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 it out Tuesday at DigitalScrapbooking.com.

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!