Showing posts with label Motivational Mondays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motivational Mondays. Show all posts

Monday, April 08, 2013

The Path of Positivity Challenge Begins Today


If you are new to my blog and would like to know why I started Motivational Mondays, please go HERE.
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A couple of weeks ago when I was rushing around to put the finishing touches on my "100th Follower Celebration" post (click HERE to go to that post if you haven't been yet, there are lots of goodies up for grabs), one of my very best friends Naomi from Creative Bug on the Loose, offered to help me out.  I had done a little research and had come to a decision as to which type of 'linky' site I wanted to use, with a little help from Vicky from Crafting Vicky.  So, Naomi offered to go in and get me all signed up with InLinkz.  Now with InLinkz you have an unlimited number of text linkups and just one thumbnail linkup.  Now apparently, Naomi hates it when you can only do a name linkup, so she took it upon herself to gift me with a six month subscription to InLinkz so that I can have as many thumbnail linkups as I want.  Naomi is such an incredibly generous woman, and I am so blessed that she is in my life.  So, I plan on creating as many thumbnail linkups as I can come up to make her purchase worthwhile.

Spending a couple weeks thinking up different things, I have first decided to come up with a new concept to attach to the Motivational Monday feature of this blog.  I was thinking that you guys could come over and link up something that you have done during the week that you consider motivational in nature to share with the rest of us.  It could be an inspirational card, an encouragement card or you could be talking about happiness, kindness, dreams, etc.  Even a 'thinking of you' card would be okay because the goal behind that is to bring some happiness to someone on your mind.  If you create a card based on an Inspirational Picture that I put up one Monday, please link that up too.  Anything of a positive inspirational nature that you'd like to share is acceptable.   04/21/13--UPDATE:  It doesn't have to be a card, it can be any type of project whatsoever. Don't forget it can also just be the post that is inspirational.


It could be something from a week ago or a month ago.  I'm not worried about back linking right now BUT only submit it once.  For example, you have a post that you created three weeks ago that you would like to share this month.  Link it up, but next month you will not be allowed to submit the same link again.  

The whole idea is for us to create a Path of Positivity for people to follow to bring sunshine to our corner of the blogging world.  As long as it is positive and inspirational it qualifies.  Just link up and be ready to receive guests.  People participating should come back throughout the week and visit others on the list, leaving comments along the way.  Please note though that if I go to your blog and find just a regular birthday card post or something along those lines, unless there is an inspirational story attached, the link will be removed.  There must be an inspirational or motivational vibe to the creation or post.

 04/14/13--UPDATE BASED ON QUESTIONS RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK:
  • It can EITHER be a post that has an inspirational vibe or just a project that is inspirational in some way.  You don't have to have an inspirational card AND an inspirational post.  One or the other is fine.
  • I was asked if participants can link up other people's blog posts that they find inspirational.  I'd prefer that people link up there own blogs but am willing to talk about individual situations.  Just send me an email to discuss it.
Each Path of Positivity challenge will remain open for a full month.  In the remaining Motivational Monday posts for the rest of the month, I will provide the link up to the challenge and a summary to help remind people.  I will also try and create a badge to put in my sidebar, letting people know of the challenge.  Hopefully, these things will help to spread the word and encourage people to linkup.  <<<THIS BADGE HAS NOW BEEN CREATED AND YOU CAN FIND IT AT THE TOP OF MY RIGHT SIDEBAR>>>  The challenge will be open from the first Monday of one month to the Sunday before the first Monday of the next month. I know we are starting late this month so it will actually only run from Monday, April 8th to Sunday May 5th at 11:59 pm.  The following month it will run from Monday, May 6th to Sunday June 3rd.  Got it?  When you link up, leave a comment summarizing what it is about your post that you feel is inspirational/positive/motivational.  That way it will help us have a focus when we come over to take a look.  

{{Please note that this next paragraph has been edited from the original due to learning how voting works}}

Now, this linkup has been created to allow voting.  The way voting on a collection works is that you only have one opportunity to vote and voting begins when the collection has been closed.  Then at the end date, voting will be disabled as well.  Therefore I have set it up so that the collection will close on May 5th at 11:59 p.m. and voting will begin on May 6th at 12:00 a.m. You will then have until May 12th at 11:59 p.m. to vote on the creation or post that you have found to be the most inspirational of the bunch. If you are voting, make sure to leave a comment telling us what it was that inspired you about your choice. You are more than welcome to encourage your friends to come over and vote and even participate if they'd like.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a large number of blog posts to visit to help inspire us throughout the month?

What is the incentive for participating you ask?  Well my hope would be that you'd participate just for the sake of bringing a smile to someone's face and sharing your own positive vibe with others but for those who need a little extra motivation Naomi is very generously offering up a prize of 10 digital images for the person who receives the most votes during the month.  There will also be a random draw for a creation that I make.   If any of you designers out there would like to support this challenge idea and add an image or two, we can increase the prizes given out. Please contact me if this is something you'd like to be part of and sponsor.  

 04/14/13--UPDATE--Ike from Ike's World has generously donated three images as well.  We are now up to THREE PRIZES!

This is a brand new idea so we'll see how it goes.  This will most definitely be a work in progress.  Right now the entries will be unlimited BUT this may change down the road depending on the number of people who decide to participate.

My contribution to start our path this week is the idea to make sure that you think positively each day.  Every time you are in a positive space it can lead to more opportunities for being positive.  Positivity has a spiralling effect.  Of course, we all know there will be those days where it is difficult to find anything to be positive about.  The days that challenge us are the days where we have to try a little bit harder.  I know.  I've been there.  If we stumble along the path of positivity we need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, keep looking and moving forward.  As should be everything in life--one step at a time!

Here is a quote to help you along the way...


I've provided today's quote for you a couple different ways.  First, I've provided it as one single image which you can find directly above.  I've also split it up so the first line could be put on the front of a card and the rest of the quote inside.  Note that since it is author unknown, I've taken some liberties with the punctuation in the split version.  It just seems to make more sense this way, when dividing the quote into two pieces...




Both parts are the same font size.  Also, these quotes are much larger than they appear here.  Take whichever version you are interested in, you can always take both if you want.  Don't forget I'd love to see what you come up with if you use any of my creations.

So how about you?  What positive project or thought can you share with us this month?  Let's keep the path of positivity going!  You can find the linkup at the very bottom of this post.

Summary
  • Each Path of Positivity challenge will remain open for a full month.  The challenge will be open from the first Monday of one month to the Sunday before the first Monday of the next month. 
  • Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz.  You will be able to submit your link up to May 5th at 11:59 p.m.
  • When you link up, leave a comment summarizing what it is about your post that you feel is inspirational/positive/motivational. 
  • Voting will begin on May 6th at 12:00 a.m. You will then have until May 12th at 11:59 p.m. to vote on the creation or post that you have found to be the most inspirational of the bunch Then leave a comment telling us what it was that inspired you.  
  • There will be a prize of ten digital images for the person who receives the most votes during the month, another prize of three digital images (the way in which this prize will be won is yet to be determined) and a prize for a random draw.  
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

 
 








 Your patience while I undertake  this brand new venture is appreciated.

Until next time,


Fonts Used:
Click the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts are free for commercial use. 

Quick summary of Terms of Use:   
  • Do not claim the image as your own.
  • Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' somewhere on your creation.
  • 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 I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
  • Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Smiles & Laughter Are Good For the Soul

If you are new to my blog and would like to know why I started Motivational Mondays, please go HERE.
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When we are having difficulties dealing with something, there is nothing like having a friend who can can help pick us up and motivate us; and, when we are feeling down, there is nothing that can pick us up faster than the sound of laughter.   Smiles and laughter are like a healing balm for the soul.  When they are shared with those who know us best, they mean just that much more.

So, if one of your friends is going through a rough patch, reach out with the intention of making them laugh.  It will be the perfect remedy for what ails them.  Their problems will of course still be there, but the reprieve they get from sharing a smile or two will definitely be welcomed. 

NOT FOR DOWNLOAD.  THIS IS NOT A FREEBIE.  However, the quote on its own and the elements used in the creation of this design are available as freebies by following the links mentioned further on in the post.
Sorry for the big and bold 'not for download' statement but I need to make sure that it is clear.  You guys are used to being able to download my digital graphics but NOT when they are created using another artist's image with strictly PUO terms.  Digital stamps and images are not available for redistribution whether alone or part of a new creation unless explicit permission has been given from the designer.
 
General Information:  
  • Why is it that some days you can add pngs with no problem whatsoever and then other days, you get a black background?  Inconsistency is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.  Thank goodness for Picasa Web Albums! 
  • For all of you who have been spending money as a result of my promotional posts and introduction to digi stamp stores in the Saturday Showcase, I have a real treat for you today.  Everything you see in the design above is available for FREE!  Yes you read that correctly, free!  I've even saved you time by providing the direct links to where you have go to get them.  Who has a big hug for Lisa???  Hmmm???
 Image Details:
  • This is a 100% digital image.  It is not a card or even a tag.  Just an inspirational design that I can either print out and frame or use as a backdrop on my desktop.
  • Today I've done something a bit different again.  The challenge over at Digitally Sweet this week is Spring and Pastel Colours.  I couldn't really find a photograph that worked.  There was one that was nice but it was more sepia toned than anything.  So, I decided that this would be another opportunity to play around with one of the many scrapbooking kits that I have but don't really use.  
  • First thing I did was find a fabulous quote that would work well for this challenge.  A few weeks ago I did a showcase on Sharon from A Piece of Heart who does amazing work with sentiments.  Best of all, she offers a freebie every Friday so I've managed to collect a few of them.  She has some really amazing ones on friendship so I knew that I'd find just the right one and of course I did.  Now, normally I offer a quote for you on Motivational Mondays that you can download and use for your cards and other projects.  This time, since the quote doesn't belong to me, I can't offer it up as a freebie.  However, I can provide you with the link where you can go and get it yourself.  This quote is a freebie available over at A Piece of Heart and you can go HERE to get it.  Just be sure you read Sharon's terms of use before using it and don't forget to leave her some love if you download it.  Just note that the Minus link for the png version isn't working (update:  this issue has been resolved) but is for the jpg one and the 4shared version works for both versions but you need to sign in to download it.  If you are unfamiliar with 4shared it is free to set up an account.
  • The kit I used is also a freebie.  This is available over at  {computer}scrapbook.com. This site has tons of beautiful kits for free.  I've collected quite a few and while I've used elements from their kits in the past as embellishments on projects, it is nice to put together a design combining different items from different kits.  The background element is from the Calista kit available for download HERE and the other elements used are from the Another Tea Party kit available for download HERE.
  • This design was created in Photoshop Elements.
Challenges I hope to enter include:

Thanks so much for stopping by and may you find the opportunity to laugh sometime today.  Many times if you are really lucky.

Until next time,





Monday, November 12, 2012

Motivational Monday: November 12, 2012

If you are new to reading my posts...
It doesn't matter who you are, everyone needs a little motivation in their lives.   Motivation helps us to stay focused, increase our confidence, and aspire us to achieve our goals.  It also nurtures us and helps us to keep going when the going gets tough.  Most people are just too busy dealing with their daily lives to be bothered with self-motivation; so, allow me to provide a little external motivation for you.

This week's motivational quote is...

May you never lose hope in your life.

Thanks to Emily from Sweetly Scrapped for generously allowing her images to be used to create new ones.  Please note that you may not sell any hand crafted items with this motivational graphic on it as the image and fonts are for personal use only.

Fonts Used:  
Click the font name to take you to a download location.  Both fonts are considered free for personal use which generally refers to any use that is not meant to generate profit. Consequently, I believe that I am safe using them here in this motivational graphic and offering it to all of you.

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  If you are not sure how to copy it, check out the download instructions page.  

Until next time,

As usual, don't forget that if you use this image PLEASE:     
  • Do not claim the image as your own.
  • Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' and 'Sweetly Scrapped' somewhere on your creation
  • Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
  • If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
  • Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.
                  

Monday, November 05, 2012

Motivational Monday: November 5th, 2012

It doesn't matter who you are, everyone needs a little motivation in their lives.   Motivation helps us to stay focused, increase our confidence, and aspire us to achieve our goals.  It also nurtures us and helps us to keep going when the going gets tough.  Most people are just too busy dealing with their daily lives to be bothered with self-motivation; so, allow me to provide a little external motivation for you.

From now on, Mondays around here are all about motivation. 

Each Monday (barring sickness or abscence), I will post a motivational graphic/quote combo or just a motivational quote that I've made into a sentiment for you to download.

Hope you like it.

Remember to please leave a comment if you take it.  Just a simple thanks is sufficient.  This is the only way I have of keeping track of the numbers being downloaded.  If you are not sure how to copy it, check out the 'download instructions page'.

Until Next time,


P.S.  Don't forget that if you use an image PLEASE:   
  • Do not claim the image as your own.
  • Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' somewhere on your creation
  • Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
  • If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
  • Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.