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View Full Version : JULY - DEEPER THAN THE DATE!!! A CHRISTMAS THEME!!!!! You MUST check this out!


SuzanneCWalker
07-02-2008, 11:53 AM
ARE YOU READY TO GO DEEPER THAN THE DATE FOR CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!??? We are SOOOOOOOOoo psyched for this one, guys! So psyched, in fact, that we can't wait for CIJ to officially begin before we unleash this AWESOME challenge!!!

Our focus with this month's DTTD will be connecting with friends and family via those awesome family newsletters we usually receive during the Holiday season! So, instead of our traditional Christmas newsletter, we'll be creating a Family Gazette that we can print and send out during "Christmas In July". I'm particularly psyched because (don't start throwing things), I've NEVER actually sent a newsletter!!!! EVER! I always say that this will be the year, but then things reach their usual insane levels of busy-ness and I decide that in the interest of general sanity that I must let it go.

So....... Guess what!! I have MADE my Family Gazette Newsletter!!! WOW!! I made us an 8.5x11 quick click that you can download FREE!!! Use it with ANY of your favorites from your digital scrapping toolbox, and create your OWN family gazette! Your bonus will be the delighted and slightly shocked looks on your favorite family and friends as they receive such a fabulous surprise in their mail in July!

You can write your letter in any format. I chose to do mine in the first-person, so I'm talking as if I'm having a conversation with my readers. You could do it all in the third person as well.

Some people prefer a flowing narrative, or almost a big long poem. My aunt, who is endlessly creative, has done fabulous "takes" on Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Dr. Seuss classics; she inserts her story instead of the famous literature, maintaining the rhythm and/or rhyme of the original. Her letters are masterpieces! And I'm sure they take forever to create!

Another possible style is to record important events in more of a bullet list format.

My mother, who writes great newsletters, uses one paragraph to describe each persons' activities from the past year.

Your job will be to find your own voice. I'd recommend starting with the quick click layout, getting all your pictures (pick your faves from the past year, or maybe a great headshot of each person) in there, and THEN deciding how to compose your letter.

We'd love to see what you come up with, not to mention give you ginormous shouts of encouragment and YEHAW, so please share with us the layouts you create! Put them in our regular DTTD gallery (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=5855), and link us up here in this thread!

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/744/05_T_FamilyGazette.jpg

EDITED - since we're all wrapped-up with CIJ for 2008, you'll be able to find the Family Gazette in the store soon! Thanks!

happybeingamom
07-02-2008, 12:01 PM
This is great

DS is in camp. What a great format to keep him up to date with what is going on at home.

Truly Awesome!!!

Thanks Suzanne

felynn
07-02-2008, 12:37 PM
very cool!

Thanks so much Suz

Many Feathers
07-02-2008, 01:21 PM
Great idea, Suzanne! I didn't get all my Christmas cards out last year...so I could add the Christmas cards that I already printed! :-) Thanks so much for the challenge....and the QC!!!

ChristineG
07-02-2008, 02:12 PM
Yay a QC that is just my size!

shazzt
07-02-2008, 02:32 PM
Oh - great idea. I have never done a family newsletter either so don't feel bad :) Thanks for the QC it looks awesome!

honeymoon
07-02-2008, 03:58 PM
I keep thinking to do some letters, but they never quite get done. I blame exhaustion after making all the Christmas cards. So maybe this is the way around it.... the middle of the year instead. Fabulous idea and the QC is perfect.

Raphne
07-02-2008, 04:22 PM
Oooooh, what a fabulous idea! Love it!

SuzanneCWalker
07-02-2008, 04:43 PM
Yeayyyyyyyyy, I hope you guys are as psyched as Meg and I were when we came up with this. I literally dropped every other project to finish this quick click!!!

Now I'd best go pick up said projects!

OH! Here's my letter with the quick click! http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=268063

mrichar383
07-02-2008, 05:38 PM
Great idea! TFS

MaureenH
07-02-2008, 05:51 PM
What a great idea. I haven't sent newsletters in a couple years so this will be a great jump start. I'm a person who actually loves to get newsletters from family and friends I don't see much during the year. I leave for our family reunion tomorrow so will get some photos there to use in the newsletter.

Thanks for the neat QC Suzanne!

sammdc
07-02-2008, 06:35 PM
what a fantastic challenge and awesome awesome awesome QC many thanks for the inspiration Suzzzzzzzzz

Impy
07-02-2008, 10:03 PM
Oh! This is SO stinkin' cool!!! I send out a newsletter every Christmas and I can not wait to use this!!! Ty!TY! TY!!

shazzt
07-03-2008, 03:20 AM
I think I will do this for my in-laws. They live in Oz so don't get to see us as much as they would like.

sandygb
07-03-2008, 08:50 PM
What a totally fabbity idea! I'm marking this one on my calendar!

ilv2cruise
07-04-2008, 01:41 AM
Here's mine - Our News (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=268274)

jestep
07-04-2008, 10:18 AM
i can see my breathless relatives now.....sitting on the edge of their seats reading the unfolding tales of my fabulous and adventurous year.....pictures are no problem. just cut my head off and stick it in a photo. this could be really fun.

hiccup42
07-06-2008, 10:24 AM
Thanks for the QC, I may even use it this Christmas. Make a change from the boring text-only one that we normally send!
Here's my LO with it:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/5855/thumbs/Christmas_Letter.jpg
Christmas Letter (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=268590&ppuser=123153)

baflien
07-06-2008, 11:16 AM
Thanks!

cherebus
07-06-2008, 10:42 PM
I haven't ever done a family newsletter either so this will be a challenge, thanks for the QC that'll be a big help.

amy!
07-07-2008, 10:52 AM
this is a pretty cool idea..I haven't done a newsletter b4 either..
thanks a bunch for the push!

LadyCarolyn
07-07-2008, 12:47 PM
Will stake out my spot here as a reminder to get this done.

SKetchy
07-07-2008, 03:31 PM
I'm definitely keeping that for reference in December, but for now I played around with it and came up with this: Nightstar, New Kitty (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=268955)

It's not a family newsletter, I hope that's OK. But I loved the little photo boxes along the bottom, so I had to play.

~sarah~
07-08-2008, 07:15 AM
here is one from me the resizing kind of squished the text a little i wish I knew why that happens sometime anyways here it is :)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269053&nocache=1

felynn
07-08-2008, 12:28 PM
Thanks for the great template here's mine:
The Year so Far (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269087)

idtwinmom
07-10-2008, 01:04 AM
Thanks Suzanne for such a great QC. This was the first time I have ever used one, so I learned a lot.

CIJ Newsletter Page 1 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269312&ppuser=90601) & Page 2 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269315&ppuser=90601) doing double duty with the Mega Kit challenges.

sammdc
07-10-2008, 02:34 AM
here is mine
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269334&ppuser=44193

hthomas
07-12-2008, 12:18 PM
What a great way to keep in touch with my family and feed my digi addiction!

lvg4him
07-12-2008, 11:14 PM
Here is mine:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269772

Thanks again Suzanne!!! :D

Fade2Pink
07-13-2008, 12:47 AM
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/5855/thumbs/july20081.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269790)
july20081 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=269790)

GabbyGee1976
07-15-2008, 02:22 AM
Here's mine :)

Kahau Kronicles (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=270144&nocache=1)

tg13
07-15-2008, 02:26 PM
Here is mine.

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/5855/thumbs/24_Harvey_s.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=270228)
Bréf í fyrsta sinn (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=270228)

SuzanneCWalker
07-20-2008, 10:41 AM
Oh, guys!!!!! THESE ROCK!! I am so excited about this one - my mom happened to check my gallery and saw it in there - she's been nagging me to get them printed ASAP!!

swatkins56
07-22-2008, 11:24 PM
Here is mine, doing triple duty with CIJ Trash to Treasure and All for One:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=271321

Corgi Lover
07-23-2008, 07:10 AM
Hmmm...when is the deadline? I must get on this - love love love it!!

SuzanneCWalker
07-23-2008, 08:49 AM
No deadline, my friend...... :) Just a fun thing to do during CIJ! And, of course, it's all about me - I reaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyy wanted to do one of these!!!

gintal
07-23-2008, 01:59 PM
Here's one from me.

Christmas 2007 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=271330&ppuser=91445)

Many Feathers
07-24-2008, 08:32 PM
Here's mine:

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=271708

SuzanneCWalker
08-06-2008, 08:51 AM
I absolutely loved every single one of these, guys! It's so cool to see what you all do with a quick click - you each bring your special style - SO AWESOME! What a fun, fun thing - we'll DEFINITELY have to do this one again, won't we!!!?

Donut
09-01-2008, 10:57 PM
Oh I totally missed this!! Lol! Great idea though, and one I will still do myself. The rellies wont know whats happened when they get a 'spiffing' fancy newsletter in place of the usual scrawled update!