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...

Dottedline

And now, three cool midweek sponsor giveaways are on tap for today:

2

• One person will receive a February Kit from Freehand Scraps.

Lom5
Stacyj

• 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.

BANNER PACS

• 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.

Dottedline

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 thoughts

  1. Dani says…
    02/04/2009

    Well, I would have to say that my most recent leap would have to be doing this blog by being a first timer. :0) More importantly, I initially thought that an leap for me has been to re-learn to consistently take pleasure in the everyday tasks which has been very rewarding. It came about due to the uncertain economic times that all are facing and the need to do less that cost and do more that is simply free or thrifty.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Edith says…
    02/04/2009

    My most recent leap is that I decided to be more outspoken at my work. For a naturally shy person not a easy thing to do, but I think I will learn from it to put more trust in me.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Mindy M. says…
    02/04/2009

    My most recent leap was deciding to go back to school to become a L&D nurse.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. abra Riley says…
    02/04/2009

    Definitely returning to college. I have been out of school for 18 years and feel intimidated by 18 year olds!!!! Weird! But I love it and I am getting a 4.0. Not easy but worth it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. susanita says…
    02/04/2009

    Courage is actually my "word" for 2009. I have been working on having the courage to stand up for myself and to explore my creative instincts, which is something I've never been comfortable doing. I signed up for a mixed media class and every Tuesday I drive 90 minutes to catch a train that takes me into the city - all by myself. Heh. I'm loving every minute of it.

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  6. Christy says…
    02/04/2009

    Thanks for the great quote. I'm taking a photography class at the college where I work. It's going to be challenging but I'm excited about it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Leslie Keithley says…
    02/04/2009

    In 2009 I've already made two giant leaps. One is that I left college to spend time with my little boy because I was missing out on so much with him while I was at school.
    Second leap is I volunteered to plan our communities 4th of July celebration for the entire town. It's a huge responsibility, especially only being 24 years old!
    Leaps are just part of life. Their what we grow from.
    Leslie Keithley

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Holly S says…
    02/04/2009

    My most recent leap was moving away and leaving my daughter alone in college. I know I did the right thing and she needs to grow and be independent but I want to hold her close.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Lorie says…
    02/04/2009

    My biggest leap of courage recently has been making the decision to NOT go back to work. Although we have been stretching our budget to make ends meet, I made the decision that my family is more important than any money I could ever make and learning how to be the best mom and wife I can be was the best thing I could do for myself and my family. Im learning things that I never thought I could do like starting a garden to save money and to live a healthier life, learning how to coupon, taking advantage of being able to volunteer and be involved in the school and community, and finding things at home to encourage creativity and fun. It is an amazing learning process! Hard and stressful at time but still amazingly wonderful!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Ivette Rosinski says…
    02/04/2009

    My most current big leap - embracing the fact that within 2 weeks in 2010 3 major life events will take place. My 20th wedding anniversary with the world's greatest guy. My amazing daughter will graduate from high school. I will turn 50. So, since January of this year I have started investing in myself in little ways. This is a huge deal for me but I want to greet those milestone events in the best way I can.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Maryangella Haberman says…
    02/04/2009

    My leap, though silly to some was to try out for the design team at my LSS, the frea of rejection was greater than anything yet I went for it anyways. The best thing.....they picked me. It pays to take leaps and it it fails you can always say "well, at least I tried" :D

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Teri Lynn says…
    02/04/2009

    I found the prose on a leap of courage very touching. I felt it was a wonderful way to look at the important moments in our lives, big or small. I feel this especially applies in my life to something that happened to me last night. My fiance and I just got an apartment together, which is going beautifully and coming together very nicely! I even get to have my own craft room! :) And my fiance's brother and sister-in-law had an unfortunate situation where they moved to Georgia (a leap of courage) for a new promotion and now that's it's six months later his sister-in-law was laid off and the company closed it's doors. They came back to California and have nothing but clothes and their car. So my fiance and I took a leap of courage and are letting them stay with us, even though this is already such a big transition for us and we're just getting our lives together. We know it's the right thing I are proud that we are in the position to help them when they need it the most.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Lara says…
    02/04/2009

    My latest leap has been to accept an officer's position within our Church. The added responsibility scares me but I think it is time to "give back".

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Puanani says…
    02/04/2009

    Due to an injury, I have been forced to chose between my health or my job. Right now, I chose my health.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. [Sue] says…
    02/04/2009

    Ali, thanks for the quote...I didn't realize I was a leaper. My last leap was loosing my dad a couple months ago. The quote helps put things in perspective. I am going to put it on my desk at work so I can see it every day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Heather T. says…
    02/04/2009

    My most recent "leap" is considering a work-at-home position while being a stay-at-home mom. It's a lot to juggle, but it could be what is best for our family.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. terri says…
    02/04/2009

    Biggest recent leap? Every day, I'm leaping. My second child, a ninth grader, is really struggling. She was diagnosed with anxiety last June, ADHD this past fall, and every day is a challenge. Most recently they are considering PDD, a mild form of autism. So I guess the biggest leap, so far, today, was helping her get to the bus stop. She did. Leap one.

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Monique says…
    02/04/2009

    Leaps do come in all shapes & sizes don't they.. your post on the Alex's blog really got me thinking.. Leaps don't have to be monumental to be important..
    I am taking a leap that I have held off on, waiting for the right time or being ready..
    I am going to make the positive changes and make it a little leap.. maybe the bigger ones will follow..
    Thanks for inspiring me..
    :) Monique

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. deb says…
    02/04/2009

    My leap might not seem big to others, but I just put my littlest son on the school bus for the first time. He's entering an early childhood classroom, and I wasn't ready for him to go to school yet. But we did it! And he did great!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Rosemary Bida says…
    02/04/2009

    I almost cried this morning when I read your inspiration paragraph. I think I needed that. Little leaps & big leaps... today it's a leap just to stay happy & thankful. I've always lived for the excitement of the big leap. All I see ahead is the grind. My husband has been layed off 7 times in the last three years & my job is shaky. Things always keep going & he finds another job. My children are healthy & happy, we have food, shelter & safety. I even find time to scrap regularily! For some reason, today was hard. Thanks for reminding me that the small leaps still means you're courageous.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Melissa says…
    02/04/2009

    I have a couple of leaps lately...some forced and some by choice! A forced leap was being layed off and losing my job..:( The leap by choice would be taking over my Dad's business. He's spent most of his life building a business and not one of my 6 siblings is interested it! It makes hime really happy to know the business will grow and stay in the family! OMG...Stacy's class is something I really want to take, but money is a little tight right now to take it...:(

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Anne says…
    02/04/2009

    It's too cold to be leaping, but I think surviving the cold is pretty courageous!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Isabelle A. says…
    02/04/2009

    My leap of courage is to take the decision to have children. Seems minor to many but for me it's a big deal.

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Natasha says…
    02/04/2009

    I leap that I have recently taken is going back to school for my Graduate Diploma, it is the halfway step to receiving a Masters. It hasn't been too long since I was last going to school but it is still a transition that involves a leap.

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. julie s. says…
    02/04/2009

    By biggest leap also ties into my word {create}. I'm focused on relationships and last week I had an amazing conversation with my oldest friend about our relationship and I how I hoped it could change and grow. It was scary and amazing and I'm excited to watch it evolve.

    Reply 0 Replies

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