magazines this year--but not because of money(yet) mostly because I get so excited to read them--and then I see them on the stands BEFORE they are mailed to customers..that really irked me off. So I ended up buying them.Spening so much money. I just feel the magazines need to go to the subscribed consumer first.

    anyhow--I'm Dawn From Wisconsin--doing one of my favorite past times--blog hunting!

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  43. Why even check the mail now? I'm too depressed to even get my bills out. (Not that I really want those anyway! lol)

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  44. When paper media go down, there are job losses all along the chain, from delivery to printing to papermaking. My county just lost 300 paper mill jobs. OTOH, the mill was an environmental disaster, and will probably end up as a Superfund site. Maybe it will qualify for some stimulus money...

    It seems to me we are being forced to enter the 21st century the hard way. (Writers and journalists, not excepted, are becoming 'content providers' or bloggers living off advertising.) Old businesses and institutions, no matter how revered, will die if they can't adapt.

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  45. That's such disappointing news.

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  46. I heard.... I hope House beautiful and Better Homes & G are safe !!!

    Congrats on the article...

    Kathy :)

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  47. I used to like Country Home and I wrote for it once, but I thought it really peetered out over the last year. Didn't really stand out in any way. This last issue I got in the mail looked like Woman's Day. I thought they should have given the editor job to Mary Emmerling - she had fantastic style!

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  48. Glad to see CDT on the Washington Post selections. Kudos to you!

    P.S. Got my Feb. Domino yesterday and inside was a subscription offer card that really floored me. 1 year of Domino + 1 year of Arch. Digest for $20 total. Such a suprise to see AD offered at that price, and to see such differing mags paired.

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  49. As one of the millions that get that magazine I'm bummed but as long as we have great blogs like yours Joni I think I can cope.

    Shelly

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  50. Oh, bother.
    I am most seriously displeased.

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  51. Congrats on your top ten!! Very exciting!

    I agree with you on the design mags, I would be very upset if Tradtional Home, Southern Accents, Veranda or House Beautiful went away!

    Love your blog! Keep up the great work!

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  52. Not only are many biting the dust, but I have started to notice how thin every issue is. My House Beautiful and Town & Country arrived today thinner than ever. I don't think this is the last one we are going to see fold....

    Congratulations on your top ten. I think you blog is great.

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  53. I miss Cottage Living. But I still have Cottages and Bungalows. I have been picking up a lot of UK mags now.

    Hopefully the others I read will hang in. I used to look forward to Cottage Living so much!!

    Oh, and if you get a chance to stop by, please visit my new blog! It's a 1906 stone house, so my projects are a bit different than most. :)

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  54. Congrats sweetie on the Top Ten Clicks for 2008! Well deserved....xo...deb

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  55. I feel like I should be wearing black every day, mourning all of the magazine friends that I seem to be losing daily. You are right, these magazines have got to join the computer age. What will I do without my Veranda and Elle Decor is they are next?

    On a lighter and happier note, I have already congratulated you via e-mail, but I feel the need to say it again here. You are a gift to us all. I feel honored to be one of your loyal followers and to be one of your friends.

    xo xo

    Brooke

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  56. Congratulations Joni! I love your blog.

    I drove all over Austin today trying to find this issue of Country Home. I love the paint colors in the kitchen. I can't find a place that carries the magazine anymore. If anyone out there has a copy, I would be so appreciative if you would give me the kitchen paint colors (wall, trim, ceiling). Thank you!

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  57. Say it isn't so about Country Home! Grieving the loss of another one. However, Victoria was revived, so there is always hope. Thank goodness there is your amazing blog, Joni. And how fabulous on being named in The Washington Post! Congragulations! They know a good thing when they see it.

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  58. Hey Joni,

    Never written to you before but I run the Joni Webb Fan Club in little Greenville, SC. Can't wait to spend a few moments each morning with you and a hot cup of cocoa.

    I, too, am a designer, and shelter mags can be very inspirational as well as entertaining and well...comforting like an old friend with some news to share-you know "show and tell".

    As for Country Home I let my subscription lapse a couple of years ago did not care for the direction(for the most part) it was taking. Carol and Mary are sorely missed.

    Enough of that we at MacGregor's have followed your blog devotedly and say "CONGRATS".

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  59. Joni:

    I always read the Wash Post online but decided to pick it up at the grocery store Thurs morning...Happy to see you on the list...Your post never disappoint and you have a great following. I look forward to every entry you make and wish you the best this 2009!!!... Fay

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  60. That is sad news, I take a number(not to be mentioned) of design magazines and I use them like reference books. I study them and cut out inspirational picts for future projects for myself and my clients. Although I see the convenience of a digital magazine.That would not give me the same experience as when I sit in my favorite chair with my cup of tea and gently turn the pages and go into another world.I am all for progress but I think it is important to keep some of the written words on paper.Remember handwritten letters of the past, now we do emails.I think somethings need to remain, call me old fashioned but new is not always better, right Joni, why else would we still be searching for the perfect antiques? Kathysue

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  61. I subscribe to the Washington Post online. Congratulations, Joni, for making the list! You deserve it, so very much. I need to check more closely at the Post.

    Sad to hear some of my favorite magazines are disappearing. I haven't subscribed to any mags online. I might do that.

    Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We're taking a break from the condo painting, etc, for a 3rd birthday party for grandson, Drew.

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  62. I did not know this. Thank you for telling us, however, I am simply depressed to hear the news.

    I love this magazine and will be so sorry to see it go.

    Melissa

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  63. Cottage Living & Country Home are 2 of my favorite subscriptions. I can't believe that I won't be squeeling with bliss when I see that pretty little package in the mail anymore. I am still in mourning!!!

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  64. Congratulations, Joni! To be listed in the Washington Post is a great honor and SO deserved!
    xoxo,
    Mary

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  65. I am sick about Country Homes and Cottage Living! I received a postcard stating that they would be changing my subscription to Southern Living. Lots of ads and some recipes thrown in for good measure. No thanks! Very disappointing!

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  66. I agree with your remarks. I enjoy reading this blog -- it is so informative. For instance, I did not know that the Alabama Supreme Court had reversed the ruling that designers without the proscribed background could no longer work! I had given up, since I could not afford to be fined. (I have found another career as a writer) But this has me thinking that maybe I might have a second chapter as a designer someday! At least, I'll have the choice.

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  67. It is always sad to see another icon go down the tubes. How sad for all the employees and their families. I agree the last couple of issues was starting to rebound. It's sad they could no longer hang on. I'm wishing all those that got pink slips the best..hugs ~lynne~

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  68. It is always sad to see another icon go down the tubes. How sad for all the employees and their families. I agree the last couple of issues was starting to rebound. It's sad they could no longer hang on. I'm wishing all those that got pink slips the best..hugs ~lynne~

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  69. Wow, can't believe how the shelter mags are dropping like flies! Congrats on the Washington Post distinction, Joni! Very well-deserved.

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  70. Cograts on the Washington Post mention, Joni! However, I am horrified about Country Home and Cottage Living ....I LIVE for those magazines! I do love my laptop and am obviously addicted to it, but there is something so comforting about going over, and over, and over favorite magazine editions. ..(or,is that just me?) I mean, you have to have something SOLID when there is no internet access, for gods sake...like on a plane, in a car, getting a pedicure, waiting for your dentist's arrival,car to be serviced,etc,etc,etc.What if we have another hurricane? WHAT a bummer.

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  71. I think Blueprint was the first one to fall, not that long after its initial launch actually. I didn't miss it, as I am a die-hard
    Southern Accents, Veranda and Traditional Home subscriber, with HB, CL, CH, Domino and Cottage Living thrown in so I don't miss anything. They sent me a card when Cottage Living folded to tell me I would now be receiving This Old House...no clue what it will be like! I got NOTHING from the O at Home folks telling me what will become of the remainder of my 3 yr subscription to that mag. This is all VERY unsettling! Perhaps we truly ARE in a DEPRESSION and not just a horrible RECESSION! Heaven help us ALL!

    Congrats on the Washington Post honor. We've known you were A+ from DAY ONE!! Love you, Joni!

    Vickie
    Dallas, TX

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  72. I too am so heartbroken with the loss of so many of my subscriptions. I'm a loyal reader since most newer ones started and subscribed several years in advance to show the publisher my loyalty. I guess to no avail. Now I'm faced with the years of paid issues to all these "Lost" magazines going over to others I already get or don't want....I doubt if this continues that their expiration date will ever be reached...2021? Its not fair to down play its readers...we're intelligent, creative and loyal...not like those 20 something fashion mags or gossip mags they choose to keep producing.
    Maybe HGTV, DIY & Fine Living Channels will pick up the slack on Cable and show main stream media what really counts.Look at the popularity of Design Star...it proves that America wants to be creative...and in this economy, homes will be our haven for such endeavors.
    Denise
    Decorative Artist/Designer
    San Antonio, Texas

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  73. Congratulations! You and your blog are so deserving of this recognition. I tried to read the article, but when I clicked "here", the article about Country Home came up. I've become so accustomed to flipping through the pages of a magazine wherever I am, I will have a difficult time getting to used to viewing them on line. laurie

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  74. Hi Joni! Long time no comment, eh? I've been a wee bit distracted by moving. So many added things to do in one's day when you are moving in!

    I am sad about Country Home. I think there are definitely some changes going on with magazines with so much online now.

    Congrats on your honor at Washington Post!!! So well deserved.

    Hope you are well!
    Melissa

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  75. CONGRATULATIONS! What an honor to be named in the TOP TEN! You go Girl..... Awesome, so happy for you! Well Deserved....

    So Sad :-( another great publication bites the dust! SCAREY!

    xoxo,
    Cathleen

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  76. Congratulations, Miss Top Ten! And considering the Post's readership, you'll be even more popular.

    I am distressed about Country Home - always been a favorite and even though my home is now a tad more formal, I still read every page. Even their recipes are great...just hope Domino isn't next. Yikes - I need my design inspiration!
    S

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  77. bravo , you bring that style to the top , tank you for your passion about it

    I really like your french design ...but hey ! we are not so tidy ,their is always a bit of random thing here and there , messy we can say .

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  78. bravo , you bring that style to the top , tank you for your passion about it

    I really like your french design ...but hey ! we are not so tidy ,their is always a bit of random thing here and there , messy we can say .

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  79. I had just gotten notification about Cottage Living but didn't know about Country Home. How sad. I am part of a circle of librarian friends and we all subscribe to all sorts of magazines. We circulate the magazines amongst our group so that we can have access to more publications. Guess we are part to blame for the decline (we have 8 people in our group).

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  80. Country Home has always been one of my very favorite magazines. I am so disappointed to read this news.

    I will add though--that I never cared for Mary Emmerling's content.

    And--I did find that the most recent issues were quite good.

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  81. First of all, Congratulations!! (I've been meaning to write that for days now!) What a truly well-deserved honor, Joni.

    It is so sad to see another shelter magazine folding, and it does make me wonder what might be next. While I do think that magazines need to find a way to move into this digital/internet age, I would be a bit heartbroken to see magazines go completely digital. I am such a magazine junkie! I save far too many (perhaps my husband would say "horde") and nothing beats sitting down with the latest issues of my favorite ones and pouring over their pages.

    Here's hoping somehow the rest of 2009 will be kinder to shelter magazines than the past few months have been!

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  82. Hell Joni!
    I was able to load about half of these photos... not sure what's going on. from what I see it is an incredible post and I will hold on to it for our own future renovations - such a great tool. Thank you so very much for all this work! Be well, The Hostess

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  83. Congratulations on the Washington Post mention! Your blog is absolutely riveting. Each post is like taking a master class in a different topic. I have learned so much from you!

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  84. I am a new reader. I really like your critique and analysis. I gave up buying most magazines a couple years ago (my mom buys plenty and passes them off to me anyway) but I'm sorry to see Cottage Living go. Country Home was not my favorite, but sorry to see the choices dwindle. I was given a gift subscription to Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and heard recently that their December issue was their last. Haven't received anything in the mail regarding this but if O at Home can fold without notice, I suppose anyone can. I recently picked up an issue of Martha Stewart Living. They are offering subscriptions for $15 a year, about half off their ususal price. At that price, I might subscribe. Also, BH&G is looking better these days, although the paper quality still bugs me. I used to love Dwell but it can't seem to make up its mind whether it is a modernism-or-else magazine or a sustainable design journal. The ad money obviously comes from expensive luxury goods retailers, not recycled product/ ecofriendly type businesses.
    I look forward to reading more of your blog as I get ready to do something drastic to my kitchen! It needs serious help.

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  85. Outstanding post and congratulations on being named in the Top Ten.

    White is a timeless kitchen choice. I think the white kitchens of today are more interesting than the ones from years past (80s) because they have visual texture.

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  86. Congratulations on being the TOp 10 on their list! Well deserved!!

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  87. Joni,
    You are so extrordinary!
    I can die and go to heaven now. That was the best EVER!!

    ~~does anyone have a cigarette?

    No wonder your in the top 10 girly, you should be--and are #1 in my book!!
    Thank you for that awesome post.
    Lisa

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