|
In this Issue
Letter
from Team Digital – Sharon
How can it be July
already? It seems like only yesterday that we were
celebrating New Year and now we are more than half-way through the
year. Here in New Zealand it is the middle of winter, full of dark,
wet, cold days. It can be a difficult time and for those affected by
the earthquakes in Christchurch, it will be even more of a challenge
this year. It is not all doom and gloom though. The Kiwi DSPers are
getting together for a crop and many of our Christchurch friends will
be joining us. We are hoping for some nice weather for a photowalk on
Waiheke Island but I know from previous get togethers that the warmth
of the company will more than make up for any deficiencies in the
weather. That is the true strength of our community here at DSP. Our
online friendships spill over into real life, face to face
get-togethers. Whether we are around the corner or around the world,
our relationships endure. DSP’s Christmas in July is a
wonderful
opportunity to celebrate our community and to make new DSP friends. I
am looking forward to sharing the festivities with my DSP friends.
Merry “Christmas in July” to all!
(back to the
top)
Site
News and Features
New
to DSP?
Posting
Your First Layout:
Are
you thinking
about
posting your first layout? There's a special first layout
challenge each month for you. Post your first layout to DSP this month
and you
may be a random winner for a free page kit!!
You'll find all the information here.
What’s
Going On
If you need to
know what is going on, you need the What's Happening at DSP
thread or the Calendar. You
can also find out what contests and challenges are due in the What's Due
thread.
What's
DUE
If
you are
looking to find out what challenges are due when then the What’s Due
thread is the thread you need to check out. In this thread,
you can find out what contests and challenges are coming
up. So
- get going on a few challenges, Ladies, there are tons of great ones :)
The
Buzz for Newbees and Oldbees
Chat for new members (and old members too!)
Every Wednesday at
10 pm EST
Everyone Welcome!
If you are new to digital scrapbooking or new to DSP, or if you've been
around DSP for a while but love to meet and help new members, join us
in
chat!
DSP is a big busy site! Are you beewildered? Do you have questions? How
to get around the site? How to enter challenges? Where to start? Join
us in chat to find out more about the site and digi-scrapping! We'll
orient you to some of the features of DSP and answer questions to help
you feel more comfortable getting around and finding what you need.
Welcome
to DSP! We know you will love it!
(back to the
top)
Crops
and
Events
For the next stop
as we
Scrap the Map, DSP is heading to Las Vegas for a slumber party
September 9, 2011 and YOU are
invited!
We'll have the luxurious
2000 sq. ft. Media Suite at Mandalay Bay for the night. Come
meet CEO Margie Lundy!
Check out and maybe even WIN, great products from DSP and our
sponsors Adobe Systems and Fulltime Families! Space is
limited, so register early!
Register
now!
For locations, dates and
other news,
check out www.scrapthemap.com
and in our DSP Forums!
Don't
forget, if you are planning a get together to put it in the Gathering and Support
forum. There’s nothing like meeting DSPers in real
life to learn new things, take great pictures and have a good
laugh!
(back to the
top)
2011 Christmas in July
It is almost that time
of the year again where we get caught up on scrapping last
year’s Christmas and get ready for Christmas this year. So
get ready for the best Christmas party of the summer and come celebrate
it with us July 28-31. We'll be partying all day Saturday July 30.
(back to the
top)
Member
Spotlight – jmnodwell, a.k.a, Joni
This
month’s
DSP Member Spotlight is jmnodwell.
You
know her gallery is
packed with a variety of topics when you ask what her inspiration is
and Joni replies: anything and everything! She feels her layouts are
still mostly paper style but says she is also using blending and
extraction more in her layouts.
So
how would this
talented scrapper describe herself? Well of course,
with her love of scrapping, instead of a simple few words in reply,
Joni sends you off to her gallery, saying: “I think my Book
of Me-mories pages say it best”… The Book of
Me-mories Pg 2 and The Book of Me-mories - Pg 3.
With regards to her favorite layout, Joni says any of her pages about George
(her
gorgeous cat) make it onto her favorites list.
“He is such a character and I love scrapping all his exploits
both good and bad. Even at his worst you have to smile, roll your eyes,
and yell "Ge-orge"!!!”
Thank
you Joni for
sharing your talent with DSP Members as the July
2011 DSP Member Spotlight.
Once
you have visited Joni’s gallery
and been inspired, join the Scraplift
the Spotlight Challenge thread
for your chance to win a lucky
draw DSP Store Voucher.
(back to the
top)
Featured
Designers
Meryl
Bartho
Create
Titles Which WOW!
After the photos (or
maybe even before!) what is it you
notice about a great layout? Yes it is the title – if the
wording of the title
is catchy or clever it may even be what makes you click on a layout in
the
gallery to take a closer look!. A good title can (and
usually does!) take time, but it is time very well spent, it is time
which can
turn a ho-hum page into a fabulous page. Many times the title takes me
longer
than the rest of the page to “get it
right.” I
seldom, if ever do a page without
a title - personal preference, but to me a page without a title is
incomplete. I certainly have no training in typography,
but over my scrapping years have found what works for me, these are a
few ideas I’d like to share.
|
Type your title.
Most important is to choose the right font (or fonts)...
there are so many wonderful fonts from which to choose, some paid, some
free. The rule with typography is to use no more than two
fonts on a page, however, with careful choice, three on a
scrapbook
page can still work very well.
Think of the mood
of
your page - is it serious, formal, fun, and the topic of the page?
On the page "Mummy's Dress" I used two fonts, each with a
stitching theme. (Home Sweet Home, CK QuickStitch) to echo
the topic.
|
 |
Use alphas.
There are so many beautiful alphas in the store just waiting
to help you create beautiful titles. When you choose an
alpha,
you need to consider the colour, the subject and very
important, the mood of the layout.
|
Combine Alphas.
A great way to create interest is to combine different alphas
- in "Whisk{e}y Tasting" I used 2 different alphas, and two cases in
the
word Whisk{e}y - this to show the two different spellings of the word.
Little tricks like this can create interest and get the
reader looking! |
 |
|
Combine Alphas with Text.
On the layout "Big Blow Birthday Boy" I combined an alpha
with a font (CK Cursive) then to give it "weight", I added a very
simple layer style - a drop shadow with an outside stroke, then used a
strip of tape from the kit for the words "Birthday Boy".
On "Love You XOX",
because
the lovely flowing script font (Scriptina)P was lying direction on the
"paper" no weight was necessary. If you do type directly on
the background, be sure that the text does not ever fall on top of any
elements (on this page it is slightly below the frame and the XOX.) -
think of a hand scrapped page, no writing would fall on top of any
element.
|
 
|
| Substitute Elements for
Words or Letters.
Keep a look out for places where an element can be used in a
title to take the place of a word or letter. On the page "I
Love You", I used a string heart to take the place of the word "love"
(not very original, I know!). |
|
|
On "Soccer @ Draksun"
an
extracted soccer ball takes the place of the O in soccer. |
|
|
Let Your Journaling Become
the Title (as in "Big Like
7"),
or run into the title as on "Where Have All the Years Gone?". |
 
|
|
A final idea – look for fun ways
to
display a title –
in "Upside
Down" I flipped the word "Down" – emphasizing the theme of
the
page. |
|
Be big, be bold, make it
an important part of your page - make your title WOW!!
I look forward to seeing
some wonderful titles in the gallery soon!
Note: All
alphas and materials used in the examples may be found by clicking the
links in the titles of the respective pages.
Meryl's
Links:
Team
Digital Bio
Personal Gallery
Forum
DSP Products
Kim
Liddiard
Paint
on a Little Light
– Non-Destructive
Editing
I am going to share with
you one of my favorite ways to add a little bit of punch to your photos
using Photoshop. Every now and then you will find a photo
needs
just a little something to make it shine. The following steps
will have your accenting photos that will make your friends and family
say "Nice!!".
Tutorial Steps:
~ Open a *copy of* your photo in Photoshop
~ Add a New Layer (Layer > New > Layer)
~ Fill the layer with
50% Gray (Edit > Fill > 50% > Ok)
~ Set Layer blending to
Overlay (In Your Layer Blend Modes, choose Overlay)
~ Pick a nice big soft
brush (Select your brush tool > Right Click on Canvas to select
your brush. I chose the big soft 300px from the standard brush set)
Sometimes this brush is a bit big for my area, so I use the keyboard
left bracket key to decrease the size of my brush or the right bracket
key to increase its size.
~ Set your brush to
about 20% Opacity (Above your Canvas Area, you will see the Brush
Opacity Option)
~ Hit the "D" key on
your keyboard to set your swatches to their default Black/White. Hit
the "X" key to set the current paint color to white.
~ Now starts the magic!! While on your new 50% Gray Overlay Layer
(which you cannot see at this point), paint white where you want to
lift your photo a little. You will see the magic as you apply your
strokes!
~ Now Add some Darkening
by painting black where you want to deepen your photo. Make sure you
are still on your 50% Overlay Gray Layer.
~ Finally, save your
finished photo (File > Save As...) to use in your next
layout!
Kim Liddiard
Senior Designer
Kim's
Links:
Team
Digital Bio
Personal Gallery
Forum
DSP Products
Blog
(back
to the
top)
Some
Useful Links:
 blogger  facebook  flickr
 twitter
New Products
•
Club Digital • Freebies
•
Mentoring
•
Contact Us
Forum
Search
• FAQ
• Site Map
• Team Digital
• DSP Blog
• Tutorials
• DSP Calendar
• DSP Terms of Use
• The
Shop
Product Information
• Shop Site Map
• Store Search
• What's Happening at DSP
• Challenges and Contests
• Questions
Scrap
the Map •
DSP Scrap the Map Forum
WHAT’S
DUE
(back
to the top)
Store
News
Follow
us on Twitter!
****************
Sales
*****************
11
– Missed
'Em
Monday Sale
Enjoy
20% - 40% off Select Products
Missed
'Em First time around?
Here's your
chance
to grab some old, but still great,
DSP products from past years at
great discount prices.
Discount varies according to the release date of
the product.
14-17
– Meryl Bartho and Kim Liddiard are Featured Designers.
Enjoy
20% off Select Products
28-31
– Christmas in July
**************** July
Jubilee *****************
Ice Cream Month
13 – Embrace
Your Geekness Day
22 – Hammock Day
24 – Cousins Day
24 – Parents Day
26 – All or Nothing Day
26 – Aunt and Uncle Day
(back
to the
top)
Club
Digital
Are
you a member of the club?
Traditional patriotic
colours of red, white and blue dominate this month's club digital.
Included this month, as usual, are two useful and very versatile kits,
one funky and modern and one traditional and feminine. These
can be accessorised with some celebratory groupies and funky half tone
stamps as well as the swirly alphabet and useful word art. Added to
that you will find a useful swirly overlay and don't forget the great
postcard style quick click that will be perfect for scrapping those
summer vacation snapshots.
Club
Digital
now comes in a choice of resolutions - Choose 200ppi
or 300ppi version when you download.
This
month's content includes
- Vintage
Pomp Page Kit
- Bold
and Bright Page
Kit
- Swirls
and Sparkles
Overlay
- Summer
Swirl Alphabet
- Dots
of Spots Stamps
- Life
Word
Art
- Celebration
Groupies
- Postcard
Quick
Click
Club
Digital is the hottest club in town!
Get
your monthly fix of the best digital scrapbook products for an
incredible price! Something to suit every style and level of digital
scrapper!
Every
issue of Club
Digital includes two page kits, one plopper or overlay, a quick click
template, an alphabet, some wordart, a font, and png stamps! As a Club
member, you also receive an exclusive
coupon for the DSP Shop and can
enter an exclusive contest
just for members (with great prizes)!
Over
$27 in value for the incredible price of only $5.99/month! (Or
as low as $4.99 with longer subscriptions!)
Club Digital
is
just $17.97 for three months ($5.99/month), $33.00 for six months
($5.50/month), or $59.88 for a full year ($4.99/month)!
Plus,
Club members can WIN!
Purchase a
three month subscription and you're entered to win a free
upgrade to a six month subscription!
Purchase a six month subscription and you're entered to win a free
upgrade to a twelve month subscription!
Purchase a twelve month subscription and you're entered to win a $30
coupon for the DSP store!
Here
is a selection of layouts created by the DSP Team Digital using this
month's Club Digital Selection.
Click here
to
find out more about Club Digital
(back
to the top)
It's
Shop Time!
Featured
Product – Scraps of Life: Friends CD
This CD is perfect for
scrapping all the memories of friendship, be it those childhood buddies
or those life long friends. From little girls to grown men -
we all have friendships we share and now we can capture those memories
in our pages.
Available in 200ppi
and 300ppi.
(back
to the top)
Shop
Time Inspiration
It’s
time to SHOP… let’s get those baskets at the
ready.
You
know you
can
do a search for anything using the advanced search feature
located at the top right of your store page, right above the search
box. For example ‘green Lauren’ will just
return Lauren’s kits that have green in them,
‘hearts tina’ will return Tina’s kits
with hearts in them. Try it, you’ll like
it!! You can also check out the Site Map
for some fabulous links.
Gift Certificates.
Send anyone the perfect gift!! Gift Certificates are a
wonderful way to
say - Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, I Love You, or even
Just Because!
Did
You
Know...
...you can get to the store by typing shop.dsp.me in your browser URL
bar? Get to the store even faster!
Do
you love
the
product you just purchased and want to tell others? Please consider
doing a review
... pass the good word along! We love to hear from you.
Here's
some store
inspiration for this month.
(back
to the top)
Artful
Activities – Creating Memories from Moments
When
you first join DSP you want to devour every little bit of information
there is and it seems a bit overwhelming at first but the absolutely
best place to visit first off is the 'What's Happening'
page, it's packed with useful information to help you choose to
participate in a designer run challenge or contest or make a date to be
at one of our awesome chat sessions. To find out the daily and weekly
fun at DSP check out the calendar
of activities, there's never a dull moment at DSP and you're sure to
find something to your taste to challenge
you artistically.
Contests,
Challenges and Chats
Stay
current on challenges with the What’s Due thread,
which will keep you up to date on all the challenges on the site and
when they are due.
- Designer Exclusives
–
Our Designers are the best there are and they are really generous, if
you enter one of their challenges you’re more than likely to
receive a chat and/or posting bonus just by using their nominated kit
for the challenge. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain
– like more stash for less bucks with these great challenges.
- Inspiration Station (IS News)
This is a call to all dedicated DSP scrappers to ‘strut your
stuff’ and inspire us with your creations. Just choose any or
all of the calls for layouts the current month and you could be
showcased in our Newsletter or Blog. We have a few rules so check them
out and then join in the fun. Check out the current edition of Inspiration Station News or
here for Previous Issues
- Project 365
– a project for how YOU scrap. Check out our Project 365
chats
and the Project 365 store category.
- Scrapolution
– It’s a DSP evolution, a scrapping revolution, and
our New Year’s resolution:
It's a SCRAPOLUTION!!
It’s all about YOU, our members, our friends, making
scrapping goals and Team Digital supporting, guiding, encouraging,
joining, and cheering you on every step of the way. Check out the
current themes and prompts.
- Scrap with the DET
– Digital Elite Team and DET Alumni
Our past and current Elite group of scrappers have some great
challenges going at the moment and you’re sure to get well
chosen CC should you need it – learn from the best
- Elite Challenges –
be sure to check out the challenges run by our DET Alumni and DET.
- The Grannies If
you’re a Granny or a Granny In Training (GIT) or just a
Wannabee, you might like to see what other Grannies are up to, what
challenges they have going. There is never a dull moment when you join
this happy band of digi-scrappers.
- IOTW – Item of the week
– Abby
The Item Of The Week is priced to sell, so create a LO using the IOTW
and be in a draw to win a free kit.
- SNL –
Saturday Night Live –
CherylB & Renee S
This is where anyone can create their own digital scrapbook kits to
share with other SNLers, from elements and papers to word
art.
This
is just a
small selection of popular challenges that DSP currently has running
but be sure to check all of them out here.
And we have a special blinkie to place in your signature to always
remind you where to find the best scrapbooking challenges on the web.
Check the end of the first post in the What's Happening thread
for the blinkie code.
(back
to the
top)
DSU
Information
Start
here! This free class is an online article that walks you through
digital scrapbooking step-by-step and explains all the basics from
software and graphics to printing and sharing. It is always available
from this page and www.digitalscrapbooking101.com!
CURRENT
CLASS SCHEDULE (Click here
to see all DSU class descriptions)
August Classes
 DSU110
–
Adobe Photoshop:
Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU160
–
Adobe Photoshop Elements:
Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
DSU195
–
Wacom & Creative Fun
DSU211/311
–
Adobe Photoshop:
Creating Digital Elements for Beginners and Advanced Users (self-paced)
DSU221/321
–
Adobe Photoshop:
Montage (self-paced)
DSU270
– Adobe Photoshop Elements: Brushes
Be
sure to
visit DSU
for information
regarding these and our other great classes!
We
would love to
hear your suggestions on future classes too.
Send your ideas to dsu@digitalscrapbookplace.com.
(back
to
the
top)
Desktop
Calendar Plopper
July 2011
Specially
designed
ploppers
for your
computer
desktop. These calendars were made by Senior Designer Kim Liddiard.
Download the
ploppers
by clicking on the image above (Sizes:1024x768,
1280x1024, 1440x900, and 1680x1050
are included.)
Add
your
pictures, angle and
size them as you please, add journaling, and save
it as a jpg. Then update your desktop wallpaper background by browsing
to your new image! Voilà! Favorite photos matched
with this month's calendar to help keep you up-to-date all month! Look
for a new one each month in our newsletter!
(back
to
the top)
Newsletter
Challenge
We
are always
striving to make our newsletter more interesting and useful. If you
have an idea, let us know about it! If it's an article idea, a feature,
even something you'd like to write, shout it out to us. So, put your
thinking caps on and come up with some new features, article ideas, or
something fun you'd like to see in our monthly newsletter. Then email
it to comments@dsplace.com.
(Please type "Newsletter IDEA" in the subject line of your email.) We
can't wait to see your ideas!
(back
to the top)
Newsletter
Freebie
Exclusively
for
our newsletter readers, Senior Designer, Meryl Bartho has created
this charming Word Art. Choose
200ppi
or
300ppi!
Thanks
so
much, Meryl!
(back
to the top)
Many
thanks to the newsletter Team:
Kim, Lauren, Lynnette, Mandy, Margie,
Mars, Meryl, Sharon and
Chris.
If
you're not a registered member of our site why not Join Now!
All new members receive a FREE GIFT. Feel free to pass this on to your
friends!
You
are
receiving this email
because you signed up to receive it at www.digitalscrapbookplace.com.
You can subscribe or UN-subscribe from this newsletter on our site.
|
