What Christmas Means to Me

I spent the first 19 years of my life living in the same house in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Every Christmas, we did the exact same wonderful traditions. On Christmas Eve, we would go to the candlelight service at church. Then, it was off to Grandma's house where we ate, sang Christmas carols, read the Christmas story and unwrapped a few presents. When we got back home, I remember the excitement I always felt trying to fall asleep - even when I was in college! The next morning, we would all wake up early, usually an hour or so before my parents told us we were "allowed" to, and open presents. Of course, the presents are your favorite part as a child! In the afternoon, it was back to Grandma's house for a big turkey feast.

When I got married, the dynamics of Christmas totally changed. Suddenly, Christmas was one of the only times each year that I got to see my family and, when we came back, we had to try and divide our time and attention between two families. One year, I got very, very sick. Last year, we weren't able to come back at all because I was too far along in my pregnancy. This year, I'm so excited to celebrate Amber's first Christmas but, sadly, her daddy is in North Carolina serving his country in the Coast Guard and will have to miss it.

When Christmas comes and everything isn't perfect or it's not as you remember it, it's easy to get discouraged and upset and not enjoy it. But, having these last few years, I've learned that as much as you love traditions and spending time with family, sometimes you just have to step back from it all and look at what Christmas is really about. If you think about it, Christmas is really about sacrifice and heartache. Can you imagine how hard it was for God to send his only son to this sinful world in the form of a helpless, little baby? Can you imagine how much Heaven must have missed Him? Can you imagine the love God has for us that He was willing to give us that sacrifice? This Christmas, enjoy your traditions, love your family and be thankful you can be with them. But, don't forget what Christmas really means to me – and what it should mean to you.

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 Shalae Tippetts using December's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Shalae Tippetts

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 Amanda McGee using November's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Amanda McGee and Brandie Valenzuela

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!

Over the last few months, I have taught several different classes including "Kaleidoscopes" and "Stunning 3D Text." Both classes are always fun to teach.

The "Kaleidoscope" class always results in unusual layouts due to the different source photographs and the portion of the photo that gets used. Selecting the source photograph is the key to a pleasing and successful kaleidoscope design. Looking through the gallery, I am inspired by many of the sources.

Our "Stunning 3D Text" class is one of my favorite classes to teach. The technique for making the basic 3D text is simple, but how you enhance it is up to you. I am always inspired by this simple technique that is made unique by the way you can further enhance the basic text with brushes, gradients, etc. The layouts uploaded to the Scrap Girls class gallery are fabulous. Everyone did a great job making the 3D text and completing their layouts, inspiring everyone with their ideas.

Joyce made a beautiful layout by extracting her daughters from a photograph and placing them on the 3D word "Dance." The 3D text is fabulous and Joyce mastered the art of displaying the 3D word perfectly.

Layout by princessrunningfingers
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Commercial license versions of Dynamic Brush Set: Textured 8201, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Metal Foil 6501 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 are also available.

Rose Ann made a delightful layout in class and proved to everyone how useful uploading a layout to the gallery can be by asking for suggestions for improvement. This was the third version of Rose Ann's layout. Each version surpassed the previous after Rose Ann made edits. One of the best edits was to make the 3D text appear firmly embedded in the grass.

Layout by Rose Ann
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Jo designed a wonderful kaleidoscope layout using a Quetzal as her source photograph. The result speaks for itself. This is an amazing, well-balanced layout with vibrant colors.

Layout by jhbren
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Article written by Jene Parks

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by Sheri L
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Type Paths: Squares and Rectangles 2101, Brush Set: Ornamental Ink, Brush Set: Downtown and Brush Set: Go With The Flow are also available.

Layout by katiemo
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Scattered Pictures 2 and AMC_Doodlelicious Font 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!

November's Monthly Layout Contest Winner

Layout by Laura Peart
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Congratulations to Laura Peart for winning the November Layout Contest. Laura's darling layout did a great job fitting the theme of scrapping about what keeps you from scrapping! Laura receives a $10 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique for her efforts. Congratulations!

Congratulations to this month's winner. Please email [email protected] to get your gift!

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

Member of the Month - December 2009

Congratulations Gayle (Smiles)! The Scrap Girls Team has chosen Gayle as the Member of the Month for December!

Gayle joined Scrap Girls in January 2007 and has become an active member of our community. She answers questions when she can or lets someone know a member needs help with something. She welcomes new members and is always there with a birthday wish.

Gayle receives a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique and has the honor of wearing the Member of the Month blinkie!

When you have a few minutes, Gayle, please tell us a little about yourself and share a link to your favorite layout! Thank you for making Scrap Girls a wonderful, friendly place! Congratulations!!

Contest Winners

November Message Board Game - The Alphabet Hunt

Congratulations to the following members whose names were drawn from all participants of the November Message Board Game - The Alphabet Hunt and won $5 gift certificates to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

ritzbits
Bobbi Jo
hypermum
lorac
katiemo

Reminiscing contributed to the game 39 times, earning her the automatic $10 gift certificate for contributing the most to the monthly game. Congratulations!

Congratulations to this month's winners! Please send an email to [email protected] to claim your prize.

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:

Artistry: A Celebration of Digital Design Excellence eBook

Artistry: A Celebration of Digital Design Excellence highlights the best-of-the-best in digital scrapbooking focusing on high quality layout design, imaginative use of products, creative vision, top-notch typography, and artistic expression. There are different layouts in a wide range of styles and techniques to be found in the book, and there are a multitude of ideas to be culled from the pages.

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 - PSE: How to Emboss & Texturize with ScrapSimple 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

Surprise! Surprise! More gifts galore!
We have TWO designer freebies for you each day until Christmas Eve!

Layout by Syndee Nuckles
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Designer Freebie by Syndee Nuckles coordinates with her Fa La La Collection Mini

Layout by Jacelen Deinema
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Designer Freebie by Jacelen Deinema coordinates with her Watercolor Christmas Collection

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Tied Tags 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

Scraplift Challenge Crop
Sunday, December 6th - 4:00PM MT

Join Becca and angelaNussbaum for a Scraplift Challenge Crop. A few hours before the chat, we will tell you the name of a Scrap Girls Team Member, and you will be able to choose one of their layouts as your inspiration. During the crop, we will 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!

NSBR Chat
Monday, December 7th - 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 December 7th at 7pm MT!

Baby Album Chat
Tuesday, December 8th - 11:00AM MT

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 on Tuesday, December 8th at 11am MT 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 for motivation if you want one. For this month's challenge, let's get those "firsts" scrapped! You know, the first smile, first time sleeping through the night, etc. - let's scrap those moments!

U.F.O Chat
Tuesday, December 8th - 5:00PM MT

Please join Sherry_Lynn and special guest co-hostess Elisha Barnett (elibar) from our Layout Artist Team on Tuesday, December 8th at 5pm MT for a "Un-Finished Objects" Chat. Let's complete or revamp some of those layouts that are sitting in your "Layouts To Be Completed" folder. Post your layout in the UFO Gallery and meet us in the chatroom to get some inspirational suggestions from our incredible professionals here at Scrap Girls!

New Member Chat
Tuesday, December 8th - 7:00PM MT

Join Pat (PBarnes) and Carol Ann (Zaz) for the New Member Chat at 7pm MT in the Live Chat 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, December 9th - 10:00AM MT

Join your guest host April Showers for the East Coast High Noon Crop every Wednesday at 10am MT. 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 December 9th, we'll do a photo-manipulation challenge! Change a photo to sepia, cut out a background, use filters, try something new with your photos! 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!

Journaling Challenge Chat
Wednesday, December 9th - 5:00PM MT

Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Becca for a Journaling Chat at 5pm MT. Struggle to find the right words for your layouts? Are your layouts more decorative than descriptive of the moments you're trying to capture? Then you won't want to miss this chat - we'll have a special challenge to encourage you to journal on your pages more! See you there!

Sketch Challenge Crop
Thursday, December 10th - 7:00PM MT

Join Marnie (sprinklz) for the Sketch Challenge and Crop on December 10th at 7pm MT in the Scrap Girls Chat Room! Like getting a little jump start on your layouts? Then this challenge is for you! A few hours before the challenge begins, a sketch will be posted for you to use as the starting point for your page. You can be inspired by the basic arrangement, the amount of photos, or copy it literally. All interpretations are welcome and encouraged!

What's New Chat
Friday, December 11th - 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!

Quote Challenge Crop
Sunday, December 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 may use to make your own word art. It's not hard, and I 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!

DECEMBER EVENTS

December Message Board Game: Holiday Hoopla 2009

Welcome to Holiday Hoopla 2009! This time of year is packed with celebrations, events and traditions galore! It's also time for our most challenging game of the year! This challenge promises to keep you busy all month long. We're going to celebrate the season together on the Message Board through tasks and challenges focused on holiday and seasonal traditions and of course, there will be prizes in store!

Join us in the Monthly Message Board Games forum for details about this month-long challenge. Find out how EVERYONE who completes the Holiday Hoopla challenge will earn a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls boutique, and learn what you can do to earn an additional $5 Gift Certificate through your participation in the challenge. Join us for fun and festivities as we celebrate the winter holidays together - Holiday Hoopla 2009 style!

Layout Contests:

December Monthly Layout Contest: December is here! It's a time for celebrations and family traditions. For the December Monthly Layout contest, we'd love to see your Family Traditions scrapped for future generations to enjoy! Post your layouts in the December Layout Contest Gallery before Midnight, December 31st. Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the details tab. If your layout is chosen, you could win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

November Mid-Month Layout Contest: We all know one; maybe you even are one. You know her, the woman who can do it all and make it look easy... a Superwoman! For the Mid-November Layout Contest, scrap a layout all about that Superwoman in your life. Post your layouts in the Mid-November Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight, December 14th and you will be eligible to win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique! Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the details tab.

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.)