Ro Paxman

A Single Question, Three Books and Two Gift Certificates

Okay, fans... I’m having one of my big blog contest opportunities right now.

The Photographer's Eye - by Michael Freeman - is an inspiring, helpful, feast-for-the-eyes book. I’ve had mine for over a year and whenever I take a peek in it, I have a strong desire to play with my camera. The information is great. The examples are stunning. It’s an interesting read. I always get fun ideas when I look through it.

Obviously, I love this book. That’s why I am going to give away THREE (3) copies of The Photographer's Eye to this month’s lucky winners.

THE GRAND PRIZES

Three people will receive a copy of The Photographer's Eye

RUNNER-UP PRIZES

Two people will receive a $10 gift certificate for the Scrap Girls boutique

QUESTION TO ANSWER TO ENTER CONTEST

What advice do you have for new digital scrapbookers? Please try to be as specific as you can. You don’t need to worry that you need a completely original answer because it is common for people to have similar experiences. I’m interested in what you think and feel. If you are not a digital scrapbooker, that’s okay. Just say so in your comment. Who knows... maybe you’ll try it sometime!

FINDING OUT WHO WON THE CONTEST

I’ll post the winners’ names on my blog. To receive alerts about new posts in my blog, sign up for either the RSS feed or the email alerts. If you register when you add your entry, I will be able to email you that you have won a prize.

HOW WILL I CHOOSE WHO WINS?

Random number choices. I have a great way of doing it, too. I call down the hall, “Choose a number between 1 and 236!” - or whatever the top number may be.

Someone in my family yells back a number. I never know what they will say and they have no idea why I am asking, so it’s a fair method of selecting the winners.

GOOD LUCK - and thanks for your help!

- Ro

P.S. Please read the blog contest post for complete details.

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 Trish Yochum using July's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Trish Yochum and Theresa Kavouras

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!

Embroidered Font

Note: Tutorial created using Adobe Photoshop CS3 with Mac OS X.

I have always loved Erica Hite's Nessa Font. Recently, when I was trying to come up with a handmade wedding gift for my friends, I decided to put this digital scrapbooking font to use in a unique way - I customized a message to embroider.

First, create your document size to fit your frame size. (In my case, I created a 5x7 document size.) Using the Nessa Font, type out the words you want to embroider. (I also added a heart image from the Nessa Collection Biggie.)

Next, print out the document and place it underneath your fabric. Using pencil, trace the message onto the fabric. Make sure it is dark enough to see clearly. Don't worry; your stitching will cover it up later.

Be sure to leave plenty of excess fabric around your message. You'll want the excess fabric so you can fit it in an embroidery hoop. Also, you'll need excess fabric so you can wrap the fabric snugly over a piece of cardboard and tape it to the back. This will be for framing purposes.

Put your pencil-outlined message in an embroidery hoop.

Choose your colors and begin stitching. In this case, I alternated with colors that matched the bride and groom's wedding colors.

Wrap the fabric snugly over a piece of cardboard and secure firmly on the back with tape. Trim any excess fabric. Place in frame. Your embroidered font gift is complete!

Project by Mandy Steward
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Commercial license versions of EHI_Nessa Font are also available.

Tutorial written by Mandy Steward

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!

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 Gillian Hurst
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Designer Freebie by Gillian Hurst coordinates with her Afro Candy Collection Biggie

Commercial license versions of Lettering Delights Birthday Bash Font 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.

CROPS AND CHATS

What's New Chat
Friday, July 24th - 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!

Swap Crop Chat
Friday, July 24th - 9:00PM ET

It's time for the Swap Crop Chat! We've done the swapping, and created the layouts, now it's time to chat about all the gorgeous layouts! I don't know what it is, but these swaps bring out the best in everyone. This is the time to chat about the theme, the beautiful layouts and learn about the swap crop if you haven't participated before. Join Carla (CRS) for a fun chat at 9pm ET on Friday, July 24th!

Aussie Chat & Challenge
Monday, July 27th - 9:00PM Australian Eastern Time

Please join Jo (scrappingjo) and Karen (kazbar73) on Monday 27 July for our next edition of the Aussie Chat and Challenge. We will meet in the Chat Rom Lobby at 9.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time for a Template Challenge. Look through your stash of Scrap Girls products and find your favourite template or maybe look through the Boutique and find a new template. Use that template to create a layout then and than join us in the chat room. For our International ladies, the chat will start at 7am New York time.

Life Moments Chat
Tuesday, July 28th - 3:00PM ET

Please join Sherry_Lynn on July 28th at 3pm ET for the next installment of our Life Moments Chat and Crop! These crops are about building a scrapbook all about you, one layout at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

High Noon Crop
Wednesday, July 29th - 12:00Noon ET

Join your guest host April Showers for the High Noon Crop every Wednesday at Noon ET. 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 29th, we'll do a "Use Your Stash" challenge! Create a layout using a collection you've had for a while, but just haven't used yet! You'd be amazed what you can get done in just one hour! We hope you'll join us!

Desktop Challenge Crop
Wednesday, July 29th - 8:00PM ET

Are you bored with the simple backgrounds that your PC or MAC came with? Want to learn more about using your Scrap Girls products to make exciting and colorful new desktop wallpapers? Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Becca at 8pm ET (5pm for those of you on the west coast!) for this month's Desktop Crop. A few hours before chat time, we'll give you some details on how to get started, plus a technique challenge and a theme for an extra dose of motivation!

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.

July Mid-Month Layout Contest: Ah, vacations! They're so relaxing and fun, but can be expensive, too. For the Mid-July Layout Contest, we want to see your layouts featuring your vacation or staycation photos! If you don't have any vacation plans, what will you do instead? Scrap those plans! Post you layouts in the Mid-July Monthly Layout Gallery before August 15th at Midnight, EDT and you could 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.)