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
I took a creative leap to organize my SB room. I have my own room for the first time, after just moving this Fall. Setting up my room was exciting and overwhleming all at one time. I dug in weekend by weekend, and finally pulled it off. Now, if I can get back to scrapping...
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My most recent leap is in dealing with the news that my partner will be deployed in Afghanistan soon. It's a pretty huge leap. Thanks for the inspirational post, and the giveaways!
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My most recent leap is leaving my house and everything I have known for the past seven years and move back to the midwest with DH.
My little leap for this week is working on setting up my own business.
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Most recent leap of faith was moving to a new position at work. It was completely outside my range of experience and I knew that I would be challenged from the moment I sat down. However, I needed to see past the challenges and the lack of leadership and find how this would benefit me professionally in the long run.
I still need to remind myself every once in a while that this was the right move, so my leap of faith with this one is ongoing in a way.
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My husband and I are in the exciting (and scary)process of heeding the Spirits prompting to begin an organic church.
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My most recent leap is to start looking for a job after being a stay at home mom for the last 9 1/2 years. It is a little scary not know what direction to take and where I will end up.
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Ali, thank for sharing.. you have so many great ideas... always inspiring.. Enjoy the time with you new little one soon, I'm sure Simon is going to be a great big brother.
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My most recent leap of courage may sound a bit corny but here it goes.... I am taking some time for myself buiding time into my day to enjoy it not just get through it. Slowing down especially when I am walking with my kids or listening to them and most of all I am trying to remind myself daily even hourly of my many blessings and not worry so much about my to do lists.
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My huge leap is helping my husband put his 86 year old mother in an assisted living facility. She lives on the same block as us and we lover her dearly. We have her over every Sunday for a big Italian pasta dinner and will contine to do that as long as we can. It is a very difficult and emotional forced leap for us.
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i have been making lots of leaps over the past years . . . hugest leap was 3 years ago when i left my abusive husband. more recently . . . i made the leap to improve upon myself and have been attending CoDA meetings. i have also begun setting boundaries in my life . . . which is a HUGE leap for me. thank you so very much for sharing the quote . . . it was truly what i needed today!!
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I decided to change careers! I am going to from sitting at a computer all day to training dogs! I can't wait!
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I've taken the leap to try and get into the real world of jobs, which has been scary for me. I haven't heard anything yet, which makes it even scarier, but I know it will pay off in the end.
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I'm usually a BIG leaper - in the past 3 years I've had our first (and only) child, allowed my husband to quit work while I supported the family financially, and took a job and moved our family across the country.
However, the most recent leap I've taken was a small one this past weekend. I was invited to a jewelry show at my neighbors house - I never attend these types of functions, not for friends and certainly not for someone I barely know. I decided it might be fun to get out and meet people and maybe MAKE a friend. I had a wonderful time!!
Thanks for the awesome give-aways - Ali!
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As the wife of a military man, my life is all about taking leaps and trusting in myself and others, but the biggest leap I ever took was when I pushed and pushed to get a diagnosis for my Autistic son when no one else wanted to "face the music" so to speak. He is 8 going on 9 now and is doing exceptional well. Everyday is a leap for him as well, I suppose.
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Hubby & I lept together when he came out of the teaching profession to do something new. Good to leap hand-in-hand :)
Mandy McK
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wow, Ali, so inspiring and encouraging. i suppose my most recent leap has been convincing doctors that the sensory disorder my daughter lives with (& suffers from) is negatively affecting her day to day activity and she requires more evaulation at the Autism clinic to see if she falls on the spectrum. (ps. i have had a long-time desire to take stacey's class but because of my daughter's medical (therapy) expenses, haven't been able to. fingers crossed that i win her class. oh, that would make my year!)
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My most recent leap of faith has been today. My 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on the 4th Jan 2009 (3 days after her 13th birthday) . Today i have let her play out and eat out with her friends for the first time so that she can claim back some of that teenage independnce that's so important to her- even though i'm a quivering heap!
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My most recent leap was moving to Atlanta in December 2007 for a business my husband is a part of. During that time I had to have an operation, which was scary in a new place without my regular doctors, etc. It turned out fine, no cancer, but it also made us realize that life is too short. We loved and missed California and decided that's where we really wanted to be. So we packed up and moved back here in Sept. Although we weren't born here, we feel like this is where we belong. We are HOME.
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The first leap was becoming a stay-at-home Mom to twins. Then, moving to a small town (I'd ALWAYS been a city girl). And then for the out-of-the-blue, never-would-have-thought, leap...I ran for our local school board. I volunteered at the twins school and eventually became more and more involved. Last fall some of the staff asked if I would consider running, they were concerned that there wouldn't be anyone with elementary children on the school board. I never thought I would ever see my name on an election ballot but, I took the leap and so, far it's been an amazing experience. I am so proud of our schools and everything they have to offer! Go Giants!!
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My most recent leap of faith has been today. My 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on the 4th Jan 2009 (3 days after her 13th birthday) . Today i have let her play out and eat out with her friends for the first time so that she can claim back some of that teenage independnce that's so important to her- even though i'm a quivering heap!
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wow! great giveaways!
i've done quite a few leaps lately! saying "yes" to the man that proposed to me was not so much a leap, but everything that came along with it has been! we've been on a bridal boot camp diet and i have been sticking to my gym regimen pretty well. and THAT has been a great leap for me. to force this into my daily routine and to not let any excuse get in the way.
but man is it exhausting! thanks for the chance to win these great prizes!
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My leap has been the very tough decision to let the opportunity to build a dream home on a choice lot pass for now. Letting this chance go rather than adding one more project to a very full plate as mom to 3 under 5,wife, part-time physio was definitely not easy.It is easier to think that no other such opportunity will happen. I am inclined to overextend myself at the eventual expense of those around me. This time I have put my kids and hubbie (and my peace of mind) ahead of a "dream home".I have faith that other great opportunities will arise when the timing is better for us.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful quote and reminder.
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Wow! Great prizes!!!
Hope you're feeling well Ali as you wait!!!
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The biggest leap that I did was to be a part of the decision my husband made in quitting his high paying job and take a
lower one.But in doing this it gave us more stability and security in this economy. This was during the Thanksgiving week when we sat down together, gather our financial book, bills, etc. It was very scary but I know we CAN DO IT! Well, last month, his
old company just announced a massive job cut
that would have involved his job. What a
perfect timing!
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I am going to start my own blog tonight--that's big stuff for such a private person as myself. But with so much family abroad, seems like the best way of communicating. I'm also a traditionalist so I'd love a chance at the kit!
Thanks and wish me luck...!
ana
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