New Kid on the Block
In case you haven’t heard, the group “New Kids on the Block” are back together and since we didn’t want to be left out of the fun, we have our own “new kid” here at Paper Crafts. Kalyn Kepner started this past Monday (the 12th) as an editorial intern. She will be with us until July 3rd so she’ll have time to experience handoffs to design, writing, shipping projects and magazines back to designers, and most importantly, birthdays and weekly rendezvous meetings (and all the food that entails). We’re excited to have her with us for the next few months and hope we don’t scare her away with our quirkiness.
Here’s cute Kalyn at her desk, where she has been working like a busy bee!
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Are You Ready?
Are you ready for the next moxie fab edition of Paper Crafts magazine? Our June/July issue is packed with all kinds of sunny ideas to ignite your creativity, including, may I say, a moxie fab Moxie Fabs column that explores the stylish world of silhouettes.
This project, by Teri Anderson, is one of my favies:
Needs a Hand Card, p. 26
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Destination: Paper Crafts June/July
It’s summertime! And if there’s one thing I love about summer (aside from all the sunshine, backyard BBQs, and swimming), it’s the chance to get out and travel, explore new places, and see new things.
As a matter of fact, I got an early jumpstart on my travel this year, as I just got back from an all-girls trip with my mom and sisters to California/Disneyland. It was a lot of fun, but it sure was hot there—the weather ranged between 97-104 degrees. But hey, after all the snow we’ve had in Utah this year, all of that sunshine was a much welcomed treat!
Here at Paper Crafts, we’ve also been gearing up for summer by churning out “hot, hot, hot” content for our June/July 2008 issue, which just went on sale today.
One of my favorite things about this issue—since I just got back from my trip and it’s so timely for doing something with my photos—is that our senior editor, Brandy Jesperson, has put together a host of ideas (along with the help of our talented designers) on how to use your favorite vacation/travel-related photos and other vacation items to make exciting travel games, post cards, destination luggage tag, shadow boxes, and more.
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A Little Creative R & R
For the first time since I started designing for Paper Crafts magazine, which has been almost 5 years ago (wowza!), I have found myself with a break in our deadline schedule. This just doesn’t seem to happen very often. With 8 regular issues and more special issues than that a year, we work around the clock, day after day to create projects that will hopefully inspire, educate and that will leaving you wanting to try. I have spent the last few weeks doing things that always get pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. I pampered myself with a little creative R & R and I’m eager more than ever to get back to work!
Here are a few things I have been up to…
1. I planted flowers in new flower pots for my front porch.
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Every Day Should Be Mother’s Day
My aunt recently e-mailed me a story about a mom who was sitting on the couch watching TV with her husband. At the end of the evening, the mom said, “I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed.” The story then itemized every single thing the mom did before she focused on her own needs and climbed into bed. I thought I would share just a few:
She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.
She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt, and secured a loose button.
She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.
She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked, and the patio light was on.
She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm, laid out clothing for the next day, and straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her six most important things to-do list. She said her prayers and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
If you’re a mother, you’re probably nodding your head as you’re reading this list. I know
my own mother sacrificed much of her time, energy, and own interests on my behalf.
Now that I’m older I can appreciate those sacrifices more, but I’m sure I won’t really
have that “aha!” moment until I am a mother myself. So here’s to mothers everywhere!
We honor you not only on Mother’s Day, but on each of the other 364 days a year.
And if you’re like me and still needing a Mother’s Day card, check out this project from
our new special issue Stamp It! Cards, which hits newsstands on May 13. I totally agree
with this sentiment: “Every day should be Mother’s Day!”
Thanks, Mom!
Kelly
The End
I debated on whether to blog about this now or at the end of May when my son actually graduates. But perhaps some of you are stressing about how to papercraft your announcements/invitations and maybe this will help?
My niece, Leia, graduated from university (BYU) two weeks ago. She’s a paper crafter! She came over to use my Cricut to cut out a simple “Y”, used the school colors, and created a super simple but effective announcement. I love how she included a collage of current photos; isn’t she a doll!
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A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
You see the projects in the magazine, but aren’t you dying to know how they get photographed? Here’s your official tour of the studio.
Staging Area
As projects come in from designers, we record the information in a spreadsheet, give each project a special code, and then file the project either in a binder or a large bin (depending on whether it is a flat item or not). We also create a “map” or grid that shows which project goes on which page and color code it according to the magazine sections.
When Stace, our art director, photographs the projects, she uses the spreadsheet and map to guide her in which items to shoot together and whether there are special instructions, like inside shots.
A binder full of cards waiting for their debut on stage.
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A Special Day
Last Friday, my oldest daughter, Nicole, graduated from college. She graduated with a bachelor of science in environmental studies. She’s worked very hard for four long years to reach this achievement, and my husband and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Nicole, just after she had graduated.
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Prom
Going to high school in Montreal, Quebec, I never had Prom. Like so many great things, I guess it’s uniquely American. So, I got to live vicariously though my 16-year-old daughter and her preparations for her Jr. Prom this weekend. Here was the checklist…
The dress, took FOREVER to lace up!
The jewelry, lots of bling, bling
The up-do, more bling, bling!
The nails
The make-up
The shoes, flat for more staying power!
The purse
The boutonniere
The date, of course!
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Chipboard Fun…
One of the many fun things about working for Paper Crafts magazine is seeing all of the super fun, clever, and creative things that people make, as well as all of the ways they come up with to use a particular product in new and different ways.
For example, I’ve seen people take something as simple as plain chipboard and stamp and emboss it, paint it, distress it, stitch it, embellish it with eyelets or glitter, cover it with patterned paper or ribbon, paint it, and more. And it always seems like just when we think we’ve seen it all in terms of everything that could possibly be done with that product, someone always comes up with a fresh new approach to using it. [Note: We absolutely LOVE that by the way!]
In our April/May “Naked No More” feature, we highlighted a number of different ways to dress up naked chipboard and turn it into a fabulous project element. But what we’d like to know is: What are some of the fun and/or clever ways you’ve either seen and/or personally come up with to use chipboard in your paper crafting designs? Tell me by midnight on Tuesday, May 6 by posting your comment(s) to this blog, and I will randomly pick three winners to win a prize, which will either be a Close To My Heart Mini Circle Album or an October Afternoon Chipboard Alpha Set.
Kimberly
The Catalog Drawer
I’m not going to lie. I am a Nazi about the manufacturer catalogs we collect here at Paper Crafts.
The catalogs are my lifeline. When we attend tradeshows, the number one thing each editor needs to do when they are at a booth is pick up a catalog. I pack an extra suitcase in which to place all my new babies, and I often have to pay the additional charge at the airline because the stuffed, bulging piece of luggage weighs more than my allotted 50 pounds.
When it comes to product, I am very visual. I have to have a discernable representation of the product for it to stay on my radar. Thus, the catalogs.
The top drawer of our extensive collection of catalogs
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