Dude, …Chill

Happy Freezing Friday all! I have a couple of Paper Smooches snowman cards to share today! I ❤️ snowmen, and snow ladies! 🙂

This first card uses Paper Smooches new Snowman Card Dies–I cannot get over the cute!

I haven’t purchased a new patterned paper pad in about two years now–Gasp! I know, I too am impressed I made it that long! But I knew I needed some plaid, so down I fell and scooped up one 6 x 6 pad last month. LOL! Totally worth it, right? 🙂

The fun glasses are PS Glasses Dies and the sentiment is from the Freezy Fella set. I just added some twig arms I cut using black scraps. Annnnnnd of course, some giant googley eyes! I tried not to, but it happened anyway! 🙂

Next up, I used the new Wine Sampler for this fun sentiment and the snow man is from the previously released Swanky Snowdudes set. Snowman ❤ ! 🙂

I scored the card panel before adding the For You tags. I colored the snowman with Copics.

Eeeeep! Love these snowcards! Perfect timing as we received our first dusting. 🙂

Ok, I’m off to tackle the CRAZY LONG To Do list! Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy your weekend! 🙂

Take care- Jill 🙂

Instagram: jilldhawkins

So so close…

Today I’m sharing a card set that was due for publication in Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine’s Card Creations, Volume 13. I worked really hard on these several months back, and I was pretty darn excited to have that happen. But…well, you know the story. Whaaa whaa…. 😦 Susan was so patient with clueless me too- THAT was fun and joyful in itself 🙂

Anywho–let that not taint the fact that I’m so glad my work paid off and I adore these stamp sets!! Squeeeeee! 🙂

…Love me some Paper Smooches and Lawn Fawn! And the people who make them! 🙂

I had to remake these panels ~~several~~ ~~dozens~~ many many times over to get the stamping just right, straight and non-smudgey. ha! I’m thinking that coveted MISTI tool would probably make this a breeze, but these were made “old school”. 🙂

Part of the assignment was to make a container for the cards, so I painted up the box/tag to go along with them.

I’m including this for the Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge this week–Anything Goes! I’ve been missing participating in these 🙂

Thanks for stopping by…

Jill 🙂

Again, I wrote up all the stuff below, so figured I’d share 🙂

Supplies:

Cardstock: (Snow Layering Papers) Hero Arts, (Gravel & Slate) Paper Source
Stamps: (Design Motifs) Paper Smooches, (Quinn’s ABC’s) Lawn Fawn, (Say It-Hello) Technique Tuesday.

Ink: Hero Arts Midtone & Dye Inks
Color media: (Colored pencil) Prismacolor
Paint: Box: Krylon Spray Paint
Dies: Box tag: (Simply Tags) Avery Elle
Fibers: (Gray/White twine) May Arts, white thread
Other: *For Box and Tag: Odorless paint thinner, blending stumps. Box: (Art Mind’s recipe box (unfinished)) Michael’s, painter’s tape.
Finished sizes: 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″

Instructions: 1. Stamp designs and sentiments. 2. Stitch panels. 3. Add
strip of cardstock and adhere all to card base.
Box: Spray box with white paint and dry. 2. Mask design with tape and spray with gray. 3. Remove tape. 4. Die cut tag, stamp design and sentiment. (use ink pad for matching when inking circle). 5. Color in sentiment and blend. 6. Tie tags to box using twine.

WCMD: Winners (hip) Hop!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! I just squeak all over again! I’m honored as a winner in the World Card Making Day contest! I’m certain there were dozens of awesome entries. I’m fortunate to be one of three winners in the “Thank You” category, along with Virginia and **Isha**(where you arrived from on this hop). Oh, the company I keep! 🙂 The talent! Garsh. I’m so glad I tried and threw my hat (card) in the ring–what a thrill!

SO MANY THANKS to Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine. So. Many. Including our appreciation for hosting this WCMD hop.

I was super excited to hear this was my winning card, because I gotta tell ya, I really enjoy this one—the white, colored stripes, stitching, lines, this LF die and TT sentiment…eeek! Happiness! 😉 The cardstock is pieced, sentiment die cut then inlaid. The panel is scored, forward and backward, and then stitched, matted, and adhered to a navy card base.

Made it, put it in the box, and mailed. Hence, I send a BIG Thank You to Stacy at PC&S for taking the time to photo this and send to me. Again furthering my admiration of this publication and all the great people who make it happen. 🙂 Thank You!

Instead of these cards being in the fourth issue of 2015, they are coming to you today, the fourth of December. Kind of fitting, but still incredibly sad the April issue will not exist. But, let’s stay on the happy today, shall we? Yesterday’s post and hop about did me in! 😦

You can follow my blog and leave me a comment below (by December 10th) telling me what your favorite part of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine is. I’ll pick one random winner to send a little Lawn Fawn sparkly surprise & a few bits of paper crafting fun out to…so check back after the 10th to see if it’s YOU! 🙂

Hop on to Virginia’s blog next! Now she’s skilled–watch out!

Here’s the other WCMD winners–be sure to stop by and leave them a note! I know I can’t wait to see their winning cards and do so myself! One of the biggest perks of this win: Getting to know these crafty ladies! 🙂

(thanks for making this photo spread Virginia!)

9. Christa Laszczkowski

10. Jacquie Southas

11. Wendi Lau

12. Tosha DelJanovan

13. Isha Gupta

14. Jill Dewey Hawkins <—-me! you are here 🙂

15. Virginia Lu

Thanks to Holly at PC&S for helping us put this hop together! You rock Holly! 🙂 Thanks also to Melinda for making the badge! 🙂

Hope you all are enjoying the (hip) hop! Thanks for getting all the way to me at #14! One more to enjoy! Go! Spread the love 😉 ! Pssst…if you started here, go back to the beginning. So worth it!

Thank you again PC&S for all this joy! And Thank you for taking the time to hop over!

Bustin’ with gratitude- Jill 🙂

Supplies: (Scripty Thanks die) Lawn Fawn, (I Like You) Technique Tuesday. Various cardstocks including Paper Source, Bazzill & Hero Arts. Hero Arts dye ink, scoring board, stylus, thread.

(endless) gratitude to PC&S

I always love a good laugh…and while I fully intended to post a Thank You card, I thought we might need a laugh at this point! 🙂 But please, pass the tissues :(.

Today we, Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine enthusiasts, say a BIG THANK YOU and a fond farewell to a beloved publication & the people that made it all happen…ok, seriously, get the tissues 😦

You should have arrived here (stop #133) from Taylor Usry’s blog.

When I received the contributor email regarding the ceasing of Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine after the February issue, my heart sank. The people. The amazing people at PC&S. I so feel for their loss on many levels. Then, after awhile, it sank in further…no more Paper Crafts. No more? 😦

Well, what the heck? What do I do now? What do WE do now? PC&S is soooo much more than publications. It’s a community. It’s inspiration. It’s fun and let me be frank, awesome! AWESOME. AWESOME. 🙂

I am guessing I am similar to many…for years I’ve read and admired issues of Paper Crafts (& Scrapbooking). I’ve always considered it the go-to publication/resource in the industry. It just spoke to me with it’s clean look, clear layouts, fun articles, Go-To-Gals, and AMAZING content. Seriously. Every issue I find myself gasping at people’s talents! Gosh–the talent is unbelievable. And it is clearly a reflection on the publication itself, drawing that talent issue after issue.

One day, like MANY, I read the publication calls. It was for scraps. Well, gee, I have a card on my desk that fits this bill entirely. Maybe I should finish it and send it in? What the heck! And after letting it sit on my computer for awhile, rethinking it over and over, I did. By golly, I’m glad I did! I got that coveted email from Susan R. Opel. It’s like the heavens opened with sunshine, and that music played in the background…and I kept thinking, “Is this a joke? Surely this is a joke!?” If you’re a paper crafter/card maker/scrapbooker, being in PC&S is like the FREAKING BOMB. That giddy feeling of an acceptance email is unexplainable. I buzzed around not knowing what to do with my hands! What do I do with my hands!!? LOL. Too funny. I must have read that email over 27 times+. Then I responded to Susan’s email with about 10,000 exclamation points. I figured she’d think I was nutso. (Which I was!) Instead, she shared in my joy and cheered me on. SRO…a truly delightful and sincere person :).

Then there were the contests I always admired from afar too. I again figured I had nothing to lose but not trying seemed silly. So I made cards and entered. The honor to be a winner! Geesh. And the community. Just loved it so. I have been so fortunate, being included in issues and amongst contest winners. It’s humbling, as I still feel like I’m “looking in”. 🙂

Anywhoozle…this was way longer than my usual post of 50-100 words, so I’ll close it out with this: Thank you to Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking–for the fun, the inspiration, the challenges, the amazing issues EVERY time, the community, the fabulous photography, the hip articles, the outstanding blog, rewriting my card instructions so they make sense ;), the elevating of oneself, the fun escapes to create, embracing my excitement with me (!), and the long distance friendships. I still struggle to say exactly “something” but…well, Be Cool. It’s a fond farewell to the publication and a see you soon to the people. 🙂

Cheers to Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking! and Thank you again…and again…and again.

Next on the hop is: Chunyuan Wu. Big thanks to Taheerah Atchia for spearheading this hop! And to those who helped her. What an undertaking! 🙂

…start at the beginning on Jennifer McGuire’s blog!

Thanks for hopping by–group hug! xo

Jill 🙂

My first blog hop…how fitting it’s for a tribute to PC&S. xo

Supplies: (Milk and Cookies, Milo’s ABC’s, A Little Birdie Told Me (and die)) Lawn Fawn, (Shadows) Paper Smooches, (Graph Background) Hero Arts, (Hello) Avery Elle. Hero Arts ink, Paper Source & Neenah cardstock, Prismacolor pencils, blending stumps, thread.

awesomeSAUCE…

Awesomesauce. 🙂 Love it. This was the item I was using for inspiration:

This card was made for Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine‘s June 2015 “Get Inspired” column. You know the fabulous one at the end of every issue that just makes you want to make something STAT!? Ha! No, seriously, it does. 😉

Anywhoozle… I was ever so thrilled to be even considered for such by PC&S, and was all a flutter when Susan R. Opel asked me to do it. C.R.A.Z.Y. Fun. Eeek! Just insanely happy and FREAKING nervous!

I started working on this card immediately! Then proceeded to work on it, piecemeal for about three weeks. Tinkering, thinking, die cutting something here, something there… (Lawn Fawn products=good stuff)…And then I was done! Or so I hoped?! I emailed it to Susan one morning. A few hours later, I received the email about publishing coming to a close after the February issue. *sniffles*. I didn’t connect all the dots until later that night…this column wasn’t going to happen. 😦

I was definitely bummed, as this was a ~~big~~ ~~huge~~ humungous honor for little me. But in the end, I am more grateful than anything. I was asked. And THAT is the true highlight for me. I am just so thankful for the consideration, let alone the call to create. 🙂 I loved being challenged like this from a source I greatly respect. I enjoyed the whole process & thought the end result was fun…even though I admittedly panicked at first! ha! 😉 ) Again, I’m not even kidding. Lol. 🙂 )

I keep saying it, I’ll say it again and I’ll say it often–Thank you PC&S. You will be missed.

…and Thank you SRO! You’re the sincerest cheerleader! Sharing your last blog post with these cards that “almost were” is another sign of your generosity and character. 🙂

Thanks for reading–

Jill 🙂

Supplies: (Cole’s ABC’s & Speech Bubble Border (dies), Milo’s ABC’s (stamps)) Lawn Fawn. Paper Source & Hero Arts cardstock, Versamark, Hero Arts embossing powder, thread.

thanks…cover!

holy *bleep*! FREAKING OUT (still)! Happy New Year! This is on the January 2015 cover of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking!! And the cards it shares space with?!! Heather Campbell’s & Betsy Veldman’s cards are um…hello!? WOW!! Humbling. I’m still floating. La la la. 🙂

I love a good laugh and trying to write out the instructions for how to make this card sounded like an Abbott and Costello routine…”die cut the die cut, then die cut that die cut into the other die cut…”. But of course, because they know their stuff, they broke it down visually inside the magazine. And can I say, Thank you! 🙂

Check it out:

I cannot wait to sit and really take this whole issue in…the colors inside are fabulous too! PC&S never disappoints…issue after issue after special issue. Incredible. I just can’t imagine only one more month and special to come? Not going to dwell today. Let’s enjoy them while they are here, shall we? 🙂

Thank You to PC&S! 😉 & Thank you for stopping by and reading my freak out!

Jill 🙂

The die cuts I used are two of my favs: Lawn Fawn’s “Scripty Thanks” and Avery Elle’s “Rounded Diamonds”. I rather enjoy a good, bold scripty word, but I am so picky about them…not too swirly, or spaced or whatever it is. It’s silly. This LF one is perfecto! 🙂 Avery Elle also makes another fav of mine, “Chevron Bits”. I had to put those away to let them rest a lil’ while. 😉

Supplies: Dies: (Scripty Thanks) Lawn Fawn, (Rounded Diamonds) Avery Elle. Cardstock: Paper Source, Bazzill Basics, Hobby Lobby & the Paper Company. Thread.

you make me…

Sprinkles. I love sprinkles. They are their own party. I’d put them on everything–and now, I’ve put them in a card 🙂 My husband would say “it was just a matter of time..”. Ha! You Make Me Laugh!! 😉

Paper Smooches stamp masked (ahhhhh…PS sentiments! 🙂 ) and this LYB die cut filled with sprinkles…nonpareils to be precise. (You should hear the fun shaking sound it makes!)

Thanks for stopping by…

Jill 🙂

Supplies: (We Totally Click) Paper Smooches. (Laugh, Love, Smile dies) Little Yellow Bicycle. Mister Huey’s spray mists. Paper Source cardstocks. Thread.

Holiday 2014: PC&S December

Happy Christmas! Oh wait, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! 🙂 Let’s hope I get cards made for Thanksgiving…My gratitude list is truly endless.

This card had the good fortune of being published in the December Issue of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking’s “Creative Sketch”. Just when you get stumped for new ideas, BAM! 🙂 PC&S Inspiration. People make really good stuff. 😉

I used my favorite #’s and “Joy Flair” …love me some flair! (“…make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?!”, Office Space. Hilarious!)

Happy…um…Holiday Season! Yes, let’s go with that! 🙂

Thank you for stopping by…your comments are always so kind!

Jill 🙂

Supplies: (Quinn’s 123’s) Lawn Fawn, (Ali Edward’s “Joy Flair”) Technique Tuesday. Cardstock: Paper Source & Hero Arts cardstock, Hero Arts inks, Prismacolors, blending stumps, thread.

Apple of My Pi…

Is it wrong when you crack yourself up? Nah… 🙂 “If you can’t laugh at yourself…”

I so enjoy a good play on words…

Here’s the card I was fortunate to have selected & published in the September Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Issue. These magazines are oozing with inspiration and (a lot of) talent 🙂 Go check it out!

This card has a little bit of several stamp sets–which makes it that much more fun.

Enjoy the last two days of “summer”!

Thank you for popping by…

Jill 🙂

Supplies: (Quinn’s 123’s & A Good Apple) Lawn Fawn, (Sentiment Sampler) Paper Smooches, (My Words) Hero Arts, (Incredible by Ali Edwards) Technique Tuesday. Paper Source & Neenah cardstock, Hero Arts inks, Prismacolors, blending stumps, thread.

SPECtacular…

The Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking September gallery challenge: Talk Nerdy to Me!

I just had to get this sentiment out of my head! …and I enjoy these ‘geeky’ card types 🙂

I really dig the cards talented designers made for the September PC&S Issue. I’m telling you, people are so darn creative! If you haven’t seen an issue of PC&S lately, check it out–you will be wow’d! I was even lucky enough to have a card selected for the issue as well. Check it out here: Apple of my Pi. Definitely one of my favs! I do love a good play on words/pun. 🙂

Thanks to you for popping by…

Jill 🙂

Supplies: (Incredible by Ali Edwards) Technique Tuesday, (Clark’s & Milo’s ABC’s) Lawn Fawn, (Cut & Paste by Jen Allyson) MME. Patterned papers: (Stella & Rose) MME, (Snippets Collection) Studio Calico. Paper Source & Bazzill cardstock, Hero Arts inks, scoring board, stylus, thread.