NEWSFLASH

Great news, DSP is NOT participating in the recession and neither should you! When you can’t afford the big luxuries, indulge in some small ways and scrap more. Scrap every day if you’d like. Or every week or every month, but keep scrapping. Digital scrapbooking is affordable, easy, and most importantly fun! During our Scrapolution we’ve been challenged to keep you challenged. So here’s a new one!

DSP is introducing a PROJECT 365 category in the store to keep you scrapping! Whether you scrap a photo a day, a week, a month, or a year, we will provide the resources. Quickly record the details of daily life or artistically depict those special moments. Put a day, a week, or even a whole month on one page. Jot a quick note about each photo or journal your heartfelt memories. Use a PROJECT 365 quick click or instant album to make your pages quick and easy. Or try a PROJECT 365 page kit or element pack to design your own. Use the same one every time, or a different one each week or month.  Make it simple or elaborate, just make it!

Be sure to post your pages to the PROJECT 365 gallery or your own personal albums. Post your ideas or questions in the PROJECT 365 forum. If you’d like to challenge yourself to take a photo every day (or week, it’s your goal!) post them on the DSP PROJECT 365 Flickr Group. Whatever you do and however you do it, set your goal and get scrapping!

Don’t scrap less, scrap more. Don’t think recession, think Scrapolution. Here are economically-conscious resources to make it quick and easy too! Below are some examples from the DSP designers. We can't wait to see yours!

 

More Birthday Surprises!

We’re saving the BIGGEST birthday surprise for Saturday April 4th and you don’t want to miss it!  You know that DSP is always up to something and our fifth year is no different, except it’s bigger and better than ever!  We can’t wait to reveal what we’ve been working on for many months.  Keep your eye on the home page for the big news soon! 

Letter From Team Digital - Tina Chambers

There are two very special birthdays for me at the beginning of April. First, would be my son, Tate's. This year he is about to be 12. It's so hard to believe that 12 years have passed since I held him all new and pink in my arms. Now he stands taller than me with a voice far too deep to be that of my baby boy's. The years go by so fast... I've included a layout I did of him when he was about 6 months old. So hard to believe it was nearly 12 years ago!

Speaking of time moving quickly brings me to the other special birthday... DSP's! DSP is turning 5 this year! Another shock to the system for me. I remember when the site first opened, we scrambled to make posts in every forum so it looked "full". On the first day, over 400 people registered. Now, 5 years later, we have nearly 150,000 members,  590,000 posts,  30,000 threads and  270,000 photos/layouts. We are constantly upgrading our sever to keep up with the demand and that is a GOOD thing! Did we imagine this for DSP? Yes, we imagined it, but its hard to believe that our plans and dreams have come to fruition.

Over these years we have welcomed many new people to our staff, and we've also said goodbye to far too many good friends. It saddens us greatly to have to say farewell to our co-founder, Amanda Behrmann, who has decided to leave DSP to concentrate on her family. We wish her the very best and will miss her tremendously.  On a happier note, we have welcomed many additions recently!  Apprentice designers Heidi Kuester, Susie Lancaster, Sarah Broderick, Teresa Loman, & Carole Harden, along with 17 new moderators: JaeDee, CathieMarie, Melissa, Webfrau, Jenni, Jill W, MarsOlson, Scamptx, PQFran, GrandmaCrys, Sandygb, Kathleen, Donut, Lynnie, Bocca, Corgi Lover, and Gail0423.

All these years, and many changes later, DSP stands stronger than ever. We are sure that our 5th year will be our very best ever! and, as we’re known to do, DSP has a big surprise in store for all of you as part of the birthday celebration! What could it be? You'll have to wait to find out on April 4th!

Thank you to all of our members for making DSP the place to be for Digital Scrapbooking.

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Upcoming 2009 DSP Crops and Events:

Monthly Crop – repeats first Friday of every month Troy, Ohio

Pacific North West Crop - April 18

Atlanta, GA (& Southeast, USA) Scrapbook Crop  - May 2

Laptop Crop in Surfers Paradise -  Gold Coast Australia - Saturday May 9, 2009

Laptop Crop in Auckland - New Zealand - Saturday May 16, 2009

Please check here for those interested in any crops that may be happening in your area.

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Here 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, someone will be on hand to give you the answers. 

Posting Your First Layout:

Are you thinking about posting your first layout? There's a special first layout challenge each months for you. Post your first layout to DSP this month and you may be a random winner for a free page kit!! You'll find all the information here.

Welcome to DSP! We know you will love it!

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Some Useful Links:

Blogger

facebook

flickr

myspace

twitter

Club Digital

Here is a selection of layouts created by the DSP designers using this months Club Digital Selection.

Click here to subscribe to Club digital today

Here are some sample layouts done by our designers with this month's Club Digital!

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It's Shop Time! 

Shop Time Inspiration by Erica

It’s time to SHOP… let’s get those baskets at the ready. 

Birthday Sale Savings 

April 1 through 8th!!

Shopping at DSP is so easy, especially when you're trying to find a specific kit theme to say scrap that little girls birthday party or perhaps to find one of those great heritage theme kits that are perfect for vintage and modern weddings. I always go to the Products by Theme in the store first because not only because I like all those pretty coloured buttons but also that they help me find where I want to go quickly.  Special Occasions is one of my favourites and is used often, there I can choose from Birthdays,  Weddings, Graduation or General and in just a few short clicks you can choose from all the best products for this theme.

When I first joined DSP I decided I wanted to learn all I could about digital scrapbooking and the best place to start I discovered was DSU, there are a range of classes from specific software applications to element creation and the how to's of digital scrapbooking styles. I never regretted taking the plunge into this wonderful learning arena, you wont either. Take a look here and see what you want your next class will be.  DSU Registration

Happy shopping…
Erica

Mega Style, Mega Fun, Mega Value!!!

This mega kit is chock full of great backgrounds and elements to get your spring scrapping off to a great start!

Sweet, Spring  colors that can be used for so many things! With the soft pastel tones its perfect for girls of all ages and also works well for those landscape and flower  photos  You will find yourself dipping into this mega kit time and time again.

Mega Kit contains: 18 delicious backgrounds - 2 complete alphas -1 exclusive  font - 50 elements and word art piece

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Inspiration for New and Advanced Digital Scrappers!

Digi-Scrapper Inspiration by Mandy

Silhouettes – the beauty of detail lost.

It seems ironic that by losing some detail, you gain a fantastic image; but that is the beauty of the silhouette. Silhouettes can make a dramatic and very different layout.

For the photographic silhouette, it is your skill, settings, timing and composition that make the silhouette work. Usually taken at sunrise or sunset, featuring a skyline, landscape or people – the photographer exposes for the background leaving what would usually be your focal piece underexposed, losing its detail and becoming a dramatic black shape.  These photographs used as a large sized image on a page look gorgeous like: Silhouettes at Sunset by LadyCarolyn 

A paper silhouette, where the profile of a person is cut out of black paper, is an art form that has been around for centuries. Silhouette - Simply Stunning by Kathleen 

To reproduce the look of a paper-style silhouette, you will probably choose to make a selection along the edge of the person in the photograph, turning the outline of the shape into your silhouette. While you have a choice of tools. I would recommend using your pen-tool if your program has one, as this allows for the most accurate selection, and modification. The pen will create a path around the object (just as you would cut out a silhouette in paper with a scissors). Once you have a closed path, you can select it and use it to create your shaped silhouette, either by filling it with a solid color, using your selection to “cut” a shape from a background, or once filled with black…using it as a clipping mask with a background paper, as in my Joshua Silhouette layout. 

Lastly, there is the option of a little DSP digital magic, which allows us to take the silhouette from a simple black shape and create something magical. For inspiration look at these breathtaking layouts:

                                             Baylee by MurlieMac                                    Blackie's dream by cheecheongfun. 

 

More Inspiration:

In photographs: aquarium, and maternity couple by our photography moderator Karen will take your breath away; and in layouts: the Sunday Scrappers have produced some gorgeous silhouette layouts, use the search feature in the gallery for silhouettes.

A lovely layout that features an old photo, that embodies the spirit of silhouettes is everlasting by iwuvpsp The detail is gone, but the closeness of a moment captured in time is indeed everlasting!

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Hey guys! I have had a lot of requests about how to get that customized look to your blog background. So I wrote up a quick (and hopefully easy!) tutorial on how to edit your blogger account in order to achieve a unique and fun design!

Before we start...
We need to create a 1450 pixel by 1100 pixel background image in Photoshop (or your photo editing program!). Save it for the web at 72 ppi.

Here are some FREE backgrounds for you to use, if you don't want to make your own. Or use these as a general template for creating your custom background!!! Notice that the center portion of the images are very pale. I used very light colored papers so that my posts are easy to read on top of it! (And please if you use my blog backgrounds, credit me and/or link back to my blog so that others can create their own custom look for their blogs too!)

You may also want to create a header for your blog. I create this at 700 pixels by 142 pixels. Again at 72 ppi to make it small for the web!

Upload the background image to photobucket or whatever photosharing program you use! Now we are ready to get started in blogger!
****note: when you upload you need to make sure on photobucket that you are choosing the 1 Megabyte file size when you upload (its right below the upload button) If your jpeg is condensed, it wont fit the screen******

Sign on to your blogger account.
***Note: If you have already done a lot of editing to your blog and have edited the html. You may want to save a copy of your template to your computer, so that you can go back to your original template if you desire. To do this go to Edit Html> Download Full Template.***

Step One: Our starting point...
Go to Layout>Pick A New Template.
We are going to choose Minima (so that we are all starting from the same point!)

Step Two: Editing Html....
Still in the Layout Tab, go to Edit HTML.

Scroll down on the template until you see an area called body.

Right now one line of the body part says:
Background-$bgcolor;

We are going to change that line to:
Background-image: url(your DSP/photobucket jpeg link here!); background-position: center; background-attachment: fixed; background-repeat: no repeat;

This is where you are going to enter in your background jpeg from wherever you uploaded to. simply paste your image link (should end in .jpeg) inbetween the parenthesis.

Next scroll down until you find the portion of the HTML that says header-wrapper. There is a line of code that says border. Delete the entire line of code. The line of code starts with the word border and ends with a semi-colon.

Scroll down a little further and you will come to header. Again delete the entire line that says border.

These two steps delete the 2 small gray lines that are at the top of your blog that surround your header area.

The last part of the HTML that we are going to edit is the width of the outer-wrapper and header-wrapper. We need to change both of these widths to 700px. (Right now they are set at 660px). Once you have changed those two lines. Your blog template is done. Save the changes and view your blog.

Step Three: Custom Header
Go to Layout> Page Elements
and edit the Header.
Upload your header from your computer. And choose: Instead of Title And Description.

Now your blog has a customize fun look! Please let me know if you have any questions!!!

 

**********************

Thank you, Nicole!  Click on any of the screenshots below to see examples of Nicole's tutorial at work:

Nicole Young:                                                        Meg Beverly:                   

Margie Lundy:                                                       Christine Gundersen: 

Have fun, and be sure to check out DSP's Blog every day to get inspiration and sale information!

Create a great day!
Meg

Be inspired some more - check out the current edition of  Inspiration Station News

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. 

Featured Designer:  Suzanne C Walker - Senior Designer  

Suzanne's Challenges
Suzanne's Gallery
Suzanne's Designs

Team Letter: Tina Chambers - Senior Designer

Tina's Challenges
Tina Chambers
Tina's Gallery

Inspiration Station (IS News)
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. 

Calls for April
This month’s calls will include:

Color - Monochromatic layouts
Event - Birthdays
Relationship - Children
Style / Trend - Arrows
Club Digital - April 2009
CD or Mega Kit - Spring Mega Kit
Technique - ** not using this right now **

Be inspired some more - check out the current edition of  Inspiration Station News 
Click Here for Previous Issues

Scrapolution –  It’s a DSP evolution, a scrapping revolution, and our New Year’s resolution: 

It's a SCRAPOLUTION!!  

It’s all about YOU, our members, our friends, making scrapping goals and Team Digital supporting, guiding, encouraging, joining, and cheering you on every step of the way. Check out the current themes and prompts.

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!

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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!

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Newsletter Freebie

Exclusively for our newsletter readers, DSP Designer, Suzanne Walker has created this gorgeous Plopper.  Grab them here! Size: 200ppi or 300ppi

Thanks Suzanne!

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