Fisk-a-History 101

Have you ever wondered how the Fiskateer movement got started? Want to learn a little bit more about the history of this amazing community of passionate crafters? Well read on, you orange-clad, craft-crazy Fiskateers. Read on...

2005

Years ago, before the word "Fiskateer" became synonymous with crafting enthusiasm, Fiskars was looking for a way to connect and communicate with some pretty important people—the very crafters who used their products on a daily basis. With the help of Brains on Fire, Fiskars launched a four-city casting call for the loudest, proudest paper crafters across the country.

During an 11-day road trip that accompanied the casting call, more than 100 creative folks stepped up to show their work, tell about their lives, and share their passion for crafting. This was just the type of communication Fiskars was looking for!

2006

Through road-trip conversations, scrapbooking website observations, and talks with industry insiders, Fiskars realized the need for a new type of crafting community. A community that was uplifting and encouraging, where members could feel safe to share about themselves, shine a spotlight on their handiwork, and talk openly about the tools they used to create it.

Four outstanding ladies—[link: Stephenie Hamen bio page]Stephenie Hamen[/link], [link: Holly Harris bio page]Holly Harris[/link], [link: Cheryl Waters bio page]Cheryl Waters[/link], and [link: May Flaum bio page]May Flaum[/link]—were selected to Lead this new community of online and offline crafting ambassadors that would soon be known around the world as "The Fiskateers." These ladies came from different places. They had different crafting styles. But, they all shared a passion for crafting and a desire to share that passion with anyone and everyone!

The original "Fab Four" Lead Fiskateers immediately set out blogging about their lives, sharing projects and craft demos, building relationships, and spreading the Fiskars love. As a testament to their enthusiasm, over 200 passionate crafters raised their hands to join the Fiskateer movement within the first 24 hours of launching the community’s online meeting place, www.fiskateers.com!

Each new Fiskateer was given their very own number, and claimed it as a badge of ownership in the growing movement! The community also claimed Fiskars’ famous orange as they began dressing the part and finding new and creative ways to visually proclaim their place in Fiskateer history!

2007

After a super successful first year, Fiskars and Brains on Fire wanted to do more to inspire, encourage, and reward the most engaged members of the Fiskateer community. The "Nifty 50" were selected and given and all-expense paid trip to San Antonio, TX, to bond, create, and learn new ways to grow as crafting ambassadors. These 50 passionate ladies were then given the distinction of becoming the first "Certified Fiskars Demonstrators" (CFDs) and asked to spread the Fiskars love to 20 people in their own communities. The end result of all this passion? The Fiskateer movement continued to grow at an unstoppable pace!

2008 The original Fab Four Leads blazed a bright orange trail in the first two years of the Fiskateer movement and were incredibly instrumental in the new community’s success. In an effort to give other passionate Fiskateers that same opportunity, Fiskars and Brains on Fire put out a call for a new group of Leads to help steer the community for the next two years.

This time, instead of four Leads, there would be five! Anti-applications and videos poured in from all over the US, and when the orange, glittery dust had settled, [link: Angela Daniels bio page]Angela Daniels[/link], [link: Kelly Jo Massicotte bio page]Kelly Jo Massicotte[/link], [link: Rebecca Peck bio page]Rebecca Peck[/link], and [link: Wendy Jo Avey bio page]Wendy Jo Avey[/link] were chosen as the new Lead Fiskateers, and [link: Cheryl Waters bio page]Cheryl Waters[/link] was selected to return for a second term! As a way to honor their contributions to the community, [link: Stephenie Hamen bio page]Stephenie[/link], [link: Holly Harris bio page]Holly[/link], and [link: May Flaum bio page]May[/link] were each elevated to the role of Fiskateer Legend, and assumed their individual places in Fiskateer History!

Also in 2008, in an effort to engage Fiskateers across the US, Fiskars let each new Lead Fiskateer plan and host her own "Fiskafriendzy." These regional, offline events helped Fiskateers from all over the country get together, share some quality crafting time, and have loads of Fisk-a-Fun!

2009

Did someone say party? In March of 2009, In celebration of Fiskars’ 360th birthday, 100 Fiskateers were invited to be honored guests for a special Fiskars Birthday Bash in Orlando, FL! What an awesome sight it was to see all those one-of-a-kind, orange Mickey Mouse ears walking, dancing, and riding around! Awesome crafting events, fun-filled scavenger hunts, and lots of Fiskars goodies were just a few of the highlights of this amazing birthday celebration!

2010

As another incredibly successful term was coming to a close, a call was again put out for a new team of Lead Fiskateers to steer the community for the 2010-2012 term. Fiskars and Brains on Fire returned to the tradition of the "Fab Four," and chose [link: Angela Daniels bio page]Angela Daniels[/link], [link Cheryl Waters bio page]Cheryl Waters[/link], and [link: Rebecca Peck bio page]Rebecca Peck[/link], and [link: Tami Bayer bio page]Tami Bayer[/link] to lead the Fiskateers for the next two years. [link: Kelly Jo Massicotte bio page]Kelly Jo Massicotte[/link] and [link: Wendy Jo Avey bio page]Wendy Jo Avey[/link] were elevated to the legend of Fiskateer Legends!

2011

With all of the excitement around the Fiskateers, Fiskars realized that what the community really needed was an online make-over. Fiskars started working with the Fiskateers to understand how to make this community an even better place for papercrafters to showcase their work and share their passion with other Fiskateers. As a result the Fiskateer community got a new look with new ways for Fiskateers to showcase their work, share their passion, and be inspired by the papercrafters around them.

The launch of a better online community coincided with the United States of Fiskateers – a 50 state event which brought together Fiskateers from local areas of the country to craft with those they may have only connected with online. The local events were each lead be local Fiskateers and gave everyone a chance to craft and share with other passionate Fiskateers in their area.