Challenge #26 Top Picks: Voting Open June 8th to June 15th, 2015

WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE #26 POP TOP!

It is time to get on with showcasing the top picks for Challenge #26.  This time around we had nine entries and they all qualified.  It was wonderful to see everyone's projects and see how they connected to this month's theme of Perseverance.  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 #26 (in no particular order)...

CREATE WITH JOY

JULIE O.

KATRINA

Congrats Ladies...

As a participant who has been chosen as a Top Pick, 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 #26 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 #26 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).

Create With Joy 

Teresa (Tickell Expressions)
Bello Amanecer

Julie O.
NanaConnie
Katrina
~DEANNE~
D~DesignsByDragonfly  (#1)
D~DesignsByDragonfly  (#2)

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 PERSEVERANCE.  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:
June 8th to June 15th

Come have your say in determining the Voter's Choice for Challenge #26!  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 any post related to Challenge #26 (chosen randomly--excluding the winners post for #26).  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:

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge #27--HAPPINESS: June 1st - July 5th, 2015

Note: First off my apologies to both our readers and the team.  I'm afraid that I just didn't have the chance to get this post published at its regular time.  Sorry if this delay has caused anyone any inconvenience.

It is the first Monday in June and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #27 the theme is "HAPPINESS".  Show us your interpretation of what happiness 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.

Happiness is something that we all strive for.  Unfortunately, many people keep working towards it and never allow themselves to experience it.  "If I could just get a job that I enjoy, I'll be happy."  "If I could finally lose those 20 lbs, I could be happy."  "If I could ....".  Stop making your happiness contingent on achieving your goals.  Simply shut down the 'if only's' dialogues and be happy in the present whatever your present situation might be. If things are difficult and your experiencing heartache or sadness, try to find a little happiness in the small things.  The smile on your partner or child's face; the purr of a kitten; allowing the sun to beam down on your face--these are all small things that can bring a little bit of happiness, even for just a few moments.  For the rest of us, it is time to be happy with who we are, right here and right now.

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 happiness 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 happiness in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how happiness 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 two brand new guest sponsors!

First up is Imagine That! Digis by Kris™.  Let's learn a little bit about Kris' company shall we?!

Imagine That! Digis by Kris™ is a mother/daughter team bringing you our cutest hand-drawn images that you can flip, re-size, re-color, print & use in your crafting creations!  Almost all our digi sets include both color & outline formats & include sentiments for a great value.  In addition to carrying family-friendly digi stamps, we also offer digital papers and KD-Kits, all available as instant downloads!  You may want to check out our Free blogwear category, as well as find freebies on our Facebook Page and join in our monthly progressive challenge where everyone who plays, Wins!  You can read more about us here on our 'About the Arists' page.

Check out the sweet images the team worked with for their projects for the beginning of this challenge. Clicking on the names or the watermarks will take you to their location in the store.

HULA GIRL

PRETTY PEACOCKS

Next, that brings us to Sentimental Susan.  Time to get to know a little bit about what Susan's company is all about...

Hi! I'm Susan. I'm a crafter who love to create Greeting Cards, invitations, bookmarks and more! I love to color; I'm just a kid at heart. All of the cards are created with love by me! One of my favorite techniques is decoupages, so you will find that on many of my items. You will find one of a kind paper products here as well as a line of Digital Stamps created by my family. If you are looking for something customized, please just shoot me an email.

Visit Susan's Personal Blog at scrapathousandwords.blogspot.com
The Store Link is www.zibbet.com/SentimentalSusan

Below you will see the great images that team members used for their projects for the beginning of this challenge.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to their section within the Sentimental Susan store...

 Beach Day

 BSA Bike Silhouette

Otter this World

Once again, we are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these amazing 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...

Sadly, we have no guest designer this month.  This is the first time since I implemented the idea of guest designers, that we will have no one joining us during the challenge.  If YOU would like to join us during a future challenge as one of our guest designers, be sure to add GDT after your name when entering the challenge, or simply send an e-mail to:  pathofpositivitychallenge {at} gmail {dot} com (or by clicking HERE to bring up the address in your email program), with the subject heading "PoP GDT".

My amazing design team never disappoints!  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 happiness in various forms and manners and I hope we have inspired you.

So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to happiness, 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, June 8th when voting will start on the Top Picks for Challenge #26.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON HAPPINESS

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:

• Kingthings Whizzbang font created by Kingthings
• Jenna Sue font created by Jenna Sue Design Co.

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 June 1st - July 5th, 2015.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on July 5th.
• 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 #27, prizes will be the following:
• A $10 gift certificate from Imagine That! Digis By Kris, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Five images from Sentimental Susan, 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:

• One digital designer paper made to order in a couple different ways or three existing papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on the start, midway, pondering for Challenge #27 or the top picks post for Challenge #26.
• 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:

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Team Delights for Challenge #25--GROWTH

It is time to share our favourite entries for Challenge #25.  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 April for Challenge #25.  While it is always a difficult decision, most of the team members managed to find a particular entry that really caught their attention.  Take a look...

Penny--chosen by Vicky...

Vicky had this to say:
"My DT delight would be Penny. She totally got growth in my point of view when she mentioned: "We don't grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges", it's so very true!"

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

Create with Joy--chosen by Suze...

Here is what Suze had to say:
"My DT delight is the second entry from Create with Joy.  I love her choice of colours, the layering and the sheer femininity of this creation."

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

Donna--chosen by Desíre...

Here is what Desíre had to say:
"My DT delight is Donna.  Her creation is just so amazing, colourful, sparkly and pretty with the pink and green. And has so many wonderful little details to feast on." 

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

Asmah--chosen by Pat, Penny & Monica...

This is what Pat had to say:
"My DT delight is Asmah.  Wow! I love this mixed media piece! I love the raw texture and the colors and all the elements which combine to one cohesive and beautiful page." 

Here is what Monica had to say:
"My DT delight is also Asmah.  The Art Journal was so beautiful and really a nice piece of Art!"

Penny said this:
"My DT delight is Asmah as well. Absolutely love her artistic creation! It makes me smile. :^)"
 

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

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

My DT delight is Hanne.  Not only do I love the sentiment that she used on her card, but I really liked what she had to say regarding how the sentiment related to the concept of growth.

"In my opinion it's the hardships in life that often offer the best possibility to grow as a human being. You may not always see the growth when it feels that everything is falling apart, but without all the experiences - both positive and negative - a person wouldn't be the same as she or he is today. I think the biggest wisdom in that quote is especially the positive attitude towards the future. There is always hope."

These are definitely words of wisdom!  We sometimes forget that we don't just grow through positive events but through negative ones as well.  True growth is achieved through the compilation of ALL the experiences we undergo.  When we go through the dark, if we can hang on long enough, we eventually come back to the light. Hanne's belief that there is always hope is an important one.

To see the details of Hanne'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 April.  As always we greatly appreciate you sharing your incredible talents with us.

For our DT Delights chosen for this challenge... 

  Penny, Create with Joy, Donna, Asmah and Hanne

  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 #25 DT Delight Badge. To claim both your digi and the badge (or just one or the other), 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#25--DT Delight Badge and/or Digi Request".   I'm always running a bit behind these days, this month more than usual, 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, June 1st, when we will be back with the start of Challenge #27.  We hope that you will join us then to learn what the newest theme will be.

See you again soon!