Note from Ro: This is a muse I stole from my blog – Life Muses by Ro. The topic is important enough that I thought I'd like to share it with everyone.

Rozanne Paxman

SAVOR life

Over the years - as I've browsed about the Internet - I've watched bloggers pick a word each year to focus their life on. Because I've felt that making such a determination could have huge ramifications in my life (I'm a big believer in the what-you-send-out-comes-back-to-you-multiplied philosophy), I've been too nervous to try it - before now.

Layout by Ro uses The View Collection

Picking a word to focus on for an entire year is a big decision. Put in an order for the wrong thing and you might get back something you don't want. Put in an order for the right thing and miracles happen.

Recently, I stumbled on Christine Kane's blog and read a long string of posts by women who share their experiences with the word they chose for 2010. It was very interesting reading.

Christine has a free tool (a worksheet) to help you test the waters of your proposed word. I downloaded it and went through the exercises. They were very helpful, and so, I decided to move ahead and try the experiment this year.

Originally, I thought that I would choose SIMPLIFY as my focus word. But after thinking more about it, I realized it didn't quite fit, and so I opened my Roget's Thesaurus and began to randomly flip through the pages, hoping that a word would find me - and it did.

SAVOR. My word is SAVOR.

Photo edited with ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Photo Textures 2201 Super Biggie

As I savor life, I will appreciate each moment - even the cruddy ones. I will feel gratitude for my blessings. I will prize the people in my life.

Photo edited with ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Photo Textures 2201 Super Biggie

I will feel free to relish my activities, the foods I eat, the clothes I wear, the neighborhood I live in, and the ideas I get - without any imagined burdens of what other people might think of my choices.

I will treasure the things I own. If I don't, I will get rid of them. I will send my unused, unloved items out into the world where they can bless others.

I will live with zest. I will try new things, go new places, read new books, and sing new songs.

I will respect my body - eat well and exercise. My body is a gift from God. Why have I been treating it like I was short-changed?

I will feel excited about what I'm working on. I have so many options open to me. My problem is not a lack of ideas. I have notebooks full of them, and I know that I will acquire more when they are needed. My problem with ideas is in deciding which one I should be working on at any given time. From now on, I'm going to choose ideas I'm enthusiastic about and forget about projects that make me feel like I'm pulling my eyebrows out, one hair at a time.

Layout by Ro uses Feather Collection, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Leather 4901 and Life's Canvas Collection Biggie

I will prize my talents. God gave me the gifts and abilities I have. He intends for me to use each one. He intends for me to be brave enough to use my gifts without questioning their validity.

I will stop wishing myself into the future while missing my present. I have a serious habit of doing this. It's time to get over it.

I will live 100% of the time. Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. High. Low. I will SAVOR it all, because the totality of these experiences makes me who I am.

Can you see what SAVORING my life can do for me?

I will stop doing things that waste my time.
I will change course when I realize that it's important to do so.
I will eat good food.
I will move my body.
I will leave my house and see the world.
I will take photographs of the small details of life. (I adore doing this.)
I will sing in the shower.
I will relax and enjoy my family when I am with them.
I will dedicate myself fully to the task I am doing at any given moment. Then, once it is time to move on, I will dedicate myself completely to the next activity.
I will clean out, throw away, give away, and release excess stuff.

And I will buy some cute shoes.

I will live. I will enjoy.

I will savor.

If the word-of-the-year idea intrigues you and you need help with it, head on out to Christine's blog and download her discovery tool.

As a note: When you sign-up to receive the discovery tool, you'll be signing up for Christine's newsletter. I don't know how often it comes out, but I've received one during the last week. It was great, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

- Ro

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Photo Textures 2201 Super Biggie and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Leather 4901 are also available.

Follow Ro's popular blog – Life Muses by Ro
Blog-only muses and humor pieces, inside scoop of Ro's life, photo journals, and more)

Follow Ro's newest blog – How Mom Did It
Food recipes, homemaking tips, gardening, quilting, and other neat stuff her mom and grandma taught her

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 Kim Meeder using February's Scrap Girls Club
larger view

Created for you by Kim Meeder

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 Cherise Oleson using January's ScrapSimple Club
larger view

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!

QUESTION: I am new here. I digitally scrapped for a while, but then life got in the way, and I stopped. I've done a few layouts since I started back up, but decided to organize a little better this time around before I really get back into it. I downloaded Picasa and didn't like it, so I uninstalled it. (Then I found the thread on Picasa and downloaded it again! I love it now. Your tips answered all my questions from my first try at Picasa. I had even gone to another forum but could not get the answers I needed, so that's why I uninstalled it. Anyway, I'm way off subject!)

Here's my question today: I really want to keep my kits together and not split them up. What are the categories that you have to organize your kits? Do you go by color or do you go by theme – like Winter, Holidays, Baby Stuff? Does that make sense?

ANSWER: I have one folder with all the collections in them. The contents of each collection are in one folder (the only sub-folder in each is the Alpha folder). I have the file names start with the designer initials (like ABR for Angie Briggs) and then sort the files by name. I'm a dork and have them sorted in another folder by type, too - using Ro's system, but that is just me. You'll find the system that works best for you.

ANSWER: I do Ro's method - all the ribbons are together, all the buttons are together, etc. I started like the previous post mentions, but as I got more experienced in scrapping, I started to use pieces from all kinds of kits. Here is a link to Ro's method (as my stash has grown, mine has changed a bit... a few new folders!): Ro's Method of Managing your Digital Scrapbooking Supplies

ANSWER: With Picasa, you can search any way you like, so it doesn't really matter. It will even find things you haven't filed away yet.

ANSWER: I do break up my collections into Papers, Word Art, Embellishments, Alphas, etc., but place them in folders with the designer's initials (as mentioned earlier). So, I have folders like ABR_DayToDay_Papers, ABR_DayToDay_Emb, etc. I use Picasa and love it.

ANSWER: I have just re-organized all my Scrap Girls supplies - again. When I first started digi-scrapping, I had a separate folder for every designer at Scrap Girls. Then I re-did everything a couple of years ago and put all the kits in one folder, all the separate paper collections in one, and so on. And without saying too much - I have an almost obscene collection of Scrap Girls supplies... I find myself scrolling and scrolling and scrolling to find that particular collection which I've forgotten the name of by a specific designer that I'm sure of contains a paper or element I'm looking for. So, I'm back to my initial system! Because I'm usually pretty sure of which designer's style or supplies I'm looking for. Now I go straight to that designer's folder and pull whatever I need! Styles/Actions and Layout Templates, I still keep all together in separate folders regardless of designer. BTW, it was a blast going through all my kits/collections and seeing all the beautiful work done by the designers here - past and present!

ANSWER: I am glad I came in here. I was just thinking I sure have a lot of scrapping supplies, and I am just getting started! So I can start organizing now and not get a headache later.

ANSWER: When I was using Photoshop Elements, I used the group-organizing method mentioned earlier in this thread. I thought it worked very well. In fact, now that I'm using Photoshop CS5, I still keep mine organized in groups, because I find it convenient, and it's what I'm used to. As for collections, I keep the new clubs all together for a while. Other collections get broken up and put in files, such as Flowers, Frames, etc. With Picasa, it is so easy to bring up everything in a collection even if they're not stored together.

QUESTION: How do you all organize your styles and tools, and if they are organized, how do you load your favorites when you need them? I am using Photoshop Elements 6 and find that I have so many styles and actions, etc., that I do not use all the time, and it slows Adobe in its start-up mode. I just want the computer to move a bit faster and to see only the styles I might be interested in using, rather than all of them at once.

ANSWER: I'm not a good one to answer your question since I use Photoshop. I've read how several people here have combined all the glitter styles, for instance, into one loaded style, but in Photoshop, they are so much easier to load. I just drop them in as I need them. I'll dig around a little for the thread.

ANSWER: Someone had a topic a year or so ago (maybe longer?) about creating files "using" each style and then bringing them into her layouts and using the Copy Style command to apply it to a new layer. That way, you don't have to load the styles into Photoshop Elements 6. I can't remember if she saved them as PSD files or TIFF files - and I can never find that information when I want it! Anybody remember?

ANSWER: I upgraded to Photoshop CS because I did not want to load all styles every time Photoshop Elements started up. There is no Load Styles option in Elements, so you need to put all styles into your PSE Styles folder. If you have categories set up, you can see just the one type by selecting the category type like glitter, metals, cardboard, etc.

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.

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.

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!

Ten Beginner Tips on Type eBook

If you're creating a digital scrapbooking layout, it's almost guaranteed that you'll be using type on your pages somewhere. But did you know that type can make or break your page? What typeface will you use? What size font? Where will you place it on your page? If you want to take some beginner steps towards improving the type on your layouts, and thereby improving the overall look of your layouts, then this eBook is perfect for you.

See more titles

Layout by Julie White
larger view

Designer Freebie by Julie White coordinates with her Beautiful Garden Collection

Commercial license versions of Dynamic Brush Set: Chain Link 6101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Pearl 5102 Super Biggie 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

Hybrid ATC Swap Chat
Tuesday, February 8th - 6:00PM MT

Please join Shannon (tinkerbell11) and Lei (Bride) at 6pm MT on Tuesday, February 8th as we host the chat for another round of our Hybrid ATC Swap. Didn't participate this round? Not sure what it is? Come join us to find out all of the particulars!

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

Join Pat (PBarnes) for the New Member Chat at 7pm MT in the Live Chat room 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 Live Chat.

Sketch Challenge Chat
Tuesday, February 8th - 8:00PM MT

It's time for the Sketch Challenge and Crop! Join Cheri (Cheri T) for a Tuesday night edition on February 8th at 8pm MT in the Scrap Girls Chat Room! Enjoy getting a little creative boost for your pages? Are you needing help getting started? Then this is the challenge for you! A few hours before the chat begins, Cheri will post a link for you to download the sketch. Use it as the starting point for your page; be inspired by the basic arrangement; flip things around or copy the entire set up exactly. All interpretations of the design are welcome and encouraged. And don't worry about any deadlines... post your layout when it works with your schedule. Hope to see you there!

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, February 9th - 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 9th, we'll do a five-photo challenge! Create a layout using five photos - no more, no less! 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 & Chat
Wednesday, February 9th - 7:00PM MT

Join Carla (CRS) and Thersea (tiza126) for a new twist on the Baby Theme Crop! We're starting the New Year with a new challenge. This month, we'll work with ABC's. Include something in your layout that starts with a D, an E and an F! We'll see you in the chat room on Wednesday, February 9th at 7pm MT!

What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique Chat
Friday, February 11th - 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!

Use Your Stash Chat
Friday, February 11th - 5:00PM MT

Join Theresa (tiza126) and Shannon (tinkerbell11) in the chatroom to talk about all of the Scrap Girls' digital treasures you have yet to use! We will post a challenge for a layout earlier in the day. See you there and start getting those goodies ready!

Hybrid Craft Chat
Friday, February 11th - 6:00PM MT

Just because you digitally crapbook doesn't mean you can't still play with paper and other fun goodies like glitter, fibers and glue! Join Carla (CRS) and Shannon (tinkerbell11) in the chatroom for ideas on how to get more use out of you digital supplies. We do a new hybrid craft each month!

NSBR Chat - Early Edition
Saturday, February 12th - 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!

Monthly Recipe Swap Chat
Saturday, February 12th - 7:00PM MT

Join April (April Showers) and Lei (Bride) at 7pm MT in the chat room for our Monthly Recipe Swap Chat. Please check the message board the Thursday before the chat for this month's theme and the swap details!

FEBRUARY EVENTS

February Message Board Game: Posting Contest!

It's that time again - Posting Contest time! This is where you are rewarded for your flying fingers and chattiness. The contest will run from February 1st when we post the thread to February 28th at 12:00 Midnight (MST). We are doing things a little differently this time and there are two ways to participate - the Message Board and the Gallery, so here are the rules:

1) To enter the Message Board Posting Challenge, reply in the game thread with your CURRENT post count. This is the number under your Avatar that shows when you post. Do not post the number found on your profile; it is a different number that is calculated differently. During the month, chat your fingers off! On February 28th, BEFORE Midnight (MST), go back to your original post in the game thread (the one with your starting post count) and take a screenshot of it. Send the screenshot to [email protected]. The screenshot is your contest entry! We will calculate your post count based on the numbers on the screenshot. (Directions for taking screenshots will be posted in the game thread.)

2) To enter the Gallery Posting Challenge, take a screenshot of your Gallery comment number and send it to [email protected] BEFORE February 1st, Midnight (MST). To get to your Gallery Stats, click the arrow beside your Profile photo and go down to Gallery. Your total comments number is under Stats on the left-hand side - this is what we need a screenshot of to know where you are starting. Then BEFORE Midnight (MST) on February 28th, take another screenshot of your Gallery Stats and send it to [email protected], this will give us your ending number and enter you in the contest!

PRIZES: You may enter both contests. Members with Message Board posts over 50 will be put in a drawing for a $5 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate. Members with Message Board posts over 200 will be put in a drawing for both the $5 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate and a $10 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate. Members with Message Board posts over 400 will be put in a drawing for a $15 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate, as well as the $5 and $10 Gift Certificates. Members with Gallery comments over 25 will be put in a drawing for $10 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate.

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

Layout Contests:

February Monthly Layout Contest: In the spirit of Mardi Gras, let’s scrap about parties!! For the February Layout Contest, we'd love to see your layouts featuring people or things that make a party special to you! It can be a party you hosted or one you attended. So put your party hats on and post your layouts in the February Monthly Layout Gallery before Midnight MT 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!