Swan Song blog hop

I’m not sure I even know where to begin this post. It is with great joy, but also great sadness, that I join together with my fellow paper crafters to honor the wonderful people behind Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine.  And I struggle to find the words to say goodbye.

Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine recently made the difficult decision to cease publication, and a few of us (OK, so more like a whole big bunch of us. Like a couple hundred!) got together to honor the amazing people we love at Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine with a Swan Song blog hop. If you’ve been hopping along, you may have come here from Giovana Smith’s blog. Welcome to all of you, whether you’re joining me here for the blog hop, or otherwise. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you’ll take the time to say hello.

Over the years I have had the honor and privilege of having many projects featured within the pages of Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine’s print and digital publications, have had several of my cards featured on the Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking blog and the Moxie Fab World blog, took part in some really fun and amazing contests (such as Gallery Idol and Stamping Royalty),  got to work with people within the industry and make new friends who share my passion for paper crafting, and was challenged and stretched creatively.

My favorite publication assignment of all was the special edition of Tips and Tricks 2012, because I got to design an entire collection of items featuring ideas for using buttons. It was a really fun assignment, and I feel so grateful to have had opportunities like that because of Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine. Many years ago, as a fairly new paper crafter, I told a friend of mine that it was a goal of mine to someday have my work published. Thanks to publications such as Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine and others, I was able to see that goal become a reality, many times over. I’m so proud to have reached that goal, and I’m grateful for Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine for the role they played in helping me see that dream come true.

A little about the card. I drew the background design with a gold pen from American Crafts. The rub-on and banner are from Crate Paper. The label is an old one from Studio Calico. The sequins are from Studio Calico and Teresa Collins. The stamped sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I also added some splotches of gold paint and some stitching, because I can’t seem to make a card without stitching and/or splotches these days.

So, how do we say goodbye? It’s hard to let something go that has come to mean so much to all of us.

So Jennifer, Susan Stacy, Kerri, Holly, and Matt & Melinda too, this is my hope and prayer for you going forward. That this is not only an ending, but a wonderful new beginning. That all you have experienced in the past will only serve as a springboard to new and greater things. That at the close of one door, a wonderful new one will open for you. That anything you may have enjoyed because of your role at Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine will be dim in comparison to the good things yet to come.

Let me just take this time to say “thank you”. Thank you for the opportunities. Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for the cheerleading. Thank you for the friendships. I will be forever grateful for all the opportunities I have had because of you, whether directly or indirectly. You will always hold a special piece of my heart.

From here, you can head on over to Glenda’s blog. Thanks so much for stopping by today and hopping along with us.