Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Tutorial of the Week

We're at the second-to-last new feature for the blog; I hope everyone's enjoyed the new schedule so far! Every Wednesday, we're going to feature a tutorial, it could be something simple for all the new scrappers (i.e. how to use a template) or it could be something advanced (i.e. extractions, selective coloring).

I'll be honest, I really didn't know what to start with, so I've decided to start with an introduction to the Stuff to Scrap forum for anyone who's just found us. In the coming weeks I'll be pulling some of the great tutorials off the forum to post here but if there's something that you just haven't been able to figure out or if you have a great tutorial that you'd like to share, post a comment here or in the Tips, Techniques & Questions thread. I may just pick your idea to share with everyone! Let's get started.

First off, if you haven't registered at the Stuff to Scrap Forum, I highly encourage you to do so now as you do need to be logged in to view the form. Once you're logged in, you'll find that there are several sub-forums: Stuff to Scrap, Junior Scrapper, Stuff That's Happening, Bits & Pieces, Challenges to Get You Scrapping Stuff, Photography Stuff, & Chit-chat & Other Stuff.

In the first sub-forum, Stuff to Scrap, you'll find all Site Guidelines & FAQ which cover all the forum rules, guidelines, & any frequently asked questions. All the designers keep an updated copy of their Terms of Use in the section; it's also where the Help Desk is located where you can go to ask questions about problems you may be having with the forum. There's also a sub-forum called Introduce Yourself where you can let us know a little more about you!

Next comes the Junior Scrapper sub-forum, which is just for our younger forum members. Here you'll find some exclusive Junior Challenges (including speed scraps!) as well as a place to Just Chat with your fellow junior scrappers. But don't forget that the junior scrappers can also participate in the regular forum challenges!

In Stuff That's Happening, you'll find a lot of goodies to help you get started in digital scrapbooking. Here's where the designers post their new releases, sales & creative team calls (in Designer & Shop News); you'll even find a thread just for Freebies the designers & forum members are offering! In addition, there's a daily Enabler thread where you can see layouts by the designer's creative team members; the Layout of the Month thread is where you can nominate a layout to win a free kit from the STS store; & the Inspiration Station thread to let me know if there's a great layout that should be featured on the blog. Finally, if you've got a great idea to help improve any part of STS, the post your idea in the Improve STS thread. If one of the annual contests is in progress (This Scrappers Got Talent or Designer Darling) you'll find a sub-forum here to watch the contest unfold.

Bits & Pieces is where you'll find all the Tips, Techniques & Questions, if you're trying to figure out a certain technique or just need some general tips, take a walk through this thread. Need a particular type of kit but just can't find it? Post what you're looking for in the Where Is That? thread & someone should be able to point you in the right direction. But if there are no kits with the theme you are looking for, post your idea in the Make Me That thread & a designer may just take your idea & run with it.

Naturally, we have lots of challenges to participate in each month, you'll find them all in Challenges to Get You Scrapping Stuff. Every month a roundup thread is posted in Challenge Roundup for you to see all the challenges going on; you're welcome to reply to the thread to keep track of the points you've earned but it's not required. Remember that for every 500 points you earn, you'll receive a $5.00 gift card to the STS Store. Points roll over from month to moth & do not expire!

The next-to-last section is Photography Stuff where you'll find lots of great information on photography & cameras. There are a lot of great tips in the Photography Lessons, Tips & Tutorials thread, while in the Photography Chat thread, you can ask any type of questions & get honest opinions on the different cameras forum member use.

Finally, we have the Chit-chat & Other Stuff; this is a catch-all section where you can play some Forum Games or share a favorite recipe in Recipe Central. If you've got a random question that you think the forum members could help you with, post it in Chit-chat. Finally, you'll want to keep an eye on the Blog To Win & RAK thread, you never know when the chance to win a kit or earn a gift card may pop up!

Whew, long post but I think everything's covered! Please remember that while STS welcomes layouts, discussions about other scrapping web sites, your favorite designer, sales & freebies, no links to outside stores or non-STS designer blogs are allowed.

Next week, I'm going to give you some tips on the Gallery; there are a lot of different features in the Gallery that it really needs it's own post. So check back next Wednesday for the tutorial on our wonderful Gallery!

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