Challenge #7--HOPE: October 7 - November 3, 2013

It is the first Monday in October and that means it is time for the next challenge to start. This time around, for Challenge #7 the theme is "Hope".  Show us your interpretation of what hope means to you.  You can make any sort of project and/or post as long as it is positive in nature and relates to the theme.  Now how cool is this.  It is our 7th challenge, and it is starting on the 7th AND there are currently 7 DT members on this team.  That must mean we are extra blessed this month and with the theme of HOPE to boot, I am sure that we are in for an awesome challenge.  I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Don't forget when you link up your project and/or post, to please leave a comment letting us know how your creation relates to the concept of hope if it isn't readily clear within the design itself or clearly written somewhere else in your post. Remember, the creation must be positive/inspirational/motivational AND adhere to the theme of hope in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how hope relates to your creation, it may not be as apparent to me or the DT members.  That is why we ask that you clarify it somewhere, whether here or in your blogpost.  This way it clears up any ambiguity that may exist.

This month we are fortunate enough to have two guest sponsors so Creative Bug Digitals will be taking a break this month from providing the winnings for the person who gets the most votes.  In their place, it will be the awesome Floppy Latté Designs (FLD) stepping in to take care of that prize.  They also provided our Design Team with some images to work on too.  Let's meet them...

Hi. I'm jessica (or FLOPPY) of FLOPPY LATTE DESIGNS. I  design digital stamps and papers, and also rework old woodcuts and drawings and put them into digital stamp form...and i'm stef (or GLITTERBABE) as i'm known in blogland. I also design digital stamps but not quite as intricately as FLOPPY does. Together we're the LATTE LADIES, or better known as FLOPPY LATTE DESIGNS.   Jess is the more serious one and stef is the clown – always trying to make people laugh. ok. So she likes the limelight. Keeps me (jess) in the background creating. Together we offer a variety of stamping and scrapbooking images and items reaching out to everyone's tastes (so we think). Do drop by FLOPPY LATTE DESIGNS (www.floppylattedesigns.com/catalog) and have a look around. We are sure you'll see something you like and we guarantee it'll put a smile on your face!

Our second guest sponsor for the month, taking care of the random prize, is the ever fabulous Fresh Brewed Designs (FBD) who also also provided the Design Team with some images to work with.  Here is a refresher on what FBD is all about...

If you are looking for some freshly brewed inspiration, then you have come to the right place.  Fresh Brewed Designs (http://www.freshbreweddesigns.com) is a small on-line company that has been offering a wide variety of digital images and rubber stamps since November 2010, designed to meet the needs of paper crafting addicts everywhere.  With over 30 categories to choose from and several new additions to the store monthly, our range of products is expanding all the time. Whether you are looking for one of our uniquely designed coffee inspired images or something entirely different, you are sure to find something to please.  We'd also love for you to visit us over on our blog (http://freshbreweddesigns.blogspot. com) where inspiration is always percolating.  We have a digi release at least once a month and other events as well.  Come see us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-Brewed-Designs/139388879447210) too.  You never know what other goodies you may find there.

Owned and operated by Heather Dennis, loving wife and mother to two home-schooled children, you can always expect personalized service.

At Fresh Brewed Designs we always have a fresh pot of creativity brewing. So stop by and join us for a cuppa whenever you want!

Since we had two sponsors, each team member got to choose the image they wanted to work with.  I've included the information about each of these images below the project it appears on.  If you are interested in purchasing any of the incredible images I'm about to show you, clicking on the watermark will take you to their location in their respective stores.

Now, check out what my amazing Design Team came up with to inspire you.  Clicking on the team members' name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations...

Vicky chose this Floral Corner Arrangement from FLD for her project.  I love the versatility of corner images because you can do so many different things with them.  You can also never go wrong with flowers as they are great for almost any kind of concept.

Check out this gorgeous flower called Blossoms & Butterflies from FBD that Desíre has chosen to go with in her project.  I love the incredible detail in this flower and the butterflies are the perfect addition to the image.

Sandy chose to use Funky Floral VII from FLD for her project. Funky is the perfect descriptive word for this image with its unique shapes and configuration.  Once again florals come through!

 

 For her project Samara has gone with the image Latté Awareness from FBD.  With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, this image and the theme of HOPE go hand in hand together.

 

Ike has joined us full time and we are so thrilled to have more of her.  For this project, she has gone with this cool monogrammed letter called Floral Cap Nouveau H from FLD.  Monograms are a great way to bring attention to a concept; H is for Hope in this case.  Monogram images are also great for personalized note cards and for making someone feel special by using the first letter of the person's name.  Once again you have an image that gives you so many different opportunities to make use of it.

Suze chose to work with Heart Hot Air Balloon from FBD. I've loved this image for awhile and hope to work with it myself soon.  There are so many occasions where this image would be perfect and paired with the concept of HOPE is certainly one of them!

We are also pleased to have Edwina from  Edwina's Creations joining us this month...

Hi, I am Edwina Brown. I was born in Kentucky USA. I live in New Jersey USA now. I started crafting as a small child. I loved art from the time I got my first box of crayons. In 1996 I started oil painting classes and then watercolors in 2001. I finally learned Pastels and Acrylics too. I learned about scrapbooking in 2003 and finally started making cards as well. I did not get into using digis till 2010. I am addicted to them now. I see an image then I think “Oh that will make a great card”. Next thing I know I am making a card. Sometimes I do not know till the card is finished what it will look like. I love trying new things and I think doing things out of our comfort zone improves our ability and mind. Making cards and other craft items have become a full time thing for me now. I am on 3 DT’s and love working with all 3 ladies. Crafting has introduced me to some very special people along the way. I now call some of them friend. I am thankful for them as they have helped me grow.

Here is the gorgeous card that Edwina came up with for us...

Edwina chose to work with the image, Thinking of You--Girl in Window.  If it looks familiar it is because a couple of our DT members used it in the last challenge that FBD sponsored us for.  I just love this image.  As I wrote last time we showcased it, I get captured in the feeling of longing and wishing that this young girl exudes.  Along with these feelings you can also gain a sense of hope too which of course is exactly the concept that we are trying to get across this month.

Once again my design team came through with gorgeous creations all conveying a sense of HOPE within them.
 
So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to hope, provide an explanation of how your project and/or post relates to the theme somewhere in your post or come over and leave a comment with the explanation.  Easy, peasy!

If you have some time, please visit other people participating throughout the month.  I've included the summary of the challenge details below.  If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, in the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

I hope to see you back on Monday, October 14th when voting will start on the Top Seven for Challenge #6.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON HOPE
If you need some motivation to get you started, I've provided a quote for you, which you can find below.  With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I've included a couple variations of the quote that would suitable for those types of projects.

Credit Notes For This Creation:
© 2013, Lisa L. Décosse. PUO. However, you are allowed to use the sentiment on handmade projects that you intend to sell on a small scale basis provided credit is given. You also need to include a credit note and a link to this blog should you use any of my images in your creations and post them on your blog. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with my full terms of use found in the 'Download Instructions & T.O.U.' tab at the top of this page. Of important note:  Please do not share my images with family, friends, etc. Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Box®, 4-Shared®, etc. Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves. If you would like to post a watermarked version of the image, please contact me to obtain one.

Font Information:

• Foglihten font created by gluk
• Herald Square font created by Nick's Fonts

Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  Both these fonts are free for commercial use.

All three quotes are the same size, I just kept the bottom two smaller in this post. You will notice that the sentiment may appear huge depending on what software program you download it into.  You can always reduce the size without distorting the overall look.

CHALLENGE DETAILS SUMMARY
Whether you are new and need to familiarize yourself with all the details,  or a returning participant and just need to refresh yourself, you can always find out everything you need to know in order to enter this challenge in the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page. I've provided a quick summary below.  Please note that dates and times listed below are for this particular challenge only:

• Each Path of Positivity challenge will remain open for approx. a full month.  Entries for this challenge will be accepted from October 7th to November 3rd.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on November 3rd.
• When you link up, leave a comment summarizing what it is about your post that you feel is inspirational  / positive / motivational and how it fits into the theme if you have not included this information somewhere within your post.
• Don't forget to come back throughout the month and visit others that have participated.
• Voting for this challenge will begin once the top seven have been determined.  There will be a separate post detailing the top seven.  You will then have the opportunity to vote on the creation or post that you have found to be the most inspirational of the chosen seven.  Be sure to leave a comment telling us what it was that inspired you or something in general if you uncomfortable disclosing any details of your vote.
• This month, prizes will be the following:
• $6.00 coupon from Floppy Latté Designs, one of our guest sponsors, for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.
• Three digital images from Ike's World  for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three images from Fresh Brewed Designs, this month's other guest sponsor, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY...

Please show your support to our fabulous sponsors by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance.  In addition to Floppy Latté Digitals and Fresh Brewed Designs, our guest sponsors for the month, we also have our regular sponsors:

 

That is me and I'd love for you to visit me

on my personal blog.

If you ever have any questions be sure to EMAIL ME or just leave me a comment.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Inlinkz collection begins below: