Just Keep Running
Tuesday, December 6, 2011

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:

• 40% off ScrapSimple Templates!
• Gifts Galore!!
• Today's Special of the Day
• What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique?
• Blog Contest! A Chance to Win a Kindle Fire!
• URGENT! Win $25 from Scrap Girls!!
• Life Muse by Ro
• ScrapSimple Club
• Tips from the Pros: Documenting the Holidays
• Designer Freebies
• What's Happening at Scrap Girls?
• Ongoing Opportunities for YOU

Today is the FINAL DAY to enter!
Answer 3 Easy Questions and maybe Win a Kindle Fire!

How would you like to win a GREAT prize - like a Kindle Fire - and not have to do anything but answer three easy questions to do it? Wouldn't it make a great Christmas present for someone you love - or yourself?

Now's your chance! Just head over to the Scrap Girls Blog to read all of the rules. Look for the post named:  Blog Contest: Easy way to win great prizes including a Kindle Fire

Here is what the lucky winners will receive:

THE PRIZES

ONE (1) Kindle Fire (The winner will be able to watch their Presentation Digital Scrapbook 1-2-3 videos on YouTube on this!)

TWO (2) CDs of Michael Lucarelli's music (Michael Lucarelli Plays the Beatles)

THREE (3) $10 Gift Certificates for the Scrap Girls Boutique

All of the rules for the contest are in the blog post. It ends on Tuesday, December 6th, so don't delay.

And while you are there... make sure that look around and see all of the improvements we've made. Make sure that you subscribe to the Scrap Girls Blog because it has all new, unique content and tutorials that are not found in the Scrap Girls newsletter. We are also going to be running special blog contests and giving away blog-only discounts that you won't want to miss!

Go to the Scrap Girls Blog to read all of the details.

See you there!

FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
Be one of 12 people to win $25 Christmas CASH from Scrap Girls!

Get ready to capture the magic of the Christmas and holiday season! You could be one of 12 people who will win a $25 pre-paid Visa gift card!

Let me explain...

If you are one of the many, many, many who have told me over the years how much you love, love, love my annual 12-part Christmas story, thank you! I write each story from my heart – sometimes it takes weeks and months, and sometimes the inspiration comes so overwhelmingly fast that I have been known to pump out an entire story in a two-day, no-sleep marathon.

This year, I was inspired to ask you to be part of creating a very special experience for the Scrap Girls community. You see, this year, the 12 Days of Christmas will come from your heart. That's right – YOU! I want to hear YOUR stories of Christmases past. I want to share YOUR stories of the marvels and miracles of the season.

So I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to feature one story every day for 12 days, beginning December 13th. And because I want this to be extra special, I am going to award a prize that I've never handed out before...cash. The author of every story that gets selected will receive a $25 pre-paid Visa card that you can use anywhere in the world that Visa is accepted.

CONTEST RULES

Here's what you need to do to be one of the 12 stories that are selected:

1. Write a 500-word (maximum length, please) story that tells about something you have experienced during Christmas or the holiday season sometime in the past. Or tell a story that has been handed down through the generations in your family. All I ask is that it be true (to the best of your knowledge) and somehow connected to you. (Please don't send us a retelling of something you read somewhere else!) Make this a story, a retelling of an actual event, not just a collection of thoughts about why you love Christmas or the holidays.

   Was there a time when you saw something miraculous happen at Christmas or during the holidays? Can you recall a first Christmas or holiday memory with your loved one, your child, or maybe the last Christmas or holiday with your great-grandmother? We love to share good stories around here, and we don't mind having to grab a tissue, so write with all your heart to speak to our hearts!

   We will edit the story as needed for clarity, grammar, punctuation, length, etc., though we will make every effort not to change the meaning of anything you write. However, the better you write, the less we have to edit, and the happier you will make our editor!

2. Submit a layout or a photo that goes with your story. Any layout or photo of a craft product submitted must use only Scrap Girls supplies.

   You don't have to make a layout or a craft project to have your story selected, but we would like to have some kind of image such as a photograph to go with the story. People enjoy stories best when they have images to connect to.

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Submit two sizes of each image that accompanies your story:
1. 600 px wide (72 dpi)
2. 300 px wide (72 dpi)
2. Attach images to email, as described below.

STORY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Story should be written in a word processing program, such as MS Word or Works. If you don't have one, you can download a nice one without charge from OpenOffice.org.
2. In the document, you will include:
• Your story
• Your complete contact information (mailing address, phone number, email address)
• Supply list for any layouts/craft projects images you are supplying. Give us the name of the product (must be from Scrap Girls). If you can include the link to the Scrap Girls product page, it would be super-helpful to our newsletter team.
• Image file names
3. Attach the document containing this story, etc. to your email.

SUBMITTING YOUR STORY

1. Email your story to hello@scrapgirls.com
2. Subject line: My 12 Days Story
3. Attachments, which include:
• Story document
• Scrap Girls publication release (Download it HERE)
• Images (see above)
4. The deadline for the story submission is Midnight, MST on Tuesday, December 6th.
5. One entry per person.

HOW YOU WILL KNOW IF YOUR STORY HAS BEEN SELECTED

Just to keep things interesting, we're not going to tell anyone if they have been selected ahead of time! You'll just have to hop out of bed every morning and rush to your computer and open up your Scrap Girls Newsletter with all the wonder of a child on Christmas morning and look to see if your story got published that day!

After the newsletter is published, we will send the daily winner the good news and will tell them how they will receive their $25 pre-paid Visa card.

I'm so excited to see what you are going to send me! I think that this year's 12 Days Newsletters will be the best yet!

- Ro

Rozanne Paxman

Just Keep Running

"Fourteen more," I thought. "I can go 14 more."

One... two... three... four... five....

I counted under my breath as I jogged around the track behind the high school gym while the remainder of the eighth grade girls loafed about on the lawn. They had little to do in between practicing for their assigned track and field events besides gossiping about each other, comparing the state of their tans, and deciding if they needed to shave their legs. Occasionally, Miss Wilson would call several of them to their posts and a short race would occur. But once their duty of the day had been completed, back to the lawn-lounge chairs they would go.

Meanwhile, I counted... six... seven... eight... nine... ten....

Each spring, Millard Junior High School held a track and field competition. Every student was expected to participate. As soon as it was warm, our teacher would trot us out to the track and would audition us for placement in the proper events. Unfortunately for me, I was a disaster at everything.

I can't hop, skip, or jump. My inability to jump long distances excluded me from jumping over bars or into sand pits. Apparently, I am rather dangerous when I attempt to throw things about so the shot put and the javelin were out. And it was decided that my slow pace as a runner disqualified me from any of the more interesting races.

When I was 14, Miss Wilson had a chat with me. "Because you are unable to do any of the events, Rozanne, you will have to run a mile a day if you want to get higher than a C."

A mile a day?

I thought I was being sentenced for some mistake committed in my sleep because I didn't understand why my lack of sports talent would condemn me to a fate worse than death. But because I wanted to get a good grade, I began running. And as I ran, I counted to distract me from the pain.

Eleven... twelve... thirteen... fourteen....

When the quarter was over and the day of the big competition arrived, Miss Wilson told me that I would have to run the longest race. As she spoke, I considered running the long distance between Fillmore and Salt Lake City so that I would be out of the view of my peer group. I didn't say anything to her, but quietly pinned my number on my t-shirt and assessed my competition, which included a girl who was training to be a marathoner, an extremely overweight girl, and myself.

"Ready. Set. Go!" the referee yelled before firing the gun to begin the race.

One... two... three... four....

I began counting immediately so I could block out the site of the entire school watching me run.

Five... six... seven... eight....

I saw the back of the marathoner disappear around the bend in the track.

Nine... ten... eleven... twelve....

I saw the back of the overweight girl disappear around the next curve. I was alone. It was just me, the track, and the numbers.

Thirteen... fourteen....

One... two...

The marathoner passed me.

Three... four... five... six....

The overweight girl passed me, too.

Seven... eight... nine... ten....

I heard a roar from the crowd. The marathoner won the race.

Eleven... twelve... thirteen... fourteen....

A burst of applause came from the stand. The overweight girl completed her task.

One... two... three... four....

I had completed one lap and had another lap left to run. I considered quitting. I considered running around to the entrance of the field and then running out of the entrance and running until I disappeared into my grandmother's arms. I heard the voice of a friend yell, "Just stop, Rozanne. You don't have to keep running anymore."

But suddenly, the thought of being a quitter seemed worse than being a loser, so I kept running.

Five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven... twelve... thirteen... fourteen....

By the time my race was over, the crowd's attention had been diverted to another more interesting event, and my crossing the finish line was not noticed by anyone but my best friend. She didn't know whether she should be proud of me or embarrassed for me.

But I knew. I was proud. I had just finished the race of my life.

It took me years to understand the ramifications of my choice to keep running that day, despite the extreme public humiliation of my obvious failure. While it confirmed that I am not a great athlete, it also confirmed that I do not have to quit. I can keep going, slugging it out despite running in difficult situations. I can run despite being weak in areas that I have to manage. I can hang in there and keep going.

All I have to do is count while I wait for the thorny spots to pass, because they always do pass.

One... two... three... four....

Just keep running. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get there. You will get there eventually.

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 hello@scrapgirls.com. If it is selected for publication in the Scrap Girls newsletter, you'll get to have fun shopping!

		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). A commercially licensed version of the ScrapSimple Club is also available here. With the ScrapSimple Club, you will receive: 1 ScrapSimple Paper Template Set 1 ScrapSimple Embellishment Template 1 Brush Set 2 Designer's Choice Item CLUB EXCLUSIVE! Nano Collection CLUB EXCLUSIVE! Designer's Choice Item CLUB EXCLUSIVE! 2 Tutorials November's ScrapSimple Club has been created for you by Brandy Hackman and Keri Schueller Club Exclusive! Nano Collection Club Exclusive! Designer's Gift
Layout by Brandy Hackman using November's ScrapSimple Club larger view	Layout by Keri Schueller using November's ScrapSimple Club larger view	Layout by Brandy Hackman using November's ScrapSimple Club larger view

Documenting the Holidays

Note: Tutorial created using Photoshop CS4 with Windows XP

Recently, I looked through several decades of our family's holiday photos. I noticed that some years we took lots of great photos, and other years, we have just a few. I also realized that there are only so many photos of kids opening presents that I can use in digital scrapbooking layouts. My favorite photos are those where we captured the details of the season like the look of wonder on a child's face, our favorite ornaments, or our family's holiday traditions.

Some of our family's favorite holiday memories are cookie baking, zoo lights, our Christmas Eve nativity puppet show, and gingerbread house decorating. For the layout below, I wanted to show the house in process, the fun that the kids were having with it, and then the finished product. There's not a great need for journaling because the pictures tell the story so well, so I added just a short paragraph to caption what's going on in the photos, along with a little behind-the-scenes info.

Layout by April Martell
larger view

Commercial license versions of Candy Coated Christmas Collection, Sweet Shoppe Collection, Lettering Delights Chicken Scratch Font, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Micro Glitter 6401 Super Biggie and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Glitter Edge 6301 Biggie are also available.

On the other hand, sometimes detailed journaling is needed to tell the story behind a single picture. For instance, one thing my parents did (during the years they actually took photos on Christmas) was take a photo of each child by the Christmas tree with all the presents we'd opened. In the layout below, I journaled extensively to record the story behind this one photograph. This simple picture represents so much more than just what you see – each element tells its own story. I wrote about what those presents meant to me, even as a child, and what life lessons I learned from my parents and grandparents about Christmas gift-giving. I want those stories recorded for my children and grandchildren to read in the years to come.

Layout by April Martell
larger view

Commercial license versions of Inspired Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Edgers Biggie and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Jubilant 6401 Super Biggie are also available.

You will have your own holiday traditions, so make a list of the things you want to record for your family this year. Whether you like to take hundreds of photos of each holiday event or just a few, with a little thoughtful creativity, you will be able to create digital scrapbook pages that document how your family celebrates the holidays.

Article written by April Martell

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!

Surprise! Surprise! Gifts Galore!
We have TWO designer freebies for you each day until Christmas Eve!

Layout by Brandy Hackman
larger view

Designer Freebie by Brandy Hackman coordinates with her ScrapSimple Word Art Templates: Eureka!,
part of this month's ScrapSimple Club offering!

Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Modern Walls and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Block Frames are also available.

Today's freebie designed by Brandy Hackman

Layout by Jan Ransley
larger view

Designer Freebie by Jan Ransley coordinates with her Just Glitz Collection Biggie

Today's freebie designed by Jan Ransley

* 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.

Creative Cards Chat
Tuesday, December 6th - 6:00PM MST

Do you use your digital supplies to make cards? Do you want to? Instead of going to the store every time you need a card, you can save money and have fun making cards with your digi-stash! Make a note of any cards you might need for the upcoming month and join April (April Showers) and Theresa (tiza126) for the once-a-month Card Chat on the first Tuesday of each month at 6pm MT. Can't wait to see you there!

Life Moments Chat
Tuesday, December 6th - 8:00PM MST

Join Theresa (teecee) in the chat room for a Life Moments Chat at 8pm MT. These chats are meant to get you inspired to scrap about yourself. A theme will be posted earlier in the day to help you get started. Hope to see you there!

East Coast High Noon Crop
Wednesday, December 7th - 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 December 7th, we'll do a white space challenge! Create a layout using white space. This "negative" or blank space guides the eye to the important areas of your page. Remember, it certainly doesn't have to be the color white! 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!

ATC Swap Crop & Chat
Wednesday, December 7th - 6:00PM MST

Please join Lei (Bride) and Elisha (elibar) in the chatroom for our ATC (Artist Trading Card) Swap Crop/Chat on the first Wednesday of each month at 6pm MT. Come see what everyone has created and we'll talk about next month's topic. We're looking forward to seeing you there.

Use Your Stash Chat
Thursday, December 8th - 6:00PM MST

Join Theresa (tiza126) and Shannon (tinkerbell11) at 6pm MT for this month's Use Your Stash Chat. We will challenge you to use something in your digital supply arsenal that you haven't before. Don't just collect supplies, use them! See you in the chat room.

What's New in the Scrap Girls Boutique Chat
Friday, December 9th - 9:00AM MST

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!

December Message Board Game: BINGO!

Join us for an exciting game of BINGO on the Scrap Girls Forum during the month of December!! Pick 25 words from the list provided and send them in an email to games@scrapgirls.com with a subject line that says "BINGO CARD - your Scrap Girls Message Board username" by Friday December 2 (Midnight MST) in order to play in the first round. The first round will begin on Saturday, December 3rd. 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 (Monday through Saturday), 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 Forum.

December Monthly Layout Contest: For the December Monthly Layout Contest, it's all about the gifts! Scrap a layout about a gift that was extra special, either one you gave or received. Or you can scrap about something or someone you consider to be a gift in your life. Share with us what makes that gift special! Post your layouts in the December Monthly Layout Gallery before Midnight MST on December 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 prizes@scrapgirls.com and we'll get it out to you right away!

Copyright Scrap Girls, LLC 2004-2011

This newsletter may be freely redistributed by email in its unedited form. We encourage you to share it with others.

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P.S. If you ever need any assistance, please email hello@scrapgirls.com or call 866-598-3444 and we'll help you as quickly as possible!