Wednesday Sponsor Giveaway: Freehand Scraps, Big Picture Scrapbooking, + Paper & Co. Show
First, I want to pass along a thought for today that I came across on my friend Alex's blog about courage & leaps:
What I realized is that there is not just one big moment of courage in
our lives. There are many. These moments come to us in different ways.
At times we are forced into a leap (unexpected pregnancy, when parents
or partners pass away, when we loose our job). At times we are called
into a leap (when someone invites us for a trip of a lifetime, when our
partner wants to move to a new city, when we are offered a chance, when
we take the "money maker" role to support our family). Then there are
also the daily tiny leaps we take for the sake of adventure (when we
try new types of food, music, when we go out on a date, when we talk to
a stranger, when we transition from blogger friends to real life
friends). No matter how small, silly or hard, tiny, dramatic or
forgotten... All leaps are important because little by little, we live
through change, we figure out how to cope, we move forward, we learn
who we are, and we build our confidence for the bigger leaps, the ones
we seek for ourselves.
Maybe someone else out there needed to hear this today too...
And now, three cool midweek sponsor giveaways are on tap for today:
• One person will receive a February Kit from Freehand Scraps.
• Two people will receive passes to Stacy Julian's fantastic online Library of Memories class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Focused on getting your scrapbook albums in working order and organizing your photos (in a very "you-centered" way), I highly recommend the class and/or Stacy's book Photo Freedom. Class begins February 12th and runs for 16 weeks. This class is only offered once a year.
• One person will receive 4 classes for the Paper & Co. event in Italy on March 27, 28, and 29 (giveaway does not include travel, accommodations, or food for the event).You can check out a list of the classes here. Italy sure sounds good to me right about now :).
To be included in the drawing today please leave a comment below and share your most recent "leap" or act of courage. Comments will be closed at 8pm Pacific tonight with the winners posted shortly after.
I would also like to take a minute to welcome and thank my newest blog sponsors:
Digital Birdhouse : digital scrapbook products
Scarlet Lime : monthly kit club
The Paper Pixie : paper embellishments
The Digital Scrapbook Teacher : photoshop tutorials and classes for hybrid + digital scrapbooking
Lettergirls : delightful hand-created address stamps
For more information on sponsor opportunities send me an email: ali at aliedwardsdesign dot com






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1452 comments
Quite honestly, right now, I feel like getting up and going on each day is an act of courage.
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my leap has been the transition from breadwinner to part-time work to being a stay-at-home mom all within a year. Lots of changes for me, just since last summer.
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My leap will happen next week when my teenager starts driving! and Italy does sound like fun!
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I took the leap in getting help for my health problems. I was too scared/lazy/apathetic to get help, but now I see it's what I needed all along.
I feel better - my life is better. I'm not fearful of tomorrow now.
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My recent leap of courage was trusting my gut and knowing that my son had to go to the doctor, and subsequently to the hospital, because he couldn't catch his breath. It was scary stuff for us early this week (and came on so quickly), but I'm glad I took my "mom-dar" seriously, listened to some smart friends, and took care of my son.
I'd love the LOM class, by the way. I'm still on the fence about taking it. Thanks for your blog and giveaways.
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My most recent leap of courage was hitting the gym (when i feel fat it's hard to get there), and losing 9lbs for the month of jan!!!
20 more to go!
tara
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Leaps, I've been leaping for 2 1/2 years now. Child in big toruble, mom died, quit a job I so totally loved, new job, new house... I'm tired just reading about it. My newest leap though is in the garden. All the years we've been married (34), we've never had a yard for entertaining. Well, with small steps, I'm changing that and finding that the challenge is also rewarding. Thanks for the chance at the goodies. :)
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After 25 years with the same company I"m applying for a new job and a completly different role in the social work community. Am unsure if I'm ready for this emotionally [sexual trauma] but am willing to take the step to see if this is where the Lord wants me...
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I went away with my hubby, just the 2 of us, and left our 2 boys with grandparents. I was a short trip, but HUGE leap. And they were fine :)
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The latest big leap for me is letting my 2 year old be moved from our room to start sleeping in his own room... *sniff* my baby is growing up..
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My leap was moving to the Midwest from Washington to be with my new love. It has worked out for us, but sometimes I am still lonely. My newest leap is trying to find new friends in this area.
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Telling my husband I'm ready for kids.
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I'm sitting here thinking about this question and nothing really comes to mind. The only thing I can think of is I have really adopted the "less is more mentality." I buy what I need and I have really tried to not take on more than I can handle. I delegate more now. I have found that I enjoy things more when I'm not overwhelmed. I have also found the rejuvenating powers of napping!
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i am taking a "leap" as we speak to challenge myself to become who i want to be but forgive myself when i fall short- the forgiving myself takes a huge leap for me. i want to strive to be the best wife, mother and Christian i can be and start my days with a smile- that takes courage when you are a mom of 5 ;)
thanks so much for your inspiration Ali!!
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My most recent leap is to become more social. I've always been a private person and for me to come out of my shell takes a lot of courage.
Thanks for the opportunity!
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My biggest leap was my husband's recent promotion to a job that requires him to be away for about 20-25 days a month. Places like Dubai, Columbia, Scotland... It's an awesome path for him and I have a lot more time for scrapbooking and creating! LOM has been tempting me for over a year!
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Wow! Italy sounds great to me too. It is -5 here right now in West Michigan. Thanks Ali!
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I absolutely had a "leap" of courage. I aggressively changed the eating habits of my husband after his annual exam and joined in on his "eat right for life" campain-a very big deal for me. I haven't had a double stuffed oreo in a month!!
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My leap has been into a new social setting....with a different group of people that I have socialized with in the past. It has felt very freeing in that the same old 'roles' and issues don't exist. This group is a more ecclectic mixture of people and are quickly becoming fast friends. It fits in with simplifying my life by identifying what I like to do and not being bogged down with what is expected. I loved the quote from Alex's blog....gives me good thoughts and ideas for the day.
Gwen
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My leap of faith lies on my DH right now, having faith that we can get thru this rough patch and move on in a positive direction. Hopefully growing stronger in our relationship, becoming better parents and partners from it. Having faith that my decisions are right for now and the long run. Here's praying.... for continued faith.
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