Holiday Faves 2015 is here!

POSTED ON November 28, 2015 IN Announcements, Holiday Faves

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Holiday Faves 2015 is here!

That’s right, my friend, Santa has come early this year.

If you’re new to Holiday Faves, Holiday Faves is my solution for creating an easy, stress-free holiday mini album.

No more worrying about capturing daily details or getting behind, the focus here is simply on capturing your top ten favorite things from the holiday season, using all the digital scrapbooking supplies you already know and love.

This year will be my fifth time doing the Holiday Faves and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about doing projects like this, it’s that they’re so much more fun when you do them with others! So when you purchase the Holiday Faves, in addition to a 6×8-inch set of mini album templates designed by me, you’ll also receive access to the Holiday Faves 2015 mini album class.

As part of the class, you’ll receive the Holiday Faves Planning Guide, weekly emails from me with words of encouragement and tips, and access to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions, share your work and get to know other Holiday Favers.

It’s everything you need to keep you on track all season long.

In honor of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, you can sign up for Holiday Faves for just $29. No coupon code needed, discount will show in cart. Registration ends Monday, November 30th. Class begins Tuesday, December 1st.

What’s New in Holiday Faves 2015

Earlier this week I received an email from a 2014 Holiday Faves student wanting to know more about what was new in in Holiday Faves 2015. So I thought today would be a good day to share a few more details, as well as share what I see as the true benefit of signing up for Holiday Faves (hint: it’s not the templates!)

When you sign up for Holiday Faves, you’ll receive an exclusive set of 6×8-inch mini album templates designed by me. The core of the album is made up of the Foundation & Accent pages which this year includes 20 new designs plus 5 bonus designs from last year that I just couldn’t wait to use again. This year’s templates actually include designs than any other year because I just loved so many of them!

When it comes to designing, I’m a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel just for the sake of reinventing the wheel. Which is why for 2015 I chose to use the same half text/half photo journaling page design I loved from last year, with a few new details – new corners, borders and numbers – to keep things fresh. I know that even with the same basic design, by adding new photos, stories and digital products to the templates, the end result will be totally different from last year.

The Photo Collage templates are what I like to think of as the workhorse of the album – they’re there to make it quick and easy to add photos to your album. This year I’ve included two additional designs to give you even more options.

Finally you’ll also receive the Holiday Faves Planning Guide which includes the same 7-page printable PDF as last year but with a whole new set of mini page templates for planning your album.

To create your album, add your favorite digital scrapbooking products to the templates, then mix & match pages to creat your own custom Holiday Faves mini album. It couldn’t be any easier.

Here’s Why You Should Sign Up for Holiday Faves 2015

At the end of the day, could you take the templates from 2014 and create your own Holiday Faves album for this year? Absolutely!

But let’s face it, how many times have you told yourself you’ll complete a project on your own only to not actually do it?

This is why the true benefit of the Holiday Faves Mini Album class isn’t the templates at all.

It’s the accountability and camaraderie that comes from working with a group.

Not only are you more likely to complete a project when you tackle it with others but by putting skin into the game by signing up for a class, you’re that much more likely to actually finish what you start. The templates are simply a tool to make it happen.

This is why I no longer offer the Holiday Faves templates for sale on their own. Because the last thing I want to do is add to your pile of unfinished projects. I want to you to get to the end of December with a finished album you can cherish for years to come. If you join me in Holiday Faves, I promise we will make that happen, together.

The Holiday Faves 2015 Mini Album class will run from Tuesday, December 1st to Tuesday, December 29th. Register for $29 through Monday, November 30th.

Can you do it alone? Sure. But I promise you, it’s a whole lot more fun with friends.

Introducing Creative Kickstart | Just Start

POSTED ON September 17, 2015 IN Creative Kickstart

I love big ideas. The bigger, the bolder, the better.

But the problem with big ideas is they can seem scary. Intimidating. So big that you aren’t sure where to start.

So you don’t.

If you’re an idea girl like me, you know what I’m talking about. I have pages upon pages of notebooks and Evernotes filled with ideas. Good ideas. Exciting ideas. Ideas I want to take action on.

And yet those ideas sit unloved waiting for that right moment. That perfect moment. That magical moment when the stars align and seas part and all is right with the world.

Except, in reality…that moment doesn’t exist.

But what does exist is the moment you choose to start. To take one tiny step closer to your goal.

Just start.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be 100% ready. You don’t have to do more research.

Just start.

Because the the only way to make progress tomorrow is by taking action today.

Creative Kickstart is one small step I’m taking toward my creative dreams. What big idea could you start taking action on today?

This week I challenge you to take one small step towards one of your big creative goals. Then leave me a comment sharing your story and I’ll send you a virtual high-five for being awesome.

Just start.
_______

Creative Kickstart is my all-new email newsletter for Type B (aka non-Type A) creative adventurers who love what they do but struggle with getting it all done. In every issue, I’ll be sharing insights into my own life as a Type B creative as well as tips, tasks and to-dos to help you take action on your own creative goals and dreams.

Want to get in on the action? Sign up here. You’ll even receive a free desktop background when you sign up.

Why hello there…

POSTED ON September 3, 2015 IN Behind-the-Scenes

Oh man, this summer has been crazy. In May, we said goodbye to our life as an Army family, packed up all our belongings and made the cross-country trek from Texas back to our home state of California.

After a month of job hunting (for Adam), another month spent house/rental hunting and another month waiting for our stuff to arrive, we are finally now getting settled in our new place in the Bay Area. Well, if by settled you mean buried under piles of boxes. But hey, at least we aren’t sleeping on an air mattress anymore!

When I last wrote back in May, I mentioned I wasn’t sure what our big move would mean for the future of Nettio Designs & Kickass Scrapbooking. Well, the awesome thing about having three and half months to let things percolate is it becomes clear where your heart lies and where you need to let go.

So with that, here are a few changes you can expect:

1) It’s time to say goodbye to Kickass Scrapbooking

I’m in the process of moving my website to a speedier server and as part of that, I’ve made the decision to shut down Kickass Scrapbooking. As much as I loved the idea behind the site, the logistics of running two sites/social media accounts quickly turned into more trouble than it was worth. With limited time these days, I’m looking for areas where I can simplify and this feels like the right move.

If you started following me specifically for scrapbooking, fear not. This does not mean I’m saying goodbye to scrapbooking, just that it will just be happening here at Nettio Designs instead.

Which brings me to item number two…

2) A rebrand is in the works

This summer I’ve been working my way through the Braid Creative Braid Method branding ecourse (which is awesome by the way) and while I’m going to hold off on all the juicy details for now, one thing I will share is I’m leaning towards doing away with the Nettio Designs name.

Blasphemy, I know!

But the reality is it’s based on a nickname that started in college and considering I’m not 22 anymore, it feels like it might be time to grow up. Of course, I’m reserving the right to change my mind but just in case, consider yourself warned, haha.

No timeline for this yet, other than I’m hoping to share more of the process this fall.

And now for something exciting and new!

3) A new email newsletter is coming

Ok, so maybe email isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but I promise it’ll be fun (and useful)!

Next week I will be launching a new email newsletter for creatives called Creative Kickstart. As part of this, I’ll be doing some digital house cleaning and asking everyone who would like to continue receiving emails from me to resubscribe to a new email list.

In the next week, I’ll be sending out an email with more details about this so if you see an email from me titled “ACTION REQUESTED” be sure to open it!

If you aren’t already on my email list, that’s ok! I’ll be sharing details next week about how you can sign up to the new list.

And finally, I wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for coming along with me on this crazy creative journey. I feel like it’s never as neat and tidy as I would like, but I’ve learned to embrace that as part of the adventure and I hope you do too because I appreciate every one of your emails or likes more than you know. So thank you for being so awesome and hanging out virtually with little ol’ me. : )

And with that I’m going to wrap up this not-so-little peek into what’s going on around here. What about you, how was your summer? Have anything fun planned for fall?

Hello May

POSTED ON May 5, 2015 IN Life Adventures

Woohoo, it’s May, my most favorite month of the year! This year May is extra awesome because in addition to it being my birthday month, we also have some pretty major life changes happening this month.

First we’re flying out to California mid-month because my little sister is getting married! She and her fiancé have been together for almost 11 years so it’s safe to say we’re excited to have him officially join our family. I was lucky enough to be able to design their wedding invitations and it was such a fun project that I can’t wait to finally share it with you.

Once we fly back from the wedding, we’ll be making the most major change of all: our time as a military family is coming to an end. That’s right, after almost 10 years of service, Adam is getting out of the Army. This is something we’ve been working towards (and debating) for many years so the fact that the time is finally here is both exciting and bittersweet.

Our current plan is to move back to our home state of California to be closer to family. Where exactly we’ll end up is still up in the air since it depends on the job situation but our goal is to end up somewhere in the Bay Area/Sacramento area so we’ll be within in a few hours of the majority of our family. I know the grandparents are counting down the days until they’ll be able to see their only grandbaby more often!

For me this transition has brought up a lot of mixed emotions, more than I expected. While it’s weird to say, the military has been the one constant we’ve had for our entire adult life and to think about it not being there is well…weird. Plus our favorite thing being a military family has always been getting to live and explore new places so moving back to such a familiar place feels like our grand adventure is ending.

It’s funny because I never thought in a million years I’d live in Texas, let alone have a child be born here, and yet now that the time is come, it’s hard to imagine leaving. But like most things in life, all good things must come to an end, and I’m sure once the pieces start to fall into place, the excitement will come.

Well that’s what’s happening in our slice of the world. What’s new with you?

Save on The Faves for iNSD!

POSTED ON May 2, 2015 IN Shop News & Releases

Happy International Scrapbooking Day! The biggest scrapbooking weekend of the year is here! Or at least that’s what I tell my husband because who are we kidding? We all know iNSD is just as much about the shopping as it is the scrapping.

And since I don’t want to disappoint all you shoppers, I’m offering a special $5 discount off The 2015 Monthly Faves Project thru Monday.

Simply add The Faves Project to your cart and use coupon code NSD2015 to get the full year of templates for just $2 a month.

Save on The Faves Project here.

Save on The Faves Project by using coupon code NSD2015 to get the full year of templates for just $2 a month. Sale ends Monday, May 4th at 11:59PM Eastern.

Save on The Faves Project here.

5 Faves For Friday || 01

POSTED ON April 3, 2015 IN 5 Faves for Friday

Woohoo, it’s Friday, my favorite day of the week! And to celebrate I thought it’d be fun to share a few of my current favorite things…

1) Stroller Strides | Ryan and I first started going to this mom & baby workout back in January and my only regret is we didn’t start sooner! It’s been so fun meeting other mamas and babies all while getting a great workout outdoors. They have them all over the U.S. so if you’ve got a little one and are struggling to fit in time to workout (I most definitely was!) check them out.

2) Being Boss podcast | If you’re a fellow creative entrepreneur or creative business owner, you need to check out the Being Boss podcast. Not only are Kathleen & Emily kicking-ass in their respective fields but their no-nonsense with a touch of woo-woo approach to business is refreshing.

3) Sunny spring days | Even though the winters here in Texas are fairly mild, I’m so excited for spring to finally be here! The trees are blooming and everything is turning green. Now to take advantage of it before it gets freakishly hot again!

4) The return of the Texas bluebonnets | If you’ve never seen a field of bluebonnets, you are missing out. I totally thought it was just a weird Texas thing when I first moved here but after our first bluebonnet season, I totally got it. Not only are these flowers gorgeous and unique but the fact that they’re only around for a short period of time makes them that much more special. I love keeping an eye out for them popping up around town and if you want to get hardcore about it, there’s even websites that post bluebonnet sightings. It’s hardcore y’all.

5) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | I started watching this original Netflix series on a whim and by episode one I was hooked. In a few days I’d binged watched the entire first season (isn’t binge watching the best?) and I can’t wait for season two. This show totally fills that quirk meets charm void left behind when 30 Rock went off the air. Thank you Tina Fey.

And that’s a peek at five of my current faves! What’s one of your faves right now? Let me know in the comments below.

And…if you’re looking for a fun & easy way to kickstart your creative and get more of your story into your digital scrapbooking albums, join me in The 2015 Monthly Faves Project, a year-long scrapbooking project designed to celebrate your top ten favorite things every month.

For just $29 for the year, you’ll receive 12 exclusive digital scrapbooking templates, a monthly email with tips from yours truly and a private Facebook group where you can connect and share your work.

Join the creative adventure here.