The People Have Spoken: Winners From Challenge #24

It is time to announce the winners from Challenge #24.  We had 42 people vote in this challenge which I think is one of our highest turnouts yet!  And, by a landslide, we ended up with a clear cut winner in the Voter's Choice category.  Who are all the lucky winners? Well, let's find out.

Without further ado, here are the choices...

Drum roll, please....BBBbbbrrrrrrrrr pish

The people have spoken and their choice for Challenge #24 is....

DENYSE

Denyse, you will be getting a cool and awe inspiring personalized badge for your blog as the Voter's Choice for Challenge #24.

In the category of Most Inspiring, our winner is...

VERONIKA (Cheiro)

Veronika, you have won a $12 gift certificate from Sami Stamps, one of our guest sponsors during Challenge #24. 

Veronika, you will also be getting a lovely, one of a kind personalized badge for your blog as the Most Inspiring choice for Challenge #24.

The Random Winner for this challenge (chosen by Random.com), based on all eligible participants is:

 PENNY

Penny, you have won a $15 gift certificate from Lunagirl, our second guest sponsor during Challenge #24. 

We also have a prize available for a voter who left a comment.  Our winner this challenge chosen by MiniwebTool.com is... 
 

Edwina who was the only person who left a comment:

 

 I voted for #4 Veronica's photo. I was surprised I liked her reason best. I love photo and flowers, but the serendipity explanation of chance that they got to see these flowers meant so much to me. I could just imagine them coming upon them and the joy they felt when they saw them. Yes, I can imagine it easily. I looked at and read each person's post. They all are great! Wish I could put in a vote for you all.

Edwina, you have won a selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles.

Big Congrats to...

Denyse, Veronika, Penny & Edwina

Please click HERE to send us an email with the subject, "WINNER PoP Challenge #24" to make arrangements to receive your prize and badge (where applicable).  Please note that it may take me a few days to get back to you.  Thank you for your patience. 

All entrant's in Challenge #24 are entitled to a special digital sentiment based on the theme for the upcoming challenge.  So, if you were one of the individuals who entered Challenge #24 and would like to receive a free sentiment based on the theme for Challenge #26, which starts Monday, May 3rd, please click HERE to send us an email with the subject line, "PoP#24 Entrant Quote Request for #26".

There is still one week left to enter into our challenge on GROWTH.  Click HERE for details.  If you haven't linked up already, I hope that you will consider coming over to play with us.  As always, we'd love to have you join our Path!

Don't forget to join us this coming Sunday for our DT Delights post.  We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Challenge #25--GROWTH: Midway Reflection & Voting Reminder

Hello everyone! We have reached the midway point of Challenge #25. The theme for this challenge is all about GROWTH.   As usual, 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.

Keep on Growing

It doesn't matter whether you are 25, 50 or even 75!  You are never too old to grow and develop.  We may get stuck and mired down at times during our life that makes us think we'll never reach our objectives but it doesn't matter.  We can always pick up and start again.

My husband is one example of this.  He had a difficult time as a child in school and was told by many that he would never amount to anything.  His own mother and many of his siblings would often call him 'stupid' and 'a retard'.  Both terms that shouldn't be part of anyone's vocabulary!  He dropped out of high school but later went on to complete his GED (which is a general equivalence of a high school diploma), and then put himself through night school to become a Bookkeeper all while working at the same time.  Years later, not satisfied with where he was at, he decided to go back to school--at the age of 36.  Again, amidst ridicule such as, "you're too old" and "what are you thinking".  He ended up graduating from a two year program and went on to have a very satisfying career in that field for over 10 years.

He knew what he wanted and he never gave up.  He didn't stay complacent with where his life was at.  He didn't give up and get stuck on what someone else's ideas of success meant.  Even when he struggled with reading and writing, he never gave up wanting to learn and grow.   Of course, today we know that he has both learning disabilities (visual, auditory AND kinaesthetic) and Attention Deficit Disorder having undergone testing.  Had he been properly diagnosed as a child, he may not have had as many educational struggles as he did.  However, even facing those difficulties he never gave up and continued wanting to learn and grow.

Even today, after having retired from his career at the local college, he has gone on to learn a new career as a tax professional.  This is his fifth year with the organization and each year he must learn more in order to improve his skills.  At the age of 65 (well, he will be on Wednesday),  he show no signs of ever wanting to stop the process of learning.

This is just one example.  There are many places in our lives for us to grow and develop.  It doesn't matter whether it is growth related to our career or business, our personal life or our spiritual one.  It is important that each of us continues to develop and grow throughout life.  It can be the little things we work on or it can be the bigger ones too.  The key is that you keep trying to improve yourself and work towards the person you were always meant to be!

As a reminder, here are the watermarks and links for the wonderful images that the team worked with for the midway.

 From Sparkle N Sprinkle...

Vivian Hat Lady

 Beach Friends

 Bubble Gum Wishes

  

Daisies

Welcome Autumn

 Easter Bunny and Chicks

We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these fabulous images during the midway.  Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors.

To help inspire you down the path of growth, check out the wonderful projects most of my Design Team had the opportunity to create...

 

Finally, that leaves our...

Julie, from Muddy Paws & Inky Fingers, who is our guest designer this month, created this lovely card...

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 growth, 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 #24.  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 #24 will be posted next Monday.


LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON GROWTH?
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.

 Left click to bring the image up into the lightbox in its full size and then right click and scroll down to 'save as'.

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 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:

• Blenda Script font created by Seniors Studio
• Slim Joe font created by Ion Lucin
  

Both of these fonts were listed for commercial use at the time of these creations.  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 wonderful guest sponsors by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance.  As mentioned above, this month our guest sponsor is...

Our regular sponsors include...

 

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

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Challenge #24 Top Picks: Voting Open April 13th to April 20th, 2015

Welcome to the Challenge #24 PoP ToP!

It is time to get on with showcasing the top picks for Challenge #24.  As we only had twelve participants enter Challenge #24 (and only 10 qualifying for the theme), we will be opening things up so that those ten entrants have the opportunity to be chosen as the Voter's Choice.  We do this any time we have less than 14 participants.  And while we may not have enough participants to have our usual top seven, we certainly have enough to have a top three.  Therefore, it is time to get on with showcasing the three projects that the team feels were the best of the bunch.

So, without further ado, please let me introduce you to the Top Picks for Challenge #24 (in no particular order)...

Congrats Ladies...

As a participant who has been chosen as a Top Pick, each of you is entitled to a special Top Pick badge. Please send an email to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com, or by clicking HERE to bring up the address in your email program, with the subject "Challenge #24 Top Pick" and I'll email your badge to you.  Please note that it may take me several days to get back to you, so I really appreciate your patience.

Now as I mentioned earlier, each of the participant's who entered Challenge #24 AND FOLLOWED THE THEME are eligible to have their project and/or post voted on.  Here is a list of those participants.  Each of the entrant's names is linked up to their blog post (order is reflective of how they entered the challenge and nothing else). 

~DEANNE~

 AJ

Maarit

Veronika (cheiro)

Edwina B

Teresa

Gloria S

Penny #1

Penny #2

Denyse

Please Note:  If you entered and don't understand why your project isn't listed here, it is because we didn't understand how the project tied into the theme of SERENDIPITY.  That is why we ask that you clarify it somewhere when entering, whether a simple statement on your blog next to the link up, or by coming over and leaving a comment on the start post.  If we don't understand the connection, and you don't clarify it somewhere, your post/creation is not eligible for voting or prizes.

Have Your Say!

Now the really hard work starts.  It is time for you, our readers, to vote for your favourite entry.  Which participant most inspires you?  Remember, you are not necessarily voting on a creation that was made.  You might simply find what the person had to say in their post to be inspiring and optimistic and in line with the concept of serendipity.  In fact, Veronika's entry is what she had to say in her post.  Therefore, please be sure to go and check out the entries first and not just make your choices off of the thumbnails.  Once you have checked all the entries out,  let us know who your favourite choice is by placing your vote below using the Inlinkz feature.

Voting open for 7 days:
April 13th to April 20th

Come have your say in determining the Voter's Choice for Challenge #24!  Don't forget to leave a comment after you have voted.  There will be a prize for one lucky voter who leaves a comment (chosen randomly).  If you haven't had the opportunity to visit each of the entries already, please go and check them out a little more closely before placing your vote.  Once you have made your decision, why not go back and let them know how they inspired you.

Good luck everyone!

Important Note:

Please note that in order for this to work, I must add all the entries but I can only do this AFTER I have published this post.  So there will be some overlap time between when this post is published and when you will be able to vote.  Once I have uploaded the entries there will be a total of ten images below on which to vote.  As soon as all ten are uploaded, I'll enable voting to begin. If there are less than ten, it means that I am still in the process of adding the images and you should come back in a little while to make your vote.  Thank you for your patience!

Link Up Below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Ponderings Along the Pathway...GROWTH

Welcome to this month's edition of Ponderings Along the Pathway, an exclusive feature over here on the Path of Positivity.  The purpose of this column is to continue with the goal of this blog which is to create a space "designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time".  Providing some motivational introspection on the themes we cover each challenge period, is one way of achieving this goal.

This month it is all about GROWTH and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...

When I was growing up, there was a closet door in our basement that I and my sisters would stand against each year. My dad would take a ruler and a pen and mark our height to show how much we’d grown throughout the months. It was our growth chart, and long after we each had grown older and moved out, that closet door became a popular topic of discussion at the dinner table when we all gathered together for birthdays and holidays.

I've done the same within my own family, charting my son’s and daughter’s growth throughout the years. Now that they’re grown, I wonder why I didn't chart more than their physical height. Just because they've stopped gaining height doesn't mean that they've stopped growing in other ways. Maybe at the time at which adults reach their true height, we should start our own growth charts that measure how far we've grown in spirituality, wisdom, generosity and creativity.

Deciding on how and what to chart in our lives depends on our goals and the importance we place on events and achievements. Each person is unique in their choices, their plans and where they are in their lives. My chart at 18 years of age would be vastly different than the growth chart I now keep. So, where are you in your life? What choices have you made that got you this far? What are your plans for the future?

I already have a husband of 38 years, children who have grown and left or are preparing to leave the nest, and a job from which I will retire when that time comes. I served in the Army, went to college, married and have children, taught in schools and hospitals, volunteered in Scouting and soup kitchens, and have been published. The choices I have so far made have led me to where I am today, and these and many more life events are recorded on my personal growth chart.

My goals and plans for the future now include financial security when my husband and I retire, spending more time with my grandkids, learning new ways to stretch my creativity in water colors and mixed media, and publishing my book. And those are just the biggies! I have a bucket list of a hundred things I want to do before I go, and as I cross each one off, I will add my milestones to my growth chart.

How you chart your growth depends on how you look at things. Are you list-driven, or do you like visual cues like framed photography or scrapbooking? I myself am wordy (as if you couldn't tell) and chart my growth in diaries and journals, and my personal blog. I also journal in scrapbooks, as I feel the more I write about the photos I keep, the better my five sense of the memory rush back to me.

However you decide to chart your own growth, never lose sight of it. Your charted accomplishments will lift your spirits when you feel depressed or in doubt. It can also spur you on toward goals when you feel the path you’re walking is too difficult. Finally, it will show you just how much you have grown as a thinking, feeling, loving person, because sometimes life makes us forget how truly valuable we are, if not to the whole world, then to our little corner of it.

I hope to see you all making great strides in your lives as our paths criss-cross each other. When they do, I’ll make sure to wave at you in recognition of your growth, and of mine. Don’t forget to wave back!

 

Please be sure to pop over to Pat's personal blog, Patacake Pages, for more inspiration.  Psst...right now she is towards the end of a 15 day Birthday Bash Blowout.  If you don't already follow her, now is the time!  Be sure to head on over for your chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Well folks, that is it for today but please be sure to stop by again tomorrow evening when we post the top picks for Challenge #24.

May your growth in all areas be forever climbing to reach new levels!

 

Enjoy your week ahead everyone!

Challenge #25--GROWTH: April 6th - May 3rd, 2015

It is the first Monday in April and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #25 the theme is "GROWTH".  Show us your interpretation of what growth 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.

On March 20th, the northern hemisphere declared that spring had arrived (unfortunately, just not where I live as there is still lots of snow covering the ground).  With spring on the way, we are about to embark on a season of growth as we watch the grass, trees and flowers all come into their first blooms.  Spring is also the perfect time to reflect on our own growth as human beings.  You are never to old to grow and learn something new. What plans will you undertake to help you keep growing forward?  It doesn't matter whether it is growth related to your career or business, your personal life or your spiritual one.  Just keep moving forward.  It doesn't matter how fast you go either.  It is only important that you keep moving.  I came across a great Chinese Proverb that sums this up succinctly, "Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

However you interpret the concept of growth, we'd love for you to join us this month.  You can go with the concept of growth all around us as the season changes or maybe there is someone in your life that needs a little encouragement to keep growing.  Even a birthday card would work as it represents a person's growth through age.  You simply may want to create a friendship card.  This months free sentiment below would be perfect for that idea.  Maybe there is another idea entirely that you have to express the concept of growth.  Whichever path you take, we'd love to see what you come up with and a few words on how you got there!

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 growth 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 growth in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how growth 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 sponsor...

We are very pleased to have Sparkle N Sprinkle back as our guest sponsor for this month's challenge.  Here is a refresher of what they are all about...

Sparkle N Sprinkle is a small company with a big heart owned and operated by Margaret Myers.  SNS specializes in hand-mixed embossing powders and glitters. Our quality, deeply etched rubber stamps are closely cropped on Cling Mount Cushion ready for your acrylic block. Produced in our local Shoppe in Ruskin, Florida, the stamps are already indexed on a laminated color storage sheet for your convenience. SNS sells a variety of other paper crafting tools and products, including a new line of digital stamps and many other exclusive products.   You can find Sparkle N Sprinkle on line at:   http://sparklensprinkle.com

Sparkle N Sprinkle is our sole sponsor this month and is generously providing us with both prizes! Check out the amazing 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 the page they can be found on in the SNS store...

A Little Note

Chick

 Rusty’s Birdhouse

Maryanne

Daisies

Easter Bunny and Chicks

Rusty with Flowers

 Crystal Medallion

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 Julie, from Muddy Paws & Inky Fingers, as our guest designer for this challenge...

My name is Julie Odil, and I am thrilled to be guest designing for the Path of Positivity Challenge blog.  What an honor!  I just love this challenge blog and the philosophy behind it that guest designing this month brings me great joy!

I’ve always been creative – I play many instruments, like to write, and have been crafty my whole life.  I began scrapbooking about 8 and 1/2 years ago and cardmaking about 4 & 1/2 years ago, but things really took off when I began my blog a little over 3 years ago.  It was a life changing experience.  I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had and how many friends I’ve made through my blog. I’d love it if you’d stop by for a visit: http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com.  To find more details about this card, or to see what else I’ve been creating, please visit my blog.

You can find Julie's GDT card by clicking HERE.

Once again I am quite taken with the quality of projects from my amazing design team and wonderful guest!  Each of these projects has showcased growth in various forms and manners and I hope we have inspired you.  Remember, to see how the creations tie in with the theme, go and check out their posts.  Click on the individual DT names to head to their blogs.

So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to growth, 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, April 13th when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #24.  However, please note that that post might end up coming out a bit later than usual.  I have a medical appointment late that afternoon and I need to be here to link up the top picks for voting.  So, while the post will still come out on the 13th (barring no serious problems), it might simply be a bit late.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON GROWTH
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:

• Nickainley font and Blenda font created by Seniors Studio

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 April 6th - May 3rd, 2015.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on May 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.  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 #25, prizes will be the following:
• $15.00 worth of digital images from Sparkle N Sprinkle for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of  digital images from Sparkle N Sprinkle 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) or three individual papers from pre-existing sets 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