Call for submissions for August/September issue

It's that time again: we're once again turning to our readers for the best, freshest examples of digital scrapbooking available today. These calls are for the August/September 2008 issue, so we're especially interested in projects with a late summer/early fall focus--though of course we welcome stellar work on any theme.

We give preference to work that has not been posted or shared elsewhere, though work that has been previously posted in online galleries is OK to submit as well. (Thanks to commenter teddyprayer for asking!)

Submissions for all calls are due February 29 and should be submitted through our Web site (www.digitalscrapbooking.com/submit_your_work).

Thanks for sharing your work with us! We can't wait to see what you have to show us.

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
Our hands-on how-to column, "T3," features both cutting-edge techniques from our team and tips and tutorials from our talented readers. Here's what we're looking for:

Tips. Have you found a great way to use layer blending modes? A quick fix for less-than-perfect photos? Send us your tips of 50 words or fewer on any digital scrapbooking subject, along with a layout or project that illustrates the tip in action.

Techniques. Busy scrapbookers are always looking for ways to make scrapbooking quicker and easier. Send us your time- and stress-saving tricks, along with a layout or project that shows how you've used them to create.

Tutorials. Send us your projects featuring intermediate- to advanced-level techniques, along with complete instructions for achieving the look. (Check out the step-by-step tutorials in our February/March "Kick It Up" column for an idea of what we're looking for.)

Are You Cover Material?
We're looking for simply amazing reader layouts to feature on our cover. For consideration, layout should have the following:

• a single large, well-composed and crisply focused photo of one (or, at the most, two) subjects, preferably making eye contact with the camera
• "only with digital" techniques combined with a clean overall design
• legible title and minimal journaling
• seasonal focus: For this issue, we'll be looking for late-summer and family reunion themes. A child enjoying the last days of summer or spending time with a parent or grandparent would be great.

Please submit no more than three layouts to this call.

The Art of Words
Word art is one of the most popular embellishments for digital scrapbook pages today. We're looking for layouts that feature word art—either from digital kits or your own design—used in fresh, eye-catching ways. Show us how you've used artful type compositions to enliven your projects and pages. If you're using a piece of word art from a commercial kit, be sure to include information on the kit source and designer name. Submissions are due no later than February 29, 2008 and should be sent to www.digitalscrapbooking.com/submit.

The PMA show... WOW!

Just got back last night from four days at PMA/MemoryTrends. It was the first time the Digital Scrapbooking crew has been to this show, and it was a huge eye-opener! All those lovely cameras, software, gadgets... in short, more of the delicious stuff that's balm to a digital scrapbooker's geeky little heart.

Though it's hard to pick just a few favorites from the huge range of cool stuff we saw, here are a few items that stood out for me personally:

• Sigma DP1. Though small enough to fit perfectly in my hand, this compact camera packs a 14MP, APS-sized sensor that produces great, low-noise shots at up to 800 ISO. Plus, it's got a super-sharp 28mm-equivalent fixed lens, full manual exposure and focus controls and QVGA video capability. It even offers the option of shooting in RAW format--a rarity among non-SLR cameras. If you don't want to tote around a heavy D-SLR with you, or if you're just interested in a high-quality compact camera, this is definitely one to check out. Look for it in stores around April at an estimated $800 price. (Also on my list: Sigma's 18-50mm 2.8 macro lens for my Nikon D200.)
  
• MemoryVue's NuTouch NT-700 digital photo frame. There were a lot of digital frames at the show. A LOT. What sets the NT-700 apart from the rest is its iPhone-like touchscreen interface... no fumbling with buttons on the back of the frame! Just swipe your finger along the base of the screen to bring up easy-to-navigate touch menus. Oh, and it plays MP3 audio files, too. Cool.
  
• Clickfree's ultra-user-friendly backup system. I admit it... I don't back up my computer files nearly as often (errrr, ever) as I ought to. (I think the last time I did a full backup was about six months ago when I was switching to a new computer.) But Clickfree's products don't require you to install any software or configure any options. Just plug the palm-sized hard drive into your USB port and it'll take care of backing up photos, music, documents, e-mails and everything else you don't want to lose. (Or, if you're like me and don't really want to back up every file on your system, you can specify which file extensions to ignore.)
  

Were you at PMA? What did you see that you liked? Any stories to tell? Please feel free to share in the comments.

I'm going to ask the other team members to chime in on their impressions of the show, too. Keep an eye out for their picks later this week!