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Volume 1, Issue 2 |
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Welcome to the November edition of the Simply Digital Newsletter! Has it snowed in your neck of the woods (that's Minnesota talk if it sounds foreign to you)? We received five inches last week, some blustery near zero temperatures for about five days in a row, but today was 50 degrees with sunshine, and with that the snow is gone for a while. Five months of winter is a long time, so we are happy when we get a respite! With the snow, the kids felt the urge to get the Christmas music playing (each year the date seems to get earlier and earlier...), and I get that inner urge to hibernate! The winter is an awesome excuse to scrapbook, and also a wonderful time to make precious keepsakes for family and friends with photographs taken during the past year. I hope the Simply Digital product line can help you make some special gifts: an 8" x 8" gift album for your parents, some special pages to add to your children's books, a memory journal for your spouse, or maybe some custom Christmas cards made by printing our papers. Inexpensive white cardstock bought from an office supply store is a great product for this purpose, and the lower the quality print setting, the more shabby the paper looks! In this edition you will find:
We are especially grateful to you, our customers and subscribers, for the kind comments you've given us. Our passion for preserving our memories is strengthened when we hear that our products are fun and easy to use, and that our website inspires and helps teach you the wonders of digital! Warmest wishes to you for a blessed Thanksgiving season. Michelle |
Inside this issue:
Precious layout created by Thena with Microsoft Digital Image Pro using Shabby Music Paper from Simply Papers, this month's free frame, Joy buttons from Simply Fun (changed color), and snowflakes from Simply Shabby and our free samples page.
Christmas layout created by Michelle using this issue's free embellishments, and Pine Tree and Old Letters papers from Simply Papers. Title font is CK Child's Play from Becky Higgins Creative Clips and Fonts CD. |
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Stunning Photography and Layout created by Sharon using Digital Image Pro. She used Torn Cardboard from Simply Papers, Vellum Tag and Brads from Simply Embellished. Star from Simply Heritage, and Brown tag from Simply fun.
Touching layout created by Thena about 9/11 with Digital Image Pro using the Simply Papers and Simply Embellished CDs |
California Firestorms
As a person who sat safely on the Coronado peninsula (a little bit of Heaven connected to San Diego and the firestorms
by a thin strip of land called the Silver Strand), people might think I was unaffected by the fires. In truth, everyone in
San Diego, the surrounding areas, California, and even people all over the world were touched in one way or another by
these devastating fires. Our world is so small that you, whomever you might be, know someone who had a direct link to
someone affected by this fire.
Our closest link to the fires was our daughter who was only two miles away from the fire at its closest point to her and
who came to stay with us for a few days until she, thankfully, was able to return home. My dear friend, Sharon, was
the friend whose property was in the most and severest danger and I am convinced that other than some big angel spreading
his wings out to cover her home and property, there is no earthly reason why her home was spared. All of us who loved her
prayed for her home and safety as soon as we heard that her area was in danger.
You can see her photos and her story here on the site....
I had just bought a new camera and went out on the first day of the San Diego fires to take a photo of the skyline and I
thought my camera was defective or was set to sepia when I saw the photos. I took some more after ensuring the camera
was on the proper setting...and the air was brown in each one. After seeing those photos, our family did as the TV newsmen
were advising, and we stayed indoors as much as possible.
Our yard, cars, and grass were covered with ash looking a bit like a light sprinkling of that first snow of the season had
we been back east. Our house had the smell and feel of a chimney gone bad. Our daughter walked in and asked if we had
forgotten to open the vent on the fireplace.
When I looked at the ash covering everything and filling our lungs, the most difficult part was realizing that this ash was
made from people's homes, trees, and precious heirlooms. These tiny bits of particles represented great loss to friends,
coworkers, neighbors, as well as strangers. My eyes easily filled with tears during this time...not from the sting of the
smoke and the ash alone, but from the knowledge of the heartbreak others were going through. During this time I had no
way of knowing whether my friend Sharon had a home or whether her family was in harm's way. I was so thankful when
she called me to let me know that she was safe. It was several days later that I heard she still had a home.
Perhaps this is more than you need to know about me and my reaction to the fire, especially, since unlike my friend, the
fire didn't come up and kiss the tires on my truck, burn down my fence and lick at my shrubs...but it did touch my heart,
and to look at the photos, still brings strong emotions. No one in San Diego was untouched, and none of us will ever forget.
Everyone expresses thanksgiving for the safety of family and loved ones and grieves for those lives that were lost.
Thanksgiving in San Diego will be a special holiday this year. -Thena Smith
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