There is No Such Word As CAN'T
Monday, October 10, 2011

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:

• Columbus Day Sale! Save 19.3% until October 12th at Midnight MDT.
• Cute Stuff
• A Designer's Life: Jo Corne - There is No Such Word as CAN'T
• Scrap Girls Club
• Tips from the Pros: Torn Shapes
• Designer Freebie
• What's Happening at Scrap Girls?
• Ongoing Opportunities for YOU

Jo Corne

There is No Such Word as CAN'T

I always tell my kids - there is no such word as can’t. “If you don’t try, you won’t know,” I tell them.

Then, of course, my 13-year-old daughter turns to me and says, “I can’t be Aaron!” (her brother). Cheeky girl! I laugh and say, “No, you can’t be Aaron. But seriously, we are very strong believers in if you don’t ask or you don’t try, you will never know. So don’t tell me you can’t!”

Over five years ago, I lost my younger brother very suddenly. He was only 33, and he was living a very busy life. He had his own company and was on his way up the ladder. He didn’t believe in the word can’t, so he gave everything his best shot. He started his own company and took it to great heights. He travelled, and he spent his money on enjoying his life. After he passed, I looked at my life and my family’s life, and I thought to myself, I will not live my life scared of trying something simply because I haven’t tried it because I think I can’t. His passing brought home to me that this is the only chance we have, and if we don’t live our lives to the fullest, if we can’t or won’t, then we will miss out in the long run. I do not want to regret something because I thought, I can’t do that.

Now obviously, there are things within reason that we really can’t do, that would jeopardize our lives. Being the sane (or semi-sane) person that I am, I will not do those things. But there are things that we can do, but we don’t do because we may just be too scared to try, afraid of what the next person might think. Sometimes we fear that if we do in fact try and then fail at that act, we will look foolish. But these are the things about which I will not say can’t.

For three years, I was a layout artist on the team here at Scrap Girls, and I loved every minute of it. I stepped down to take a break and enjoy a very busy and wonderful year in our lives celebrating our daughter’s Batmitzvah year. Then a tickle began at the back of my brain. I missed being on the layout team, but to be honest, I had always wondered if I had it in me to flip to the other side and be a designer of the wonderful products I had been scrapping as a layout designer. I have been a graphic designer for over 20 years now, mainly in the publishing sector, but the idea of designing scrapbooking collections appealed to my creative side immensely. Every time I saw Ro advertise for designers I thought, “Could I? Should I? No, I can’t. I’m probably not good enough.”

Eventually, a dear friend gave me the push that I so badly needed and deep down wanted, so I wrote Ro and asked her if she would accept me as a designer here at Scrap Girls. She did! I nearly fell over, seriously, and I have given it my best shot ever since. I like to think I am doing okay and will only continue to improve as I learn and grow within my designing.

I proved to myself that there is no such word as can’t because I can. I am doing something that brings me more joy than I can verbalize, and it has opened up an entirely new area of life that I never thought could be mine.

So I ask you today, what is it, what is there in your life that you think you can’t do? Really, honestly, if you just tried, just asked, you would find that you can and you will be able to do it. You may just find that it is something that can bring you more joy than you ever imagined.  

- Jo Corne

Favorite Product I've designed:
ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech are also available.

Creating these templates gave me such joy because it was a challenge from my family that I had set myself to complete. They loved the cell phone I had created for my Jessminda Collection Biggie and challenged me to make a whole collection of templates along the same iTech line. I did the research and took the time to create this product. I came out on the other end of their challenge with these final products and the pride of my family to show for it.

Layout by Jo Corne
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Curled Up, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mirror Reflections Mini 8501, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 and Lettering Delights Scrap Casual Font are also available.

		Join the Scrap Girls Monthly Club and you can have fun with the newest traditional digital and printable scrapbooking looks while saving! (A $40.87 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 Word Art Mini 1 Embellishment Mini 1 Assemble Your Own Zoom Page Set 1 Designer's Choice Item 1 CLUB EXCLUSIVE! Jiffy Easy Page Album 1 CLUB EXCLUSIVE! Designer's Choice Item 1 CLUB EXCLUSIVE! Color Palette October's Scrap Girls Club designed for you by Cherise Oleson Club Exclusive! JIFFY Easy Page Album Club Exclusive! Designer's Gift
Layout by Sara Peterson using October's Scrap Girls Club larger view	Layout by Shalae Tippetts using October's Scrap Girls Club larger view	Layout by Cherise Oleson using October's Scrap Girls Club larger view

Three Ways to Use ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Torn Shapes

Note: Tutorial created using Photoshop CS5 with Mac OSX

ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Torn Shapes is a really versatile, new product in the Boutique that I’ve been having a lot of fun playing around with. I thought you might enjoy seeing three fun ways that it could be used. The great thing is that it lets you make any paper or style look like a shape that has been torn out of paper, complete with realistic paper tears.

First, open a new document and bring in a background paper for your digital scrapbooking layout.  Open one of the torn shapes. You can either open the layered Photoshop file or the individual PNG files, depending on the software that you are using. In this example, the layered Photoshop file was used. 

The first way to use the product is to clip a patterned paper to the shape. This example uses the striped paper from Keys to Happiness Collection Biggie. Select the top layer of the torn shape, open a patterned paper, and bring it onto your layout. It will cover up the torn shape. Then using the Layers Palette on the bottom right side of your screen, right-click and select Create Clipping Mask. This will instantly clip your paper to the torn shape as in the example below. How easy is that?!

You might want to size down the paper to keep the patterns smaller, depending on the paper you are working with. The striped paper was sized to 60% of its actual size in this example.

The next method is to simply colorize the shape. The product has two layers, so you can make the paper and the tear two different colors.

When you first open the shape, it is grey. To change that, go to the pull-down menu and select Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation. When the box pops up, select the Colorize box. This will add color to the shape, but it will probably look kind of dull. There are sliders that can be moved left and right. This allows you to make your torn shape lighter or darker and the color more or less saturated. You can see the adjustments that were made to achieve the color below.

The third way to use this product is to add a style to the top layer of the shape. 

In the example above, the heart tears were colorized to a light cream color and then a glitter style from ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Ragamuffin Glitter 8501 was added to the top layer. It now looks like you tore a heart shape from a sheet of glittered paper. Isn't that fun?! 

Layout by Paula Wright
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Torn Shapes, Keys to Happiness Collection Biggie, Brush Set: Keys to Happiness Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Template: Stitching Studio and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Ragamuffin Glitter 8501 are also available.

Paula Wright

Learn to make digital scrapbooking layouts and more! – Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed Find out how easy it can be to learn how to create digital scrapbook layouts, edit photos, use and make brushes, recolor papers and embellishments, make your own simple backgrounds and embellishments, save and share your layouts and much more! Ready to learn advanced techniques? – MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed Learn to use paper templates, embellishment templates, custom shapes, styles, and brushes to make your own supplies. Learn advanced clipping mask and lighting blend techniques. Learn to make and use patterns. Learn to make brushes from your own doodles. Learn to extract images from photos. Learn work flow techniques that will speed up the layout creation process and advanced photo editing skills and much, much more!

Layout by Jo Corne
larger view

Designer Freebie by Jo Corne coordinates with her AcesHigh CollectionBiggie

A commercial license version of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 is also available.

Today's freebie designed by Jo Corne

* 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.

ScrapSimple Club Chat
Monday, October 10th - 7:00PM MDT

Join April (April Showers) and Shannon (tinkerbell11) on Monday, October 10th at 7pm MT for a chat and challenge using this month's ScrapSimple Club. Did you know that every time you create a layout with the ScrapSimple Club and upload it into the ScrapSimple Club Gallery you could be chosen to be featured in the Newsletter and receive a prize? Join us for the chat so we can encourage and inspire you and help with any questions that you may have. Let's get those ScrapSimple Club layouts done and uploaded!

Life Moments Chat
Tuesday, October 11th - 6:00PM MDT

Join Shannon (tinkerbell11) in the chat room for a Life Moments Chat. These chats are meant to get you started on layouts about yourself. Earlier in the day, a layout idea will be posted for you to get a jump start.

New Member Chat
Tuesday, October 11th - 7:00PM MDT

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, October 12th - 10:00AM MDT

Join April (April Showers) each Wednesday at 10am MDT 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 October 12th we’ll have a Single Photo Challenge. Create a layout using a single, large, wonderful photo! 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!

NSBR Early Edition
Thursday, October 13 - 2:00PM MDT

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 2 PM MDT (1 PM Pacific, 3 PM Central, 4 PM Eastern) in the chat room Lobby! Hope to see you there!

October Message Board Game: Product Picks

Join us for a new game in October, where we encourage you to stroll through the aisles of the boutique and do a little window shopping!

Each Monday through Saturday in October, a member of the Welcoming Committee will post the name of one or two product designers in the Product Picks game thread. You will then head to the Scrap Girls Boutique and navigate to that particular designer's product pages. Choose any of their products (your favorite product, one you like, or one you wish you owned), then head over to the Product Picks game thread and share the product name, Boutique link, and a brief explanation of why you chose that product.

At the end of the month, members who haves posted links to 42 products (one for each designer) will be entered in a drawing for one of three $10 Gift Certificates. Members who have posted links to 16-41 products will be entered in a drawing for one of two $5 Gift Certificates. And members who have posted links to 10-15 products will be entered in a drawing for one of two $3 Gift Certificates.

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

October Monthly Layout Contest: October is all about color! Show us those fabulous fall colors or spring colors for our Southern Hemisphere members! Maybe you have a favorite color you'd like to showcase or a very colorful photo to scrap. Remember, it's all about colors! Share those layouts in the October Monthly Layout Gallery before Midnight MT on October 31st. Be sure to list your credits in the description or under the EXIF Properties. Two layouts will be selected to win a $10 Gift Card 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!

Copyright Scrap Girls, LLC 2004-2011

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Scrap Girls
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www.scrapgirls.com

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P.S. If you ever need any assistance, please email [email protected] or call 866-598-3444 and we'll help you as quickly as possible!