Reason #3: Paco

Reason #3 (for not being sad about issue #10 being the last printed issue of CRAFT Magazine):

There is something much, much bigger to be sad about...the death of Ana Poe's dog Paco, of Paco Collars fame.

I was so excited when I opened the last issue of CRAFT Magazine to page 111 at random. It was a great surprise to see Ana Poe and Paco and a how-to article on making dog collars the Paco way. Ever since I met Ana and Paco last summer I've had so much respect for Ana and her business (and Paco of course), and I was thrilled to see them featured in one of the coolest craft mags.

Last summer when my dog Alabama was still a puppy, my S.O. somehow found the Paco Collars website. He called me over to check it out. We read everything on that site including the blog from start to finish in just the one sitting. From the moment we saw the first pictures of Paco in a huge sombrero, we decided Paco was the raddest dog ever. (The pictures of Paco in pants further confirmed this belief.) And we absolutely had to get our dog Bama, a pit bull coon hound mix, a Paco Collar of her very own!

However, we were absolutely broke at the time. But that didn't stop Ana from helping us make our dream come true. We read on the Paco Collars website somewhere that she allowed her customers to help her with her prep work and in doing so, pay for the collar they want to buy in time instead of money. Ana taught us how to bevel and dye the edges and had us conditioning the leather. I had a blast hanging out with her and Tim, as well as Paco and a few other kick-backed canines. Then on my birthday, Bama got a very special gift...


...And I got a matching bracelet! I picked out the winged star conchos from the supplier catalog but the design of the collar was all Ana and I love what she did. If you'd like a better look at it, check out the product page for the Alabama Collar. I believe there may even still be a photo of Bama there if you click the "View additional images" link.

Thank you Paco for inspiring such slick designs and such high-quality products! You'll be missed. At least I know where I can find a photo of you in that sombrero - it always makes me smile!

Why I am not sad that CRAFT Magazine has printed it's final issue

Of course I was sad when I picked up the very last printed issue of CRAFT Magazine. I've loved this magazine from the beginning and have been lucky enough to get to read every issue. I had a ball at O'Reilly Media's (CRAFT Magazine's parent company) Maker Faire a few years ago when I was lucky enough to set up and work at the C&T Publishing booth there. I also attended Natalie Zee Drieu's demo-nar on the Indie Craft movement at CHA last year and of course seized the opportunity to chit-chat with all the CRAFT Magazine peeps in attendance. CRAFT Magazine and Craftzine.com really deserve a post all their own right now, but I can't write the sad and lamenting post I'm supposed to upon hearing the news about #10 being the very last printed issue. And there are two reasons for this:

REASON #1: I am actually really happy for CRAFT. They still have a booming blog which I imagine will only be getting better, and...well, it's CRAFT! They have their very tech-savvy fan-base/ market wrapped around their little online finger anyway. They aren't going to lose anyone! The only difference now that they are online only is they won't have to jock so hard for advertisers. Which couldn't have been much fun at all.

Doing away with the print version of the magazine probably made great business sense and the forethought that took place there is really something to be commended! Especially at times like this when other awesome magazines like Domino are dying left and right and craft market magazine giants like CK Media can't seem to offload their wares fast enough. It seems like CRAFT is adapting where other magazines just weren't able to evolve fast enough. It's a perfect example of "survival of the fittest" and the way I see it, CRAFT Magazine is at the top of its game. Which is something to celebrate, right.

and REASON #2: When I finally got to sling open issue #10 (The Very Last Issue), the page I just happened to see first was wonderful page 111. The reason this page is so wonderful is because Ana Poe and her truly one-of-a-kind pit bull Paco, from Paco Collars here in Oakland, are on it - what an awesome surprise!! More about Ana and Paco in my next post...