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 think my most recent leap of faith or moment of insanity if you will is that I am pregnant with my third child. I already have a not quite 3 year old and an 18 month old. I am not sure I can get any braver than that. :)
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Oh Italia - Pasta, Fongole, Foccacia, gelata, Chianti...slurp
Leap of faith?
Im launching a product not within the realms of my immediate craft. But if you live by the sword, you die by the sword - thats how much I trust myself!
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I am taking my first dance class. I always have loved to dance and never had the courage to get out take a class. Now ever Thursday for an hour, I dance and really enjoy the body that I have been given.
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We are taking a huge leap of faith and I personally am mustering up as much courage as I can find inside to do it...relocate with my husband and 4 children to another state! Both sides of our family live right here where we are but we just cannot pass up an opportunity to go after a better life for our children. What an adventure this could be. I will miss everyone though. And thank God for technology these days!!
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Ali my most recent leap is the fact my husband just lost his job. Being a scientist in manufacturing and living in the middle of nowhere of upper (very north) of NYS we know we will probably have to move wherever he can find a job. I've thought of starting a business here at home, this might be the time...
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Most recent leap of courage - Everyday is a leap for me as I am an adoptive mom of 5 special needs children from different cultures,backgrounds, and disabilites. I have to listen to others opinions while knowing I am doing what needs to be done to be the best mom I can be! That means walking away from ruder coments and keeping my head high! I love my kids and who they have helped me become! I thing courage is everywhere you look!
Thank you for such a profound blog entry! You are amazing!
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That was perfect for me today. My life has taken a recent leap that is quite a challenge. One step forward, two steps back and today seemed to be a step back. I am also considering a leap this summer that is more about "me" than I have done in a long time. Once you become a mom it is just not about you any more so it is hard to think about things for yourself without feeling guilty. I think I could handle that Feb kit with no problem though!
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I am gonna have to say my biggest leap, was to not wear my Converse All Stars....I have worn them for seven months, every day, since my brother past away....kinda my tribute to him, and it was hard to let that go.
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taking a new job at work
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My biggest leap of courage was to not give up on my son when everything looked very bleak. He's now (at 26) a senior at an excellent college and on Dean's List. We had four very difficult years, but we kept the faith--and it's paid off.
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My biggest leap has been to move countries and start a new career. Smaller leaps lately was to change my diet to gluten free.
Thanks for a great blog, I love dropping in here.
All the best with the new baby, hope everything goes well
Linda
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Pregnancy- We've been waiting for this for almost four years and could not be more thrilled.. and also scared!
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Our most recent leap around here has been having my son's G-tube (for feeding) come out. We've been very happy with his progress without the G-tube feeds, but actually having it out is a big leap for us. To have it back in, he'd have to go in for another surgery, so we are sure hoping this is permanent!
Katy, CA
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my big leap was having a tonsillectomy and up3 surgery (sleep apnea)...at 36 yrs old. i read about the pain and long recovery time for an adult but at the end, it wasn't so bad and i actually sleep now! :)
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my big leap has been a 180 degree shift in my job. And I love it! My little leap has been going digital with scrapbooking. And I love it!
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I am 51 years old and have been living with severe fibromyalgia for 7 years after I was on life support because of surgery complications. Since I woke up from a three day coma I have hurt from head to toe and have depended on narcotics to keep going. I have three children and a wonderful husband but I have to work full time. My job provides us the medical insurance we need. My big leap is that I have almost finished completely weening off of all the prescription medications over the past 6 months and have started to work on dealing with the pain holistically though vitamins, exercise, massage and testing my ph often and trying to keep sugar and caffeine out of my diet. I have started losing weight and pray that I can continue to live without pain pills.
Kristi
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My most recent leap was to accept a request to allow college students who want to be teachers into my special education classroom to observe my teaching and daily classroom structure.
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My leap...taking time to exercise this totally uncoordianted body of mine in a group setting. People may laugh, or maybe I'll just be the topic of conversation at water coolers across the metro tomorrow, but I'm going to head off to class and try to fit in (on the back row of course)
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Great wisdom on leaps...we've had lots of leaps in our lives...mostly good, thank goodness!
Thanks for the great giveaways!
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Well I guess standing up to someone in my life that was not to pleasant to me or my family.
Oh what a great giveaway day! All kinds of cool stuff. Could today be my day? I could use a good day. :)
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The biggest leap I have made is the decision to become a single mom. After much thought, consideration and effort (counseling), my ex and I are simply better as parents than spouses. It has been a long, introspective, scary, exhilarating journey to get to the point that I know I will be okay and that my beautiful vibrant son will be better off with a happy solo mama, than a miserable married one.
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This was timely...my husband and I just found out we have the option to move to a new country (don't know which yet!) or stay put here in Daegu S. Korea. It's a tough choice...and we have to decide by tonight!
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The biggest leap I have taken thus far is joining a playgroup in the community I live in. My husband's job moved us over two thousand miles away from the beautiful beaches of Hawaii and our entire family to the scorching deserts of Las Vegas, where we knew noone. Joining this playgroup has been so rewarding as I have met some wonderful ladies. So glad I took that little leap!
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Last month I submitted a photo to a photo contest. Not really expecting to win. And I won! The grand prize. It makes me think it is time to put more energy into work that fills my soul. A big leap will be to go away from the job/company I've been at for almost 22 years and do something different. Maybe I will find the courage for that change sometime.
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Based on the journey my life has taken as of late, I'd say that every day I'm faced with a big leap of just getting out of bed. Some days it's just to go through the motions...and some days, I actually feel like myself again.
xoxo.
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