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Reader's Gallery

Sue Schneider - Reader's Gallery Coordinator, Scrapping Design Team 12/01/2003

WINTER IN RUSSIA...
Brrrrr. A Russian winter may sound harsh to the majority of you. But even if you don’t like (or don’t have) snow, you can still enjoy a snow filled Christmas in Russia --from the warm comfort of your computer chair. Escape and discover the many ideas located in our Gallery. We will share our designs with you and hope that you will share yours with us. Whether you are a first-time cruiser or a veteran sailor, the Gallery is your ultimate guide to sharing and inspiration. Just like a lighthouse guides ships through the fog, it is our hope that the ideas shared here will entice your senses and trigger the creative power within you.

Each month, we will pick a theme. For December, our theme is: “Winter in Russia.” We provide a theme to challenge you and our designers and provide you with more adventures for creativity.

Some ideas for designs for this theme are: Vintage Christmas, Victorian Christmas, snow, ballet, Russian architecture, the Russian Royal Family, all religious celebrations (Kwanzaa, Hanukkah), Emperor’s Bell, and ballet. To me, Russian colors invoke thoughts of royalty. Such as burgundy, gold, navy, and deep green. I hope this will stimulate some exciting new ideas! We want to thank our readers for submitting such beautiful layouts and cards!

Next month we are going to ring in the New Year in China. Think bikes, fortune cookies, temples, tea, the Great Wall, chopsticks, monks, Buddha, Chinese New Year, proverbs, Year of the Goat, bamboo, dragons, lanterns, martial arts, silk and the colors black, white and red. Try doing a layout about yourself using your Chinese year! Try this link to inspire you and have some fun with it. Please note, this is just for fun. http://astrology.yahoo.com/us/astrology/divination/chinese/index.html

Some quick Russian facts (found on www.russianlife.net):
1. Russia occupies more land on Planet Earth than any other single country.

2. Russia is ranked 7th in world population. Only six countries have a larger population: China, India, the U.S., Indonesia, Brazil and Pakistan.

3. Russian is currently the fifth most predominantly spoken language in the world, behind Chinese, English, Hindustani and Spanish. There are also just five official languages of the UN: English, French, Chinese, Spanish and Russian.

4. Russia owns about 25% of the world's fresh water and it is already exporting it to countries that do not have enough.

5. Some 70% of Russia is forested and 22% of the world's forests are in Russia. 15% of all the carbon dioxide in the world is absorbed here.

It is our hope that the ideas submitted will encourage, inspire, and educate. If you are interested in submitting your designs, (scrapbooking or stamping) please send your image to Dawn, our Captain, at editor@ssreflections.com . Please scan your image at 96 dpi (or close to this). You can submit a scrapbook page, a card, a project, or a tag. But, you must have created the art yourself. Please do not submit anything that has been previously published, or you intend to be published elsewhere.

"Everything I do, I do on the principle of Russian borscht. You can throw everything into it - beets, carrots, cabbage, onions, everything you want. What's important is the result, the taste of the borscht."
-- Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (b. 1933), Soviet antiestablishment poet, "Babi Yar," "The Heirs of Stalin"

I found this Russian quote in my research. It kind of reminds me of the way I scrapbook – just throw a bunch of things at a page. But what is important in the end is what the page looks like and whether you like it.

Revel in your creative spirit and come back! When we send our mid-month newsletter we will change the designs in the gallery so we can showcase even more of your wonderful work!

Sue Schneider
sueschneider@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Design Team
Reader's Gallery Coordinator
S.S. Reflections, Inc.

Adrienne Looman	Barbara Cole	Chrissy Cooper	Cindy Roland
Cricket Rawlins	Cynthia Schrauben	Diana Scott	Dru Beecher
Dyan Cross	Elizabeth Cuzzacrea	Gunvor Andersson	Judy Cantrell
Kathlene Clark	Kelly Capps	Kris Gillespie	Marlis Greenway
Nicole Gale	Purnima	Ramie Ahlstrom	Robin Willis
Suzanne Saupe	Diana Scalenghe	Sharon Solly	Snow Davidson
Stacie Guerra	Tisha Mccuiston	Trace Degon	Trish Bayley