Times change, trends ebb and flow.
Information now moves at the speed of light.
Sharing our creative passions and curating the efforts has been in the
gifted and experienced hands of the Paper Crafts team for many years now.
They have been through thick and thin as the crafting industry has been
flooded and swollen with manufacturers, creatives, hobbyists and collectors.
And then been part of the receding tide as the creating and keeping of crafted projects
has evolved to a smaller sliver of the population.
Technology, economics, personalities and resources
have all contributed to the growth and shrinking of this fascinating community.
But through it all the Paper Crafts team acted like the green jello
that was holding all the fruit together in the mold.
And what a fantastic job they did with keeping us unified, motivated and inspired for all those years.
Hopefully you got here from my fabulous friend Kim Hughes
and when you are done visiting me, please head over to visit with Kim Heggins!
I don't know her personally, but I do know that if she is a paper crafter, she must be the best kind of person!
My card is an homage to my favorite kind of people...
The kind that put in long hours, looked at thousands of submissions, and know how to graciously acknowledge the value of all the contributors whether selected or not.
They are my favorite.
They are our creative heroes.
They will long be remembered for creating a community, defining standards, disseminating valuable information and immense generosity of spirit and kindness.
A small and insignificant token to say thank you for all that you have done,
and to also say I will miss you all so very much.
I was so lucky to have been published hundreds of times within the fabulous pages of Paper Crafts and Creating Keepsakes. The special issues, secret calls, assignments and blog posts were opportunities to pour my heart and soul into stories utilizing paper, adhesive and a multitude of exciting media. Each project was made with love from the very core of my heart and when I would get an acceptance email this very heart would sing and dance with the joy of sharing my story with others who love the creative process as much as I did. The few times that I was informed that I had a cover project would put me even that much more over the moon! Gracing the front with other crafters that I admired would remind me just how great this tight community was and how there is so much talent out there just waiting to be discovered and shared.
Watching the Superbowl with the winning team!
I think Susan and Beth won all of the pool gifts that night, and Jennifer was the die hard Packers fan as we cheered them on!
Anniversary Party at CHA!
The hats, the smiles, the balloons...
Who doesn't love a color filled extravaganza with extraordinary people?
I won World Card Making Day, so exciting!
A few years previously I had been lucky enough to win a Stamping Royalty spot as well :)
Dropping some projects that were due at the office on my birthday warranted a picture with the crew!
Celebrating the house warming with Susan and Beth when they moved into their new condo this year!
The condo is darling, perfectly decorated, smelled amazing and the girl crafty cave is exquisite!
And my Paper Crafting experience wouldn't have been nearly as amazing without my co-conspirators in crafting! The ridiculously talented and incredibly generous Julia Stainton. How I treasure the conversations we would have with the management of a design team together and so many other endeavors. I would walk to Canada for Julia, and so grateful to have her as a friend for life!
And the phenomenal Kim Hughes who fueled my creative path with late night crops, lots of junk food, pop music and endless giggles. We would go through the pubs page by page, project by project and discuss what worked for us and what didn't. It helped me grow, develop my personal style and enjoy the hobby at a level that few have the opportunity to experience.
All things change, they evolve, become more or less of a priority based on where we are at and where we are going in our lives. I unfortunately had some significant life changes that put me on a diverging path from the craft world, and I miss it daily. The loss of this team and the publications that they championed for years is a hard one for me to digest, and the creative world will be short some significant cogs without them in it.
My hope is that we all go forth, continue to craft and create an even stronger and more generous community from the collective experience.
Happy Crafting my Friends!!
B-
