Motivational Monday & PoP Reminder: PERSEVERANCE

 If you are new to my blog and would like to know why I started Motivational Monday, please go HERE.

Hello and happy Monday to those of you stopping by today.  I appreciate you taking the time to come over and read what I have to say.

This evening, I'll be sharing this month's Motivational Monday passage, along with a card I created and couple freebies at the bottom of the post.  

This post should technically have been published last week at the same time as the midway post on Path of Positivity challenge blog.  Unfortunately, even though the card was finished, I didn't have it photographed and edited and I just didn't have it in me to get it done.  So instead, I figured I would wait and post it this Monday.

The reflection, and one of the freebies were originally posted last week over on PoP; so, if you've been there already then you can just bypass most of this post.  I'm just getting the card posted today and will add it to the midway post once I am done.  

The theme this month is PERSEVERANCE. 

On with today's thoughts...

 Don't Give Up Hope

So many people around me are dealing with very difficult issues in their lives right now.  Some are battling depression, some are battling pain and other illnesses, some have family members they are extremely worried about.  When living with these stressors, day in and day out, one can start to feel the world crashing in on all sides.  Hope seems elusive at best.

I've been there.  I know just how dark things can get.

We are quick with words of encouragement like, 'don't give up hope' and 'hang in there friend'.  We certainly mean the best when we say them and while the person on the other end of these phrases may need to hear them, don't fret if the immediate response isn't an encouraging one.  It is easy for us to spout these aphorisms but we have to be ready to acknowledge that the individual on the receiving end may not be in the best place to accept them.  It is easy to say 'everything is going to be fine', but when a person feels like they are hanging on by their fingernails, in no way do they believe everything will be fine.

Just as it is important that our friends and loved ones experiencing anguish don't give up, it is even more crucial that we don't give up on them.  Keep reaching out.  Keep trying to connect with them.  Sometime it feels like they are pushing us away but that is when we must dig our heels in and fight all the more.  True friends stick around through the really bad times just as they stick around through the really good ones.

Whether you are the person facing the difficulty or trying to help someone dealing with one...

Persevere

Persist

As much as you may want to give up the fight...

Keep Going

Keep Trying

Don't let anything or anyone sway you from your goal...

Be Determined

Be Stubborn

When you feel like giving in...

Stand Firm

Stay Resolved

When you are your most afraid...

Hang In There

Hang On

When everything is at its darkest...

Reach Out

Hold Fast

Stick With It

Stay the Course

There really is light at the end of the tunnel.  You just have to hold on long enough to see it again.

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This month our sponsors are...

Ike's Art...

and Deedee's Digis...

Next up, is the card I made using an image from Ike's Art..

FRONT

Digital Image Details: 

• My New Shoes:  As stated above, this sweet image is from Ike's Art.  If you are interested in purchasing this image, click on the watermark to head over to the section it can be found on in the store. I am so lucky that my card fits into Ike's current challenge.  Well, I think it fits the theme, I guess I have to wait and see if they agree. ;) 

 My New Shoes (located in the 'My Latest Designs' section)

Digital Embellishments: 

• I added buttons that I created using a template from Marisa Lerin, a designer with Pixel Scrapper. 
• The doily was created using a template from Sheila Reid, also with Pixel Scrapper. 

INSIDE 

Digital Sentiment: 

• This fabulous sentiment was created by Paulette from Create with TLC.  I picked it up as a freebie.  Check out Paulette's wonderful blog by clicking HERE or click HERE to go to the store.

OVERALL

Paper Products: 

• Card base: Michael's Recollection's Cardstock, black.

Digital Paper Products: 

• The shoe paper is from my Mommy Dearest Kit.

Challenges I am hoping to enter:

• http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.ca/ (5E)-- Anything Goes 
• http://creativefingerschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/ -- Anything Goes
• http://yourscrapbookplace.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes (2nd entry)
• http://ttcrd.blogspot.ca (2E)-- Anything Goes (2nd entry)
• http://craftingfromtheheartchallengeblog.blogspot.ca/ -- Anything Goes
• http://ikesworldchallengeblog.blogspot.ca/ -- Historic (okay so I suppose it depends on your interpretation of what 'historic' is.  As far as I'm concerned 'historic' refers to any period in history defined by a style or the events of that particular era.  This image of the little girl with her new shoes has always represented something from the past in my eyes.  I see it belonging in the early 1900s, anywhere from the 20s to the 30s.  Much like the shoes in the background paper and also the vintage buttons I've used.  I hope that this qualifies for the current challenge.)

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Finally, that brings me to a couple of freebies.  The first was offered up at the challenge start and the second was just offered up during last week's midway...

© 2015

Font Information:

• WG Patchwork font created by Nathan Brown
• Muller-Thin-DEMO created by Fontfabric and Radomir Tinkov

© 2015 

Font Information:

• Odalisque font created by Nick's Fonts
• Forum font created by Denis Masharov

Please be sure to click on the images to bring them up into the lightbox in their proper size before saving them.  Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  The first three fonts were listed as free for commercial use at the time this project was made.  The last one, Butterscotch, is one I have purchased as part of a bundle and the licence states that it may be used for commercial purposes.  As such, it is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use these fonts in my creations and offer them to others.  Please refer to my full terms of service for what you can and cannot do with this digital creation.

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

Credit Notes For These Creations:
© Lisa L. Décosse. PUO. However, you are allowed to use the sentiments 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(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.

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 I invite you to go and check out, not only, the fabulous creations some members of my Design Team had the opportunity to create over on the Path of Positivity (click HERE for the midway) but also some of the great entries into this month's challenge (click HERE for the challenge).  I also invite you to come over and enter a project yourself, if you haven't already.  There are so many kinds of cards that would work for this theme, including encouragement, and even graduation cards.  There is still one week left to enter and I'm sure there is someone in your life who could be reminded just how important it is to keep fighting and hang on.

Well, that is it for this one!  If I can pull it off I am going to try and get one of my progressive posts published tonight. 
 

Until then,