Susan R. Opel

There’s a lot that goes into creating special issues like 350 Cards & Gifts. And we know how you love to hear the back story, so sit back and see some of the inside scoop into the makings of this inspiring publication – all 164 pages!

Back in September of 2010, we sat down and began planning this issue. Now, once upon a time we brought you 225 Cards & Gifts, and based on the wild popularity of that 92-page nugget of gifty goodness, we knew that the time was right for an even larger version in 2011. Let me tell you, I took a big breath when we made that decision.

You see, most of our submissions for the magazine and special issues tend to be cards. And this big, brawny issue is about a lot of other things. (I just may be dropping a not-so subtle hint that we always get LOTS of card submissions, so maybe you could try submitting some non-card projects for our current call).

So what do we do when we don’t get the quality and quantity that we need to fill an issue once we’ve reviewed all of the submissions? Well, we need to fill the issue with wonderful things for our readers, so we call on trusted designers and give them assignments to fill any holes we might have.

And then there are great stories behind the projects we receive. You see that eye-catching button frame on the cover? Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Jessica Witty submitted the card inside that frame two times (yes, even the Go-to Gals submit!) and neither time was it chosen for publication. Soooo, Jessica got a great idea. She took that card, put it in a frame, and voila! Cover-worthy! This just goes to show that sometimes you just have to keep trying, AND you’ll notice that it was chosen as a non-card (hint, hint).

There are so many little details that we pay close attention to that help round out the issue. Take a look at the cute note on Go-to Gal Teri Anderson’s Totally Teal Magnet Board. Yep, a sweet shout-out to some of Teri’s friends.

Editor-in-chief Jennifer Schaerer and managing editor Kerri Miller had quite an extensive shopping list for props for photography – gift cards from a variety of places, bread, wine, cupcakes, doggie treats, cookies, and candy – that stuff has to come from somewhere! We generally don’t want the designers to send food since you just never know what might happen with the mail.

And now, since this issue is so very non-card-y, the projects themselves take up a whole lot more room. Designers mail their creations in large boxes in many cases, and our editorial assistant Ahtanya Johnson carefully labeled and expertly stacked many of those boxes so that we could return the projects to the designers once the issue was here.

For several weeks large plastic bins held the projects spending time in Kerri’s office, at the homes of our talented freelance writers and copy editor, at the studio, and then back to Kerri’s office. Let’s just say Kerri was pretty glad when the day arrived that a team of packers and senders gathered to return the projects to the designers. You can see editor Courtney Smith sorting projects for shipment below.

Oh, did you know? If one of your projects is published in any Paper Crafts issue, you receive a copy of that publication as a thank you. Pretty sweet, huh?

Okay, so we’ve got this new call for submissions for Holiday Cards & More. And yes, we OBVIOUSLY need all sorts of fabulous cards, but there is that “& More” part. And, yep, that’s just one more hint from me to you! Let this issue inspire your non-card side!

As always, we love to share our issues with our blog readers, so leave a comment telling us what you found most interesting about the process and what you’d like to know more about. Three lucky winners will receive a copy of 350 Cards & Gifts! All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Friday, April 8.

Love sharing those behind the scenes tidbits!
Susan

P.S. Feeling crafty? Head on over to Moxie Fab World to see what fun challenge Cath is launching today!

P.P.S. It’s time to announce the winners of our Card Makers Love to Give and 225 Cards & Gifts Giveaway posts!

Card Makers Love to Give winners:

1. KathyC/NorthCarolina (April 5, 12:59 p.m.)
2. Paige (April 5, 1:35 p.m.)
3. Yolanda D. (April 5, 8:38 p.m.)

225 Cards & Gifts Giveaway winners:

1. Shelley W. (April 5, 1:01 p.m.)
2. Vickie Alcorn (April 5, 7:54 p.m.)
3. Karen W. (April 5, 7:50 p.m.)

Congrats, winners! Kelly will be contacting you shortly to discuss your prizes and get your mailing prizes. Thanks to all who left comments!