DS72 & a Blog Candy Winner! ~ Ho, Ho, Ho!

Hello Wednesday!  I am so excited to reveal my blog candy winner for Sunday's Birthday Blog Hop.  (Yes, I was one of the team members with hidden "blog candy.")  I am terrible at keeping secrets!  So glad I can reveal the winner.  :-)  Thanks to everyone who stopped by to wish Kelley Holland, the owner of Our Daily Bread Designs a happy birthday!  I know she appreciated all of your birthday wishes.  And now for the winner...  I feel like Santa Claus...  :-)

Congrats to Kathy O! 

Please reach out to me within 48 hours so I can get your prize pack out!  Thanks again to everyone who took time out of their day to play along! 

Today I am taking a few moments to play along with Jen at The Deconstructed Sketch. By now, everyone knows how I feel about sketches! They make me SO happy! And this one is no exception...

I decided to pull out a fun stamp set recently sent to me by Kelley Holland, owner of Our Daily Bread Designs and North Coast Creations. This set is from NCC and is called Holly Jolly Christmas. Kelley and crew travel almost every weekend to stamp and craft shows to show their wares including booths for both Our Daily Bread Designs and North Coast Creations. If you get a chance to check NCC out in person, please do! The images are darling!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

Several layers of coordinating DP by Simple Stories, kraft and card stock along with some lace and pearls make up this fun card. I love the traditional red and green but I also like nontraditional colors. I think the kraft adds a country/vintage feel. A few paper punched evergreen springs and a cute copper jingle bell add festive touches. And isn't Santa darling?  And he was a blast to color! So fun! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are working on your Christmas cards too!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Lori

Card Recipe

Stamps - North Coast Creations - Holly Jolly Christmas

Inks - Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger Distress Ink - Pumice Stone; Copics

Papers - Bazzill; Kraft - Paper Studio; Simple Stories - Handmade Holiday

Dies - Spellbinders - 2010 Heirloom Ornaments & 2011 Heirloom Ornaments

Misc. - Martha Stewart Evergreen Paper Punch & Edge Punch; Baker's Twine - Jillibean Soup; Jingle Bell - Art Minds; Lace - American Crafts; Pearls - Recollections

Challenges

The Deconstructed Sketch - DS72
Simon Says Stamp - Use Dies and/or Punches

Santa is Coming to Town!

Here we are the day before Thanksgiving. Don't you just love the holiday season? There is so much meaning this time of year. I think of the Pilgrims celebrating the first Thanksgiving. Half of their population died from exposure and malnutrition simply because they wanted to worship the one true God. And Christmas... how a baby born in a manager in Bethlehem changed the entire world. It is a wonderful time of year and I am so blessed and tremendously thankful for all the gifts my Lord has given me. I can't praise him enough!

Today's card actually uses an image of Santa Claus. Many people don't know the story behind the real Father Christmas who made sure children in his village had little treats at Christmas time. Somewhere we lost the real meaning of Christmas and self sacrifice for others. I have been very guilty of focusing so much on getting the perfect "gifts" that I have forgotten about the most important gifts. First of all, I pray my family and friends know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Second, I pray that the gifts I give are from the heart and build "memories" not "materialism." I pray that I also become more child-like in my dealings with others.

The image of Santa reminds me of this. Children are so true in their faith. For a few brief years they "BELIEVE" there is a Santa. Even though the logistics of it are impossible not to mention improbable they believe with all their heart. It is my prayer that I take that wide eyed innocence into this season of love and giving.

In the book of Luke, the disciples were squabbling about what ranking they would have in heaven. (How true is this today among Christians? I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion.) Jesus perceiving the magnitude of this little ego trip promptly placed a child beside him and began to gently counsel the disciples.

And said unto them, "Whosover shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he is least among you all, the same shall be great."
Luke 9:48

Wow! Blessings to you-

Lori

Card Recipe

5 X 7

Card Stock - Georgie Pacific (white & black), Bazzill
Pattern Paper - Anna Griffith
Stamps - Image - Close to My Heart - Share the Magic
Stamps - Sentiment - Close to My Heart - I Believe
Ink - Image and Sentiment - Memento - Tuxedo Black
Copic - Markers
Ribbon - 7/8 Offray Grosgrain - Black
Stickles - Diamond (belt buckle and sentiment)
Gold Pen - Uni-Ball Gold Gel Pen
Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots
Die Cut - Fiskars Punch



Copic Colors

Reds - R27, R29, R46
Blacks - 110, C7, C5
Skin - E00
Blush - R20
Lips - E04