Monday, September 26, 2016

The People Have Spoken: Winners From Challenge #40

Hello everyone!   It is time to announce the winners from Challenge #40.  Thanks to those who took the time to vote. We had an overwhelming number of voters this time around. 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 #40 is....


Desíre, you are entitled to receiving a cool and awe inspiring personalized badge for your blog as the Voter's Choice for Challenge #40.  Please feel free to copy your badge below...

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


Uma, you have won a $10 gift certificate from Scribbles Designs, one of our guest sponsors during Challenge #40.

http://buyscribblesdesigns.blogspot.ca/

Uma, you are also entitled to a lovely, one of a kind personalized badge for your blog as the Most Inspiring choice for Challenge #40 which you can find below...

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


Diane H., you have won a $15 gift certificate from Ike's Art, another of our guest sponsors during Challenge #40.


Diane, you are also entitled to a neat and unique personalized badge for your blog as the Random Winner for Challenge #40 which you can find below...

We also have a prize available for a voter who left a comment. Anyone who left a general comment on all the posts related to Challenge #40 (excluding winners post and DT Delights post) is eligible to receive the prize. So, if you have commented on the start or midway posts for Challenge #40, Pat's Pondering on Confidence, or on the Top Picks post for #40, you are eligible. The more you comment, the more the chances of winning!

Our winner this challenge chosen by MiniwebTool.com...
Teresa, you have won a small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles.


Big Congrats to...

  DESÍre, UMA, DIANE H. & TERESA

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 #40" 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.

ALL entrant's in Challenge #40 are entitled to a special digital sentiment based on the theme for the upcoming challenge. So, if you were one of the individuals who entered Challenge #40 and would like to receive a free sentiment based on the theme for Challenge #42, which starts Monday, October 3rd, please send us an email (link or address above) with the subject line, "PoP#40 Entrant Quote Request for #42".

There is still one week left to enter into our current challenge on LUCK. Click HERE for details. If you haven't linked up already, I hope that you will consider coming over to play with us. As always, we'd love to have you join our Path!

Please join us again this coming Sunday for our DT Delights. I look forward to seeing you all again then.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Challenge #41--LUCK...Midway

Hello everyone!  It is time to get on with the midway for Challenge #41. The theme for this challenge is LUCK.  Need some additional motivation to get you started?  Be sure to check out Pat's Pondering this month (which you can find HERE) for some words of inspiration on the subject.  

 Anyway, now it is time to get on with our midway!


Here are the watermarks and links for the wonderful images that the team worked with for the midway.

From Limited Runs... 

http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca


Double Cherry Cupcake (Listed under New Stamps)
http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca/2015/07/august-freebie-winner.html


Dancer (Category: Girls 21-30)
http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca/search/label/Girls




Shop Our Digis!


http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p180/Clover_Fairy.html


http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p45/Hitchin%27_a_Ride.html


 http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p321/Christmas_Horseshoe.html

We are fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with all these fabulous images during the midway.  Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors.


To help inspire you down the path of LUCK, check out the wonderful projects most of my Design Team had the opportunity to create. 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/


patacakespages.blogspot.com/




http://scrappyhorses.blogspot.ca



Sue, from The Bottle Cork and Crystal, who is our guest designer this month, shared this sweet card with us...


So if you haven't entered already, what are you waiting for? Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to the idea of luck, 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! You can enter our latest challenge by clicking HERE.

Also, I know that the participants would love for you to go and pay them a visit. Remember we're creating a Path of Positivity to follow one project at a time and we'd love to see you somewhere on that route even if it is just by leaving a comment on an entry from someone who has touched you somehow with their project and/or post!

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).


Don't Forget...

You have until 11:55 p.m. on September 24th to vote on your favourite entry for Challenge #40.  Voting is quick, easy and painless so I hope you will consider casting your vote if you haven't already. Don't forget, if you leave a comment on a selection of the active posts from this month, you have the opportunity to walk away with a small selection of digital papers. Winners for challenge #40 will be posted next Monday if everything goes according to plan. You can find the Top Picks post HERE.



LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON LUCK?

If you need some additional motivation to help inspire you, I've provided another sentiment on this month's theme (the first is available HERE), free for you to download.


 Left click to bring the image up into the lightbox in its full size and then right click and scroll down to 'save as'.

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 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 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. 

This word art creation is in png format and published at 300 ppi. It is quite large in order to accommodate different programs that people work with.   If you are a card maker you can always resize it smaller without distorting the quality.


Additional Credit and Font Information

Fonts used 
Both of these fonts were free and listed for commercial use at the time of this creation. Click on the font name to take you to a download location. It is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use these fonts in my designs and offer the resulting creations to others for free or for sale.  Always check to make sure the terms haven't changed before using a font on something you sell. Please refer to my full terms of service for what you can and cannot do with this digital creation.


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. You can enter the challenge by clicking HERE to take you to the current challenge post where you can also find a quick summary of the details related to this challenge, towards the bottom of the post. 


GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY...
Please show your support to our wonderful guest sponsors by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance.  As mentioned above, this month our guest sponsors are...

Shop Our Digis!

http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca

Our regular sponsors include...

 

  If you ever have any questions be sure to EMAIL ME or just leave me a comment.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Challenge #40 Top Pick: Voting Open September 18th to 24th, 2016

WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE #40 POP TOP!

Hello folks.  It is time to finally get on with showcasing the top picks for Challenge #40. Apologies for the delay. Once again we only had five entries and unfortunately one didn't follow the rules and is therefore not eligible to be voted on! Remember, you must follow all the rules (please click HERE to refresh yourself) in order to be eligible for placements and/or prizes. So, this time around, four 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 a top seven, or even a top three, we certainly have enough to have a top pick. Therefore, it is time to get on with showcasing the one project that touched the team the most.

Thus, without further ado, please let me introduce you to the Top Pick for Challenge #40...

 UMA


Congrats Uma... 

As a participant who has been chosen as a Top Pick in this challenge, 
you are entitled to a special Challenge #40 Top Pick Badge.
Please feel free to grab a copy for your blog...

Now as I mentioned earlier, each of the participant's who entered Challenge #40 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).

Uma
Desíre #1
Desíre #2
Diane H.

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 CONFIDENCE. 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 6 days:
September 18th to
September 24th

Come have your say in determining the Voter's Choice for Challenge #40! 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 from a selection of posts related to Challenge #40). 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!


Link Up below: 
 

Ponderings Along the Pathway...LUCK

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 LUCK and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...

Would you consider yourself a lucky person? For me, luck is all a matter of perspective. A large family living in a two bedroom apartment in a not-so-nice neighborhood would think they had bad luck. A family living out of their car would consider the others the lucky ones. And the man sleeping in the forest preserves would wonder what they have to complain about. Perspective.

When I feel that Lady Luck has personally got a vendetta against me, I take pencil and paper in hand to create an “Awful Scale.” The Awful Scale is my way of gaining perspective. Here’s how to make one for yourself:
Go down the page writing numbers from 1 through 50. Next, choose somewhere on your list to write the situation or event that makes you feel “not so blessed” in the luck department. Then think of other bad things that you would not want to happen to you. For me, it would be losing my husband or kids in a car accident. What bad things might happen to you at this point in your life – losing your house, getting a divorce, getting a terminal illness? Figure out where you want them numbered. Add to that the things that would be only slightly irritating? For me, it would be a bad hair day, stubbing my toe, missing my favorite TV show. Place them somewhere on your Awful Scale.

Keep filing up all those blank spaces. Think of all those times you got frustrated, when things didn’t go your way, when the unexpected threw you for a loop. Write in things from your own “what if…” imaginings. You can change your list items around if you need to (that’s why I use a pencil with an eraser).
How does your present “unlucky” situation look now? How does it compare to the rest of those awful things? Creating an Awful Scale puts things in perspective. And having perspective allows a person to see how really lucky they are.

So, as we walk the Path of Positivity today, I consider myself lucky to have you as a companion. I want to leave you with some very wise words from a favorite author that fits perfectly with our theme:

When you think things are bad,
When you feel sour and blue,
When you start to get mad…
You should do what I do…
Just tell yourself, Duckie,
You’re really quite lucky!
Some people are much more…
Oh, ever so much more…
Oh muchly, much-much more
unlucky than you!

~Dr. Suess~


That certainly puts things into perspective, doesn't it?! Pat always has a unique way of looking at things that helps me to better equip myself for my own journey along life's Pathway. I hope that she helps you see a different way as well.
   
Well folks, that is it for today but please be sure to join us later tonight when I finally get the Top Picks posted and then again on Monday for the midway.  Enjoy your week ahead everyone!


Monday, September 12, 2016

Top Picks Post for Challenge #40 Delayed

Oops. I did it again.

I had mentioned in the start post that there might be a one day delay in getting the Top Picks post out as it was an extremely busy weekend for me with company and a wedding to attend. However, it dawned on me late yesterday afternoon that, once again, I  forgot to send the reminder out to my team to submit their choices for the top picks for our last challenge.

 I'll try and get it posted later this week.  I just need to give my poor team some time to let me know their choices first so I can put the post together.

Sorry about that folks but I'll be back with it as soon as possible!


Monday, September 05, 2016

Challenge #41--LUCK...September 5th to October 2nd

Hello everyone! For those of our readers in the States and Canada, I hope you have enjoyed your long Labour Day weekend.  It is the first Monday in September and it is time for the next challenge to start. This time around, for Challenge #41, the theme is "LUCK". Show us your interpretation of what luck 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.

The free sentiment for the start of the challenge says, "Fortune favours the bold" (don't worry there is an alternate spelling for all our American readers that doesn't have the letter u in favour). Now while I do believe that there are some people who appear to have been born lucky, those whom seem to have an invisible horseshoe glued around their neck at all times, for the rest of us, I believe it is possible to create our own luck. For most of us, luck just isn't going to drop into our laps. We need to work hard and make sure that we line up everything we can so that luck may indeed favour us. Put yourself out there. You aren't going to win any contests, competitions or challenges if you don't enter them. It is important that we each do our parts and then maybe we'll be lucky enough to benefit from the hard work we've put in. Even if we aren't the lucky recipient who wins, our hard work isn't for nothing. Everything we do propels us along in whatever craft we work at. We can only get better from our efforts which may indeed lead us to further opportunities for winning down the road. Julie, one of my amazing DT members, used the following quote from Stephen Leacock on her card which sums up this idea perfectly, "I am a great believer of luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." So, keep working hard and you just may find yourself benefiting from a little bit of luck yourself.

This month, think of all the different opportunities where you could wish someone luck. Do you know of someone who is headed of to school or a new job? I'm sure they'd love to receive a card wishing them good luck in their new endeavours. Perhaps you know of someone who could use a little encouragement to create their own luck. Maybe you would just like to wish someone having a birthday a year ahead filled with love, luck and laughter. There are so many ways to showcase the theme of luck.

As usual my team, has come up with some interesting ideas so be sure to pop over to their blogs and see how their creations connect with the concept of this challenge. What direction will you go in? Whatever approach you take, 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 luck 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 luck in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes. While you may easily see how luck 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 returning sponsors!

First up is Imagine That! Digistamp™.  Here is a refresher of what Kristy's company is all about...

Shop Our Digis!
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.


http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p180/Clover_Fairy.html


http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p45/Hitchin%27_a_Ride.html


 http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/store/p321/Christmas_Horseshoe.html


Next, that brings us to Limited Runs. Here is a refresher of what Nikki's company is all about...

http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca
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...

Swimming Turtle (Category: Amphibians 1-10)
Fence with Butterfly (Category: Backgrounds 1-10)
http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca/2013/01/background.html


Snow House Set (Category: Backgrounds 21-30)
http://limitedrunsstamps.blogspot.ca/2013/01/background.html

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.  Pippa is taking the month off but Pat has created an extra project for you all. 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://scrappyhorses.blogspot.ca


patacakespages.blogspot.com/






We are very pleased to have Sue, from The Bottle Cork and Crystal, as our guest designer for this challenge. Check out the great card she created....


My amazing design team and wonderful guests 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 luck 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 luck, 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 #40--at least I am hoping it will be out on Monday, it may end up coming out on Tuesday instead. It is a busy weekend for me next weekend as my hubby's sister is coming up to stay with us for several days and there is a wedding to go to on Saturday as well. I'm hoping I'll get it posted on Monday but the likelihood is that I won't. I just wanted you to know why, if it happens to be later than expected.


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

British, Australian, New Zealand & Canadian spelling of FAVOUR [did I miss anyone?]


American Spelling of FAVOR [sorry, that just looks so weird to me ;) ]


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.

Fonts used
Click on the font name to take you to a download location. Both of these fonts were purchased with extended licensing which allows commercial use. As such, 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 September 5th to October 2nd, 2016.
  • Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on October 2nd.
  • 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 #41, prizes will be the following:
    • A $10.00 gift certificate from Imagine That! Digi Stamp, 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.
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: