Note from Ro: I pulled this fun post by Cherise Oleson from the Scrap Girls blog. It (almost) made me wish I had children who were young enough so I could read them stories. I guess I'll just have to wait for grandchildren to come along!

Cherise Oleson

Recently, I attended a meeting and had the opportunity to hear Chieko Okazaki speak. She has been a leader in a variety of women's organizations and is the author of several books. While she was speaking, one point she made that struck me is that we should be reading to our children 20 minutes every day. I have heard this refrain many times and I'm no stranger to reading to my children. But, sometimes life gets in the way and we slack a bit. I assumed that once they became fluent readers on their own, it wasn't as important for me to take the time to read to them.

My opinion changed after I heard her speak. She talked about the importance of creating one-on-one time to read with our children, no matter their age or reading ability. She stressed that, where possible, we should try to pair up with just one reader and one listener to make the experience more intimate. She went on to say that, sometimes, one parent may be reading to one child, while an older sibling is taking a turn reading with a younger sibling. Aha! This was how we were going to make this work. The plan started unfolding in my mind.

I set to work and drew up a schedule and posted it on our fridge. Everyone will take a turn reading to my youngest daughter, who can't read yet. Every child will have the chance to be read to by both Mom and Dad at different times. We will stay with our designated pair for an entire week and the listener is the one who gets to choose the book(s). We have a five-week rotating schedule and then we will repeat it at the end of those five weeks.

It all looks good on paper. We just completed day two and it is working well so far - fingers crossed that it continues.

Here is a digital scrapbooking layout that I created of the three different reading pairs from this current week.

Layout by Cherise Oleson
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Gradient Glitter 6401 Super Biggie and Dynamic Brush Set: Fancy Glitter 6401 are also available.

Scrap Girls is turning FIVE years old! Yippee! We are having a party to celebrate... and YOU get the gifts! Join us for a week of fun-filled classes, crops, challenges, games, and more.

In honor of this milestone, the Scrap Girls Product Design Team have assembled their own Fab 5's! What is a Fab 5? It is a super mini collection comprised of only 5 items. These Fab 5's are selling in the boutique at a special introductory rate of just $1.55! Get them while they’re hot!

And since we know you will be perusing the gallery in search of these Fab 5's, we have decided to turn it into a little game. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to look closely at the layouts each designer created with their Fab 5's on each boutique page. Most of them include something related to the number "5." So, get your list of 5's together, include them in an e-mail and send it to [email protected]. Those of you who have the most correct will be entered into a drawing to win five, yes FIVE, collections (5 of our standard size collections) of your choosing from the boutique! This is a phenomenal opportunity, not to be repeated. So rub your eyes clear, get your glasses, and get a pencil and paper ready to find all the 5's! Good luck to everyone!

And of course, we've got prizes galore to give away, so check out some of these great events!

Thursday, October 22:

10:00AM MT - My FIVE Favorite Things Chat
Join Kelly (KellyChron) and Sherry Lynn in the chat room on October 22 at 10am MT for the Five Favorite Things Chat and Challenge. Watch the message board for a thread where we will list all the details, in the meantime - start thinking about your five favorite things!


2:00PM MT - Jazz Up Your Journaling Mini-Class
Want to jazz up your journalling? Join Mary Elizabeth (NS_Scrapper) on Thursday at 2pm MT for a free mini-class offering 5 ways to incorporate the words that narrate the stories of your layouts.


7:00PM MT - Ad Inspiration Chat
Join Pat (PBarnes) at 7pm MT for an Ad Inspiration Challenge and Chat. A few hours before the chat, a magazine ad will be posted on the message board to use as inspiration for a layout. You can use whatever you want to from the ad - the colors, the shapes, the composition. There are no wrong answers!

Friday, October 23:

9:00AM MT - What's New Chat
Join Michelle (Shelbi) and Sherry Lynn at 9am MT on Friday 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!


11:00AM MT - FIVE Creative Ways to Use Alphas Mini-Class
"A-B-C-D-E-F-G, Get more mileage from your Alphas for free!" Join Anna Mansfield (anna) for a free "5 Creative Ways to Use Alphas" mini class on Friday, October 23 at 11am MT to learn some fun ways to use more alphas on your layouts.


12Noon MT - Photo Challenge Chat
Scrap Girls is turning 5!!! It all started back in 2004. To celebrate, join Carla (CRS) on Friday, October 23rd at Noon MT for a Photo Challenge. Let's scrap a photo or two from 2004! Hope to see you there!


6:00PM MT - Wood Inspiration Crop
Did you know that the traditional 5th Anniversary gift is Wood? Join Carla (CRS) on Friday at 6pm MT for a Wood Inspiration Crop! You can use wood as inspiration in any way you'd like! The possiblities are endless!


7:00PM MT - Ice Cream Sundae Crop
Join Ang (AngRoCamp) on Friday at 7pm MT for a Build Your Own Sundae Crop! No celebration is complete without sharing sweet treats with friends. Find the list from which to choose your sundae ingredients in the "ScrapGirls 5th Anniversary Party Forum - 2009" on the message board. Shortly before the crop begins, you'll be given the list of layout supplies that correspond with the ingredients you chose. Then join us in the chatroom for good times and virtual, guilt-free sundaes!

Saturday, October 24:

2:00PM MT - FIVE Tips for Using Multiple Photos
Photos! Photos! We all love photos! Please join Kim Thompson (KBT) for "5 Tips for Using Multiple Photos," a free mini-class on Saturday at 2pm MT. You won't even need a two page layout!


7:00PM MT - FIVE Steps to a Fabulous Layout
Join Christy (ChristyVW) at 7pm MT for a free mini-class on Five Steps to a Fabulous Layout. Put on your Scrapbooking Biology hat and come dissect some layouts with us. You might just learn a new trick or two or five!


8:00PM MT - Pajama Party Wrap-Up
Join Carol Ann (Zaz) and Angela (angelaNussbaum) in a fun-filled 2 hour pajama party! Put your pajamas on, snuggle into your slippers, get your chocolate stash handy and get ready for chatting, fun and games!

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

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 Thao Cosgrove using October's Scrap Girls Club
larger view

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
larger view

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!

Embellishments

I love the clustered look, but I will be the first to admit that it takes some thinking to put together an attractive embellishment cluster. Fortunately, there are many pre-made clusters in the boutique to suit your fancy. I will show you how easy it is to achieve the clustered look using pre-made embellishment clusters and how to further embellish your layout to make these pre-made clusters your own.

First, I place an embellishment cluster from Angie Briggs' Just Be You Cluster Embellishment Mini on a white paper from the Just Be You Collection Biggie. I love this cluster because aside from the fact that the embellishments in it are arranged artfully and with a great mix of color and texture, it also provides places for two photos, which takes the guesswork out of placing photos.

Next, I place a circle embellishment cluster from the Dress Up Embellishment Mini. I layer two copies of this cluster under the "Just Be You" cluster.

To further customize, I add small embellishments like stars, hearts, wire and butterflies, selecting the pieces carefully so as not to overwhelm the layout. I also anchor the arrangement by placing a ribbon embellishment at the top.

For extra interest, I layer a blue-checkered paper under the white paper layer. With the white paper layer active, I use a grunge brush to lightly erase areas to show a bit of the blue paper underneath.

Finally, I add journaling, a title, shadows and a border. Here is my finished layout.

Layout by Armi Custodio
larger view

Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Grungelle and ScrapSimple Tools - Lightroom Presets: Classic Black and White 10301 are also available.

Tutorial written by Armi Custodio

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 Murry
larger view

Designer Freebie by Brandy Murry coordinates with her Nuts and Berries Collection Mini

* 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, October 23rd - 9:00AM MT

Join Michelle (Shelbi) and Sherry_Lynn at 9am Mountain Time on Friday mornings 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!

Scraplift Chat
Sunday, October 25th - 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!

Scrap Girls 52 Chat
Sunday, October 25th - 4:00PM MT

Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Becca on Sunday, October 25 at 4pm MT for this month's Scrap Girls 52 chat, as we discuss this month's topic and ways to stay motivated to scrap those daily photos! If you're new or want to find out what SG52 is all about, this chat is a perfect time to get started.

Aussie Chat & Challenge
Monday, October 26th - 9:00PM Australian Eastern DST

Please come join Karen (kazbar73) & Jo (scrappingjo) at 9pm Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time on Monday 26 October for a chat and challenge. This week's challenge is to put your digi-scrapping skills to the test and make a card. It could be a birthday card or even a christmas card. It's totally up to you. Join us in the Live Chat Lobby for lots of fun and laughter as we talk about our cards. For our International ladies, the chat will be on at 4am MT (6am New York) time.

New Member Chat
Tuesday, October 27th - 7:00PM MT

Join Pat (PBarnes) and Carol Ann (Zaz) for the New Member Chat at 7pm MT in the Live Chat room lobby. This is a great place to ask questions about getting around the Scrap Girls site or about digital scrapbooking in general - and a great place to make some new friends. All are welcome, new and long time members included. You do need to have Java installed on your computer to access the Live Chat.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, October 28th - 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 28th, we'll do a "Push Yourself" challenge! Create a layout that really pushes your personal style - either something you've never done before, or a layout that is very much your style - just INTENSELY your style! 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!

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.)