A Designer's Life: Kim Meeder

Brrrrrrrrrr! It's the middle of winter here in Pennsylvania. The thermometer is hovering around freezing and, although the sun is shining, it's cold and blustery. As I look out the front window of my house, I see trees devoid of their leaves, a brown carpet of lawn grass hibernating and dormant, and the remains of dried leaves hugging the edges of the once colorful flower beds.

Life Muses by Ro: Life Is Better Than We Think It Is

Embers flitted into the dark sky, trails of light disappearing as quickly as a lizard escapes a child's hand. Holding a cold blueberry muffin in his hand, Roger yawned and pulled his fleece closer to him. Two more days and two more nights were all he had left before he had to return.

Life Muses by Ro: How You Live

The Paxman family has lived in 23 homes over the past 33 years. We've lived in apartments, rental homes, furnished apartments, Air Force base housing, duplexes, starter homes, fixer-uppers, two-story homes, one-story homes, and a even trailer with windows that blew open with every strong gust of wind. We have purchased homes, sold homes, lost homes, regretted homes, and enjoyed homes.

Best of the Scrap Girls Blog: Lost Teeth

Note from Ro: I had to laugh when I read this blog post by Shalae Tippetts in the Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Adventures blog. It's just the kind of thing I used to do when my children were little.

Life Muses by Ro: Sometimes You Need Help

Bang!

Mutter, mutter. "Dang. DANG!"

Customer Muse by Heather P.

I am a volunteer in the local military band. One Friday, I had the privilege of playing with the band for a Change of Command parade. It's our job to support the Wing in such functions, and this was a big deal because it was for the Wing Commander. It was during this parade that I witnessed what I consider to be one of the Best Moments in Parade History. Surely they should make a "Canadian Moments" vignette about it for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

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!

Want to see more cute layouts? Go to the bottom right of our Home Page and check out our newsletter links.

Monday, February 8, 2010

"My Cup of Tea" Card by Elisha Barnett
larger view

Directions for one technique I did on this layout:

For this card, I really wanted some word art that said "TEA" for the title. Sometimes I try to find a font that matches the style of the collection I'm working with, but I noticed that there was a "Tea Party" word art element in the collection I was working with, Kerry Veale's Afternoon Tea Collection. Because it's in the collection, the style is perfect! I opened that element in my software and used my Magic Wand tool ("Contiguous" checked) and selected the letter "T." Then holding my Shift key down, I selected the "E" and the "A," adding to my selection. With my selection complete, I right-clicked and chose "Layer via Copy." This made a new layer with just the word "TEA" which I was able to drag and drop into my layout. (Be sure not to save when you close your element, preserving the original!) I added a couple of strokes in colors I chose from existing elements in my layout and a drop shadow. Now I had the perfect word art for my layout!

Commercial license versions of Brush Set: Always and Forever Word Art Biggie, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Always and Forever, ScrapSimple Layer Your Own Brushes: Fragments, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Subtle Photos 7601 Biggie, Dynamic Brush Set: Stitching 6401, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Stitching And Hole 4101 Mini, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Deep Shadows 6501 PSE and PS Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: File Save 1 PSE 11101 and ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: Rename Layer PSE 11101 are also available.

Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

Name of challenge: Create a Valentine's Day layout without using the color "red"

Journaling: Valentine, you are my "Cup" of TEA

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Layout by Syndee Nuckles
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Jeweled 6302 Biggie, Brush Set: Photo Transfer Edges and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Photos 6301 are also available.

If you have praise, comments, or questions for any of our Product Designers or Layout Artists, did you know you can send them a PM (private message) using the message board? It's easy!

If you are a registered user of the message board, just click on the "PM" box at the bottom of any of their posts to send them a message. Or, to check out more of your favorite designer's layouts, visit the Scrap Girls Design Team section of the Layout Gallery.

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
larger view

Created for you by Trish Yochum

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 Cherise Oleson using February's ScrapSimple Club
larger view

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!

Best of the Message Board

See how our message board members are helping each other with questions about replacing files, cameras, and more!

Digital Scrapbooking Tutorial: Super Simple Valentine Cards

Need some quick Valentines this year? You can give your Valentine a simple, homemade card using just a few digital scrapbooking supplies.

Way Cool Stuff - Digital Scrapbooking Product Review: ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates

I love working with ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates in my layouts! They are quite versatile, and I love the way I can be very creative with them. It's always fun to play with colors and textures.

Digital Scrapbooking Tutorial: Creating Wrapping Paper Using Digital Scrapbooking Supplies

If you're like me, a mom with small kids, you often wonder what you can do to ignite your children's creativity and keep them busy. Using your digital scrapbooking supplies gives you endless possibilities! In this tutorial, I'll show you how you can save money on wrapping paper by creating it with using Scrap Girls products and letting your kids do most of the work!

What Customers Are Saying...

Read what our great customers have to say about Scrap Girls, its products, newsletter, customer service and more!

Layout and Contest Winners

Congratulations to our Weekly Layout Winners, Michelleds and mbc72! Check them out! Congratulations!

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 Melanie Johnson
larger view

Designer Freebie by Melanie Johnson coordinates with her Heartfelt Collection Mini

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Scalloperoo and ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: File Save 1 11101 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

New Member Chat - Early Edition
Tuesday, February 16th - 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.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, February 17th - 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 February 17th, we'll do a patterned paper challenge! Create a layout on any theme, any topic, and any colors - using multiple patterned papers - at least 2 different patterns! 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!

Heritage Crop
Thursday, February 18th - 6:00PM MT

Do you have boxes of heritage photos just waiting to be restored and scrapped? Are there family stories just waiting for you to write down and preserve? Then this is the crop for you! Join April (April Showers) and Carla (CRS) at 6pm MT for the Heritage Crop and Chat! We'll help you get motivated to scrap those heritage photos and record your family stories for future generations to enjoy.

What's New Chat
Friday, February 19th - 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!

Back-Up Party and Chat
Friday, February 19th - 8:00PM MT

Need a little extra motivation to back-up your layouts and stash? Join April Showers in the chat room on Friday, February 19th 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, February 21st - 1:00PM MT

Scraplifting can be a wonderful starting point for your layouts! Join Becca on Sunday, February 21st at 1pm MT to learn more about scraplifting, the importance of giving credit, and more! A few hours before the chat, you will be given 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!

UFO Chat
Sunday, February 21st - 4:00PM MT

Please join Sherry_Lynn and a special guest co-hostess Julie (Burnsie) from our Layout Artist Team in the chatroom for this month's "Unfinished Objects" chat. Let's complete or revamp some of those layouts that are sitting in your "Layouts to be Completed" folder. Post your layout in the UFO Gallery and meet us on Sunday, February 21st at 4pm MT to get some inspirational suggestions from our incredible professionals here at Scrap Girls!

Coffe Break Chat
Tuesday, February 23rd - 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_Lynn on Tuesday, February 23rd 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!

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!