About Craft and Color Co
Hello new friend!
My name is Pamela Auble. I am the founder, designer, CEO, and chief creative person behind Craft and Color Co and College Coloring Books.
I am a Sweet Briar College graduate (and a strong advocate for women’s colleges in general), a neurodivergent mom with neurodivergent kids, fierce supporter of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, wife of a US Army veteran, business owner, and wildly enthusiastic crafter. Finding new ways to connect with other people in these spaces is my passion, and Craft and Color Co is what came from putting all of those energies out into the world.
In 2016, I illustrated a love letter to Sweet Briar.
Let me back up.
Post college graduation, I had drifted away from the school as I built my career in Information Technology and settled down to raise my family. In a surprise announcement in March 2015, the college's interim president informed us that Sweet Briar was closing its doors at the end of the current school year.
Blindsided, thousands of alumnae spent the following four months working to save the college. We raised $12 million, filed a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Virginia, and spent countless hours in grassroots efforts that ultimately led to our success.
I had never felt so connected to the Sweet Briar community. ♥♥♥
The adult coloring craze was in full swing and was immensely helpful in getting through the stress of the attempted closure. But...something was missing.
After coloring through dozens of books and hundreds of pages, I realized what it was: that personal connection I felt during the Save Sweet Briar movement.
I spent hours searching for a company that could transform my photos into colorable works of art. Surely there must be someone who could assist me? (nope!) When I couldn't find what I needed, realization dawned on me: I could create it myself. I had long been a creative hobbyist and coloring book fan, and the fight to save Sweet Briar showed me that nothing is impossible. How hard could it be to start an illustration and publishing business?
I shall pause here to let the laughter subside. (As it turns out, there's a lot to learn!)
Thus, College Coloring Books crafted itself into existence, fostering the shared connections that draw communities together.
As word of my illustrations spread, I began creating and publishing books outside of the Higher Ed space. The "College Coloring Books" name no longer encompassed the myriad organizations interested in sharing their own artful love letters within their close-knit communities.
I went back to the drawing board to regroup, refocus, and redefine the mission, vision, and values behind the brand. A new core theme emerged during this time: people are makers. We build. We tinker. We engineer.
And we craft.
My mission has always been to connect people and the communities they are passionate about; to give people new ways to explore those bonds and to deepen those relationships. I had done that with coloring; I could do that with crafts.
Craft and Color Co is the natural expansion and evolution of the College Coloring Books mission. Whether the community encompasses colleges and universities, sororities, military families, small businesses, large enterprises, hospitals, or shared hobbies, everything I make focuses on strengthening shared connections. I have created coloring books, notecards, printable coloring pages, posters, prints, craft kits and more -- and they all celebrate and connect you with your community.
Craft and Color Co brings you the spirit, the creative spark, and the sense of connection and community for all of your passions.
We'd love to hear from you! Contact us with questions, comments, and custom requests at hello@craftandcolor.co.