Scrap Girls is announcing its vacation plans... STAYCATION! The whole team is going to have a STAYcation this year, and we want you to STAYcation with us. Our Product Designers are having a STAYcation, too, and as a change from slaving away making beautiful digital scrapbooking supplies for you to scrap with, they're hosting chats all week! Trust us, you do NOT want to miss these chats. Our designers get out so rarely - this is a real treat!

We've got a schedule full of chats that our Product Designers and Welcoming Committee are hosting, plus our STAYcation Sale, games, freebies, contests, prizes and fun! Come join our family on our STAYcation!

Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Adventures Blog - 20 32 Questions Game

Each day Dee will post questions on the Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Adventures blog. Search the past blog posts for the answers and keep a document with the questions, your answers, and the links to the blog post where you found the answers. Email this document to [email protected] by Midnight (MT) on Friday, July 31st.

If you get all of the answers and their blog links correct, you will be entered into a drawing for a $20 Gift Certificate. If you get at least 16 of the answers and their blog links correct, you will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Gift Certificate. The remainder will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Gift Certificate.

Please do not post answers to any of the questions on the message board or in the blog comments. We cannot be responsible for lost or un-received emails. One email per member; you will receive a response indicating your email has been received. If you do not receive a reply in 24 hours, please resend.

Picnic Basket Of Doom

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You know it, you dread it, it's back... with a STAYcation twist! The Picnic Basket of Doom is here!

For those of you new to this game, the object is simple. You must correctly identify the items shown in the picnic basket image. There are 36 items to identify in this Picnic Basket of Doom.

Now don't panic! You don't have to find them all to play the game. (Whew!) But anyone who DOES get them all correct will automatically win a $10 Gift Certificate! This means more than one person can win a $10 gift certificate. (Anyone this motivated deserves a prize!) The winners of these gift certificates can get in on the rest of the game, too!

For all players:

• If you get 16 or more correct answers, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate!
• If you get 10-15 correct answers, you will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Gift Certificate!
• If you get 5-9 correct answers, you will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Gift Certificate!

To enter the game, send your guesses to [email protected]. For each item guessed, you must include BOTH the product name and a link to where you can find it in the Scrap Girls boutique. Your email must be received by Midnight (MT) on Friday, July 31st. We cannot be responsible for lost or un-received emails. One email per member; you will receive a response indicating your email has been received. If you do not receive a reply in 24 hours, please resend.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

STAYcation Chat Schedule

Thursday - July 30: Picnic

1:00PM ET - Fill Your Picnic Basket Chat - April and Carla
Fill Your Picnic Basket with April (April Showers) and Carla (CRS) on Thursday at 1pm ET. Watch the message board for more details and a list of tasty choices!


3:00PM ET - Picnic Chat - Ariadna and Shalae
Join Shalae Tippetts (satippetts) and Ariadna Wiczling (scrapariadna) on July 30th at 3pm ET for an hour of Picnic Fun! Pull up your gingham blanket, sack lunch and picnic with us as we give out prizes, play some games, chat and enjoy these gorgeous summer days.


8:00PM ET - Word Art Chat - Angela and Michelle
Join Shelbi and angelaNussbaum for the Word Art Challenge Chat! We will discuss how quotes and phrases, artfully arranged, can turn your layouts into works of art! Stay tuned for a fun challenge and watch the message board for more details!

Friday - July 31: Luau

11:00AM ET - What's New Chat (Michelle & Sherry Lynn)
1:00PM ET - Mini Class: Shortcuts (Jan & Ursula)
6:00PM ET - Mini Class: Blending Modes (Katherine)
8:00PM ET - Luau (Syndee & Katherine)

*Schedule is subject to change... keep an eye on the newsletter and message board for the latest STAYcation happenings!

Note from Ro: I found this lovely muse from Paula Wright on the Scrap Girls Digital Adventures Blog. It struck me quite forcefully because I too often see myself as a cracked pot. Thanks for the wisdom, Paula.

Paula Wright

Cracked But Beautiful

On our front porch we have several pots that we plant with seasonal flowers. Over the years, a small crack developed in one of the pots. With the passing of time and exposure to harsh winter weather, the crack has grown larger. This spring, I debated whether or not to plant the pot again. The crack had gotten quite large and I didn’t know if the pot would fall apart when the flowers were watered. Frugality won out and I decided to give the pot another chance.

This morning, when I was watering, I was taken by the beauty of this particular pot. It seemed to glow in the morning light. It was almost as if it were saying, “thank you” for giving me another chance.

Aren’t we all a little like this pot? The years take a toll, but we still have more potential than we realize. From some angles you can’t even see the crack in the pot, only the beauty of the flowers. When we look in the mirror, do we see our own imperfections or the wisdom and grace that we have gained from life experiences? I am so grateful for the people who see the good in me and give me a second chance when I make mistakes.

Today, I will try to focus on the beautiful potential in those around me and be a little gentler with myself as well. I want to remember the lesson learned from an old pot that may be cracked, but is still beautiful.

Layout by Paula Wright
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Cut It Out, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Faux Finish 1, Brush Set: Dear Diary Arrows Biggie and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Paper Textures 4902 are also available.

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 Theresa Kavouras 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!

ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates

I love ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates! They provide a solid foundation for a layout, with the convenience of all the pieces perfectly placed on individual layers - ready to use immediately! With a digital layout template and collection, you can make your own work of art!

First, open one of Amanda Sok's ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates: Layout Masks and a new 12x12 inch, 300 dpi file. Switch to cascade mode by clicking the layered tile icon in the top right corner of Photoshop Elements 5.0. Select all the layers of the template on the Layers Palette. While holding the Shift key, drag those layers from the Layers Palette onto the blank file. Holding the Shift key makes the layers transfer into their appropriate positions. Save the blank file with a new name and then close the original template. This process guarantees that you will never work over the original template, so you can use it repeatedly.

One way to incorporate your own creativity is to insert an element of your choice in place of a template piece. In this layout, I delete the two photo squares and make my own frames from embellishments in Trish Yochum's Junk Love Collection Biggie. I also add a smaller shaped paper in between the background paper and the mask layer to add interest.

ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates make digital scrapbooking simple and fun, while allowing you to express your artistic spirit!

Layout by Julie Moberly
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates: Layout Masks, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Vintage Canvas 6501, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Metals Biggie and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 are also available.

Article written by Julie Moberly

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

STAYcation: Picnic Bonus Freebie!

Layout by Christy VanderWall
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Designer Freebie by Caroline Kaiser coordinates with her Picnic in the Park Collection Mini

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Stitched are also available.

Layout by Angela Blanchard
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Designer Freebie by Angela Blanchard coordinates with her Farmer's Bounty Collection

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: News Print 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 30th - 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!

NSBR Chat
Monday, August 3rd - 9:00PM ET

What is NSBR? It's a non-scrapbooking related chat! We talk about everything, including some scrapbooking and usually chocolate. It's a great chance to meet new friends, catch up on what everyone is up to, and just relax! If you have a problem, we'll lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on. Have some great news to share? We'd love to celebrate with you. So join Carla (CRS) on August 3rd at 9pm ET in the chat room!

Baby Album Chat
Tuesday, August 4th - 1:00PM ET

Do you need some motivation getting those baby albums done? Children grow so fast; Let's get those baby memories scrapped! You can scrap your children, grandchildren or even your own baby album. Join Carla (CRS) and Shari (Shari PV Mom) in the chat room at 1pm ET to work on those albums! You can start from fresh on a brand new album, or jump in where ever you are in your project. We'll provide an optional challenge each crop for motivation if you want one. For this month, let's scrap the first bath!

High Noon Crop
Wednesday, August 5th - 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! You'd be amazed what you can get done in just one hour! We hope you'll join us!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Thursday, August 6th - 4:00PM ET

What is NSBR? It's a non-scrapbooking related chat! We talk about everything, including some scrapbooking and usually chocolate. It's a great chance to meet new friends, catch up on what everyone is up to, and just relax! If you have a problem, we'll lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on. Have some great news to share? We'd love to celebrate with you. So join Michelle (Shelbi) and Shari (Shari PV Mom) on August 6th at 4pm ET in the chat room!

What's New Chat
Friday, August 7th - 11:00AM ET

Join Michelle (Shelbi) and Becca 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!

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.)