'Tis the Season: Halloween Mags are Coming!

When I ran into the pharmacy today to pick up Sheldon's prescription, I paused in the magazine section to see if there were any new Halloween editions. I spotted this one and grabbed it right away. I like Matthew Mead's magazines, when I can find them (this is only the second one I've managed to find -- the first was a Holiday issue, for Christmas, which I wrote about on the old blog), so I bought it without flipping through it. It's a little pricey, at $11.99, so you might want to flip through it, or see my mini review, below. Unless you're like me, and just want to own Halloween mags. Then you'll buy it anyway. In my case, it's something I'll add to my collection, so I can justify it -- more like buying a book.

Note: after a quick scan, it's more of a book quality, but you will still find it with the magazines (so places like Borders won't honor %-off coupons, but places like Joann Fabrics and Michaels might (if they have them in stock)). There are several projects I'd like to try, so I definitely don't consider it a mistake to have purchased it without looking.

Once upon a time, the Matthew Mead Style website had lots of fun and clever ideas. It may still, but now it's subscription-based ($17.99 for 6 months), so I have no idea what's going on in there. (The only thing I pay an annual fee for is Flickr, and it's not likely to change.) The templates for the magazine are available without the subscription, though. I would have had to have a little fit, if they were referenced in the magazine but not available online without paying more, but there is no crisis here.

I used to be a kind of magazine addict. One day I realized that many of them were ridiculous, and I wasn't enjoying myself or finding much to inspire, and I pretty much stopped buying them. No fashion mags (wow, these pants are only $200!) or People. I will occasionally grab an MS Living, or decorating magazine (and I get Hallmark in the mail), but otherwise... they kind of leave me cold. But when October comes, I'm all over the magazines! MS Living is a must (I have maybe 11-12 years' worth), some special editions, like this one, etc. I do usually skip the women's magazines (Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens) year-round, including the October issues, but I will check out Mary Engelbreit Home Companion, Country Living, etc. I recently discovered Birds & Blooms magazine, and think I'll be subscribing to that.