Monday, December 08, 2014

Challenge #20 Top Picks: Voting Open December 8th to December 15th, 2014

Welcome to the Challenge #20 PoP ToP!

It is time to get on with showcasing the top picks for Challenge #20.  We were fortunate enough this month to have more than 14 entries so we are able to go back to showcasing the seven projects that the team feels were the best of the bunch.  In case you are new and wondering why seven and not the typical three, four or even five?  Well, we strive to be different over here on the Path of Positivity.  Additionally, seven is a spiritual number and thus right in the wheelhouse of the vibe we are looking to project; so, seven it is (as long as we have a minimum of fourteen participants).

Now, without further ado, please let me introduce you to the Top Picks for Challenge #20 (in no particular order)...







Congrats Ladies...

As a participant who has been chosen in our top seven, each of you is entitled to a special Top Pick badge. Please send an email to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com, or by clicking HERE to bring up the address in your email program, with the subject "Challenge #20 Top Pick" and I'll email your badge to you.  Please note that it may take me several days to get back to you, so I really appreciate your patience.

Have Your Say!

Now the really hard work starts.  It is time for you, our readers, to vote for your favourite entry.  Which participant most inspires you?  Remember, you are not necessarily voting on a creation that was made.  You might simply find what the person had to say in their post to be inspiring and optimistic and in line with the concept of gratitude.  Therefore, please be sure to go and check out the entries first and not just make your choices off of the thumbnails.  You can also check out comments left by entrants on the Challenge #20 start post by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the bottom.  Once you have checked all the entries out,  let us know who your favourite choice is by placing your vote below using the Inlinkz feature.

Voting open for 7 days:
December 8th to December 15th

Come have your say in determining the Voter's Choice for Challenge #20!  Don't forget to leave a comment after you have voted.  There will be a prize for one lucky voter who leaves a comment (chosen randomly).  If you haven't had the opportunity to visit each of the top seven choices already, please go and check them out a little more closely before placing your vote.  Once you have made your decision, why not go back and let them know how they inspired you.

Good luck everyone!


Important Note:

Please note that in order for this to work, I must add all the entries but I can only do this AFTER I have published this post.  So there will be some overlap time between when this post is published and when you will be able to vote.  Once I have uploaded the entries there will be a total of seven images below on which to vote.  As soon as all seven are uploaded, I'll enable voting to begin. If there are less than seven, it means that I am still in the process of adding the images and you should come back in a little while to make your vote.  Thank you for your patience!

Link Up Below:


Friday, December 05, 2014

Ponderings Along the Pathway...FAITH

Welcome to this month's edition of Ponderings Along the Pathway, an exclusive feature over here on the Path of Positivity.  The purpose of this column is to continue with the goal of this blog which is to create a space "designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time".  Providing some motivational introspection on the themes we cover each challenge period, is one way of achieving this goal.

This month it is all about FAITH and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...
Faith is a tricky thing. To have faith is to put your trust in something you cannot see, cannot feel, cannot touch. To keep faith you must be willing to let go of control.

I have faith, but it takes a mighty effort to keep it. I like to be the driver on my path of life; it’s very difficult to sit on your hands and let others do the driving. And yet I cannot be in control every second of the day. I cannot steer confidently onto unknown branches of an unlit path.

For those moments, which come up more often than not, I have to consciously let go, with a little help from Reinhold Niebuhr. His Serenity Prayer is all about faith:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change what can be changed,

And the wisdom to know the difference.”

This prayer is on my lips when I wake in the morning, and when I go to bed at night (and when I’m having a stressful day). I have faith that what I accept as out of my control will turn out well, if not for me, then in the “big picture.” I have faith that courage will seize me when I need to step up and take control (or keep it). I have faith that I will be inspired to know the difference.

I have faith that my attitude in life will keep my feet steady as I walk the path of positivity. I hope to run into you on my way.

 
Please be sure to pop over to Pat's personal blog, Patacake Pages, for more inspiration.  That is it for today but please be sure to stop by on Monday when we post the top picks for Challenge #20.

May you always find faith to believe in yourself and those around you!
 
Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Monday, December 01, 2014

Challenge #21--FAITH: December 1, 2014 - January 4, 2015

It is the first Monday in December and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #21 the theme is "FAITH".  Show us your interpretation of what faith means to you.  You can make any sort of project and/or post as long as it is positive in nature and relates to the theme.

Faith is one of those intangible qualities.  You can't touch it or hold it but you can embrace it.  Like most feelings, faith is something you experience, or not, depending upon your mindset.  Faith is an acceptance, a belief, a hope--the complete trust in someone or something.  Who or what do you have faith in?  Is there someone you know that could be reminded of the importance of faith--especially at this time of year?  Well, why not create a card showcasing the theme of faith and share it with us along with that special person?!

Don't forget when you link up your project and/or post, to please leave a comment letting us know how your creation relates to the concept of faith if it isn't readily clear within the design itself or clearly written somewhere else in your post.  Remember, the creation must be positive/inspirational/motivational AND adhere to the theme of faith in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how faith 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 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.

This month's guest sponsors...

We are very pleased to have two guests for this month's challenge.  Both are returning sponsors and I'm pleased as punch they were able to join us for this challenge. 

Here is a refresher on what Fresh Brewed Designs is all about...

If you are looking for some freshly brewed inspiration, then you have come to the right place.  Fresh Brewed Designs (http://www.freshbreweddesigns.com) is a small on-line company that has been offering a wide variety of digital images and rubber stamps since November 2010, designed to meet the needs of paper crafting addicts everywhere.  With over 30 categories to choose from and several new additions to the store monthly, our range of products is expanding all the time. Whether you are looking for one of our uniquely designed coffee inspired images or something entirely different, you are sure to find something to please.  We'd also love for you to visit us over on our blog (http://freshbreweddesigns.blogspot. com) where inspiration is always percolating.  We have a digi release at least once a month and other events as well.  Come see us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-Brewed-Designs/139388879447210) too.  You never know what other goodies you may find there.

Owned and operated by Heather Dennis, loving wife and mother to two home-schooled children, you can always expect personalized service.

At Fresh Brewed Designs we always have a fresh pot of creativity brewing. So stop by and join us for a cuppa whenever you want!
 Look at the beautiful images the team got to work with this month.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to their location in the FBD store...
Christmas Candles

Daydreaming

 Jesus is the Light

Next up is a refresher on what  Pickled Potpourri Designs is all about...

Pickled Potpourri Designs (www.PickledPotpourri.com) began in 2013 as an offshoot of Red Rubber Designs (www.RedRubberDesigns.com),  a rubber stamp company. But not all images are destined to become rubber stamps, so Pickled Potpourri was created to offer quality digital  papers, printables and stamp designs to inspire and enable everyone to create art!

We feature old favorites from The Angel Company (which closed its doors in August 2011), as well as new, original collage designs. You'll find a potpourri of images in a wide range of styles to enhance your papercrafting, scrapbooking and other artsy projects at Pickled Potpourri!
The design team got the opportunity to work with the following two images this month.  Clicking on either of the image watermarks will take you to their location in the PPD store...
Christmas Candle
Wish You a Merry Christmas

 We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these fabulous images this month.  Thanks so much to our fabulous sponsors.  Be sure to come back at the midway when you'll get to see more beautiful projects created with the above images.
Now check out what my amazing design team came up with to inspire you.  Clicking on the team members' name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations...


  patacakespages.blogspot.com/

http://taylormadecards4u.blogspot.ca/



http://9hawksandadragonfly.blogspot.ca/


We are very pleased to have Sue K., from Sue's Paper Crafts, as our guest designer for this challenge...

Hi! Sue in Arizona here and here is a little bit about me:

I have been paper crafting for several years now but didn’t start posting projects online until March of 2013 when I started my blog. I enjoy all aspects of paper crafting with 3D designs being my favorite and I love trying new techniques. My biggest paper crafting challenge was my son’s US wedding. He was living in Tokyo and he and his fiancé gave me carte blanche on planning and decorating their big event. The banner I made even went to Japan to be a part of that wedding celebration. 6 months after the wedding I was transplanted to Arizona from Michigan, we had to buy special heavy duty boxes to transport my paper bins. I now have my very own craft room, YEAH!!! When Cricut released their, “Extreme Fonts” cartridge they held a 3 part contest, I won the grand prize for the last part of the contest with my, “Route 66 Bouquet” where I use a, “Route 66” soda bottle as my vase, our new home is less than a mile off of the old route. Shortly after that win I started my blog.
Here is the beautiful card she came up with...

I'm so thankful for the amazing design team and wonderful guests I have each month.  Each of their projects this time around are such wonderful examples of faith.
 
So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to faith, 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!

If you have some time, please visit other people participating throughout the month.  I've included the summary of the challenge details below.  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).

I hope to see you back on Monday, December 8th when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #20.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON FAITH
If you need some motivation to get you started, I've provided a quote for you, which you can find below.


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:
© 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 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.

Font Information:
Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts were listed for commercial use at the time of this creation.   It is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use these fonts in my creations and offer them to others for free.  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.

CHALLENGE DETAILS 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. I've provided a quick summary below.  Please note that dates and times listed below are for this particular challenge only:
  • Each Path of Positivity challenge will remain open for approx. a full month.  Entries for this challenge will be accepted from December 1, 2014 - January 4, 2015.
  • Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on January 4th.
  • When you link up, leave a comment summarizing what it is about your post that you feel is inspirational  / positive / motivational and how it fits into the theme if you have not included this information somewhere within your post.
  • Don't forget to come back throughout the month and visit others that have participated. 
  • You can link up a total of three (3) creations.
  • Voting for this challenge will begin once the top picks have been determined.  There will be a separate post detailing those picks.  You will then have the opportunity to vote on the creation or post that you have found to be the most inspirational of the chosen picks.  Be sure to leave a comment telling us what it was that inspired you or something in general if you uncomfortable disclosing any details of your vote. 
  • For Challenge #21, prizes will be the following:
    • A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to the Pickled Potpourri Designs store (good for any digital product), one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
    • Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
    • One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
  • There will also  be:
    • One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
    • One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.
If you ever have any questions be sure to EMAIL ME or just leave me a comment.


We look forward to seeing you participate!