A Christmas Wish Blog Hop

I'm thrilled to be able to participate in Michelle Perkett's first blog hop. She was so kind to provide this awesome digi called "Wishing Star Angel" and it's always so fun on blogs to see all the various ideas and creations that people come up with using the same core element. If you are in the middle of the hop you would have just come from Ellen's Blog and once you've viewed my blog, continue hopping on over to Jennifer's and see her beautiful card.



I'm amazed as I learn to use Copics how long it takes me to actually color a picture. This one took me quite a while, but I really loved the finished result. I also got my sewing machine out that I bought a year ago and really haven't even used yet so I was pleased with all the new things I tried on this card. I used random stamping on the green back ground paper...a technique I always love, you can just create any patterned paper you want with a little ink, paper and stamp. The button and a little waxy flax topped off the whole card and really pulled it all together.

The second part of the blog hop is to add what I would want my Christmas Wish to be.... My life is so blessed in so many ways. My supportive family, my boys, my friendship I share with my Mom and sister (Gini) , my career, the beautiful mountains that I live in and so much more...so saying all this it's hard to think of something else that the Lord could possibly bless me with, but if I could wish for one thing it would be for my two boys, to reach their full potential and use all the gifts that God has given them. Now this is very different for both of my boys. My youngest son is so full of energy and is a real little spitfire. He holds the world by the tail. My oldest son Will is disabled and though he may not run and jump like his little brother he can reach someone soul with his sweet smile and pure spirit. I hope that you are blessed enough in your life to be touched by someone as special as either of my two boys.

Finally I'm pleased to share all the other challenges that my card qualifies for and thank you so much for stopping by.

Everybody Art Challenge: Stitching

Stamp Scrap and Doodle Christmas Card

Cute Card Thursday/ Whirly Girly

Stamp with Fun Christmas Card

Stamp Something Glitz

AllSorts Challenge : Buttons

Kaboodle Doodles: Snowflakes

Creative Card Crew: Christmas

Pink Elephant: Color Something

Spoon Full of Sugar : Non traditional Christmas Colors

SophistiCat : Snowflakes and Sparkle

Pixie Cottage: Stitching

PollyCraft

And the winner is.......

Well December 1st has come and gone, so it's time to choose the lucky winner of my blog candy. The random number generator picked number 14....so Hollyk....you win. Please email me lorileng@bellsouth.net with your contact information and I'll get your prize out in the mail to you.

Thank you so much for playing along and I hope you had fun. Next, I'm going to do a card challenge. So stayed tuned for more details on that and please pass the word along...the more the merrier.

HUGE CTMH SALE 50-80% OFF

I've just learned from corporate that we are having one more big BLOW-OUT sale starting December 2nd, 9am MT time. I can't believe how cheap we're selling things...stamp sets starting at $2, paper packs $5, Sassy Strands $1...WOW, can you believe it. There is a five page list I'm happy to email you over if you would like showing everything that will be available until supplies run out. For orders $100 and over, shipping will be a flat $5 rate and orders below that will be based on actual weight, plus tax will only be charged on the sale price, not retail....my goodness how sweet is this holiday delight.

Please email me ( lorileng@bellsouth.net) if you would like to get a copy of the list of items available.. If you have your list made out you really should be able to breeze through the order entry on Wednesday just by putting in your item number. You can purchase these goodies through my website only http://lorileng.myctmh.com/ and either click the picture of the sale to take you straight to it or you can click on Shop Online and then the clearance.

Please note you will not be able to combine regular priced merchandise with the sale items and the sale will not count towards a hostess event or a Stamp of the Month.

Please let me know any questions you have and I hope you enjoy this HOLIDAY HEY DAY SALE.

CTMH " Notice the Details" Blog Hop

Welcome to December's Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you just joined us from Shelia's Blog....Welcome. The featured Stamp set for this month is " Notice the Details " and you'll be able to see over sixty different Close To My Heart consultants ideas for this great stamp set throughout the blog hop. So take a few minutes for yourself to get inspired with some beautiful artwork.

This month I did a post it note holder. A sweet friend of my Denise did one of these for me when we were at leadership and when I saw this stamp set, I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for. How perfect is this. I used a 5 x 7 acrylic frame from Walmart that cost only a $1. The decorations for the most part are enclosed in the slide in frame so you're able to use a dry eraser maker to fill in the days for each month and have a handy calendar, that will erase for the next month. The post it notes are attached to the top of the frame with a little glue and can easily be replaced, once these are used up. I also used my all time favorite paper pack...Perfect Day. This is going to make a great gift for the holidays and I hope I have inspired you to create that perfect holiday gift for someone you know.

Remember you can only get this stamp set throughout the month of December. You can go to my website and order yours today. Remember, retail is $22.95, or you can get it discounted or for free with a qualifying purchase. $25 = $25% off, $50 = 50% off, $75 = 75% off and a $100 order will get you this for free...what a value. Just think you could do some Christmas shopping and also get a little something for you FREE!.

Now hop on over to Susan's blog and enjoy some more creative ideas.

Kaboodle Doodle Bows, Buttons and Bling Challenge

I did this card for the Kaboodle Doodle Challege to use Bows, Buttons and Bling. This is actually a glitter shaker card I created using one of Michelle Perkett's beautiful fairies and paper from Close To My Heart's Notebook paper pack. I stamped the images with Staz-on ink on top of a page protector that has glitter sandwiched in between the two layers, so as you shake the card glitter moves around. I really love the colors on this card and the way it's a non-traditional Christmas Card

Welcome Christmas!

This is a sweet little Christmas card I did with my sister Gini again to meet several challenges. I've found it really fun to start participating in various challenges, more than anything to make me think outside of my comfort zone. New sketches, new stamp images, colors I never would have mixed and other areas that push me creativly. I think in the long run this will make me have a broader experience that I'll be able to share with all of my great customers. I think this little Magnolia stamped girl is just precious with the mistletoe dangling over her head wating for the Christmas kiss. Here is a list of all the different challenges this card was created for:
RoP- Romance
Simon Says- Winter Love
Magnolia Down Under- Christmas
Creative Belli- Chipboard
Magnolialicious- sketch
La-La- recipe: 3 patterned papers, 2 cardstocks,1 embellishment

Stamptacular's Sunday Challenge

Stamptacular's Sunday Challenge this week was to stamp something, and use only colors that remind you of the fall. I always think of Fall as having crisp, clear blue skies, with the lovely browns, greens and yellows thoughout the landscape. Living in the Western NC Mountains I'm so blessed every fall to see the spectacular show that nature has to offer. This card displays some of those rich fall colors I just adore. I used the beautiful Close To My Heart Paper pack Caprice. This is one that is set to retired this December and I'll miss it. I just think it's beautiful. The stamp set is also from Close To My Heart "Grown with Love" and for whatever reason this tree reminds me of one of my favorite books "To Kill a Mockingbird ". This weekend has continued to be such a blessing to me spending it snuggled in with my boys and my paper. I wish the same happiness to you.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

I did my card this afternoon with my sister, and thought it would be fun to see how many challenges I could enter with this one card. Why don't you see if you can enter some challenges on this nice, long Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are the challenges I have entered:
Pink Persimmon (sketch)
A Spoon Full of Sugar - brown/blue
Cuttlebug Challenges - Sparkle
Sparkle Creations- Christmas
Pollycraft - Christmas
Whimsy Stamps - Christmas
Everybody Art- Christmas
Flourishes- Christmas
Papertake Weekly - Christmas
Whiff of Joy - Christmas
Charisma Cardz- Christmas
Creative Card Crew - Favorite things (snowmen)
Pixie Cottage - stitching
Pink Elephant - Plaid, brads, no ribbon

Wizard of Oz Card

I did this card for my husband for our fifth wedding anniversary and was also able to enter it in several challenges...Always fun. Simon Say Stamps Challenge this week is animal antics and I certainly think Toto fits that bill. I stamped the yellow brick road with one of the brick stamps from this months Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month...I've really used that stamp a ton. The challenge at Corrosive Challenges was to be inspired byLet's go to the Movies - obviously, this would be the Wizard of Oz. The adorable Dorothy/Toto image is from Michelle Perkett and if you haven't looked her up yet, you should. I just love her images, they're wonderful to color. The sketch came from the Get Sketchy Challenge this week. It was a sketch that really challenged me, so thanks for making me think outside the box. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Holiday.

Give Thanks, Baby!

This time of the year, it really is the season to pause and reflect on everything we have to be thankful for. Our families, our country, our lives and the love that truly is around us. I'm thankful first and foremost for family, they are my heart and this evening I was blessed to be able to hang out with the worlds greatest sister. My son calls her EE, I've always called her Ninny but the rest of the world knows her as Gini. She has always been more than just my sister and I love her so much, so whenever we get to be together and just be ourselves is such a joy. She is the queen of card challenges so with her guidance towards the challenges, I did this "Thankful" card this evening for Lala Land Crafts challenge creating a card that shows thankfulness. They are giving some amazing blog candy - but you need to enter by midnight, Monday 23rd. I thought this image from Sassy Studio Designs was just adorable and really wanted to add BABY to it but just didn't want to overdo it...so even though the baby didn't make it on, the name of the card is Give Thanks Baby. I used the sketch from Pixie Cottage, simple but just perfect. Lastly I used the cuddle bug embossing folder to add the wonderful detail and texture of the circle to the side of the card, The Cuttlebug spot is also having a challenge for a card using a turkey...so boy did this card fit a lot of bills. I hope you enjoy the artwork, but more than anything I hope you will take a few minutes to think about what exactly it is you have to be thankful for and may your blessings abound!