Made in St. Louis: Her 3D greeting cards are assembled by hand
Christine Melton didn't discover her passion for ink and paper in a graphic design program in art school. This accidental artist answered when opportunity knocked at her door. "When I was 21 I went to work for two guys who had just started a business. One must have thought I was creative and said, 'Hey, would you like to start making our stationery? Well, I'll try anything once," she says. Her love affair with graphics had begun.
Her bosses bought a state-of-the-art ABDick offset printing machine for the office. Melton taught herself to use it for all their printing, preparing the plates and applying the inks. "That was my first inclination I might be onto something. I still like the smell of ink," she says.
A few years later, she and one of the partners moved on to new opportunities. "I married one of the partners, and we started our own business as food brokers," she says. "We didn't have any brochures or point of purchase pieces — nothing for our sales people to go out with, so I created brochures with my typewriter and copy machine."
She churned out the graphics for their new venture and became entranced with images, color, design and typography. She was ready for a new adventure doing the design work she loved.
"When Mac computers first came out, I bought one and a laser printer," she says. She spent two weeks at home using a dresser as a desk. She knocked her knees on the dresser many times as she tested her new acquisitions. I told myself 'If I can sit there for two weeks knocking my knees on an old dresser, I'm going to leave the family food business and start my own design company," she says
Two weeks later she turned in her resignation and informed the family that she was moving on.
"I literally created a studio in my home and set up shop. I bought one of those little Macs where you couldn't see what you were doing much less print, but me and my copy machine stuck it out. Before I knew it, I had a full-time business, CMP Productions.
"I did all kinds of crazy stuff and my business just evolved. I've always loved, loved paper. One thing led to another, and it's crazy, but that's how things all morphed together for me," she says.
About 10 years ago, Melton redefined her business once again to keep working with the paper and ink she loves, but on a more personal level. She revisited the two- and three-dimensional cards she loved to make. At first, she worked from commercial pop-up patterns on the 3D cards, and then her creative juices kicked in. "I wanted to make a card I couldn't find a pattern for, so I thought how hard can it be?" Today, 99% of the 3D cards she sells are her original creations.
"I can manipulate just about anything. I guess I have that vision," she says. Her cards are commercially printed on flat sheets with her designs. She then cuts and assembles each card by hand. They are available through her website. She offers a full line of greeting cards for birthdays, holidays and celebrations as well as to thank you cards, invitations and sympathy cards.
She also makes custom greeting cards for businesses and individuals. "It's is a very unique marketing idea to send somebody a card that signifies your business," she says, "and people don't throw these cards away."
Although Melton loves making cards, she's still open to creative opportunities as they present themselves. "I was gifted a huge amount of costume jewelry by the family of a woman who had passed away. They didn't know what to do with it. I looked at it and said, what kind of art can I make with this?" Like she said 52 years ago at her job where she learned she loved paper and ink — "Well, I'll try anything once."
