Challenge #15--HAPPINESS: June 2 - July 6, 2014

It is the first Monday in June and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #15 the theme is "HAPPINESS".  Show us your interpretation of what happiness 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.

Happiness is something that we all strive for.  Unfortunately, many people keep working towards it and never allow themselves to experience it.  "If I could just get a job that I enjoy, I'll be happy."  "If I could finally lose those 20 lbs, I could be happy."  "If I could ....".  We need to stop the 'if only's' and be happy in the present.   Be happy you woke up today.  Be happy you were able to climb out of bed and walk of your own volition for those of you that can.  Be happy you have any job at all for those of you lucky enough to have one at all.  Be happy that there is clean air to breath and clean water to drink.  Be happy you can put food on the table.  Be happy with who you are, right here and right now.

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 happiness 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 happiness in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how happiness 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 once again have the ever fabulous Fresh Brewed Designs (FBD) as our Guest Sponsor for the month.  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!

Look at the beautiful images the team got to work with this month...

Doesn't this sweet little cat put a smile on your face?  If  "Daisy Kitten" doesn't exude a sense of happiness, I don't know what will!

"Daffodil Plants" is another great image that leaves the observer with a sense of joy.  For many people, happiness can be found in simple things.  Oh and look, that sweet little kitten makes an appearance in this image too!

Far out man!  I love this throwback to the 70's.  "Groovy" is another great image, that is perfect for the happiness theme.  Smiling is contagious you know!  You should try it out sometime to see how many people you get to smile back at you in return.

Two of the team members are on the Fresh Brewed DT and so they used other FBD images they had at hand...

Give my a spot on the beach and I'd be happy indeed as I am sure most people would be.  Beautiful nature scenes like, "Beach Getaway" are great for instilling a sense of happiness.

For others, all it takes is their morning cup of coffee to start their day in a happy place.  Heather has a lot of wonderful coffee inspired images including this great one called, "Peace Love Coffee".

If you are interested in purchasing any of these incredible images, clicking on the watermarks will take you to their location in the Fresh Brewed Designs store.

Now check out what my amazing design 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...

We are very pleased to have Dawn, from Designs By Dragonfly, as our guest designer this month...

Hi! It's Dawn here and I am delighted to be this month's guest designer. I have been happily married to my best friend for 34 years. One month to the day before our 9 year anniversary my happiness became complete when we were blessed with the birth of our precious daughter. By day I teach small reading and math groups to kiddos who need a little extra support to reach their full potential. By night I spend time with my family and then create crafty projects which I share on my blog, Designs By Dragonfly.  Thank so much for having me. 

Hugs, Dawn

Here is the adorable card she came up with...

As always, my design team and our guest have come through with amazing creations all conveying a sense of HAPPINESS within them.
 
So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to happiness, 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, June 9th when voting will start for Challenge #14.  As we only had 7 participant's this month, there will not be a top seven BUT all entries will be eligible for voting.  Also, be sure to check out the next Ponderings Along the Pathway post from Pat, coming out at the end of this week.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON HAPPINESS
If you need some motivation to get you started, I've provided a quote for you, which you can find below.

Please be sure to click on it to bring it up into the lightbox in its proper size before saving it.

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(s) 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:

• Foglihtenfr02 font created by Gluk
• Redressed font created by Astigmatic One Eye Typographic Institute

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

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 June 2nd to July 6th.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on July 6th.
• 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:
• Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digital Stamps 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 digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs, this month's 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 Fresh Brewed Designs, our guest sponsor for the month, we also have our regular sponsors:

 

 

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

We look forward to seeing you participate!

An InLinkz Link-up