Design Team Delights for Challenge #19

It is time for my Design Team to share their favourite entries for Challenge #19.  As always, in each challenge you, the readers, get to voice your opinion by voting for your favourite and so it is only fitting that my Design Team get to do so as well.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to join along our Path during the month of October for Challenge #19.  While it is always a difficult decision, each team member managed to find a particular entry that really caught their attention.  Take a look... 

Edwina--chosen by Vicky, Suze, Lynda and Sandy...

Vicky had this to say:

"My DT delight is Edwina.  I really love how she's found in her life someone who totally embodies courage! Love this quote from her":

"How I wish I could smile and laugh in the face of illness and other worries as she does. Her courage is great. She does not let this unseen enemy get her down and keep her down. She stands tall all of 5' 2" and keeps on going on holding her head up, dressed in high heels and her hat to protect her skin."

Here is what Suze had to say:
"My DT delight is also Edwina. I love how the emphasis of her card is on the sentiments.  I can understand her inspiration for the card - who wouldn't be inspired by the courage her Aunt Theresa displays."

Lynda had this to say:
"My DT delight choice is also Edwina. I love her tribute to her Aunt who has pressed through her health issues. You can feel her admiration for her Aunt in her words."

Sandy said this:
"My DT delight choice is also Edwina.  I love the layered banded card.  Using a great sentiment by our very own Lisa D and to read about Edwina’s Aunt Theresa facing her health issues everyday with the courage  and determination to not take the positive from her life. Priceless."

To see the details of Edwina's creation and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Mimi--chosen by Pat...

This is what Pat had to say:
"My DT Delight choice is Mimi. She says that":

"life is not all doom and gloom and I believe much of the battle for any illness is staying as positive as possible and doing ones best to make the good days as good as possible, live life to the fullest when you can"

"It takes a lot of courage to smile and be positive!"

To see the details of Mimi's creation and read more of what she had to say click HERE.

Gloria--chosen by Desíre...

Here is what Desíre had to say:
"My DT delight is Gloria, as she had this to say and I totally try and live my life this way too":

"I think it takes a lot of courage to slow down, and to stop chasing things; the job, the money, the man, the friends, etc. Just go with the flow and let things fall into place as they are meant to be. That is when the magic happens."

To see the details of  Gloria's creation and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Julie O.--chosen by Monica...

Here is what Monica had to say:
"My DT Delight is Julie. I loved her card that she made for her mother and her mother's ability to find something positive in such a difficult time."

 To see the details of Julie's creation and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Dawn--chosen by Lisa (that's me)...

My choice this time around is Dawn--specifically the first card that she entered.  This card was dedicated to her mom who lost her fight with cancer 24 years ago this month.  Dawn stated that her mother faced her battle with "unbelievable courage".  This made me remember my own mother's battle with vaginal cancer back in 2000.  THANKFULLY my mom is still here with us today.  She too faced her situation and all the tests and procedures with true courage.  It was incredible to see how strong she was during that time and still is to this day! 

There are so many people out there who are dealing with cancer right now.  I don't think there is anyone who hasn't been touched by this deadly disease in one way or another.  May these individuals always be able to draw on courage and strength to get them through.

To see the details of Dawn's creation and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Creative Congratulations to all of you!

Thank you to everyone who played on our Pathway during the month of October.  As always we greatly appreciate you sharing your incredible talents with us.

For our DT Delights chosen for this challenge... 

Edwina, Mimi, Gloria, Julie O., and Dawn

  You are all entitled to one image of your choice from our on-going sponsor...

Please head to the Creative Bug Digital SnapShots store:  http://creativebugdigis.com.  Click to enter the digital snapshots area.  Once you are on the homepage for the digis, scroll down a little bit and you'll see a brown banner on the left hand side that says, "looking for digis".  There will be a Polaroid image right underneath it that says SnapShots (Digital Images).  Click on this.  You'll be taken to a page that lists all the categories of images available for you to choose from.  If you need to see the image a bit closer, just right click and choose 'view image'.  Once you've made your decision, please send me the name of the one image you want and let me know which section it came from.

Additionally, you are entitled to the special Challenge #19 DT Delight Badge. To claim both your digi and the badge, send your requests to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com (be sure to replace at and dot with the appropriate symbols) or by clicking HERE to bring the address up in your email program, with the subject, "PoP#19--DT Delight Badge and Digi Request".   I'm always running a bit behind these days, so your patience is appreciated.

Our special yearly prize package will also still be taking place.  Remember, if you are chosen as a DT Delight during any of our challenges, your name will be entered into a draw for some digital goodies.  You get one entry per choice; so, if two members picked your card, you will earn 2 entries, three members 3 entries, etc.  The winner at the time will be notified by email.   The next draw will occur sometime in the summer of 2015.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope to see you again tomorrow when we will be back with the start of Challenge #21.  We hope that you will join us then to learn what the newest theme will be.

Until then, have a blessed day!

The People Have Spoken: Winners From Challenge #19

It is time to announce the winners from Challenge #19.  Things are a little bit different this month because our guest sponsor is generously sponsoring all three main prizes.  Thank you so much to the amazing

You can find Sparkle N Sprinkle on line at:   http://sparklensprinkle.com

So, without further ado, here are the lucky winners...

Drum roll, please....BBBbbbrrrrrrrrr pish

The people have spoken and their choice for Challenge #19 is....

GLORIA

Gloria, you will be getting a cool and awe inspiring personalized badge for your blog as the Voter's Choice for Challenge #19.

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

EDWINA

Edwina, you have won your choice of three images from Sparkle N Sprinkle and will also be getting a lovely, one of a kind personalized badge for your blog as the Most Inspiring choice for Challenge #19.

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

DAWN

Dawn, you have won your choice of three images from Sparkle N Sprinkle and will also be getting a neat and unique personalized badge for your blog as the Random Winner for Challenge #19.

  We also had a special prize up for grabs for a creation/post that best represented the concept of courage along with breast cancer awareness since October was BCA Awareness month.  This was a definitely difficult decision as there were three in particular that the the team found to their liking.  However, the tie was finally broken and our winner of this special category is:

 MIMI

Mimi, you have won your choice of three images from Sparkle N Sprinkle and will also be getting a cool and awe inspiring personalized badge for your blog as the Special Honour Choice for Challenge #19.

 We also have a prize available for a random voter who left a comment.

 The random winner for this challenge (chosen by Mini Web Tool), based on all eligible participants is:

DONNA ELLIS with her comment:

That was difficult - each of the projects and blog posts was moving. hugs, de

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

Big Congrats to...

Gloria, Edwina, Dawn, Mimi & Donna E.

Please click HERE to send us an email with the subject, "WINNER PoP Challenge #19" 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 #19 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 #19 and would like to receive a free sentiment based on the theme for Challenge #21, which starts Monday, December 1st, please click HERE to send us an email with the subject line, "PoP#19 Entrant Quote Request for #21".

You still have one week left to enter into our challenge on GRATITUDE.  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.  Until then,  

Challenge #20--Midway Reflection & Voting Reminder

Hello everyone! We have reached the midway point of Challenge #20. The theme for this challenge is all about GRATITUDE.   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.

 Give Thanks

The concept of giving thanks is a universal one.  We all have something in our lives which we can be grateful for.  The list differs for each of us because we all live in our own unique part of the world.  For some people when they get out of bed in the morning they can be thankful there is a roof over their heads.  For others not so fortunate, they can be thankful that no one came by and robbed them or worse, throughout a long cold night on the street.   And for many more, not hearing bombs go off during the night, can be what they wake up grateful for.  There are many people throughout the world that have lists and lists of things that they should be thankful for, but never are.  Then there are people who have so very little or are in pain or suffering great hardship, who make sure to say quiet 'thank yous' each and every day.

Regardless of your circumstances, I hope that there is still something, even if it is something very small, for which you are able to show your gratitude.  Being grateful is a mindset.  We can choose to show gratitude and take a more positive stance on things or we can choose to wallow and fixate on the negative. Being thankful, not just for the larger things but for the smaller ones too, allows us to fill our lives with love and appreciation.  It reminds us of all the good things that we have going for us. No, gratitude won't make the difficult things we are facing in our life go away, but it will help to provide us with a different perspective.  For example, I can complain about how painful and difficult it is for me to sit, stand and walk unassisted or I can choose to be grateful that I still have the capacity to do all three regardless of how long for the first two, or how far for the last.  Most days when I'm within my home, I can get by with the assistance of my canes.  While I have a wheelchair and scooter, I generally only need them when I leave my home or when I have a rather difficult day.  Under different circumstances I might be in that wheelchair permanently. For today I'm grateful that I'm not.

Whether the act of gratitude comes easy to you or not, it is definitely worth the effort.  Remember, everything in life that has any importance, takes hard work to achieve. There have been studies done that show the benefits of gratitude.  They indicate that people who demonstrate their appreciation on a daily basis, tend to be:

• more full of life,
• purposeful, 
• healthier,
• more creative,
• have better exchanges with their peers,
• more optimistic,
• able to deal with stress and personal challenges more effectively.

Sounds to me, like reason enough, to practice gratitude on a daily basis.  During my research, I came across this quote which summarizes some of those reasons nicely:

"In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize.  In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal.  In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope."  (Emmons, 2013, para. 2)

So, why not try giving thanks today and everyday?  With so many advantages to gain, what do you have to lose?!

References 
Adamski, Carol . (N.D.). The Value of Practicing Gratitude. Available: http://gratitudehabitat.com/be-grateful/. Last accessed 16th November 2014.
Emmons, Robert. (2013). How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times. Available: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_help_you_through_hard_times. Last accessed 16th November 2014.

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

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, November is Lynda's last month with us, so this makes it her last official card posting for our challenge; although, you will still see her input in our DT Delight for Challenge #19.  Thank you so very much Lynda for all your great creations and insight during your time with us.  You will definitely be missed but we wish you only the best.

For Lynda's midway project she chose to use the image called Bella Picking Berries from our second regular sponsor, Creative Bug Digis.   Such a cute image.  Unfortunately, Naomi has had to close down the store; however, her images will still be available for DT Delight winnings and other sponsorship opportunities.  They just will no longer be available for sale in the foreseeable future.

Monica decided to work with the image called Lillies for You which was one of the images the team got to work with from our guest sponsor for the month, DigiStamps4Joy.  This image is another perfect way to express gratitude as the act of giving someone flowers is often done, for saying thank you of some nature. 

Pat decided to use images from the Female Troops Bundle, from one of our regular sponsors, Ike's Art.  This set showcases women of strength.  There are so many women (and men as well) that fight for each of our countries, that we should be taking the time to thank.  This image is currently located within the 'My Latest Designs' section.

Vicky worked with the same image that Monica did, Lillies for You.  You can find the watermark under Monica's project above.

Penny worked with the image called, KT Swings, also from Ike's Art.  Such a carefree loving image that works perfectly with the sentiment Penny used.  This image is currently located within the 'My Latest Designs' section as well.

Finally, that leaves our...

Once again a team member from DS4J will be our guest designer.  For the midway, it is Julie, from Muddy Paws, Inky Fingers, who we were fortunate to also have as a guest last month.

My name is Julie Odil, and I am thrilled to be guest designing again this month for the Path of Positivity Challenge blog. This time I am representing Digistamps4Joy. I just love this challenge blog and the philosophy behind it, so being able to guest design two months in a row is very exciting.

I love being creative. Whenever I have spare time, you will find me in my craft room, working on some project. While I like to use dies, paper (who doesn’t?), ribbon, twine etc. my favourite technique is stamping. I stamp on almost every project I make. On this project I used the Digistamps4Joy stamp “Diamond beauties”.

You can find out all the details about this card, and see what else I’ve been creating at http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com

I’d like to thank Lisa and Path of Positivity design team for this great opportunity. I am filled with gratitude!

She created this sweet card...

As Julie mentioned in her bio, she used the pretty image called Diamond Beauties. Such a beautiful image isn't it?  I love that the flowers only go around the one side.  By adding a sentiment to the open area like Julie did, it creates a very balanced piece. 

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!  Clicking on the DS4J or Ikes's Art watermarks will take you to the section of the respective store that they reside in.

So if you haven't entered already, what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to gratitude, 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 #19.  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 #19 will be posted next Monday.

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON GRATITUDE?
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:
© 2014, 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:

• Leafy font created by West Wind Fonts
• Scriptina Pro font created by Cheap Pro Fonts

Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts were listed as free for commercial use at the time this project was made.and 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 sponsors by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance.  This month our guest sponsor is... 

Our regular sponsors include...

 

 

That is me and I'd love for you to visit me on my personal blog.

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

We look forward to seeing you participate!