Tribute to the Sweetest Dog

Sometimes, life just doesn't seem fair. But, I am a sincere believer that all things work together for good. It comforts me to know that the terrible accident which took you from us served some purpose... even though I'll probably never know what that purpose was.

My favorite memories of you were both from when we first got you as a tiny puppy. Mom really didn't want a puppy, but Dad wanted to get you before I got married so that you would be my puppy, too. I was very sick the day after they brought you home. They all had to go somewhere and didn't want to leave you alone, so I offered to watch you even though I was sick. I wasn't looking forward to chasing a puppy around, but thought I should since I would be home anyway. Instead of being bad, you came and curled up on my back while I was lying on the couch and fell fast asleep. We both slept that way until everyone came home. I knew then that I absolutely loved you!

My other favorite memory of you was the first time we brought you camping. We were going for a walk and, all of a sudden, two big dogs came running out of the forest towards us. Instead of running away, you ran in front of me and started growling at them. Ha ha! You were so cute!

Everyone who met you loved you, but how could they help it? You were usually so mellow and other times so crazy, faithful to a tee, and friendly to everyone. You were everything a good dog should be.

I was a little nervous the first time I brought Amber to stay with you. Neither of you had ever been around dogs or babies, but you both loved each other instantly. You were so amazingly gentle with her - especially when she wasn't gentle to you! You'd let her crawl all over you, pull on your ears, and take your toys away.

You were so much more than "just a dog" and you will be very, very missed!

Nicole Elliott

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.

Would you like to earn a $20 Gift Certificate? Send your own muse to [email protected]. If it is selected for publication in the Scrap Girls newsletter, you'll get to have fun shopping!

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 Armi Custodio using October's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Thao Cosgrove

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 Brandy Hackman using October's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Brandy Hackman and Erica Hite

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!

This year's Convention was more relaxed, more fun, great food, great friends, lots of newbies that we encouraged to get in the forum with us, etc.

We had a wonderful time, learned some useful techniques and received a beautiful kit by Valerie.

All good things must end, but we allowed the atmosphere to linger awhile. Still, we must head home soon.

Thank you, Ro and the team! We love you!

I can't compare Digital Scrap Link 2009 to last year's, but I concur that it was a fun and educational three days this year. A beautiful setting, vibrant ladies (and a couple of brave guys) from all over the globe, classes taught by the pros... a can't-miss combination. The best part was meeting all the great scrappers. Digital scrappers ROCK!

I had a wonderful time. The Purple Shirts were totally wonderful (and patient), especially Paula Wright! She and her thoughtful husband (a Renaissance man, I hear) went out of their way to mark my birthday. I had never even met her before! I learned a lot, but for me, more importantly, I got to meet and ADORE BobbieJo! What a kind and sweet friend! I met lots of amazing women I hope to call friends. To be in a room full of women, and a few guys, all like-minded, was SO cool!

You could tell Ro and the Purple Shirts put their hearts, minds, and muscles, into making the convention a fun and productive time. I really appreciated seeing the beautiful city and surrounding areas too! Although I left by 4pm, my husband and I were roaming the area, taking as many pictures as I could!

It was truly wonderful. I felt pampered and spoiled the whole time. A special "AttaGirl!" to Paula Wright for her hard work on the logistics side of things - everything went flawlessly. (I know the logistics generally are under appreciated, and no one realizes what all they do until things go wrong. Nothing did!) The classes were wonderful, but the time to visit and get to know each other was the part I treasure the most. Thanks to everyone for making this time so special.

While it was nice to be home in my own bed, I miss seeing purple shirts at breakfast! I miss all the hugs and smiles and chatter. The first thought in my head when I woke up was "I wonder what classes we'll have today," and then I saw my cat sleeping on my chest and remembered I wasn't at convention anymore.

I'm glad to see that the attendees are making it home safely. Thanks again to all the SG staff for everything!

What a great event! It was so awesome to meet so many of you and to have time to visit in person. We are so blessed.

Robert said he really enjoyed meeting people, and he said he was going to have a difficult time explaining what it was like to his friends. He said you all had to be some of the sweetest people he'd ever met. But he was looking forward to some quiet. He kept calling Zaz "Taz" and when I corrected him, he said she reminded him of a Tazmanian devil (in a good way) and she'll always be Taz to him.

The mischief makers were quite a surprise, I appreciate all they did. It was ever so silly!

Thanks to all the purple shirts, the entire team at the convention and at Back At The Ranch who went all out. They are so appreciated. A special thanks to Paula for all her behind the scenes work and for actually cooking food for the team for a lunch and a dinner!

What a time we had! Mwahhhhh to you all!

I have to agree with Robert! It was hard to explain to my husband just what it was like... meeting people in real life only to find they were as wonderfully kind and considerate as they were on the message board. I can't compare to last year, but this year was FABULOUS! Thank you to all!

This year was definitely better than last year. I didn't even know it was possible. I am looking forward to getting together again. It would be great to be in a neighborhood of Scrap Girls.

I agree with some of the other participants. It didn't seem possible that this year could be better, because last year was great. It seemed more relaxed and we had plenty of time to get to know the ladies who we talk to all the time on the message board. I'm so grateful to all the staff for their hard work, and it was lots of fun to get to know the designers. I'm not sure it can be explained.

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by ZachandAvasMom
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Layout by DixieLee
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Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Art Deco Stitching and Brush Set: Downtown 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!

Contest Winners

September Message Board BINGO Winners:

Congratulations to the following members who each won a round of Message Board Bingo and each receive a $5 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique.

Laurie_In_PA
kayoft
patsyt
No_idea
SandyFeet

Winners should send an email to [email protected] with "Bingo Winner" as the subject to claim your prize.

Back At The Ranch Event Winners:

Congratulations to the following members who won a prize during a Back At The Ranch chat!

tinkerbell11
jeschaff
mbc72
Westina
Heatheranne
Blesha
SheriL
Vaughnde
Jenna
BarbaraC1977
Marta
RosemaryS

Congratulations to the following members who won a prize during a Back At The Ranch message board game!

Battleship Game winner of a Collection Mini is glorie
The Greatest Country and Western Song Game winner of a Collection is Sarah in VA
Fill in the Blank Game winner of a Brush Set is teecee
Purple Item Guessing Game winner of a ScrapSimple Embellishment Template is bikenlady
Boutique Round Up Game winner of a Collection Biggie is libbysmommy

Congratulations to our contest winners! Please email [email protected] to get your prize, if you haven't already received it. Thanks for participating!

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

Learn about the color wheel, color terms and their meaning, how to load the colour palettes in Adobe or use the colour strips with a colour selection tool. You get both valuable lessons and inspiration in this book filled with 48 layouts showcasing the use of the colour palettes along with links of all the products used to create the digital scrapbooking pages.

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

Now you can have all the past Scrap Girls Newsletter tutorials and Way Cool Stuff articles of the 2nd Quarter of 2009 in one convenient PDF format. It's easy to find those helpful hints with just the click of your mouse. You get two eBooks for the price of one!

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 Brandy Hackman
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Designer Freebie by Brandy Hackman coordinates with her
ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: My Own Stories, part of this month's ScrapSimple Club offering!

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: My Own Stories and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Artful Photo Masks 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 Swap Chat
Saturday, October 17th - 8:00PM MT

Join Danna (scrappylibrarian) and April_Showers in the chat room for our Monthly Recipe Swap Chat. Hopefully all of our Scrap Link attendees will be recovered by then! Check the message board on Thursday, Oct 15th for our theme of the month. See you then!

Scraplift Chat
Sunday, October 18th - 3:00PM MT

Join Becca and angelaNussbaum for a Scraplifting Crop. A few hours before the crop we will tell you the name of a Scrap Girls Team Member, and you will be able to choose one of their layouts to be your inspiration. During the crop, we will also help explain about scraplifting, how to use a layout as inspiration, and the importance of giving credit. Scraplifting is a lot of fun! So come join us, you're sure to enjoy it!

Quote Challenge Crop
Sunday, October 18th - 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!

Coffee Break Chat
Monday, October 19th - 4:30AM MT

If reading the Scrap Girls Newsletter and having a cup of coffee, cocoa, or tea first thing in the morning is a part of your daily routine, join Sherry_Lynn on Monday at 4:30 Mountain Time for this month's Coffee Break Chat. We'll chat over the latest issue of the Newsletter for a light and fun way to start off your week! Hope to see you there!

New Member Chat - Early Edition
Tuesday, October 20th - 1:00PM MT

Join April (April Showers) at 1:00pm 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.

Life Moments Chat
Tuesday, October 20th - 5:00PM MT

Please join Sherry_Lynn on October 20th at 5pm MT 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.

Musing about Life with Ro
Tuesday, October 20th - 7:00PM MT

As you might be able to tell by now, I spend a great deal of time thinking about how I can become a better person. (Thus the muses...) I hear from a lot of you that you feel we have a lot in common because you recognize the circumstances or emotion I am expressing. I thought it may be nice for us 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 me a private message on the board and I'll give you the room name and the password. Just send the message to Ro. Look forward to getting to know you better.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, October 21st - 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 October 21st, we'll do an embellishment challenge! Create a layout using lots of embellishments like brads, staples, flowers and buttons! 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! We hope you'll join us!

OCTOBER EVENTS

October Message Board Game: Posting Challenge

It's time to put those fingers to the test and get chatty. This month, everyone who posts at least 250 times will have their name entered in a drawing for one of five $5 Gift Certificates to be used in the Scrap Girls Boutique. In addition, the one member who posts the very most in October will receive a $10 Gift Certificate! To be included in this month's game, you must post to the October Posting Challenge thread in the Monthly Message Board Games folder on the message board and include your starting post count as of Thursday, October 1st. Once you have reached 250 posts during the month of October, email Ang at [email protected] and include your forum user name, starting post count and your new post count total. Contest ends on Saturday, October 31st at Midnight MST!

Layout Contests:

October Monthly Layout Contest: You might be a city girl or maybe a country girl, but even those that live in the city can enjoy time spent in the country. For the October Layout Gallery Contest, we want you to scrap a page about time spent in the country. It could be a visit to a farm, or a state or national park, or maybe you live in the country. Create your layout and post it in the October Monthly Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight on October 31st. 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!

October Mid-Month Layout Contest: Anniversaries are very special times. For the October Mid-Month Gallery Contest, we want to see your layouts about an anniversary. It doesn't have to be a wedding anniversary. Birthdays are anniversaries too. Anything that you remember annually is an anniversary. Create your layout and post it in the October Mid-Month Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight on November 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!

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.)