Challenge #45--Optional Theme: THE ROAD AHEAD...January 9th to February 5th

Hello everyone! Welcome back to a brand new year of challenges over here on The Path of Positivity.

Yesterday, I posted about some rather significant changes that are occurring with our challenges. If you haven't had a chance to read about them yet, I would encourage you to do so before continuing with today's challenge. You can simply scroll down one post or click HERE to open the page up in a new tab. I will also be adding this information to the Challenge Details page at the top of the blog, as soon as I have the chance (hopefully in the next few days). Additionally, the most important notes will also be featured during every challenge so that participants are sure to see them.

You also may have noticed that we're a week late getting started this month. I had wanted to give the team an extra week off during the holidays and since January has five Mondays, it worked out perfectly. So, for the month of January the structure will be as follows:

January 9th--Challenge #45 Start
January 16th--Top Picks and Voting for Challenge #44
January 23rd--Challenge #45 Midway
January 30th--Winners Post (Including DT Delights) for Challenge #44

Starting in Feb. we'll go back to the same regular posting schedule, with our challenge start occurring on the first Monday of the month.

Right now, it is time for the next challenge to start. This time around, for Challenge #45, the optional theme* is "THE ROAD AHEAD". Here is what you need to know...

The Basics

While you will SOON be able to find out ALL the information you need to know in order to participate in the challenge by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page (or by clicking HERE), here is a refresher of the basics.

• ALL entries must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. 
• Each month there will also be an *OPTIONAL theme to follow. Participants must follow the optional  theme in order to win the prize for Most Inspirational. If you choose to follow the theme, please follow the instructions below to ensure that you are considered for this prize. 
• All entries that abide by the general rules of the challenge, will be eligible to receive the Random Prize.
• For both prizes, you can make any sort of project you'd like (i.e., scrapbooking page, card, tag, mixed media, digital, etc.). In fact, you don't have to create a project at all. You may just have something to say that is motivational or encouraging in some way, or a written passage that expounds on the nature of the theme. Project, written passage or both! It is completely up to you.

Now that the basics are out of the way, how about we get on with the details of Challenge #45.

Challenge #45

Optional Theme: The Road Ahead

A brand new year stands before us with 365 days of possibilities. What will you do with this time you have been gifted? Will you plan your life and set manageable goals or will you take it one day at a time and simply wing it? It is also a great time to encourage those around you to think about their future and push them to forge new directions of their own. It is a new year filled with so many new possibilities and the road ahead is wide open. Which direction will your new discoveries take you?

In order to have a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, be sure to explore this idea of the Road Ahead. You could create Journalling Cards for yourself and tell us what some of your personal goals are for the new year. Perhaps, there is someone that you can encourage to move forward and start (or continue) to work on any number of goals. Receiving an encouraging card or even one that gives them a swift kick in the butt might be just what they need. Whatever direction the road ahead takes you, we'd love to be part of that journey.  If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational.  We also ask that you please let us know how your creation relates to the concept of the road ahead if it isn't readily clear within the design itself. While you may easily see how the concept of the road ahead 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 in your blog post or by leaving a comment on this post. 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.

Remember, in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, one of our sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you also want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a  a $10.00 gift certificate provided by Scribbles Designs.

Talking of guest sponsors...

This month we have two returning sponsors and it is time to refresh ourselves with the details of each of these companies.

First up is Ike's Art...

Hi there – I am Ike……a nickname that I got hooked with many years ago due to my surname, and in my profession at that time, …… they just loved to give nicknames ☺.

I live in Greece and have a passion for kitties ☺

I am a complete nutter or should I say I’m ‘zany’ hahaha. I have a very strange/sick sense of humour and I must admit I spend a lot of time talking to myself. !! Well, I get more sense out of me.! I reckon in a few years I shall be known as the “crazy cat lady” ☺

I am an artist and have a strange mind when it comes to creating my art. I either go completely true to life… right down to the last hair… or I go totally surreal. I have a passion for all things horror/Gothic etc. I’ve always loved horror films and books and I guess that’s why it creeps into my stuff ! Had I been a bit younger I swear I would have been a Goth……luuuuuv it.  Next time around I am gonna be a witch or a cat ☺I started my Blog 5 years ago and although I love crafting, my real passion is drawing, and now I just love making digital images.

IKEsART FaceBook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IkesArtFanPage/

Cat Lovers’ Challenge : http://showusyourpussies.blogspot.gr/

My Challenge Blog:  http://ikesworldchallengeblog.blogspot.com

My Shop:  www.ikesart.com

My Blog:  http://suzy-ikesworld.blogspot.com

Below you will see the awesome images that team members used for their projects for the beginning of this challenge. Clicking on the watermarked images will take you to their proper section within the Ike's Art store...

Narrowboat

(located in the Other section)

My Swing

(located in the People section)

Gene and Fred

(located in the My Latest Designs section)

Next, that brings us to Scribbles Designs...

Looking for a unique image or sentiment? Well then! Head on over to Scribbles Designs and check out Sandy's world of her funky imagination and quirky characters. Sandy has loved art, drawing, water colouring and doodling for many years... and with the digital image world she can now share it with all of you. Brrr (Penguin) was her first main character and her other quirky images followed not long after. We hope you enjoy the endearing images available in the store and add Sandy's images to your digital stamp collections.

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 their location in the Scribble Designs store...

#134 Carrie Summer Diva

#047 Words

#953 Emily's Trailer

 
#919 Coffee Press

#F54 Champagne Glasses (free)

No watermark available as this is a free image. Click link above to find it.

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 each team member's name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations...

We are very pleased to have Uma, from Krafttime, as our guest designer for this challenge. Check out the wonderful card she created....

My amazing design team and wonderful guests never disappoint! They each have their own unique styles and ideas. As always I am blown away by the quality of their projects! Each of these projects has showcased the concept of the road ahead in various forms and manners and I hope we have inspired you. Be sure to go and visit each of them so you can see how their projects connect to the theme.

So what are you waiting for? Create a project and/or post that is positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature and join our link up. If you've opted to follow the theme of the road ahead for the chance to win the Most Inspirational prize, 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 next Monday when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #44. 

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON THE ROAD AHEAD
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:

© 2017, 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.

Additional Credit and Font Information:
 

Design Element

• I have used a brush in the creation of this design. This brush was designed by Marisa Lerin (Pixel Scrapper) and was purchased with a commercial use license.

Fonts used

• Gallimaufry font created by Missy Meyer

Click on the font name to take you to a download location. This font was free and listed for commercial use at the time of this creation. It is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use this font in my creations and offer them to others for free or for sale. 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 (recent updated changes will be added later this week). 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 January 9th to February 5th, 2017.
• Add your inspirational project or post using the link up below. You will be able to submit your entry until 11:59 p.m. on February 5th.
• If you have chosen to follow the optional theme, you will need to let us know what it is about your project or post that you feel is inspirational  / positive / motivational and how it fits into the theme. Please include this information somewhere within your post. You can simply add a sentence or two at the bottom of your post right next to the link for this challenge if you want. Or, if this isn't possible, come over and leave us a comment on the start post. You must also add 'FT' after you name so we know which creations to add to the draw for the sponsor's prize for Most Inspirational.
• 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.
• For Challenge #45, prizes will be the following:
• $10 worth of digital stamps from Scribbles Designs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that deems most inspiring of the bunch. To be eligible for this prize, you must follow the optional theme (details above).
• A $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.  To be eligible for this prize, entry must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

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:
If you have any problems linking up, please be sure to let me know by leaving a comment on this post.

Challenge #45--Optional Theme...THE ROAD AHEAD
This is the place to link up something that you have created during the month that you consider positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You will be able to submit entries to this collection up until February 5th at 11:59 pm. Be sure to add FT after your name if you followed the optional theme.  Please see above for all the rules and details. If you would like to be a Guest Designer in a future challenge, please add the letters GDT after your name.