Dazzle with Zazzle Challenge

Dazzle us with your Zazzle shoe designs and win a free pair of custom Keds!







For this Zazzle Digital Scrapbooking Day Challenge we’re inviting you to design your own pair of custom Keds at zazzle.com! A variety of styles are available and you can use any JPG image you like on the shoes.


How to enter:

•Go to Zazzle.com, create an account and pick a pair of Keds to customize.

•Then simply upload your images and start creating! When you’ve completed your shoe design, click View Pair at the top of the page in Zazzle.

•Next, do a screen capture of your pair of shoes. To do this on a PC, press the Print Screen button. Then paste the screen capture in a new document in your photo-editing software and save it as a JPG. On a Mac, press Command + Shift + 3 and the screenshot will be automatically saved to your desktop. Rename it and save it as a JPG at 72 dpi.

•Post the image of your shoes in the Digital Scrapbooking Day gallery (http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/component/option,com_groupjive/task,showgroup/groupid,681/Itemid,68/). Shoes posted in places other than this group cannot be considered.

•The title of your project should begin with the word “Zazzle” so we can find it quickly in this alphabetized gallery.

•Please include a materials list with your shoes when posting it to the gallery that includes names of all products and fonts. Include kit titles, designer names and the web site that sells the product (if applicable) when you post your layout. Designs should be original and should not include designs already on the Zazzle site.


Enter as many times as you like.



Prizes and Dates of Contest

Two winners will be chosen and each will receive a pair of Zazzle shoes sporting they’re dazzling designs.


Entries are due by Sunday, November 9 and winners will be announced by Friday, November 14.



Contact Us with Questions

If you have any questions about this challenge, please post a comment on this article or email us at editor@digitalscrapbooking.com.

Thanks and good luck!

Scrapblog Digital Scrapbooking Day Challenge!

Challenge: Scrapbook Your Holiday Greeting

Digital Scrapbooking magazine and Scrapblog have teamed up for Digital Scrapbooking Day with a challenge for you. The challenge? Design and display a custom digi holiday card created at scrapblog.com. The challenge starts now and entering is easy. Just:

1. Visit scrapblog.com/digitalscrapbookday/
2. Log in or sign up
3. Create a holiday card
4. Set one of the tags for your design as “DSD”
5. Publish your design on scrapblog.com

Be sure to publish your card by the end of Digital Scrapbooking Day (November 1). The following week, five lucky winners will be chosen, and each will receive 50 printed cards featuring their designs and a free one-year subscription to Digital Scrapbooking magazine!

Get Our Newsletter!

Digital Scrapbooking magazine now has its own newsletter, the DSM Wire! if you want to receive the premier issue, just in time for Digital Scrapbooking Day, sign up by sending an email to webmaster@ckmedia.com with "DS Newsletter Subscribe" in the subject line by the 5 p.m. MST on Monday, October 27th.



You won't want to miss out on this newsletter because they'll be freebies, news, contest information and more!



Enjoy!

See Your Work Here!

Always wanted to see your name in lights... or at least your work in pixels? Here's your chance. We're revamping and rolling out the DSM blog, and we're looking for our first-ever guest artist to produce a blog header that captures the excitement of digital scrapbooking in a fun, fresh way.

Here's how to join in the fun:

• Click the image below to open a full-sized version of a layered PNG file. Right-click the full-sized version (Mac users: Option-click) and save it to your computer.
  
• Using the photo editing software of your choice, open the file and design a blog header. The header must be the same size as the provided template (660px wide, 300px high).
• The header must include the following text (capitalization optional) in the font, color and size of your choice:
• Plugged In [in large type]
• The Official Blog of Digital Scrapbooking Magazine [in small type]
• The header must include the Digital Scrapbooking Magazine logo as shown. It may be repositioned as desired but may not be resized or recolored.
• You may use product from any designer or company. All product used must be cited as follows: kit/set name, designer name, store/company name. Submissions without materials list cannot be considered.
• E-mail your design and work to digital.scrapbooking.mag@gmail.com. Include "Blog Header Contest" in the subject.
• Deadline for this contest is Wednesday, October 29.

If your design is chosen, you'll receive this gorgeous brown leather Bay Box album from Scrapworks, plus bragging rights with all your digi-scrapping friends. You may even see your work in print in Digital Scrapbooking!

Share Your Thoughts and Win BIG!

Be one of the first to fill out our reader survey and be entered for a chance to win great prizes!


12 Winners- 12 fabulous prize packages!


Help us start the New Year off right! Tell us what you’d like to see in our coming year’s Digital Scrapbooking magazine and be part of our Calendar Girls Sweepstakes.


Simply visit http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/content/viewContest/12181/, complete our reader survey and then enter for a chance to be one of twelve lucky winners who’ll each receive a prize package worth over $485.


For full rules, click here.

Are you stumped by color?

Yeah, me too, sometimes.

So imagine how excited I was to discover the Palette Generator (thanks to a tip on Nancy Nally's Scrapbook Update blog). This tool lets you upload a photo--or select one from a Flickr or Photobucket account--and automatically generates a palette of coordinating colors. Perfect for scrapbooking, creating a new blog header or even planning a new look for your living room.

Once you've created a palette, you can download it in Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) format to use in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, or you can use the automatically generated CSS code to trick out your Web site.

Here's what I got while playing around with a couple of my own photos:

Photo editing on the go

Hey, check this out:

Checking your e-mail in a cafe? Sneaking a few minutes of "me time" at work? Why not spend time getting your photos share- or scrap-ready while you're at it?

FotoFlexer lets you edit your photos online for free. You can do basic fixes (like getting rid of red-eye), erase away blemishes and wrinkles, even--my favorite!--add text and stickers to your image.

It's integrated with sharing sites like Facebook and Flickr, so you can grab photos from your collections there, add cool embellishments and reload them to share.

Have fun playing around... then share your work with us in our online gallery!

Congratulations to our "Have a Ball" winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the "Have a Ball" layout contest... we loved checking out your work. (And, just speaking for myself, it definitely put me in the mood for some NFL games this weekend.)

Our winners are:

• Dream Big by jazzmatazz (shown here)--look for this layout, plus details on how jazzmatazz got this cool effect, in an upcoming issue of Digital Scrapbooking
  
• Good to See by Aly D
  
• Kickoff by bunnynose
  
• Baseball 2008 by JenniferJ
  

Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks again to everyone who played! Thanks, too, to Emerald Innovations for sponsoring this contest.

Calls for submissions for April/May issue

Fall is here! Fall is here! My favorite season... the leaves turning, the crisp mornings, the smell of smoke from our neighbor's woodstove (or is that a batch of cookies I left in the oven?). And in the midst of all this seasonal splendor, we're asking you to... think spring!

That's right. We're in search of spring-y layouts and projects to include in our April/May 2009 issue. Here's what we need from our talented readers:

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials

Our hands-on how-to column, "T3," features both cutting-edge techniques from our Creative Team and tips and tutorials from our talented readers. For this issue, we're looking for:

* Spring! Share your layouts about spring holidays and traditions, warm-weather fashion, spring sports... anything that makes us "think spring."

* Shape! Do you have a special tip for using shapes in a layout? A layout featuring strong shapes? A layout or project that's a shape other than a rectangle or square? Send it our way!

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.

We also welcome layouts on other themes or topics, and we're always in search of seasonal photography and awesome new ideas.

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 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 spring shots, featuring seasonal clothing and activities.

Please submit no more than three layouts to this call.

The deadline for all April/May submissions is October 26.

How to Submit:

• Save a low-resolution version of your image as a JPEG file no larger than 150K.
• Attach image to an e-mail addressed to digital.scrapbooking.mag@gmail.com Include "T3" or "Cover" in subject line.
  
• Include your name, e-mail address, street address (including city, state, country and postal code).
• Write a materials list including names of all products and fonts. Include kit titles, designer names and the web site that sells the product (if applicable).
• Provide the name of the photo-editing software used to create the layout (e.g., Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, LumaPix FotoFusion, Scrapblog).

Thank you, and we're looking forward to seeing your work!

Have a Ball Challenge!

Kick it, dunk it, sink it, serve it, pitch it, catch it, toss it!

Whether it’s your dog chasing a ball, your child scoring a goal or your friends watching football, we’re awarding prizes for layouts that feature any kind of ball theme. Four lucky winners will be awarded a football-shaped digital photo ornament and frame from Emerald Innovations (emerald-innovations.com).

To enter your layout for this contest, post it to Digital Scrapbooking magazine’s group page on our new website: http://abc123.sewnews.com/index.php?option=com_groupjive&task=showgroup&groupid=32. Join the site and become a member of the group before posting your layouts. Trust us, it’s worth it. We’ll be hosting challenges and giving away prizes frequently in this group, so get involved.

The deadline for entries is Ocotber 8. Title your posted layout, “Football Challenge” so we can find them easily. Layouts must only be posted to the Digital Scrapbooking magazine group gallery, not the website gallery.

One of winning layouts will be published in an upcoming issue of Digital Scrapbooking magazine.

Flickr Winner!

Hi everyone!


This is Jenny Willden, Digital Scrapbooking magazine's Assistant Editor, posting about our awesome Flickr group. Have you heard of it?


To join, log in to your Flickr account (or sign up for one if you haven't yet) and go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/digitalscrapbookingmagazine Then get busy posting your layouts.


Periodically we'll be hosting contests there and picking random winners from the layouts posted on Flickr to receive prizes. The first Flickr prize winner is Jenny Tsui (known on Flickr as Be2Be) for her adorable layout, "Don't Mess with the Three Tough Guys." To see this layout, click here.We’re shipping a great prize to her for this great page!










don't mess with the three tough guys


jenny tsui | emeryville, california



materials paper from "Cottage Quilt" kit by Amanda McGee, border from "Art Deco Stitching Brush Set - Scalloped" by Amanda Sok (scrapgirls.com) + tag from "Designer Digitals Freebies" set, number from "Simple Spot Numbers" set by Katie Periet (designerdigitals.com) + alpha from "Clean & Simlple" by The Digital Kit CD (simplescrapbookingmag.com) + border overlay from "Vintage Floral" kit by Shabby Princess (shabbyprincess.com) + Denrito and Eras Light ITC font + Photoshop Elements (Adobe)

Let's get artsy! Call for submissions for February/March '09

We already know our contributors are a creative bunch. Now's your chance to demonstrate just how true that is! For our February/March 2009 issue, we want to see your passion for art revealed. We're doing a special issue on art & love, and we're eager to see what you have to share on either topic.

Check it out, and get ready send your awesome creations our way.

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
Our hands-on how-to column, "T3," features both cutting-edge techniques from our Creative Team and tips and tutorials from our talented readers. For this issue, we'll give special consideration to submissions featuring artistic techniques or treatments or seasonal (especially Valentine's Day) themes.

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 any recent issue of Digital Scrapbooking to see what we're looking for.)

Submissions are due no later than August 27. You can submit using our handy-dandy online form.

As always, thanks so much for sharing your work with us!

And the winners are...

Thanks to everyone (40 people!) who entered our Mini Albums in an Evening special issue giveaway! I used random.org to generate the two winning entry numbers, and they are:

#4: Erin
#25: DJOlsen

Congratulations to our winners! I'll be in touch today to arrange sending you your prize.

Thanks again to everyone who played. Look for more cool giveaways soon here at the Digital Scrapbooking blog.

Blog Giveaway! Mini Albums in an Evening

Mini is big! Cute little albums, from pinky-size to palm-size, are a fun, creative and FAST way to share your memories. And Simple Scrapbooks' new special issue, Mini Albums in an Evening, offers 58 ways to do just that. It's got projects for travel, holidays, baby, pets, school... you name it, there's an idea here for scrapbooking it.

Because the book's focus is on techniques and shortcuts, not specific products, it's easy to adapt any of these ideas to work with digital tools. Check out Candice Palmer's album that packs details of eight birthday celebrations into a single book. Or follow Angie Lucas' lead and create a coffee table-worthy celebration of the people you love with odds and ends left over from other projects.

I got a copy of this issue in the mail last week and I'm already inspired... so inspired I might even sit down and scrapbook! (Shhh! Don't tell anyone!) Plus, I've got TWO additional copies to share with Digital Scrapbooking readers. Just leave a comment on this post with your name and a comment telling what you'd like to scrap in a mini-album, and I'll randomly select two names as winners. Get your entry in no later than midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, August 5 for consideration.

Find out more about Mini Albums in an Evening or order a copy today at Simple Scrapbooks' online shop. Good luck, and happy scrapping!

Hurry up, Tuesday!

We've been tapping our fingers and biting our tongues... and now the Digital Scrapbooking team is thrilled to announce that our brand-new, guaranteed-awesome website will be open for business this Tuesday, July 8, 2008.

Along with our partner magazines Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks and Paper Crafts, we're launching a new, bigger and better site where you can learn from others, share your own work and enjoy the excitement and energy of a rapidly growing community. Post your own layouts for feedback and praise... share your thoughts via your own personal blog... build new friendships by establishing in and participating in your own groups. Get immediate notification when we're looking for new submissions or launching a new contest. Plus, enjoy up-to-the-minute access to expert advice, ideas and special features from Digital Scrapbooking magazine. This beta release will get better and more useful every day as you and thousands of other readers join us to build a new DigitalScrapbooking.com.

Come join the fun--we can't wait to see you there. Check out the beta version today (and look for the all-new DigitalScrapbooking.com soon).

Call for submissions for December/January issue

Phew! Is it summer where you live yet? For our friends along the Eastern Seaboard, this call may offer some much-welcome relief from triple-digit temperatures. We're thinking of all things wintry, now... so crank up the air conditioning, throw some carols on the stereo and get ready to share your best work with us!

All submissions are due no later than June 30, and you can submit your layouts via our online form and your tips directly via e-mail.

Do you have a blog, or do you participate in an online message board? Please feel free to spread the word there. We're always looking for fresh faces to feature in the pages of Digital Scrapbooking! And, if you want to make sure you know when we've posted new calls for submissions, just click the RSS button in your URL toolbar (it should look like an orange and white square). You'll get the latest information delivered straight to your desktop.


Time- and Money-Stretching Tips
With tight-packed schedules and thin-stretched budgets, scrapbooking can seem like an unaffordable luxury. But digital scrapbooking gives you the opportunity to save both money and time while still preserving your family's memories.Do you have a great way to economize on printer ink? A super-fast way to edit a batch of photos? Send us your tips for getting layouts done faster or cheaper. Please note that this is not a call for layouts--we're looking for tips only. Payment is $25 per published tip, and submissions are due no later than June 30. Send your tips via e-mail, rather than with our online submission form. Please include the word Tips in your message subject.

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
Our hands-on how-to column, "T3," features both cutting-edge techniques from our Creative Team and tips and tutorials from our talented readers. For this issue, we'll give special consideration to submissions featuring winter holiday themes and time- or money-saving ideas.

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.) Submissions are due no later than June 30.

Heartfelt, Handmade Gifts
Have you used digital tools and techniques to make special, memorable gifts for family members or friends? We'd love to see what you've created. From mini albums to photo mugs, share your creative gift ideas with us. Submit low-resolution photos of the project (no more than 100K each) no later than June 30.

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 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 outdoor winter shots, featuring winter clothing and activities.
  

Please submit no more than three layouts to this call. Submissions are due no later than June 30.

Submission deadline extended to May 5

We've heard from several readers that they'd like a few more days to get their submissions for our October/November issue in. Since we always like to have as many top-quality submissions as possible to choose from, we've decided to go ahead and extend the deadline to Monday, May 5.

So put the finishing touches on those family-, food- and fall-related projects and get them to us via our Web submission form by next Monday. We can't wait to see what you've got to share!

ACD Systems: Help us build better scrapbooking software

ACD Systems, makers of popular Photo Editor software, is looking for feedback from photographers and scrapbookers on their newest edition, ACDSee Photo Editor 2008.

This new edition includes scrapper-friendly upgrades such as templates from popular digital designers, a "trim to shape" feature that makes it quick and easy to add photos to templates, easier loading of brushes and brush sets and more.

Download the beta software today... give it a try... and let ACDSee know what you think. (And send us some of your creations, too! We're always excited to see work created with a variety of software programs.)

To get started, check out ACD System's site or the vibrant community of ACDSee-using digital scrapbookers at digiscrapinfo.com.

Think Fall! Submission call for October/November issue

A rainy, gray spring has finally sprung here in Portland, Oregon. The tulips have gone from zero to sixty seemingly overnight, and today my husband's getting into the first real ritual of the season: mowing the grass.

But at the Digital Scrapbooking office, we're already looking ahead to fall. And now you, too, can relive those memories of crackling leaf piles and bounteous Thanksgiving dinners. That's right: we're looking for your eye-poppingly awesome digital layouts for possible publication in our October/November issue.

Plus, we want to hear about the digital scrapbooking communities you participate in... and all about your own super-cool blog. And we're always looking for stunning cover layouts. Check out the details of what we're looking for, and get ready to send us your work!

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
Our hands-on how-to column, "T3," features both cutting-edge techniques from our Creative Team and tips and tutorials from our talented readers. For this issue, we'll give special consideration to submissions featuring fall themes and memories of food and family togetherness. We're also looking for special time-saving tricks to shave steps off of any aspect of digital scrapbooking.

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.)

Show Off Your Blog!
Have you used digital papers, brushes or other scrapbooking elements to jazz up your blog or website? Show us how you've applied scrapbooking products or techniques to enhance your online presence. We'd like to see a screen shot of your work (100K or less) and a URL where we can check out your creation for ourselves. Please also include the name and store information of any purchased items you've used. (For this call, please choose the "General Submission" category on our online form.)

Share Your Community Story
Digital scrapbookers participate in a huge variety of online communities, from Facebook groups to store-associated forums. We're looking for stories of how digital communities have made a difference in the lives of their participants. Have you been inspired to scrapbook by a special contest or challenge? Made friends with a like-minded group of scrappers? Stepped up to the plate to support a charitable cause? Share your stories and your layouts (saved at 100K or smaller) with us. (For this call, please choose the "General Submission" category on our online form.)

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 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 fall holiday and family get-together themes
  

Please submit no more than three layouts to this call.

Submit your work via our online submission form. The deadline for all submissions is April 30... so put down that gardening trowel and start thinking Fall!

Anna Aspnes' gorgeous "A Tribute" album now available on Shutterfly

What's as beautiful as a traditional scrapbook, yet as quick and easy to create as a photo book? It's contributing editor Anna Aspnes' new "A Tribute" album, available starting today at Shutterfly.

Available in both 8x8 and 12x12 sizes, this album offers drag-and-drop convenience paired with Anna's signature elegant style. Simple instructions guide you through the process of adding photos and journaling to each page, finalizing your project and ordering a top-quality printed version for delivery. Plus, her how-to articles on creating a tribute book offer inspiration for any project.

Whether you want to share the fun of digital scrapbooking with a friend or family member, or simply looking for a quick and easy way to celebrate a special person's life, check out Anna's photo book today.

Scrapbook for the kitties!

(And the doggies!)

Digital Scrapbooking alumni board member Holly McCaig has teamed up with six other top digital designers to create an all-new kit for a great cause. The ASPCA Volume 2 kit is perfect for pet owners, animal lovers and even those without critter friends at home. It includes alphas, papers, frames, adorable accents and more in a warm and snuggly range of colors. Or, for quick-and-dirty scrapbooking jobs, check out the 10-page album designed by Kathy Wagner that's ready for you to just add photos.

The ASPCA Volume 2 kit and album cost $7.99 each. All proceeds will be donated to the ASPCA to help find homes for homeless pets and raise awareness of animal welfare issues. But they're only available through April 30, so go check them out quickly!

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!

Take a stroll down the red carpet with our layout contest!

Looking for a touch of excitement in your life to relieve those post-holiday blahs? Get ready for awards season (though not the Golden Globes this year...) by entering Digital Scrapbooking's Red Carpet Layout Contest. One winner in each category will take home a goodie basket worthy of any Oscar presenter.

We're looking for layouts in the following categories:

• Drama
• Comedy
• Documentary
• Romance
• Family-Friendly

You may enter as many layouts as you wish in any category you like. Here's how to enter:

• Join the Digital Scrapbooking Magazine group at Flickr.com. You'll need to register with Flickr--it's free.
• Upload your layout to Flickr. Give it a title including the name of the category you're entering. Use the Caption area to include any special information you'd like us to know about your layout.
  
• After uploading the photo, click "Send to Group" in the menu just above the photo and choose "Digital Scrapbooking Magazine."
• We're accepting entries from now through March 31. Thanks for playing--and break a leg!

Want more information? Read the official rules or check out the complete prize list.

Call for submissions for June/July issue

Brrr! If it's anywhere near as cold and dreary where you live as it is in my Portland office, you'll love the chance to "think sunny" for our new call for submissions.

Here are the details. As always, we appreciate seeing seasonally appropriate photos, lively designs and thoughtful journaling.

Also, please feel free to repost this information on your own blog and to share it with others. The more submissions we get, the happier we are--and the more awesome work we can share with you in the magazine.

T3: Tips, Techniques and Tutorials
Our info-packed new column, "T3," features cutting-edge techniques, tips and tutorials from our talented readers and regular contributors.

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 techniques, 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 December/January "Kick It Up" column for an idea of what we're looking for.)

Send us your submission with complete contact information and materials list via e-mail. Your submission should be a JPEG file, 100K or less. Deadline is January 7.

Reality Scrapbooking: Scrapbook Your Real Life
Life isn't all rosebuds and sugar plums--though you'd never know it by looking through the average scrapbook. Rough spots and tough times shape our families' lives as much as (or more than) holidays and celebrations. Tell your true story by sharing the details of the less-than-perfect moments you've experienced. Whether they led you to make a positive change, taught you a valuable lesson or simply helped you develop a sense of humor about yourself, difficult times deserve to be scrapbooked too.

Send us your layouts sharing the details of your real life. We're looking for strong and meaningful journaling and photos that capture emotion. We'd also like to hear your stories about how scrapbooking challenging times has helped you to cope with them in a positive way.

Send us your submission with complete contact information and materials list via e-mail. Your submission should be a JPEG file, 100K or less. Deadline is January 7.

Bonus: Want to improve your submission's chance of success? Check out our preparation guidelines.

Meet the Creative Team: Becky Pogatchnik

Today, we'd like you to meet the fifth member of our Creative Team: Becky Pogatchnik. Becky's strongly graphic layouts, infused by a sense of whimsy, are regularly featured in Digital Scrapbooking. She's known for her blending of journaling, design and photographs with a strong focus on the meaning behind each picture. She lives in Minnesota with Jamie, her husband of eleven years, and Sam, her six-year-old daughter.

How did you get into digital scrapbooking?

I have been scrapping digitally for a year and a half. It was supposed to have been “just one layout.” And that one turned into another. And another. And I never looked back. My once prized and hoarded paper supplies are now play things for my six-year-old.

Can you share a little about your scrapbooking philosophy with Digital Scrapbooking's readers?

Digital is such an ideal medium for my ultra-simple style. Some days, I barely consider myself a scrapper—I see myself as more of a biographer of sorts. My goal is to document my daughter’s life through words and photos (in that order). I want her to know who she was. Who I was. Who we were together. I create lots of “sans photo” layouts. No photos. Just words. I think it’s perfectly acceptable to just write. Don’t over-think it. Just say it. Don’t worry about complete sentences. Write like you talk. And write it while you still remember. My daughter says classic things on a daily basis, and it's usually while I'm driving. Whenever she does, I discreetly pick up my cell phone and call my voice mail, repeating what she just said.

What's something most people don't know about you?

A surprising fact about me? There aren’t many. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m passionate about life. I’m passionate about living it. Okay, here’s one. I’m addicted to America’s Next Top Model. But only so I can learn from the photo shoots.

Meet the Creative Team: Cassie Jones

Today, we'd like to introduce a fourth member of our Creative Team: Cassie Jones. Her bright, cheerful pages and attention-grabbing techniques have been featured regularly in the pages of Digital Scrapbooking since the magazine's launch. She lives in Texas with her husband Jeffry and their five-year-old son Jack, the star of many of Cassie's layouts.

How did you get started in digital scrapbooking?
I have been scrapbooking digitally since the fall of 2006. I tried really hard to be a paper scrapper, but I just wasn't producing much. I've always been comfortable at a computer, and when I became a stay-at-home mom, I decided to pick up a book and learn the Adobe Creative Suite. I was hooked by the second chapter, but never finished the book. I just learned enough to get myself addicted, and took it from there.

Do you have a tip you'd like to share with Digital Scrapbooking's readers?
The main photography tip I would give scrapbookers is to keep an eye out for unusual perspectives. Take your shots from unexpected angles, and the results will make fabulous pages!

What's something most people don't know about you?
I think the thing that most surprises people (who don't know me well) is that I have some sort of subconscious fear of completing things (other than scrapbooking). I do pretty much everything to about 96% completion, then I walk away and start something else. If the kitchen is clean and I come across a spoon that got missed, I just put it in the sink and walk away. It's a strange sort of comfort. Crazy? I think so.

Meet the Creative Team: Deena Wuest

Today, we'll meet a third member of our new Creative Team: Kansas resident and regular Digital Scrapbooking contributor Deena Wuest.

Clean, crisp and uncluttered, Deena's scrapbooking style is one that could only be achieved with digital tools and techniques. Married for thirteen years to her husband Joe, she's also a mom of three: seven-year-old daughter Savanna, six-year-old son Skyler and baby girl Brooklyn (the star of the layout below). "I've always had a passion for graphic design," Deena says. "Digital scrapbooking has given me the perfect outlet to combine this passion with my first love: my family."

How did you get started in digital scrapbooking?
I started paper scrapbooking seven years ago when my daughter was born and made the leap to digital about two years ago. I actually agonized over the decision to switch from paper, and I'll never fully understand why. My favorite part of paper scrapping was designing my text and layouts in Microsoft Word, so going digital should have been a no-brainer. When I finally got a copy of Photoshop Elements, I was in absolute heaven--I kicked myself for not trying it sooner. These fingers haven't touched paper since!

Do you have a tip you'd like to share with Digital Scrapbooking's readers?
When I download a kit, I make a copy of the preview file included in the ZIP file and save it in a separate folder titled "Previews - Kits." That way, when I want to look through my supplies, I can open this folder in Windows Explorer, change the View option to "Filmstrip," and see at a glance a large photo of everything in the kit. Since I don't have to open each kit folder separately, it saves a lot of time. It's also very inspiring to look through all the gorgeous kits. (I also make separate preview directories for my accents, alphas, and templates.)

Sneak peek layout:

Meet the Creative Team: Melinda Alexander

Today, we'd like to introduce you to another new member of our Creative Team: Melinda Alexander. You may recognize Melinda's name--and you'll definitely recognize her photos of her son--from previous issues of Digital Scrapbooking. Melinda lives along the Murray River in Australia with her husband Joel and four-year-old son Jordan.

Her location makes her a perfect photographer for our magazine. Since Australia's seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere, Melinda can look forward to getting frantic calls in February asking for summery-looking shots... and vice versa!

How long have you been scrapbooking digitally?
I've been working digitally for three years. I was never a paper scrapper.

How did you get into digital?
I stumbled into digital while trying to find a way to make a personalized baby album for my son and knew right away it was for me. I had long loved playing around with photos and editing software!

What's something most people don't know about you?
I stay up late at night--I mean ridiculously late--to get scrapping done. It's the only chance I have for some time to myself.

Do you have a tip you'd like to share with Digital Scrapbooking's readers?
To get great photos of kids, let your shooting be spontaneous. Interact with them while they are doing their own thing... sing silly songs or play fun games to get their attention.

Get crafty for the holidays with Renee Pearson

It's time to deck the halls... digitally! Our own Renee Pearson is teaming up with Adobe for a fun, free class on creating holiday-themed projects using Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 and Photoshop CS3 (though of course, it's OK if you have an older version).

Here are the details:

Fun Holiday Projects with Photoshop Elements 6 and Photoshop CS3
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 11:00 A.M. PST

See how easy it is to make exciting holiday-themed projects with Renee Pearson, Associate Editor of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. She'll demonstrate time-saving step-by-step editing and design techniques for each project. Have fun and be creative!

You'll need an Adobe ID to register--it takes just a couple of minutes to get one, and then just a second to sign up for the class.

Hope to see you there... I'll be the one in the back humming "Santa Baby."

Meet the Creative Team: Kayla Lamoreaux

Today, we're introducing the first of our five Creative Team members for 2008: Kayla Lamoreaux. Kayla's work, both in paper and digital formats, has been featured in magazines for years. She's a mom of five kids: a daughter, two sons and twin little girls. Luckily, she's married to "a wonderful and patient man who helps out with dinner," giving her time to work on her creative projects.

How long have you been scrapbooking digitally?
That depends on your definition of "digitally!" I'd been using my computer as a scrapbooking tool for a long time. Then, in 2002, I took a Photoshop class and was soon creating 100%-digital layouts.

How did you get into digital?
In late 2001 I was working on a scrapbook about my husband’s late father. I put it together in traditional format – all 63 pages! For Christmas we created 13 copies of the book – one for each of my husband’s immediate family and his aunts, uncles and grandparents. I scanned each individual page into my computer and printed them with my inkjet printer. 819 pages later (I think it took me a week to get done), I was convinced there must be a better way…which led me to taking my first Photoshop class.

What's something most people don't know about you?
I am a nationally certified Parent to Parent trainer for CHADD. I teach other parents about ADHD and really enjoy making a difference in my community.

Do you have a tip you'd like to share with Digital Scrapbooking's readers?

For this layout, I wanted to show different steps of the action on a single page. I lined up the four successive photos and then merged the layers together over a transparent background. I then duplicated the new merged image by selecting Image > Duplicate and then converted the duplicated image to black and white.

While holding the Shift key, I dragged the black and white image back to the original photo (so the pixels lined up perfectly). I then added a layer mask to the black and white photo layer, and with my brush tool and foreground color set to black, I painted everything back in color except the bright blue slide top that would have distracted from my layout.

Look for Kayla's work in upcoming issues of Digital Scrapbooking!

Congratulations to our new Creative Team!

With Digital Scrapbooking's April/May 2008 issue, we'll be celebrating our first anniversary--and we'll also welcome aboard five new members of our Creative Team.

You'll recognize these women's names from their work featured in previous issues of Digital Scrapbooking. Their skills in design, photography and digital techniques are sure to inspire you.

Congratulations to these new members of the Creative Team!

• Melinda Alexander
• Kayla Lamoreaux
• Becky Pogatchnik
• Deena Wuest
• Cassie Jones

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll introduce you to each team member individually and give you a special sneak peek at their recent work. Please join us in welcoming them to the Digital Scrapbooking family.

In Review: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0

For several years now, Adobe Photoshop Elements has been the software of choice for a huge percentage of digital scrapbookers, as the submissions we receive at Digital Scrapbooking make clear. With the release of Photoshop Elements 6.0, it's apparent once again why this program is so popular with digi-scrappers of every level of experience and ability. Several cool new features make it easier than ever to use, and a color-scheme makeover gives it a fresh dash of style.

I've had the chance to play with this new version for a few weeks now, and here are some of my favorite updates:

• Sleek new space. As soon as you launch Elements 6.0, you'll be greeted by a sleek new workspace with a charcoal-gray background similar to Adobe's Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom professional-level programs. This darker color helps photos stand out against the screen and gives a less cluttered appearance.

• Easy organization. In the Organizer workspace, star icons below each photo make it easy to quickly rate each image (so you can start assembling a collection of five-star photos for a book project!) and a new keyword sidebar gives you instant access to descriptive tags for every photo.

• Kit control. If, like most digital scrapbookers, you have a hard drive crammed with kits and elements, you'll love the new Smart Album feature. This feature allows you to create new albums, or collections of images, based on specific criteria that you suggest—and they'll automatically update as you add new content! For example, you can create a Smart Album for all files whose name contains “paper,” or one with the name of a favorite designer set as a keyword.
  

• Menu options. The Organizer workspace includes four menus in the right sidebar: Organize, Fix, Create and Share. Each gives access to a range of common tasks and creative options, from “Auto Red Eye Fix” to “Create Photo Book.” Whether you're a brand-new digital scrapbooker or have been scrapping digitally for years, you'll appreciate the convenience of having these most-requested features at your fingertips.

• Professional guidance. The new Guided Edit mode takes you step-by-step through a series of the most common photo editing tasks, from fixing lighting and contrast problems to repairing tears and scratches in a scanned image. It's like having a Photoshop tutor standing at your elbow.

• Better black and white. Although Photoshop Elements 5.0 included some new black-and-white conversion options, version 6.0 goes a step further and gives you more precise control over your results. In addition to a menu of options such as “Infrared” and “Scenic Landscape,” a series of sliders allow you to fine-tune the effect of each preset option for a truly custom look.
  
  

• Perfect group shots. This one might be worth the price of the upgrade all on its own! New Photomerge technology allows you to select individals from different shots from a group photo session and combine them into a single image where all members look their best. Check out what I did with these less-than-perfect images from a recent family photo shoot.
  Here are the original pictures:
  
  
  
  And the final result:
  
  

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 sells for a suggested price of $99 for the full version or $79 for an upgrade. Try it for free by downloading a trial version at adobe.com.

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

How are you celebrating this first-of-its-kind occasion? I hope you're making time to go through photos... pick out the perfect digital kits and elements to complement them (you should buy a kit or two in honor of the holiday, right?)... and most importantly, pair them with your own creativity and memories to preserve them for the future.

Don't forget! Today's the last day to enter our "Why I Love Digital Scrapbooking" layout contest. We've got prizes to give away (maybe even including a spot in the magazine!) and we can't wait to see what you've got to share.

(How am I celebrating, you ask? Why, by working on an article for the next issue of Digital Scrapbooking, of course. How else?)

Reader Survey Link Broken

It has come to our attention that the link to fill out the reader survey on the survey page is not working. We will fix it as soon as possible, but in the meantime please use the link below to fill it out:

http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226VHCNNM7D



You will be entered in a drawing for prizes so fill it out today!


Thank you.

Changes are afoot. Let us know what you think!

This just in, from our editor-in-chief Jennafer Martin:

Wanted: Your opinion

We need digital scrapbookers’ opinions for an upcoming change in the design of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. This is highly confidential, copyrighted information and you'll be under a strict non-disclosure agreement should you choose to participate. There are two ways you can participate:

1) If you’re in the Salt Lake City, UT area, you’re invited to participate in a focus group Wednesday, November 7 at 7 PM at the CK Media offices. Refreshments will be served and those in attendance will receive a prize package of CK Media goodies. Spots are limited to 10 participants and are available on a first-notify, first serve basis. This should last no more than an hour. Please e-mail editor@digitalscrapbooking.com by the end of the day Friday, November 2 to register.

2) If you’re not able to attend the in-person focus group, you can complete an online survey to give us your opinion. We anticipate the survey will take 10-15 minutes, and all participants will be entered into a drawing for a load of goodies.

If you’re interested in either the focus group or the survey, please send an email to editor@digitalscrapbooking.com by the close of business Friday, November 2. We look forward to your feedback!

As an aside, we've been working on this redesign for several months now and I'm really excited about the direction is taking. We're lucky to have readers who are happy to share their thoughts with us, and the new Digital Scrapbooking will reflect what you've been telling us you'd like to see.

Quick update on e-version of magazine

We've learned that there were two glitches in the e-version of the Dec/Jan issue, and we're taking care of them right away:

* the tumbler template for Pattie Knox's project hasn't yet been uploaded
* there's an incorrect link to "myperfectmirror.com" that should be to myfavoritemirror.com instead. Here's a photo of a project made with the coaster sets My Favorite Mirror offers: isn't it adorable?

We're changing those ASAP; I'll post here again when they're fixed. Thanks for letting us know!

December/January e-version open for subscribers!

Is the dreary fall weather getting you down? Ready for some holiday cheer to lift your spirits? If you're a Digital Scrapbooking subscriber, then you're in luck! Our December 2007/January 2008 issue is now up and running in its electronic format. Check your e-mail box for your personalized invitation!

Subscribing but not getting word when the e-version is posted? We must have your valid e-mail address for you to log in. Contact our Customer Service department to add your e-mail address to your account.

(If you're a newsstand buyer--it'll be just a couple of weeks until you get all the great holiday inspiration available now to our subscribers.)

Ready to celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day?

The first-ever Digital Scrapbooking Day (sponsored by Triscape, makers of FxFoto photo editing software) is coming up! Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 3 and get ready for a crazy day of photo tweaking, layout designing and product sharing.

To celebrate, Digital Scrapbooking Magazine is hosting a layout contest at the photo sharing site Flickr. We're looking for layouts on the theme of "Why I Love Digital Scrapbooking." Upload your own and vote for your favorites--we'll have prizes for the most popular layouts, plus those selected as standouts by our editorial team.

Here's what you'll need to do to enter:

1. If you don't have one already, set up a Flickr account. (It's free, and takes just a few minutes.)
2. Visit our Flickr page and click "Join This Group." Read our simple posting rules and join.
3. Upload photos to your Flickr account. Choose the layout you want to enter and click "Send to Group" to share it with us.
   

Thanks for playing--we can't wait to see your work! (Plus: check out the cute T-shirt designed by 2007 Digital Scrapbooking board member Clara Wallace just for the occasion. April and Jennafer have ordered theirs already!)

They're coming to a land Down Under...

...Stacy Julian, Wendy Smedley, and our own digital diva Renee Pearson, that is! They're bringing Digital Scrapbooking and Simple Scrapbooks' trademark enthusiam and you-can-do-it attitude to their first-ever event in the Southern Hemisphere.

They'll be joining New Zealand scrapbooking celebrity Nic Howard for a total of six education- and inspiration-packed days at the Craft House Crafting Connection in Australia and New Zealand, sponsored by KiwiScraps.

Catch them in Sydney November 9-11 or in Wellington November 16-18. You can

• pick classes from a menu of dozens of offerings (including Renee's digital/hybrid track!),
  
• crop 'til you drop at the Friday night Mega Crop,
  
• mingle with fellow scrapbookers all weekend long, and
  
• get inspired at Stacy's keynote "Scrap Happy" event.

Don't miss this opportunity to meet four dynamic, motivating scrapbookers... and don't forget to send us your pictures! (I wanna go!)

Call for submissions for April/May issue

It's that time again... time to share the best of your work with us! And if you've always dreamed of being a "cover girl," check it out: we're looking for reader photos and layouts to feature front and center on the April/May 2008 issue of Digital Scrapbooking.

So get cracking... or clicking... and start submitting the coolest all-digital or digital/paper hybrid stuff you have! Deadline for all submissions is Monday, October 22nd.

Photo Feature: It's the Little Things
From Grandma's vintage sewing machine to the iPod you got for your birthday, your son's Matchbox car collection to your sister's ever-growing T-shirt wardrobe, life is filled with objects that carry a special meaning. We're looking for layouts featuring beautiful photographs of the material things that make up your world. We'd also love to get your tips on successfully photographing objects from sparkling diamonds to black leather jackets. Submit images saved as high-quality JPEGs, measuring 6" on longest side, no later than Monday, October 22.

T3: Tips, Tricks, Tutorials
You've spoken up... and we've listened! Digital Scrapbooking will now be offering more step-by-step instructions and immediately usable tips than ever before. Look for our info-packed new column, "T3," appearing for the first time in our April/May 2008 issue. You'll find both cutting-edge techniques from our Creative 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.

• Tricks. 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 "Kick It Up" column for an idea of what we're looking for.)

Send us your images and instructions no later than Monday, October 22.

Are You Cover Material?
We're looking for simply amazing reader layouts to feature on our cover. For consideration, layout should have a single gorgeous photo--preferably of one person, though a well-composed twosome could work as well--and feature "only with digital" techniques paired with a clean overall design. Photo should reflect the season in which the issue will appear; for this call, we'll be looking for late spring themes and colors. Please submit no more than three layouts to this call. Submissions are due no later than Monday, October 22.

We can't wait to see what you have to share!

Feeling creative? Here's a contest for you!

Epson--makers of some of our favorite scrapbooking goodies--has just announced the CreativeZone Holiday Craft Contest, open from now until October 31.

They're looking for entries in the following categories:

• winter holiday greeting cards
• winter holiday scrapbook pages
• holiday paper craft creations

Each entry must include at least one patterned page from the free downloadable content at Epson's CreativeZone Web site. Check out the papers, coordinating accents, word art and more.

Entries will be judged by a team including Rhonna Farrer, Jessica Sprague and Digital Scrapbooking's own Renee Pearson. First prize in each category is an Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer--the big daddy that can print borderless 12x12 layouts!--and second prize is an Epson PictureMate Dash printer for on-the-go photo projects. All winning entries will also be featured on the CreativeZone site during the holiday season.

Here's how to enter.

Submit an e-mail to EpsonHolidayContest@walt.com and include the following:

• at least one photograph or scan of the completed winter holiday-themed greeting card, scrapbook page or paper craft
• a detailed list of supplies; step-by-step instructions explaining how the project was created (including any specific techniques used)
• project dimensions.

E-mail attachment files must be in JPEG or TIFF format and 300-500KB in size. Entries must also include the contestant’s full name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. All submissions must be received by October 31, 2007.

Contest submissions must not have been previously published or submitted for other contests or publications. Selected finalists will be required to mail Epson their original projects for final judging; submitted projects will become property of Epson and will not be returned to their owners. Contestants may want to consider creating two of each entry: one to keep, and one to send.

Check out complete details and contest rules here (PDF file--requires Acrobat Reader). Good luck, and happy creating!

Submission preparation info

I had this great question from a commenter:

...On the submission page it says to save our work as a high quality jpeg no larger than 100K. How do you do that? I create all my 12x12 scrapbook pages at 300 dpi. Even after I have flattened my image when I save a jpeg I still have to take the quality all the way down to zero & it's still not 100K. So I guess my question is, do you want a 300 dpi image or is less acceptable? I am a graphic designer but how to make my files 100K w/o saving them at 72 or 100 dpi AND at low quality is beyond me. Could you all shed a little more light on exactly how you want the submission files saved?...

For our submissions review process, we only need low-resolution (72dpi) versions of your layouts. We review them on-screen, so this resolution provides us with plenty of detail. We also don't need the layouts submitted full-size. Submitting a 12x12 original layout as a 6x6 lo-res version works fine for us.

Depending on your photo editing software (I know Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have this feature), you may also have a "Save for Web" command that does a great job of optimizing your image, or making it as small as possible while still maintaining image quality. You should be able to save a 72dpi 6x6 image at 60% or better quality and still get it in under the 100K limit.

If your submission is chosen for publication, we'll ask you to send us a hi-res (but still scaled-down... 8x8 for a 12x12 layout) version of your project.

Don't forget--we also love to see projects such as cards, albums, home decor items or anything else you've used your digital scrapbooking skills to create. For these items, you can submit a clear photograph, sized at approximately 5x7" and saved at 72dpi. If we select a 3-D project from you for publication, we'll ask you to send in your original project for photography. (We'll take extra-special care of it and make sure it returns to you safely as soon as possible.)

Thanks for your question, Anonymous Commenter--we hope to see work from you soon!

Call for submissions for February/March issue

If you've been getting the feeling that love is in the air... it must be because we're planning the February/March issue of Digital Scrapbooking, with a special focus on Valentine's Day and all its romantic accoutrements.

So in addition to our regular "Simply Stunning" and "Kick It Up" galleries, we're putting out the call for layouts about love... all kinds of love! Check it out:

Feature Gallery : The Looks of Love
Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate all kinds of love--from romantic evenings out to tender moments between parent and child. Send us your layouts highlighting love in all its forms... and don't forget to include any special stories or inspiration that give added meaning to your project.

We're looking for something special for "Kick It Up" as well:

Kick It Up: Focus on Brushes
Focus on Brushes: They add shape, texture and interest to layouts. How do you use these versatile tools? Show us your work featuring brushwork techniques from basic to advanced. Include a brief description of how you used brushes on your project. Here are some ideas to inspire you:

* creating custom brushes from photos or scans
* organizing downloaded or purchased brushes
* getting special effects with brush options such as rotation, hardness and scatter

And we're always looking for fresh new eye candy for "Simply Stunning":

Simply Stunning
Send us your layouts on any subject--we'll give special consideration to projects with a seasonal (winter) 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.

We can't wait to see what you've got to share with us this time! Deadline for all submissions is 11:59:59 (tee hee) p.m., Sunday, August 26. You can submit your work here or, starting Monday, via the Simple Scrapbooks Web site.

Exciting times for digital at CHA

Wow! Our team had a great time at CHA this year, meeting people and seeing new products and chatting about digital scrapbooking with everyone within earshot.

One of the greatest things about this show was seeing how many people--both manufacturers and retailers--are getting really excited about digital and want to know what they can do to market to digital scrapbookers. Retailers want to see you in their stores, and manufacturers want to make products you want to buy. Several companies we talked to are already launching digital versions of their products (Tinkering Ink, Glitz Designs, the companies working with PCLayers) and many others are trying to figure out the best way to get their feet wet with digital.

So--what would you like to see retailers and manufacturers offer you? Companies are ready to listen... what do you have to say?

Call for submissions for Dec/Jan issue

Can you believe it? Summer's not officially here yet, and already visions of sugarplums are dancing in the Digital Scrapbooking team's heads as we start work on our December 2007/January 2008 issue.

Here's what we want to see from you this time:
Winter Traditions and Holidays: from skating on frozen lakes to Christmas in the tropics!
Simply Stunning: showcasing your "eye candy" work
Kick It Up: layouts featuring intermediate- to advanced-level techniques with step-by-step instructions.

Deadline for all calls is June 29, and all calls are open to projects created using any photo editing or scrapbooking software package. Time to get your mouse a-moving!

Congratulations to the Scrappers' Choice winners!

Want to get blown away by some amazing scrapbooking talent? Check out the gallery of work from the winners of DigiShopTalk.com's Scrappers' Choice contest. There are tons of beautiful layouts in a whole range of categories, from "Best Use of Negative Space" to "Best Journaling," plus the overall Best Layout winners: congratulations to Lissy and Ohiotubagal! Get ready to be inspired... and please share the results of your inspiration with us.

Blogging about blogging

(Wow, how meta!)

If you're a blogger or know someone who blogs, here's a series of blog posts you ought to check out. (How many times can I say "blog" in one sentence?)

Connie and Heidi of digiscrapinfo.com discuss setting up a blog, publicizing it via Google, using a blog reader to read the latest posts from your favorite bloggers all in one place and more. Great information all around!

Which brings me to my next point: I'd love to set up a blogroll of the best digital scrapbooking blogs around. Please leave a comment with your recommendations--you can mention your own if you'd like, or let us know who else is doing a great job. I'll review them in the next couple of weeks and start putting together a list.

Announcing the Bag Full of Memories Contest!

Brought to you by SnapTotes and MemoryTrends Magazine... check out these cool bags and this great contest!

SnapTotes and MemoryTrends Magazine present Bag Full of Memories page contest

Show off your pages when you're out and about with a personalized photo bag!

Photo bags are one of the most popular ways to turn a snapshot into a gift. But personalized bags aren't just for photos. Any digital image--such as a digital scrapbook page--­can make a beautiful bag. (Check out Melinda Alexander's layout on the example pictured here!)

The Bag Full of Memories Contest is now accepting entries for the chance to see your digital page on a photo bag by SnapTotes. Winners will receive a bag featuring their pages ($100 value). Name the local scrapbook store where you buy albums and magazines and the store will win a starter sales kit with eight bags (a more than $500 value.) For more information, and to enter, visit www.snaptotes.com/contest. Deadline for entry is June 30, 2007.

For other ideas for using digital designs to create one-of-a kind wearables and accessories, and to see Melinda's layout up close, check out the August/September 2007 issue of Digital Scrapbooking.

Looking for your best work!

It's that time again--the time when we're asking you to submit your best digital and paper/digital-fusion projects for our review and possible inclusion in the October/November issue.

Our submission forms will be up and running at both the Digital Scrapbooking and Simple Scrapbooks sites in a day or two; the deadline for all is Monday, April 16.

Here's what we're looking for this time around:

Simply Stunning
Send us your layouts on any subject—we'll give special consideration to projects with a seasonal (fall) 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, April 16.

Kick It Up
Calling all tech-savvy scrappers! We're looking for layouts and projects created with any software package featuring intermediate- to advanced-level techniques. Submissions must include clear instructions to inspire our readers. Send us your images and instructions no later than Monday, April 16.

Scrapbooking Software Roundup
Digital scrapbookers have a huge variety of programs to choose from for creating layouts and projects. We'd like to see what you're doing with the software tools you have available. Submit your layout along with the following information:

• how long you've been scrapbooking digitally
• the name of the program you use, and how long you've been working with it
• your favorite feature of this program
• step-by-step instructions for achieving any special effects or techniques featured in your layout

We'd like to see layouts created with the following software:

• Corel Paint Shop Pro
• LumaPix FotoFusion
• Microsoft Digital Image Suite
• Scrapbook Max!
• ACDSee
• Lasting Impressions MemoryMixer
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant
• Any other widely available software you're using for digital scrapbooking
  

Submissions are due no later than Monday, April 16.

Thanks for sharing your talents with us! We can't wait to see what you've come up with.