Jennifer Schaerer
I really never thought about the difference between holidays, special occasions, and general occasions before I joined the Paper Crafts team. But as you can probably imagine, I was educated in the blink of an eye when our first special issue came off the press and landed on my desk.
I learned that we try to focus our special issues on a wide array of holidays, occasions, or both so that these newsstand-only issues are something you’ll want to keep on hand for inspiration throughout the year.
If you’re like I was a few years ago, scratching your head a bit and trying to figure out what makes something a holiday or an occasion, I’m here to clear the fog:
- Holidays – those special days that fall almost always on the same day each year and you can plan for them with more than a little help from retailers (39 days until Christmas! Anyone besides me who’s counting down?).
- Special occasions – anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, new babies, graduations – that pop up on an irregular schedule, but are special days nonetheless.
- General occasions – those times when you want to say thanks for a nice deed, welcome to the neighborhood, feel better soon, or even a quick hello for no reason at all.
We know from our annual reader survey (stay tuned – our 2011 version is launching on December 1!) that you’ve got your favorite occasions, so we decided to build an issue around the top 5 – birthdays, thank you, congratulations, love, and all occasion.
Enter Card Creations: Favorite Occasions!
Maile Belles, Alyssa Scritchfield, and Latisha Yoast are the cover girls for this one!
Don’t miss this one – it’s the best collection of 152 card designs for the most popular card-making occasions you’ll find! It’s on newsstands everywhere starting today, and you can also get it in our online store HERE.
One quick peek at what you can find within the pages and then I’ll get to the fun giveaway part. Since it’s National Button Day (which we also know is one of your favorite embellishments), here’s an adorable pair of cards by Erin Lincoln (Thanks a Million) and Maile Belles (Thank You Button Flowers):
Assorted buttons, some stamps and ink, and you’ve got two adorable ways to say thanks!
We’ve got FIVE copies of this fantastic special issue here just waiting to land in the hands of some adoring paper crafters, so let me hear it in the comments – which occasion do you find yourself always crafting a card to celebrate? You’ve got until Wednesday, Nov. 17 at midnight (MST) to leave your comment. I’ll even pick one of the five winners and toss in a bunch of buttons just for good measure. Just ask Kelly, you can never have too many buttons!
Celebrating any occasion to make a card,
Jennifer
P.S. Like what you see so far? Stay tuned for our upcoming Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week (Nov. 29 – Dec. 3). Along with Moxie Fab World, we’ll be spotlighting cards, hosting some fun challenges and giving away some fabulous prizes (including this brand new issue)!
The most common occassion for me is a Thank You card. After that it is Holidays and Birthdays.
Birthdays and anniversaries for me! In fact I wish there was more variety of occassions – it gets kind of monotonous!
Christmas. Always Christmas for me. It’s where I started and hope never to have to end.
1) Birthdays
2) Thank you’s
3) Holidays / seasons
4) Newborn / pregnancy
5) ..Just because…now isn’t that the perfect occassion?
//Nina
Birthdays! There is a never ending demand for birthday cards! What I wish I made more of…love you cards for my family! (A good 2011 goal!)
birthdays, thank yous, babies, and all the holidays combined!!!
I think my favorite is Holidays!!! i can’t wait till Christmas, valentine, Halloween, new year and so many others… i do enjoy birthdays… but i feel i can be more versatile in holiday cards…
I would have to say birthday cards. (any reason to get to eat cake!)
I always keep a stash of birthday and baby cards available. They aleays seem to pop up at the last second, and it’s nice to be prepared.
Thinking of You cards. I have lots of elderly people in my family and I seem to make lots of cards for them to remind them of how much they are loved.
Holidays and recently, baby! Lots of little ones about to be born!
Thank yous and birthday cards top my list of needed cards.
I know I make a lot of thank you cards throughout the year… Followed by thinking of you
Birthday and Thank Yous are what I’ll make the most of.
*smiles*
debbi
My favorite ones to make are just because ones then they can be any theme!
I always find myself at the last minute making cards to congratulate people on life events like a graduation, new job or promotion. I am always caught off guard with those for some reason, you’d think I’d be prepared for those!
I find making cards not only total fun! but also therapeutic for me. I make them for all occasions and have at least 40 or 50 ready to go. I also now give sets of cards as gifts and they are just loved by my family and friends. Top occasions that I love making cards for are:
1) new baby
2) Thinking of you/missing you
3) Christmas
4) Weddings
5) Thank you
Thank you for a chance to win this!
Wow , that’s kinda hard since I just like to send cards! I would say birthday, thank you and holidays………in that order.
Birrthdays!!! But I love to make baby cards too!
Birthday cards! I make a lot of them and love it.
Weddings and babys seem like the most popular right now in my life. Thanks for the giveaways and your great ideas. Love this blog.
I guess the most common for me are birthdays. I make all my cards, haven’t bought one since I got my Cricut! But right up there are get well/feel better and sympathy cards. I am a Cricut Card Fairy, so the last two are the most common for those ‘missions’. But I love it when I get to do a happy card! B-day, anniversary, hello, thank you, graduation, or you did it. Are always easier than sympathy cards.
Thanks for sharing all your lovely magazines with those of us who love them! And I do love them and go through them constantly!
Button, button, who’s got the button? Remember that? I love buttons and still have the round tin from when I grew up. Says Swiss Colony Inn on it from Monroe, WI. I also have a few smaller tins with buttons as well. As a painter, scrapbooker, cardmaker, quilter and seamstress, one can never have enough buttons. I want to win!! Those cards are terrific and I will be making some of each! Thanks
1. Birthdays
2. Valentine’s Day
3. Mother’s Day
4. Christmas
5. Thanksgiving
and the list goes on and on. I just move from one holiday to the next rotating my stock of papers and stamps. Can’t wait ot get my hands on a copy of your new magazine!
thanks
I love stampin’ Birthday cards, tags, Thank You cards, tags, , Thinking of You or Just ’cause cards, All the Holidays too! Its fun to decorate goodies for different occassions too! I love stampin’ and using my Cuttlebug. I love sharing my love of this with others not only by making these cards, but showing others how to also. I love crafting with paper for all occassions. Thank you for such a wonderful magazine!
I actually have just started card making! I know, I know…I’m behind times! I’ll be sending out my first handmade Christmas cards this year!!!
Most of the cards I send are thank yous and birthdays. LOVE those buttons cards! CA-UTE!
I think I make the most thank you cards. That could change because this year I’ll be making my own Christmas cards.
My favourite card to make and give are ‘Just Because’ and ‘Thinking Of You’ and they also seem to be the ones that I make most often!:)
I am ALWAYS making “Thank You” cards! Seems like I am always owing someone a big thank you for something or another. Next on the list is birthday. Can’t wait to get the new copy!
Birthday cards are my most frequently made card, followed closely by thank you cards. This magazine looks fabulous. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Love to make Christmas cards and birthday cards
Those cards are soooo adorable! I find that I am always making thank you cards. I love to let people know how very thankful I am for them.
Heather P.
Birthdays and thanks! Never have enuf of these!
Definitely Christmas and Thank-You cards. I always keep Papercraft inspirations nearby when I do em. I’ve always loved your publications and always will. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Thanks for the chance to win.
doramiyi
doramiyi at gmail dot com
I make lots of birthday and thank you cards. I love your button cards! So cute!
Blank cards to just say hello are my favorite cards to make. You can make them masculine or feminine and your magazines have the greatest ideas in them!!
It’s birthdays, thank yous, thinking of you and holidays.
I like to send “thinking of you” cards to random friends and relatives to make them smile when the snail mail comes and it isn’t junk or bills.
Tracy T.
Birthdays are my number one closely followed by thank you cards.
my favorite is ‘just saying hello’ cards!
I like making thank you cards. It’s great to put some personal thought and effort into saying “thanks”. And it’s good to have a few extras on hand, so it doesn’t take too long to pop one in the mail when needed.
Birthday is a very big one here!!! We have a lot of family members…. my mom has 7 brothers & 7 sisters, my dad has 3 brother & 3 sisters, and I have 3 brothers plus my children, husband & my husbands extended family… then we figure in all the kids these people have had & their kids’ kids, we have a LOT of birthdays!
Thank you so much for sharing…. I love the Thanks a Million card!
~Ola
okj83 at live dot com
I love to make birthday cards & I really enjoy making my Christmas cards too… Cant wait to see this issue!!!
I love the book. Saw it while I was shopping at Michael’s. Love writing words of encouragement to church family members. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Birthdays, always birthdays
Can’t wait to grab a copy of this special issue, I looked for it today, no luck! Thanks for all the inspiration!
Birthdays!! young or old they are all enjoyable for me to make