Cath Edvalson

These are always the hardest blog posts to write. You know, the ones where we have to say goodbye to a treasured co-worker.

Yeah, those.

As you may have heard, Brandy has decided to embrace full-time motherhood rather than full-time editor-hood, and she’ll be managing her little Mini Cooper rather than the production of magazines and special issues. Instead of organizing spreadsheets, supervising editing and attending meetings, she’ll be organizing play dates, supervising schedules and attending to the needs of her sweet little man.

Cooper and Mommy

And while Brandy told you all the wonderful reasons why she’s stepping down as Paper Crafts magazine’s managing editor in this blog post, we couldn’t allow her to leave without telling her how much we have valued her contribution.

When Brandy joined the Paper Crafts team over four years ago, I could immediately tell that she was an attentive go-getter who took great pride in her work. A consummate professional, she sets a high standard for herself and is constantly striving to meet or exceed that very high bar. As someone who has to keep a lot of plates spinning in the air at one time, Brandy has always impressed me with her ability to solve problems quickly and to think on several planes at once. Not to mention how great she is with a fire extinguisher for an untold number of both small and large fires.

What will I miss most about Brandy? I will miss collaborating with her on concepts and articles the most. She is always open to my ideas and then helps to define and clarify them further. I will miss her beyond-her-years wisdom and the important things I have learned about life from someone much younger than myself. I will miss laughing with her at lunch, hearing about her delightful family life and listening to her honest and thoughtful approaches to the problems and joys of the day.

I asked the other team members what they would miss most about Brandy as well. Here’s what they had to say:

Kelly: I’m still convinced Brandy is a super hero posing as an editor by day. I will miss her ability to make everything look effortless. She can multi-task like no other! From managing our crazy production schedule, to keeping a beautiful home, she can now add stylish mommy to her long list of attributes. I wish this Wonder Woman all the best as she takes on her toughest assignment so far: full-time mom. But if I know Brandy, it’s going to be cinch!

Holly: Brandy made an immediate impression on me. I admire her intelligence, grace and kindness. She’s thoughtful and considerate. She’s genuine in her concerns about people, as well as the success of the magazine.

Ahtanya: Since I’m new to the team, I was just getting to know Brandy and will miss our lunch time chats and stories about her little one.

Matt: It’s sad to see Brandy go. Her skills and contributions to Paper Crafts and eye for good card design will truly be missed. Brandy always brought smiles and laughter to the group, rather it be a Wednesday morning meeting or a quick brainstorming session. Good luck, Brandy! We’ll miss you.

Susan: Brandy’s calm demeanor, mad fashion sense and organized mind won me over from the start. But what I think I’ll miss most is her goofy side – that Anchorman/30 Rock/The Office-loving side that surprised me at first and then totally made a lot of sense once I got to know her! I’ll never forget travelling to Chicago with her just a month after I started working here. We had a lot of time to really get to know each other. I sparkly, hand-embroidered, puffy {heart} you, Brandy!

Jennifer: Like a binding holds together the pages of a book or magazine, Brandy held together all the moving parts of our production process – and she did it with an unflappable can-do attitude and stylish presence. She’s the perfect blend of militant organization and creative talent that will be exceptionally challenging to replace. As she transfers from in-office managing editor to at-home mom (and part-time writer), we sure will miss her!

We sure will. And if there is a silver lining to her departure, it’s that she will continue to be associated with our team in the future because she will be writing for us, so we know that we’ll be able to see her from time to time—and hopefully get a regular and much needed Cooper fix. (Hint, hint, Brandy!)

How wonderful to have had so much fun producing so many, many magazines with Brandy. But there is always a time beyond what we currently do for a living, and what lies in that time beyond is friendship. She may no longer be our managing editor, but she’ll always be our friend.

So grateful for Brandy,
Cath

P.S. In honor of Brandy’s cute snugglebug, I’ve got four sets of Little Yellow Bicycle’s Snugglebug Collection (two boy, two girl)! Leave a comment for Brandy (parenting advice, tips, tricks, etc.) and I’ll pick four random winners to take home one of these adorable collections. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Friday, July 30.

Four lucky people will win a Snugglebug collection!