ScrappingForever

It’s finally here… MISCHIEF WEEK!!

For the uninitiated, Mischief Week is a week-long event of mayhem and madness, located in our newsletter, messageboard, and chat room. We have lots of games, contests, crops, and free classes for you. We give away prizes like we are losing our minds. And of course, there is a SALE in the boutique!

You don’t want to miss this fun week at Scrap Girls! Many of our die-hard members have said that this is what got them pulled into the message board. They got to know people, had tons of fun, and made good friends, all because of the silliness and mayhem we create during Mischief Week.

So, if you’ve never stopped by before, come and visit the Scrap Girls Message Board and take part in a few of the games, challenges and chats. And don’t miss the free mini-classes! Nothing is better than free, right? Unless it also includes prizes!

Here is the schedule for today:

Saturday, April 25th

9:00 AM ET (11:00 PM Australian ET) – Anzac Day Chat – Jo and Karen
Join Jo (ScrappingJo) and Karen (kazbar73) as we come together to celebrate ANZAC Day. This is the one and only day in Australia where we remember our men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. This chat is not just for Aussie girls and we would love to have everyone join us as we remember those who serve our countries for the better good. So come along and chat with us, and if you can, do a layout in remembrance of someone who has served or maybe do a layout about what ANZAC Day/Remembrance Day means to you. We look forward to chatting with you.

10:00 AM ET – Color Challenge Chat – Amy and Carol Ann
Yes, it’s your regularly scheduled Saturday Color Challenge, but there is mischief in the air. Join Amy (ManiakMama) and Carol Ann (Zaz) for a special color challenge and chat that may make you see some colors in a completely different way. Are you up for the challenge? Meet us in the chat room on Saturday, April 25th at 10am ET. Bwahaha!!

4:00 PM ET – 20 Questions Chat – Sherry Lynn
So you think you know the Scrap Girls Team – join Sherry_Lynn in the chat room at 4pm AND let’s see just how many of the 20 Questions you can get right. There will be lots of chocolate, fun, questions AND oh yeah – a prize!

9:00 PM ET – Cram the Chatroom – Ro, Angela, and Sherry Lynn
Join Ro, angelaNussbaum, Sherry_Lynn, and more of the Scrap Girls team as we attempt to Cram the Chatroom!!!

10:00 PM ET – PJ Party – Danna and Angela
Join Danna (scrappylibrarian) and Angela (angelaNussbaum) in a fun filled 2 hour pajama party! Put your pajamas on, snuggle into your slippers, get your chocolate stash handy and get ready for chatting, fun and games!

It’s finally here… MISCHIEF WEEK!!

For the uninitiated, Mischief Week is a week-long event of mayhem and madness, located in our newsletter, messageboard, and chat room. We have lots of games, contests, crops, and free classes for you. We give away prizes like we are losing our minds. And of course, there is a SALE in the boutique!

You don’t want to miss this fun week at Scrap Girls! Many of our die-hard members have said that this is what got them pulled into the message board. They got to know people, had tons of fun, and made good friends, all because of the silliness and mayhem we create during Mischief Week.

So, if you’ve never stopped by before, come and visit the Scrap Girls Message Board and take part in a few of the games, challenges and chats. And don’t miss the free mini-classes! Nothing is better than free, right? Unless it also includes prizes!

Here is the schedule for today:

Friday, April 24th

11:00 AM ET – What’s Old Chat – Michelle and Sherry Lynn
Join Shelbi and Sherry_Lynn for the Mischief Week addition of the What’s New Chat. This week we will be talking about what’s OLD so bring a link to your favorite item in the Boutique and join us for the chat. Who knows there may even be a prize involved!!

12:00 Noon ET – Customer Challenge Chat – Pat
Let’s get together in the Live Chat Lobby for a chat about the Friday Customer Submitted Challenge for April 24th. Join Pat (PBarnes) in the Chat Room and let’s have some fun!

4:00 PM ET – Up to Mischief Crop & Chat – Sherry Lynn and Mary Elizabeth
Are you ready to make mischief? Join Sherry_Lynn and Mary Elizabeth (NS_Scrapper) to start your weekend antics off with a Up to Mischief Crop and Chat. We’ll give you a layout challenge and get up to some shenanigans and devilment. And, of course, there will be fun, games – and a prize!

8:00 PM ET – Zaz & Shari’s Sensational Scrap Girls Adventure
We would like to invite you all to join us for the third installment of Zaz and Shari’s (Shari PV Mom) Sensational ScrapGirls Adventure on April 24th at 8pm ET in the chatroom lobby. We’re not going to tell you what we will be doing exactly, but let’s just say that it will be kind of like a treasure hunt. It will go best for those of you who can open two windows on your monitor at the same time. It is NOT a competition. It’s an adventure. And everyone can enjoy the “treasure.” Will there be a prize? Oh, yes. Will you have to type fast to get it? Not really. Just come and find out.

9:00 PM ET – Swap Crop Chat – Carla and April
It’s time for the Swap Crop Chat! We’ve done the swapping, and created the layouts, now it’s time to chat about all the gorgeous layouts! I don’t know what it is, but these swaps bring out the best in everyone. This is the time to chat about the theme, the beautiful layouts and learn about the swap crop if you haven’t participated before. I’ll even reveal the theme for next month! Join Carla (CRS) and April (April Showers) for a fun chat at 9pm ET on April 24th!

There are many different effects one can use in Photoshop to create great digital scrapbooking layouts. Some are easy, and some seem hard, but are actually pretty easy once you learn the tricks. Most of them are techniques that can take your pages from so-so to over-the-top with just a few clicks.

In this layout, I used all three of the elements mentioned in the title. I used my Brush Set: 4×6 Brush Stroke Frames on the photo, and then applied one of the styles from ScrapSimple Tools – Styles: Well Loved 5001. The 3 rectangles above the photos are three different background papers applied to my ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks – Brush Strokes. Who says you can only use photo masks for photos! Finally, I used the alpha from the A Little Worn Out Collection. This alpha started as a cream color, but when I applied the Difference blending mode, the letters changed to this bluish-grey color, which picks up some of the colors from the photo nicely.

The lesson to be learned here is to take the time to play with the tools offered in Photoshop in combination with your digital scrapbooking elements. Think of how you can use them in ways they may not be intended. The results may surprise you, and will take your layouts up a notch!

Other products used in this layout:

Old Friends Paper Biggie
ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Sew Doodly Biggie
Haven Collection Mini
A Mans Life Collection
Up at the Villa Paper Biggie
Portrait of Love Collection

Commercial products also available for:

Brush Set: 4×6 Brush Strokes Frames – Commercial License
ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks – Brush Strokes – Commercial License
ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Sew Doodly Biggie – Commercial License
ScrapSimple Tools – Styles: Well Loved 5001 – Commercial License

Every weekend for the past 4 or 5 weeks I have been making Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies as a sweet treat for my family. We are a family that loves our sweets, so I always try to have something relatively more healthy and clean on hand to satisfy that craving.

I have tried several different cookie recipes over the months since we started eating clean, and while most of them have been acceptable to a certain degree, they were never as whole-heartedly loved as this recipe is. I thought I would share the recipe with you, since I’m sure my family is not the only one that craves something sweet as an evening treat.

I originally got this recipe from Spark People and have modified it a bit to suit our needs better. Here is the original recipe:

Serves: 36

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Splenda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter (unsalted, and softened)
1/4 cup applesauce
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12-ounce bag of semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl sift together flours, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl cream together Splenda, brown sugar, butter, applesauce, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and pour in chocolate chips. Stir until combined, don’t overmix.
Scoop onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake 13-18 minutes.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

NUTRITION INFO (per cookie)
Calories: 148.7
Fat: 8.9 g
Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
Protein: 1.7 g

I modified the recipe by changing the Splenda to Sucanat, which is a type of Organic Cane Sugar. (Sometimes I use Splenda instead. I switch back and forth. It doesn’t make a difference to the taste, but the Splenda cookies do seem to be a little lighter and fluffier.) Instead of butter, I use Olivio, an Olive Oil-based margarine. And instead of two egg yolks I use one whole egg and one egg white. I have also been substituting 1/2 of the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips. They make a really yummy addition to these cookies.

I have to say, these are some of the best cookies I have ever made. They always come out very light and cake-like, so if you like that type of cookie, then this recipe is for you!

Looking for more yummy, healthy recipes? Visit Fit Club Today for all of your fitness and nutritional needs.

As the Scrap Girls University Administrator, I have the fun job of helping our fabulous teachers develop their classes. Their creativity and knowledge never ceases to amaze me. I am always thrilled for them when we finally get a new class ready to put into the boutique. This week, we turned on four classes ranging from typography basics to learning how to restore photos. Below are the new classes:

These in-depth online digital scrapbooking classes are a wonderful opportunity to learn how to create fun out of bounds photos for your computer scrapbooking layouts. Learn how to manipulate your photos to create elements that stick out beyond the frame. The class is taught in both PS and PSE versions. Click on the image to go to the class listing in the boutique.

This in-depth digital scrapbooking class on basic photo retouching is the perfect opportunity to learn about color correction and photo refinement techniques. Using various methods, this class will teach you how to retouch and prep photos for printing, digital scrapbooking, and web uploading. Click on the image to go to the class listing in the boutique.

This in-depth digital scrapbooking class is a wonderful opportunity to learn the basics of typography. This class comes with the Ten Beginner Tips on Type eBook.

Also in the boutique, and starting this coming week, is our Cooking Up Color Schemes class. This in-depth digital scrapbooking class is a wonderful opportunity to learn about color schemes. Colors can be overwhelming and challenging to use. Learn some simple rules and guidelines to make them easier.

If you are interested in any of these classes, be sure to sign up soon, because they sell out quickly. See you in a Scrap Girls class soon!