A Letter from Team Digital

September is a starting-new month. Even those of us without school-age kids (and those of us who've been out of school longer than we were in...) still have the rhythm of new starts, new projects, new learning when school starts in September.

Maybe the changing seasons help this along. Especially in the Northern Hemisphere where Fall coaxes us back inside and leads us to crafty pursuits and holiday preparations.

Take the time, now, to try things you've been thinking about. Maybe it's time to take a class (it is Back-to-School time...) DSU has a great selection for October. And you can try out some tutorials meanwhile.

Or perhaps you've been meaning to get better acquainted with your camera. We have an entire forum of folks who'll be happy to help and challenge you.

Speaking of challenges, perhaps now's the time to try one of the various contests and challenges. We have an entire fat thread here full of possibilities. If you're *very* new to digital scrapping, watch for the next New Kids on the Block starting in October.

Whether you're headed into Fall, or tumbling happily into Spring - whether you have school kids or school memories or are in school yourself - whether you're beginner or old hand... try something new!

Kristen Skold
Moderator

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New to DSP?

Are you new to DSP? Then the perfect place for you to start is the new member chat on September 18th hosted by DSP Designers Elizabeth Weaver and Bethy Nixon. We'll answer questions about the site AND give you a freebie. There are more details here. So, mark your calendar and be there!

First, in this forum, Introduce Yourself, you can post a thread to let us know all about you! That's a great way to get started. Are you new to digital scrapbooking?

Then check out this article, Digital Scrapbooking 101!

Have a question you can't find the answer to? Well, there's a forum JUST for beginners! Post any questions you might have . . . we keep a special eye on that forum and there's always helpful people around to help you out!

Looking to post your first layout to the DSP web site? Well, then September is a great month to do it!! Check out the challenge to post your first layout to DSP and you could win just for posting!

Welcome to DSP! 

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Scrap Pink

Sign up now for Scrap Pink - September 29th! Check out the forum thread here.

Sign up here in the store. Your $20 donation will entitle you to a full day of fun and activities via a private chat at DSP - including chat freebies and a store sale of 30% off select downloadable items, and a 50% off coupon for one downloadable CD. All this - and it's for a good cause!

Bring a friend, and create projects celebrating the special women in your life. Layouts created will be eligible for a national contest.

Proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

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2007 Las Vegas Crop

Now's the time to drop everything and make a wild dash for Vegas! This Saturday, Sept 16th.

Find the chatter here - and sign-up here!

Go ahead, you know you want to! Show your family that a little spontaneity is a grand thing! Shock your friends with a show of impulsiveness. Go and play with others who understand...

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Inspiration Station

Inspired?! Want to inspire others?! Check out the DSP Inspiration Calls!

Chosen inspiration pieces may be included in our Blog, Store Inspiration Newsletter or anywhere deemed appropriate. You'll find submission guidelines and the current calls there.

Want to get published? Why not start out here at home?

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Club Digital
Are you a member of the club?

Ever wished for a monthly fix of the best digital scrapbook products money can buy delivered direct to your inbox? Well now you can have it. Club Digital is the hottest club in town.

Each month you receive a wonderful selection of scrapbooking products . Something to suit every style and level of digital scrapper.

You will always receive two complete page kits, one plopper or an overlay and an alphabet, some great word art and more - a font and a set of png "stamps" for your scrapping pleasure, and don't forget the quick click template included in each club digital pack. Now club digital subscribers get an extra gift of an exclusive coupon for use on future purchases in the store 

All this for the incredible price of $5.99 or even less!!!

Thats well over $23 value for such a great price -

The longer you subscribe - the cheaper it becomes and the better value for you!!!!!

Buy a 3 month subscription and go into the draw to be upgraded to a 6 month subscription, buy a 6 month and you might win an upgrade to a 12 month subscription , and all those who buy a 12 month sub will go into the draw for a $30 coupon for the DSP store.

Click here to subscribe to Club digital today

In addition every month there is an exclusive contest for club digital subscribers with great prizes.

This month you will find a superb variety of quality items to help you with your layouts. A soft almost heritage style kit and a more modern unisex style kit along with an elegant versatile overlay, a fun alphabet, some fun word art for the photogenic subject of your photos and some useful license plate-style stamps along with a really versatile multiple photo quick click and a funky font adds to the fun.

Here is a selection of layouts created by the DSP designers using this month's Club Digital Selection.

See more samples and sign up for the club here.

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Member Spotlight

The September DSP Member Spotlight is Christina, better known as mommabyrd2003 Since joining the site, just over a year ago, Christina has posted many inspiring layouts. Her layouts are joyful and extraordinary in their attention to details. And her love of her family shines through each layout!

Then go check out her gallery and the Scraplift the Spotlight challenge! You could win just for scrapping one of her fabulous layouts!

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Featured Designer: Irene V. Alexeeva

Our little daughter is growing. It’s been only a few weeks since she started walking on her own. Day by day she’s learning new fabulous things – that the water is wet and the fridge opens magically when Dad comes to rescue. She’s coming to realize that laughs are made from watching cartoons and that a bruise may cause strange water flowing from her eyes. She’s bored with toys – yes, give her something more sophisticated! - books are her favs now. Quite a grown-up lady for a one year old.

And I find myself everyday growing together with her. Sure I know things about water and bruises… But I’m still at school. When I first started at DSP it was like – yay I could do that, I’m almighty and so on J The more I design for DSP the more demanding I become both to my skills and  fantasy. I get my stuff ready to go only when I’m completely satisfied with it. Who knows what happens tomorrow? The almost finished work may be redone.

My Mom was startled yesterday when just in the middle of our talk I stared in amazement at her kitchen curtain – in a blink of an eye I was feverishly doodling the curtain design on a scrap of paper… might sound crazy LOL. But how possible could that be that I noticed that intricate swirl if I wasn’t here at DSP, that teaches me so much delicacy, attention, creativity?

This is not only my whim. I think that the teacher and the pupil combined are in everyone of us. No matter what you do – scientific research, raising up four kids, bakery or crocheting. The more you create – the more you want from your creations. That’s why I’m wishing you never to run off inspiration – it is the only material we all need to make us better not only as artists but also as humans. Discovering new things around you can be endless – and this is probably the chief force that makes our lives thrilling, fantastically new and ready to be explored – again and again.

With love,
Irene V. Alexeeva,
DSP designer

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DSU Information

Here is our line-up of fabulous classes for October! Be sure to visit our classes page for more information regarding these classes and our other great classes at DSU!

If you would like to register for any of these classes, click here!

DSU130 – Corel/Jasc Paint Shop Pro: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking

DSU160 – Adobe Photoshop Elements: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking

DSU170– Pixel Magic: Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking (Formerly Scraps of Digital and HP CSA)

DSU211/311– Adobe Photoshop: Creating Digital Elements for Beginners and Advanced Users (self-paced)

DSU215 – Adobe Photoshop Actions and Automations ( Photoshop v.7 and above) (Pre-requisite- DSU 110 or similar experience)

DSU221– Adobe Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: Montage (Pre-requisites: DSU 110/160 , DSU 220/270)

DSU225 – Adobe Photoshop: Paths ( Photoshop v.7 and above) (Pre-requisite- DSU 110 or similar experience)

DSU241– Corel/Jasc Paint Shop Pro: Montage

DSU361 – Adobe Photoshop Elements: Creating Digital Elements for Advanced Users (Pre-requisite- DSU 261)

Be sure to visit our classes page for more information regarding these classes and our other great classes at DSU!

We would love to hear your suggestions on future classes! Send your suggestions and comments to me at dsu@digitalscrapbookplace.com.

We’re also looking for qualified DSU instructors! If you would be interested in teaching, please contact me for more information.

Amber, Dean of DSU
dsu@digitalscrapbookplace.com

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Challenges/Contests/Events

Check our Calendar of Events and the Events & Activities Links thread for a complete list of all events and challenges. Here are a just a few of our exciting Challenges!

Gimme and Freebs chats will now be combined!!!

We know time is tight in life, so we have created what we hope will be a great time saver for you!

They will take place at Gimme's regular time of 9 PM on Thursdays.

These will still be 2 separate challenges in the forums, but for chat, they will be combined! For 1/2 hour we will talk Gimme and for the other half we'll talk Freebs! We will still be asking for your suggestions for Lauren's kits and my Tina's art sets just as we do now - it will be just double the fun in half the time- who couldn't love that?

So, you will get 2 chats, 2 challenges, and 2 freebies all in 1 convenient hour! We hope you are as excited about this change as we are!

Find out all about Gimme More Chats!

Find out all about Freebs Chats!

We hope to see you Thursdays at 9 PM!

~Tina & Lauren

Jamie's Chats and Challenges - Join Jamie every Monday night at 10PM EST for alternating chats and challenges! Creating from Color is a fun challenge where you get to suggest a kit theme, then give your suggestions to help build the kit. Once the kit is completed, posting bonuses are awarded to anyone posting a layout with the kit. Inspiration Quick Crops will provide you with some type of tool or inspiration and you'll have one hour to post a layout. Posting bonuses are awarded.  Check out Jamie's chat forum for further details on challenges.

The All for One with Linda Challenge is a weekly challenge/chat hosted by designer Linda Rechtin on Wednesdays, 9:00pm ET. Every week Linda gives out a chat freebie, and assigns a featured kit for the week. In the chat there's loads of fun with talk of everything from upcoming kits and scrapbooking, to chocolate! Members have one week from the date of the chat, midnight, to purchase and create a layout using the featured kit and then post it in the All for One with Linda Gallery. After that, she sends a PM with a posting bonus to all participants! This way, members end up with all three items - All for One price! Be sure to check out the All for One with Linda forum for the latest featured kit and freebie previews, along with some great inspirations in her gallery.

DET Bootcamp
Join in to stretch your scrapping skills in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. (Come join even if you don't plan to enter the DET contest - the Bootcamp is open to all!)

Our Heritage Chat with Meryl at 10.00p.m. every Wednesday, join us to work on your Heritage album – each week we have a new challenge and award a page kit voucher as a prize.

Tea for Two & Two for Tea with Meryl at 11.00 a.m every Thursday – each week we tackle a different scrapbooking technique, and your prize is a sneak preview of Meryl’s latest products.

Super Bonus Bingo- every other Friday night with René Bross. Every one who attends will get a bonus freebie and if you get a Bingo, you'll win René's latest page kit!

Beginnings with Bethy
The Beginnings with Bethy challenges, hosted by DSP Designer Beth Nixon, will be featuring Read All About It for the first challenge of September. The challenge will be to create a layout telling us all about something! You can use either the kit or the add-on and there will be a second add-on as a posting bonus!! Come check out the forum for all the details!

And be sure to check the Beginnings forum for our weekly Creative Cardio challenges!! They are designed to get your creativity kicked into high gear!

Props and Prompts
Props and Prompts, hosted by DSP Designers Beth Nixon and Elizabeth Weaver, will be featuring a fun and inspiring challenge for September. They will be repeating a highly popular challenge, Hip Heritage!

Yes, Hip Heritage! The challenge will be take your heritage photographs and give them a fresh, modern spin. You'll be surprised on how much a fresh, colorful kit will bring your heritage layouts to life! Two kits will be featured, Melon Daze and That A Way, with both a chat and posting bonus. Come to the chat on September 4th for all the details and check out the forum for all the information!  See the details in the forum.

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Newsletter Challenge!

We are striving 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. If we incorporate your idea into the newsletter, you could win a free page kit! 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!

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Item Of The Week (IOTW)

Each week a new item goes on sale for only 99 cents. Check out the IOTW challenge starting each Sunday. Buy the kit, use it to make a layout, post it to the IOTW gallery and the designer will have different prizes for you! It could be a posting bonus, a random drawing, chances at a free fonting, you never know! Check it out this week! The Item of the Week for September 9th is Golden Allure by Valeri Brumfield.

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What's New in the DSP Store?

Scraps of Life - School Days Scraps of Life - School Days (downloadable)	Scraps of Words - Back to School Scraps of Words - Back to School (downloadable)
Jacquard Keepsakes 25% Off These products are jacquard woven, never printed, 100% cotton, machine washable and will not fade! Blankets, wall hangings, pillows and tote bags.

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The Newsletter Desktop Calendar Plopper

A newsletter exclusive! Specially designed ploppers for your computer desktop. This month's offering is by Irene V. Alexeeva, using her Midnight Serenade page kit.

Download the plopper:
Both 1024x768 & 800x600 are included.

And just like any of our ploppers, put your photos on a layer underneath the desktop plopper. 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!

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