Challenge #47--Optional Theme: BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS...March 6th to April 2nd

Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Path of Positivity. My sincere apologies, especially to the team, for the lateness of this post. I absolutely had to take the time to first update the Challenge Details page at the top of the blog. Two months has already gone by since we implemented the new changes so it was high time for me to get it done!

Now that that is out of the way, it is time for the next challenge to start. This time around, for Challenge #47, the optional theme* is "BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS". Here is what you need to know...

The Basics

While you can find out ALL the information you need to know in order to participate in the challenge by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page (or by clicking HERE), here is a refresher of the basics.

• ALL entries must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. 
• *Each month there will also be an OPTIONAL theme to follow. Participants must follow the optional  theme in order to win the prize for Most Inspirational. If you choose to follow the theme, please follow the instructions below to ensure that you are considered for this prize. 
• All entries that abide by the general rules of the challenge, will be eligible to receive the Random Prize.
• For both prizes, you can make any sort of project you'd like (i.e., scrapbooking page, card, tag, mixed media, digital, etc.). In fact, you don't have to create a project at all. You may just have something to say that is motivational or encouraging in some way, or a written passage that expounds on the nature of the theme. Project, written passage or both! It is completely up to you.

Now that the basics are out of the way, how about we get on with the details of Challenge #47.

Challenge #47

Optional Theme: BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Spring is a time of growth and renewal. In North America, the world is awakening around us once again. Soon we will be emerging from the deep frost of winter and enjoying the new life that spring holds. As the world renews around us, it is a good time to be thinking of the concept of birth--whether the birth of animals or plant life in nature, the birth of babies in the human world, or even the birth of new ideas and goals.

In order to have a chance to win the prize for the Most Inspirational Creation, be sure to explore this idea of the Birth of New Beginnings. Do you know of anyone about to bring a baby into their world? This would be the perfect time to create a congratulations card. Maybe you know someone who is thinking about adopting a new pet. Perhaps you or someone you know is trying to get a business or even just a concept off the ground. These are all good examples, of 'birth' and all great occasions to celebrate. Whatever direction you take the birth of new beginnings in, we'd love to part of that journey.
 
If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational. We also ask that you let us know how your creation relates to the concept of birth if it isn't readily clear within the design itself or clearly written somewhere else in your post. While you may easily see how the concept of birth 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 in a comment on this post 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.

Remember, in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $10 gift certificate from Limited Runs, one of our sponsors this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $20 gift certificate to the Kitten Scraps store, provided by the second of our guest sponsors this month.

Talking of our guest sponsors...

This month we have two returning sponsors! It is time to refresh ourselves with the details of these wonderful companies.

First up is Limited Runs...

Limited Runs has a LARGE calorie free sweet shoppe filled with over 120 different cupcakes, something for almost every occasion. It's not all cupcakes there are tons of  Christmas, Halloween, Backgrounds, Fairies, Critters and More to see. The store has gone through a re-vamp with new digital stamps added in all the time so pop in an take a look around things. Everyone knows you can't enjoy a cupcake without a coffee so there is a place to even pick up a cuppa. There's always a little something for everyone to enjoy and grab the monthly freebie so you can sample before you buy and add to your collection.

Check out the fun 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 category page they can be found on in the Limited Runs store...

Butterfly #4 (Category: Bugs-Butterflies, Section: 1 -10)

Caterpillar Set (Category: Bugs-Butterflies, Section: 11 -20)

Birdhouse 3 (Category: Birds, at top of section)

Mini Bird Takeout Coffee Set (Category: Coffee and More, Section: 21-30)

Next, that brings us to Kitten Scraps...

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/

FB:  https://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.

Colour Basics Kit 2

Spring Blooms Bundle

Anchors Away Baby Girl Digi Stamp

 

New Beginnings Paper

We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these awesome images for the start of this challenge. 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. Katrina even had time to make two projects! 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 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 the concept of the birth of new beginnings 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, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature and join our link up. If you've opted to follow the theme of the birth of new beginnings for the chance to win the Most Inspirational prize, 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 #46. 

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
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:

© 2017, 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.

Additional Credit and Font Information:
 

Fonts used

• Aliva font created by Artisma
• Bebas font created by Flat-it

Click on the font name to take you to a download location. The first font listed was purchased as part of a limited time bundle with an extended commercial use license. While the bundle is no longer available, the font itself can be purchased from the designer. The second font listed is a free font that was 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 or for sale. 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 March 6th to April 2nd, 2017.
• Add your inspirational project or post using the link up below. You will be able to submit your entry until 11:59 p.m. on April 2nd.
• If you have chosen to follow the optional theme, you will need to let us know what it is about your project or post that you feel is inspirational  / positive / motivational and how it fits into the theme. Please include this information somewhere within your post. You can simply add a sentence or two at the bottom of your post right next to the link for this challenge if you want. Or, if this isn't possible, come over and leave us a comment on the start post. You must also add 'FT' after you name so we know which creations to add to the draw for the sponsor's prize for Most Inspirational.
• 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.
• For Challenge #47, prizes will be the following:
• A $20.00 gift certificate from Kitten Scraps, one of our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the team deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• A $10.00 gift certificate from Limited Runs, 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.

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:
If you have any problems linking up, please be sure to let me know by leaving a comment on this post.

Challenge #47--Optional Theme...BIRTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
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. You will be able to submit entries to this collection up until April 2nd at 11:59 pm. Be sure to add FT after your name if you followed the optional theme.  Please see above for all the rules and details. If you would like to be a Guest Designer in a future challenge, please add the letters GDT after your name.

Winners & Design Team Delights for Challenge #45...THE ROAD AHEAD

Apologies for running rather late in the week with this post. I really hope this doesn't start to become a habit.

It is time to present the winners for challenge #45. First we'll share the names of the Voter's Choice, the Most Inspirational and the Random Winner and then we'll move on to showcasing our DT Delights. Who are all the lucky peeps? Well, let's find out.

Without further ado, here are the choices...

Drum roll, please....BBBbbbrrrrrrrrr pish

 The people have spoken and their choice for Challenge #45 is....

AJ

AJ, you are entitled to receiving a cool and awe inspiring personalized badge for your blog as the Voter's Choice for Challenge #45.  Please feel free to copy your badge below...

 In the category of Most Inspiring, our winner is...

EDWINA

Edwina, you have won $10 worth of digital stamps from Scribbles Designs, one of our guest sponsors during Challenge #45.

Edwina, you are also entitled to a lovely, one of a kind personalized badge for your blog as the Most Inspiring choice for Challenge #45 which you can find below...

The Random Winner for this challenge (chosen by Random.com), based on all eligible participants is:

SHARON

Sharon, you have won a $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, the second of our guest sponsors during Challenge #45.

Sharon, you are also entitled to a neat and unique personalized badge for your blog as the Random Winner for Challenge #45 which you can find below...

Big Congrats to...

  AJ, EDWINA & SHARON

If you have won a prize during this challenge, please send your message to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com (be sure to replace 'at' and 'dot' with the appropriate symbols), or click HERE to bring our email up in your program, with the subject heading, "WINNER PoP Challenge #45" to make arrangements to receive your prize. Please note that I am rather behind these day so it may take me a while to get back to you but I promise I will. Thank you for your patience.

Now it is time to announce our DT Delights from this challenge. 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 the ten people who took the time to join along our Path during the month of January for Challenge #45. Check out the entries that really caught our attention...

AJ--chosen by Katrina, Helen, Pippa and Julie...

 Katrina said this:
"My DT Delight is AJ. That flower is so delicate and beautiful, but the sentiment is even more lovely! It really brings to light how as we go through difficulties we can emerge more beautiful than before." 

Helen had this to say:
"My DT Delight is also AJ.  A beautiful CAS design and such a simple but powerful sentiment."

Pippa said this:
"My DT Delight is also AJ. What can I say, such a beautiful card. The colouring of the flower is amazing and I just love the inspirational sentiment. For me the pick of the bunch."

Julie had this to say:
"My DT Delight is also AJ. I love that delicate flower and her description of the flower making it through the dirt regardless of the road ahead."

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

Edwina--chosen by Pat...

Pat said this:
"My DT Delight is Edwina, who says “We all come to crossroads in our life. I have to come to some recently. The choices have not been easy ones…”

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

AJ--chosen by Suze...

Suze had this to say:
"My DT Delight is AJ (her other entry). The colouring of the image is beautiful and the card itself is well constructed. ”

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

Creative Congratulations to all of you!

Thank you to those who played on our Pathway during the month of January.  As always we greatly appreciate you sharing your incredible talents with us.

For our DT Delights chosen for this challenge...

AJ and Edwina

  You are both entitled to one image of your choice from our on-going sponsor...

Please click HERE to check out the image previews. They are arranged into general categories; although, due to the nature of some of these images, they have been repeated in certain applicable categories. Be sure to click on the watermarks to bring them up into the lightbox for better viewing.

If you are interested in claiming a digi, please send me the name of the one image you want and let me know which section it came from. Send your request to popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com (be sure to replace 'at' and 'dot' with the appropriate symbols), or click HERE to bring our email up in your program, with the subject, "PoP#45-DT Delight Digi Request". I'm always running rather behind these days, so your patience is appreciated.

Additionally, the two of you are entitled to the special Challenge #45 DT Delight Badge which you can find below...

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 or fall of 2017.

There are still a couple days to enter our challenge with the optional theme of AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE. Click HERE for details. I hope that you will consider coming over to play with us. As always, we'd love to have you join our Path!

Ponderings Along the Pathway...AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE

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 AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...

Have you ever read the short story “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry? It’s a story about a young couple just married who are too poor to buy Christmas gifts for each other. So, he pawns his father’s watch that he holds most dear to him, in order to buy combs for his wife’s beautiful hair. Unknowingly, she cuts her hair short in order to buy a chain for her husband’s pocket watch. Imagine their surprise when they each open their gifts! What a unique and wondrous expression of love they showed for one another! You can read the full story HERE.

My husband and I have been married for forty years. I love him and he loves me. Yet I can count on two hands the times he’s actually said the words, “I love you.” It used to bother me, but not anymore. I know he loves me for all the non-verbal ways he’s expressed his love.

Years ago, when his lack of those three little words still hurt me, I started a journal of sorts. It was a book of lists – things for which I am grateful, places I would like to travel to, people who have touched my life in a positive way, etc. Whatever popped into my head, I would make a list. I am a list-driven person and find I can get more things cleaned, organized, created or finished by making lists.

So I picked up my handy dandy notebook (Blue’s Clues fans will get the reference) and created a list of all the ways my husband expressed his love without saying those three little words, things like taking out the garbage, ordering takeout on my busy days, popping into the craft room out of the blue and giving me a hug.

There were so many ways that screamed ‘I LOVE YOU” that I got to the end of the page and could still think of more!

Expressions of love can be spoken, felt, written, wrapped, or baked. They can be subtle, like the Post-It note with positive affirmations that my daughter left for me on the bathroom mirror, or the decorated chocolate cookie cake I had made for hubby, telling him he was going to be a daddy for the first time. They can also hit you on the head like a bouquet of flowers, a romantic getaway, or a marriage proposal. Expressions of love can be anything you think of that lets the other person know that he or she is loved.

I like to create little expressions in my craft room to let my loved ones know how much I care for them. I have created journals for my daughter, cards for my husband, photo and scrapbook albums for my mom and canvases for my sisters. My friends have received homemade treat boxes filled with cookies or fudge I made.

I left one of my expressions of love until last – the love I have for my fellow citizens of the world. I appreciate what I have and share it by donating canned goods to my local food pantry. From 5K Walks (there is no way I can run even 1K without passing out) to serving up dinner at my local soup kitchen, I remember to express my love for all people. Of course, pets are “people” too, and I volunteer at our local Buddy Foundation and donate when I can to No-Kill shelters.

But enough about me! Have you been frustrated by the absence of those three little words, too? Or do YOU have trouble saying “I love you”? What are some ways you have expressed your love or have been on the receiving end? Everyone loves inspiration, so please leave a comment and tell us the expressions of love you have experienced.

And know that we love to have you visit the Path of Positivity. Enjoy your journey!

Pat has shared a great reminder that there are many ways that one can express their love. Try to find new and unique ways to express love to the people most dear in your own life and may you receive back 100 fold, the love you share with the world around you.

Well folks, that is it for today. Enjoy your weekend everyone and please join us again on Monday when we announce the Winners and DT Delights for Challenge #45!