live your life the way you picture it & find your beautiful different (a glorious giveaway!)
Well, it's the end of the week, and today, I'm in the mood for a giveaway! But first:
1. The photograph above was taken straight out of the camera, using the "diorama" setting on the Olympus PEN. Do you believe this? I didn't process that image in any way. I'm sort of stunned -- it's really the perfect little point-and-shoot (more about that at the end of the month.)
2. Marcus and I are officially introducing Alex to computer technology. I'll be writing about it over at Babble.com, and you can read about it here.
3. Speaking of Babble, as always, I'm sharing what has made me grateful this week. Please take a look.
Now. To business:
As you may know, at the end of August I launched an online course, the Chookooloonks Path Finder -- a guided self-study on curating an awesome life. Last week was the final week of the first session, and I have to say it was such an amazing experience for me to do the course, and have participants share their experiences with me. A few of them even offered their incredibly kind and generous thoughts as testimonials:
"I just wanted to say thank you for the Path Finder course. I've so enjoyed it ... and it has really shifted things for me. I love that these ideas that look, at first glance, quite simple can spark profound change. The Path Finder course has been wonderful: simple, accessible and REAL. It works."
"Thank you Karen from the bottom, top and middle of my heart. Life changing moments are generally realized after they have happened. This was a life changing five weeks--it just got better and better as we went along. You are an amazing teacher/leader and I am very grateful to have been in your class. With your help, I'm on my way to awesome."
~ Jill Finger
"Your blog posts and your images almost always offer inspiration on their own. This course, though, is ... I don't know ... like you have a magic Xray machine that shows us that we each have our own unique star shining within us, waiting to be uncovered to shine for the world. Many thanks, Karen, for offering this course, for sharing your personal stories and for showing me how to stretch myself farther than I ever would have on my own. Chookooloonks Path Finder Course has been incredibly rewarding."
I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate their kind words and the notes and comments I received throughout the course. Thanks to all of you who participated with such open minds and open hearts, and who helped make the experience so enjoyable for each other, but especially for me.
Because it was so fun, I thought I'd do it again -- for the last time in 2011. The course will begin on October 31st, 2011, and registration will open on Monday, October 17th. But before we open up registration, I thought we'd do a fun giveaway to celebrate:
Simply leave a comment below (just one comment, please!) for a chance to win all three of the following:
1. One place in the late fall session of the Chookooloonks Path Finder. Free, just for you, or for your friend who you think might need it most.
2. One signed copy of The Beauty of Different. I'll inscribe it personally to you, or, if you've already got a copy, I'll inscribe it to whoever you'd like to give it to (the holidays aren't too far away, folks -- could this be your first gift of the season?).
And then, finally, and gloriously, and amazingly:
3. An Epiphanie camera bag of your choice. For you or your favourite woman-photographer. I've mentioned these bags several times before: my sweet friend, photographer Maile Wilson, is the creative genius behind these gorgeous camera bags that look like high-end handbags:
Photograph by Maile.
Epiphanie Bags' tagline is "Live life the way you picture it," which, obviously, is the entire concept behind the Chookooloonks Path Finder. So when I mentioned to Maile that I was so enjoying doing this course, she generously offered a bag -- any one of her amazing designs you'd like -- to give away as part of my celebration. I own several of these bags, and I'm here to tell you, this is an incredibly generous thing Maile is doing.
Maile is good, good people.
So! How's that for a giveaway? To reiterate: leave a single comment for a chance to win a place in the late fall session of the Chookooloonks Path Finder, a signed copy of The Beauty of Different, and your choice of Epiphanie bag (handbag or computer bag!). I'll leave this post up all weekend, and announce the winner in Monday's post, when I officially open up registration for the Chookooloonks Path Finder.
Good luck, friends. And have a wonderful weekend.
Top image: Shot with my new Olympus E-PM1 camera, given to me by Olympus as part of their PEN Ready Project (I'm #874).