Ali Edwards's Blog, page 118
February 5, 2020
For The Love Of Books | What I Read In January 2020
Here's a look at what I read in January 2020:
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker : 3 stars. Liked it. Didn't love it. I think I wanted to like it more. Interesting subject matter for today's climate. The Most Fun We've Ever Had by Claire Lombardo : 4 stars. Finally finished this super-long one with lots of tears. There were times I felt it was slow and others when I couldn’t put it down. Overall it was definitely worth it and we will be discussing this one at my local book club this month. Long Bright River by Liz Moore : 4 stars. I was interested all the way through and invested in the outcome. Felt like the whole story operated at a low hum - not sure if that’s due to the writing style or the subject matter (opioid crisis + families caught in the middle) or something else. Definitely worth checking out. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood : 4 stars. Totally not the same “quality/depth” as the original novel but I found it very enjoyable as a fan of the TV series and I devoured it over two days.
To kick off your 2020 reading documentation I created a set of free digital word art circles:
You can download this digital package here.
Happy reading in 2020!
To see everything I read in 2019 go here. To see what I read in 2018 go here.
February 4, 2020
Project Life® 2019 | November
Getting back into the swing of things around here and finishing up my 2019 Project Life® album.
Today I'm sharing November and am planning to work on December and then I'll share a full walk-through of 2019 along with my thoughts on the process. At this time I'm planning to do monthly documenting the
9x12 album size again in 2020.
One of the things I thought about as I was working on this story is that I had a lot less to say than I did in
October and I'm totally fine with that. Remember that it's the sum of all your stories together in an album like this that makes it so awesome. Sometimes we have more to say than other times and I don't think we need to make ourselves feel bad about that at all.
Something I love about this one? The incorporation of "real" stuff vs. just products. Simply adding in that leaf + the little notes from Elliott + Audrey from my birthday makes me so happy.
Here's a look at how I tackled November:
For this spread I used the 3x3 pocket page, a full transparent 9x12 plastic page (home for my leaf), a 6x8 3-pocket page protector, and a full pocket 9x12.
The first page includes a collage of 3x3 images from the month of November. I considered adding something to each of the photos and then changed my mind and ended up just adhering the "November joys" heart from the
Stories By The Month™ kit (cut from a journal card) on the outside of the page protector.
The second page features a leaf from our Thanksgiving celebration with Aaron's family. I held onto this after Thanksgiving because I knew I wanted to figure out a way to add it into my project. I ended up attaching the leaf to the plastic page using a metal brad. Around the paper leaf I added cork leaves (on both the front and the back).
I used
this plastic page that I cut down to 9x12 for this album.
The third page (or second insert depending on how you like to think about it) is a 3-pocket 6x8 page protector that holds a journal card, a pleather "family" embellishment, and a couple cards that I got from kids for my birthday.
The back side of that 6x8 page protector includes cards from the November Stories By The Month™ kit. I also punched one of the pattern cards into a circle and adhered it to the back of the pleather embellishment and added a wood veneer heart on top.
On top of the photo enlargement of Simon sleeping on the couch I cut up one of the 4x6 cards from the November kit and used a "thankful for this" stamp to repeat stamp on top of the wood veneer heart using
StazOn.
Here's a look at the process:
9x12 Album 9x12 Page Protectors
6x8 Page Protector November Stories By The Month™ (digital version with those designs available here) Grafix Plastic Sheet 12x12 (this is the page my leaf is attached to) Cork Leaf Embellishments StazOn Ink Epson PictureMate PM400 Printer Epson XP15000 (for enlargements) Power Punch Tiny Attacher 2.25 Inch Circle Punch
Check out my archive of Project Life® posts
here.
February 3, 2020
Pieces Of Us | Self Portrait Community Project
Last night I woke up around 3am and couldn't go back to sleep because I started thinking about a fun community project we could do together next week.
I got up, went to my computer and came up with the following community creative adventure: Pieces Of Us.
WHENMonday, February 10th through Sunday, February 16th.
REASONS WHYTo get yourself in the story. Literally. To play and experiment with your camera (most likely I'll just be using my iPhone). To practice developing your own photo voice. To practice loving ourselves using the lens of our cameras. I love this as a February project. To play along with a community of storytellers. SCHEDULEHere's the schedule for next week as we capture pieces of ourselves:
Monday: FeetTuesday: HandsWednesday: Face Forward (let your face fill the frame)Thursday: Eyes ClosedFriday: 1/2 face (take a photo or crop a photo to only include a portion of your face)Saturday: Full bodySunday: Reflection
I'll be sharing my images on Instagram using the hashtag: #aepiecesofus
My initial plan is that I'll create a layout afterwards that will go into an album that holds stories about me. It could also fit really well into your One Little Word® album or it might just be that for this project you want to focus on the photos only. Either way, I want this to be a fun, experimental, creative practice for our community.
Need some inspiration to get you going?
50 Creative Self Portrait Photography Ideas10 Creative Self Portrait Techniques That Will Inspire You To Create Your Own (there were some particularly cool ideas included in this one)Also, if you want to learn more about my own photo philosophy + workflow check out my workshop Lens Of Joy.
January 29, 2020
AE Creative Team | January 2020 Stories By The Month™ Digital Kit
January is all about fresh starts and new beginnings. And along those lines, we are delighted to introduce you to our 2020 Creative Team! You might recognize many of these talented ladies from previous years, and this year we are delighted to welcome some new faces to our team!
Amy GretchenBarbara PicinichElizabeth HeinzIngunn MarkiewiczJennie ReyJen SchowJenny TheriaultJess ForsterKrystal IndunateLaura WonsikLisa VarshineMorgan BealPam BaldwinTazhiana Gordon
All of these beautiful women are fantastic memory keepers who focus on storytelling (bring on the words) in addition to great design. Plus these talented ladies are also hybrid scrapbookers which means they take Ali's digital products and print them out and/or use them in projects that end up printed. Check out these awesome, creative projects that they created with the January 2020 Stories by the Month™ Digital Kit.
As always, we are so grateful to our Creative Team for sharing the stories of their lives with us and we are looking forward to all of their creative inspiration in the year to come!
January 28, 2020
Day In The Life™ 2020 Products
The first Day In The Life™ documenting day for 2020 is scheduled for Thursday, March 5th.
To get you in the mood we're launching a fun new collection of products today designed to aid you in your memory keeping adventures.
Similar to last year we are offering a 3x8 Day In The Life™ album bundle along with a kit and a couple add on options. I'll be using this kit for two different documenting days this year - the first on March 5th and the second one later in the year.
This year the kit focuses on two different themes: giving thanks and -ing words. I haven't decided which one I'm going to do first this year - either one will be a fun lens to approach documenting my day.
SHIPPING SPECIAL : Spend $75 and get free domestic shipping ($15 flat rate international) with code FREESHIP75.
Here's a look at what's included in the kit:
Here's a closer look at the stamp, sticker sheet + chipboard, plastic words and 1/2 circle paper pad included with the kit:
Additional products available:
This year we went for a fun, bright colored 3x8 album that coordinates with colors in the kit. Included with the album are page protectors and page dividers.
Those are all included with the 3x8 album.
A couple more options you might want to add to your cart:
Adhesive fabric circle everyday icons (1 inch).
Sipping tag set: 21 various sizes paper tags.
Plastic rectangle icons: 48, 2 inch x 1.5 inch plastic pieces.
Here's a video walkthrough of the products all together:
Day In The Life™ is a fun, low pressure documenting project that is an awesome way to dip your toes into (or back into) memory keeping. It's one of my core projects that I come back to again and again each year and I'm looking forward to it again in 2020.
January 13, 2020
List Story Kit™ + February 2020 Stories By The Month™
In the
Story Classroom this month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of Lists.
Here are a few thoughts about this particular theme:
Lists are one of my favorite storytelling techniques and I come back to them again and again when I want to tell a story. I especially love it because it's an easy way to include both facts + feelings. This month we are focusing on lists - both using them as a design element and using them to organize our stories.
Initial story ideas for the List theme include:
Are you a list maker? Tell a story about the lists you make. Consider taking photos of lists you already have in place. Use a list format to tell a story of your top 5 memories from last year. Use my facts + feelings idea to tell a current story. Write down one fact and then one feeling and repeat. STORY KIT™
The List
Story Kit™ includes:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
STORY STAMP™
The List
Stamp Set:
Here's a video overview of the Story Stamp:
DIGITAL STORY KIT™ (Included with the STORY CLASS)
Your digital kit and the classroom and any Add-Ons purchased will be available to you on the 15th once your card has been charged for the month.
Here's a look at what's included in the Digital Story Kit™:
And a couple peeks at the layouts I created with the kits this month in addition to the one featured at the top of this post (
full details, including process videos and how-to handout, are included with subscription):
Again, thanks so much for subscribing and/or considering my
Story Subscription program! If you have any questions about this program please let me know below in the comments.
Stories By The Month™ kits include 4x6 chipboard, 3x4 and 4x6 cards, a 3x4 stamp, a sticker sheet, and an embellishment (wood veneer, cork, etc). Stories By The Month™ Kits are all based on the designs we offered digitally each month throughout 2019.
Here is a full look at the kit for February:
And a video overview:
Stories By The Month™ | February 2020 from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.
This subscription is a great option for those who are looking to tell more calendar/everyday life sorts of stories.
Add On options are available to all Story Kit™, Story Stamp™, and Stories By The Month™ subscribers
(this excludes Digital Story Kit/Story Class subscribers since you don't have any part of your subscription shipped already). Please note that the Crafters Ink pad option will only be available to Story Stamp™ subscribers.
Current and new subscribers can select + purchase Add-On's via your new drop-down menu access under your user name in the top right corner of the site. If you subscribe to more than one you will have a Box for each subscription and the ability to purchase Add-On's for each one. Depending on product availability subscribers may be able to purchase the Add-On's after the Add-On period has ended and regular shop shipping rates will apply because they will ship separately from the kit.
Check out
this post for more information about this new subscription, including differences between the subscription options offered.
January 10, 2020
AE Creative Team | CELEBRATE Story Kit™
This month's theme has been about all how we celebrate our lives - in ways both big and small. And as always, our Creative Team has created inspiring projects to tell their stories.
As a reminder, Sunday, January 12th, is the last day to subscribe and receive the CELEBRATE themed-products.
As always, we are so grateful to our awesome team for sharing their stories and creative inspiration with all of us!
January 7, 2020
December Daily® 2019 | Story Twenty-Five
Welcome to story twenty-five in my 2019
December Daily® album.
Thank you so much for joining me in telling stories in December! No matter where you are in the process I hope it brought you a bit of joy this past month. Some of you might be finished, others are starting now, and others will work on it throughout this next year.
This continues to be such a meaningful project for myself and for my family. I love looking back at our past December's each year and seeing the changes, adjustments and the things that stay the same.
Here's how I told the twenty-fifth story:
The fold-up page idea was shared in the Wreath lesson in December Daily® Product Play 3. I set it up in advance knowing I would likely have a couple photos to choose from and might want space for more. I mentioned previously that I don't always take a lot of photos of Christmas morning/Christmas Day - it's a day I often just like to let be. That said I almost always have a few that anchor us all in time to where we were and what was happening.
I added two photos to my tell my story visually - one of the presents waiting and one of most of us sitting around on the couch waiting for the festivities to begin.
Washi tape holds these pages together.
On top of my photos I added word/phrase stickers and a small gold star brad. Along the bottom of the journaling block I added a thin strip of washi tape.
As I wrap up this year I want to encourage you to own + value your own story. We are all at different places in our lives with different family situations, health situations, home situations, work situations, etc - no matter what is happening in your own life there is value to sharing your story even if it's just for you to make sense of your own life.
You've got this.
PROCESS VIDEOSUPPLIESDecember Daily® 2019 Main Kit
December Daily® 2019 4x6 AlbumDecember Daily® 2019 Word/Phrase Sticker Bundle
Power Punch SHARE YOUR STORY
You are invited to leave a link in the comment section if you'd like to share your daily pages. As usual, please include a direct link to your specific blog post vs. a general blog address link.
January 6, 2020
December Daily® 2019 | Story Twenty-Four
Welcome to story twenty-four in my 2019
December Daily® album.
Our Christmas Eve was wonderfully simple with the seven of us just hanging out here at home most of the day. I know many people have large family gatherings happening on Christmas Eve but for us it's all about just hanging out. I also don't tend to take a lot of photos on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This has been my pattern for many years and I'm totally okay with that. I love seeing what I end up with once I sit down to tell my stories from those days.
Here's at look at how I told that story in my album:
In my Foundation Pages I'd placed this rubber tag into one of the 3x4 pockets (along with a Tim Holtz Christmas token).
I printed out two 3x4 photos - one of the Star Wars puzzle we were working on and one of the girls sitting on the table working on the puzzle. Those went back to back into the other pocket. On top of the front photo I added white number stickers.
To add my words I measured the size of the rubber tag and printed out a few details from our day and then used twine to hold it all together.
Around here we totally think Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
December Daily® 2019 Main Kit
December Daily® 2019 4x6 Album
Tim Holtz Christmas Token
Power Punch
Number Sticker Bundle SHARE YOUR STORY
You are invited to leave a link in the comment section if you'd like to share your daily pages. As usual, please include a direct link to your specific blog post vs. a general blog address link.
January 3, 2020
December Daily® 2019 | Story Twenty-Three
Welcome to story twenty-three in my 2019
December Daily® album.
Today's story is about going to see the new Star Wars movie and a little about how awesome it is to watch Star Wars with Simon. He seriously knows so, so much about all of it and his level of excitement is off the charts.
Here's how this story was told in my album:
In my Foundation Pages for this day I had the Santa transparency (cut to 4x6) along with the white plastic 23 from the Main Kit.
I decided to use some gold-foil pattern vellum and the Santa transparency to create a pocket to hold our movie tickets (this was done using my sewing machine).
I stapled the "23" to the outside of the pocket using a Tiny Attacher. Along the outside edge I used some thin washi tape from my stash (I think that was from a collection in 2018).
On the other side/under side of the pocket I typed up journaling (white on black), print and then cut it out using small scissors. The washi tape down the seam holds the pocket page and the full page photo together.
PS: I love that Aaron takes photos when I don't know he's taking photos.
I also added one of the acrylic stars from the Main Kit above the journal block.
December Daily® 2019 Main Kit
December Daily® 2019 4x6 Album
December Daily® 2019 6x8 Transparencies
Power Punch
Washi Tape (regular + thin)
Sewing MachineSHARE YOUR STORY
You are invited to leave a link in the comment section if you'd like to share your daily pages. As usual, please include a direct link to your specific blog post vs. a general blog address link.
