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January 2004 Newsletter



Welcome!


Cover Design by Jenna Robertson

Have you ordered your January 2004 Tid-Bytes issue? It is JAM PACKED full of goodies! You can view details and order here. This issue has already been delivered to hundreds and we have been receiving wonderful feedback!

Included are various kits and a special insert this month - CALENDARS! We have included the first month of this collection for download via our newsletter as well. The elements, kits and page-bytes this month will leave you waiting for more!

SCRAPBOOK GRAPHICS ANNOUNCMENT!
Maya at www.scrapbookgraphics.com has requested that we announce the winners have been drawn for the shopping spree contest at her website. Please take a moment to visit the site to view who the winners are! Congratulations to all of you! And if you haven't visited it already, be sure to check out the new download shoppe!!!!

CONTEST!!!!
Scrapbook-bytes.com will be celebrating our 1-year anniversary on January 25th. Wow! What an amazing year it has been. We are in awe at the growth our site has seen this first year. We wanted to say “Thank You” to everyone for your devotion and membership. Scrapbook-bytes would not be what it is without our wonderful members.

So, in celebration of our 1-year anniversary we are having a contest. We would like to see a layout on the topic of “What Scrapbook-bytes Means to Me.” (see guidelines below) Design Team Members will vote on the winner and it will be announced on January 25, 2004.

Guidelines
• One entry per person
• Layouts can be 1 or 2 pages in whatever size and style you are comfortable with
• All elements and fonts must be credited
• Please provide a 72dpi 6” tall .jpg of your layout
• All submissions must be received by December 31, 2003 to why.sbb@scrapbook-bytes.com.
• Winners will be announced on January 25th on the home page.
• There will be one (1) grand-prize winner who will receive a year subscription to Tid-Bytes, a copy of the SBB CD (winter or upcoming spring CD), their handwriting made into a font, and a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) from a DTM.
• There will be three (3) honorable mentions who will receive a free month of Tid-Bytes and a free SBB CD.
• Do not publish this layout anywhere until after the winners are announced on January 25, 2004.

Magazine Calls!
Ever wonder how in the world you can keep up with what sites are requesting what themes and layout calls? Fret no more! You can find all of this information in the Scrapbook-Bytes Forums on this page only! Updated on a regular basis! Don't miss your chance to be published! Don't miss that irresistible calling again!

Featured Download

 

With the New Year here! The team at Scrapbook-Bytes has designed a year of calendars for you members! Many of the calendars contain goals posted for the month. Have fun. The entire set can be downloaded through the EZine - which can be ordered at our online store.

January has been included as a free download here! ENJOY!

 

 

 

Stitch & Bitch
by Maya

Hand stitching is a nice effect frequently used in layouts. Adding the look of stitched fonts to your design may just the thing you need to complete the look. Stitch and Bitch is the perfect solution. Just add a little dimension with a bit of beveling and/or drop shadows and your titles will look as if they were stitched right on. Stitch and Bitch is a free font and can be downloaded here: http://www.acidfonts.com/sfonts14.htm

HOT BYTES
What’s HOT in computer scrapping!
By and © April Anderton

Trends come and go so quickly it’s hard to keep up. Here are just a few things that have been popping up on paper and computer generated layouts alike.

Altered CDs
One man’s trash is a scrapper’s treasure. Someone had the bright idea to use those thousands of junk CDs you get in the mail as a foundation for scrapbooking. Some people are using them as Christmas ornaments, some as cards and others on scrapbooking layouts. Because I am a 100% cg scrapper I didn’t think this trend appealed to me until… I realized it could easily be duplicated! How hard is it to scrap within a circle? To my surprise, I liked the look and it gave me a new ‘element’ to play with!

Layout and CD by and © April Anderton

Ribbon Charms and Buckles
Ribbons add a lot to a layout whether it is a splash of color or a sheer whisper. Lately there have been more and more products made for ribbon embellishments on paper layouts. Metal buckles and charms in all sizes and shapes! These can be duplicated on digital layouts as well. Just look at the layouts below and you’ll see how versatile ribbon charms can be.


Layout 1 by and © ShelleyRae Cusbert
Layout 2 by and © April Anderton

Textures and Textiles
A couple of our design team members are very adept at introducing new textures and textiles into their layouts. Sherikia and Kristie have been HOT with awesome textures lately! Check out their galleries and the following layouts to inspire you in your search for the perfect texture!


Layout 1 by and © Sherikia
Layout 2 by and © Kristie Wickland


WHAT’S NOT:

NOT SCRAPPING is NOT HOT!! GET BUSY!

Remember that even elements that are HOT right now can quickly become cliché if overused, so keep your own personal style shining bright while applying these and other techniques.

Of course, the real judge of what’s hot in scrapping is what’s happening on YOUR layouts, so get to it!

Byte-Ideas
HOSTED by Gina Cabrera

Note: the February 2004 Sketch can be found here... submit entries to "ginacabrera@scrapbook-bytes.com"


January's sketch
by Kristie Wickland

Each month, the Design Team puts out a sketch and the members at Scrapbook-Bytes create an original, creative layout following the design of that sketch.  At the end of the month, the Design Team votes for three winners to be featured here!  This month's sketch belongs to Design Team Member Kristie Wickland.

The competition was steep and votes were extremely close!  All the participants did a fantastic job and we'd like to give all of you a huge pat on the back!!!  Thank you to all who submitted a layout!

The winner will receive a voucher to use at our new online store worth the price of an EZine! Congratulations!

 


Title: Santa's Helper
Name: Chelsea Clement
SBB screen name: Chelsea Clement
Program: DIP 7
Font: Title (CK Summer) Journaling (Bickley Script)

Tech and Credit: As soon as I got these photos I had to scrap them. The December Ezine came in the same day so I knew this sketch was perfect. The present, fiber, and diamond tacks are from the SBB winter 2003 CD. The blue paper was made using a filter called cave and the gray paper was given texture by going to filters texturizer and advanced options. The torn edge was created myself using the transparency brush.

 

Title of Layout: The First Snow of Winter
Your Name: Alisa Jackson
SBB Screen Name: alisatj
Program Used: PhotoShop 7
Fonts Used: Lainie Day and Echelon

Techniques and Credits:
We had our first snowfall the same weekend I got a new digital camera. So I was playing with it, taking picture of the snow.

I'm not usually one for using a lot of elements, so this was a new challenge for me.

For the torn paper, I used a photo of the snow and applied an Eye Candy 4000 jiggle filter to it. It created the glassy look as well as creating the torn edge. There's a second sheet underneath that where the same filter was used on a solid blue paper.

The journaling says:
We got our first snow this year on December 5th. And it was quite a downfall for the first snowfall -- we got more than 6 inches.

I downloaded some snowflake brushes from http://share.studio.adobe.com/ that I used on the background paper. I lowered the opacity on that level and applied a beveling and embossing to the snowflakes.

The metal snowflakes are downloaded from Cottage Arts.

The metal eyelets are from SBB-Angie Lanigan.

And I created the fibers.

 

Title of Layout: Christmas Angel
Your Name: Roseanne Miske
SBB Screen Name: ramiske
Program Used: Photoshop CS (8)

Fonts Used: Beautiful ES Caps (from the December Newsletter)

Techniques and Credits: Papers frame and charm are downloaded from Scrapbook Graphics (Velvet Christmas Scrapset).

Third Byte’s a Charm
Hosted by Margie Lundy

Because sometimes it’s better to receive than to give!

Would you like to be charmed? Then send us your photos and if they’re chosen, three of our design team members will scrap them for you! See the official rules below. Have you wondered what someone else would do with your photos? Ever had the perfect photo, but no idea to go along with it? Are you curious about how many options there are for scrapping your favorite memory? How about having gifts for your three aunts in the photos? Whatever your reason, we hope you’ll enjoy Third Byte’s a Charm.

This month’s charmed scrapper is Tanya McIlravy! Tanya’s photos are of her adorable daughters, Amanda and Anna Belle. She took these photos along with her on a long trip away from her girls. Scrapbook-Bytes Design Team Members Jenna, Laura, and Sherikia scrapped Tanya’s photos with their own individual styles.


by Jenna Robertson
Created in Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8
Fonts: Starbabe Hmk Bold, Dominican by H. Lohner
Mulberry Paper by Suzanne Sheldon
Gem downloaded from Internet (unknown)

Download Jenna's extra elements from the layout above - aren't they gorgeous???



by Laura Vanderbeek
Created in Adobe Photoshop 7
Fonts: Century Gothic and LainieDaySH
There is a bit of a guassian blur over each photo. Laura turned the photos sepia and cropped them on top of a color layer, then using a layers mask brought through a little bit of color in their outfits, cheeks, lips, and eyes. Their eyes at 100%. Cheeks and lips at 15%. Outfits at 25%.



by Sherikia Jones
Created in Microsoft Digital Image Pro 7
Fonts: Pink crumpled paper by Denise
Font: Friends and Juice ITC
Ribbon: scanned
Design Dividers are PSP tubes

Thanks to Tanya for sharing these precious photos! She’ll be receiving the high-resolution print quality files as well. We’d love to hear your feedback on this section at photos@scrapbook-bytes.com. And if you’d like to submit your photos, we’d love to see them. Just read the rules below and good luck!

Official Rules:
Send us 1-3 photos of the same subject at 72 dpi and under 100k. If yours are chosen, you will be asked to send higher quality files later. Include your name, email, and a brief description of the photos. Email your entries by December 15th, to photos@scrapbook-bytes.com. Sorry, but entries that do not meet these requirements cannot be considered. Please, only one entry per person. Photos will be chosen based on quality, content, and meaning. If your photos are not chosen, you may resubmit them the following month if you wish or submit different ones.

Good luck to all! And we hope you enjoy Third Byte’s a Charm! We think all three bytes will be charms!

 

Featured Software - Review and Samples
A Review of the Digital Dimensions CD
By Amy Edwards

I load the CD. A gentle hum begins in my hard drive and viola… seconds later – I am presented with this wonder introductory page from April Anderton’s new Digital Scrapbooking Collection, “Digital Dimensions” .April’s CD contains both a visual and a route to download files directly from the folders, if you use the CD on a regular basis and know what you need immediately upon loading.

When visiting the visual index – I am immediately presented with a list of thumbnail images that display what is in each themed area of the CD. Instantly being the paper junkie I am when I paper scrap anyhow I’m naturally drawn to papers… same holds true for digital scrapbooking as well… LOVE PAPERS.

Note: A more detailed review is available in the January 2004 issue of Tid-Bytes. Visit the gallery to view layouts created using this CD.

You can purchase the Digital Dimensions CD at: http://www.digitalscrapbooking.com for $29.95! What a great deal! Good luck with your new venture April!

Below are a view of some of the samples of the kits included in the Digital Dimensions CD. To view more preview images - visit this link.


© Margie Lundy
© Margie Lundy

© Kari Schoonover

© Jeri Ingalls


© Jenna Robertson
© Ronna Penner


Scrapbook Meditations
by Maya

As 2003 has come to a close, what have you accomplished? How have you grown in some way? How are you different than you were last year at this time? Where do you think you might be headed?

For me this year has been one of tremendous, almost cataclysmic change. I scrapped my first page in January of 2003, using layers in Photoshop for the first time. I feel like I walked through another doorway that lead me deeper into the depths of myself and now I have access to this inner library or hall of records where I am documenting my existence through scrapbooking. It seems that my soul has found a way to communicate in this art.

Other things have happened in my life, both exciting and terrifying, all depicting the breakdown of my former self. It has been bitter sweet in so many ways. Sometimes change can be very painful and there is no question that our family has had our share of suffering this year, yet the interesting thing I note is, that while this nightmare is going on in my life, simultaneously there are so many beautiful new things unfolding and many dreams coming true. Once again I am shown how birth in all of its facets or variations, even the birth of a new self, is both painful and beautiful at the same time. Understanding this helps me to have faith in natures process.

The word I ask you to contemplate for this mediation is CHANGE. Do you embrace it, or grasp and clutch and dig your nails in? Do you surrender to the process? Do you fear the unknown or are you liberated by it? Mediate on this for at least a few days before sitting down to create your layout. If you are accustomed to scrapping in a particular style, you might want to try something completely new for this one. Maybe you have never done a collage before? Maybe you have never scrapped a layout without photos? Maybe you have always used a certain size format. Try something different. I dare you.

 

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