Monday, July 07, 2025

Summer Break Reminder

 Hello there folks! I'm just popping in with a reminder that we are taking our summer break. I mentioned it during most of our posts published in June but figured it would be best to remind everyone in a separate post as well.

Over the last few years, we have made the decision to take time off in the summer. This year we will be off for the month of July AND the month of August. We take a break for the following reasons:
  1. Since it is summer time here in North America, Britain, Europe and other locales in the northern hemisphere, many of our players are out of the house and enjoying the warmer weather;
  2. My hard working Design Team deserves a little bit of time off; and 
  3. It gives me the opportunity to do some catching up with everything I'm always so far behind on by mid year.
The reason we are taking off two months is specifically related to me. As the years go by, I'm finding that my health challenges are interfering with my ability to spend as much time on the computer as I used to. Additionally, I also need to be spending more time with my hubby and with getting some decluttering done in our house. I am hoping that the next two months will help provide me with a little extra time to do that.
 
Now if you are waiting on the Top Picks and Winner Announcement from our June challenge, we'll be back with those posts in September, taking place during the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month in their regular spots.

I truly hope that you will all continue to support us when we return on September 1st for our next challenge (as long as everything goes according to plan). My hope is that in taking this time off, I'll be able to come back fresh in the fall. Your understanding is appreciated.

For the time being, I really hope that those of you living in the northern hemisphere are all enjoying your summer and for those of you in the southern hemisphere, I hope that your winter isn't too harsh. It is my fondest hope that you are able to make the most out of the next two months, whatever your circumstances in life!

Take care everyone, stay walking on your own Path of Positivity if you can and we'll see you all again real soon.

Saturday, July 05, 2025

Winners & Design Team Delights for Challenge #131 (May)

Badge for Monthly Challenge

Hello to all our wonderful crafting friends! I hope that you all continue to stay safe out there in whichever corner of the world you are located! 

Apologies for the delay in getting this post out but I was away for most of the month of June visiting family and am finding it difficult getting back on track; thus, it took me a bit longer to get the post finished than I would have liked. Right now though, it is time to present the winners for Challenge #131 (Anything Goes with the Opt. Twist: Embracing the Unexpected by Making An Unexpected Design). First we'll share the names of the Most Inspirational and the Random Winner and then we'll move on to showcasing our DT Delights. Who are all the lucky peeps? Well, let's find out.

Without further ado, here are the choices...


Drum roll, please....
 🥁🥁🥁 BBBbbbrrrrrrrrr pish 🥁🥁🥁
 
 In the category of Most Inspiring, our winner is...


Pinky, you are entitled to a lovely, one of a kind personalized badge for your blog as the Most Inspiring choice for Challenge #131 which you can find below...  
 
Most Inspiring Choice Badge
 
decorative border of footprints
The Random Winner for this challenge (chosen by Random.org), 
based on all eligible participants is…

 
Marjeta, you have won $6 worth of images or sentiments (digital paper packs not included) from Scribbles Designs, our on-going sponsor providing a prize for the project chosen as a Random Winner for each of our challenges in 2025.

http://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.ca/
 
Marjeta, you are also entitled to a neat and unique personalized badge for your blog as the Random Winner for Challenge #131 which you can find below...  
 
Random Winner Badge
 
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Big Congrats to...

pinky & marjeta

If you are our random prize winner for this challenge, please send your message to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com (be sure to replace 'at' and 'dot' with the appropriate symbols), or click HERE to bring our email up in your program, with the subject heading, "RANDOM WINNER PoP Challenge #131" to make arrangements to receive your prize. Please note that I am rather behind these days so it may take me a while to get back to you but I promise I will. I am currently caught up with the mail received in this account.

decorative border of footprints
Now it is time to announce our DT Delights from this challenge. Thanks to the people who took the time to join along our Path during the month of May for Challenge #131. We had a total of 28 entries. Check out the ones that really caught our attention...

Pinky--chosen by Katrina…  

Katrina said this:
"My DT Delight is Pinky (#16). Wow, what a fun project! So tiny and still packed with oodles of texture and beauty. This petite piece creatively combines lots of leftovers resulting in a treasured outcome."
 
decorative border of footprints
 
Betta--chosen by Kathy…
framed image of DT Delight Choice #2

Kathy had this to say:
"My DT Delight is Betta (#05). Your card, with its ingenious “sliding word puzzle” fits beautifully into our theme of “Make an unexpected design.” I have never seen anything like it and plan to CASE it the near future. TFS!"
 
 
decorative border of footprints

Creative Congratulations to you all!


Thank you to those who played on our Pathway during the month of May. As always we greatly appreciate you sharing your incredible talents with us.

For our DT Delights chosen for this challenge...

Pinky and Betta
 
You are entitled to the special Challenge #131 DT Delight Badge which you can find below...

DT Delight Badge
 
Well, that is it for this one. Please join us again on September 1st (as long as everything goes according to plan), when we will be back with our next challenge. Don't forget we're on break for the summer. I will be publishing an additional reminder during the first Monday in July (when our challenge would normally start).

Do your best to continue stay safe, healthy and positive out there in your daily life and hopefully we'll see you all again soon!!!

Until next time,

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Monday, June 16, 2025

Ch. #132--Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of: Embracing the Unexpected by Sending an Unexpected Correspondence…Midway

Badge for Monthly Challenge
 
Hey folks! Welcome back to the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog! It is the third Monday of the month and that means that it is time to present the midway for Challenge #132. It is my fond hope that each of you and your own families continue to stay happy, safe, and well, wherever it is you live in this big wide world of ours. Just a reminder that this is the last challenge before our two month summer break. 

As we are a unique kind of challenge blog, it is important for you to understand how things work. Please be sure to check out the START POST FOUND HERE for the specific details related to this month's challenge, and you can find out all the general details you need to know in order to participate, by clicking on the 'Challenge Details' tab (located at the top of the blog). For your convenience, a summary of the most important rules can now be found in the right sidebar under the heading 'General Rules'.
 
Right now, it is time to continue with our midway. Here is a refresher of the details for our current twist:
 

 

Challenge #132

Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of 

Embracing The Unexpected:

Sending an Unexpected Correspondence

This year's goal is to Embrace the Unexpected in our lives (click here if you'd like to read more in depth about our overall theme for 2025). No matter how much planning we do throughout our years on this earth, we're going to come across circumstances that we can't plan for. These unexpected things may be small or they may be huge and life altering. The only thing that we can control is how we react to these events. So this year, instead of BRACING for the unexpected, we are going to flip that and get in the habit of EMBRACING the unexpected. This will help us to train ourselves to look at these types of events in a different light.

To help inspire you on this journey, each month we will be doing things such as creating fun unexpected projects, working with items we might not typically work with, taking approaches that are different from what we normally do, offering up the unexpected to someone in our life, etc. So, let's get to the details for this month's challenge.  
There is an expression that says "Happiness is receiving unexpected mail". If you happen to still receive snail mail, I imagine that most of it is bills, flyers or garbage. However, every once in a while, you might receive a letter or card from someone. These little endeavours can create big joy, especially if it is from someone that you haven't heard from in a while, or someone who just typically sends electronic mail your way. Whether it is for a special occasion or just out of the blue, when you receive unexpected cards or correspondence, the odds are it will put a smile on your face. However, the pleasure isn't just for the card recipient. The benefits are a two way street:

  1. Learning new skills: Designing and creating handmade cards can be an opportunity to learn new skills, such as drawing, colouring, painting, or calligraphy. You might learn embossing techniques or how to design intricate card folds. These skills can be useful in other areas of life and can increase your confidence and ingenuity.
  2. Personal expression: Handmade cards allow you to have fun and assert your creativity. By personalizing the message for the intended recipient, it can make the card more momentous and show the person that you put thought and effort into it.
  3. Emotional connection: Receiving a handmade card can create a stronger emotional attachment between you and the person you are sending it to. By creating something special just for them, it shows that you care about the other person and are willing to invest time and work into maintaining your relationship. This can help make them feel admired and appreciated.
  4. Mindfulness and relaxation: The process of designing and creating a handmade card can be meditative and relaxing. It allows you to focus on a creative task and can help reduce stress and anxiety. 
  5. Spreading joy: Receiving a handmade card can bring joy and happiness to the beneficiary. It can brighten their day and create a positive emotional experience for them. This can in turn bring yourself comfort knowing that you are the person responsible for their moment of pleasure.

So, for your optional project this month, send an unexpected correspondence. Create and send a card to someone that you haven't sent mail to in a while. This would be a great opportunity to correspond with an old friend that you may have lost touch with or even one you just haven't seen lately. You could simply send a card to someone who wouldn't expect to receive one from you. How about someone in your own household?! Now that would certainly be unexpected on their end. This month you can bring unexpected joy to both yourself and someone else simply by sending an unexpected correspondence!

Remember, the twist is completely optional and you don't need to follow it in order to win. However, in order to be considered eligible for this month's goodies, remember that general types of projects/posts will not qualify for the honours and prize UNLESS they are also positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. Additionally, even if a project may qualify as positive, if your post promotes negativity, hatred or anything of an abhorrent nature, your project will be disqualified. Honours and Prize include:

  • $6 worth of images from Scribbles Designs, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
  • A badge for the following honours: Top Pick, Most Inspirational, Random Winner, DT Delight.
References:
Arbuso, Irick. (2024). Handmade Cards as Acts of Kindness. [Online]. Altenew. Last Updated: 6 May 2024. Available at: https://blog.altenew.com/handmade-cards-as-acts-of-kindness/ [Accessed 7 March 2025].
Janah. (2018). Why cards are just as important as gifts. [Online]. Things To Get Me. Last Updated: 27 February 2018. Available at: https://www.thingstogetme.com/blog/why-cards-are-just-as-important-as-gifts [Accessed 7 March 2025].
Osuorah, Eric. (2023). Heartfelt Gestures: The Enduring Appeal of Handmade Greeting Cards. [Online]. AFOMA Marketplace. Last Updated: 12 November 2023. Available at: https://afomamarketplace.com/blogs/handmade-cards [Accessed 7 March 2025].
Rogers, Jo-Anne. (2018). The Joy of Receiving a Card. [Online]. Design with Jo. Last Updated: 27 July 2018. Available at: https://www.designwithjo.ca/the-joy-of-receiving-a-card/ [Accessed 7 March 2025].
Unknown. (2023). The Power of Greeting Cards: How a Simple Card Can Make a Big Impact. [Online]. Dudus Online. Last Updated: 9 February 2023. Available at: https://dudusonline.com/blogs/articles/the-power-of-greeting-cards-how-a-simple-card-can-make-a-big- [Accessed 7 March 2025].
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To help inspire you further down the path of Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence, check out the wonderful projects my Design Team had the opportunity to create. Clicking on each team member's name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations.


 
framed image of Carole's creation



http://scrappyhorses.blogspot.ca
 framed image of Katrina's creation
 
 
 
 framed image of Kathy's creation
 
Thanks again to my astounding design team! As always, each of them have their own unique avenues of creation which I thoroughly admire. Each of these designs has demonstrated the theme of Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence splendidly, and I hope we have motivated you throughout this challenge to come up with your own work of handicraft. Be sure to go and visit these accomplished ladies so you can see just how their projects tie in to the twist.
 
Why not join us, if you haven't entered already? Create a project and/or post that is positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature and join our link up. How about stretching yourself by also opting to follow the twist?! While it isn't mandatory, we'd also love to find out how this month's twist affects your own life. How do you typically deal with the unexpected in your life? Do you view it with trepidation or take it on as a challenge? This month it is time to send out an expected piece of correspondence. Not only will you make someone else's day but both of you will receive benefits. Be sure to check above for some specific ideas (along with the benefits for both sender and recipient) if you aren't sure how to get started. If you want to share your process on how you decided your project, you can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Also, I know that the participants would love for you to go and pay them a visit. Remember we're creating a Path of Positivity to follow one project at a time and we'd love to see you somewhere on that route even if it is just by leaving a comment on an entry from someone who has touched you somehow with their project and/or post! You can find our list of participants and enter our latest challenge yourself by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the bottom of the post.

 
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY…
Please show your support to our wonderful sponsor, Scribbles Designs, by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance. You may also just find an image or two to add your your collection!

http://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.ca/
Thank you so much to this awesome Canadian company for their
continued support of this challenge blog!



Don't Forget...

Winners for challenge #131 will be posted next Monday if everything goes according to plan. You can find the Top Picks post HERE.
 
If you ever have any questions be sure to leave me a comment.
 


 
 
We look forward to seeing you participate!

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