I read an article recently that touched me profoundly, and I've spent a lot of time pondering it. The author was an ecclesiastical leader who had also been an airline pilot. He said that his favorite part of flying was taking off in the midst of a storm and rising up through the clouds until finally, breaking through, he was above them and could once more see the sun shining as brilliantly as ever. He likened this experience to the one we can have with prayer. In the midst of dark, stormy, and troubled times in our lives, we can pray to the Source of all light and invite His light back into our lives.

This has been a powerful image for me. I've had the experience of taking off in bad weather, too, and of marveling as the plane lifted above the storm into blindingly bright light. It was not the light itself that changed, only my ability to see it — my perspective. The light was there, constant.

In my life, I am prone to discouragement and depression. Circumstances are so often troubling, and I feel I am so much less than I ought to be. But since reading the article, I have been able to remind myself that, no matter what troubles I am experiencing at the moment, the Light is still there. Above and beyond myself, God's love continues to shine. It is my part to seek His light through prayer and Scripture study, and through reaching out in love to others who may be struggling.

In many ways, these are gloomy times for the world as a whole. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by so many things that are beyond our control. But I remind myself that above all of us, no matter how murky the immediate situation, God's light - His love and power and purposes - blazes with unfailing brilliance. This gives me hope. It strengthens my faith. It keeps me moving forward. His brightness can illuminate my life even when I cannot see it with my mortal eyes.

Bobbi A.

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 Trish Yochum using February's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Trish Yochum

Alert! Alert! TOMORROW is the last day you can sign up for the Scrap Girls Club and still get this great group of products at this amazing price.
Don't delay... sign up now!

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 Template
1 ScrapSimple Embellishment or Word Art Template Set
2 Designer's Choice Items

A commercially licensed version of the ScrapSimple Club is also available here.

Layout by Armi Custodio using February's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Cherise Oleson and Syndee Nuckles

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!

Here are just of the few nice things people have said about us recently...

I fell in love with digital scrapping about a year ago. Shortly after, I found Scrap Girls, and it has been one of my favorite sites. It wasn't long before I wanted Photoshop Elements. I enjoy the daily newsletter (and I miss it on Sunday) with all the layouts, new products, and freebies. The tutorials are wonderful. The instructions that come with a lot of templates and tools are a huge help. I like how every product shows a sample with it in the boutique. Your customer service has always been top notch.

I just wanted to tell you how much I love your website and the products you offer. I am extremely pleased with everything I have purchased. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into keeping us "happy scrappers."

The inspirational and informative Scrap Girls (almost daily) newsletter is something I look forward to each day. That newsletter must take an immense amount of effort and time to keep it at the quality that we see (almost) every day! When I see a new product featured in the newsletter, I usually check it out in the boutique. I have a special folder for the priceless tips in the newsletters. I also have a special folder for my favorite layouts from the newsletter and the gallery so that when my creativity is nonexistent, I can look at those for inspiration.

I'd just like you to know that I am very happy with everything about Scrap Girls. The quality and range of your scrapbooking products is excellent, and I have never had any complaint. I love your newsletters, too. You are so open in sharing your life experiences that you make me feel like I am a friend. In fact, the whole Scrap Girls experience is so friendly and everyone so helpful that I can't think of any other business which beats it. Keep up the excellent work. Best wishes to you and your team.

The Scrap Girls website is what made me take the plunge into digital (I had never even used a photo editing program). At least 99 percent of what I have learned has been through the guidance of Scrap Girls. I have been so thrilled with the products and customer service. All of you do a wonderful job.

The newsletters are great. Your muse about how you started Scrap Girls is one of my favorites, as my family is in a bit of the same predicament — in the middle of changing careers, stressed about everything, trying to make it all work out. It's nice to know that someone else has been through it — and survived!

God bless you and everyone at Scrap Girls! It's like a little download of heaven to me!

I am quite pleased with Scrap Girls customer service! Good service seems so hard to find. I was surprised the first time I emailed a question. I received a response from Angie within hours. I even called once, and she talked me through my problem. A real live person... who actually helped me!

I am really enjoying the switch to digital. I have done paper off and on for years. But with two boys, a part-time job, Cub Scouts, volunteering at the school — well, you have kids so you know how it is. Paper just got to be kind of hard, lugging everything out.

Now I am trying to teach myself Photoshop Elements and am really enjoying it. I feel like I have purchased enough from Scrap Girls, and now I need to actually do some pages. I made an altered CD album for Grandparent's Day.

So thank you for all you do!

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by kayoft
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 4x6 Daily Do, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Jelly 2101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Sanded Edge Black 6302 are also available.

Layout by Vaughnde
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Background Blenders, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Background Blenders II Biggie and Brush Set: Day at the Beach 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
NEWLY UPDATED! Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Photoshop Elements
Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Paint Shop Pro X (XI)

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

Now that you've learned the basics of digital scrapbooking with Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, you are ready to learn advanced skills for having even more fun while you create digital scrapbooking layouts!

Get a big boost learning how to use ScrapSimple products to make your own backgrounds, embellishments, and alphas with the MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed for Photoshop Elements movie tutorial series. You'll learn so much that your digital scrapbooking layouts will never be the same!

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:

Scrapbooking 911 - 2-page Sketches
to Revitalize Your Digital Scrapbooking eBook

Are you stuck in a creative corner? Need a jumpstart to your layouts? Want more ideas how to go from a blank page to a digital masterpiece? With a fresh collection of original sketches, all the hard design decisions (such as balance, composition, and rule of thirds) have already been made for you.

Scrapbook Quotes eBook
The right quote for your scrapbook layouts

Looking for scrapbooking quotes or quotes to use for greeting cards? Here's your solution. This packed eBook contains hundreds of quotes, collected over many years by Rozanne Paxman specifically for use on scrapbooking layouts.

Scrap Girls Tutorials & Way Cool Stuff eBook Set
2009 - 3rd Quarter

Subscribers to the Scrap Girls Newsletter have one thing in common: they love to learn new techniques! Each issue shares ideas, tutorials, and new ways to use Scrap Girls quality digital scrapbooking products. Now you can have all those past tutorials and Way Cool Stuff articles of the 3rd Quarter of 2009 in one convenient PDF format.

Start to Finish eBooklets

Start to Finish eBooklet - PS: The Beauty of Blending Modes: Using them with ScrapSimple Products

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 Julie White
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Designer Freebie by Julie White coordinates with her Sisterhood Collection

* 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

Swap Crop Chat
Saturday, February 27th - 6:00PM MT

It's time for the Swap Crop Chat! We've done the swapping and created the layouts. Now it's time to chat about all the gorgeous layouts! I don't know what it is, but these swaps bring out the best in everyone. This is the time to chat about the theme, the beautiful layouts and learn about the swap crop if you haven't participated before. I'll even reveal the theme for next month! Join Carla (CRS) for a fun chat at 6pm MT on Saturday, February 27th!

Desktop Challenge Crop
Sunday, February 28th - 5:00PM MT

Tired of the boring desktop wallpaper backgrounds that your PC or MAC came with? Join Becca and Shari PV Mom on Sunday, February 28th at 5pm MT for this month's Desktop Challenge Crop. We'll show you how to use your digital scrapbooking supplies to create a personalized desktop wallpaper of your own. For this challenge, we'll give you a theme and a technique challenge to choose from! Keep your eyes on the message board for more details!

NSBR Chat
Monday, March 1st - 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 March 1st at 7pm MT!

ATC Swap Chat
Tuesday, March 2nd - 5:00PM MT

Please join Sherry_Lynn and Elisha (elibar) in the chatroom for our March ATC (Artist Trading Card) Swap Crop/Chat on Tuesday, March 2nd at 5pm MT. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Creative Cards Chat
Tuesday, March 2nd - 6:00PM MT

Do you use your digital supplies to make cards? Do you want to? Instead of going to the store every time you need a card you can save money and have fun making cards with your digi stash! Make a note of any cards you might need for the upcoming month, and join Michelle (Shelbi) and April (April Showers) for the monthly Card Chat on Tuesday, March 2nd at 6pm MT. Can't wait to see you there!

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, March 3rd- 10:00AM MT

Join your 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 March 3rd, we'll do a font challenge! Create a layout on any theme, any topic, and any colors - using multiple fonts - at least 3 different fonts! Mix it up! 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!

What's New Chat
Friday, March 5th - 9:00AM MT

Join Michelle (Shelbi) and Sherry (Sherry_Lynn) at 9am MT 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!

Back-Up Party & Chat
Friday, March 5th - 2:00PM MT

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April Showers in the chat room on Friday, March 5th for a Back-up Party and Chat. We'll also go over several different ways to safeguard your files. You won't want to miss this one!

Quote Challenge Chat
Sunday, March 7th - 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 can 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, March 8th - 9:00PM Australian Eastern DST

Come join Karen (kazbar73) & Jo (scrappingjo) for an Aussie Quote Challenge Crop! Here's how it will work... On Sunday, we will post a thread on the challenge board giving you the quote which you will use to make your own word art. It's not hard, and we'll even have a layout with a Word Art example. Then we'll meet in the chat room to have fun, chat, and create our Word Art layout! The chat will start at 9pm Australian Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time. Everyone can participate and create a layout, even if you can't make the chat. Hope to see you there! For our International ladies, the chat will start at 5am New York time or 3am MT on Monday 8 March.

FEBRUARY EVENTS

February Message Board Game: BINGO!

It's that time again! Join us for an exciting game of BINGO on the Message Board Forum in February! Pick 25 words from the list provided in the forum and send them in an email to [email protected] with a subject line that says "BINGO CARD - your SG message board username" by Saturday, January 30th (Midnight MST) in order to play in the first round, which will begin on Monday, February 1st.

Each day, members of the Welcoming Committee will call five 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 forum 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:

February Monthly Layout Contest: During the month of February, many people turn to thoughts of love. What greater love is there than the love for family. For this month's contest, we want to see layouts about your family – either the one you grew up with or the one you have started. Create your layout and post it in the February Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight MST on February 28th. Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the EXIF Properties. If your layout is one of the two chosen, you will win a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

Club Concepts Layout Contest: Post your new layout using the current club selection (either the Scrap Girls Club or the ScrapSimple Club) in our Scrap Girls Club Members Gallery or the ScrapSimple Club Members' Gallery. Be sure to list all of the Scrap Girls products you used. If your layout is chosen, it will be showcased as a Club Concepts layout winner, and you will win a $5 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.)

Haven't received your prize as a contest winner? Please send an email to [email protected] and we'll get it out to you right away!