Letter
From Team Digital
It's
here. 2008. And there's something wonderous about the New Year. I see
it as crisp, clean, and full of possiblities. Anything and everything
is possible. The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over and stretching
ahead of us is time. Time to try new things, dig into a project, or just
relax.
What are you planning on doing in 2008? Mandy, one of our many dedicated moderators at DSP, has an excellent new challenge started. Scrapping each month as it goes by! Make sure you check it out. By year end, you'll have layouts recording your year, ready to print and admire! Great gift for loved ones AND for yourself!
2008 at DSP will sure to be exciting. New ideas, new products, new challenges, new classes. If you've never attempted a digital layout, now is the time! Check out the tutorials, ask questions, and jump in! Been scrapping for a while? Challenge yourself to try a new technique or concentrate on design concepts or journaling. Are you an expert scrapper? Then challenge yourself to help someone that's new, learn. Try a hybrid layout. Or see if you can get published . . . for the first time or again!
No matter what level
of scrapper you are, DSP has inspirations, products, challenges, and tutorials
for you! Jump in and see what you can do in 2008!
Bethy
Nixon
DSP Designer
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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!
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Are you a member of the club?
Ever wished for a monthly fix of the best digital scrapbook products money can buy delivered direct to your inbox? Well now you can have it. Club Digital is the hottest club in town. Each month you receive a wonderful selection of scrapbooking products. Something to suit every style and level of digital scrapper.
You will always receive two complete page kits, a plopper or an overlay, an alpha, word art, a font, and a set of png "stamps" for your scrapping pleasure! And don't forget the quick click template included in each Club Digital pack. Plus, 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! That's well over $23 value for such a great price!
The longer you subscribe, the cheaper it becomes and the better value for you.
This month you will find a superb variety of quality items to start your 2008 albums. Two great kits and a gorgeous and versatile plopper, a snow capped alphabet, some new year word art, some wonderful family themed stamps along with a really versatile multi photo quick click, and an exclusive font makes for a great value set this month.
Here are some sample layouts done by our designers with this month's Club Digital!
Buy
a 3-month subscription and go into the draw to be upgraded to a 6-month
subscription! Buy a 6-month and you might win an upgrade to a 12-month
subscription! And all those who buy a 12-month subscription 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.
Click here to subscribe to Club Digital today!
I
am one of the lucky ones. I've been at this site since before day one.
I got to hear about the planning as the launch date of the company came
closer and closer. We were all so excited about the possibilities that
lie ahead for us. Now, we are closing in on our fourth year. So many things
have happened, so many things have changed. So many dreams have come true.
Sure, we might not have all the same faces hanging around anymore, but
we have the same spirit, the same drive. And we have new faces. Excited
faces. Happy faces learning the craft of digital scrapbooking. And that
is good.
New years always herald a time of change in our lives.
I'll tell you the truth, I did not become a true digital scrapbooker until 2006, though I have been creating digital layouts and designing since 2002. In 2006 I decided it was time to give up my precious paper and begin to truly craft digital layouts as my memories. Since then I have filled 7 albums with printed layouts. I've never looked back. I don't miss the scrapbooking aisle or anything! If you do, however, remember that DSP CDs are now available in Hobby Lobby stores nationwide!
Last year was a big year for me as well. I finally delved into the realm of kit making. After being primarily a word art designer for 4 years, I felt it was finally time to stretch myself. The response I've gotten from you all has been overwhelming and heartwarming. For this, I thank you!
So to all I offer this tidbit as we venture into 2008:
Life is a progress, and not a station. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What are you going to change this year? Let's not think resolutions, because, honestly, who ever keeps those? But a change in our craft. Will you scrap more? Journal more? Print more? Move out of a crafting funk? Try something new? What ever it is, I'm sure it will be wonderful, and our 2008 memories will never look better!
Here's to a wonderful new year full of many exciting moments and many joy filled memories!
All the best,
Tina
Chambers
DSP Senior Designer
Be sure to join me for my Weekly Chat: Freebs with Tina
(Be sure to check
the bottom of the newsletter for a special freebie from Tina to our newsletter
readers!)
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Member
Spotlight: gundimomJanuary's Spotlight Member is our very own Chris . . . perhaps better known as gundimom! Her gallery is packed with fantastic layouts of her beautiful children, as well as gorgeous floral and landscape layouts, designed to showcase her stunning photography!
Read more about Chris here and see her wonderful gallery here. Then be sure to check out the January Scraplift the Spotlight Challenge!
Thank you for being
our January Spotlight Member Chris!
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It's
Shop Time!
It’s time to
SHOP …let’s get those baskets at the ready.
Shop
Time Inspiration by Erica
The relatives have gone home, the cupboards are not groaning under the
weight of all the stored goodies anymore and you finally have time to
put your feet up for a while... what could be more enjoyable than taking
a leisurely browse through all your photographic memories of this past
Christmas Season, the cute kiddies, the smiling Aunts and Uncles, the
crazy antics of the pets and all the happy, happy smiling faces that were
at your holiday celebrations. I have some great photos of my DGS, with
eyes shining brightly at all the wonderful gifts Santa brought him, what
a wonderful time of the year it is to scrap those precious memories.
Whether your winter is cold or warm you’ll find some stunning designs to suite all your holiday celebration scrapping. Your favourite DSP Designers have contributed to bring you this awesome Winter Wonderland CD – you’ll get over 140 digital scrapbook graphics in 12 individual page kits so you’ll be able to mix and match to your hearts content. And if you’re feeling a bit fragile after the hectic holiday season we have just the thing to make your life a little less stressed by using the Matching Ploppers. So get those layouts uploaded into the galleries so we can all share in your wonderful, happy holiday experiences.
|
Layout
Using a Kit
 |
|
Layout
Using a Plopper |
|
Layout
Using a Groupie
 |
The New Year is a time when many of us look ahead and set our goals for 2008. Perhaps you have made a list of New Years Resolutions for 2008? The truth is that resolutions are easy to make and easier to break - hands up everyone who has already broken one… Never mind! Now is the time to put those ACHIEVABLE resolutions to paper and create a gorgeous layout - that you can print out or save as a wall paper on your desktop - to remind yourself (daily) of those resolutions for the next 364 days.
For beginners, this can be a simple layout - with either a single photo of yourself and your resolutions in a simple list; or you could get a lot more detailed, with photos and elements to represent those resolutions graphically on the layout.
Tips for a SIMPLE STUNNING LAYOUT:
-
Add some Word Art Titles as your "Resolution Motto" for the year and you are done.
The DSP store has a selection of Page Kits and Word Art that will make putting together a New Years Resolutions Layout for 2008 a snap.
Post a copy of your Resolutions layout to your gallery and get your friends and family to support you. I know I would love to see those Resolutions in the Gallery! (click on any layouts to the right to see them in Mandy's gallery)
Digi-Scrapper
Inspiration by Meg
Last month I shared with you the plopper-style layouts
I did in preparation for the hundreds of photos I was planning on taking
throughout the holiday season. Can I just say right now that that was
the biggest gift I have ever given myself?! What little time I had to
play on the computer in December was spent simply placing photos and
a bit of journaling into my pre-made pages. Now, just a few days after
Christmas, I have a completed board book, filled with memories and traditions
from throughout December. I was able to share it with visiting relatives
before they headed home, what a joy!
Not to say it all went smoothly. We digital scrappers sometimes forget
how to move our hands out of the mouse-holding position, and I am no
exception. Let's just say that I created my template for the board book
backwards (and so had to flip flop all of my pages) and I had a couple
of interesting experiences with the quick-setting adhesive I used. All
in all, though, a fun project that my family loves. And that, is why
I scrapbook.
The comment I've heard most from my family, is that it's so fun to be
able to touch this book. Like many of us, I tend to concentrate
on creating and forget to print my pages. So, this month, as we all
recover from the hectic holidays, let's challenge ourselves to print!
And play! This hybrid project was a blast and I encourage all of you
to try it. There are so many products in the store to help us with this
challenge. The board book I created is by the same company that the
DSP store carries, check out all of the Ready-To-Go
shaped board books. Or give a gift of your favorite layout in a
Clear
View page frame. Better yet, print out all your favorites and create
a
hardbound book for yourself! Don't forget to add a real ribbon,
or flower, or more! Have fun!
(see
all the before the holiday work and the
entire finished book in Meg's gallery here)
For more inspiration
be sure to check out the DSP
Blog and sign up for the DSP
Store Newsletter! (To receive the store newsletter, after logging
into the store,
click on My Account. Scroll down to Email Notifications and click on
subscribe to newsletter and be sure you are checked to receive the emails.)
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2007 is over. The rush and hurry of the holidays is slowly dying down. And now? Now is the time to jump into the forums at DSP and check out what there is to do!! Start with the What's Happening thread and you'll quickly see you'll never run out of inspiration and ideas! Challenges, chats, contests! Lots of activity and great people. And don't be overwhelmed if you're new. DSP members are some of the friendliest people around and will quickly jump in to answer your questions!
At the beginning of a new year, let's take a moment to look at the past year and all the special events sprinkled throughout the year. In 2007, DSP added the DSP Blog. Check it out for the Layout of the Day. (It could be you! Simply keep uploading those layouts and it could be yours that catches the team's eye!) And be sure to keep your eye on the blog for announcements, information, and other fun things about DSP!
We also added a few new talented designers and moderators to our team. A talented, enthusiastic team! New members, Irene, Linda, Nicole, Kerr, Meg, Sharon, Mandy, Erica, all add that extra something to the team and our site!
2007 was also the year of the Laptop crops! Staring in January, in Anaheim CA, with members and designers traveling not only from around the United States but from around the globe! And you if you didn't see the Flat Grannies that traveled far and wide to be there, then you need to check out the gallery! You are in for a real treat!! And early next month, we look forward to meeting members in Las Vegas!
Last March and September saw our bi-annual contest to select the new DET - Digital Elite Team. April 1, we celebrated DSP's third amazing birthday! (and keep your eyes open for this coming April 1 and our fourth birthday celebration!) May brought National Scrapbook Day. Then, throughout the year we had multiple New Kids on the Block Competitions that welcomed the new scrappers to DSP! Congrats to sssnoo, kitscrapper, Beth1695 and sueme as our winners this year along with a host of other talented scrappers! It's really eye opening to go through the list of new comers in the contest that are now such talented scrappers! (The Contest is held 3-4 times a year so, if you're new to scrapping, keep your eyes open for this fabulous contest!)
The Scrappy Awards in June, DSP's version of the Emmy's, complete with red carpet and dresses saw almost too many winners to list!! But we'll congrulate: sssnoo, kitscrapper, busybeemommy (that's our Designer Nicole Young!), bocca, lbfpebbles, sammdc, *love2scrap*, and flrebreaba.
Of course, July
wouldn't be July without Christmas
in July, which gave many a jump on Christmas projects. January and
August brought us the Trend
Setter Competition - a chance for advanced scrappers to strut their
stuff. (be on the lookout for the Trend Setter to be run again in February
or March) Then, in September, DSP members gathered to raise funds and
have fun for BCA.
October, November and December brought on the Holidays and all the fun
pages to go with them. No wonder DSP is the all around site for scrappers
of any level! Ready to get going on the fun in 2008!
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DSU
Information
Happy New Year! It's hard
to believe that it's already 2008. Have you made any New Year's Resolutions?
If improving your digital scrapbooking skills is on that list then DSU
has awesome classes to help with that. Late registration for January
classes goes through January 5th. Here is a line up of our February
classes:
DSU130
– Corel Paint Shop Pro: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU151 – Photography: Taking Better Snapshots
DSU160 – Adobe Photoshop Elements: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU221– Adobe Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: Montage (Pre-requisites: DSU 110/160 , DSU 220/270)
DSU361– Adobe Photoshop Elements: Creating Digital Elements for Advanced Users (Pre-requisite- DSU 261)
If you would like more information regarding these classes, please visit our classes page. 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
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Desktop
Calendar PlopperA newsletter exclusive! Specially designed ploppers for your computer desktop. This month's offering is by Tina Chambers, using her Wishing for Winter page kit and Date Boxes 08 and Kim Liddiard's Calendar Grid Brushes. 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!
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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.