A couple of years ago, we took the kids on a big family trip. My husband had been deployed for four months and had some leave saved up, so we made plans for a three-week trip. On the agenda were numerous educational stops. Since we homeschool, we wanted to make it like a field trip. From Carlsbad Caverns to the Grand Canyon and the redwoods in Northern California, we had a blast. Among the destinations on the itinerary was Las Vegas. Out of all of the experiences we had on our trip, the one I have recounted the most is probably how Aspen earned her nickname, "Butterpants."

We planned to eat at the Cheesecake Factory with all four of our kids. They were excited and I was certain that the cheesecake was going to be the star of the show. Boy, was I wrong! The four of them raved about the bread basket more than anything else. Aspen, in particular, was a fan of the individually wrapped pats of butter. We ate a wonderful meal, enjoyed looking at all of the fish in the surrounding tanks, and headed out to one of the many fountains along the strip.

As I waited for Bryan to bring the van around, I watched the kids giggling and splashing at the edge of the water. It was then that I noticed a peculiar dark stain spreading across one of Aspen's pockets. She had it zipped and an oddly familiar yellow substance was oozing from between the zipper's teeth.

"What in the world is on your pants?" I asked, even as the realization dawned on me.

"Nothing," she said, her eyes growing wide with that all too familiar deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Aspen, there is something in your pocket."

"Oh, that!" She shot her eyes to the side and then smiled brightly. "I thought you might like some butter to go with the bread we put in our doggie bag!"

"Butter melts, Aspen. You have nothing but a stain on your new pants!"

"No, Mommy. It's a butter square. Look!"

She unzipped her pocket and stuck her hand in. Her face said it all. She slowly withdrew her hand only to find a slimy foil paper clutched in her fingers. The blazing Vegas sun reflected off the water and into those wide, blue eyes. I suppressed a laugh.

The look of utter disappointment told me that there was more to her actions than simply wanting a little more butter. She wanted to bring part of that moment with her, to enjoy it again. Looking up at me, she softly apologized for ruining her pants and sat back down on the edge of the fountain, still holding the gold foil in her hand.

I wonder how many times we have done the very same thing in life. Instead of appreciating the moment for what it is, we try to squander a part of it aside for later. All too often, later never comes and we end up bewildered and empty-handed. All is not lost though, as there are always more memories on the horizon. Make the most of each one. Never forget to "savor the moment!"

- Jennifer Hamilton

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.

It's that time... the Scrap Girls Convention is nearly here! Don't miss the chance to learn, meet, and make friends with other Scrap Girls from all around the world!

Here are the facts:

When: October 8-10th, 2009

Where: Salt Lake City, Utah

What's Included
- 4 (four) meals (two lunches and two dinners)
- A Collection Biggie, designed especially for the convention
- Other free digital scrapbooking supplies, designed for class materials
- PDFs of the class materials
- Action-packed classes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Crops, games, and time to hang out and make friends with other Scrap Girls
- The chance to meet in person and get help from Scrap Girls designers, layout artists, and welcoming committee members
- Memories that will last forever!

Note: Convention begins at 1:00 pm - Thursday, October 8th and ends at 6 pm - Saturday, October 10th.

How many people may attend? Only 126 and almost all of the seats have been sold! Don't miss out on this opportunity - secure your place now!

What will you learn? Here is a list of the classes and who will be teaching:

- How To Create Silhouettes with Brandy Murry
- How to Combine and Mix-up Digital Layout Templates to Create Unified Albums with Angie Briggs
- Using Styles To Make Your Photos look like Oil Paintings with Shalae Tippetts
- Tips and Tricks to Make Albums Fast! with Cherise Oleson
- How To Improve the Lighting of Your Photos with Laurel Lakey
- New Tricks for Using ScrapSimple Paper Templates with Marnie Adams
- How To Make a Slide Show with Your Layouts with Brandie Valenzuela
- Advanced Techniques To Improve Your Layouts with Christy VanderWall

A Canon Representative will be there to teach advanced techniques for using our cameras. She is going to award a prize! Then we will take a field trip for a special photo shoot.

We hope you come because you're special to us and we are dying to meet you! Scrap Girls is all about making friends while we enjoy the hobby that allows us to save our memories in a fun way. Having you with us would be awesome!

Sign up now!

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 Angie Briggs using September's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Angie Briggs

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 Cherise Oleson using August's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Keri Schueller and Cherise Oleson

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!

Tara

In 2003, I met a great girl through a Yahoo group. We met by buying and selling children's clothes. We began chatting and became very good friends. We have daughters that are nearly the same age and we are both country girls, albeit from different parts of the United States. We talked almost daily from the very first time we met, starting with emails and then graduating to the telephone.

Like any good friend, we share our interests with each other. We both became very interested in photography, although she took it a step further and started scrapbooking. I had heard of scrapping. I had seen my friend's scrapbooks and thought they were interesting, but never thought I could do anything like that. I just didn't have the time, money or patience and where on earth would I store all that stuff?

My friend then showed me digital scrapping... and I loved it! She told me about a website she really liked, ScrapGirls.com, and got me to register for the forums and sign up for the newsletter. I tried to do a few layouts with my old computer, but the poor thing just couldn't handle the program to make the layouts, so I just gave up.

In April 2009, I decided to pack up my youngest daughter and take a spur of the moment trip to visit my friend. (We had met on a previous trip to her state, but only had time for lunch together.) While I was there, she brought out photo albums and scrapbooks she had made. I was in love! I had to find a way to start doing this again!

A few months later, I called my friend and asked her for advice on transferring PSP to my laptop. I had lost the disk and wondered if there was a way to do it. We couldn't. Would you believe that my friend purchased the program for me? Out of the goodness of her heart (and I'm sure to recruit another friend to scrapbooking!) she sent it to me. I couldn't wait to get home from running errands that day to get started! My friend is so passionate about digital scrapbooking (and great at it, I might add!) and wanted to do something special for me. She has no idea just how much her thoughtfulness has touched me!

My friend has shown me how to do specific things, such as lifted photos and torn paper looks. She has shown me how to do a Scrap Girls store search when I was about to lose my mind from not being able to find something. She has shown me things in PSP I never thought I'd learn.

Scrap Girls has taught me a lot about scrapbooking tips and tricks, but the best thing it has taught me is that there are still good people out there willing to be great friends and allies.

Thanks, Scrap Girls, for bringing me closer to one of my very best friends.

Tara P.
Mason, MI

Layout by Michigan*Mommy
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We are so excited to have all of you meet some of the amazing people that have become Scrap Girls! We'd love to introduce you to our readers, too! If you would like to be spotlighted, send the following items to [email protected]:

500-900 word essay about your experience with digital scrapbooking, Scrap Girls, and specific examples of how we have helped you.
A 600-pixel wide, 72 dpi copy of a layout you've created that uses Scrap Girls products.
A complete list of any and all supplies used on the layout.
A 100 pixels wide 72 dpi picture of yourself.
Permission to use your statement.

If your entry is selected, you'll win a $25 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by RosemaryS
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Folds 3, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Pretty Packages, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Highlights 8301 and ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Vintage Photo are also available.

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Layout by Sonia11
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Paint Palette are also available.

Want to see your layouts make an appearance in the Scrap Girls newsletters?

Simply post your digital or paper layouts that use Scrap Girls products in our online gallery, and if we choose your layout to be featured in the newsletter, you'll win a prize! To be considered, don't forget to list the Scrap Girls products that you used in your layout.

Congratulations to this week's selectees. Please email [email protected] to get your gift!

Want to see past winners of the Weekly Layout Contest? Visit the Weekly Layout Winners gallery on our message board here!

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.

Colour (me) Creative eBook with 36 color swatches

Scrapbooking 911 - 20 Sketches to Revitalize Your Digital Scrapbooking - Book 4

Scrap Girls Tutorials & Way Cool Stuff eBook Set
2009 - 2nd Quarter

Start to Finish eBooklets

Start to Finish eBooklet - PS: How to use ScrapSimple Tools: Custom Shapes & Patterns

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 Keri Schueller
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Designer Freebie by Keri Schueller coordinates with her Sunshine On My Face Collection Mini

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Timeless 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

Recipe Card Swap Crop
Saturday, September 12th - 8:00PM MT

Please join April (April Showers) and Danna (scrappylibrarian) at 8pm Mountain Time in the chat room for our Monthly Recipe Swap chat. Please check the message board on Thursday, September 10th for this month's theme!

Quote Challenge Crop
Sunday, September 13th - 6:00PM MT

Come join Pat (PBarnes) for the Quote Challenge Crop at 6pm MT. 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, Pat will 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 she 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! Everyone can participate and create a layout, even if you can't make the chat. Hope to see you there!

Aussie Chat & Challenge
Monday, September 14th - 9:00PM Australian Eastern Standard Time

Please come join Karen (kazbar73) & Jo (scrappingjo) at 9pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Monday 14 September for a chat all about fathers. Create a layout all about fathers and then join us in the Live Chat Lobby for lots of fun and laughter as we talk about how we celebrate Fathers Day. For our International ladies, the chat will be on at 5am Mountain Time.

NSBR Chat
Monday, September 14th - 7:00PM MT

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 September 14th at 7pm MT!

New Member Chat - Early Edition
Tuesday, September 15th - 1:00PM MT

Join April (April Showers) at 1pm MT 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.

Musing About Life with Ro
Tuesday, September 15th - 7:00PM MT

As you might be able to tell by now, Ro spends a great deal of time thinking about how to become a better person. (Thus the muses...) She hears from a lot of you that you feel we have a lot in common because you recognize the circumstances or emotion she is expressing. She thought it may be nice to get together once a month and lift each other. This will be a private chat so that we can share our feelings, hopes, dreams, and more with each other in a safe way. If you would like to come, send Ro a private message on the board and she'll give you the room name and the password.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, September 16th - 10:00AM MT

Join your guest host April Showers for the East Coast High Noon Crop every Wednesday at 10am Mountain 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! On September 16th, we'll do a No Photo Challenge! Create a layout without any photos. Everything else is fine! Are there some things you'd like to document but you don't have photos? Try using scanned memorabilia or extensive journaling to make a memorable layout without photos. You'd be amazed what you can get done in just one hour! We hope you'll join us!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Thursday, September 17th - 2:00PM MT

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 September 17th at 2pm MT!

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

September Message Board Game: BINGO!

It's that time again! Join us for an exciting game of BINGO on the Message Board in September! Pick 25 words from the list provided in the Monthly Message Board Game forum and send them in an e-mail to [email protected] with a subject line that says "BINGO CARD" and your message board user name by Wednesday, September 2nd (11:59pm MT) in order to play in the first round which will begin Thursday, September 3rd. Each day, members of the Welcoming Committee will call 5 random words from the BINGO list. Match just 15 of those words to win a BINGO. You must be first to call "Bingo!" in the game thread to win that round. After a winner is called, the boards can be cleared and a new round will begin the following day. All winners win a $5 gift certificate to the boutique! We like to see lots of winners, so please remember that each person can only win one round during the month. Have fun!

If you miss the first round cutoff date, you can still play! Just send in your Bingo card at any time during the month and you'll be eligible to begin playing when the next new round starts. Everyone who sends in a Bingo card will receive a confirmation email that their card has been received. If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours, please re-send your list of words.

Layout Contests:

September Monthly Layout Contest: We're coming up on the date 09/09/09. For this layout contest, we want you to create a layout using repetition. It can be a photo that is repeated, an embellishment, a color... the possibilities are many. Create your layout and post it in the September Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight MT on September 30th. Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the details tab. If your layout is chosen, you will win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

August Mid-Month Layout Contest: Everybody loves dogs – right? For the August Mid-month Challenge we want you to scrap photos of your dog(s) – current or past. Not a dog person? Then you can scrap your photos of your cat or any other pet. Create your layout and post it in the August Mid-Month Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight MT on September 15th. Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the Details tab. If your layout is chosen, you will win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

Signature Contest: Season of Change

Summer is coming to a close with Fall just around the corner in the Northern hemisphere and weather is getting warmer in the Southern. Kids have gone back to school and before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. It's time to update those signatures. The guidelines for signatures and instructions for linking can be found here. Create your signature using mostly Scrap Girls products, following the guidelines, and upload to the Season of Change Signature gallery by 11:59 PM Mountain Time, September 30th to be eligible for the contest. Two winners will be randomly selected - one person will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls boutique and a runner-up will receive a $5 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls boutique! It's time to replace those crazy monkeys before they're gone for good!

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