How Mainely Cards Began | Paper Art Studio in Maine

Mainely Cards began with a lifelong love of paper and a belief that the most meaningful words should come from the sender. This post shares the origin of the work, the journey from handmade cards to charity work, and ultimately a paper art studio where every card is designed as a canvas for personal connection.

It's All About the Paper

Hi, I’m Shannon Cyr, and I’ve always had a deep, possibly unhealthy, love of paper.

Arts and crafts have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and my favorite projects were always the ones that started with paper. Drawing, writing, paper dolls, papier-mâché, decoupage—if it involved paper, I was all in. I loved the possibility. Cutting it. Folding it. Layering it. Turning a flat sheet into something new and dimensional felt like magic every time.​ It still does. That instinct to build with paper eventually became the foundation of my work.

Over the years, my love of paper evolved, flowing from childhood stationery kits to the designs I create today. I can still lose hours among the aisles of a greeting card store, running my fingertips over textured stock, absorbing the vibrant colors, and searching for the perfect message that will eventually find its way into the hands of a loved one.

Yet, for all that browsing, I rarely find a card with a pre-written message that sounds like something I would say. It's always felt a little awkward using someone else's words to convey my own heartfelt message, so I usually end up in the small "blank inside" section, wishing for more options.

You've Got Mail

Few things catch my attention like receiving a card in the mail. Most days, what I get in the mailbox is forgettable. Bills. Flyers. Things that get sorted and recycled without much thought at all. But when there’s a greeting card in the mix, everything changes.

A handwritten envelope. A real stamp. I slow down without thinking about it. I slide the card out, note the design, and open it right away to see who it’s from. Reading someone’s actual words, written just for me, pulls me out of whatever else is going on. For a moment, I’m not sorting mail; I’m holding something intended for me—something that required thought, effort, and action. Something to help me feel seen.

Wanting to create that feeling for others eventually led me to ask a simple question: what if I made the cards myself? The idea became clear: create a canvas for connection.

I'm just a girl, standing in front of some cardstock, asking it to become something meaningful.

Learning the Craft

In 2019, I took an adult education class and learned the basics of cardmaking using a Sizzix machine and card dies. It started as curiosity and eventually turned into a dedicated practice. I spent hours experimenting, refining, and occasionally swearing at tiny paper pieces until they finally stayed where they were supposed to be. I wasn’t just learning to make cards. I was learning how paper behaves — how weight, tension, and layering create structure and depth.

I used the Sizzix for a while, getting comfortable with the methods and the process, before moving on to a Cricut Maker. That opened up new possibilities. I learned the mechanics of cardmaking more deeply. Over time, I learned how to create my own images and custom card bases.

As the work grew more detailed, it became clear I needed a dedicated space, free from curious little paws, where bits of paper could live freely.

My husband, Michael, and I converted an extra bedroom into a home studio, creating a place where the work could live.

Mainely Cards Paper Art Studio in Southern Maine

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2024 Handmade Holiday Greeting Cards

By 2024, I felt ready to share my work more broadly. That year, I mailed holiday cards to friends and family using one of my own designs for the first time. I was excited and a little nervous. Sending something handmade into the world always carries a little vulnerability.

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The response was immediate and affirming. People told me how much they loved the cards. They displayed them. They saved them. Several asked if I would make them another card. That feedback mattered. It told me the cards were resonating.

I kept making cards, and then I ran into a practical problem. I couldn’t keep sending cards to the same people all year. There are only so many holidays, and I wasn’t about to start mailing National Potato Day cards just to justify making more. Although “May the Fourth Be With You” cards did cross my mind.

So, I started thinking differently about who might appreciate a card, and why.

Crafting for Charity - Handmade Valentine's Day Greeting Cards

Curiosity led me to donate cards to organizations serving people who could use a little extra kindness. I found an Arizona nonprofit that accepted handmade greeting cards and donated a set of cards for Valentine's Day.

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The experience stayed with me. Sending something handmade into the world—without knowing who would receive it—felt purposeful in a way that surprised me. I wanted to keep going.​ 

With each card I made, it became clear where this work belonged. Maine has been my home and sanctuary for twenty years, and it’s where Michael was born and raised. It’s a place shaped by rugged beauty, coastal charm, and a deep sense of community. Kindness runs deep here, where neighbors still look out for one another, and connection matters.

I wanted to create and donate cards that reflected that spirit—cards people would feel good about giving, receiving, and keeping. Something thoughtfully made. Something wicked good.

Wicked Good Cards

In 2025, Michael and I founded Wicked Good Cards, a 501(c)(3) public charity that gives people in Maine care facilities, shelters, and community organizations free access to handmade greeting cards.

After founding Wicked Good Cards, I had a lot to learn. Making and donating cards was the easy part. Building a nonprofit around that work meant learning an entirely new world: how nonprofits operate, how to work with a board, how to establish policies and procedures, how to track donations and inventory, how to find and work with partner organizations, and how to meet the financial and reporting requirements that came with running a 501(c)(3). There was also a website to build, supplies to buy, and operating costs to cover.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out whether selling some of our cards could help support that work. Michael and I looked at just about every way under the sun to make card sales work through Wicked Good Cards. We talked through one possibility after another, trying to find a solution that made sense for the nonprofit.

Eventually, we had to accept that there wasn't a clear, clean way to do it. A separate for-profit business was the answer. In 2026, we created Mainely Cards LLC as a practical way to help fund Wicked Good Cards' mission.

Mainely Cards Today

Mainely Cards is a paper art studio in Southern Maine creating dimensional greeting cards, Cardaloo™ experiences delivered through the mail, Cardcrafting™ Kits, and team-building Cardcrafting™ Workshops.

Our greeting cards are designed to be finished by the sender with their own words. The front artwork sets the tone with a visual story, and the words inside belong to the sender. Each card provides space for personal messages of encouragement, appreciation, comfort, celebration, and love.

What began with greeting cards has grown into a studio built around paper, creativity, and connection. Some ideas become cards. Others become experiences sent through the mail, creative kits, or workshops that bring people together. The format may change, but the idea at the center of Mainely Cards remains the same: transforming imagination into something you can hold.

Thanks for being here and for taking the time to learn how Mainely Cards began. I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Mainely Yours,

Shannon