Ali Edwards's Blog, page 11

In Case You Missed It | January 10

Happy Friday, friends! Welcome to the latest
In Case You Missed It. Just a reminder that this is a quick post that will happen every Friday afternoon with all the updates and links that have happened throughout the week. So, let's get to it:

JANUARY REVEAL

Our January kits are here! It's the 10th of the month and that means today we are revealing our newest kits and stamps.  In addition to our first Storyteller and Stamps Are Fun Kits, we also have a brand new Stories By The Month™ kit and the next edition in our Alphas Are Awesome series. ⁠Head to the blog for Ali’s post with all the details about this month’s release.⁠

ONE LITTLE WORD® 2025 IS HERE

It's not too late to join us in the 2025 One Little Word® workshop? We are just getting started and are all on board with letting January be January + taking our time as we begin developing a relationship with our 2025 word. The January prompt is up in the classroom and we'd love to have you join us as we work to make our words visible in our lives.⁠ Want to learn more? Since 2006, Ali has been choosing a word to live with each year as an alternative to resolutions. In 2011 she started offering a workshop to help keep our words visible throughout the year with a simple creative prompt each month. We also have a selection of One Little Word® supplies to help support your creative storytelling over the year. ⁠
⁠
Ali is excited to have @azzarijarrett, @lizelayne, and @lucrecer back with for lots of conversation and community in 2025. Register now for 12 months of inspiration and community support as you make your word visible in your life.  Head to the blog now for Ali's product video and all of the details for this year's collection. ⁠

JANUARY DIGITALS 

The first Friday of every month we have a new digital release available in the shop. Play with scale, recolor objects, add journaling, print multiples…the sky is the limit when playing with digitals. Shop digitals here. 

As always, we’re so grateful to have you all as members of this community! Thanks for joining me today and have a great weekend!

New Releases | January 2025

Welcome to a monthly overview post of our available subscriptions this month, including our brand new Quarterly Storyteller Kit and monthly Stamps Are Fun.

QUARTERLY STORYTELLER KIT (PHYSICAL KIT + CLASS)

Details about this kit: 

Four kits per year releasing in January, April, July, and October. When you sign up you are committing to the four kits (or however many are left in the year).
Includes classroom + content from Ali and contributors that will be spread out over three months. 
Shipping is $1 domestic + $5 international (same as Story Kits). You can also shop the Add On subscriber section and add to your box during the Add On period for no additional shipping (on the 10th + 11th each month). 
Physical kit subscribers can add the digital kit for $14.99 during the Add On period. 
We are unable to offer a "skip" option with our quarterly kits

SIGN UP HERE

Here's a video overview of the new kit: 

Here are some additional images of elements in the kit: 

QUARTERLY STORYTELLER CLASS (DIGITAL KIT + CLASS)

If you are looking for a digital only subscription that gives you access to digital Storyteller kit and the classroom content then the Storyteller Class is for you. 

This is $24.99 and is a quarter to quarter commitment (
you don't have to commit to all four kits but if you want to cancel you need to reach out to our Customer Service Team). 

SIGN UP HERE

MONTHLY STAMPS ARE FUN | 01

The other new subscription we are starting this year is called Stamps Are Fun and features a 6x8 Stamp Set designed by Ali and shipped to you each month. 

SIGN UP HERE

This subscription does not include class content but will be supported through blog posts sharing ideas for using the stamp sets each month. Some months the stamp set may be aligned with the theme of the Storyteller Kit but mostly they will be a fun, random assortment of words and shapes. This monthly physical stamp subscription includes the digital version of the stamp. 

Here's the pricing for this monthly subscription: 

$20.99 - 12 month commitment 
$23.99 - 6 month commitment

$28.99 - month commitment

*Digital version of the stamp is included in subscription price.

Here's a look at the first Stamps Are Fun stamp set and some sample stamping from Ali. You'll also find a sneak peek at the upcoming stamp sets for the subscription this year at the end of the video: 

Let's play together! 

STORIES BY THE MONTH | FEB 2025

Our Stories By The Month kit continues with the this selection of items for February 2025. 

This subscription includes 4x6 and 3x4 cards in paper and vellum, chipboard, sticker sheet, and an embellishment. It also includes access to a classroom. 

SIGN UP HERE

Here's an overview of the kit this month: 

INSPIRATION BY THE MONTH (DIGITAL KIT + CLASS) | FEB 2025

If digital is more for you in this season we've got you covered. This subscription includes the digital Stories By The Month kit and access to the SBTM classroom. 

SIGN UP HERE

This kit is also available to physical Stories By The Month™ kit subscribers as an Add On.

ALSO NEW THIS MONTH

We've got a new Alphas Are Awesome (#22) and this year we are also offering a coordinating 4x6 Numbers Are Awesome set. 

Physical kit subscribers can add these to their box for no additional shipping. 

There are available to Add On (for physical kit subscribers) and are also now available in the shop. 

SHOP 6x8 STAMP

SHOP 4x6 STAMP

Quarterly Storyteller Kit + Monthly Stamps Are Fun | Subscription Previews

QUARTERLY STORYTELLER KIT

Today we are excited to share a preview of our new
quarterly Storyteller Kit which launches on January 10th (subscriptions will be available at 9am PST). You can read the original announcement related to this change here. 

The Storyteller Kit will include a classroom with content that will stretch throughout the time between kits. The first month will include content from Ali, the second month will include content from contributors, and the third month will have a community sharing focus. Since this is our first time making a big change we appreciate your support and patience as we feel our way through what makes the most sense for the education portion of the subscription. 

Here are some of the practical details: 

QUARTERLY STORYTELLER KIT (Physical Kit): $49.99 

Four kits per year releasing in January, April, July, and October. When you sign up you are committing to the four kits (or however many are left in the year).Includes classroom + content that will be spread out over three months. 
Shipping is $1 domestic + $5 international (same as before).
Physical kit subscribers can add the digital kit for $14.99 during the Add On period. 

We are unable to offer a "skip" option with our quarterly kits.

STORYTELLER CLASS (Digital Storyteller Kit + Classroom): $24.99

Includes classroom + content that will be spread out over three months.

This is a quarterly subscription. When you sign up you are committing to the four kits (or however many are left in the year).

Here are some additional images of this kit: 

Let's get some stories told and have some fun together. 

MONTHLY STAMPS ARE FUN

The other new subscription we are starting this year is called Stamps Are Fun and features a 6x8 Stamp Set designed by Ali and shipped to you each month.
You can begin subscribing to this on January 10th. 

This subscription does not include class content but will be supported through blog posts sharing ideas for using the stamp sets each month. Some months the stamp set may be aligned with the theme of the Storyteller Kit but mostly they will be a fun, random assortment of words and shapes. This monthly physical stamp subscription includes the digital version of the stamp. 

Here's the pricing for this monthly subscription: 

$20.99 - 12 month commitment 
$23.99 - 6 month commitment

$28.99 - month commitment

*Digital version of the stamp is included in subscription price.

Here's a look at the first Stamps Are Fun stamp set and some sample stamping from Ali. You'll also find a sneak peek at the upcoming stamp sets for the subscription this year at the end of the video: 

Let's play together! 

SUPPLIES USED IN THIS VIDEO

AED Inks 
StazOn Inks (permanent inks for slick surfaces like vellum)
Colorful Vellum
Plain VellumBasics via our Amazon Storefront 

December Daily® 2024 | Completed Album Walk-Through

Thank you so much for coming along with me (and hopefully telling some of your own stories) on my 2024 December Daily® project. 

Today I'm sharing a walk-through of my completed project. 

So much love for this community and this project. 

December Daily® 2024 | Story 25

Welcome to Story 25 in my 2024 December Daily® project! 

Twenty-five stories told! Some are long and some are short. Some are extra crafty and some are super simple. Some are silly and some are serious and most are just pieces of my life from last month. I love this project. I love experiencing December this way - no matter how much joy I'm experiencing in the moment. Thank you so much for sharing your own stories and challenges and successes during this past season. 

I'll be back later this week sharing a full walk-through of my finished album. 

Let's dive in to the video: 

Here are some additional images: 

I loved doing a Table Of Contents again this year. It's a fun way to preview what's included in the album as a whole. 

Story 25 starts on the back of Story 24 and the die cut circle page. I used a 3 inch circle punch again to cut out these photos. On top of a few of the photos I added plastic words from the Main Kit and I added gold foil puffy numbers for the 25. 

As I was standing at my table deciding how I wanted to complete this album I decided that what I wanted most was a beautifully simple ending. I added the felt 25 to the back of the big shaker page (see the details on that here) and paired it with a full page photo of our tree this year. 

In the video you'll hear me mention that this album for me is always made up of the sum of all the parts. My Christmas Day stories are often short - sometimes I only include one photo depending on the day. This project for me is about the season: the anticipation and the celebration and all the moments in between. 

On the back of the full page photo I added some pattern paper and then one of the tags from the Main Kit. I wrote a little "thank you Christmas" note to recap. I paired that story with the tag page I put together for Prep Day with the stitched tree + hanging embellishments. 

On the very back page I added "until next year" to wrap up this project for 2024. 

Sending lots of love to you and your families as we move into 2025. I hope you'll join us for a memory keeping project or two during the year - we are so thankful for your support and for the ways you value memory keeping in your own life. 

SUPPLIES

December Daily® Red Star Album
December Daily® Main Kit (chipboard words)
December Daily® 10x8 Transparency Pack
White Dot Vellum
Rolling Adhesive 

Basics via Amazon Storefront 

December Daily® 2024 | Story 24

Welcome to Story 24 in my 2024 December Daily® project. 

I always have mixed emotions as I get close to the end of this project. I'm excited to wrap it up and move on to the next (and clean up all the December stuff from my office) AND I love the playfulness and craftiness of this project. Love that there are always more stories to tell. 

I worked on Story 24 and Story 25 together but am sharing them separately this time. I loved using the circle die cut page as the home for most of my Christmas Eve + Christmas Day photos. 

Let's dive in to the process video: 

Here are some additional photos: 

I used a 4 inch circle punch to cut out the circle from the bag of candy my sister sent us. On the top of that I stamped and embossed the number 24 in gold using this stamp set. I stitched that on top of a piece of recycled paper to give it a little more stability. 

Under that I added my journaling in a 4 inch circle and used a brad to attach. 

I also added the "Christmas Time is here" transparency to this spread. I've been waiting to use that and this die cut circle page all month! 

To punch out my photos for the die cut circle page I used a 3 inch circle punch. 

I used small brads to attach my photos to the die cut circle page. Underneath I used a Medium Steadtler Lumocolor pen. 

SUPPLIES
6x8 Stars Album Numbers Are Awesome #7 Stamp Set Gold Embossing Powder Versamark Embossing Ink  4 Inch Circle Punch (Punch Bunch) 3 Inch Circle PunchStaedtler Lumocolor Medium Pen  Basics from Amazon Storefront 

December Daily® 2024 | Story 23

Welcome to Story 23 in my 2024 December Daily® project. 

For this story I'm using the December Detail paper that was part of the Prompt Paper Pack this year. You can grab it digitally if you missed it physically here. 

My idea was to save this page to use towards the end of the month when I could simply add in a bunch of photos from the month. Some are repeats of things I've included in my album already and others are photos or screenshots from my camera roll. I loved putting this one together and it was fun to look back at my photos from the past month and pick some to add here. 

It's all gratitude. 

Here's a quick video of how this came together: 

And some images: 

All my photos were cropped to 1.75 inch x 1.5 inch. 

In addition to the photos I added in a plastic number from last year's December Daily® collection and I also cut up one of the 3x8 journal + transparency card transparencies to add the plastic hearts to three of the boxes to mix things up a bit. 

Love how this turned out. 

SUPPLIES

Stars 6x8 Album
December Daily® Prompt Paper Pack (digital available)
December Daily® 3x8 Transparency + Journal Card Pack
Long Reach Stapler
Basics from my Amazon Storefront

December Daily® 2024 | Story 21 + Story 22

Welcome to Story 21 and Story 22 in my December Daily® project for 2024. 

Sometimes the most fun thing to do is take a photo of your TV and tell a story about it. So that's what I decided to do for Story 21. Aaron surprised me with a new 4K Blue Ray player and the entire Game Of Thrones series on Blue Ray disks. Might sound silly but it's AWESOME and I love that he did that for us and now we are embarking on a full rewatch. 

Story 22 is about getting to go see Simon's Christmas short film at a movie theater!

Let's dive into the video for both stories: 

Here's a look via photos: 

For this page I simply cropped my photo to 7 inches x 8.25 inches and added my journaling below before printing. After printing I used a white POSCA paint pen to draw the border and add the "twenty one" along the left edge. 

This is my life + I'm telling my story! 

STORY 22

For Story 22 I'm using a foundation page I created for our Product Play workshop this year. This one includes some of the die cut trees and a washi-wrapped plastic tree. On the top I added the story number and a chipboard that says "spreading good cheer." I'm essentially creating a little booklet to hold the story using the two pages I created for Product Play. 

On the left side is the poster Simon made for one of his classes that goes along with the movie he made. You can watch the movie on his YouTube channel here.

The next piece in the "booklet" is the "be merry" plastic phrase. 

And next up is my journaling printed on vellum. I also stitched the chipboard word "joy" along the top and then cut off the excess. 

Next we've got a photo of Simon manning the entrance to the theater that was showing his short film. He had volunteered to check people off as they came in to the event. 

I love him. He's the best. 

And then here's the back of the little booklet. Along the outside edges I added labels that I cut from the Prompt Paper pack. I used stamps from a Pieces Of Us stamp set to go along the labels. 

SUPPLIES
6x8 Stars AlbumDecember Daily® Main KitDecember Daily® Large Die Cut PackDecember Daily® Prompt PapersGold Metal BradsPrintable VellumBasics via my Amazon Storefront 

December Daily® 2024 | Story 19 + 20

Welcome to Story 19 + Story 20 in my December Daily® project for 2024. 

I hope you had a really nice holiday and that you are finding a little calm + joy in this space between Christmas and New Year's. Thanks for your patience while I took time for myself and my family over the holiday. It was really good for me to step away from my computer and my office. I return here excited to finish up this project and tell the rest of the stories from our Christmas season. 

I decided to combine Story 19 and Story 20 into one post/video because I talk about both of them at the beginning of the video. 

A little reminder: no matter where you are in this project right now I'm over here cheering you on! Some people are just starting, some people are finishing, and some people are putting it away until some time later on in the future. 

Let's dive right in:

Here's a look via images: 

Story 19 includes a full page photo + a couple 4x6 cards stitched together to hold my numbers, my story, and a photo on the back. 

The felt numbers are stitched onto the gingerbread transparency and then stitched to the 4x6 journal card. 

The tree journal card was stitched onto the tree vellum journal card. This 4x6 combo is added to my album using attacher stickers. 

SUPPLIES6x8 Stars AlbumDecember Daily® Main KitDecember Daily® Transparency/Vellum 4x6 SetDecember Daily® Tab StickersPage Attacher StickersFelt NumbersBasics via Amazon Storefront STORY 20

One of the things I knew I wanted to do at some point in my project this year was incorporate a 2-page photo spread. Love this one that gets Aaron's hand and all three of our pets in it during my time of rest. 

In between the 2-page photo spread I added a piece of grafix transparency with the die cut vellum asterisk added on top using a gold star brad. 

In between the "stems" of the asterisk I used a POSCA Paint Pen to add words related to resting and quiet. 

Love my pets + my people. 

SUPPLIES

6x8 Stars AlbumGrafix Transparency
Star Brads
POSCA Paint Pen Basics via Amazon Storefront 

December Daily® 2024 | Story 18

Story 18 in my 2024 December Daily® project is about Audrey turning 16 this month! 

It's such an exciting time for Audrey and I'm so excited for her to be gaining additional independence. I used a 3x4 page protector spread to tell her birthday story and document a few other details about her right now. Elliott also had a birthday this month and I included details about that on the back side of the second page protector but am not sharing that to honor his privacy. I had fun stamping titles on the large circles from the die cut pack and pairing those with journaling printed on sticker paper and added to the December Story journal cards from the Main Kit. 

Here's a look at the process video: 

Here are additional images: 

I seriously love those big plastic phrases this year. You'll probably see one of those pop up in future years of my albums because they are so fun. I punched holes to add it directly to my album. 

Ah, repetition. It still makes me happy after all these years. One journal card is general birthday details and the other card are a few things about her right now. 

I added the small gold rimmed circles to the "o" in "jolly" - on the front I added 18 for the story number and on the back I added a chipboard circle from my stash. 

SUPPLIES
Stars 6x8 Album December Daily® Main Kit December Daily® Large Die Cut Pack December Daily® Gold Rimmed Circles December Daily® Large Plastic Phrase Gold Puffy Numbers 4x6 Alpha + Number Stamp StazOn Ink  Chipboard from stash Basics from Amazon Storefront (printers, trimmer, etc)