Finding Friends on the Path of Positivity

This month at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog, we are centering on Friendship. Have you visited the Path of Positivity yet? It is "... a different sort of challenge blog designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time! ALL kinds of projects are welcome, as long as it is positive. We hope you will follow each month's theme, which is general enough to fit most projects. For instance, using this month's theme of Friendship, you can create a get well or thinking of you card; a sympathy card for a friend; even a handmade gift for your BFF.
I created a card this time around to remind you that not all friends walk on two legs. I have several friends whose lives are pretty solitary, except for that BFF who always knows when they're in need of a snuggle or a brisk walk. By the way, BFF here means Best Furry Friend!

My card uses an image from Sparkle N Sprinkle, this month's sponsor. The image is called Paw Prints. My card is for one of the friends I mentioned above. As a special bonus, there is a detachable bookmark with that fun-loving dog on it. My friend not only loves her dog, but also loves to read, so I think she'll love it, don't you?

Let's get to the details of the challenge:

SPONSOR & PRIZE INFORMATION: 

Sparkle N Sprinkle is the sole sponsor for the main prizes of this challenge. They are offering up two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• A small selection of digital designer papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Challenges I am Entering:

Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Critters & Creatures - Anything animal goes

The Nature of Christmas

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you,

because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places”

~Roald Dahl

The 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up blog would like you to remember the Nature of Christmas with their newest challenge. Show off woodland scenes, snowfall, winter animals—whatever flora or fauna brings out the natural beauty of the holiday and inspires you to create.

I created my Christmas card using a digital image called Slim from Sparkle N Sprinkle, our sponsor this month. That very pretty background paper is from Lisa of Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.

In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month,make sure that your card has some sort of outdoor nature element in the design.  Examples include: scene of trees, forest, river, birds, woodland animals, etc. Whatever element you choose must be flora or fauna (i.e. botanical or animal related). 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.

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies.  You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate to the Sparkle N Sprinkle store.

Sparkle N Sprinkle is a small company with a big heart owned and operated by Margaret Myers. SNS specializes in hand-mixed embossing powders and glitters. Our quality, deeply etched rubber stamps are closely cropped on Cling Mount Cushion ready for your acrylic block. Produced in our local Shoppe in Ruskin, Florida, the stamps are already indexed on a laminated color storage sheet for your convenience. SNS sells a variety of other paper crafting tools and products, including a new line of digital stamps and many other exclusive products.

• Prize being offered:  a $15 gift certificate to the Sparkle N Sprinkle store for one random winner chosen from those who participate in the optional theme.

• Additional Sponsor: Décosse's Dynamite Doodles
• Prize being offered: One free digital paper to everyone who links up a minimum of two cards to the challenge.  Cards can be anything goes for this prize, they only have to follow the theme if they want a chance at the sponsor's prize.  The mini set of six digital papers called Nature of Christmas, will also be offered up as a prize to one random winner. 

Awareness, Hope & Empathy

The theme at the Path of Positivity challenge blog this month is EMPATHY. Empathy goes deeper than sympathy. You must not only "talk the talk," but you must be willing to "walk the walk." It is putting yourself in another's shoes and feeling the pain or confusion or sadness they have.

The world needs more empathy, especially when it comes to devastating illnesses. There are just too many of these little ribbons going around, too many diseases being diagnosed and suffered through, too many lives lost. When I think of all this suffering, it brings to mind the John Lennon song "Imagine":

Here's a verse I think he should have added to the song:

Imagine a world with no suffering,

it isn't hard to do.

No cancer or children dying

No Alzheimer's too.

Imagine all the people

living life in full.

My project today is an 8x8 canvas using an image from this month's sponsors, Sparkle N Sprinkle. The digi is called Awareness. I printed out and colored just a few of the many, many ribbons being used today to represent serious health issues. Nowadays almost anyone you talk to has worn one of these ribbons or the others for someone they knew. One of my little Girl Scouts barely made it to her high school graduation due to Brain Cancer (grey ribbon). My aunt passed away from Breast cancer (pink ribbon) five years after she got married.
You would think that with all the marvels of technology, these diseases would be gone. But they're still here, and that is why this world needs all the empathy it can encompass.
My DT project was the first time I created a hybrid canvas, using digital as well as hand-crafted media for it. Here are the digital aspects that went into my canvas:
Pixel Scrapper Janet Scott “Look a Book” Paint 12

Pixel Scrapper Pauline Thompson “Happy Birthday” Star Scatter 2

Pixel Scrapper Elif Sahin “Autumn Day” Flower

Now it's your turn to show us your take on the theme of Empathy. Any creative endeavor is accepted. Just remember to link up to the Path of Positivity challenge blog before the end of the month for your chance to win a prize package from Sparkle N Sprinkle. Here are the Prize details:

• $15.00 worth of Sparkle N Sprinkle digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time-frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

Keep the Christmas Spirit All Year Through

We;re coming into the home stretch now. How is your stash of Christmas cards piling up? Ready to mail out now? I have loads of cards, some I can mail out like this digital card, nice and flat and only needing one stamp. Others are a bit chunkier, and will be handed out to family, friends and co-workers. It's been a wonderful year, and I am so thankful to have been asked to join the DT at the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up challenge blog.
This month's theme is "Sparkle, Sparkle, Everywhere" and who better to sponsor the challenge than the glitterati of sparkle itself, Sparkle N Sprinkle. In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, we want to see a Christmas or other holiday card that has lots of sparkle and shine on it. Here is your chance to grab your glitter, sparkles and other forms of bling and get to it! 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.
Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate to the Sparkle N Sprinkle store.

I decided to use a non-Christmas-themed image. I love mixing things up like that. I chose a darling little mermaid called Darien, and imagined how she would get ready for Christmas. Presents, of course, for her underwater besties and perhaps some ornament-laden coral as well. I love how she made her sandy floor sparkle (with a little help from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' Gold patterned paper from the new Glitterati Paper Pack). There's as much shimmer and shine below the water as there is above it.
Along with my holiday-minded mermaid, I used the following:

Papers: Decosse’s Dynamite Doodles “Glitterati” Paper Kit, Gold & Blue; Marta Van Eck's “Winter Scene” Paper Kit

Elements: Sparkle n Sprinkle digital image “Southern Santa” (presents)

Rucola Designs “Dead or Alive” Collection: Stars

Decosse’s Dynamite Doodles “It’s Ornamental” Paper Kit, Green Balls (ornaments)
So let's see some shiny Christmas spirit on your cards this month as we get ready to send out all the cards we've created throughout the year. Happy crafting!

• Additional Sponsor: Décosse's Dynamite Doodles
• Prize being offered: One free digital paper to everyone who links up a minimum of two cards to the challenge.  Cards can be anything goes for this prize, they only have to follow the theme if they want a chance at the sponsor's prize.  The mini set of six digital papers called Glitteratti Set 1, will also be offered up as a prize to one random winner.
• Link:  As I don't have a store, you can simply link to my personal blog-- 

Challenges I am Entering:
Crafty Calendar challenges - Sparkle, Bling & Embellish
Left of Center Creative challenges - Sparkle
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Photo Inspiration (I loved the subtle blues, greens and frosty shimmer of the photo. I added a little red to the mix, but the shimmer and colors make up the bulk of my project)

CraftyHazelnut's Extra Christmas challenge - Any Christmas card

Dedicated to the One I Love

Are you a dedicated person? Do you have goals that you work hard to achieve? This month's theme at the Path of Positivity is Dedication. I am dedicated to my family. I am dedicated to the families in the educational program in which I work. I know many others who are dedicated to people, to causes, to lifestyles.
And then there is the spirit of Christmas! Santa is dedicated to bringing joy to children worldwide, and speaking from one dedicated person to another, our willingness to focus our dedication toward something specific requires some major downtime. 
So today my DT project is a funny "after the holidays" card that showcases  Santa's dedication to children. you may only see him once a year, but he works the entire year to make Christmas morning the delight that it is to children everywhere--except the day after Christmas. That's when Santa can unwind, and dedicate a few days toward relaxation and simple pleasures, like wiggling his toes in the warm sand and not worrying that all his reindeer are flight-ready!
You have from today through October 4th to create a card that showcases in some way the theme of dedication. If the theme isn't obvious in your card or project, please write in your post or comment on the challenge blog the reason how dedication plays into your project. We love to read about the themes, it inspires us in our own creativity.
Our guest sponsor this month is Sparkle N Sprinkle, who is offering two prizes for this challenge, which will be:

• $15.00 worth of digital images for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• $15.00 worth of digital images for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.

There will also be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a couple different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky person who leaves a comment on posts published during the challenge time frame.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge

My project today showcases an image called Southern Santa from Sparkle N Sprinkle. He is definitely on down time. I colored Santa with Copics, "sprinkling" some "sparkle" on the scene by making a few waves. I used a couple papers from my "de-stash" box of leftovers, and played around with the last of my lovely teal webbing, a broken bracelet of starfish charms and beads, a few beach-y buttons and a couple sentiment labels. I do believe someone should warn Santa that it's time for him to turn over or he may be mistaken for a lobster!! I am willing to fly out to the beach and join warn him. LOL

Challenges I am Entering:

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything Goes

Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes

Digitally Sweet challenges - Anything with wings (seagulls & flamingos)

Simply Papercraft challenges - Anything Goes

Stempelsonnen challenges - Alles Geht (anything Goes)

Sparkle & Sprinkle challenges - Anything Goes w/loose glitter, powders, etc