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 want to say thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words during my absence. I
am mostly recovered from my procedure and the surgery. I still have
some health issues to continue exploring but I'm SOOOOO MUCH BETTER than
I was. It is pretty scary thinking back on it. It is very possible that
if I hadn't gone to the hospital, that I might not be here right now as
I was so severely dehydrated and undernourished by the end of the three
month period I had been struggling through. My husband had told me that
if I hadn't made the decision that Friday in June to head to the
hospital, that he would have called the ambulance that same day—or
dragged me kicking and screaming if necessary. Though to be perfectly
honest, since I couldn't even hold my head up for more than a few
seconds at a time by that point, there would have been no kicking and
screaming. 🫢 I am just happy to be on the tail end and healing so it is
time to get back on track.
Also, it’s time for us to say goodbye to Kathy! Although we didn’t have her on the team for very long, the time she was with us was truly wonderful, and she will be dearly missed.
Kathy, if you’re reading this, please accept my heartfelt thanks for all of your generous work and support over the past few years—first as a player and then, for a little over a year, as a valued member of the team. Your contributions and presence have meant so much, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see you around the blog or perhaps even welcome you back as a guest in the future. In the meantime, we wish you a beautiful life filled with happiness, positivity, and many wonderful moments. You’ll always be welcome here!
Kathy, if you’re reading this, please accept my heartfelt thanks for all of your generous work and support over the past few years—first as a player and then, for a little over a year, as a valued member of the team. Your contributions and presence have meant so much, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see you around the blog or perhaps even welcome you back as a guest in the future. In the meantime, we wish you a beautiful life filled with happiness, positivity, and many wonderful moments. You’ll always be welcome here!
Now back to our challenge. 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 #143
Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of
Crafting by the Numbers—
School and Numbers: Use the Numbers 7, 8, &/or 9
The Path of Positivity turned 13 this year! While the number 13 has long carried a reputation for being unlucky, we’re choosing to embrace it as a symbol of growth, perseverance, and creative courage. After all, 13 years of inspiration, kindness, and community feels pretty lucky to us. Since this year marks an important number for us, we've decided that NUMBERS should be the overall focus in our theme for 2026 (click here if you'd like to read more in depth about our overall theme for 2026)!
Throughout the year, our monthly card challenges will be inspired by specific numbers. Whether numbers speak to you mathematically, symbolically, spiritually, or simply as a design prompt, we hope this theme invites you to think a little differently, stretch your imagination, and—most of all—have fun. Let’s make this a year where numbers truly count.
For September, we're bringing three numbers together: 7, 8 & 9! And with September being the month when many students head back to school, these numbers provide a wonderful opportunity to explore ideas of learning, growth, progress, and new beginnings.
Designers often look to symbolism to add meaning to their work, and seven, eight, and nine each have interesting associations across cultures, religions, and traditions. Rather than having one universal meaning, these numbers have taken on different significance depending on the culture or tradition in which they appear. Together, however, they offer some wonderful inspiration for a month focused on learning and moving forward.
Seven is one of the most widely recognized symbolic numbers and is often associated with completion, perfection, holiness, and wholeness. In Jewish tradition, the seven-day cycle is central to the observance of Shabbat, the weekly day of rest. Seven also appears throughout Jewish festivals, rituals, and the Hebrew Bible, making it a number strongly connected with sacred time, completion, and reflection.
Eight often brings ideas of renewal, progress, and new beginnings. In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path provides a framework for spiritual development and the ending of suffering, with eight interconnected features including right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. In Chinese culture, eight is considered a particularly fortunate number because its pronunciation is associated with getting rich and good fortune. These associations make eight a wonderful number for celebrating opportunity, progress, and the excitement of starting something new.
Nine has its own intriguing connections. In ancient Greek tradition, the Nine Muses were associated with poetry, music, history, and the arts, making nine a lovely number to connect with creativity, knowledge, and inspiration. Rather than assigning one universal meaning to nine, we can look to these traditions as reminders that learning can lead to creativity, discovery, and new ideas.
Christianity also gives us particularly meaningful connections to seven and eight. The seventh day represents the completion of the first creation and the Sabbath as a day of rest. In Christian tradition, the eighth day is associated with Christ's Resurrection and the beginning of a new creation, making eight a powerful symbol of renewal and new life. The number nine also has a beautiful connection through Galatians 5:22–23, which lists nine qualities known as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities fit especially well with our own focus on positivity, encouragement, and inspiring others.
Together, seven, eight, and nine create a wonderful progression for our September theme: completion, new beginnings, and learning that leads to growth and creativity. And isn't that what going back to school is all about? We finish one chapter, begin another, and continue learning, discovering, and growing along the way.
In creative design, these numbers can be incorporated in obvious or subtle ways. You might use seven pencils, eight books, or nine stars on your project. Try adding seven school supplies, eight letters in a word, or nine little embellishments. Create a stack of eight books, arrange nine stars around a sentiment, or use seven repeated elements to create a border.
You could also let the numbers inspire the subject of your creation. Think seven apples for the teacher, eight colourful crayons, nine pencils, seven children heading to school, eight books in a stack, or nine little backpacks. Numbers can appear on a classroom clock, calendar, ruler, notebook, chalkboard, report card, or school bus. And don't forget birthdays and milestones. A card celebrating someone's 7th, 8th, or 9th birthday would fit beautifully!
For something a little more subtle, try incorporating the numbers through your layout. Use seven, eight, or nine embellishments, create a repeated pattern using one of the numbers, or divide your design into numbered sections. You could even use all three numbers together, for example, seven stars, eight gems, and nine dots. Whether your style is simple or richly detailed, there are plenty of ways to make these numbers count!
This month, incorporate one or more of these numbers into your design: Seven, eight, and nine each carry ideas of learning, growth, and progress. All concepts fitting perfectly with our back-to-school theme. From birthdays to milestones, there are countless meaningful ways to let these numbers tell a story.
Maybe your project celebrates a student starting a new grade, a teacher heading back to the classroom, a child's first day of school, academic achievement, friendship, encouragement, or simply the excitement of learning something new. And remember, your project doesn't have to be a traditional school-themed card. The numbers themselves can be the inspiration! So sharpen those pencils, open those notebooks, and let's get creative! Seven, eight, nine… it's time to learn, grow, and create!
Designers often look to symbolism to add meaning to their work, and seven, eight, and nine each have interesting associations across cultures, religions, and traditions. Rather than having one universal meaning, these numbers have taken on different significance depending on the culture or tradition in which they appear. Together, however, they offer some wonderful inspiration for a month focused on learning and moving forward.
Seven is one of the most widely recognized symbolic numbers and is often associated with completion, perfection, holiness, and wholeness. In Jewish tradition, the seven-day cycle is central to the observance of Shabbat, the weekly day of rest. Seven also appears throughout Jewish festivals, rituals, and the Hebrew Bible, making it a number strongly connected with sacred time, completion, and reflection.
Eight often brings ideas of renewal, progress, and new beginnings. In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path provides a framework for spiritual development and the ending of suffering, with eight interconnected features including right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. In Chinese culture, eight is considered a particularly fortunate number because its pronunciation is associated with getting rich and good fortune. These associations make eight a wonderful number for celebrating opportunity, progress, and the excitement of starting something new.
Nine has its own intriguing connections. In ancient Greek tradition, the Nine Muses were associated with poetry, music, history, and the arts, making nine a lovely number to connect with creativity, knowledge, and inspiration. Rather than assigning one universal meaning to nine, we can look to these traditions as reminders that learning can lead to creativity, discovery, and new ideas.
Christianity also gives us particularly meaningful connections to seven and eight. The seventh day represents the completion of the first creation and the Sabbath as a day of rest. In Christian tradition, the eighth day is associated with Christ's Resurrection and the beginning of a new creation, making eight a powerful symbol of renewal and new life. The number nine also has a beautiful connection through Galatians 5:22–23, which lists nine qualities known as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities fit especially well with our own focus on positivity, encouragement, and inspiring others.
Together, seven, eight, and nine create a wonderful progression for our September theme: completion, new beginnings, and learning that leads to growth and creativity. And isn't that what going back to school is all about? We finish one chapter, begin another, and continue learning, discovering, and growing along the way.
In creative design, these numbers can be incorporated in obvious or subtle ways. You might use seven pencils, eight books, or nine stars on your project. Try adding seven school supplies, eight letters in a word, or nine little embellishments. Create a stack of eight books, arrange nine stars around a sentiment, or use seven repeated elements to create a border.
You could also let the numbers inspire the subject of your creation. Think seven apples for the teacher, eight colourful crayons, nine pencils, seven children heading to school, eight books in a stack, or nine little backpacks. Numbers can appear on a classroom clock, calendar, ruler, notebook, chalkboard, report card, or school bus. And don't forget birthdays and milestones. A card celebrating someone's 7th, 8th, or 9th birthday would fit beautifully!
For something a little more subtle, try incorporating the numbers through your layout. Use seven, eight, or nine embellishments, create a repeated pattern using one of the numbers, or divide your design into numbered sections. You could even use all three numbers together, for example, seven stars, eight gems, and nine dots. Whether your style is simple or richly detailed, there are plenty of ways to make these numbers count!
This month, incorporate one or more of these numbers into your design: Seven, eight, and nine each carry ideas of learning, growth, and progress. All concepts fitting perfectly with our back-to-school theme. From birthdays to milestones, there are countless meaningful ways to let these numbers tell a story.
Maybe your project celebrates a student starting a new grade, a teacher heading back to the classroom, a child's first day of school, academic achievement, friendship, encouragement, or simply the excitement of learning something new. And remember, your project doesn't have to be a traditional school-themed card. The numbers themselves can be the inspiration! So sharpen those pencils, open those notebooks, and let's get creative! Seven, eight, nine… it's time to learn, grow, and create!
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
Bible Gateway (n.d.) Galatians 5:22–23, New International Version. Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5%3A22-23&version=NIV (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
BibleStudy.org (n.d.) Meaning of numbers in the Bible: The number 7.
Available at:
https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/7.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
BibleStudy.org (n.d.) Meaning of numbers in the Bible: The number 8.
Available at:
https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/8.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
BibleStudy.org (n.d.) Meaning of numbers in the Bible: The number 9.
Available at:
https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/9.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Catholic Church (n.d.) Catechism of the Catholic Church: Heaven and Earth. Vatican. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_one/article_1/paragraph_5_heaven_and_earth.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Catholic Church (n.d.) Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Lord's Day. Vatican. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_one/article_3/ii_the_lords_day.index.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Dharma Realm Buddhist University (2025) What is the Noble Eightfold Path? A Brief Explanation of the Buddha’s Path of Liberation. Available at: https://www.drbu.edu/news/what-is-the-noble-eightfold-path/ (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Goodfriend, E. (2021) Seven, the Biblical Number. TheTorah.com. Available at: https://www.thetorah.com/article/seven-the-biblical-number (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Kan, Q. (2023) Chinese at the tip of your tongue: Culture behind the numbers. OpenLearn, The Open University. Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/chinese-the-tip-your-tongue-culture-behind-the-numbers (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Netchev, S. (2023) The Nine Muses of Greek Mythology. World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18283/the-nine-muses-of-greek-mythology/ (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Sergi. (2024). The Profound Meaning of Number 7. Inspyria. Available at: https://inspyria.com/en/retreat-culture-blog/the-profound-meaning-of-number-7 (Accessed 12 August 2026).
Catholic Church (n.d.) Catechism of the Catholic Church: Heaven and Earth. Vatican. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_one/article_1/paragraph_5_heaven_and_earth.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Catholic Church (n.d.) Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Lord's Day. Vatican. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_one/article_3/ii_the_lords_day.index.html (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Dharma Realm Buddhist University (2025) What is the Noble Eightfold Path? A Brief Explanation of the Buddha’s Path of Liberation. Available at: https://www.drbu.edu/news/what-is-the-noble-eightfold-path/ (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Goodfriend, E. (2021) Seven, the Biblical Number. TheTorah.com. Available at: https://www.thetorah.com/article/seven-the-biblical-number (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Kan, Q. (2023) Chinese at the tip of your tongue: Culture behind the numbers. OpenLearn, The Open University. Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/chinese-the-tip-your-tongue-culture-behind-the-numbers (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Netchev, S. (2023) The Nine Muses of Greek Mythology. World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18283/the-nine-muses-of-greek-mythology/ (Accessed: 12 August 2026).
Sergi. (2024). The Profound Meaning of Number 7. Inspyria. Available at: https://inspyria.com/en/retreat-culture-blog/the-profound-meaning-of-number-7 (Accessed 12 August 2026).
World Numerology (n.d.) Numerology Meaning of Number 7. Available at: https://www.worldnumerology.com/numerology-single-digit-numbers/numerology-meaning-of-7/ (Accessed 12 August 2026).
World Numerology (n.d.) Numerology Meaning of Number 8. Available at: https://www.worldnumerology.com/numerology-single-digit-numbers/numerology-meaning-of-8/ (Accessed 12 August 2026).
World Numerology (n.d.) Numerology Meaning of Number9. Available at: https://www.worldnumerology.com/numerology-single-digit-numbers/numerology-meaning-of-9/ (Accessed 12 August 2026).
Chat GPT was used to help me create some elements of the description and to also help with providing references in the Harvard style.
My
incredible design team never fails to impress me. This imaginative piece has beautifully embodied the
idea of Crafting by Numbers—School and Numbers: Use the Numbers 7, 8, &/or 9, and I hope that Katrina has encouraged you to begin your own creative journey.
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 are you influenced by
numbers? Do you rely on any spiritual or cultural interpretations to
help you process the various ways that number influence your life? Since we are covering 3 separate numbers this month, we are up to numbers seven, eight & nine in our Crafting by Numbers
journey. As such, this month it is time
to share a project that incorporates one or more of these numbers into your design. Be sure to check above for some specific ideas 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 #142. Then, be sure to join us again on September 21st 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. #143--Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of Crafting by the Numbers— School and Numbers: Use the Numbers 7, 8, &/or 9
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 September 7th until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on October 4th, 2026.
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.
