Scrap Girls Chit Chat Newsletter: March 12, 2009

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http://www.scrapgirls.com/NL/Chit_Chat_090312_Thurs_Together.htm

What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique

Computer scrapbook layout by Angie Briggs

Layout by Angie Briggs
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates: Round N Round are also available.

Computer scrapbook layout by Brandy Murry

Layout by Brandy Murry
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Ribbons To Go I, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Nuptials Biggie and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks - Story Time are also available.

Computer scrapbook layout by Keri Schueller

Layout by Keri Schueller
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Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Bunny Time are also available.

Computer scrapbook layout by Theresa Kavouras

Layout by Theresa Kavouras
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Computer scrapbook layout by Angie Briggs

Layout by Angie Briggs
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Computer scrapbook layout by Cherise Oleson

Layout by Cherise Oleson
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 3.25x2.375 I.D. Badge Vertical, Brush Set: Black and White Plus Mini, Lettering Delights Inclination Font, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Urban Living Glitter 5501 and ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Paper Tears 5001 are also available.

If you have praise, comments, or questions for any of our Product Designers or Layout Artists, did you know you can send them a PM (private message) using the message board? It's easy!

If you are a registered user of the message board, just click on the "PM" box at the bottom of any of their posts to send them a message. Or, to check out more of your favorite designer's layouts, visit the Scrap Girls Design Team section of the Layout Gallery.

Best of the Scrap Girls Blog: It's the Little Things

Note from Ro: I found this post in the Scrap Girls Blog, Digital Scrapbooking Adventures, and I realized that Melissa is a girl after my own heart. I love taking photos of the small details of life. It is those details that assure me that I am alive. So here’s your assignment: Take some photos of the details of your life today. And once you have them, create some digital scrapbooking layouts so that those who come behind you will know that you were alive...

It’s the little things in life that bond people together. My husband and I have a long standing tradition every night to sit and have a cup of hot chocolate together after the kids go to bed. It is funny how much I really love these few moments at the end of the day.

We talk about our day or things that are going on. Sometimes, we laugh and share things that the kids have said or remember when they were littler. Sometimes, we watch TV. It’s not so much what we DO while we drink our hot chocolate, it is just that we have something to share every night and something to look forward to. We make time for it. We make time for each other.

Sometimes, I forget to take pictures of those little things to add to my digital scrapbook layouts. I am trying to get better at it. It is easy to remember to bring my camera out for the big moments of life and yet, I treasure these little things as well. I snapped this picture right before my husband and I sat down to have our hot chocolate. Tonight, he was playing Wii and I was checking my e-mail on the laptop, but we enjoyed our moment together. Now, I have the perfect photo to make a digital scrapbook layout of an everyday moment I would like to remember.

- Melissa

Photo by Melissa Renfro

Photo by Melissa Renfro

Melissa Renfro

Way Cool Stuff Digital Scrapbooking Product Review: Alphas

If you’re anything like me, you’ve amassed an impressive number of the beautiful collections that the Scrap Girls designers have cranked out over the years. Of course, the fact that they are coordinated makes it easy to put together unified designs. What happens, though, when you’ve already used the collection for its intended purpose? (Because we all plan these things before we buy, right?) Does it sit in a file on your hard drive? If it’s a favorite, you might go back to it several times to use those go–to elements. But, the true potential is not being met if you don’t use all of the elements over and over again. That’s what makes digital scrapbooking so economical and rewarding, after all.

My favorite of the elements from the collections to re–use are the alphas. There are a couple that I find myself using more than others, but they’re all so versatile. Sometimes, I just forget what styles there are available. Anyway, no matter what your style, you can use an alpha as is or re–purpose it by using styles or clipping a patterned paper over the original. The sky really is the limit.

For those of you who don’t want to get too crazy, but still want to maximize your purchase, creating a layout with a collage feel will be a great way to use all of your different alphas. You can also combine them with ScrapSimple Alpha Templates, brush sets that are alphabet letters, etc.

For this layout, I chose alphas from three different collections, as well as a ScrapSimple alpha. The first, a stamp–edged alpha (You) is from Keri Schueller’s Love Letters Collection Mini (which isn’t so mini, really). The second (make) was a crinkled, white, paper alpha from Angie Briggs’ Sweet Whispers Collection, to which I applied an inked edge Layer Style to make it “pop” off the page better. The third alpha I used (soar) was from Mandy Steward’s Overlayed Collection. When I dragged the letters onto my layout, they seemed to be too heavy – a lot of black – and with a cooler undertone than I wanted. I fixed this by applying another inked edge Layer Style in red and adjusting the Opacity/Choke/Size in the Styles dialogue box so that they would still appear transparent in the centers.

The last element in my title isn’t actually an alpha in the purest sense, but I love it so much I had to include it. Brandy Murry’s ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Old Chipboard are my new favorite thing in the boutique and were just different enough from the rest of my title to give it that thrown–together, eclectic mix I was looking for.

The result is a fun page that I wouldn’t have gotten had I not explored the alpha folders in some of the (many) collections on my hard drive.

Computer scrapbook layout by Stefanie Harris

Layout by Stefanie Harris
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Threadbare Shapes Biggie, ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Old Chipboard, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Bursting Offset, Dynamic Brush Set: Paintstroke 5401, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Stylish Hearts 5001, ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Wings 5701, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Stitching And Hole 4101 Mini, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Inked Edges Basics 4101, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Inked Edges Jewel 4104 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 are also available.

Stefanie Harris

Article written by Stefanie Harris

What's Happening at Scrap Girls?

If you have never been to the Scrap Girls Chat Room before or have questions about it, this tutorial, Chat Basics, will provide lots of helpful information.

Crops and Chats

New Member Chat
Thursday, March 12th - 9:00PM ET

Join Pat (PBarnes) and Carol Ann (Zaz) for the New Member Chat at 9 PM ET in the Live Chat room lobby. This is a great place to ask questions about getting around the Scrap Girls site or about digital scrapbooking in general - and a great place to make some new friends. All are welcome, new and long time members included.

You do need to have Java installed on your computer to access the Live Chat.

What's New in the Boutique Chat
Friday, March 13th - 11:00AM ET

Join Michelle (Shelbi) at 11 AM EST Friday morning to chat about all the cool new things in the boutique. What are you getting? What did you Kaboodle? And most importantly, show us the layouts or other projects you made with your new goodies! There's a thread every Thursday and now there's a chat too!

ATC – Mixed Media Chat
Saturday, March 14th - 3:00PM ET

Do you loved mixed media? Ever wondered what it is exactly or about giving it a try? Love to exchange cards through snail mail? Then this crop is for you. Break out your creative thoughts, your favorite SG's supplies, some paper, pens, and whatever else comes to mind.

Join Sherry Lynn on Saturday at 3 PM EST for our first ever Mixed Media ATC crop and swap.

Recipe Challenge Chat
Saturday, March 14th - 9:00PM ET

Join April (April Showers) and Danna (scrappylibrarian) in the Chat Room Saturday, March 14th at 9 PM ET for our monthly Recipe Challenge Chat where we share and scrap our favorite recipes. Check the message board on Thursday morning for this month's theme and Recipe Swap details. Hope to see you there!

ScrapSimple Club Chat
Sunday, March 15th - 3:00PM ET

Come join Sherry_Lynn on Sunday March 15th at 3 PM EST for a ScrapSimple Club Chat/Crop! We'll be discussing ideas on different ways to use the current club. As a challenge, let�s create one or more layouts using February's ScrapSimple Club before the next one arrives. Amanda Sok & Kerry Veale will be joining us for this ScrapSimple Club Chat! It�s sure to be a blast! Hope to see you there!

Quote Challenge Chat
Sunday, March 15th - 8:00PM ET

Come join Pat (PBarnes) for the Quote Challenge Crop at 8 PM ET! Including a quote on your layout can be a touching and meaningful addition, especially if you use the quote to create your own word art.

Here's how it will work. On Sunday, I'll post a thread on the Chat section of the board giving you the quote that you will use to make your own word art. It's not hard, and I will have a layout with a Word Art example in the gallery. Then we'll meet in the chat room to have fun, chat, and create our Word Art layout!

Leaving Love Chat
Tuesday, March 17th - 2:00PM ET

Join Becca at 2pm ET for this month’s Leaving Love Chat. Bring a layout of your own and a few from the gallery to share with us, and we’ll spend the hour leaving love and working on our Gallery Posting Challenge goals together!

New Member Chat – Early Edition
Tuesday, March 17th - 3:00PM ET

Join April (April Showers) at 3:00 PM ET for a fun chat to get to know our newest members. We will discuss the message board, gallery, chocolate and so much more! Everyone is welcome, new or not so new! Not sure how to get there? Just click the “Chat Room” button at the top of this newsletter; you will need JavaScript enabled to access the chat room.

ScrapGirls 52 Chat
Tuesday, March 17th - 8:00PM ET

Calling all SG 52 participants and anyone else who wants to join in or learn more about it! Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Becca at 8pm ET (that�s 5pm for those of you on the west coast!) for this month’s ScrapGirls 52 Chat. We’ll discuss more ways to keep this challenge fresh and fun, as well as a list of products in the boutique to help your layouts come together with this month’s theme in mind. It’s never too late to join, so we hope to see you there!

March Events

March Board Game: Posting Contest

This month, post to your heart's content and potentially win a prize because of your chattiness! That's right folks... it's time for one of those infamous posting challenges! We want to see you post the most! The top 10 posters this month will each win a gift certificate to the boutique! (Top 1-3 will each get a $10 GC, 4-6 will each get a $5 GC, and 7-10 will each get a $3 GC!)

We've got a system to keep track of your posts throughout the month. If you want to keep your own tally, feel free to note your post count here in this thread before you start posting on Monday, March 2nd. Contest ends on Tuesday, March 31st at midnight MST!

So go on with your gabby self! This is the month for you!

Layout Contests:

March Layout Contest: Mesmerizing, hypnotic, charming, spellbinding.... These are all words that can be used to describe things we might take photos of or do scrapbook pages about, from a mountain vista to a new baby’s face. For this contest challenge, we want you to do a layout about something that you feel fits these words. If your layout is chosen, you will win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique. All layouts must be posted by midnight Eastern Time, March 31st and credits listed to be eligible.

February Mid-Month Layout Contest: Did you know that February is International Friendship Month? Let's honor the special people we call friends by featuring them in a layout! Post your Friendship layouts in the Mid-February Layout Contest Gallery before March 14th at midnight eastern. You will be eligible to win a $10 gift card to the Scrap Girls Boutique! Let's get scrapping!

Check our message board calendar if you have any questions about what is happening at Scrap Girls. All event times are given in Eastern Time Zone unless otherwise noted. Need help converting time zones? Check out the World Clock - Time Zone Converter. (Use 'USA-New York' as the location for the Eastern time zone.)

Today's Freebie

Computer scrapbook layout by Valerie Randall

Layout by Valerie Randall
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Designer Freebie by Valerie Randall coordinates with her Brush Set: Spirals 2102




Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Spirals 2102, Brush Set: Spirals 2101, Brush Set: Spirals 2103, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Curled Edges, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Inked Edges Neutrals 4102, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Paper 4901-Biggie and ScrapSimple Transparency Overlays: Decorate Brushstrokes are also available.

* There is a “free download” button on the details page for each gift. You don't need to put them in your shopping cart unless you are shopping for other items. Also note that if you are slow reading your newsletter, you may find this freebie has already been retired, as the freebies are only available as gifts for about two newsletter cycles.

1 8.5x11 Sheet of Word Art

1 Assemble Your Own Zoom Page Set

1 Designer's Choice Item