Ever noticed...

...there is never enough time to organize and scrap?

...when you have something to do, so does everyone else? (And they need your help.)

...that you're surprised when you get the picture order, which you started after breakfast, completed at 10 p.m.?

...that two meals, four loads of clothes, three conference calls, pumpkin pie fixings, four family calls to organize Thanksgiving events, vegetables sautéed for cornbread dressing and dishes all got done - before the picture order was finished?

...patience makes the day go much smoother – even if not any quicker.

...busy people are the ones who get things done!

...there are always more things that crop up when you are focused on finishing a task.

...these are the blessings the Lord gives us!

I'm convinced that if I had only one thing to do, I wouldn't feel nearly as loved or needed. Lord, I am so thankful that the picture order is in for my granddaughter so she can crop her mama's Christmas present. Even if I'm not there to help her finish what we started at Halloween, her Granny and Paw will make sure she gets the pictures.

Now, tomorrow, while I am cleaning, organizing, and cooking for Thanksgiving, help me get the album and other supplies ordered to be delivered to her while her mom and dad are cruising. Then after Thanksgiving Day, I can finish the cute snowman and other embellishments and get them sent off to her.

Isn't life grand? I didn't even talk to Sami today, but my perseverance will make her and her mama so happy! Three generations of scrapbookers and family who count on me, regardless of travel to Starkville, Frisco, Rock Island, Omaha, Huntington, and Germany the last few weeks. I am truly blessed!

- Peggy Wright

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 Elisha Barnett using January's Scrap Girls Club
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Created for you by Syndee Nuckles

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 Ashleigh Bronner using January's ScrapSimple Club
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Created for you by Cherise Oleson 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!

When you talk, we listen. That's a promise. We do all we can to help you have a wonderful experience here at Scrap Girls. Here are a few things that you all have said to us lately:

Thank you for such a fantastic site and your newsletters are fabulous. I can't wait to read them; they are such an inspiration to someone as new to digital scrapbooking as I am!

Ro, your Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed products are wonderful. With all the studying I've done (classes and books), there were some things that eluded me completely till your tutorials showed me how easy it really was to use Photoshop Elements. I'm especially grateful for your system of organizing all the pieces I have accumulated.

I'm so enjoying this addictive hobby now, and I'll be forever thankful and faithful to Scrap Girls.

I know you probably hear this all the time, and it isn't very unique or original, but thank you just isn't enough sometimes. I participate in other online scrapbooking forums, but they do not compare to how good this one is.

You guys are prompt and helpful, resourceful and fair. The creativity abounds here - making it a fun, inspiring, useful place to spend valuable time. I hope to be working with you and your team for a long, long time.

You have gone above and beyond to keep us informed, and for that I am very grateful. This kind of customer service is why I don't even look at other digital scrapbooking websites anymore. Thank you.

I just want to send out a big hug to you! I just want to make sure you know how much we all appreciate you! Thank you for all of your hard work behind the scenes!

I am a huge fan of Scrap Girls and your newsletter and products! I am going through all the newsletters I missed. I love your new feature where you go through an old layout and make it new and tell us how you did it! Love, love, love that! Then again, I love all your tutorials in your newsletters! I have saved every one!

You have wonderful digital papers and elements. It's great!

I just printed out my transparencies, and they are fabulous, I can't believe it! And the best part is that I can print them over and over again. I am a believer now... the craft store won't see me for quite a while. Thank you so much for your help and inspiration.

Yea! I found you! First, I want to tell you how much I love Scrap Girls. You've done such a great job on the site. I was just recently introduced to digital scrapbooking, so I've spent many hours surfing the web - and yours is my favorite.

Yours was the first digital scrapbooking site I ever came upon, and I've been hooked ever since. It's definitely a favorite of mine! Keep up the good work. Oh, and I love your newsletters. I always look forward to them!

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by daisies803
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Commercial license versions of Creased N Crinkled - Sassy Paper Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Butterfly Shadows 6301 Mini, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Construction Paper 5101 Super Biggie, Lettering Delights Becca Font, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Stamp Maker 8501 and ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Clarify 11301 Mini are also available.

Layout by Florida granny
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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:

30-33 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:

Scrapbook Quotes: 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.

Inspirations 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? Find your answers and take the next step in Inspirations: Celebrating Life's Joys With Digital Scrapbooking eBook. This eBook is meant to highlight the hopes and loves, the faith and joys, the simple days and big events that give our lives meaning and inspire us - and the pages we create about them. 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.

Scrap Girls Tutorials & Way Cool Stuff eBook Set - 2010 1st 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 1st Quarter of 2010 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!

Mastering Brushes for Photoshop

Whether you are just finding out about brushes, or have been using them for a while, this eBook will help you see and understand the creative power that brushes contain and give you new ideas for using them in your digital scrapbooking layouts.

See more titles

Layout by Brandie Valenzuela
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Designer Freebie by Brandie Valenzuela coordinates with her ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Bokeh Blur,
part of this month's ScrapSimple Club offering!

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Bokeh Blur, Dynamic Brush Set: Bokeh 1501 and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Bokeh Text Borders 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

Emphasis on Embellishments Chat
Monday, January 31st - 6:00PM MT

Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Janine (J9Buckles) on Monday at 6pm MT for the Emphasis on Embellishments Chat. This monthly chat is geared towards challenging you to use more elements/embellishments on your layout. Each month, you will be given a specific number challenge to inspire you to use more on your layouts or even to create clusters!!! You will be amazed at what YOU can do at this chat!

Life Moments Crop & Chat
Tuesday, February 1st - 5:00PM MT

Join Carla (CRS) for a Life Moments Crop on Tuesday, February 1st at 5pm MT. Life Moments Crops focus on you, the scrapper. We tend to leave ourselves out of our scrapbooks and this crop encourages you to scrap about yourself, one layout at a time. The theme for this crop will be "a look back in time," with a focus on journaling. Hope to see you there!

Creative Cards Chat
Tuesday, February 1st - 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) and Theresa (tiza126) for the once-a-month Card Chat on the first Tuesday of each month at 6pm MT. Can't wait to see you there!

Project SG Chat
Tuesday, February 1st - 7:00PM MT

If you aren't sure what Project SG is, stop by the chatroom and get the details from April (April Showers) and Shannon (tinkerbell11). It is never too late to start for the year.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, February 2nd - 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 February 2nd, we'll do a use-your-stash challenge! Create a layout using a collection you've had for a while, but just haven't used yet! You'll be amazed what you can get done in just one hour, but there is no High Noon Sheriff timing you!

ATC Swap Crop & Chat
Wednesday, February 2nd - 6:00PM MT

Please join Lei (Bride) and Elisha (elibar) in the chatroom for our ATC (Artist Trading Card) Swap Crop/Chat on the first Wednesday of each month at 6pm MT. Come see what everyone has created and we'll talk about next month's topic. We're looking forward to seeing you there.

ScrapSimple - Use It! Chat
Friday, February 4th - 8:00AM MT

Strengthening your abilities in scrapbooking is essential to becoming a better scrapbooker and learning to utilize the ScrapSimple product line available here at Scrap Girls will give you so many more unique and fun options with your layouts! Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) and Elisha (elibar) for this monthly chat on Friday, February 4th at 8am MT as we focus on using one of these versatile products!

What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique Chat
Friday, February 4th - 9:00AM MT

Join April (April Showers) at 9am MT on Friday mornings to chat about all the wonderful new products in the Scrap Girls Boutique! What are your favorite new items? Is your shopping basket full? What did you kaboodle? Have you already done layouts or other projects with your new goodies? Come tell the designers how much you love their work. You never know who will show up. There's a thread every Thursday and now there's a chat too!

Back-Up Party and Chat - Early Edition
Friday, February 4th - 2:00PM MT

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April (April Showers) in the chat room at 2pm MT for the Early Edition of the Back-up Party and Chat. The goal of these chats is to make sure our back-ups are current. Come chat while you back up your files. We'll also go over several different ways to safeguard your files and even give you some tips on organizing your supplies. Grab some chocolate and we'll see you in the chat room!

JANUARY EVENTS

January Message Board Game: Jumpstart January!

Join us on the Message Board this month for "Jumpstart January!" This is a Message Board game and challenge to start your year with fun and focus on taking time to scrapbook regularly despite the little speedbumps of life. When the month is over, you'll have completed several layouts and been challenged and treated to some fun along the way.

A member of the Welcoming Committee will post a mini-challenge/task every day from January 1-30 in the Games folder on the Message Board. Check out the game thread titled "January Jumpstart 2011" for complete details and rules.

Those who complete all tasks and submit or post required participation by 11:59pm MT on January 31st 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, February 5th.

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

Layout Contests:

January Monthly Layout Contest: Now that the snow is flying in some parts of the world, we are focusing on staying warm! For the January Layout Contest, we'd love to see what you do to stay warm! Do you have a favorite blanket or sweater? Or is there a family favorite comfort food you turn to in the winter? Let's scrap the photos and stories that help keep us warm! Post your layouts in the January Gallery before Midnight MT on January 31st. 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!