After the tinsel settles...

...it's back to work, blogging and scrapbooking!

Sometimes the line between the two gets so thin it threatens to disappear. What is a personal blog, really, but an electronic scrapbook? Photos, stories, the desire to share--just three of the essential elements found in both.

Do you have a blog? Have you ever thought of your blogging as scrapbooking? What about a family blog, where all members are invited to read, contribute, share? I've seen a few of these and loved them. In fact, my mom--the original technophobe--suggested the other day that we start one to let the far-flung members of our family communicate, sharing snippets of our lives from California to Washington, D.C.

Maybe that'd be a good New Year's resolution... and a much easier one to keep than the ones always at the top of my list: to exercise and lose weight!

Are you a scrapbooking blogger? Please feel free to comment with a link to your own personal or family blog. Show us what you're doing that's cool, unusual or just a lot of fun!

Calls for submissions

It's that time again--we're looking for reader submissions for the second issue of Digital Scrapbooking.

Guess what? The deadline is incredibly tight! It is next Monday! Wow!

But you are digital scrapbookers, and "speed" is your middle name. Also, you probably already have neato stuff sitting around just waiting to be submitted.

Here's what we're looking for... please note that you'll actually need to go to the Simple Scrapbooks site and fill out the form there to turn in your work.

Digital Scrapbooking: Reader Gallery Send us your layouts on any subject--we'll give special consideration to projects with a seasonal (summer) theme, but all styles and topics are welcome. If there's a special story or inspiration behind your layout, please share that with us as well. Submissions are due no later than Monday, December 11.

Digital Scrapbooking: Everything Wedding It's the season for wedding bells... and we need your help! Send us your layouts on ceremonies, bridal showers, bachelor(ette) parties, receptions or anything else wedding-related. We're especially interested in showcasing weddings with a unique cultural twist—anything from a Renaissance-garbed bridal party to a ceremony reflecting your ethnic heritage. Submissions are due no later than Monday, December 11.

Digital Scrapbooking: Kick It Up Calling all tech-savvy scrappers! We're looking for layouts featuring intermediate- to advanced-level techniques with clear instructions to inspire our readers. Send us your layouts and instructions no later than Monday, December 11.

Please feel free to share this call with your scrapbooking buddies, too. We're looking forward to seeing your work!

Wish list for digital scrapbookers

Ho ho ho, everybody! It's that time of year again... the "Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack is streaming from my computer speakers, there's an enormous fir tree taking up most of my family room and some dreadful person has filled my kitchen counters with COOKIES. Must... stop... eating!

So in the spirit of the season, I've collected a few goodies that I think any digital scrapbooker would be thrilled to find wrapped up with her name on them:

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. This update to a longtime favorite is worth more than a few seconds' glance. Check out the new black-and-white conversion tool... it lets you choose from pre-defined settings like Landscape, Portrait and (my favorite) Urban/Snapshot for a truly artsy effect in seconds. Another fun addition: the Flipbook feature, which allows you to combine a series of photos in an animated sequence. Just like drawing on the corners of your math book in high school! And if you've got a family member who should be scrapping digitally but isn't yet, the new Layout tools might just make her a convert. All she has to do is pick a pre-defined design, add photos and choose a theme to create a good-looking scrapbook page in seconds.

• Leica D-Lux 3. Yes, it's pricey--but it's a Leica! This cute little 10.0MP package offers Leica's legendary lens quality, optical stabilization for razor-sharp images and the option of shooting in RAW format--a feature not available in your average point-and-shoot camera. And if you buy it in black, it will "brass" over time from wear, just like the classic Leicas prized by photographers from Sebastiao Selgado to Henri Cartier-Bresson.

• Breathing Color inkjet canvas. Deck your halls with personal works of art. This professional-quality printable canvas, available in four color/texture options, is perfect for turning a favorite photo or layout into a wall-worthy masterpiece. Plus, it's available in sheets or rolls, so you can make a print as large as your printer will allow.

• Herman Miller Mirra office chair. If you put in as many hours of screen time as most digital scrapbookers do, you know the toll it can take on your shoulders and back. The Mirra chair is roomy, fully adjustable, really cool-looking... and you can get it in red!

What's on your wish list this season? Let us know what you're hoping Santa sends your way!

Back from MemoryTrends and rarin' to go!

It's been three weeks now since my husband Jim and I hopped into our car and headed for the MemoryTrends convention in Las Vegas. With the rest of Digital Scrapbooking's staff (Lin, Lynda, Renee and April) plus two of our awesome board members (Anna and Jen), I spent three intensely busy days brainstorming, planning, and talking with other manufacturers, retailers and designers about what's new in the industry.

The good news? Not once did I hear anyone express the opinion that digital scrapbooking is not "real" scrapbooking. Yay... we're mainstream! ;) The even better news? Many of the freshest, most exciting new designs at the show were obviously inspired by digital trends and techniques. Brushwork, digital grunge, complex layering... if you've seen it on a digital layout, it was probably on a piece of paper somewhere at the show.

Though we've been getting the magazine up and running for months now, I think everything we saw and heard at MemoryTrends helped to bump our excitement up to a whole new level. The positive response both to the news of the magazine's launch and to the concept of digital scrapbooking in general was just tremendous. Retailers, for the first time I've seen, really seem to want to participate in digital's explosive growth--and I'm thrilled to see so many manufacturers working to come up with ways to help retailers make a bold new step into offering digital product.

Now to harness some of that lingering excitement and get back to work on writing and editing...

Have something cool to share about digital scrapbooking? We want to know! Leave a comment here or e-mail me at redmolly+dsblog@gmail.com.