Jennifer Schaerer

It’s no secret that making handmade cards is a popular hobby for our growing community of paper crafters. And our 10th volume of Card Creations is a shining, creative example of not only the people who create such amazing cards, but also a celebration of ten years in the paper crafting industry for Paper Crafts magazine.

This is only the 4th issue of Card Creations for me since I joined the Paper Crafts team (my first was Volume 7 in 2009), so I can’t exactly go off on a stroll down memory lane and tell you stories about the good ol’ days when the first issue was published. But I can sure fill you in on some fun and interesting things I learned when I looked through all the previous issues and spoke to some fellow editors who worked on the earlier ones.

The first 9 covers of Card Creations

I was absolutely fascinated when I studied the cards in that first volume. Not much variety in the patterned paper, techniques were very limited, and fancy embellishments were non-existent. Lots of brads, eyelets, and torn paper edges though!

These cards were published in Card Creations Volume 1 in 2003

I also loved seeing so many names of creative people who are still very active in the paper crafting community ten years later. The cards above from Volume 1 were created by:

1.Margie Romney-Aslett

2.Jennifer McGuire

3.Wendy Anderson

4.Donna Downey

5.Joannie McBride

6.Nichole Heady

7.Linda Beeson

8.Lori Allred

My, how things have changed, right? Not much that’s shabby chic about Margie’s card, Jennifer didn’t stamp A THING on her card, and Donna’s is completely free of mixed media and technique!

Some other interesting facts about each volume of Card Creations:

Volume 1 - Linda Beeson and Jennifer McGuire are the only two people to be published in both this one as well as Volume 10 (and Linda has been published in every single volume!)

Volume 2 – The first time Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Teri Anderson appeared in Card Creations!

Volume 3 – Linda Beeson and Nichole Heady were on the cover, and we got our first glimpse of Layle Koncar’s talent as a designer for Scenic Route (anyone remember that company? I miss them – one of my favorites!)

Volume 4 – Linda Beeson was on the cover again, and in good company with Wendy Anderson (who had the other TWO cards). It was also the first issue in which we saw Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Kim Kesti.

Volume 5 -We got our first peek at the shabby chic style via Melissa Phillips, Betsy Veldman, and Anabelle O’Malley. We also met Kim Hughes and Jessica Witty, who both eventually became Paper Crafts Go-to Gals.

Volume 6 – Becky Olsen, Carolyn King, Heidi Sonbul, and Julia Stainton were first published in Card Creations along with current Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Julie Campbell. We also saw an adorable card from Megan Hoeppner, who was the associate creative editor for Paper Crafts back then and is now creative editor for Creating Keepsakes.

Volume 7 – then newly-hired associate creative editor Susan Opel was published, along with editor P. Kelly Smith and managing editor Brandy Jesperson. We also saw Latisha Yoast, Kimberly Crawford, and Ashley Cannon Newell for the first time. And Kalyn Kepner, who was an editorial intern for Paper Crafts the year prior, had her first Card Creations project published.

Volume 8 – We were delighted to publish Maile Belles, Heidi Van Laar, Nina Brackett, Vanessa Menhorn, Kelly Marie Alvarez, and current Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Windy Robinson for the first time. Two other current Go-to Gals – Betsy Veldman and Julie Campbell – were on this cover.

Volume 9 – Windy Robinson was on this cover (along with Carolyn King and Kelley Eubanks), and we got a peek at the creativity of Chan Vuong, Lindsay Amrhein, Emily Branch, Cristina Kowalczyk, and Erin Lincoln for the first time in Card Creations.

And our tradition of publishing first-timers continued in Volume 10, as Susan Opel shared with you on Tuesday.

But not all the details can be found in the pages of our issues. I’m lucky enough to have the historical memory of a few people who have been here from “way back when,” so I just walk down the hall to visit them when I need to know more. First stop: Jennafer Martin, editor in chief of our sister publication Creating Keepsakes.

Jennafer Martin, now editor in chief of Creating Keepsakes, was the managing editor for Card Creations Volumes 1-5 when she was on the Paper Crafts team

Back when Card Creations Volume 1 was published, our magazine was not yet known as Paper Crafts (look at the cover in the above photo – little tiny Crafts logo in the upper right corner). Jennafer was part of our editorial team when we were still Crafts magazine (which was launched in 1978…yes, NINETEEN SEVENTY EIGHT!). Our publisher recognized the undeniable wave of interest in paper crafting and card making, so Crafts was retired after 26 years and our inaugural issue as Paper Crafts magazine was published in February 2004. And when Card Creations Volume 2 came out later that year, it proudly bore the brand new Paper Crafts logo – and has ever since.

Joannie McBride, an associate editor for Creating Keepsakes, has cards published not only in Volume 2, but also Volume 1, 3, 4 and 5!

After catching up with Jennafer and Joannie, I had to drop in on Stacy Croninger. She was editor in chief of Paper Crafts from late 2004 until the middle of 2008 when she hopped over to our events team and gave me the opportunity to land my dream job following in her footsteps. Her first Card Creations issue was Volume 3:

Stacy Croninger with Card Creations Volume 3

Stacy was invaluable when I first started, filling in the blanks on who did what to whom and when so I didn’t get myself into too much trouble. She’s become a great friend over the years as well, and it’s nice to have her as a marketing partner on the events side of our business.

It’s been a long and winding road to reach this 10 year milestone, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this long and winding blog post to share some of the journey with us. As I said in my editor’s note for Volume 10, this hobby just wouldn’t be the same without the support and engagement of the continuously growing and passionate group of paper crafters in our community. And Card Creations wouldn’t be here without you, so I’d like to say thanks by offering up some copies of Card Creations Volume 10. Let me know in the comments how long you’ve been creating cards with paper, and I’ll choose 10 random winners. Be sure to comment by 5pm MDT tomorrow, Friday May 11 for your chance to win.

Here’s to another 10 years –

P.S. Don’t forget to visit Cath over in the Moxie Fab World today – she’s showing off some trendy cards in Card Creations Volume 10 that feature doilies and lace!