The Return to the Family Project with Liz Lemon Swindle

We are so excited to be able to finally tell you about our big super secret project that we have been working on with renowned Christian artist  Liz Lemon Swindle! She contacted us back in October to collaborate with her on a project which we have entitled Return to the Family.


We wanted to promote not only having a picture of Christ in every home, but a Return to Family and Family Dinners. Together LeeLou Blogs, MMB and Liz Lemon Swindle have come up with the perfect recipe:

"Return To The Family" 2011 Signed Limited Collector's Edition

The Return to Family project is 12 Limited Collectors Edition Paintings with a custom sayings on each print designed to teach and inspire your family and provide opportunities for you to teach lasting values and principals of integrity. Every Month you will have the opportunity to receive a new matted image that will create new interests, new ideas and fresh conversation around the dinner table. Each painting comes with a brief history behind the artwork along with several topics of discussion that correlate with the print.


With the Return to the Family project you get:


• 12 Limited Edition SIGNED Paintings (one new image every month)
• One custom frame (you have the option to order a new frame for each print or slip in your new print each month into your existing frame)
• History behind each painting
• "Dinner Table" discussion with hidden symbolism and various values and principals of integrity you can discuss with your family around the dinner table. 


All that for less then $17 a month! Such a great Christmas present.


You can purchase all 12 months up front or we also have the option where you can purchase the pictures monthly. 
The picture above is called Silent Night and is the first in the series. I can't wait to put it up this December.  


The idea of the Return to the Family project is to simply hang this art work next to your dinner table and then let the conversations begin. When children ASK questions, it means that they are ready to LISTEN to the answers. As parents we have a tendency to lecture our children when we want them to learn a specific lesson, value or principal. Hanging uplifting Art in your home makes it so that the children can study it out in their mind and then ASK making it possible for the spirit to then TEACH.


Steevun, the President of Foundation Arts explains it perfectly:


“The Savior said to "ask and ye shall receive... knock and it shall be opened unto you." He didn't say, "Be quiet and let me tell you what you need to know," or, "stand back I'm kicking the door in." Yet, as parents we do this each time we preach to our children without our children first "asking." So, with that said, here are the keys I have found to promote change.


ASK - a person must ask a question before they are truly prepared to listen.


LISTEN - children and adults listen when they truly want an answer.


FEEL - if we answer with the Holy Ghost our children will not just "hear" the answer - but more importantly they will FEEL the answer is from God and NOT us as parents


CHANGE - once we have felt the Holy Ghost it will inspire us with what we need to change, all that is left is to decide if we will. “


That is what uplifting Art can do in your home. Teach. Testify and Change hearts. I love the idea of changing out these pictures every month. I feel like it will not only inspire my children, but me as well. 


That is what we want to help you do with your family, and the Return to the Family is a start to making that happen. It is a fantastic opportunity for endless dinner time conversations by letting our children Ask understanding that they are then ready to Listen and Feel the Change taught to them by the Spirit from the paintings.


Look around your home and at the paintings you have on your wall. Now ask yourself this question: “What will my children think is important to ME because of what I have chosen to hang on my walls?”


We have hand selected some of Liz's amazing art for you to receive each month and invite you to join us in the Return to the Family by hanging uplifting Art on the walls of your home.

Today is the last day of my Favorite Things! The theme of the day is...

We have almost $800 worth of prizes today! You have until November 30th to enter, so be sure to scroll down and catch any giveaways you might have missed. 

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Persnickety Prints is pretty much amazing.  I always got my pictures, cards, etc. printed out locally. They never quiet turned out and were always cropped wrong, but it was all I knew. Then one crazy day I ordered some pictures online from Persnickety and they seriously made my jaw drop when I got them. They use this amazing photo paper that made my pictures look even better then when I submitted them. (Try their metallic paper. It's the coolest thing!) They pay such attention to detail and they are extremely fast and professional. I can't say enough good things about them. I will never get my prints done anywhere else. Check out Persnickety Prints cause they have tons of cute stuff you'll love. Prints, calendars, cards, scrapbooking goodies and tons more.

The winner gets a $50 gift card! (That would be perfect for their Christmas cards cause they are seriously cute!)

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Lots of bloggers get their blogs printed off yearly. I get many of emails asking which company I recommend to do the printing. I didn't use to have much of an opinion. I've seen some ok companies, but they never really impressed me a ton. Then I saw some books printed by Blurb and couldn't believe it. They're significantly better then any other ones I've seen. And Blurb prints any kind of book. Whether you want to make recipe books, vacation books, family reunion books, biographies...it's obviously endless what you can do. But I choose Blurb because they really are the highest quality I've ever seen at a great price. Love, love, love them.

And they're giving the winner a $250 gift card! That is HUGE!!!

To enter this Giveaway, leave a comment on THIS post telling me what kind of book you would print with Blurb. 

Want a few more chances to win? Do any of the following for extra entries. Leave a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do.

• Post about this giveaway on your blog.
• Tweet about this giveaway.
• Post about it on your Facebook.

After you enter, keep scrolling down to enter giveaways from Days 1, 2 and 3. 

Good luck!

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older. Thanks and good luck!

Home Swag Giveaway #2

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I think these storage cubes from Way Basics are really cool. I love fun modern furniture and these are cool cause  you can shape them however you want. They all come apart separately so you can stack them on top of each other, side by side, mismatch the colors,etc. and they are super easy to set up. Like I said, organization and I go well together. And I love that I can change things up whenever I want. Nice work Way Basics!
The winner get's the 6 storage cubes above.

I've really been on a pillow kick as of late. I want to fill my couches up with all sorts of fabrics, shapes and looks. Filling them up with Word Garden pillows would definitely be a good thing. They have different sizes to match any seat, and just the right look to match any elegant room. And how fun would these chalkboard pillows be for children? A lot of the pillows are a vintage, French, classy kind of look, and when I see this pillow, I totally imagine myself in the heart of France. Elegant, classy, yet fun.

The winner gets their choice of pillow from their shop!

Alright, now we've all heard of Scentsy right? Well I was a Scentsy virgin until this spring. I got some at CBC and loooved it! Shocking, right? Who doesn't love this stuff? I think Cranberry Spice is in my near future.

Lyndsee Bates is rockin' and wants to giveaway a Scentsy Sampler with 3 Scentsy Bars of your choice, 1 Plug-in warmer and 1 full-size warmer!

I am really excited about this giveaway! Liz Lemon Swindle is an AMAZING  artist. She has painted more images of Christ then any other artist, past and present. There is a new limited collectors edition called "Return to the Family" that just came out yesterday.  You can order the series and you first get a really nice custom frame and then every month of 2011 you will receive a new painting to put in that frame. The paintings come with a brief history behind the artwork along with several topics of discussion that correlate with the print. I can't wait to sit down at the dinner table and tell my kids the stories behind these images. These paintings tell such amazing stories and promote conversations, questions and inspiration.

And I love that a new picture will just show up on your doorstep every month. Greatest Christmas present ever. 

The winner of this giveaway gets the first limited collectors edition -Silent Night

To enter this Giveaway, leave a comment on THIS post telling me your favorite piece of home decor. Your family room rug, green candlesticks, photo collage...whatever it may be.

Want a few more chances to win? Do any of the following for extra entries. Leave a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do.

• Post about this giveaway on your blog.
• Tweet about this giveaway.
• Post about it on your Facebook.

After you enter, keep scrolling down to enter giveaways from Days 1, 2 and 3. 

Good luck!

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older. Thanks and good luck!

Guy Swag Giveaway

Welcome to Day 3 of Leelou's Favorite Things Giveaways. I take my absolute favorite things from the year and give you a chance to win them!

Today is

We have one big giveaway today with 3 great prizes for the winner.

First up are some cool water bottles from Way Basics. They're little pouches that you can store or freeze water in, but I love them cause you can roll them up and fit them anywhere. My 1 1/2 year old can barely drink out of a cup, so these are perfect when we're out and about at a restaurant or park and I don't want him to make a mess. I threw these in the guy giveaway day because what man doesn't want a roll up water pouch? Ok, it could probably go in another category, but I'll make up for it here in a minute.
The winner will receive 2 water pouches.

Miracle Blades hold a special place in my heart. When I was first married we didn't have cable so we watched a whole lot of infomercials. Miracle Blade came on like 3 times a day and we watched it every day. Over and over. It was hypnotizing. We coveted them.
Seven years later we FINALLY just went and got them. They. Are. AMAZING. They are ridiculously sharp (I almost sliced my finger off on day 1) and they have these special ways you can hold them to help you chop. Seriously people! Go watch the infomercial. If you click here you can. Just because it's so entertaining.
When you see Chef Tony

think of me

The winner gets their very own Miracle Blade set!

This is it. My all time favorite thing from this last year. I heard of an ipod-touch but had no desire to get one. I thought they were silly. Then I used my friends one day and it was all down hill from there. They're seriously awesome. There is so much free stuff I can't stand it. Everything you can possibly think of. Everything. Want your 10 year old to watch a movie in the waiting room? Done. Want your 3 year old to learn what a pentagon is? Done. Lost the dice to your game? Done.  If you've haven't ever played with one, go find one and do so. You will totally love it and want one. "Santa" should bring one to a certain guy in your family, right? Or I would be totally fine if you won it and kept it for yourself.  Cause I totally would  ;)
The winner of this giveaway gets an 8GB ipod-touch!

To enter this Giveaway, leave a comment on THIS post telling me your favorite tech gadget. 

Want a few more chances to win? Do any of the following for extra entries. Leave a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do.

• Post about this giveaway on your blog.
• Tweet about this giveaway.
• Post about it on your Facebook.

After you enter, keep scrolling down to enter giveaways from Day 1 and 2. 

Good luck!

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and love infomercials. Thanks and good luck!

Welcome back e-buddies! So today is the second day of my Favorite Things and we have a few prize packages in store.

Remember:
     •The giveaways are Monday through Thursday November 22-25
     •You can enter ALL giveaways until midnight on November 30th
     •Winners will be announced December 1st
     •I don't discriminate against non-bloggers...even though in a perfect world everyone would have a blog....so anyone can enter the giveaways!

Today is for the women!

Lady Swag Giveaway #1

The winner of this giveaway gets several of my favorite things all wrapped up in one super package.
First up is:

Memory Mixer is one of my all time favorite programs. It made the list last year and it made it again. That's how cool it is. I get emails all the time with frustrated future digital scrapbookers who just can't figure out Photoshop. It's tricky. I've had Photoshop for 7 years and I'm still learning things with it. Memory Mixer is so user friendly. You can do a ton of the same things that you could do in Photoshop, but with about 1/4 of the steps. My mama and my 5 year old daughter both use it. You can make anything scrapbook related, videos, cards, invitations, signs, etc. They have premade pages you can use as is, tweak them a little, or make something from scratch. They have made scrapbookers around the globe squeel in delight like little girls. And I will love them forever because of it.
The winner of this giveaway will receive the latest Memory Mixer software!
***I will be posting a highly educational Memory Mixer post on December 1st. Check back!***

Sucre Lulu is a vintage inspired boutique that has handcrafted items for babies, girls and women. They make these really cute hair pins and clips that are all different sizes and colors. She uses lots of textures and I think they look stinking cute on adults and kids alike. Sucre Lulu makes me want to redo my wedding and make everyone all matchy matchy.
The winner will receive a $25 gift card.

There are certain days where I work a lot. Leelou really cuts into my sleeping schedule most nights. There is only one way I can get through it. Good and Plenty's are my drug. Seriously, how do you stop? Cause I can't. And I'm ok with it. I recently shared a picture of my desk on Facebook. I found out you're either a lover or a hater. All the haters happened to be my sister-in-laws. They are fired.
So whether you love them or hate them, enter this giveaway and either devour them in one sitting...cause that would be totally normal and acceptable...or give them to someone who truly appreciates them.
The winner of this giveaway is going to get 5 big fat pounds of Good and Plenty's. Personally wrapped by me. With a special note that declares my love for them and you.

Alright ladies, let's talk makeup for a second. Do you hate thick, creamy foundations like I do? Are you exhausted from switching makeup brands, in hopes that you'll someday find the perfect type for your skin? Are you ready to look like a movie star everyday? Good. Because this makeup is the bomb dot com. Not only does it take me half the time it used to take me with other brands of makeup, but it is flawless. Mineral Hygienics foundation is not like ordinary makeup. It isn't made to look like you have lots of makeup on. It simply makes you look like you already have naturally flawless skin. It lasts a long time (both on your face and in the canisters), it feels lightweight, never cakey, and it blends in with the tone of your skin. I can have a whole conversation with you about this. But I won't. I'll just finish by telling you that you will not be disappointed and you will praise them forever more.
The winner will receive a mini-starter kit!

To enter Giveaway #1, follow my blog. See that "Follow" button on my sidebar? Click it! Then leave a comment on THIS post telling me just how many blogs you follow. Cause I'm always curious.

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and squeel out loud when you love something. Thanks and good luck!

Lady Swag Giveaway #2

The winner of this giveaway gets several of my favorite things all wrapped up in one super package.
First up is:

I saw a Belle Dangles last spring and needed it! I have been hanging my necklaces and headbands on 2 cabinet knobs in my bathroom for 4 years. It's so bad. I'd post a picture but you'd cringe.
Belle Dangles can hold over 100 pieces of jewelry tangle free. Plus you can hang bags, scarves, hats anything else on it. Sometimes I just like to sit and stare at it. Organization makes me giddy.
The winner of this giveaway gets their very own Belle Dangles!

You know what I love even more then having a cute new outfit? Having a cute new outfit that no one else has...muah ha ha ha. But seriously, The Lavish Loft has these amazingly cute new styles and they only sell a limited addition of EVERYTHING. Santa needs to step on it and get me this and maybe this, cause their stock changes weekly due to everything adorable selling out so dang fast. Go shop my friends.
The winner is getting a $30 gift certificate.

Ok, the last giveaway for the day is one from me. One of my favorite things is obviously to do any kind of graphic design. Today I want to give someone the chance to use me. That's right, I said it. You get me for 2 hours all to yourself and I will design absolutely anything you want. Christmas cards, invitations, banners, blogs, logo's, buttons, desktop wallpaper, art for your house, photo editing...anything you want! I'm yours.

To enter Giveaway #2 leave a comment on THIS post telling me 3 things you're thankful for.

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and be a little OCD. Thanks and good luck!

Leelou's Favorite Things 2010!

Welcome Leelou Friends! Thanks for stopping by the party. We are kicking of Leelou's Favorite Things today and have LOTS in store! 

• The giveaways will be Monday through Thursday November 22-25
• ALL giveaways will be open until midnight on November 30th 
• Winners will be announced December 1st
• I don't discriminate against non-bloggers...even though in a perfect world everyone would have a blog....so anyone can enter the giveaways!

With that said...scroll down and enter away my friends! This is what we have in store today:

Baby Swag Giveaway #1

I LOVE this highchair. And I love Boon.

Not only is this thing modern and cute, but it's seriously so easy to clean! Have you ever had a highchair with a cloth cover? It is THE worst! I had to wash the cover all the time. It would sit in the laundry room for days, finally get washed, then hung up to dry for days, then finally put back on when I felt guilty for letting my baby sit on the bare plastic high chair for days. And when I say "days" I really mean "weeks". Don't judge. You've all done it. And if you haven't, it will happen.

Unless you get this highchair! It's one solid piece and doesn't have any cracks for food to hide. I can't make this up. Plus, you can adjust the height so baby can fit perfectly at the dinner table, awwww.

Enter to win this for yourself or someone that you want to love you forever.

Check out Booninc.com to see all the other cute and handy things they make.

To enter the Boon Highchair giveaway, leave a comment on THIS post telling me one of your Favorite Things. Whether it's a skirt, car or can opener, I want to know!

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will get to choose one of the three Boon highchairs shown above. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and not judge me for never washing my previous highchair cover. Thanks and good luck!

Baby Swag Giveaway #2

The winner of this giveaway gets several of my favorite things all wrapped up in one super package.
First up is:

I got a hat for my daughter last winter from Cotton Blossoms. I fell in love with the flower immediately. I had never seen one like it before. Please tell me this is not so cute. The hats are super super soft and my daughter totally loves hers. The winner gets to pick one hat of their choice.

Rock and roll is the theme for Baby Rock children's wear, and it is just that. With tees from Lynyrd Skynyrd to ACDC, The Beatles to Madonna, the clothes are killer. It offers an edge that I have yet to see elsewhere. But it doesn't stop right there. They offer accessories, hats, tutus and even the one and only, Tinkle Tube. It's craziness. You must check it out. The winner gets to choose any one item! *excludes band tees, head wear, footwear and tutus

The Little Lasso has such a smart invention for any on-the-go, or germaphobe, parent. This lasso hooks right around your child's sippy cup and onto your stroller/car seat/highchair/etc. It's no fun picking their cups off the floor 48 times, and it can also be really disgusting as to WHERE it lands. Now it will always be right where you left it! The winner gets to choose any lasso they want!

To enter giveaway #2, follow Leelou Blogs on Facebook. Then leave a comment on THIS post telling me you did. 

Don't have a Facebook account? I'd hate to leave you out! You can still enter by leaving a comment on this post with your email address. A brief explanation of why you don't have a Facebook account is not required, but would totally entertain me. 

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and like little kids. Thanks and good luck!

Baby Swag Giveaway #3

This giveaway winner gets 3 items that I think are super. This one makes me laugh. A lot.

I so love this site. I'm a freak about movie quotes. My husband and I can have a complete conversation in them. It's a sickness really. So Babywood has little kid shirts with the funniest of funny quotes. Some of my absolute favorites are this one and this one.  Ahhh, ok this one too. I can't get enough of them. Just love Babywood with me won't you? The winner gets to pick their choice of any shirt!

I was instantly drawn into Way Basics. They have lots of items that are so smart and functional. Take these for example. These infant hangers are 100% recyclable and 100% non-toxic and can hold over 20 pounds! That's a hefty winter jacket, plus some. The winner gets a whole pack of them.

Boutique Sweet Cheeks is another awesome way to customize your baby's personal things, and in such great style might I add. These Bumbo covers include a back pocket for pacifiers and ribbon loops in the front to attach babys favorite toys to. Bumbos are such a popular baby item right now, why not make yours stand out from the rest?! The winner gets a custom bumbo seat cover and monogramming of their choice!

To enter giveaway #3 follow me on Twitter! Then leave a comment on THIS post telling me. 

Don't have a Twitter account? Oh I guess that's ok. Just leave your email address in a comment. Then tell me what your Twitter name would be if you had one. Just keep it clean. My grandma reads this.

This giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 12:00 midnight PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. We will contact the winner through the blog and/or email address listed on their google profile. If you do not have a blog, have a private blog or have no profile, you must leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. If we can not contact you or you us, we will take your swag and re-gift it to one of our closest friends. Or I guess we'll choose another winner through random.org. You must be 18 years or older and know what movie "I'm kind of a big deal" is from. Thanks and good luck!