Rozanne Paxman

It's Her Wedding Day!

Today is Julianne's wedding day. I'm a mix of emotions about it. I'm happy she has found a great guy to share her life with. I'm happy that it will be a beautiful event. I'm happy she is happy.

But I'm sad, too. It's hard to see your little girl grow up. It's hard to turn her over to someone else who has become the center of her world. It's hard to know that she will never live in your house again in the same way.

Didn't I have my long-anticipated baby girl just a few months ago? Didn't I take her to meet her kindergarten teacher a few weeks ago? Wasn't my junior high daughter hogging the telephone a few days ago? Didn't I laugh as she told me about needing a leather first-aid kit for her sophomore biology class yesterday? (It had to be leather so it could be eaten in an emergency!)

As I balance my emotions, my joy in her blessing wins the contest. I remember so clearly the happiness I felt when I married her dad, and as her mother, I want nothing more than for her to experience the same kind of joy.

Julianne has so much to look forward to, and I, as her mother, will get to have a front-row seat for it all. Sounds like a great bargain to me....

- Ro

P.S. Obviously, I wrote this muse in advance! I can't wait to show you how it all turned out.

Layout by Ro
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 12x12 My Life 3 and Brush Set: Paint Stroke are also available.

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!

Looking For A Few Good Layout Artists!

Do you want to earn free Scrap Girls products? Do you want the chance to have your amazing layouts published in the Scrap Girls newsletter? Are you a talented, fresh layout artist looking for a chance to be on our team?

Then you're in luck!

We are currently looking for new talent to add to our Layout Artist Team! If you're interested, go to the About Us page on our website, click on the "Find Out More" link to download the PDF and follow the instructions for sending in your application.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

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 Amanda McGee using April's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Amanda McGee

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 Brush Set
2 Designer's Choice Item

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

Layout by Shalae Tippetts using April's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Jan Hicks and Shalae Tippetts

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!

Mother's Day Silhouettes

Note: Tutorial created using Adobe Photoshop CS3 with Windows Vista.

Before we know it, Mother's Day will be here. I was thinking of what I would like to do this year and thought that the Silhouettes which I taught at convention would be so much fun to do as gifts on canvases for my sisters and mother. We have so many beautiful Scrap Girls scrapbooking papers and products, it was time for me to get some of those onto the wall.

I am going to show you a fun technique of adding a name to your silhouette to really personalize it for yourself or a special gift.

First, start with a 10x10 blank canvas. Do this by selecting File> New then enter 10x10 inches or 3000x3000 pixels. I want the finished project to be put on an 8x8 canvas, but part of the sides will wrap around the wood of the canvas, so you want to leave some room for the wrap-around.

The bottom of my silhouette had a nice rounded bottom, but to add a word, I wanted a line that the text could follow. I used ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates: Curves to help me get that smooth curve I wanted.

Place the template part at the bottom of the silhouette to the position you want. Then use your Magic Wand Tool to select the template's gray area. Once you have the "marching ants" around the gray template, click on your silhouette layer and hit Delete.

Now, the round bottom part of the silhouette has been deleted and there is a nice curve.

Next, add your name. I have used Bickham Script Fancy 2 and Bickham Script Pro fonts for my name since it has the swirled look I want to achieve for this project.

I made the font size about 115 points. It is okay if part of the name doesn't fit on the silhouette, because we are going to do something fun with that.

Use the Warped Text Tool at the top of your workspace when you select the Text Tool. It's a "T" with a little bowed line underneath.

I just needed to adjust it a little, so I chose the Flag option and adjusted the Bend to +2. Yours may vary depending on the slope of your bottom edge.

Once you have it the way you want it, rasterize the type. This makes the name no longer editable. In Photoshop Elements, this is called "Simplifying." You can do both of these by selecting the layer with your name on it, then right-clicking. A window will pop up; choose "Rasterize Type" for Photoshop users or "Simplify Layer" for Photoshop Elements users.

Next, click on your Silhouette layer. Using the Magic Wand Tool, click on the area outside the silhouette. You will see the marching ants. Next click on your Name layer and right-click to select "Layer Via Copy." You should now only see the part of the word that hung off your silhouette. We want to change this white part of your name to black. When using black and white, it's easy to switch it back and forth. Make sure you are on the layer we just duplicated. Go to the top of your screen and go to Image> Adjustments> Invert for Photoshop Users. Photoshop Elements users will select Filter> Adjustments> Invert.

Your image should look like this now. Don't forget to resize and make sure you fit in the 8x8 area with some space around it. Use your guides to show the area that will be visible or you can use a blank sheet of paper to mask off the parts that won't show while you are working on your silhouette.

(To view the rulers go to the top of your screen and click View> Rulers. I know it may sound simple, but I didn't know this for months when I started out.)

The next part is the fun stuff... choosing backgrounds, styles, and adding your own creative flair. If you are doing two, it's nice if they face each other.

Once you have your Silhouettes cut out, it's easy to change the backgrounds and embellishments. For my mother, I made different ones of all three grandchildren in a style that fits her decor better.

The file is uploaded and on its way to be printed on canvas. I hope my family will be surprised. Good luck and happy scrapping!

For more great ideas on using templates in your digital scrapbooking layouts, check out the incredible video tutorials on Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed and MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed!

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Project by Brandy Murry
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Tutorial written by Brandy Murry

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.

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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:

Scrap Girls 2009 Digital Scrap Link Class:
Let There Be Light

Follow Laurel, Scrap Girls' Layout Artist Coordinator, along as she teaches you the basics of light in your photography. You'll learn about the different types of lighting, about reflectors (including frugal ideas), and secrets on how to photograph small items or embellishments.

ReMix: (Digital Scrapbooking) From Ordinary to Extraordinary! eBook

Have you ever wanted to get a makeover - A layout makeover? Do you ever wonder how someone might decide to make certain changes and why? In ReMix: (Digital Scrapbooking) From Ordinary to Extraordinary! eBook, you have the opportunity to virtually "look over the shoulder" during the remake process.

Scrap Girls Tutorials & Way Cool Stuff eBook Set
2009 - 4th 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 4th Quarter of 2009 in one convenient PDF format.

Start to Finish eBooklets

Start to Finish eBooklet - PS: How to Combine ScrapSimple Paper & Photo 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

Layout by Erica Hite
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Designer Freebie by Erica Hite coordinates with her ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Ombre

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Ombre, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Scratches Biggie, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Grow, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Brushed 2, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Beautiful Distress, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photos That Pop B&W 1801 Mini, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Altered Photos PS 8201, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Vellum 5401 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Emboss 5401 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

What's New Chat
Friday, April 16th - 9:00AM MT

Join Michelle (Shelbi) and 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 and Chat
Friday, April 16th - 8:00PM MT

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April Showers in the chat room on Friday, April 16th at 8pm MT 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!

Scraplift Challenge Chat
Sunday, April 18th - 2:00PM MT

Scraplifting can be a wonderful starting point for your layouts! Join Becca on Sunday, April 18th at 2pm MT to learn more about scraplifting, the importance of giving credit, and more! A few hours before the chat, I will post the name and gallery link to a Scrap Girls Layout Artist Team member, and you can choose one of their layouts for inspiration! Hope you'll join us!

U.F.O. Chat
Sunday, April 18th - 6:00PM MT

Please join Sherry_Lynn and special guest co-hostess Janine (J9Buckles) from our Layout Artist Team on Sunday, April 18th. Let's complete or revamp some of those layouts that are sitting in your "Layouts to be Completed" folder. Post your unfinished layout in the UFO Gallery and meet us in the chat room at 4pm MT to get some inspirational suggestions from our incredible professionals here at Scrap Girls!

Leavin' Love Chat
Monday, April 19th - 4:30PM MT

Please join Sherry (Sherry_Lynn) on Monday, April 19th for a Leavin' Love Chat at 4:30pm MT! One of the greatest things about Scrap Girls is the generosity of our members... don't you agree? This goes for the Layout Gallery, too! Everyone likes to see a little "love" in the form of comments on a newly uploaded layout, so let's give it our all today and bombard the gallery with some purple fuzzies!

Coffee Break Chat
Tuesday, April 20th - 5:00AM 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 (Sherry Lynn) on Tuesday, April 20th at 5am MT for this month's Coffee Break Chat. We'll chat over the latest issue of the Newsletter AND create a challenge based on it! Hope to see you there!

New Member Chat - Early Edition
Tuesday, April 20th - 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.

Faith Journey Chat
Tuesday, April 20th - 5:00PM MT

Join Elisha (elibar) and Sherry Lynn for a Faith Journey Chat on Tuesday, April 20 at 5pm MT. All faiths are welcome! We'll be chatting and scrapping about our individual faith walk and how we also walk together. Watch the message board for this month's topic of discussion, and if you like - create a layout based on the topic!

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, April 21st - 10:00AM MT

Join April (April Showers) each Wednesday at 10am MT for the East Coast High Noon Crop. All coasts and time zones are welcome! 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. This week, we will be doing a ScrapSimple challenge! Create a layout using at least one ScrapSimple product.If you haven't used them before, we'll have some great ideas for you in the chat. Upload your layouts to the special High Noon Crop Gallery. You'll be amazed what you can get done in just one hour, but there is no High Noon Sheriff timing you!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Thursday, April 22nd - 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) at 2pm MT in the chat room Lobby! Hope to see you there!

APRIL EVENTS

April Message Board Game: Progressive Word Scramble!

The object of the game is to correctly guess the name of a product in the Scrap Girls Boutique by solving clues and unscrambling letters we give you. Each day, you will be given a letter found in the product name as well as a clue. You won't know how many letters are in the product name until it is complete. We will keep giving clues until a correct guess is made.

The designer's name or the word "Collection" are not included as part of the puzzle. Letters from any other words in product names (such as "Biggie," "Brush" or "Transparency") may be given as part of the puzzle.

Be the first to answer it correctly and win a $5.00 Gift Certificate to the Boutique! You are only allowed ONE guess per daily clue, and you are only allowed ONE win per month. When you make your guess, you MUST provide a link to the boutique item you are referencing. We will play the game daily during the entire month of April. When a correct answer is given, the new puzzle will start the following day.

For complete details and examples of game play, visit the "Games" folder on the Scrap Girls message board.

Layout Contests:

April Monthly Layout Contest: It's time to get your silly on! For this month's layout contest, we want to see layouts featuring the silly or mischievous antics in your life. Let us see the silly faces, crazy clothes and hilarious moments. Create your layout and post it in the April Layout Contest Gallery by Midnight on April 30th. 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!