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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: One Yellow Paper Biggie and ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Stackers Biggie are also available. |
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Layout by Amanda Fraijo-Tobin
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Fanciful 6401 and Zoomba Collection Biggie are also available. |
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Layout by Cindy Rohrbough
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Commercial license versions of Harvest Dance Paper and Harvest Dance Embellishments are also available. |
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Layout by Amanda Fraijo-Tobin
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Antique Effects 6401 are also available. |
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Layout by Amy Flanagan
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Clusters 4 are also available. |
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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.
Will Your Photos Get Thrown Away?
Friday, October 14, 2011
IN TODAY'S ISSUE:
- What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique?
- Life Muse by Ro
- Scrap Girls Club
- Tips from the Pros: Creating Sumptuous Velvet Ribbons from ScrapSimple Templates
- Designer Freebie
- What's Happening at Scrap Girls?
- Ongoing Opportunities for YOU
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The entire Scrap Girls team wants to say how grateful we are that you have chosen to participate with us. You'll never know just how much your support means to us and our families. Ro P.S. Your email address is safe with us. We never share, rent, sell, or loan our list with anyone! P.P.S. If you ever need any assistance, please email [email protected] or call IMPORTANT TO KNOWDon't forget to check out the Retirement Sale section of the Boutique. Items in this section are always on sale for 30% off. The items you will find during any particular month will be discontinued permanently on the 5th of the following month. So if you see something you like, grab it while you can! OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUCustomer Muses: Would you like to share your own Life Muse with our readers? To have your own essay considered for publication as a muse in the column for our special Saturday newsletter, send your essay to [email protected]. If your essay is selected, you will receive a $20 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique. Way Cool Scrap Girl: We are so excited to have all of you meet some of the amazing people that have become Scrap Girls! If you would like to be spotlighted and win a $25 Gift Certificate to the Scrap Girls Boutique, send the following items to [email protected]:
Project SG Challenge: Stay motivated to scrap your current photos! Post your 2011 layouts in the Project SG Challenge Gallery to earn one point per layout each month. You can earn up to four points per month this way! Earn a bonus point each month by attending the monthly Project SG Chat! Each point gives you an entry into a quarterly drawing for a special prize! And at the end of the year, each month that you participated in will earn you an entry into the Grand Prize drawing for a 12 X 12, 52 page Keepsakes photobook from Color, Inc! Our fourth quarterly drawing winner will be announced in the Saturday, January 7th Newsletter. Suggest a Challenge, Win a Prize! Have a great idea for a Gallery layout challenge? Submit it to [email protected]. If your challenge idea is chosen, you will win a prize! Friday will be Customer Challenge Day, so keep an eye out on the Message Board calendar. It will be fun to see what YOU come up with for us to do!
Of course, it is a surprise what you will get because birthday presents are always surprises! But you will like it for sure because most people like money.... Anyway, make sure your Message Board email address is current and that you have the correct date entered into your profile to participate. *ADVERTISEMENTS*
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Will Your Photos Get Thrown Away?
One morning as I studied the view outside my bedroom window, I asked myself why I keep doing digital scrapbooking after all of these years. What's the fascination? Is it the pretty papers? Is it the cute stuff I use on the layouts? Is it the pleasure of spreading the supplies around and seeing art appear on my computer?
Or is it just my job?
As I mulled it over, I thought of my children - and I thought of all of the memories and stories that I failed to capture during their childhoods. Periodically, one of them asks me, "How old was I when I started to talk?"
I have to say, "I don't remember."
"How old was I when I walked?"
I have to answer, "I'm not positive, but I think it was around 12 months (or whatever number pops into my head)."
"What was I like as a baby?"
At this point, I start talking generalities about how they were busy... or laid-back... or... or... whatever I can dredge up.
I can't get those forgotten details back, but I can make sure that I document what I do remember. I've realized that a good place for me to begin is to begin matching our family photos with the memories associated with them.
I have so many, many stories yet to tell. I have books and books of photos just waiting for me to put the stories with. If I don't get moving on it, I'm afraid that someday - when someone inherits the photos and doesn't know who the people are - they will say, "I don't know who these people are so I'll throw the photos away."
Before you reach through your computer and yell, "Nobody will ever throw my photos away," I'll say, "Don't be so sure."
Case in point: I have inherited a wonderful album filled with photos from my grandparents’ lives. When I was a girl, my grandmother used to sit with me and tell me the stories associated with each photo. When my mother gave me the album, I assumed that I'd be able to recall every one.
However, I recently looked through the albums and realized that I am starting to forget who is in the photos and what they were about. I'm forgetting grandma's stories. If I don't do something about it, my children won't know who those people are and might (gasp) throw away this wonderful album, just because it feels meaningless to them.
It's up to me what happens. I am the bridge between the generations.
Here is one of the photos from that album that I used to make a layout when I designed my Families Are Forever Collection.
Layout by Ro
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Commercial license versions of Families Are Forever Collection and Well Loved Collection Biggie are also available. |
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This photo includes my grandmother, her mother, and grandmother. Her grandmother walked across the plains when she was a girl. This photo was taken during a family vacation in California. While they were there, my grandma's grandmother died. They shipped her body home via train to be buried back in Salt Lake.
How do I know that story? Because my grandmother told it to me. Now that I have made this layout, whoever looks at my albums will know it, too. Before I made this layout, this photo was just a photo that had names written on the back.
Layout by Ro
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Commercial license versions of Girls' Night Out Collection Mini are also available. |
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This is a layout I just made of my granddaughter, Baylee. Because my daughter's family is currently living in the basement of our home, I get to see our cutie every day. Baylee has recently taken to yelling at the family while we eat dinner in order to get us to pay attention to her. When she gets our attention, she gives us the goofiest grin and everybody laughs. That pleases her so much that we all laugh again. The memory of her entertaining us at dinner is one that I want to keep, and now that I've made my layout, I will.
Someday, when Baylee asks her mother what she was like as a baby, Julianne can drag out my scrapbooking albums and say, "Here you go. You liked attention enough that you yelled at us during dinner until you got it."
And Baylee? She'll know for a fact that her Grandma Paxman thought she was one cute kid.
Doesn't get better than that!
- Ro
P.S. Heads up... the worst thing you can do while recording your memories is to get all seized up by worrying that your layouts aren't "good enough" for some potentially critical audience. The truth is that the only audience that is likely to highly criticize your layouts is you.
So when you feel the old monster named Beat-Up Myself taking over, tell him to get out of there because you're having a good time while performing a very important service to your family, thank-you-very-much!
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!
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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:
October's Scrap Girls Club designed for you by Cherise Oleson
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 Layout by Sara Beth 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 |
Creating Sumptuous Velvet Ribbons from ScrapSimple Templates
Note: Tutorial created using Photoshop Elements 7 with Windows 7
My background is in textiles, and I love to include them in my digital scrapbooking layouts. This is one of the reasons I created the ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Velvet Ribbon Biggie. Today, I want to share how to digitally color the templates to get a rich, velvety look with lots of dimension.
For this layout, I have some photos of my boys and my best friend’s girls playing in my muddy backyard. The girls were dressed in very pretty dresses and got caked in mud. I am going to use a grunged-up velvet ribbon to add some softness to a layout about mud.
First, choose the color you want your ribbon to be. I wanted the ribbon to be a lovely shade of brown to complement the mostly brown layout. Using the Eyedropper Tool, choose a darker color for the color of the velvet ribbon. I got this lovely, warm, dark brown color.
Next, choose a light shade for the back of the ribbon. The darker shade should eventually be the foreground color and the lighter shade should be the background color. If you need to switch the colors you can click on the double arrow or use the keyboard shortcut x.
Now that our colors are ready to go, we are going to color our ribbon. In the Layers Palette, select "Create Adjustment Layer" and choose "Gradient Map" from the drop-down menu.
This creates a new layer that maps the colors to the layer below. The dark values will be your foreground color and the light values will become your background color. Double-click on the adjustment layer thumbnail to get the gradient map menu. The gradient should go from dark to light. If, for some reason, your lighter color is on the left, just check "Reverse" in the Gradient Options. Your gradient will flip.
Use the Blending Modes on the Gradient Map to get more variation and texture. Some of my favorite Blending Modes for coloring ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates are "Overlay," "Soft Light," "Hard Light," "Color," and "Linear Burn." For this example, I chose "Overlay."
Changing the Blending Mode often reduces the intensity of the color. To fix that, you can duplicate the Gradient Map. Right-click on the layer and select "Duplicate Layer" or drag-and-drop the Gradient Map’s thumbnail up to the new layer button. You will then have an exact copy of the Gradient Map, including the Blending Mode. You can leave the Blending Mode as is or change it to get the color you want. You can also adjust the Opacity of the second Gradient Map to tone down the intensity.
As you might see, adding the second Gradient Map gives the ribbon that sumptuous color.
You can use this technique to create a lovely black velvet, a soft creamy velvet, or even an edgy purple velvet with a cream back. Once your velvet is colored, right-click on your velvet layer and select "Merge Visible." It is now ready to be inserted into your layer. If you wish to save this colored ribbon for future use, make sure you save it with a new name, so you can reuse the template.
Now, go create some stunning velvet ribbons to add texture and dimension to your digital scrapbooking layouts!
Layout by Sara Beth Peterson
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Article written by Sara Beth Peterson
Learn to make digital scrapbooking layouts and more! – Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed Ready to learn advanced techniques? – MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed |
Layout by Becca Hauck
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Designer Freebie by Jen Reed coordinates with her Fresh Start Collection
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Today's freebie designed by Jen Reed
* 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.
What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique Chat
Friday, October 14th - 9:00AM MDT
Join April (April Showers) and Theresa (teecee) 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!
Quote Challenge Crop
Monday, October 17th - 7:00PM MDT
Come join Pat (PBarnes) for the Quote Challenge Crop at 7pm MT. Including a quote on your layout can be a touching and meaningful addition, especially if you use the quote to create your own word art. Here's how it will work. Early on Monday, Pat will post a thread on the Chat section of the board giving you the quote that you will use to make your own word art. It's not hard, and she will have a layout with a Word Art example in the gallery. Then we'll meet in the chat room to have fun, chat, and create our Word Art layout! Everyone can participate and create a layout, even if you can't make the chat. Hope to see you there!
New Member Chat - Early Edition
Tuesday, October 18th - 1:00PM MDT
Join Debbie (B&K Mom) 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" button at the top of this Newsletter; you will need Javascript enabled to access the chat room.
Faith Journey Chat
Tuesday, October 18th - 6:00PM MDT
Join Elisha (elibar) and Lei (Bride) for a Faith Journey Chat on the third Tuesday of each month at 6pm MT. All faiths are welcome! We'll be chatting and scrapping about our individual faith walk and how we also walk together. Watch the message board for this month's topic of discussion, and if you like - create a layout based on the topic!
East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, October 19th - 10:00AM MDT
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 October 19th, we'll do a Journaling Challenge. Create a layout with at least seven sentences of meaningful journaling. 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!
Heritage Crop
Thursday, October 20th - 6:00PM MDT
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.
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!