Challenge #23--LAUGHTER: February 2, 2015 - March 1, 2015

It is the first Monday in February and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #23 the theme is "LAUGHTER".  Show us your interpretation of what laughter 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.

Can you imagine just how dreary our world would be without humour?  I don't know about you, but a world without humour is a world I would not want to live in.  Not only are there incredible health benefits to laughter there are emotional ones as well.  Sometimes when things are bad, all you can do is sit back and laugh at the absurdity of it all.  I for one am due for a little bit of laughter after all the sadness that January brought.  Is there someone you know that could do with a little bit of laughter themselves?  Well, why not create a card showcasing the theme of laughter and share it with us along with that special person?!

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 laughter 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 laughter in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how laughter 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.  You can simply write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, if it would be easier.  We just need to know how your project ties into the theme.  Letting us know, clears up any ambiguity that may exist.

This month's guest sponsors...

We are very pleased to have two new companies as our guest sponsors for this month's challenge.  Each of the ladies behind these two stamp lines know exactly how to express humour in their images.

First up, we have Limited Runs.  Let's learn a lit bit about Nikki's company shall we?!

Limited Runs has a LARGE calorie free sweet shoppe filled with over 120 different cupcakes, something for almost every occasion. It's not all cupcakes there are tons of  Christmas, Halloween, Backgrounds, Fairies, Critters and More to see. The store has gone through a re-vamp with new digital stamps added in all the time so pop in an take a look around things. Everyone knows you can't enjoy a cupcake without a coffee so there is a place to even pick up a cuppa. There's always a little something for everyone to enjoy and grab the monthly freebie so you can sample before you buy and add to your collection.

Check out the fun  images the team worked with for their projects for the beginning of this challenge.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to category page they can be found on in LR store...

Owl Tubs (Category: Owls, Section:  11-20)

Jazz Just Hanging Out (Category: Girls, Section: 1-10)

Over a Puddle (Category: Girls, Section: 41-50)

Birds on a Wire (Category: Birds, Section:  21 to 30)

Next, that brings us to Meljen's Designs.  Let's now learn a little about Melissa's company and what she has to offer...

Meljen's Designs is a lovely stamp company owned and illustrated by Melissa Jenkins. She illustrates whimsical rubber and digital images inspired by her kids and family. Meljen's Designs has a new challenge every Thursday, and a Guest Designer each month at the Meljen's Designs Blog. Please visit the adorable line of Meljen's Designs stamps at our store HERE to browse all of Melissa's lovely designs! You can also see Melissa's exclusive rubber stamps at her corner of Whimsy Stamps, too! Don't forget to join Meljen's Designs on Facebook HERE to take advantage of special sales and promotions that are just for her facebook fans!

Below you will see two more fun images used by team members in their projects for the beginning of this challenge.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to their location within the MD store...

Brooke's Butterflies

Flower Girl

We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these awesome images this month.  Thanks so much to our fabulous sponsors.  Be sure to come back at the midway when you'll get to see more beautiful projects created with images from these wonderful companies.

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...

 

We are very pleased to have Helen, from Crafting Helen, as our guest designer for this challenge...

My name is Helen and I live in a small town called West Kirby which is in the north west of Britain - the nearest big city to us is Liverpool.  I work for an organisation called The Abbeyfield Society which is a world-wide charity providing care for older people.  I'm an Activities Coordinator and I work in a care home and two sheltered houses providing activities for the residents.  We craft, play dominoes, do crosswords and do chair exercises as well as enjoying music and films together.  I've been making cards for many years and love stamping, working with digi stamps and colouring with Promarkers. 

Once again I am blown away by the quality of projects from my amazing design team and wonderful guest!  Each of these projects has helped to bring a giggle and/or smile to my face, and I hope that they do the same for you.

So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to laughter, 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, February 9th when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #22.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON LAUGHTER
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:
© 2015, 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 or my personal blog, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, 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:

• Dancing Script OT font created by Impallari Type
• Goulong font created by GemFonts

Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts were listed for commercial use at the time of this creation.   It is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use these fonts in my creations and offer them to others for free.  Always check to make sure the terms haven't changed before using the font on something you sell.

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 February 2, 2015 - March 1, 2015.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on March 1st.
• 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.  You can simply add a sentence or two right next to the link for this challenge if you want.
• Don't forget to come back throughout the month and visit others that have participated. 
• You can link up a total of three (3) creations.
• Voting for this challenge will begin once the top picks have been determined.  There will be a separate post detailing those picks.  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 picks.  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. 
• For Challenge #23, prizes will be the following:
• A prize package of 4 (non-colored) images from Meljen's Designs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• A $10 gift certificate from Limited Runs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
• There will also be:
• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

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

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Link Up Below:

An InLinkz Link-up