Note from Ro: This is a Best of Ro muse from 2007. Unfortunately, it is still applicable. Sigh.

Ro Paxman

Instant Stupidity Relief

Wouldn’t it be something if we could take a “reverse the stupid” pill every night? This miraculous pill would quietly work on our subconscious mind’s magnificent computer, discovering all of the mistakes we made during the day. When it discovers errors, the chemicals in the pill would spur our minds to search through our mental files and find proper solutions for that day’s mistakes. It would implant correct responses, should the events that provoked the stupidity occur again.

So, for example, let’s say that you experience unusual stress at 4:00 in the afternoon as a result of an insult. The episode triggers your subconscious mind into replaying the third grade movie starring Jimmy Wood, who called you a Snipe Head. On that dreadful day, you responded to his taunts by eating a bag of cookies. Your subconscious recalls how the cookies distracted you from Jimmy’s insult.

When the adult you receives a new insult at 4:00 p.m., you find yourself fidgeting at your desk, flipping through email, unable to make yourself forget what just happened. You suddenly remember the chocolate covered graham cookies in your pantry. You go to the pantry, grab six cookies and stuff them down your throat. Because you don’t feel satisfied, you take another handful, walk back to your office and eat the rest without even tasting them.

If a “reverse the stupid” pill was available for nightly consumption, your subconscious would be rewired during your sleep. Then, when you are insulted, you would be able to resist the urge to down a bag of cookies, substituting a healthier response such as going for a brisk walk.

Ahhh... It is only a dream. But, it’s a nice one...

Until then, we will have to resort to thought replacement techniques, which are more difficult to accomplish. It would be very convenient if there were a pill that one could take that would remove the urge to overeat or make other mistakes. But, at this time, we are asked to do it God’s way and His way seems to be, “My child, you will make mistakes. You will be hurt by other people who make mistakes. Just do the best you can and have faith in me. Study, learn, and never give up. I will make up the difference.”

I have to say that this knowledge is supremely comforting to someone who could use a lifetime supply of “reverse the stupid” pills.

That would be me.

See ya soon,
Ro

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.

SCRAP GIRLS CLUB

Join the Scrap Girls Monthly Club and you can have fun with the newest traditional digital and printable scrapbooking looks while saving! (A $27.94 value for $9.99 or less!)

The Scrap Girls Club contents are released on the 1st day of the month (or the closest business day to the 1st).

With the Scrap Girls Club, you will receive:

1 Collection Biggie
1 Paper Super Mini
1 8.5x11 Sheet of Word Art
1 Embellishment Set
1 Assemble Your Own Zoom Page Set
1 Designer's Choice Item

Layout by Brandy Murry using July's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Brandy Murry

If you prefer not to join a club, the Scrap Girls club contents are available at regular prices in the Boutique. You can easily find them right now by checking the What's New? section of the Boutique.

Note: The Scrap Girls Club contents are always available for sale elsewhere in the Boutique at their regular prices once the associated club month is released. But all club contents are totally brand new, never seen before product releases for each month!

SCRAPSIMPLE CLUB

Join the ScrapSimple Monthly Club and you can enjoy the newest ScrapSimple looks while saving! (A $13.95 value for $6.99 or less!)

The new ScrapSimple Club contents are released on the 15th day of the month (or the closest business day to the 15th).

With the ScrapSimple Club, you will receive:

1 ScrapSimple Paper Template Set
1 ScrapSimple Embellishment or Word Art Template Set
1 Brush Set
2 Designer's Choice Items

A commercially licensed version of the ScrapSimple club is also available here.

Layout by Laurel Lakey using June's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Paula Wright and Syndee Nuckles

If you prefer not to join a club, the ScrapSimple club contents are available at regular prices in the Boutique. You can easily find them right now by checking the What's New? section of the Boutique.

Note: The ScrapSimple Club contents are always available for sale in the Boutique at regular prices once the associated club month is released. But all club contents are totally brand new, never-seen-before product releases for each month!

The Original

I created this layout when I first started digital scrapbooking and was overwhelmed by the possibilities. The original is a bit too busy due to the patterned papers, the alpha above the picture and the embellishments that I added randomly at the bottom of the page. I decided to redo this layout using the Photoshop skills I have developed over the years. I want the colors to coordinate better with the picture of my sweet daughter, Lily, and the photo to be the focal point.

Original layout by Caroline Kaiser

The Do-Over

First, I place the large photo onto my 12x12 inch document.

I add a nicely textured background paper from Stylish Paper underneath the photo. I blend the photo into the background with the Blending Mode set to “Overlay” and the Opacity at 40%.

I place the original photo a second time onto my layout, this time in a smaller size. I position it in the bottom right corner and add a frame from the Rainy Days Collection Mini to emphasize it.

To draw the eye towards the small photo, I place a ribbon and a slice of pink paper from the Colors of Spring Collection. I then add a border from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Fairy Dust to vary the background color and add some interest.

Finally, I add some embellishments around the main focal point, which is the small framed photo, to give the page the final touch. Here is the result.

Layout by Caroline Kaiser
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Fairy Dust and Brush Set: Labeled Dates are also available.

Designer Do-Over by Caroline Kaiser

FREE STARTER KIT

Free eBook "starter kit" turns your dreams of digital scrapbooking into reality today!

This dynamite eBook is 65 pages - packed full of the information, ideas, and help people need when they are about to dive into this great hobby. It answers all of the important questions new digital scrapbookers have. They are all here for you - in one easy to use eBook!

Bonus! Download the free "Warning" Label, too. It was created for you by Valerie Randall as a little bit of extra fun!

Would you like a chance to try digital scrapbooking yourself?

Scrap Girls' Refresh Collection Biggie offers you free samples of some of our most popular product types. Try making a layout, your own paper with a ScrapSimple Paper Template, a fast layout with a ScrapSimple Digital Layout Template, or experiment with a brush.

We know you'll love digital scrapbooking as much as we do, and we have thousands of products to feed your new addiction!

Ready to Take Off? In-depth Tutorials Help You Become a Great Digital Scrapbooker

Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed!

NEWlY UPDATED! Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Photoshop CS4, CS3, CS2, and CS
NEWlY UPDATED! Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Photoshop Elements 6.0 and 7.0*
Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Paint Shop Pro X (XI)

(*Have Photoshop Elements 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0? We have a tutorial program that will work for you. Please visit the product details page for more information.)

Find out what tens of thousands of people have already learned: Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed is the fastest way to learn how to create digital scrapbooking layouts. And because this series covers so many topics with one purchase, it is a bargain!

No wonder tens of thousands of people have chosen Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed as their method of learning to scrapbook digitally!

In the tutorials, you'll see Ro working on her computer and hear her talking about why she is doing what she is doing. It's like having Ro come to your home and give you private scrapbooking lessons. You can create digital scrapbooking layouts today!

Download and CD versions available.

Photoshop and Photoshop Elements users receive:

30-31 movie tutorials
Companion eBook(s)
Collections
Other supplies

Paint Shop Pro users receive 31 movie tutorials.

MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed!

MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed! for Adobe Photoshop
MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed! for Adobe Photoshop Elements

It's time for you to stop playing catch-up in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and start having a blast creating your own digital scrapbooking supplies! You'll also learn all sorts of tricks that professionals and advanced digital scrapbookers use in their layouts. And because Ro covers so many topics in the series, it is one of the most cost-effective methods of moving your skills to a higher level. Join in with the thousands of digital scrapbookers who have chosen to learn advanced skills from Ro. You'll be happy that you did!

Note: These are NOT beginning tutorials. If you get this training and you have never used Photoshop or Photoshop Elements before, or if you aren't pretty sure of yourself in the software, you are going to be lost. You simply have to understand layers, where things are located, and all of the basic, important skills that Ro teaches in her Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed series before you try to use it.

eBooks

Scrap Girls offers a large catalog of eBooks covering topics that will expand your digital scrapbooking abilities to new heights. Here are just a few samples:

The Virtual Canvas eBook

What happens when you move digital scrapbooking beyond the basic page? What happens when you allow the layout to blur the edges between keepsake and art? The Virtual Canvas: Celebrating The Art of Digital Scrapbooking eBook will provide those answers for you.

Digital Photography Simplified

Colour (me) Creative eBook with 36 color swatches

Scrapbooking 911 - 20 Sketches to Revialize Your Digital

Start to Finish eBooklets

Start to Finish eBooklet - PSE: Making a Just Because Card Using ScrapSimple Card Templates

Nothing could be simpler than learning to scrapbook digitally with Scrap Girls Start to Finish eBooklets. Step by step written guidelines and detailed screenshots will help you learn new digital scrapbooking skills. Included with the eBooklet are the actual digital files you need to create a finished project!

See more titles

Layout by Brandy Murry
larger view

Designer Freebie by Brandy Murry coordinates with her From the Desk Of Collection Biggie,
part of this month's Scrap Girls Club offering!

* 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.

CROPS AND CHATS

High Noon Crop
Wednesday, July 8th - 12:00Noon ET

Join your guest host April Showers for the High Noon Crop every Wednesday. 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! On July 8th, we'll do a Stripes Challenge! Create a layout using stripes. Create your own or used striped paper. It doesn't matter as long as your layout has some stripes. You'll have one hour to create a layout and upload to the special High Noon Crop gallery. You'll be amazed what you can get done in just one hour!

Journaling Chat
Wednesday, July 8th - 8:00PM ET

Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Becca for a Journaling Chat at 8pm ET. Struggle to find the right words for your layouts? Are your layouts more decorative than descriptive of the moments you're trying to capture? Then you won't want to miss this chat - we'll have a special challenge to encourage you to journal on your pages more! See you there!

What's New Chat
Friday, July 10th - 11:00AM ET

Join Michelle (Shelbi) and Sherry Lynn at 11am ET Friday morning to chat about all the cool new things in the boutique. You never know who else is going to show up! 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!

Back-Up Party and Chat
Friday, July 10th - 4:00PM ET

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April Showers in the chat room Friday July 10th at 4pm ET for a Back-Up Party. We'll also go over several different ways to safeguard your files. You won't want to miss this one!

Recipe Challenge Chat
Saturday, July 11th - 10:00PM ET

Please join Danna (scrappylibrarian) and April (April Showers) for our Monthly Recipe Swap chat at 10pm ET. The theme for the month will be posted on the Message Board on Thursday, July 9 so be sure to watch for it!

Aussie Challenge and Chat
Monday, July 13th - 9:00PM Australian Eastern Standard Time

Please join Jo (scrappingjo) and Karen (kazbar73) on Monday 13 July for our next edition of the Aussie Chat and Challenge. We will meet in the Chat Room Lobby at 9pm Australian Eastern Standard Time for a Quote/Word Art Challenge. Watch the boards on Sunday for the quote, create a layout around this quote and then join us in the chat room. For our International ladies, the chat will start at 7am New York time.

JULY EVENTS

July Message Board Game: Hide and Seek!

Join us this month on the Message Board for a month long game of “Hide and Seek!” The designers have each chosen their favorite product that they've designed and it's your task to find each one! Every day from July 1-31 a member of the Welcoming Committee will post up a designer's name (or two!) and a clue to their personal favorite product that they've designed. You'll get a special peek into the minds and inspiration of the Scrap Girls designers as you search for their favorites contained in the boutique. When you find the correct product, you'll know it because a special little sunny marker will be waiting for you to let you know “You found it!”

Compile a list of links to the correct products throughout the month and send the list to [email protected] by August 1st at 11:59 p.m. (MST) for your chance to win a prize! Everyone who finds all THIRTY-SEVEN products will have their name added into a drawing for one of seven $5 gift certificates to the Scrap Girls boutique! Happy hunting, enjoy getting to know your designers and HAVE FUN!

Layout Contests:

July Monthly Layout Contest: In the good ole summertime, we see lots of lightning. Summertime also brings out the fun side of friends and family members. For the July Monthly Layout Contest, we want to see your layouts featuring photos of lightning or scrap someone with an electric personality! Post your layouts in the July Monthly Layout Contest Gallery before July 31st at Midnight, EDT. The winning layout will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique! Be sure to include the credits for items used in the description area or under the Details tab.

June Mid-Month Layout Contest: Did you know that June is National Candy Month? To celebrate this wonderful month, we'd like to see layouts inspired by your favorite candy bar! Just post your layouts in the Mid-June Monthly Layout Contest before July 14th at midnight EDT and you will be eligible to win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique. Be sure to include the credits for items used in the description area or under the Details tab. Good Luck!

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.)