The Myth of Scrapbooking

Myth: Scrapbookers are caught up.

This myth perpetuates the fantasies that not only are you caught up with your scrapbooking, but you are actually ahead of the events that will happen in the near future. In order for this to be true, you have to take pictures before the events actually occur so that you can scrap them in time for the event that will happen in three months or you might forget to scrapbook them at all.

What often happens:

By the time you decide to do something with the pictures that have been sitting on your hard drive, you often can't remember...

Where you took the photo
When you took the photo
Why you took the photo
Who is in the photo

Here's what I've started doing: I print out the photo (just to have a backup). Then I print a 4x6-inch index card with who, what, when, where, and journaling about the photo, so I don't run into this problem in the future.

Just an idea that works for me. Maybe it will help someone else!

Thanks,
Sylvia

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!

Becca Hauck

How to Download and Organize Your Photos

When it comes to taking photos, I have to admit that my perfectionist side comes out in full force. I take many, many photos of the same shot in an effort to get just one perfect photo. That usually means that one session with my camera ends up with a hundred or more photos. I make a habit of downloading my photos onto my computer as soon as possible.

There are many ways of taking your photos from your camera and getting them onto your computer. Today, I'm going to share with you the method I use most often.

Step One: Plug your camera into your computer and turn on your camera.

Step Two: Click on "My Computer" and double-click on the icon that represents your camera. Continue clicking to open the folders until you reach the folder where your photos have been saved to your camera.

Step Three: Once the folder with your photos is open, click on Edit> Select All. This will select all of the photos within that folder.

Step Four: With your photos selected, click on Edit> Move to Folder. Browse to the location on your computer where you keep your photos.

I moved my photos into a folder named "4 - APR" within the folder labeled "2011 Photos" because these photos were taken in April 2011. If you don't have a folder that you want to use, you can click on the "Make New Folder" button to create a new folder for your photos.

Step Five: The final step is to rename the file names of the photos. I opened up Adobe Bridge and browsed to my "4 - APR" folder. With my "4 - APR" folder open, I clicked Edit> Select All in the Adobe Bridge window. Next, I clicked Tools> Batch Rename.

In the window that pops up, I selected the following options:

Destination Folder: Rename in same folder

New Filenames:

Date Time, Date Created, MMDDYY
Text, _ (underscore)
Sequence Number, 1, Three Digits

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Next, I clicked on "Rename;" all of my photos will be renamed automatically to the date I took the photo (Bridge pulls this date from the metadata of the photo) and the sequence number that they appear in the folder.

That's it! Now my photos are uploaded, renamed, and are ready to use on my next digital scrapbooking layout!

See you next week,
Becca

Technology Saturday is a weekly column focusing on all sorts of gear, gadgets, and software from the digital scrapbooking world. Stay tuned each week as Becca Hauck, Scrap Girls Newsletter Woman, brings you software reviews, organizing tips, printing and scanning techniques, and much more!

Saturday Newsletter Challenge Winner

Congratulations to judy in SD! Her layout was chosen to be featured in the Newsletter from the entries in last week's Saturday Challenge to create a layout using a ScrapSimple Styles set. Please email [email protected] to claim your $10 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique!

Layout by judy in SD
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This last product is included in this month's ScrapSimple Club offering. Members receive a substantial discount on these club supplies. They are also available elsewhere in the Boutique at regular prices for those individuals who would rather not join a club.

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Painting Textures 8501, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Spring Clusters and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Fabric Buttons are also available.

Weekly Layout Winners

Layout by JudyD
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Layout by jkjundt
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Textures 10402, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mega Lift II - Circular Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Basics 5001 and Dynamic Brush Set: Homespun Lace are also available.

Want to see your layouts make an appearance in the Scrap Girls newsletter?

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 receive your gift!

Want to see past winners of the Weekly Layout Contest? Visit the Weekly Layout Winners gallery on our message board here!

April's Scrap Girls Club Concepts Layout Winner

Layout by gma808
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These three products are included in this month's Scrap Girls Club offering. Members receive a substantial discount on these club supplies. They are also available elsewhere in the Boutique at regular prices for those individuals who would rather not join a club.

Congratulations, gma808!! We loved your layouts so much we had to share it with everybody! gma808 receives a $5 Gift Certificate for her layout using April's Scrap Girls Club! Congratulations!

Congratulations to this Club's winner. Please email [email protected] to get your gift!

Want to see past winners of the Scrap Girls Club Concepts contest? Visit the Scrap Girls Club Concept's Winners Gallery on our Message Board here!

Layout by Kim Meeder
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Designer Freebie by Kim Meeder coordinates with her Buds and Bunnies Collection Mini

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 12x12 Negative Space, Tender Moments Collection, Pure White Paper and Brush Set: SunSational are also available.

Today's freebie designed by Kim Meeder

* 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.

New Member Chat
Tuesday, April 26th - 7:00PM MT

Join Pat (PBarnes) and Theresa (tiza126) 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 the Live Chat.

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, April 27th - 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. On April 27th, we'll do a patterned paper challenge! Create a layout using at least two patterned papers. Create your layout and upload it 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! Hope to see you in the chat room!

What's New Chat
Friday, April 29th - 9:00AM MT

Join April (April Showers) at 9am MT on Friday morning 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!

Scraplifting Challenge Chat
Friday, April 29th - 5:00PM MT

Are you in a rut? Do you need some inspiration? Join Angela (angelaNussbaum) in the chat room at 5pm MT for a crop and chat about scraplifting! Scraplifting can be a huge source of inspiration to you and your layouts, and it's a lot of fun for the person who inspired you. Come and see what fun we will be having!

April Message Board Game: BINGO!

Join us for an exciting game of Springtime BINGO on the Message Board Forum in April! Pick 25 words from the list provided and send them in an email to [email protected] with a subject line that says "BINGO CARD - your Scrap Girls Message Board username" by Saturday, April 2nd at Midnight MST in order to play in the first round. The first round will begin on Monday, April 4th. If you miss the first round deadline, 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.

Each day, a member 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 game thread to win that round. After a winner is called, the boards will be cleared and a new round will begin the following day.

Each winner will receive a $5 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique! We like to see lots of winners, so please remember that each person can only win one round during the month. Have fun!

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

April Monthly Layout Contest: Earth Day was started in the United States in 1970 and it went global in 1990. For April's Monthly Layout Contest, we want you to show us what Earth Day means to you or what you are doing to make our precious world a little greener. Post your layouts in the April Monthly Layout Gallery before Midnight MT 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!

Stop! Before you unsubscribe... Did you know we have a Weekly Round-Up newsletter?

This action-packed newsletter is sent out on Tuesday afternoons and summarizes what has happened in the past week. It's perfect for people who feel that they are too busy to read the daily editions! If you would like to receive our Round Up Newsletter, scroll to the bottom of this email and use the "Update Profile/Email Address" option to join the Round Up list and/or change your subscription options to our newsletters.

Of course, the Weekly Round Up Newsletter contains a fresh, new freebie, so even if you like to get the daily newsletters, you might want to join the Weekly Round-Up Newsletter, too. It's a great way to keep track of all of the fun things you are learning!