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The Groove Newsletter – August 2006

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The Groove

Digital Scrapbooking Inspiration – August 2006

In The Groove
They say that a change is as good as a rest. We, your groovy editors, can’t think of a better change than a well-deserved vacation! Of course, holidays have a special place in the hearts of digital scrappers because: vacations = memories = photos= scrapping. We hope you’ll share your favorite holiday layout with all our readers by entering our “On Vacation” page layout contest! (See below for details). Whether you choose to sun yourself on a beach in the south of France, or happily cram yourself into a tent – kids and all – at the local campground, enjoy!
Musings on Vacations
Quick! Pack your bathing suit, flip flops, camera, and sunscreen – it’s time for vacation! For me, vacations come in two varieties. First, I think of road trips filled with car games, maps, and camping gear. These trips always begin with a packing frenzy. Clothes, beach wear, sandals, hats, sunscreen, tents, pillows, coolers, snacks, and excitement – all crammed into a car or camper. Once you arrive, you settle in for relaxing strolls, adventurous bike rides, and evening campfire gatherings. The menu includes hotdogs, roasted marshmallows, and your favorite chips.

Vacations can also mean 8-hour plane rides to fun and exotic destinations! Disney World, France, Italy, Australia, Asia – wherever your dream spot may be… just don’t forget your passport, camera, map, and dictionary. I revel in the tourist role; the hustle and bustle of sightseeing, snapping pictures, gathering memorabilia, and planning the next day’s activities. Don’t you love to collect pamphlets, flags, postcards, and stamps? And of course, trying new restaurants and foods is all part of the package. Then, you return home with souvenirs, great stories, and a thousand pictures!

Digital Scrapbooking Tips

GROOVY TIP#1 : In Scrapbook MAX!, you can quickly change the properties of an object by double-clicking on it.
GROOVY TIP #2: Move objects around your page using your keyboard. Select the object and press one of the cursor keys to “nudge” the object in that direction one pixel at a time.

Scrapper Profile
You might be wondering about the design team that creates the templates included with Scrapbook MAX!. Well, wonder no more! We had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Karin, a truly groovy part of the design team.

Marnie- Karin, what are your hobbies (other than digital scrapbooking of course)?

Karin- Reading, attempting to knit things, and playing with my dog.

M- If you were to create a scrapbook that included the most important people in your life, who would be on those pages?
K- My family, friends and pet – is that cheating? Of course there’s also my large, close, extended family…thank goodness Scrapbook MAX! is so expandable that I can fit everyone in!

M- Where do you find your inspirations?
K- My favorite layouts have been inspired by patterns and funky color combinations that scream “the 70s”. Coffee mugs, placemats, and retro clothing are a great source for scrapbook ideas!

M- Tell us about the three pages from the Scrapbook MAX! templates that you are most proud of and why.
K- Page 1 of Baby Boy – I love the soft colors that are perfect for baby, and the little blue footprints!

Page 1 of Imagination – I think bright, primary colors are so fun for kids. And who doesn’t like dinosaurs?
Page 3 of Olden Days – My grandma’s old photo albums, the ones with the black pages and faded, sepia-toned photographs, inspired this album.

M- In one sentence, tell us what you think is the best feature of Scrapbook MAX!.
K- Point, click, scrap – perfect!

M- Finally, tell us about the scrapbook project(s) you are currently working on.
K- A dinosaur-themed scrapbook for my hilarious godson, and a “travel diary” of a recent trip to Victoria, B.C. with my husband.

Creative Genius
Digi scrappers are famous for “thinking outside the page”. Every month, we feature examples of imaginative uses of digital scrapbooking. Read on and get inspired!

“I use Scrapbook MAX to communicate my son’s milestones to Grandma and Grandpa who live far away. Just last month, my son started walking. I made a three-page scrapbook filled with footprints and ‘hoorays’. After receiving the “My First Steps” album through email, my mom called to say that she didn’t feel so far away!”

– submitted by a groovy Scrapbook MAX! user

Contest: “On Vacation”

Vacations are often the highlight of the entire year. They’re fun, exciting, and rejuvenating! The Groove wants to see your favorite vacation page for this month’s “On Vacation” contest, no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve seen! The winning layout will be published in the next issue of The Groove and the winner will receive an official Scrapbook MAX! mousepad!

To enter, publish your layout as a JPEG image using the ‘High Quality’ and ‘Medium size’ options, and upload it to the contest page in the Scrapbook MAX! gallery. All entries will be available for viewing. Contest closes August 24, 2006, Midnight (CST). Good luck! **Note: You must be a registered member of the Scrapbook MAX! forums to enter this contest. To register for free, click here.

July 2006 “Summer Fun” Contest Winner

Click here for a larger view

Congratulations to our “Summer Fun” contest winner: Julie C. from Nashville, Tennessee! We loved Julie’s summery colors, cool pattern combinations, and her fantastic use of layering. Thanks, Julie, for your fun and inspiring layout!
And thanks to everyone for your fabulous entries. Picking one winner was a challenge! We’re looking forward to seeing what you all come up with for next month’s contest (see above for details).
Inspirations

Behind the Scenes. Do you tend to snap a lot of “scenery” pictures – rolling hills, interesting trees, beautiful sunsets? Use one of these pictures to make an attractive page background. Just enlarge the picture to fit the page. Then, right-click and choose Effects > Blur or > Gauze. If you’d like, you can adjust the opacity bar to make the image more transparent. Then lock the picture to your page. It’s that easy!

Click these links to see larger “Hawaii” and “Sunsets” images.

Embellishment Rainbow. Found the perfect embellishment, but it doesn’t match your page’s color scheme? Simply use the Advanced Effects to alter the color. Right-click on the object, choose Effects > Advanced, and click on “Adjust Color”. Then slide the bars to adjust hue, saturation, and lightness until you get the right look!

Click these links to see larger “Dog Bone” and “Dog Bone With Color Adjusted” images.

The Groove Wants YOU!

Have a Lois Lane complex? Put it to use by contributing to The Groove! We’re always looking for fresh ideas to make The Groove fun and exciting – just like our readers! Tips, musings, inspirations, ingenious scrapbook ideas – if you’ve got ‘em, we’d love to read ‘em! Email The Groove your bright ideas today! Contact us at [email protected]
Next month:

The Groove celebrates Back to School. Plus – look for August’s “On Vacation” contest winner!