Challenge—Click, Click (Plus a giveaway & a freebie!)

This is a challenge from the original TIMC, I just wanted to post it on here as well because I think it’s an awesome one that everyone should do…plus there’s a giveaway involved!

I’m so excited about today’s challenge!  I follow team member Laura on Instagram, and a few months ago, she participated in a 30 day photo challenge that I thought would make a fun challenge here!

I know there are some of you who will just totally stop reading right here because you don’t want to take pictures of yourselves, but first let me tell you why you should do this challenge! 
#1: It can showcase a little bit about you and your life right now. 
#2: A picture is worth a thousand words!
#3: It’s easier and less-painful than you think!  (Even if you’re like me and HATE getting your picture taken.) 
#4: There will be 3 $10 Amazon gift cards given out to three lucky people who participate with us on Instagram!
Here’s the official challenge:
Take one self-portrait of yourself everyday for 30 days.
You can take these yourself or have others take them for you.  You don’t have to take pictures of just your face either—here’s a list of ideas of things you can do for your 30 pictures:
A mirror shot
Hands
Feet
Hair
Favorite body feature
With a loved one
A hobby
A silhouette
Holding a favorite something
Doing an everyday experience (mundane or fun)
Full body shot
In a favorite place
In a common place
Doing something unpleasant
Side view
With a recently acquired or purchased object
Writing your name
A birth mark
Something that shows a lesson you learned
At work
At play
A quirk or something unique about you
With an addiction
With a food you like
Doing something with someone (friends or family)
Trying something new
A tradition
A habitual stance or pose
Something funny you like to do
And of course the traditional headshot with a myriad of faces
There are so many ways that you can record this as well! 
Do a blog post with all your pictures
Do an Instagram post everyday (use the hashtag #timc30days to be entered into the giveaway!)  Please keep it clean
Make a paper or digital scrapbook page
Print them and put them in a small album
Use an app on your phone (Try the Collect or Day One apps at the App Store or the Smart Album or My365 apps at the Google Play store.)
Here are a couple of examples for you:
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What Laura did:

Laura posted her self-portraits on Instagram for her 30 days, then got her favorites printed out to make a scrapbook page.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Real Life button, arrow, smile phrase - Studio Calico Kit; love this photo phrase - Elle's Studio; word stickers - Sn@p by Simple Stories; number stickers - Basic Grey; title - Heidi Swapp
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What I did:
I did take my self-portraits for 30 day, but I didn’t post them anywhere (because I want to do some during the challenge time as well and didn’t want to overwhelm my family & friends with pictures of me twice …).  I ended up making a digital scrapbook page with all 30 pictures, and even wrote a little bit about each picture.  I did mini titles with hashtags to kind of summarize what the picture was about.  I used the Rhonna Designs and Letter Glow apps on each picture to spruce them up a bit as well.  It just took a few minutes everyday to get it all done.  Even though I don’t like selfies, I really had fun with this and I’m glad I did it!

And just a side note, I recently listened to a podcast where a couple of moms were talking about pictures, and one of the gals said that her mother went through all the pictures and cut herself out of any that she didn’t look good in. And now that daughter (the podcaster) is sad that she doesn’t have many pictures with her mom in them.  So, if you’re worried that you don’t look good enough for a picture, remember, especially if you are a parent, that it doesn’t matter to your children if you look like a model or not. They will be happy that you are in a picture.  *You may notice there are a few pictures of me with no makeup or hair done because it was a special moment that I decided to get on camera because I wanted to capture the essence of it, not my “beauty”.  Don’t be afraid to share your true self! 

Supplies: Digital template, me.  Designs & fonts on pictures: Rhonna Designs and Letterglow apps.  Fonts: Century Gothic, Landeliebe
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Today’s Freebie: If you’d like to use this template I made up, you can grab the first page here and the second one here—in a layered PSD file for quick recording!    You’re welcome. 
***Giveaway details (Closed): Upload your pictures to Instagram and use the hashtag #timc30days to be entered into the drawing starting now until 12:00 noon MST November 20th.  3 winners will be randomly drawn out of all entries and emailed a code for a $10 credit to Amazon.*** (I’m sorry to any of you who don’t use Instagram or don’t have a tablet or smart phone.  I couldn’t think of any other way to do a giveaway on FB or Twitter or anything else that was this easy to get others involved. )
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Now I challenge you to do the 30 self-portrait challenge with us! (And don’t be afraid to think outside the box!)

Challenge #32—Gifted and Talented

Hooray, it’s our first new challenge of 2013!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Now it’s time to get back on track…and we’ll start with today:

What are some of your gifts and talents?

I know it’s hard to sometimes admit the things we’re good at, for fear that we’re bragging, but it’s also important to recognize all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with!  Not only does He bless us with things like health, a home, family, and other temporal blessings, but He has blessed us with gifts and talents so that we can help others…contribute to the kingdom and bless His name. 

If you’re not sure what some of your gifts are, read D&C 46, and you may just discover that you have more gifts than you realized!  Also, remember the Parable of the Talents? (Matt. 25:14-30) The man who hid his talent was called by his lord, a “wicked and slothful servant”.  So, I hope that by listing your talents and gifts, you will be better able to use them for good, and the Lord will be able to say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”!  Also, check your Patriarchal Blessing, mine specifically points out a couple of gifts that I’ve been given!

You can simply make a list of the gifts and talents you’ve been given, write them in your journal, make them into a scrapbook page, or even use one of your talents to do something more (like write a poem about it if you’ve been gifted in that area!).  I’ve also made a Fast Form freebie for any of you who’d like to use it!  Just right click and save the image.  (You could use this whole challenge as your next FHE!)

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Now on to our examples!

(I haven’t gotten anything yet from our team members, but if they get it to me, I will put them up!)

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What I did:

I actually decided to twist this one a little bit.  I’m going to print off and fill out the Fast Form, but I thought it’d be fun to do a scrapbook page based on something my old Bishop taught in a lesson a few years ago that has stuck with me.

Credits:  Paper, Die Cuts With a View (Doodlin’ Around Stack—came as is!), Pen, Zig Writer, Pearls, Martha Stewart, Jewels, unknown.

Here’s what the journaling says: 

“Once upon a time…I thought I didn’t have many gifts or talents.  I wasn’t exceptionally good at anything…I didn’t have a “thing” in High School like others did.  I have always been just “alright” at a handful of things.  Musically, I do okay on the piano—not well enough to play for Church.  I also played the clarinet a bit and I can sing well enough for a choir but not any solos.  Artistically I can’t draw, but I am a pretty good photographer and good at scrapbooking.  Academically I was always a B+ or A- student—not good enough grades for scholarships.  I was (still am) a pretty good teacher, but not teacher of the year quality.  I was/am a pretty good dancer, though I never made any special teams.  I feel that I am just pretty average at all that I do.  One Sunday, our Bishop taught a lesson I’ll never forget.  he was using Elder Oaks’ “Good, Better, Best” talk and focused on how if we spend all our time on just 1 or 2 things we become like blocks, but if we are good at many things, we are well-rounded.  That put my life in perspective!  I may not be the best dancer, photographer, or even mom…but I am WELL-ROUNDED!”

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Now I challenge you to record about some of your gifts and talents—and then put them to use!

I Am a Child of God—Digital Paper Freebie!

I am really slow in getting this up, but I promised a freebie when we hit 100 FB fans and 100 blog followers…and here it is! 

I went for something simple that everyone could use, even if you’re not a digital scrapbooker, you can simply print them!  The primary theme this year is, “I am a child of God”, so that’s what this digital paper pack is all about! 

To download the freebie, just click here!  The only thing I ask, is that you are a follower of the blog (just over there on the right) and/or FB page.  Help get the word out to your friends and family about how easy it is to start recording their history!  Then, when we reach 150 fans on the blog or FB page, I will have another little freebie for you!  Thanks for your support, and for giving me a reason to do this! 

Challenge #22--Sing a (Primary) Song!

A long time ago I gave the challenge to record your favorite Church hymn and why...now it's the same challenge, only on a primary scale.  (Pun may have been intended...)

What is your favorite Primary song and why?

Maybe you're serving in Primary right now and hear the tunes every Sunday, or maybe it's been awhile since you've heard them, but remember your favorites from long ago.   Or maybe you're new to the Church and just learning the songs.  Whatever the case may be, think of what song or songs have inspired and uplifted you, helped you through the tough times, helped you rejoice in the happy times, etc.

You can make a simple list of your favorites and explain why, or focus on one of your favorites and tell the story of why.  You could record yourself (or your family) singing or performing your favorite(s) on an instrument--even if you're not the best singer or player.  Or if you are really musically talented you can write a new arrangement of  your favorite!  You could also make a goal to memorize all the verses of your favorites!

If you are stumped and don't know what else to do, you can print off this week's Fast Form and quickly get this challenge done!  (You could also print off one for each member of your family and use this as an activity for FHE after a lesson on good music!)

You can download the Fast Form by clicking on it.  Please remember that freebies are for blog followers! :) 

I did the Fast Form this time and will have my family also do one as well.  I love having my kids do these because it not only reflects their favorites at the moment, but shows off their handwriting as well!  How fun these will be to look back on in 20 years! (Though I can't say that I love my handwriting...)

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Now I challenge you to record about your favorite Primary songs!

Challenge #21--Strengths and Weaknesses

*This week's challenge parallels quite closely to one done on the regular TIMC--you can find it here and here if you want some more ideas on completing this one!

A few weeks ago I had the chance to attend an amazing women's conference.  (I may have mentioned it a few times already...)  One of the speakers talked about how we are usually so quick to make lists of our weaknesses (and are even quicker to compare our weaknesses to other peoples strengths).  She challenged us to set a timer and write down 10 weaknesses, then do the same with writing our strengths.  Often our weakness list will be made much quicker than our strengths list.  My challenge for you today is exactly this!

What are 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses?

You can set a timer to do both or take your time and really reflect on it.  Write them in your journal, type them up, blog or scrapbook them.  Even writing a poem about some of your strengths and weaknesses.

Of course, you don't have to do 10 of each either--you can make it 5 each or 20.  You can even just focus on one of your strengths or weaknesses, or record about something that is now a strength that was once a weakness and the hard work that it required.

One of my favorite scriptures goes quite well with this challenge.  I'm sure many of you know and love it as well:  Ether 12:27. 

" And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

I have made a Fast Form for you today, with places for 10 of each things to write.  I think it would be fun to do this challenge now, and without looking, do it again in 5 years and see the differences and growth you've made!

To download the Fast Form, please make sure you're a blog follower, then click on the picture.  Thanks! ;)

Now I challenge you to record some of your greatest strengths and weaknesses!

Challenge #19--CTR

We are all faced with temptations.  Some are big, some are small.  Some have small consequences, and some have large ones.  What really matters is that you make the best choices you can in the way you know how.  Sometimes that’s hard.  Really hard.

What was a temptation you faced, but chose the right instead?

I think this is an awesome challenge to complete, not only to remind yourself that you can overcome, but to help others like your children, grand children, nieces/nephews, neighbors, YM/YW, etc.  I think it’s good for them to see that we all have temptations and that making the right choice isn’t always easy.  Of course, you can always choose to record a bad choice you made and what you learned from it. Just be careful where you share it—we don’t need to advertise our sins to everyone.

You can complete the challenge in many different ways.  See this list if you need any ideas.  Here’s a look at what I did:

I made a digital scrapbook layout of the first time I was offered alcohol.  Yes, it was hard to say no, but I did.  And when my kids are teenagers, I WANT them to see this!

Fonts: Mountains Of Christmas, Smiley Monster.  Everything else designed by me.

I made this layout into a digital quick page.  If you are a digital scrapbooker, you can use this to do any layout that you have one small picture and a lot of journaling for!  Just click on the picture below to download!

Now I challenge you to record about a time that you overcame!

P.S.  Did you see the cute free Valentine’s Day card printables over at the original This Is Me Challenge?

Challenge #15—Called to Serve

Happy New Year!  The first LDS Challenge for the year is here today!  If you’re not a regular over at the original This Is Me Challenge, you may want to check out this week’s challenge to help you set your goals this year!  (I even put a quote from General Conference in there!)
Now to this challenge…

What Church callings have you had so far?

I thought it’d be good to record the Church callings I’ve had so far, because as time goes on, it’s getting more and more difficult to recall all of them.  Plus someday I’m sure my kids will have fun looking at my list.  I guess this is something you can update every few years too.

Of course you can do this challenge many ways:  write it in your journal, type it up on your computer, make a scrapbook layout, do a video or voice recording, or whatever you like!

I did something for today that I’ve never done on the TIMC LDS blog—a Fast Form!  If you’re a TIMC fan, you know that I’ve been making these to help you record your info in record time.  And this year, I decided I need to put a little more gusto into this blog.  

Here’s what the Fast Form looks like.  You can click on the picture to download one for yourself. (Then you can print it and write in the answers or type on it.) The only thing I ask if you decide to download freebies, is that you please become a follower of the TIMC-LDS blog over on the right (or on the top bar).  That’s not too steep of a price, right? 



I love the Fast Forms because it’s how I get my hubby to do the challenges!
Also, just for a happy new year present, you can download a 12x12 digital version of the blue “Called to Serve” paper by clicking on it. 



It’s simple, but you can use it to help  you make pages about your callings or use it for missionary layouts.  (Speaking of missionary stuff, I’ve got some BIG exciting news…not quite ready yet, but REALLY soon, like next week!)

Now I challenge you to record your Church callings!