Layout by Kerry Veale
larger view

These first four products are included in this month's ScrapSimple Club offering. Members receive a substantial discount on these club supplies. They are also available elsewhere in the Boutique at regular prices for those individuals who would rather not join a club.

And remember, this club will be expiring today! So if you like these ideas, don't hesitate to sign up today, or you will miss your chance to get in on these tremendous savings! It's like buying the two brush sets at a savings, and getting the ScrapSimple Paper Template Set, ScrapSimple Embellishment Template Set, and Designer's Choice Item for free! Now, that's a bargain. Don't miss out!

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Vintage Millinery Flowers, ScrapSimple Layer Your Own Brushes: Fragments, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Worn Overlays, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Florid Overlays and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Micro Glitter 6401 Super Biggie are also available.

Layout by Thao Cosgrove
larger view

Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Circles Couture Biggie and AMC_Friendly Font are also available.

Layout by Amanda Sok
larger view

Layout by Laurel Lakey
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Elegant Frames, Dynamic Brush Set: Doodlelicious 6101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Photo Masks 6401 are also available.

Layout by Amanda McGee
larger view

These first five products are included in this month's Scrap Girls Club offering. Members receive a substantial discount on these club supplies. They are also available elsewhere in the Boutique at regular prices for those individuals who would rather not join a club.

Commercial license versions of AMC_Thoughtful Font are also available.

Layout by Janine Buckles
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Downtown, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Well Loved 5001, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Edge It PSE 5001, Brush Set: Stamped Dates and Dynamic Brush Set: Stitching 6401 are also available.

Layout by Angela Blanchard
larger view

Layout by Brandy Murry
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Flat Ribbons 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.

I intentionally left my camera behind on our trip to the mountains this weekend. I figured the snow would still be melting and it would be colorless, cold and wet. We had a lot of things to take with us already. We weren’t going to do much. What would there be to take pictures of? I glanced at it as we were walking out the door and made a conscious decision to leave it on the counter.

As it turns out, the snow is gone and this weekend was anything but colorless. It was the soft green of new grass growing thick around the black trunks and copper needles of the pine trees burnt in last fall’s fires. It was butter yellow and amethyst wildflowers blanketing a meadow. It was whitewater and kayakers in bright blue vests. It was red fire engines and flashing red lights on a private tour of the fire station. It was a dark silhouette of an osprey against a Payne’s grey sky. It was that same osprey reflected in the glassy waters of a marsh where a field is supposed to be and an old barbed wire fence barely poking out of the rising water. It was a creek turned into a waterfall. A stream turned into a river. A lake dotted with sailboats instead of a giant sheet of ice.

It was wet and muddy. Muddy shoes left by the garage door. Muddy kids playing in the woods. Muddy tracks left by deer in our yard. Mud on our car from Gold Fork Road on the way to the hot springs. Mud on our toes as we went from pool to pool checking for the one that was the perfect temperature for a baby to kick and splash and giggle on his first swimming adventure... and for a big sister to practice holding her breath underwater for five... six... seven seconds!

But, it was not cold. Every spring I am reminded that this is the time of year when it is soft. Summer is heavy and hard. Fall and winter are sharp and stinging. But spring in the mountains is palpably soft... like mist and dew... like a warm breeze. When it is soft you want to get out of bed immediately to sit outside in your old sweatshirt and watch the mountain and smell wood burning and sip tea. Or, leave the screen door open so you can feel the breeze and smell the Ponderosa Pine while you cook dinner. And, because it is a soft spring day, it is so quiet you can even hear the little fox when she comes begging for eggs at the porch.

I won’t leave my camera behind again. I will take hundreds of pictures of the beach, the lake, Charlie’s Gardens, the animals who visit us, our friends who come and play at our refuge in the mountains. But, today, I am being thankful for all of the photo moments I didn�t capture this weekend.

- Katie Kerby

Muse: To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation. Not intended to solve the world's problems, another person's problems, or to cover topics completely. One does not have to agree with musings to enjoy them, just as one does not have to be the same as someone else to appreciate who they are.

So Thursday’s are always an exciting day on our message board. This is the day that our designers start releasing their new product into the store and has become a weekly event in the forums.

The weekly thread will start early on Thursday morning, with a general wake up call... and it’s always fun to see who the first to post will be. This will get the Boutique Babes (as they have started calling themselves) excited for the new product.

Then the thread will become a “watch party” of sorts. With members hitting the refresh button in the store waiting for new items to pop up, or watching for the current number of pages in the What’s New section to change (that’s always a sure sign that it’s almost time for the new product to be hitting the shelves.)

Once the first new product hits the store all madness will start. Who will be the first one to point it out? What will it be? What else will follow? Will it go straight into your shopping cart or on your Kaboodle wish list?

The thread on the message board can easily climb to five, six, even ten pages before the day is over. And is filled with all sorts of fun and excitement. Here’s a few “best of” posts from a weekly thread:

Is everyone sleeping in this morning? Come on girls, grab that cup of coffee and wake up. I can’t wait to see what new stuff shows up in the store today. How about you?

Good morning! I checked a little while ago and didn’t see anything yet. Haven’t had coffee yet. Be back soon. I know Angie is up and at ’em getting the shelves ready to be stocked. Zaz’s monkeys are starting to show up to work, so we should be ready to rock and roll soon.

Oh! It is Thursday! What a nice surprise! I always forget what day it is. It’s a hazard of being a stay at home mom. All the days run together, but Thursdays are something different! Mostly me trying to keep the kids busy so I can hit refresh a million times! Gotta go feed ’em breakfast so I can look!

As usual, Angie is on the ball. The shelves are cleaned and we’re just waiting for those designers. Who is it going to be first today? Syndee? Brandy? Either of the Amandas? Caroline. How about some more fab watercolors from Jacelen? Will Paula have more of her lace designs? How about Ariadna? Has she been cooking up something new? Are there going to be any new class offerings? Well, I’ll be checking back soon, gotta start getting ready for my day.

Monkeys have finished breakfast and are ready to get to work. One of them pointed to a cart that was already roaming the aisles and pointed out that it needed something that we already have on the shelves. He was right. Just so you are aware, there might be something you weren’t expecting in your cart. Anyone want to guess whose cart it was?

There is a rumor going around that JAN may possibly have something in the works. It’s just a rumor, mind you, but I thought I’d throw it out there to see if it was true.

• Coffee – Check!
• Breakfast – Check!
• Empty shopping cart – Check!
• Day off from work – Check!

Hopefully there won’t be any shopping cart accidents today. Stay safe out there ladies!

Those bubbles are super! What else is going to show up today? Did someone say Jan may have something for us? Jan surprises are always super. Alas, I have to go to work here soon. See you all later. I’ll try to check in from time to time.

Would someone lock me out of this thread? I am not supposed to be buying anything right now... I don’t know how those bubbles got in my cart, but it wasn’t me! I swear!!!

The Thursday threads are not only a way to catch the new weekly product, it’s also fun time to catch up with some of your friends you might not of chatted with during the week... and has become a tradition of sorts in the last few months.

So the next time you’re up on a Thursday morning enjoying your newsletter and cup of coffee, come over to the message board and check out the weekly What’s New thread. You’re bound to get a few giggles out of it, and you’ll be one of the first to see this week’s new product.

*If your wanting to catch up on some of our older What’s New threads you can find them on our message board by clicking HERE!

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

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! High Noon Crop Wednesday, March 18th - 12:00Noon ET Join your guest host April Showers for the High Noon Crop every Wednesday at Noon Eastern Time. These crops are designed to allow you to work on your own photos and themes, simply giving participants a one hour goal, and a fun, new challenge each week! This week, we’ll do a quote challenge! Create a layout using a meaningful, inspiring or funny quote. It can be in place of journaling, or use a beloved quote as a starting point for your journaling. Any quote is OK! You’ll have one hour to create a layout and upload to the special High Noon Crop gallery. You’d be amazed what you can get done in just one hour! Meet new friends and have fun in the chat room! Faith Journey Chat Wednesday, March 18th - 8:00PM ET Join Shalae Tippets (satippetts) for the Faith Journey Chat at 8pm EST. Join us in the scrap challenge of using the word “word” as an inspiration for a layout, quote or scripture. Post your finished challenge in the Faith Journey Chat gallery, so we share it with each other while we discuss how “the word” helps us in our every day life. This is a great time to receive support in your faith or challenges as we help each other grow in our testimonies of our beliefs. Get Published Chat Wednesday, March 18th - 9:00PM ET Join Angela (angelaNussbaum), Amy (ManiakMama) and Christy (ChristyVW) for the Get Published Chat at 9 PM EST. Do you want to see your layouts in magazines, but you are not quite sure how? Do you need a little more confidence with your layouts? During the Get Published Chat, we will talk about current calls, give constructive criticism on requested layouts, and we will answer your questions about submitting to magazines. As with most of our chats, there will also be a challenge, to help you further your chances of being published, we will select a magazine, and challenge you to do a layout with one of their calls! Be sure you come to this informative monthly chat, you will be glad you did!

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.)

Layout by Caroline Kaiser
larger view

Designer Freebie by Caroline Kaiser coordinates with her Colors of Spring Collection

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Packaging 9901, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Stitch 'n Holes 8302 Running Stitch Mini and Brush Set: Beautiful Distress 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.