The Path of Generosity

What do you want to accomplish in this new year?  I have several resolutions that I hope will shape me into a better person.  One of them is to try to perform a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) each day.  Another is to be a better example to my grandchildren.  Children learn from what we do, not just what we say.  So I will try to be on my best behavior, especially when they're around.  Which leads me into my new canvas.

I created it for the Path of Positivity's January challenge, whose theme is GENEROSITY.  One of our monthly sponsor's is IKE'S ART, whose image, "New Baby," I used here.  I put a base of matte medium and yellow and pink tissue papers.

I printed Ike's digi image and colored it with Copics: R00,11; YR00; E31,95 and Spectrum Noir PL1.  I fussy cut the image (isn't it darling?) and adhered it to my canvas with Mod Podge.  The sentiment is a mix of glitter alphas and Stickles.

I played with leftover lace, sequins, flowers, buttons, stickers and ink until I got the effect you see above. Need a little positivity in the New Year?  Wander down the Path of Positivity-whether you need some positive words, some creative inspiration, or a chance to win great prizes from the following sponsors:

 ·   Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·     Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·     Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

·     One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.

·     One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles as well.

"And So Shines a Good Deed...

...in a weary world."  This quote comes from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie starring Gene Wilder.  The scene is in Wonka's office when he denies Charlie his lifetime supply of chocolates.  Although poor, Charlie has a good and generous soul, and places Wonka's secret invention, an everlasting gobstopper, on Wonka's desk instead of selling it to his competition.

This movie quote was the inspiration for my tea candle lamp that I altered with "Cupcakes Galore", a Digi Stamps 4 Joy image.  I got to play with this image as a DT member for the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog, as DS4J is their sponsor this month.

Here is what the full image looks like:

I love working with digital images.  You can do so much with them for whatever project you can dream up.  Today I printed my image twice and just used the three full cupcakes that are front and center.  Then I fussy cut them out and used them to alter a mini hurricane lamp.  I adhered a thin strip of leftover patterned paper to my base, and added some adhesive-backed lace from Recollections and a bit of bright pink ribbon for borders.  Next I threw on the bling, with teal jewels in between my cupcake images, and a line of adhesive-backed pearls from the Paper Studio at the top of my glass.

My daughter loves tea light candles, and she loves cupcakes, and she lights the world with her generosity.  So my mini lamp has made its home in her bedroom.

This month's challenge at the Path of Positivity challenge blog is GENEROSITY.  If you've a mind to share a project or post on this theme, please share with us!
The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

 ·   Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·     Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·     Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

·     One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.

·     One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles as well.

If You Can't Feed the World, Just Feed One

Happy New Year, crafters!  I am starting the year with a wonderful gift.  I am now a DT member for the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog, a place where you can go to see projects or posts that provide help, hope, courage, love, forgiveness, peace, motivation, encouragement, etc. It is a place to come especially on those days when the woes of the world just seem too much to bear. 
This is my first post as a POP team member and and I want to introduce this month's theme of Generosity with a story.

When my kids were small, I used to take them to the local grocery store and give them $5 to spend on food to be donated to a local food pantry. I warned them that I had the option to trade out their choices with something I thought would be nicer, and they would have to eat whatever they had chosen but been traded (I know, I'm sneaky that way). So they would spend twice the time I planned at the store choosing their food donations, but we all left happier for knowing that families somewhere would enjoy the goodies we gave.
I (secretly) was also giving my kids a lesson in generosity. Generosity is not a quality that people are born with but that must be learned.  What better teachers than parents to give children their lessons in generosity?  So when you give, whether it be money, time, even a smile, do it in front of your children so they will pick up on your good habits, kind of like that saying "Do what I do, not just what I say."  Or did I misquote?! LOL
For my easel card, I used a digi image called "Cupcakes Galore" from this month's POP sponsor, Digi Stamps 4 Joy.  I printed the image three times, twice at one size and once at a slightly larger size. (There was something wrong with my printer and the image kept spitting out in red, so I just went with it)  I colored my images with my trusty Copics, then fussy-cut the first in its entirety,and the second just the cupcakes that appeared closet to the eye, which ended up being the top cupcake, and the middle three on the next two steps.  I used dimensional tape to adhere my layers.  I colored just the top cupcake from my largest image to use on the bottom/inside base of my card.
The patterned paper is from DCWV "The Colorful Life" Stack.  I embellished with jewels from The Paper Studio.

When the card is closed, you can see the bit of lace, ribbon roses and washi tape that I used for embellishments as well.
I used a quote from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.  It defines generosity so well, because often people think that to be generous you have to have a lot to be able to give it away. But just think: If you gave just enough to feed one person, you've made a positive difference in that one person's life.  Now what if we all made that small but significant gesture of generosity? Can you see the domino effect building from it? Wouldn't the world be a better place for your one small act?
I bet you're wondering about the challenge, huh? 
Anything that you'd like to share of a positive and inspirational nature that follows the monthly theme, is acceptable!  The challenge runs from January 6 for about a month.  A top seven will be chosen by the entire Design Team (DT) and will be posted in a separate post. 

The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

 ·   Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digitals for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.

·     Three digital images from Ike's World for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.

·     Five digital images from Digi Stamps 4 Joy, our guest sponsors this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

·     One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.

·     One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles as well.

I Hope you will play along this month, so link your GENEROSITY creations to Path of Positivity Challenge #10.