Ch. #132--Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of: Embracing the Unexpected by Sending an Unexpected Correspondence

 

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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. 
5. 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.