Challenge #16--Midway Reflection & Voting Reminder

Note to email subscribers:  I must apologize for the strange post that you will undoubtedly receive if you get the posts delivered by email.  Normally I schedule first before I even get the title in but when working ahead today I did not.  While typing in the title for the next challenge I somehow hit some keyboard keys that automatically published it before I was even finished editing the title.  I don't know what the keyboard keys are, I just know I've hit them in the past which is why I always try to schedule before starting to avoid these embarrassments.  That post has been deleted.  Sorry if it posed any confusion.

Hello everyone! We have reached the midway point of Challenge #16. The theme for this challenge is all about DREAMS. Today I am going to share a little introspection with you all that I am also presenting on my own personal blog in my "Motivational Monday" feature.

There is Beauty in the Unknown...

For the last couple of weeks, I've been mulling over some ideas about what I wanted to say on the topic of dreams this month but nothing really definite inspired me.  Then Saturday, I visited one of our wonderful challenge supporters, Donna Ellis, affectionately known by many as de.  After reading her own observations on the topic of dreams (located HERE), I knew exactly the approach I wanted to take with today's reflection.

Many of us can become bogged down by unfulfilled dreams.  I know that I have.  Sadly in my case, it wasn't just one or two.  I have had many dreams that have been unfulfilled but it doesn't mean that I've given up on the idea of them.  The key is that just like in every aspect of life, you must pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving.   When it comes to dreams, it merely means a course correction.

Maybe the dreams that we carry in our heart, aren't meant to be our reality.  It is possible that our higher power and/or the universe have decreed that we are destined for something else completely.  I saw myself surrounded by children, and later, grandchildren.  When that dream fell through, I concentrated on my career.  I saw myself fulfilling my goals of finishing my degree, spending my working hours developing curriculum and teaching learning strategies to individuals with learning disabilities.   That dream was ripped from me as well.  My dream of being financially secure?  Bye, bye.  Then in 2002, I became disabled.  So many more dreams were crushed and left to the wayside and for a very long time.  It felt like obstacles were being erected all around me to prevent me from ever fulfilling ANY dream.

Donna stated in her passage about dreams, that "instead of viewing stumbling blocks as obstacles, those "blocks" may actually be BUILDING blocks to bring us to a different place, fulfilling an "UNKNOWN DREAM" which has always resided in our hearts."  Well, I couldn't agree more!  Our hearts and minds are vast and we may have many burgeoning dreams and desires that have yet to be discovered.  Donna went on to state, "I would not have discovered the wide world of Beauty found in our Internet Community, had I not become critically ill, and home-bound".  Apparently, Donna and I share this in common as well.

Had my life not changed dramatically, I would still have been out in the workforce.  Had I been spending the majority of my day outside the home, I would never have had the need to find something satisfying to fill up so much of my spare time with.  Had I not discovered the world of card-making, I too would never have discovered the love and acceptance of this beautiful on-line community.  Now I have new dreams, very different dreams.  Some of them are well on their way to fulfilment, others need to be nourished and grown a little bit longer before they take root. 

The point is, is that sometimes it is necessary to stand back and re-evaluate the dreams that each of us once had.  Maybe we are destined for a different path than the one we anticipated. The key is that we never give up.  We must continue to change and adapt to our ever altering circumstances.    There is a quote by Alice Sebold that states, "Sometimes the dreams that come true are the ones you never knew you had."  Take comfort in the unknown, for those dreams may turn out to be the best ones yet. 

To help inspire you down the path into the land of dreams, check out the wonderful projects a few of my Design Team had the opportunity to create...

For Monica's midway project, she has chosen to work with the image With This Ring from one of our regular sponsors, Ike's Art.  I just love this image.  So romantic and brings back lots of memories for me.  If you are interested in purchasing it, click on the watermark to head over to its section in Ike's store.  It is currently located within the 'My Latest Designs' section. 

Vicky chose to work with an image from our guest sponsor this month, Scribble and Scrap.  For this journal entry she used an image from the Vintage Photo Sheet 24 and paper from the Elegance Set 1 collection of papers. 

Lynda decided to use Blossom, from Ike's Art.  If you are interested in purchasing this pretty image, click on the watermark to head over to its section in Ike's store.  It is currently located within the  'Flowers' section.

Pat decided to use Poe Bust, from Ike's Art.  If you are interested in purchasing this neat image, click on the watermark to head over to its section in Ike's store.  It is currently located within the  'People' section.

 

Sandy chose to work with Vintage Beauty #1 and used paper from the Mint Chocolate Set 1 collection of papers, once again from our guest sponsor, Scribble and Scrap.

I created a scrapbooking layout using two of our guest designer's images and one of her papers.  The images are Steampunk Key and Steampunk Keyhole.  The paper is from the Grungy Florals - Naturals collection.  To purchase either the key or the paper, click on the watermarks.  Lexie is busy working on the store right now, so I was unable to grab a watermark and link for the keyhole.  If you are interested in it, please be sure to contact her.

Finally, that leaves our...

Edwina, from Edwina's Creations, who is our guest designer this month, created these wonderful cards...

For her first card she used the same image that she did for the start of the month, Vintage Pansy Wreath, plus papers from the Fabulously Feminine 2 set of papers, all from Scribble and Scrap. 

For her next two cards, Edwina chose to use the image called Twigs from our second regular sponsor, Creative Bug Digis.  I just love this wonderful snowman.  If you are interested in purchasing this cute image, click on the watermark to head over to the 'Seasonal' page in Naomi's store.  Twigs can be found up in the first section under 'Winter'.  

Clicking on the team members name (or in the case of our GDT, the blog name) will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations!

So if you haven't entered already, what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to dreams, 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!  You can enter our latest challenge by clicking HERE.

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!

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).

Don't Forget...

You still have until 11:55 p.m. tonight, to vote on your favourite entry for Challenge #15.  Voting is quick, easy and painless so I hope you will consider casting your vote if you haven't already.  Don't forget, if you leave a comment after voting, you have the opportunity to walk away with a selection of digital papers created especially with your interests in mind. To check out all those eligible and cast your vote, click HERE.  Winners for challenge #15 will be posted next Monday.

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON DREAMS?
If you need some additional motivation to help inspire you, I've provided another sentiment on this month's theme (the first is available HERE), free for you to download:

Credit Notes For This Creation:
© 2014, 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. 

This word art creation is in png format and published at 300 ppi. It is quite large in order to accommodate different programs that people work with.   If you are a card maker you can always resize it smaller without distorting the quality.

Font Information:

• Foglihten font created by gluk
• Beyond Wonderland font created by Livin Hell

Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts were listed as free for commercial use at the time this project was made.and as such, it is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use these fonts in my creations and offer them to others.  Please refer to my full terms of service for what you can and cannot do with this digital creation.

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. You can enter the challenge by clicking HERE to take you to the current challenge post where you can also find a quick summary of the details related to this challenge, towards the bottom of the post. 

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 Scribble and Scrap, our guest sponsor 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!