Challenge #47--Optional Theme: BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS...Midway

Hello everyone! It is time to get on with the midway for Challenge #47. Apologies for the delay. I tell you, technology hasn't been my friend these past few days. I spent 45 minutes working on something on my laptop the other night only to have a catastrophic failure (never happened before) and lost all my work because I was updating a blogger document and of course I forget that it doesn't automatically save every few minutes. Then, this afternoon as I was working on this midway post, something strange happened to my main computer when I tried to copy a passage. Suddenly, I couldn't do anything--not only in Firefox but in my other programs as well. I tried shutting down my browser but it wasn't enough. While I could alt tab and shut down the rest, I ended up having to reboot which took extra time and then when I got Firefox open, suddenly it stopped responding and stayed that way a good three minutes. Fingers, crossed nothing else will get in the way of getting this post out! Anyway, enough about that, it is time for us to continue with reason you have popped by today.

As we are a unique kind of challenge blog, please be sure to check out the start post found HERE, for all the rules and details you need to know in order to enter. For now, here is a refresher of what our theme is all about: 

Challenge #47

Optional Theme: BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Spring is a time of growth and renewal. In North America, the world is awakening around us once again. Soon we will be emerging from the deep frost of winter and enjoying the new life that spring holds. As the world renews around us, it is a good time to be thinking of the concept of birth--whether the birth of animals or plant life in nature, the birth of babies in the human world, or even the birth of new ideas and goals.

In order to have a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, be sure to explore this idea of the Birth of New Beginnings. Do you know of anyone about to bring a baby into their world? This would be the perfect time to create a congratulations card. Maybe you know someone who is thinking about adopting a new pet. Perhaps you or someone you know is trying to get a business or even just a concept off the ground. These are all good examples, of 'birth' and all great occasions to celebrate. Whatever direction you take the birth of new beginnings in, we'd love to 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 let us know how your creation relates to the concept of birth if it isn't readily clear within the design itself or clearly written somewhere else in your post. While you may easily see how the concept of birth 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 in a comment on this post 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.

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 $10 gift certificate from Limited Runs, one of our sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $20 gift certificate to the Kitten Scraps store, provided by the second of our guest sponsors this month.

Talking of our guest sponsors...

To learn more about this month's guest sponsors, be sure to check out the START post; and of course, also visit the individual sponsors themselves. Below you will find the watermarks and links for the wonderful images that the team worked with for the midway.

From Limited Runs...

Butterfly 6 (Category: Bugs-Butterflies, Section: 11-20)

Fence and Butterfly (Category: Backgrounds, Section: 1 -10)

Mini Bird Takeout Coffee Set (Category: Coffee and More, Section: 21-30)

From Kitten Scraps...

Easter Bunnies DigiStamps {CU}

Adam and Eve

Baby's First Friend digi stamps

Graduation Day Clipart

Winter’s Playground Patterned Paper Add-on

This Year Boy November Papers (retired)

Sunny Fish Fun Elements

Thank you so much to both of these wonderful companies for allowing us the opportunity to work with such incredible images during the midway!

To help inspire you further down the path of the BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS, check out the wonderful projects my Design Team had the opportunity to create. Clicking on the team members' name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations...

Thanks again to my incredible design team! As always, each of them have their own unique styles and ideas which amaze me to no end. Each of these projects has showcased the concept of the birth of new beginnings in various forms and manners and I hope we have inspired you throughout this challenge. Be sure to go and visit these talented ladies so you can see how their projects tie in to the theme.

Why not join us, if you haven't entered already? 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 birth of new beginnings 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. Also, don't forget to leave FT after your name so we know to include you in the running for the prize. 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!

Don't Forget...

You have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to vote on your favourite entry for Challenge #46.  Voting is quick, easy and painless so I hope you will consider casting your vote if you haven't already. Winners for challenge #46 will be posted next Monday if everything goes according to plan. You can find the Top Picks post HERE.

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE

ON BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS?

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.

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:
 

Fonts used

• Beautylove Script font created by IanMikraz Studio

Click on the font name to take you to a download location. This font was purchased with a complete commercial use license. 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.

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 find out the impetus behind why I started this challenge 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, though please note that the newest challenge details still need to be updated). Additionally, you can find a quick summary of the details related to this challenge, towards the bottom of the start post. 
 

 Click HERE to head to the current challenge post & link up!

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 sponsors are...

Our ongoing 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!