"Go ahead," she said. "It won't hurt you."
Friday, February 10, 2012

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:

• 50% off Commercially Licensed Products Sale!
• What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique?
• Life Muse by Ro
• Scrap Girls Club
• Tips From The Pros: Personalising ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech
• Designer Freebie
• What's Happening at Scrap Girls?
• Ongoing Opportunities for YOU

Rozanne Paxman

The Pig on the Refrigerator

"OINK! OINK!" the door of the refrigerator reprimanded. "Do not open the door, fatso."

I pulled back my hand and pretended that I was not in the room. "Go ahead," Paula said. "It won't hurt you."

I shook my head. I did not want the pig to oink at me again. "What is that?" I asked.

"My mother belongs to a new weight group. They meet once a week and get weighed in. They gave her the pig to help remind her not to get in the refrigerator."

I shuddered. "Everybody knows how heavy you are?"

Paula nodded. "Yes. They stand on a scale, they talk about it, then they go home and eat different foods."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Dry toast. Carrot and celery sticks. Grapefruit. Stuff like that."

I shuddered with guilt. "I'm fat. I should do that. I need a pig on my refrigerator."

Waves of humiliation washed over me. "I can't do that," I thought. "Everybody will see it. I'd be too embarrassed."

My stomach clenched as I thought of existing on carrot and celery sticks. "I can't do that," I told myself. "I just can't. I guess I'm doomed."

My face flamed as I thought of standing on a scale in front of a crowd. I could practically feel their accusatory eyes staring at me as they chanted, "Fatso. Fatso. Fatso."

"Nope. No group meetings for me," I firmly decided. "I'll have to figure this out on my own."

"If that's what it takes," I thought, "I'm out. I'm not strong enough to suffer like Paula's mom. That's embarrassing. It's humiliating. It's torture. Nope. No group meetings for me. I'll have to figure this out on my own."

I was only ten years old. My body was being worked over by early pubescence. As I sprouted in places my peers wouldn't sprout for years, I felt increasingly more uncomfortable with myself. I began to believe what my peers told me: I was a fat girl.

It is only in hindsight that I am able to see that I was a tiny, petite girl. I remained that way until years of hormone replacement therapy, a bad diet, and an inactive lifestyle caught up with me.

I had become what I always thought I was: heavy.

It's now 2012. While I feel a lot better about myself and have lost the internal voice telling me that I'm a failure, I still think about it all the time – mainly because my doctor has told me that I have to do something about this situation. I have a disease called Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver, caused by some medication I took for years. I have to lose slowly because, as it turns out, you can get Fatty Liver if you go too quickly. But the only way to reverse it is to lose.

I wish I could tell you that it's easy. I wish I could tell you that I've made a lot of progress, but the progress I made in 2011 was somewhat reversed because of the rotator cuff surgery I had in late 2011. I'm still in the recovery period, but my doctor assures me that eventually, I will be better than ever. I look forward to it!

I'll share a couple of things that have been helpful to me.

1. 1. This book teaches surprisingly simple methods for dealing with the emotional issues associated with being heavy. I have found a lot of relief from them, and this book is responsible for me losing 90% of my negative self-talk. You can get it on Amazon as a paperback or as a Kindle download.

   

2. Scrap Girls has a group that anyone is welcome to join. We support each other in our goal to be more active. We call each other Shredders. All that it takes for you to join is to sign into our Forum and indicate that you would like to be involved here.

   Our goal is to do 20 minutes of activity six days a week, but the philosophy is that anything is better than nothing. Before my surgery, I was meeting my goals. Since my surgery, it is more sporadic, but at least I'm doing something. We have a chart that tracks what everyone is doing, and everyone cheers each other on and supports each other when we are having a harder time.

   Joining this group has made all the difference for me.

   Everyone is welcome! It's much easier when we support each other!

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!

		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 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 February's Scrap Girls Club designed for you by Kim Meeder Club Exclusive! JIFFY Easy Page Album Club Exclusive! Designer's Gift
Layout by Kim Meeder using February's Scrap Girls Club larger view	Layout by Kim Meeder using February's Scrap Girls Club larger view	Layout by Kim Meeder using February's Scrap Girls Club larger view

Personalising ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech

Tutorial created using Photoshop CS5 on a Mac using Snow Leopard

In this crazy-technology-based world we live in, there are not many people we know who have not seen, touched, played with, or own a piece of iTech technology. Now, you can use ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech to create your very own embellishments that look like your cell phone, MP3 player, tablet, and earbuds.

The ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech come in separate PNG files that make them easy to use; just place one image on top of the other until your iTech piece is complete.

In four of the six ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech pieces, there is an area where a photo can be placed. Let me show you how easy it is!

First, click on the layer where you would like your photo to be situated and place your photo above that layer in your Layers Palette.

Next, create a clipping mask (Ctrl+Alt+G or Ctrl+G on a PC) to the photo layer, and voila, watch your photo fit right into your ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech product.

The other magical thing that can be done with these templates is they can easily be recolored to match your layout.

Click on the layer you wish to recolor. With the Eyedropper Tool, choose a color for your item. Go to Cmd+U (Ctrl+U on a PC) to call up the Hue/Saturation window, click on "Colorize," watch the color change, and then play with the sliders until you are completely satisfied with the color you want. Finally, click OK.

Continue to play with these templates as much as you like, and then complete your layout by adding them as the finishing touch.

You can have a lot of fun with ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech as you highlight all the techno-wonders of your world, whether cell phone, tablet, or MP3 player.

Layout by Jo Corne
larger view

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: iTech, Funky Hanukkah Paper Mini, Funky Hanukkah Collection, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 and ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mirror Reflections Mini 8501 are also available.

Article written by Jo Corne

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 Cheri Thieleke
larger view

Designer Freebie by Cindy Rohrbough coordinates with her Happy Hearts Collection Mini

Today's freebie designed by Cindy Rohrbough

* 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.

Journaling Chat
Monday, February 13th - 6:00PM MST

Join Carla (CRS) on Monday, February 13th at 6pm MT in the chat room for the Journaling Chat! This month, we'll use Amanda Fraijo-Tobin's ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Journaling Labels 6401 and her Brush Set: Journaling Labels. Carla will have a journaling challenge for you as well! Hope to see you there!

New Member Chat
Tuesday, February 14th - 6:00PM MST

Join Debbie (B&K Mom) for the New Member Chat at February 14th at 6pm 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, February 15th - 10:00AM MST

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 February 15th, we will be doing a ScrapSimple challenge! Create a layout using at least one ScrapSimple product. If you haven't used them before, we'll have some great ideas for you in the chat. 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!

Hybrid Craft Chat
Wednesday, February 15th - 6:00PM MST

Join Carla (CRS) in the chat room at 6pm MT for this month's Hybrid Craft Chat. We will be talking about Angela Blanchard's ScrapSimple Craft Templates: Exploding Box! I'll have some tips for you and show you how easy it is to use your digital goodies along with what is already in your craft room!

February's Message Board Game: Posting Contest!

February is Posting Contest time on the Scrap Girls Forums! You can win a Scrap Girls Gift Certificate by simply being chatty in the Scrap Girls Forums and Gallery. This contest will run from February 1st when we post the thread until 11:59pm MT on February 29th.

To enter the Scrap Girls Forum Posting Contest, you MUST reply in the Posting Contest Thread with your CURRENT post count. Your post count is the number under your avatar that shows when you post. (NOTE: The number found on your profile is a number which is calculated differently.) During the month, post your fingers off! At Midnight on February 29th, we will calculate your post count based on the numbers posted in the game thread.

PRIZES:

• Those with 50-99 posts will be entered in a drawing for a $5 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate.
• Those with 100-249 posts will be entered in a drawing for a $10 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate.
• Those with 250-399 posts will be entered in a drawing for a $15 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate.
• Those with 400 or more posts will automatically win a $5 gift certificate and will be entered in a drawing for a $20 Scrap Girls Gift Certificate!

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

February Monthly Layout Contest: This February we have a Leap Year Day. For this month's contest, we want you to scrap about what makes you "Leap for Joy." Let us know in your journaling why you leap for joy. Post your layouts in the February Monthly Layout Gallery before Midnight MST on February 29th. Be sure to list your layout's product credits in the description or under the EXIF Properties. Two layouts will be selected to 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!

Copyright Scrap Girls, LLC 2004-2012

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Scrap Girls
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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!