If you’ve been to the NettioDesigns website since the 1st Anniversary revamp was revealed last week, you may have noticed that in addition to a shiny new graphic up at the top of the site, there’s also brand new tagline to go along with it: NettioDesigns – Embrace Your Scrapbooking Awesomeness.

Since this new tagline is a big clue into where we’re headed in year two, I wanted to share some insight into what this whole idea of embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness is all about.

One of my goals since opening NettioDesigns has been to find an easy way to break down my personal scrapbooking process in a way that would be applicable to any scrapbooker. For me, it’s not just about sharing my tips & tricks for drop shadowing or how I mix and match papers, but it’s also about sharing how I approach scrapbooking from a big picture perspective.

Which is is where embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness comes in.

What it boils down to is this:

Embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness is all about finding your own style, telling your own story and learning to use all the tools in your scrapbooking arsenal in a creative way so you can embrace what makes YOU an awesome, unique scrapbooker.

 
These three things are at the heart of every scrapbook layout I do.

1) Find Your Style

Finding your style is all about learning the basics of design, embracing what you LOVE, and challenging yourself so that you can ultimately find a style that is 100% you. It’s about pushing yourself to step outside the box of what everyone is doing and create layouts that are so uniquely you that they make you want to jump up and do a that’s-so-me! happy dance each and every time you create a page.

2) Tell Your Story

I’m a firm believer that the number one most important story you can tell is your own. Your thoughts, your feelings, your words, your perspective.

I know, I know. The thought of scrapbooking yourself kind of terrifies you. And the thought of having to actually be in front of the camera scares you even more. But here’s the thing. Your spouse, your children, your family will all have their own memories of their lives: the birthdays, the Christmas, the trips to the park – but only  you can share your own unique story.

And you know what? Your story is pretty dang amazing because your thoughts, your likes, your dislikes: they’re what makes you, YOU. And that is definitely a story worth scrapbooking.

3) Learn to Love Your Tools

As digital scrapbookers we are blessed to have an arsenal of digital tools at our disposal: digital photography, Photoshop, and of course, templates.

But when trying to combine design+story+technology all together, it can sometimes get a bit overwhelming!

Which is why step 3 of embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness is all about learning how use the tools in your scrapbooking bag of tricks in an effective, yet creative way that not only enhances your personal style but allows it to take center stage.

Embrace Your Scrapbooking Awesomeness

Ultimately what embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness boils down to is this: your life isn’t cookie-cutter – and your scrapbooking shouldn’t be either! We each have our own stories, our own perspectives, our own views of the world and your scrapbooking should represent that.

When someone looks at my scrapbooks, I want them to feel like they’re getting a slice of ME on a page. Not just in the stories I tell or the photos I take, but in the design, look and feel as well. I want there to be no doubt that my scrapbooks are 100% me which is what embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness is all about.

So with one year under my belt here at NettioDesigns, this is going to be the focus for year number two. Showing you how to find your own unique style, tell your story in new and interesting ways and learn to creatively take advantage of all the tools in your scrapbooking arsenal so you can take your scrapbooking layouts to the next level.

I am beyond excited to get started so I hope you’re ready to step outside your box and come along on this adventure with me!

And to get things started, how about a chance to win a prize or two for showing off YOUR scrapbooking awesomeness…

Introducing the Show Off Your Awesomeness Contest

Here’s your chance to start embracing your scrapbooking awesomeness and show us what you’ve got by using any NettioDesigns template in a new, creative, awesome way. Shrink it, scale it, flip it, combine it – it’s totally up to you. What matters most is that you push yourself to step outside your box and create a layout that is awesomely YOU.

Here are the rules:

1. Choose any NettioDesigns template currently available in the NettioDesigns Shoppe (this includes the free Oh the Places We Go map template found here) and create a NEW layout showing off that template in a fun, creative way that is 100% YOU.
2. You may enter as many times as you like but you must use a different template for each entry.
3. Post your layout in any online gallery and then link us up to that layout in the comments section of this post. You have until Sunday, 2/26, 11:59PM ET to enter.
4. The NettioDesigns Team Awesome and I will select our favorite, most creative entries and the winners will be announced next Wednesday, 2/29 as part of the final day of the NettioDesigns 1st Anniversary Celebration.

I can’t wait to see what you create so don’t be shy! You never know which layouts might catch our eye!

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