Hi All
It is June again!
June is quite possibly one of
the busiest months of the year for many people. There are
many memories
in the making with many families celebrating weddings, summer vacation,
father's
day, warm weather, summer jobs for teens, outdoor recreation and
graduation. These are typical events in the
This year, our family is
experiencing great change as
our oldest will graduate from High School in just a few days.
She already
is enrolled in the Fall courses for college. Time has passed
so quickly
and it has been hard to remember all the wonderful events we have had
the
privilege of sharing with her as she grew up. (We knew it
would happen,
just didn't know it would go so fast!) If it weren't for the
precious
photos we took, the memories might be a little distant in our minds.
The photos from this time of
our life range from
little 110s and 35mm snapshots to digital JPGs. Over the
years, we
learned a lot about photos and with digital, well, there was no
excuse.
We learned a lot more because the "cost of the photo" was so much
cheaper that our skills could improve. Give a girl a camera,
the world is
amazing through the viewfinder!
The photos and memories you
take time to preserve
today can be shared for a lifetime. The digital format lends
itself to
many opportunities whether you are using strictly photos or
embellishing your
favorite memories with digital page kits and products. You
can make your
photos large or small… include a series or just
one… Have a look at this
layout.
Using
several of the photos along side a focal photo gives a sense of
personality to
your layout.
Here is my challenge
to you. Expand your photo
taking capabilities by following along in a fun chat called "Get it off
Auto" by Lauren Bavin and Jennifer Hutchison. They have lots
of tips
to help you get into the creative zone when taking your
photos.
Through simple exercises you will gain insight on how to use different
settings
on your camera. It is worth the time you spend!
As you take your treasured
snapshots, remember to turn
them into scrapbook pages for all to enjoy! If you don't have
the time to
immediately get a page done, here is a nifty little hint from
me. You can
always open a notepad in Windows, journal or jot down the
memory. Save
the text file with the same name/number as your photo and place it in
the same
directory with your photos to find it easily.
As you hop into Summer--Winter
if you are in the
Southern Hemisphere, I hope you are inspired to get more scrapbook
pages
("layouts") done and photos taken! Maybe set a goal to
complete
a few scrapbook layouts a week or month. Through small goals
a lot can be
accomplished! The memories you preserve are your treasured
memories...
create layouts so others may share in them with you.
May you have many memories this
June!
Hugs!
Kim Liddiard
Senior Designer
DSP Store Administrator
P.S. I offer a class
on Lightroom which is
Adobe's photo development software. Adobe Lightroom
is a powerful
image processing software and asset manager and can help digital
scrapbookers
manage growing photos collections. Check
it out
Layout Credits: Spread
Your Wings Page Kit Spread
Your Wings Alpha Set and Moonlight
LoveLetter
Upcoming 2008 DSP crops and events:
Thursday
through Saturday, June 5-7 Great American Scrapbook Convention
(DSP hosting classes and crops) Arlington, Texas - For more
information: http://www.greatamericanscrapbook.com/
Thursday, June 5 - Sunday June 8 - Dallas, Blessed Memories Scrapbooking Retreat. Meet and learn from Emma.
Saturday, July 12 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Saturday, July 26 Adobe Headquarters, San Jose California
Saturday, September 20 - Beaver, Pennsylvania
Monthly Crop
– repeats first Friday of every
month Troy, Ohio
It is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions about DSP and digital scrapbooking. Whether it’s a question about navigating the site or how to get started, the girls are on hand to give you some answers. And everyone who attends the chat will get a link to a free kit! Trying out digital scrapbooking for the first time? Use your free kit and try your hand at a layout . . . we know you will love it!! More details here including how to use the chat room!
Are you thinking about posting your first layout? There's a special first layout challenge for you. Post your first layout to DSP this month and you may be a random winner for a free page kit!!
Welcome
to DSP! We know you will love it!
Each month you receive a wonderful selection of scrapbooking products . Something to suit every style and level of digital scrapper.
You will always receive 2 complete page kits, one plopper or an overlay and an alphabet, some great word art and more - a font and a set of png "stamps" for your scrapping pleasure, and dont forget the quick click template included in each club digital pack. Now club digital subscribers get an extra gift of an exclusive coupon for use on future purchases in the store
All this for the incredible price of $5.99 or even less!!! Thats well over $23 value for such a great price - The longer you subscribe - the cheaper it becomes and the better value for you!!!!!
Buy a 3 month subscription and go into the draw to be upgraded to a 6 month subscription, by a 6 month and you might win an upgrade to a 12 month subscription, and all those who buy a 12 month sub will go into the draw for a $30 coupon for the DSP store.
In addition every month there is an exclusive contest for club digital subscribers with great prizes.
This month you will find a super variety of great products to stimulate your inspiration. Included are 2 very different kits - one elegant and romantic in gold and brown tones and the other is modern and cool in blues and browns with chrome accents . You will also find a very great plopper to scrap those photos of your mother or of you and your children and some super journaling prompt stamps to place on your layout all ready for your words of wisdom. Also included in this months Club Digital is a silver and gold alphabet, a great adaptable quick click to scrap your friends and some word art all ready for your Father's Day layouts. Dont forget the exclusive Club font as well.
Here are some sample layouts done by our designers with this month's Club Digital!
Click here to subscribe to Club Digital today!
Featured Designer: Kerri
Erickson
Wow how the time
flies! I started
working here at DSP in late
October which means I have been here more than half of a
year! There are so many things I have learned since starting
here and most of it has been about me. I find it a great joy
and comfort that a place that started off as an accidental
Google search has turned out to be my second home. DSP has given this married stay at home mom life again. It gives me creative wings and the members give me a voice. Having a place like DSP has helped me realize that just because I am a mom doesn't mean the buck stops there. I can still be an individual with personal goals that don't involve family, my own creative design goals. It becomes very easy to allow oneself to be consumed with the day to day and then you lose yourself and your self worth.
DSP has awakened my soul and shown me that while being a wife and mother comes first, I have a responsibility to myself (and to others) to "deposit into the bank of Kerri."
So please remember, while family comes first DON'T forget about you! Make sure you don't continuously make "withdrawals from the bank of YOU," be sure you also "deposit" (it helps if others do as well) so that you can balance your personal well being. Trust me those around you will be much happier and so will you if you take some time for YOU!
You can join in Kerri’s 2 Crazy Chicks chat Every Other Monday at 11pm Eastern.
(Be
sure to check the bottom of the
newsletter for a special freebie from Kerri to our newsletter readers!)
Member
Spotlight:
photoqueenphoto
This
month's Spotlight Member is our very own photoqueenphoto! She takes
awesome photos and has a
beautiful scrapping style. When asked a few questions about her
scrapbooking experiences, this is what Fran had to say... Read
more about photoqueenphoto here and her stunning gallery here.
Thank you for being our June Spotlight Member Fran!
It's Shop
Time!
Shop
Time Inspiration by Erica
It’s time to SHOP… let’s get those baskets at the ready.
A Whopping 21% Off Photobook Creator
Now you can quickly create gift, themed, or chronological albums as well as portfolios, photo albums, recipe books, and more! In just a few seconds you can have your own strong and permanently bound book. Check it out here.
"Then
followed that beautiful season... Summer.... Filled was the air with a
dreamy
and magical light; and the landscape, lay as if new created in all the
freshness of childhood." Henry
Wadsworth
Longfellow
Her
comes summer, knocking at our door.
This is the time we start making plans for our Summer Vacation,
where
will we go this year, what will we do, what sights will we see, you can
literally feel the buzz of excitement in the air!
Whatever hemisphere you live in this wonderful CD
will bring
thoughts of summer rushing to the fore, with winter approaching in the
southern
hemisphere it’s the perfect way to get rid of those winter
blues, so pull out
all those past summer vacation photos and start scrapping,
Don’t
forget to check out our June Club
Digital the designers at DSP are the
best there are and you get
an awesome deal when subscribing to Club Digital – all your
favourite designers
delivered direct to your inbox at the beginning of each month,
can’t get much
better than that.
"Rest
is not idleness,
and to lie sometimes on the grass
on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the
clouds float
across the sky, is hardly a waste of time". John
Lubbock
Happy
shopping…
Scraps of Life: Summer Vacation
Scraps of Life: Summer Vacation Downloadable
Here is
just a peek at some of the kits you get on
the Summer Vaction CD.
Digi-Scrapper
Inspiration by Mandy
Take a different perspective for your father’s day layout this year and journal the ‘child’s voice’ to capture the dynamics of ‘Daddy in 2008’.
You have
chosen your kit, your photograph(s)* and are ready to add the
journaling to
your Father’s Day layout. My suggestion is to
‘journal Daddy in 2008’ through
the eyes and voice of your children.
I have read
some lovely ‘letters’ children have written about
their mothers; as well as the
funny ones that say they love their Mom because: she buys great toys,
lets them
stay up late, or gives them chocolate when they are sad. There may be some
great Dad ‘letters’
lurking in your children, waiting for you to turn into a layout that
will be
treasured for many years to come.
How
do you journal in your child’s voice?
Get them to
answer some questions about their Dad. Questions should be open ended
to let
them fill in the blanks, for example:
My Dad is…
Tell me
about your Daddy…
The best thing
Dad and I have done this year is…
Ideally you
don’t want to lead them too much, or put your words into
their mouths, however,
if the children are struggling to answer the open-ended questions, you
may need
to narrow the questions or guide them a little bit. You are, after all,
hoping
to get at least a few sentences from each child reflecting who their
Dad is,
what he is like, and their relationship with him at this moment in
time.
If that is
not working out well (some children are just not comfortable
articulating
feelings in sentences, or may find it soppy – “Aww
Mom!”) ask them to make a
list for the layout. They can list five or 10 things about their Dad -
words
that describe him, or list things they have done, and places they have
been
over the past year.
Ask
children who are capable of writing, to write their answers in their
own
handwriting. These can be written on archival quality paper, or
scanned,
photographed, or laminated; to be included in, or saved with the layout. Alternatively, you
can choose a simple font
and journal their answers onto notepaper, journaling strips or blocks
within
the layout itself. Very articulate children may want to write a Fathers
Day
letter to Daddy about why they love him, or what makes him special to
them.
For some
children, Father’s Day may be a sad day. If Daddy is absent,
deceased, or not
retuning home, perhaps your child might want to write a letter saying
what they
miss, or write him a letter about what they can remember, or even about
their
sadness or loss. They may want to ignore the day, or focus on someone
else
instead.
The idea is
to give your children the opportunity to talk about their Dad or other
role
model, and capture the relationship through their eyes, and in their
voice.
* Mandy’s
tip
Get your children to take the photographs
for the layout.
Aside from the fact that they will usually
take photographs from a different angle or perspective, the sentimental
value
will add enormously to the layout, and be a perfect focal point to go
along
with the journaling.
Scrapbooking
gifts
But what about all those other kits
that you
and I either already have or really want to buy that aren't
aimed specifically at boys? They are GREAT kits, so
let's
figure out how to use them, too. My first choice is always to go towards the neutral end of the color spectrum. The following page uses Elizabeth Weaver's Art of Life page kit, which has some great craft paper backgrounds and fun elements. I kept the page very simple, letting the photos take center stage.
that were in neutral
colors (i.e. not pink), I could easily add them to the page without
them overwhelming. The touch of gold on the acrylic
alphabet ties them all together. (Everything by designer Lauren Bavin: Eclectic Stylings page kit, Made for Memories page kit, Gold Edged Acrylic Alphabet)
The brown background I put
behind the
layout grouping helps pull out
the brown in the dirt and their skin tones. And one of the
photos even has a touch of pink to connect with the pink
elements! Meryl's Swirly Girl page kit is aimed at girls, but has a great mix of colors and elements that really can be used in many ways.Don't be afraid to use ALL your kits as you make your Father's Day layouts this month or anytime you are creating a more masculine page. And join me in a special challenge this month: take more photos of the special men in your life! My poor husband is the least represented person in our family scrapbooks. I'm going to try to fix that situation, starting NOW!
When I first joined DSP I just wanted to devour every little bit of information I could; what’s happening at DSP I wondered? This is the first place I looked and I was blown away, this page is packed full of information and from here you can check out the Daily, Weekly or Monthly activities and all the challenges that DSP has going on.
Coming Events
2008 Scrappy Awards - Saturday 28 June hosted by Lauren Bavin
Be sure to check the forums for information on this spectacular event! You wouldn't want to miss it...The Scrappy Awards - Runs through the month of June with the awards taking place Saturday 28 June.
Contests, Challenges and Chats
Designer Exclusives: Our Designers are the best there are and they are really generous, if you enter one of their challenges you’re more than likely to receive a chat and/or posting bonus just by using their nominated kit for the challenge. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain – like more stash for less bucks with these great challenges.
A new Designer was introduced in May, Erica Belton. She has a great new challenge called Erica's Everyday Events. DSP only takes on the best so go take a look at our newest addition to the best desginer team on the web.
Featured newsletter designer: Kerri Erickson – Creative Crops
Kerri's Designs
Kerri’s GalleryTeam Letter: Kim Liddiard – Digital De*Lights with Kim Liddiard
Kim’s Designs
Kim’s Gallery**NEW** - Oh! My Word
This is a 4-week long challenge with a different theme each week. You can decide whether you want to create a layout for one or all four of the weekly challenges it’s totally up to you. However, if you do enter all four weekly challenges you’ll be in the random draw at the end of the month for a store coupon to the value of $3.99.**NEW** - Fill The Next Frame
A Photo Association Challenge with Kim and Meg.Inspiration Station
This is a call to all dedicated DSP scrappers to ‘strut your stuff’ and inspire us with your creations. Just choose any or all of the calls for layouts the current month and you could be showcased in our Newsletter or Blog. We have a few rules so check them out and then join in the fun.Scrap with the DET – Digital Elite Team and DET Alumni
Our past and current Elite group of scrappers have some great challenges going at the moment and you’re sure to get well chosen CC should you need it – learn from the best.Get it off Auto – Lauren and Jennifer
Weekly How To basics for everyone who wants to learn more about their camera capabilities.The Grannies
If you’re a Granny or a Granny In Training (GIT) or just a Wannabee, you might like to see what other Grannies are up to, what challenges they have going. There is never a dull moment when you join this happy band of digi scrappers.2008 Baby Albums – lianne99 (Tara)
You should go see some of these adorable albums of our future digi scrappers – join Tara and all the other mothers in celebrating your little ones life.DET Boot Camp – Run fortnightly with different leaders
This is great training ground for all DET hopefuls; it’s about honing your skills ready for the next DET Contest. It’s also the place if you just want to gets some really great CC to help you move to your next level of accomplishment.IOTW - Item of the week – Abby
The Item Of The Week is a priced to sell and generally cost only a few cents so create a LO using only the IOTW and be in the draw to win a free kit.SNL - Saturday Night Live: MarsOlson & Debbers
This is where anyone can create their own digital scrapbook kits to share with other SNL’ers, from elements and papers to word art.
This is just a small selection of popular challenges that DSP currently has running but be sure to check all of them out here. And we have a special blinkie to place in your signature to always remind you where to find the best scrapbooking challenges on the web. Check the end of the first post in the What's Happening thread for the blinkie code.
Happy
Scrapping!
School is out and summer is finally here! Vacations, family time, fun in the sun and tons of photos! If you have been thinking about taking our classes to increase your scrapping skills now is the time! We have classes for beginners, seasoned veterans, and those in between. Be confident in knowing that you will be able to preserve your special memories by taking classes at DSU! There is still time to sign up for our June classes. Late registration goes through June 5th.
Here is the line up of classes for our July session. If you would like further information regarding these classes, please visit the classes page.
DSU110 – Adobe Photoshop: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU130 – Corel Paint Shop Pro: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU220– Adobe Photoshop: Brushes(Pre-requisite- DSU 110 or similar experience)
DSU270– Adobe Photoshop Elements: Brushes Pre-requisite- DSU 160 or similar experience)
DSU312– Adobe Photoshop: Creating Digital Elements for Advanced Users 2 (Pre-requisite DSU211)
DSU332– Jasc/Corel Paint Shop Pro: Advanced Techniques (Pre-requisite DSU 331 or similar experience)
We would love to hear your suggestions on future classes! Send your suggestions and comments to me at dsu@digitalscrapbookplace.com.
Amber
Dean of DSU
A newsletter
exclusive! Specially designed ploppers for your computer
desktop. This
month's offering is by Kerri Erickson. Download the plopper here!
(Both 1024x768 and 800x600 are included.) And
just like any of our ploppers, put your photos
on a layer underneath the desktop plopper. Angle and size them as you
please, add journaling, and save it as a jpg. Then update your desktop
wallpaper background by browsing to your new image! Voilà!
Favorite photos matched with this month's calendar to help keep you
up-to-date all month! Look for a new one each month in our newsletter!
We are
always striving to make our newsletter more
interesting and useful. If you have an idea, let us know about it! If
it's an article idea, a feature, even something you'd like to write,
shout it out to us. So, put your thinking caps on and come up with some
new features, article ideas, or something fun you'd like to see in our
monthly newsletter. Then email it to comments@dsplace.com.
(Please type "Newsletter IDEA" in the subject line of your email.) We
can't wait to see your ideas!
Exclusively
for our newsletter readers,
DSP Designer, Kerri Erickson has created this great Quick
Click! Grab it here!
Thanks Kerri!
All new members receive a free gift. Feel free to pass this on to your friends!
You can subscribe or UN-subscribe from this newsletter on our site.