Feature Article- A Digital Scrapbook Tribute

Every Life Tells a Story

by Julie L.

Some life stories have been lived on a scale that we might not be aware of or expect! Below, read the story of Julie L.'s neighbor Jean, who's life of adventure, courage, and heroism was vividly shared in the form of recollections and photos. Julie has crafted a gorgeous digital scrapbook tribute for her friend; she shares some of her layouts from her "Vintage" album with you below. Enjoy the story of Jean's fascinating life!


You can know people for years or just a short while without really knowing them at all. It was just luck that we visited Jean and Alice the day they were going through old photos and memorabilia. It was then that we learned in bits and pieces about Jean’s experiences as a secret agent during WWII. He was only nineteen (and a freshman at Harvard) when he was drafted and immediately chosen to go undercover because he was fluent in French, English, and German. From what Jean has told us, he was given virtually no information when asked if he would be willing to serve in the British SOE. He simply said yes because he was young and adventurous and it sounded exciting.

After only three days of paratrooper training, Jean parachuted into France behind enemy lines. It was the day after D-Day. One of his teammates was Violette Szabo, who was captured and killed, and who has been the subject of books and a movie. He liked her very much, and the whole team was devastated by her capture.

Jean's team was in France to help train, organize, supply and arm the French Resistance groups which were called Maquis. Jean was the radio operator and responsible for transmitting coded messages to London (the SOE office was at the now-famous 64 Baker Street) and decoding the messages that came in from other stations. His position was so dangerous that his life expectancy was no more than six weeks. The group sabotaged railroads and attacked convoys and did everything they could to help the Allies. Jean has said that he was kept from the most dangerous activities because of his position as the only one who knew all the codes and who could keep in contact with Baker Street.

Because Jean was young and eager, he was finally allowed to participate more and more in the sabotage activities, but for the most part he needed to coordinate the supply drops and transcribe and send messages. He was very nearly captured one day but, fortunately, he heard the German trucks in time. He grabbed his radio, codes, and false identity papers and dove out the back window. While hiding in the woods he could hear the Germans exclaiming with delight that they had found his fresh chunk of chocolate! He said that he regretted not grabbing that precious chocolate as he ran for the back window!

After the liberation of Limoges and receiving the Croix de Guerre, the Silver Star and other medals, Jean was sent to China to prepare the Chinese army to repel the Japanese. Jean survived the war. He returned to the United States and to Harvard. He graduated and eventually met his Alice and married. He continued to serve by working for the CIA. They are our friends and our neighbors and we are so glad to know them, and we feel honored to have shared in these memories. Jean will deny it, but we think he is a true hero.

Elements are from various designers - Julie would like to thank them for sharing! To see more of Julie's WWII Scrapbook Layouts, view her "Vintage" Album in the Scrapbook MAX! Layout Gallery.

The Groove Newsletter- April 2007

The Groove

Digital Scrapbooking Inspiration - April 2007

Lovely "Happy Easter" layout by Rosana B., Brazil

In the Groove

Ahhhhh…spring! Isn’t it simply marvelous? The grass is showing again, children are playing outside, the rains are cleaning away the snow and grime from winter, you even feel like doing some spring cleaning. Well, maybe not always! But it’s a great time to go through those digital photos you’ve been meaning to do something with, and “spring clean” your hard drive by scrapping! While you’re at it, why not make a layout that celebrates the freshness, life and hope of the spring season by entering our “Spring into Spring” layout contest – see details below. Happy Scrapping and Happy Spring!

CLICK HERE FOR THE GROOVE'S MONTHLY FREEBIES!

Musings

Feel the rain fall softly on your face. Stop and smell a budding flower. Enjoy pastels, greenery, and blossoming colors. Discover the worms, ladybugs, and other earthy creatures that crawl innocently around the garden. It’s springtime!

There’s something magical in the air at this time of year. It’s a time of birth, growth, renewal, change, hope, and fresh starts. There’s a sense of dusting off the hibernation blues, and taking a deep breath of outside refreshment. Nature sure has a way of encouraging us to appreciate the ‘little’ things in life.

I have this vivid memory of the beginning of a certain spring in my childhood. I begged to play outside until my mother gave in. The outdoors was beckoning me. I wanted to feel that fresh breeze on my skin, smell the aroma of new plant life, and explore the grass, buds, and puddles. I remember putting on pink rubber boots decorated with strawberries. Being outside without a heavy coat - I felt so free! I enjoyed the sound of birds and rustling trees as only children waking from winter “hibernation” can. When I sat on the edge of my soggy and neglected sandbox, I had a thought that surprised me. At such a young age, I actually said to myself, “this is the season of hope.” And I was right.

Digital Scrapbooking Tips

Groovy Tip #1: To keep journal text and a paper scrap together: Hold Ctrl, click on the text, then on the paper scrap. Choose Edit > Group.

Groovy Tip #2: For a 3D effect, add a shadow to all of your objects. Simply select Shadow in the object’s Properties menu.

Scrapper Profile

Meet Nicole N.– a fabulous scrapper, and a talented designer featured in the Scrapbook MAX! Booster Pack Store. She also has a great sense of humor (check out her joke at the end of the profile, tee-hee!)

Q-Tell us one thing about yourself that others are often surprised to learn.

A- I'm claustrophobic. My husband bought a camper, only to find out that I would not sleep on the top bunk with him. He had to sleep up there with Shelby while I slept on the couch!

Q- What made you interested in digital scrapbooking?

A- I started out like most people do-with the freebies available on the internet. I liked the idea of being able to make beautiful layouts without all the clutter in my already full scrapbooking cabinet.

Q- Tell us about your favorite feature of Scrapbook MAX!.

A-I love being able to change the colors of the elements. You can get so many different looks from one embellishment. With this feature you can also use embellishments from several different kits & just change the colors so that they all match. (Hint: Right-click on your object, and choose Effects > Advanced to get to the Adjust Color option!)

Q- What tip would you share with a newbie to Scrapbook MAX!?

A- Play around with it ALOT! There are so many great features in the program that it takes a little while to see them all.

Q- How would you describe your scrapbooking style?

A – “Simple.” I love the look of the really fancy layouts, but I always find myself going back to the simple styles.

Q- Heard any good (clean) jokes lately? Please share!

A- Imagine this: Famous Olympic skier Picabo Street (pronounced Peek-A-Boo) is working at the Intensive Care Unit of a large metropolitan hospital. She is not
permitted to answer the hospital telephones. It causes too much confusion when she answers the phone and says, "Picabo, ICU".


Check out some of Nicole's favorite layouts:

Gingerbread House, Adorable Shelby, My Little Pirate, Me and My Dad

Creative Genius

With Scrapbook MAX!, you can make large pages with superb image quality. So, we’re thinking “posters”! Advertise for an upcoming event in your community by making a colorful, eye-catching poster page. For maximum impact, choose a large page size for your layout, like 12 x 12 (go to Page > Settings, and click on “Size” to make your choice.)

Don’t have a big enough printer? Many print shops and photo labs offer a printing service for oversized pages. And don’t forget about the professional printing service available through Scrapbook MAX!. Just click on File > Order Prints Online in the menu, and have gorgeous prints shipped right to your mailbox!

Layout Contest: "Spring into Spring"

Maybe you’re outside gardening. Maybe the kids are playing in the puddles. Maybe your little girl is showing off her new spring dress. Submit a spring themed layout to the “Spring into Spring” layout contest, and celebrate the season! Three winning layouts will be published in the next issue of The Groove: 1st prize is a $20 gift certificate to the Scrapbook MAX! Booster Pack Store! 2 runners up will each receive an official Scrapbook MAX! mousepad.

To enter, publish your layout as a JPEG image using the 'High Quality' and 'Web/Email' options, and upload it to the contest page in the Scrapbook MAX! gallery. All entries will be available for viewing. Contest closes Thursday, April 26, 2007, Midnight (CST). ** Note: You must be a registered member of the Scrapbook MAX! forums to enter this contest. To register for free, click here.

"Goin' Retro" Contest Winners!

Today’s Hollywood starlets should take their cue from “skiptothesue’s” gran! And “sue” sure shows us how to “glam up” those fantastic retro/vintage photos! (Love that va-va-voom “feather” border!) Our runners-up brought us right back to the days of flower power with their dazzling colors and retro patterns. Far out! Congrats to all participants on a groovy job well done!

1st Place Winner!

"Cor Blimey Grandma!" by skiptothesue

Runners-Up!

“My Groovy Girl” by Sue P., Peoria, Illinois and “Retro Wonders” by Fiona S., Havant, UK



Inspirations

Wow ‘em with Overlays! An overlay lies on top of your layout in a complementary way - it might give you a grungy texture, or an interesting semi-transparent design. No matter what, it gives your LO an extra punch of character! Scrapbook MAX! comes with a number of overlays – find them in the various embellishment kits.

“Birthday Page” without Overlay and “Birthday Page” with a “grungy”Overlay

Bring your page to life – literally! By scattering ladybugs, ants, or other little critters across your LO, you might actually believe they are crawling all over the page!

“Summer Picnic” By Deanne G., Estee B. and Lori K. and “Ladybug”Layout By Wendy S. Rome, Italy

Next Month in The Groove

The Groove celebrates Mother’s Day! Plus - look for April’s “Spring into Spring” contest winners!

Have an idea for The Groove? Contact us at newsletter@scrapbookmax.com

Coming Soon...

(Stay tuned for more details!)