Note from Heidi: I love this short, yet profound blog post from Kerry Veale. I often am asked to do photo shoots for friends and family, but when it comes time to actually take the pictures, they stand in front of the camera looking like wooden posts! That's no way to get good shots, and I often have to do some creative exercises to get them to loosen up and give me some natural-looking shots.

Kerry Veale

Brother and Sister

My son often gets a "deer in the headlights" expression when I take his picture. One day, I asked my son and daughter to stand on the front porch and just have fun. In the meantime, I shot photos. I love the results!

Layout by Kerry Veale
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Subtle Photos 7601 Biggie are also available.

Scrap Girls, Etc. is a weekly column pulling bits and pieces from all over Scrap Girls. Stay tuned each week as Scrap Girls' Jane-of-All-Trades Heidi Dillon brings you tutorials, musings, recipes, interviews, design/software tips and tricks, layout walk-throughs, and who knows what else!

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 Erica Hite using September's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Erica Hite

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 August's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Thao Cosgrove 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!

ScrapSimple Alpha Templates

Psst... can I tell you a secret? I have rarely used ScrapSimple Alpha Templates. I think I owned a grand total of three before I was given this assignment. One of the reasons I applied for the Layout Artist team was because I wanted to push myself beyond my comfort zone. This assignment really did that for me. But do you want to know another secret? I think I've fallen in love... with ScrapSimple Alpha Templates!

The first thing I did was look in the Boutique to see what my options were. There are so many to choose from, and I really started to get excited about this assignment. Then I thought about what I could use them for that wasn't necessarily a layout, because everyone knows you can use them on layouts. It came to me very quickly actually.

My daughter starts kindergarten this year, and she would need her name on her supplies. Not all kindergarteners can read so I wanted to make sure all the kids would know what was hers. ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Lifted Photos Biggie was my answer! I made a layout to fit her pencil box. When I printed it, I put a full-sized copy plus multiple smaller copies on a sheet of sticker paper. Now her pencil box, folders, crayons, paints, and backpack all have her picture and her name on them! And here's the bonus I wasn't expecting: Her nametag layout has 31 layers and took me less than 15 minutes to complete!

In preparing for my daughter to go to school, I also wanted to get her started with chores. And I know my three-year-old son well enough to know that if his sissy has one, he's going to need one, too. I started with ScrapSimple Craft Templates: Chore Chart. I put it all together the way I wanted it and then started on their names. For each letter in ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Bent, I dragged the desired paper over the letter layer and created a clipping mask. Then I played with the Blending Modes until I found the one that showed the bend in the letter the way I liked. Then I selected the three layers, linked them, and dragged them onto my chore chart.

I wanted to be able to put one string element across the letters, so in order to line up the bends just right I inserted a guide onto my page (View> New Guide). This made it quick and easy to line them up perfectly.

Then I chose ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Theme Park for the word "chores." There are so many ways to change up the look. You can use clipping masks, colorize with Hue/Saturation, use textures and styles. The options are endless. For this option, I chose to apply ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Pearl 5101, and it added just a hint of color without taking away from the effects of the ScrapSimple Alpha Template that was already there.

Once my layouts were completed, I printed them out onto magnet paper and did the same for the awards as well. I cut out the awards, and now my refrigerator is decorated with the beautiful digital scrapbooking supplies that I love so much. I know I will use a lot more ScrapSimple Alpha Templates in the days to come. I hope you will, too!

Explore the flexibility of ScrapSimple Templates, plus 50 other digital scrapbooking topics, in Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed and MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed. Drop by the Scrap Girls Boutique now!

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Layouts by Shari Payne
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Lifted Photos, ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Bent, ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Theme Park, ABC Fun Collection Biggie, Inspired Child Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: String Fling, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Metals II 8501 Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Glow 8501 Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Pearl 5101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 are also available.

Article written by Shari Payne

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:

Scrap Girls 2009 Digital Scrap Link Class: Combining ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates

Learn how you can combine ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates to create your own unique layout template written by Angie Briggs. In this class, you will learn some tricks of combining 2, 3 (or even more) layout templates and templates of all sizes to create your own unique digital layout template.

Word Play: Creative Text Techniques eBook

Would you like to take your layouts up a notch? Can you imagine your boring old title transformed into an impressive visual element on your page? This digital scrapbooking ebook will show you how!

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 - PSE: How to Make a Birthday Scrapbook Page

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 Paula Wright
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Designer Freebie by Paula Wright coordinates with her ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Bow Borders

Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Special Day and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Paper Textures 4902 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

Project SG Chat
Thursday, September 2nd - 6:00PM MT

Have you heard about Project SG yet? This challenge is all about creating an album for 2010 and scrapping your most current photos. Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and April (April Showers) on Thursday, September 2nd at 6pm MT for this month's Project SG Chat! It isn't too late to start. We'll fill you in on all the details at the chat. Hope to see you there!

What's New in the Boutique Chat
Friday, September 3rd - 9:00AM MT

Join April (April Showers) 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, September 3rd - 2:00PM MT

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April (April Showers) in the chat room Friday, September 3rd 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!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Monday, September 6th - 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 us, Carla (CRS) and Lei (Bride) on September 6th at 7pm MT!

Life Moments Crop & Chat
Tuesday, September 7th - 2:00PM MT

Join April (April Showers) in the chat room September 7th at 2pm MT for another Life Moments Chat and Crop. These chats are focused on building a scrapbook all about you, one layout at a time. This week we will be focusing on Back to School Memories. If you're like me, you may not have Back to School photos of yourself, but I've found other photos that will work with this challenge. Go ahead, dig through your files, write down your memories, and be sure to join us in the chat room!

Creative Cards Chat
Tuesday, September 7th - 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 April (April Showers) for the monthly Card Chat on Tuesday, September 7th at 6pm MT. Can't wait to see you there!

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, September 8th - 10:00AM MT

Join April (April Showers) each Wednesday at 12 Noon Eastern Time 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. On September 8th, we'll do a favorite photo challenge! Create a layout show casing a recently-taken favorite photo! You'll be amazed what you can get done in just one hour, but there is no High Noon Sheriff timing you!

Baby Theme Crop
Wednesday, September 8th - 7:00PM MT

Do you need some motivation getting those baby layouts or 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) in the chat room on Wednesday, September 8th at 7pm MT to work on those layouts and chat about our children and grandchildren!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Thursday, September 9th - 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 Pat (PBarnes) at 2pm MT in the chat room Lobby! Hope to see you there!

Sketch Challenge Crop
Thursday, September 9th - 7:00PM MT

Join Marnie (sprinklz) for the Sketch Challenge and Crop on Thursday, September 9th 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, Marnie will post a sketch 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!

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

September Message Board Game: Simplify September!

It's time to kick off a new season and the upcoming holidays with fun and focus on scrapbooking! And a few prizes thrown in never hurt, right? Join us on the message board this month for "Simplify September!" This Message Board game and challenge is meant to help you get those photos out of your camera and get started on your holiday cards, 2011 Calendars and focus on taking time to scrapbook regularly, despite the little speedbumps of life. When the month is over, you'll have completed several projects and have been challenged along the way.

A member of the Welcoming Committee will post a task every day from September 1st - 30th in the game thread. Don't let the idea of daily tasks intimidate you. When we say "mini," we mean it. Our goal isn't simply to keep you busy, but to direct your focus through baby-step tasks that will lead you to completed projects. Some tasks will require Message Board participation, email responses or Gallery posting. Read each daily task carefully to see what is required of you. (If nothing is specified, then it is an "on your honor" task, and we'll trust that you did as required - tasks will often build upon one another, and we'll see in later tasks that you completed earlier ones.)

PRIZES: Those who complete all tasks and submit or post required participation by 11:59pm MT on September 30th will be entered in a drawing to win one of three $10 Gift Certificates to the Scrap Girls Boutique! Those who complete just the layouts will be entered in a separate drawing to win one of three $5 Gift Certificates. (Those who complete all tasks will have their name entered in both drawings!)

Winners will be announced in the Newsletter on Saturday, October 9th.

For complete details, visit the Monthly Message Board Games folder on the Scrap Girls Message Board.

Layout Contests:

September Monthly Layout Contest: You may not think about it often, but you do make a positive impact on those around you. For the September contest, we want you to scrap a layout about something you have done that made a positive impact on someone else. It might be in your role as a parent, a friend, a teacher, or a team member in sports or at work. Post your layouts in the September Gallery before Midnight MT on September 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!