Well since you mentioned little ol' me
, here would be my two bits of advice for you...
1) Focus on giving your pages that WOW factor. For me this means not only understanding the basics of good design, high quality photos and shadowing, but also understanding & embracing what makes you an awesome, unique scrapbooker and showcasing that in your layouts. Ultimately when you're on a CT, your goal is to get people to notice your layout in a crowded gallery, so ask yourself, what are you doing to make your layouts stand out from the crowd? And if you're not sure, then take some time browsing the gallery to find layouts that catch your eye. What about those layouts do you love? Then try incorporating those elements (whether it's photos, shadowing, etc) in your own way in your layouts.
2) Interact & get to know the designers. One of the awesome things about this hobby is with a small amount of effort, you can connect with pretty much anyone. So if you really love a designer, take the time to show it! Send/link them to your layouts with their products, interact on their FB page, leave comments on their blog. Don't be spammy about it but if you really love what they're doing, that will shine through. I know I gave extra attention to those ladies who regularly commented on my blog because they showed they loved and supported what I was doing even without being members of my CT.
Anyway, hope that helps a little! Hang in there, we've all received those no emails before so I know how tough it can be!
