Hello everyone and welcome
to the Path of
Positivity Challenge Blog! It is the first Monday
of the
month and it is time for our latest challenge to begin! We hope that you
and your families continue to stay healthy and safe out there.
Before we start I just wanted to let everyone know that this will be our last challenge before our two month summer break. A reminder post will be published in July.
Since we are not
your typical challenge blog, it is important for you to
understand how things work in order to be sure you are eligible to win
any of the prizes offered. If
you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus
behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and you can find out 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). For your convenience, a
summary of the most important rules can also be found in the right
sidebar under the heading 'General Rules'.
Right now, it is time to get down to the business of our latest challenge. Here is what you need to know...
Challenge #132
Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of
Embracing The Unexpected:
Sending an Unexpected Correspondence
This year's goal is to
Embrace the Unexpected in our lives (
click here if you'd like to read more in depth about our overall theme for 2025).
No matter how much planning we do throughout our years on this earth,
we're going to come across circumstances that we can't plan for. These
unexpected things may be small or they may be huge and life altering.
The only thing that we can control is how we react to these events. So
this
year, instead of BRACING for the unexpected, we are going to flip that
and get in the habit of EMBRACING the unexpected. This will help us to
train
ourselves to look at these types of events in a different light.
To help inspire you on this journey, each month we will
be doing things such as creating fun unexpected projects, working with items we
might not typically work with, taking approaches that are different from
what we normally do, offering up the unexpected to someone in our
life, etc. So, let's get to the details for this month's challenge. There is an expression that says "
Happiness is receiving unexpected mail".
If you happen to still receive snail mail, I imagine that most of it is
bills, flyers or garbage. However, every once in a while, you might
receive a letter or card from someone. These little endeavours can
create big joy, especially if it is from someone that you haven't heard
from in a while, or someone who just typically sends electronic mail
your way. Whether it is for a special occasion or just out of the blue,
when you receive unexpected cards or correspondence, the odds are it
will put a smile on your face. However, the pleasure isn't just for the
card recipient. The benefits are a two way street:
- Learning new skills:
Designing and creating handmade cards can
be an opportunity to learn new skills, such as drawing, colouring,
painting,
or calligraphy. You might learn embossing techniques or how to design
intricate card folds. These skills can be useful in other areas of life
and
can increase your confidence and ingenuity.
- Personal expression:
Handmade cards allow you to have fun and assert your creativity. By
personalizing the message for the intended recipient, it can make the
card more momentous and show the person that you put thought and effort
into it.
- Emotional connection: Receiving a
handmade card can create a stronger emotional attachment between you and
the person you are sending it to. By creating something special just
for them, it shows that you care about the other person and are willing
to invest time and work into maintaining your relationship. This can
help make them feel admired and appreciated.
- Mindfulness and relaxation:
The process of designing and creating a handmade card can be meditative
and relaxing. It allows you to focus on a creative task and can help
reduce stress and anxiety.
- Spreading joy:
Receiving a handmade card can bring joy and happiness to the
beneficiary. It can brighten their day and create a positive emotional
experience for them. This can in turn bring yourself comfort knowing
that you are the person responsible for their moment of pleasure.
So, for your optional project this month, send an unexpected correspondence. Create and send a card to someone
that you haven't sent mail to in a while. This would be a great
opportunity to correspond with an old friend that you may have lost
touch with or even one you just haven't seen lately. You could simply
send a card to someone who wouldn't expect to receive one from you. How
about someone in your own household?! Now that would certainly be
unexpected on their end. This month you can bring unexpected joy to both
yourself and someone else simply by sending an unexpected
correspondence!
Remember,
the twist is completely optional and you don't need to follow it in
order to win. However, in order to be considered eligible for this
month's goodies, remember that general types of projects/posts will not
qualify for the honours and prize UNLESS they are also positive, inspirational,
motivational or encouraging in some nature. Additionally, even if a project may qualify as positive, if your post
promotes negativity, hatred or anything of an abhorrent nature, your
project will be disqualified. Honours and Prize include:
- $6 worth of images from Scribbles Designs, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
- A badge for the following honours: Top Pick, Most Inspirational, Random Winner, DT Delight.
References:
Arbuso, Irick. (2024). Handmade Cards as Acts of Kindness.
[Online]. Altenew. Last Updated: 6 May 2024. Available at:
https://blog.altenew.com/handmade-cards-as-acts-of-kindness/ [Accessed 7
March 2025].
Janah. (2018). Why cards are just as important as gifts.
[Online]. Things To Get Me. Last Updated: 27 February 2018. Available
at:
https://www.thingstogetme.com/blog/why-cards-are-just-as-important-as-gifts
[Accessed 7 March 2025].
Osuorah, Eric. (2023). Heartfelt Gestures: The Enduring Appeal of Handmade Greeting Cards.
[Online]. AFOMA Marketplace. Last Updated: 12 November 2023. Available
at: https://afomamarketplace.com/blogs/handmade-cards [Accessed 7 March
2025].
Rogers, Jo-Anne. (2018). The Joy of Receiving a Card. [Online].
Design with Jo. Last Updated: 27 July 2018. Available at:
https://www.designwithjo.ca/the-joy-of-receiving-a-card/ [Accessed 7
March 2025].
Unknown. (2023). The Power of Greeting Cards: How a Simple Card Can Make a Big Impact.
[Online]. Dudus Online. Last Updated: 9 February 2023. Available at:
https://dudusonline.com/blogs/articles/the-power-of-greeting-cards-how-a-simple-card-can-make-a-big-
[Accessed 7 March 2025].
Now check out what my awesome 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.
My wonderful design team continues to astound me each and every month! They all have
their own approach and deft insight into the twist. Even after all this time, I continue
to be astonished by the purview of greatness in their work! Each of these artful conceptions has showcased the
notion of
Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence admirably and I hope we have
inspired you to commence on your own exploration of creativity. Be sure to go and visit each team member so you can see how her
project further connects to the twist.
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. How about stretching yourself by also opting to
follow the twist?! While it isn't mandatory, we'd also love to find out
how this month's twist affects your own life. How do you typically deal with the unexpected in your life? Do you view
it with trepidation or take it on as a challenge? This month it is time
to send out an expected piece of correspondence. Not only will you make someone else's day but both of you will receive benefits. Be sure to check above for some specific ideas (along with the benefits for both sender and recipient) if you aren't sure how to
get started. If you want to share your process on how you decided your
project, you can write a
sentence or two in the
body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post
next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on
this post if you'd like. Finally, remember that we're trying to create a
Path of Positivity so if
you have some time, please visit other people participating throughout
the month.
Please join us again next week when we will [hopefully] post the
Top Picks for Challenge #131.
Then, be sure to join us again on
June 16th when we'll be back
with
our midway featuring more great projects.
If you ever have any questions be sure to send an email to
decossesdynamitedoodles {at}
yahoo {dot}
ca (don't forget to replace {at} and {dot} with the appropriate symbols), 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.
Ch. #132--Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence
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. Entries for this challenge will be accepted from
June 2nd until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on July 6th, 2025.
SEVEN entries MAX. Please click on the 'Challenge Details'
tab located at the top of the blog to see all the rules. A
summary of the most important rules can also be found in the
right
sidebar under the heading
'General Rules'. If you would like to be a Guest Designer in a future challenge, please add the letters GDT after your name.
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