Friday, November 13, 2015

Ponderings Along the Pathway...GRATEFULNESS

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 GRATEFULNESS and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...
November is a month that many celebrate with thanksgiving and charitable deeds. Sometimes that’s difficult to do in our fast-paced, instant gratification, multi-tasking world in which we now live. Now more than ever the stresses of everyday life can quickly grow into a recipe for fear and despair.

But today I want you to forget about why you’re stressed and focus on how you are blessed. Choose to dwell in the positive and recognize the blessings that are yours. Sometimes all it takes is a laugh, a kind gesture from a stranger, or a cuddle from a loved one to relieve the pressure cooker we are stewing in. Be thankful to have five senses with which we can appreciate the world around us.

Listen to what I call “love notes,” sounds that comfort and fill me with wonder and peace. Look for beauty and kindness. Nature is my number one resource for beauty, but you can also find it in the way people interact with each other. Sometimes we need to stir our taste buds with spicy foods, or comfort foods, to give us a taste to enjoy life. We need to breathe in deeply the smells that bring smiles to our lips, and we should dig our fingers in deep to revel in the textures of life.

Of course, recognizing our blessings is just a part of being thankful. Sharing those blessings with others, acting on our thankfulness, will cause a chain reaction of comfort, joy and thankfulness in others. Share a smile or a laugh with someone. Hug a friend or co-worker--physical contact goes a long way in giving comfort. Random acts of kindness like sending a card to a child, dropping off a plate of cookies to a neighbor, dropping money into a charity’s collection containers, all help ease stress for others. Sharing our blessings can give us a huge lift in our own spirits.

Finally, keep those blessings in sight: Use a pocket calendar and write down at least five positive or happy things each day. It doesn’t take up a lot of room, but at the end of the year, you can remind yourself how blessed you’ve been throughout the year. Take it up a notch and record random acts of kindness throughout the year. You will be surprised at how much happiness and comfort you have brought to others this year.

Me? I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my views with you on all things positive while you stroll on the Path of Positivity with us.

 
And we at the Path of Positivity are very blessed to have someone like Pat sharing her thoughts with us each month.  Please be sure to pop over to Pat's personal blog, Patacake Pages, for more inspiration.

Of course, we are also blessed for YOUR ongoing support!  We are so very grateful that you continue to share in on our journey on the Path of Positivity.

Well folks, that is it for today but please be sure to join us on Monday for the midway.

May you always be both the blesser and the blessee as you travel life's Pathway.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Monday, November 09, 2015

Challenge #31 Top Picks: Voting Open November 9th to 16th, 2015

WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE #31 POP TOP!

It is time to get on with showcasing the top picks for Challenge #31.  This time around we had nine entries all following the theme!  It was great to see everyone's projects and see how they connected to this month's theme of Resiliency.  So, once again, we will be opening things up so that those nine entrants have the opportunity to be chosen as the Voter's Choice.   We do this any time we have less than 14 participants.  And, while we may not have enough participants to have our usual top seven, we certainly have enough to have a top three.  Therefore, it is time to get on with showcasing the three projects that the team feels were the best of the bunch.

So, without further ado, please let me introduce you to the Top Picks for Challenge #31 (in no particular order)...



Congrats Ladies...

As a participant who has been chosen as a Top Pick, you are 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 #31 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.
Now as I mentioned earlier, each of the participant's who entered Challenge #31 AND FOLLOWED THE THEME & RULES is eligible to have their project and/or post voted on.  Here is a list of those participants.  Each of the entrant's names is linked up to their blog post (order is reflective of how they entered the challenge and nothing else).

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 RESILIENCY.  Please be sure to go and check out the entries first and not just make your choices off of the thumbnails.  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:
November 9th to
November 16th

Come have your say in determining the Voter's Choice for Challenge #31!  Don't forget to leave a comment after you have voted.  There will be a prize for one lucky person who leaves a comment on one of this month's posts (chosen randomly--excluding the Winners and Design Team posts for #31).  If you haven't had the opportunity to visit each of the entries 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 nine images below on which to vote. As soon as they are all are uploaded, I'll enable voting to begin. If there are less than nine, 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:

Monday, November 02, 2015

Challenge #32--GRATEFULNESS: November 2nd to December 6th

It is the first Monday in November and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #32 the theme is "GRATEFULNESS".  Show us your interpretation of what gratefulness 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.

There is so much to be grateful for in our lives.  Even when things are difficult and you are not  feeling all that thankful, there is always something, even if it is small, that you can be grateful for.  Is there someone that you should be saying thanks to or maybe you could simply share the general sentiment of gratitude.  It is the perfect season to be expressing gratitude especially for those of you living in the US with Thanksgiving approaching at the end of the month.  We look forward to seeing your interpretation on this month's theme. 

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 gratefulness 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 gratefulness in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how gratefulness 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...

This month we have one returning sponsor and one brand new one!

 First up is Kitten ScrapsLet's get to know the company a bit, shall we?


My name is Nathalie and I design under the name of KittenScraps.  I began scrapping as a way to fill in my spare time while learning Photoshop and was quickly hooked on creating kits to scrap my photo’s.  I enjoy offering S4H/S4O kits that are family friendly and easy and fun to use.  My online store offer’s a variety of digital scrapbooking kits, Commercial Use Templates, Elements and Clip Art and coming soon SVG Files for your cutting machine. 

In my spare time I enjoy knitting, and embroidery,  gardening and travelling.  I’m the mother of 4 grown kids and 3 also, grown step kids as well as Aunt Nathalie to 3 adorable-yet mischievous, little boys whom I love to scrap.  Scrapbooking for me is not just a business-I feel each memory that is scrapped is it’s own treasure and strive to offer quality digital products that will help you create the perfect layout for your photo’s. 

Come check out my blog and Facebook page  where I offer layout idea’s and the occasionally a freebie and while your there stop by my store to check out the latest kits, CU items and SVG Files.
Blog Link:  http://www.kittenscraps.com/blog/
Store Link: http://www.kittenscraps.com/store/
FBhttps://www.facebook.com/Kittenscraps-252473318242218/

Check out the great kits the team worked with for their projects for the beginning of this challenge. Clicking on the watermarks below will take you to their location in the store.


This Year-September (Neutral)
This Year Neutral Kit - September


This Year-November (Girl)
 This Year Girl Kit - November


This Year-November (Boy)
This Year Boy Kit - November


3 Ring Show
3 Ring Show Kit



Next up, we have Scribbles Designs.  Here is a refresher of  what this company is all about...
http://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.ca/
Looking for a unique image or sentiment? Well then! Head on over to Scribbles Designs and check out Sandy's world of her funky imagination and quirky characters. Sandy has loved art, drawing, water colouring and doodling for many years... and with the digital image world she can now share it with all of you. Brrr (Penguin) was her first main character and her other quirky images followed not long after. We hope you enjoy the endearing images available in the store and add Sandy's images to your digital stamp collections.
Check out the great images the team worked with for their projects for the beginning of this challenge.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to their location in the SD store...

#A 47 Maple Leaf Doodle

#647 Pumpkin Fall Topiary

#B 06 Frame 6


We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these awesome 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 images from these wonderful companies.
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...




http://muddypawsandinkyfingers.blogspot.ca/


http://taylormadecards4u.blogspot.ca/


http://scrappyhorses.blogspot.ca


patacakespages.blogspot.com/





We are very pleased to have NanaConnie, from Grammy's Attic, as our guest designer for this challenge...
 NanaConnie -- Nana to 6 and Great-Nana to 2.  A lover of people, a Christian servant of God, a crafter and quilter, and now retired!  I started making cards about 5 years ago after many years of scrapbooking and other crafty pursuits.  Cards remain my number 1 addiction. :-D  I began blogging in February, 2011, entered a few challenges along the way and served on a few design teams over the years.  Since discovering digital images, I have nearly abandoned my collection of rubber but still keep a few of my favorites and lots of sentiments in rubber.  I'm so pleased to have been asked to Guest Design here at Path of Positivity.  Thanks for the opportunity.
 Check out the sweet card she created.... 


My fabulous guests and amazing design team never disappoint!  They each have their own unique styles and ideas.  As always I am blown away by the quality of their projects!  Each of these projects has showcased the concept of gratefulness in various forms and manners and I hope we have inspired you.  Be sure to go and visit each of them so you can see how their projects connect to the theme.

So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to gratefulness, 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 next Monday when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #31. 


MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON GRATEFULNESS
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:
© 2015, 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 names to take you to a download location.  The first font in the list was purchased as part of a bundle with extended licensing and as such may be used for commercial purposes.  While the bundle is no longer available, the font can be purchased through the original designer.  The next two fonts were free and 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 November 2nd to December 6th, 2015.
  • Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on December 6th.
  • 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.  You can simply add a sentence or two right next to the link for this challenge if you want.
  • 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 #31, prizes will be the following:
    • A $25 gift certificate from Kitten Scraps, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
    • A $10 gift certificate from Scribbles Designs, one of our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
    • One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
There will also be:
  • A small selection of digital papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
  • 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!


Link Up Below: