Ali Edwards's Blog, page 139
October 25, 2018
Last Day In The Life™ For 2018 + Small Numbers Release
Today I want to share with you the final
Day In The Life™ kit for 2018 and a small numbers-themed release.
I'll be documenting my day on
Tuesday, November 27th and I'll be using gratitude as my lens for the day. My plan is to document 10 things I'm thankful for over the course of the day using this kit and add it as an insert to my Project Life® album.
Here's a full look at what's included with the kit:
And here's a video overview:
We've got a fun plan in the works for Day In The Life™ 2019 and I'll share more about that in the coming months.
In addition to the Day In The Life™ kit we've got six new number products to help you get your stories told:
This release includes puffy stickers, 3x4 cards, a chipboard set, number stickers, cork numbers, and plastic numbers (both of those are about 3 inches tall).
Transparency Numbers - just about 3 inches tall
Here's a video overview of the new products:
Thanks again for the support! I hope these products help you get your stories told.
October 19, 2018
December Daily® 2018 | Digital Products Now Available
This year's December Daily® Digital products are now available. This includes many of the products we offered in our main December Daily® collection this year along with new layered templates and overlays.
If you are interested in learning how to work with digital products in paper projects make sure to check out my Hybrid workshop.
Also check out the recent post from my friend Kelly Sill on how to use my digital products in the Project Life® App and in LetterGlow.
Here's a look at the digitals that are available this year:
After looking at sales from previous years we are just offering the overlays in a Combo Pack this year. This package includes 3x4, 3x8, 4x6, and 6x8 non-dated, 1-31 overlays in a PNG format. These are great for adding on top of photos before printing or for holding your written story.
December Daily® Digital 2018 Overlay Combo Pack
LAYERED TEMPLATES
Two layered template options (these are layered PSD files) - one 6x8 and one 3x8.
The 6x8 package includes two preview files:
December Daily® Digital 2018 6x8 Layered Templates Vol. 5
December Daily® 2018 3x8 Layered Templates
MAIN + MINI KITS
December Daily® Digital 2018 Main Kit
December Daily® Digital 2018 Paislee Press Mini Kit
December Daily® Digital 2018 Brandi Kincaid Kids Kit
STAMP SETS
Click on any of the images below to go to their shop page. Click here to see all new December Daily® Digital Products.
EMBELLISHMENTS & JOURNAL CARDS
PAPERS
October 13, 2018
Seasons Story Kit™ + November Stories By The Month™
In the
Story Classroom this month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of Seasons.
Here are a few thoughts about this particular theme:
We have both literal seasons of the year and we also experience emotional/life seasons. Highs, lows and everything in between. This month we are reflecting and telling stories about the season of life we are in right now, the way we transition from one to the next, and writing about the things we love within seasons.
Initial story ideas for the Seasons theme include:
Tell me a story about the season of life you are in right now. One of the concepts inherent in the change of seasons is the idea of transition. What kind of transition are you experiencing at this point in your life? Write about it. What is your favorite season of the year and why OR what do you love about each of the seasons of the year?
If you are new to the Story Subscription program, check out all the details here.
If you are already a subscriber the content in the classroom will be available to you on the 15th.
Here's a look at
the
Story Kit™ contents for Seasons:
ADD ON OPTIONS | 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.
Here are the optional Add-Ons for subscribers of the Seasons
Story Kit™ theme. All three of these products are exclusive to subscribers at this time (but may be added to the shop in the future).
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
The Seasons
Stamp Set:
The
Story Stamp™ also has Add-On options available to subscribers:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Stamp™ and Add-On options this month:
Story Stamp™ Subscribers Please Note: I was so focused on getting "autumn love" included for our subscribers who live in parts of the world that don't call it "fall" that I forgot to add "spring love." We will be manufacturing that stamp and including it with your subscription next month.
DIGITAL STORY KIT™
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™ for Seasons:
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.
Currently each
Stories By The Month™ kit includes chipboard, 3x4 and 4x6 cards, and a 3x4 stamp. These are all based on the designs we offered digitally each month throughout 2017.
Here is a full look at the kit for November:
Here's a look at the Add-On options for Stories By The Month™ subscribers this month:
And a video overview:
This subscription is a great option for those who are looking to tell more calendar/everyday life sorts of stories.
Check out
this post for more information about this new subscription, including differences between the subscription options offered.
October 10, 2018
December Daily® 2018 | December Life Collection
Thanks for all the support for the December Daily® 2018 collection! Shipping is underway and in progress and we are working hard to get all the orders on their way to you.
A couple reminders:
Don't forget to sign up for the December Daily® Product Play 2 online workshop. This year we are focusing on trees, tags, and type/titles. Class begins November 6th. Don't forget to check out the December Daily® Planner and the December Daily® Journal. The planner is a great way to get yourself organized this holiday season and the journal is a great way to capture your stories (especially if you might want a break from the crafty experience of December Daily® or if you simply want to focus on the words).
Today I'm excited to share something new for the upcoming holiday season - the December Life Collection. The idea behind this collection was to offer you a few fun things to make your holiday a little brighter: ornaments, a mug, t-shirts, gift tags, a set of gift bags, and Christmas cards. I'm especially excited about the acrylic ornaments.
SHIPPING SPECIAL: Free domestic or $10 flat rate international shipping when you spend $50 in the December Life Collection category with code DECLIFESHIP50
Here's a look at what is available this year:
Be Filled With Wonder Slouchy T-shirt
Merry Everything Slouchy T-shirt
Enjoy! And as always, thank you for your support.
October 9, 2018
Behind The Scenes | December Daily® Filming With Kids
Earlier this past summer our friend Joe Gomez was here to film promotional videos for December Daily®.
One of the things on our list to do was film the girls checking out the December Daily® Kids Kit and have them do one of the videos again this year introducing the contents of the kit. They love any opportunity to participate in what Katie and I are doing in the office so we knew they would be excited.
You can see their overview video of this year's Kids Kit here.
We filmed them laying out products from the kit in my office. They felt like old pros for this task since they did the same thing last year.
It's so cool to be able to involve them and teach them about the ways I run my business and give them really fun ways to tell their own stories.
There's always a lot of laughing during this process.
We filmed them playing with the kit in their room and set up a little Christmas tree temporarily (the tree will go back up in there after Thanksgiving).
They always especially love the coloring pages.
Anna's wearing a super soft women's t-shirt that will be available with the new December Daily® Lifestyle release (available tomorrow). We tied them in the back when the girls were wearing them.
This year we also invited Anna (Audrey wasn't here this day) to be on camera with me for some of the takes introducing the Kids Kit and talking about her favorite parts. She was super giggly and nervous and I had so many memories of feeling the same way when I first started needing to do more on-camera videos.
I hope to share more this year about how the girls actually use their albums. It's such an awesome activity to do together around the table and encourage them to document the stories of their own lives right now.
Katie caught this one of the two of us at the end of filming. So great.
Here's a look at what the video ended up looking like (we use this video on social media):
As always, thanks for your support of my memory keeping mission!
October 8, 2018
How To Use My Digital Products In The Project Life® App & LetterGlow | Guest Post By Kelly Sill
Hi Friends! Today I'm super excited to bring you a guest post from mobile memory keeping expert Kelly Sill where she's going to teach you how to use my digital products in the Project Life® App and LetterGlow.
There are so many different ways to get your stories told - which is awesome and
as it should be. You might love paper, you might love working on your computer or on your phone, you might type your journaling or you might write it by hand, you might print out photobooks, you might print at home or use an offsite printer. The most important thing is finding what works for you in the season of life you are in right now.
With December Daily® coming up I thought this would be a perfect time to have Kelly share her knowledge here in this space. She is going to take you step-by-step through this process via both video and an awesome handout that you can download by clicking here. Make sure to check out where to stay connected with her in the links at the bottom of this post.
Here's Kelly:
As someone who has been scrapbooking for almost 30 years, it sure has been fun watching how this industry has evolved. I can remember scrapbooking before we even bought our first Gateway computer, never even considering that my photos and stories would one day be documented using digital technology. Back then I was content just cutting my photos into hearts and stars, adding doodles and journaling with Micron pens and embellishing with stickers by Mrs. Grossman.
Fast forward to 2018 where we now have a variety of options from which to choose for our storytelling needs. Many of us are traditional memory-keepers. We love to touch and feel our papers and embellishments as we put our pages together. Some of us have taken the Elsa approach, singing “Let It Go” as we donated our physical products to good causes, only to embrace digital scrapbooking on our desk/laptop computers. Those of us who choose to document our stories in a hybrid format have the best of both worlds: we use our computers for some of our story-telling by adding digital word art or text to a photo, yet still add physical products our pages once they are printed.
Then there is the app-scrapper—the latest scrapbooker persona. App-Scrappers use mobile apps on their phones or tablets to create scrapbook pages and document their stories. But many fans of Ali’s shy away from this platform thinking they are not able to use her digital products on their mobile devices. But fear not my friends! Using the Project Life® app in conjunction with a few others WILL allow you to use Ali’s products on your mobile device and I’m thrilled that Ali asked me to show you the basics of how it’s done!
Before you even begin to make a page, you need to store your digital kits where you are able to access them from your device. Storing them in DropBox or iCloud Drive are popular choices as you are able to easily navigate to these areas within the Project Life® App to select filler/journal cards. You can move or copy these files to your Dropbox or iCloud Drive accounts directly from your computer.
The Project Life® App is very intuitive and easy to use. The app is available for free in the App Store. If you are new to the app you can check out the free Project Life® App tutorials Becky Higgins has on her YouTube channel here. When using Ali’s products with this app you need to understand that only the filler and journal cards can be placed into a Project Life® App layout (we’ll go over how to use Ali’s digital embellishments such as word art stamps and digital chipboard on your mobile device in just a moment). I have some photos from a recent trip to Greece earlier in the year already dropped into a few Project Life® App layouts. I thought Ali’s 2018 Travel Collection would be the perfect kit to document these pictures with. The video below will demonstrate how to add Ali’s filler and journal cards to a Project Life® App layout, as well as how to add text to these cards:
In this video Kelly is using the 2018 Travel Collection Digital Kit.
Using Ali’s filler and journal cards within the App is pretty simple. But when it comes to using her other digital elements such as chipboard, stamps, labels, and stickers, we need to use another app in conjunction with the Project Life® App because the app does not support layers right now. There are several apps out there that will allow you to work with png files in layers, but if you are just starting out and want experiment using Ali’s digital products with mobile scrapbooking, the LetterGlow App is a great app to begin with. The
LetterGlow app is available for iPhone in the App Store for $2.99 and is compatible with iPads.
The video below demonstrates how to add Ali’s digital elements to photos, create filler/journal cards, and place them into the layouts you create in the Project Life® App.
Since the Project Life® App was released several years ago, mobile scrapbooking has become the storytelling platform of choice for thousands of memory keepers all over the world. We app-scrappers love having all of our kits and photos with us anywhere we go, allowing us to scrapbook on the fly.
Now that you see how you can use Ali’s products on your mobile device, are you going to give it a try?
Mobile Scrapbooking classes at scrapaneers.com: Art of the Apps 3.0 and Art of the Apps Monthly Membership Blog: kellysilldesign.com Instagram: @pixelstopages or @kmsill Facebook: Kelly Sill Design
October 3, 2018
For The Love Of Books | What I Read In September 2018
WHAT I READ IN SEPTEMBER 2018
The Arrangement // I read this one for my for my local Book Club this month (September). It was a super quick read (I read it while camping for Dave Matthews Band) and I liked it overall and know it will prove to be a great book club discussion. You know, from the cover, that their arrangement isn't going to work out but I was interested in reading how it all played out. The couple also has an autistic son so I was interested in seeing how he was portrayed as well. Cross Her Heart (BOTM) // This book started super slow and then it shifted. The second half kept my interest but when I was done I definitely felt like I was ready to take a break from this genre for awhile (suspense) - just feel like I'm craving something more. Overall just okay. Florida by Lauren Groff // This is the first short story book I've read probably since college (at least since I can remember) and I really loved it. For some reason at this point in time the short format really worked for me. I love her writing style. I loved the richness of the characters. I loved the theme of "connection" that seemed to link a lot of the stories (both connection + disconnection). Super happy I picked this up when I visited Parnassus books in Nashville on my last visit. Beartown // This book is for my local Book Club in October but I couldn't stop myself once I started this month. This will definitely be one of the best books I read this year. The story and the way he wrote the story was nuanced and human and real and complicated. Definite trigger warning regarding sexual assault. He also now has a follow-up book out called Us Against You (I downloaded it to read on my Kindle).
Here's a video overview of what I read this month:
BOOK OF THE MONTH SELECTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER
It's also time to select new books from Book Of The Month Club.
As part of their Ambassador Program I get to order from their monthly selections a bit early in order to share with you and celebrate their new releases each month. This month I selected two books:
JANUARY 2018
The Heart's Invisible Furies (BOTM) // I super, super loved this book. Just go read it. Now. The Woman In The Window (BOTM) // Perfect suspense book. Great beach read. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven // It’s been quite awhile since I underlined passages in a non-fiction book but I did a few times in this one because the language and imagery used was just so beautiful. It’s a story that will stick with me. The Year Of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store // Super quick read on a topic I’m interested in - how less can mean more. This book is more memoir than how-to and I was interested in her story and all the ways in which she cake to having and wanting less. Glad I read it. It’s so much more than just a story of not shopping for a year. Turtles All The Way Down (BOTM) // This one was a like but not love for me. I did really like some of the writing, especially towards the end, that related to the forward movement of life with mental illness. I think these kinds of stories are important and the pieces where he was writing about her self-talk/voices really resonated with me personally.
FEBRUARY 2018
Bel Canto (finished this one right at the end of January) // I really, really enjoyed this book. I love her writing style and I loved the way the story flowed all the way until the end. It felt super abrupt - but I guess that's how life goes sometimes too. I loved the themes of adaptation, of love, of change, of escape (literally from the life you were living one moment before), and the push and pull between relationships. Oh and it totally made me want to go to an opera. The Great Alone (BOTM) // I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one last night because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved this book. I loved that Alaska + the climate was basically a character. The subject matter is challenging for sure - violence, loneliness, family issues, etc. - but the story is rich and complicated and well-told. Love these kinds of epic stories. So, so good. The Broken Girls (BOTM) // This book legitimately freaked me out multiple times. The kids around here all know I was reading a scary book because I kept saying “this book is scary” - ha. Loved the twists and turns - I zoomed through the last half super quick. If you are looking for a haunting style of story this one’s for you. I actually almost stopped reading it at one point but I am so glad I finished. An American Marriage // I read this one without knowing anything about it because it was recommended highly by a friend (and then I saw it popping up everywhere). This is an emotional, real, raw and very well written story that is different from what I've been reading lately. I love being surprised. Beautiful, compelling writing that really gets to the heart of complicated human relationships. A line I loved : "But mostly my life is good, only it's a different type of good from what I figured on." This has been the lesson of my life as well.
MARCH 2018
The Astonishing Color Of After (BOTM) // This book started out a little hard for me to get into but once I did I ended up adoring it. Totally adoring and loving it. I loved the interplay between the present and the past, the treatment of the experience of grief, learning about Chinese/Twaianese traditions, the magic of the way she views her family memories, and the continual use of colors as descriptors for scenes and feelings. I feel like this is one that will stay with me for a long time. SO GOOD. The Last Equation Of Isaac Severy (BOTM) // This one took a long time to hook me - not sure if that was due to my sporadic reading this month or the story itself. I almost moved on 1/2 way through but decided to give it one more try over a weekend getaway and I was glad I did overall (but also happy to move on to the next story).
APRIL 2018
Educated : A Memoir // From the very beginning I loved the author's writing style and the way she was weaving her story. I think this is one of the best, if not the best, memoirs I've read. I want to tell you that I loved this book, but I don't know if "love" is the right word because it was a hard story to read at times - for all kinds of different reasons. What I loved about it was that it was a story of becoming - of finding yourself and your own story. There were so many times I had to stop to tell Aaron something that had happened as I was reading either because it was so crazy (either awesome or terrible or almost unbelievable). I love a book that encourages us to challenge our assumptions about the beliefs we grew up with and find ourselves within (and owning) our own individual story - whether we continue to believe or walk away or distance ourselves or reconnect. Highly recommended. The Girl Who Smiled Beads (received from the publisher - also available via BOTM ) // Back in 2014 I heard Clemantine speak in Washington DC at a summit on girls + women in Africa which was sponsored by the ONE Campaign and Google. The event itself and the stories presented were profoundly moving and educational. When I was offered an opportunity to receive an advance copy of this book I jumped at the chance to get to go deeper into Clemantine's story and I think this book is a must read. It's a hard, raw read and one that is super important for all of us as human beings. It's a complex story of her escape from the Rwandan massage as a child and eventual arrival in the United States as a refuge. It is also so much more than that story - she intimately shares the impact of that entire experience on the way she thinks about herself, the way she views the world, and the ways she has attempted to own her own story. It is a book about becoming. Highly recommended. Then She Was Gone (BOTM) // I wasn't sure what I thought of this book at first and it felt a little slow at the beginning. But once it revealed a twist + then more twists, I was hooked. I liked that the narrative goes back and forth between characters - really showcasing their different motivations and personalities. It was a totally decent psychological thriller if you are into that genre I'd definitely recommend it. It would have made a good beach read. Circe (BOTM) // I totally wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I picked it because I've been trying to challenge myself to read things I might not normally pick up this year (different genres, voices, etc). I found this one challenging to get into initially only because I can't remember much at all of the Greek Mythology I learned back in school (little bits here + there - but there are so many names) but once I just accepted that and started to reintroduce myself (via googling names and briefly reading their stories) I was totally into this story told from Circe's point of view. I actually decided that I liked not knowing "everything" about all the different Gods + Goddesses because it helped me to be surprised when the story revealed itself. I really, really liked how this book was written. I loved that is was from her point of view - so many interwoven themes popped up throughout the book: separation, love, fear, family, magic, monsters, bravery, and the ways we each own or own story. I think this one will stick with me for awhile. First, We Make The Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety // I'm about half-way through this one and already know that I'm going to recommend it highly for anyone who has a history of anxiety or other mental illnesses. This book has comforted me, made me laugh, taught me lessons, and made me look at my anxiety/depression through a different lens. I may write more about this when I finish it during May but wanted to include it now because it's just so good.
MAY 2018
First, We Make The Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety // I'm about half-way through this one and already know that I'm going to recommend it highly for anyone who has a history of anxiety or other mental illnesses. This book has comforted me, made me laugh, taught me lessons, and made me look at my anxiety/depression through a different lens. I may write more about this when I finish it during May but wanted to include it now because it's just so good. // I pre-ordered this book and read it quickly once I received it. I didn't read any reviews before I read it and I just let it be what it was without preconceived notions (I just read some reviews so that's top of mind as I write my own). I liked the rambling style of this book. I liked the storytelling aspect. I liked simply reading about someone else who lives with anxiety and how it manifests in their own life and the ways she has found to keep moving forward in her own life. I underlined a bunch of things that made me questions assumptions I have made about myself and the ways I've approached my own journey with anxiety + depression. I have been recommending it to friends who I think would benefit from simply reading her story. The Mars Room (BOTM / AMAZON) // Hard to get into + hard to finish for me. Glad I read it, but not my favorite. It wasn't the subject matter but more the writing style that didn't hook me in - it felt really disjointed. I read another review where someone mentioned they would have rather had more from the main female character and I totally agreed with that. Just felt disjointed overall. That said, I have thought about this book multiple times since finishing - definitely a relevant conversation/topic in our world. Destination Simple // This is a short, quick read with practical information related to slowing down. I especially loved a section near the end about the idea of "tilting" vs. attempting balance. Definitely in alignment with living in + being present in different seasons of our lives. I also really liked her ideas for morning and evening rituals. Still Lives (BOTM / AMAZON) // Liked but not love. Definitely captivated me enough to read until the end to complete the story. I think this would make a good beach read if you are into mysteries.
JUNE 2018
George // I read this 3rd/4th grade book for my Book Club as a follow-up to our discussion of This Is How It Always Is and because the book has been a topic of conversation in our community and around Oregon since it was listed as an Oregon Battle Of The Books book for next year. It was a great read for our small group discussion and continued to expand on our learning about transgender related issues. Anna is currently reading it as well. The Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir Of Family And Culture In Crisis // One of my goals in reading generally is to read a variety of voices. I've heard of this book over the last few years and picked up the paperback version recently at Costco. As someone who places value on owning our individual stories, I really appreciated reading JD's recounting of his life experience so far growing up in Kentucky and Ohio. I especially liked some of the pieces towards the end when he talked a bit more about his perspective as an adult related to his own childhood trauma and how that informed some of the things he faced in his relationships as an adult. I found the book overall to be insightful and a good starting place for beginning to scratch the surface of understanding more about the struggle/story of poverty and class in America. Also, please note that when reading something along these lines I don't automatically assume that this is the experience of all people living in this area. Calypso (BOTM / Amazon) // Amazingly enough this was my first time reading David Sedaris. Not sure exactly why because I am definitively aware of who he is - I think maybe it’s because I don’t often read “funny” books (a gross, totally incomplete description of his stories). That said, I completely enjoyed this book and his writing style and can’t believe I have basically ignored his books up to this point. Real life stories about everyday life are a part of my passion - I will definitively read more from him soon. I laughed out loud, my heart ached, and I was captivated. The Book Of Essie (BOTM / Amazon) // Devoured this book in a 24 hour period while traveling this past month and really enjoyed the story: interesting and captivating. Crazy Rich Asians // Fun, silly, quick read. At the end you will likely want to get the next two books in the series to continue the story. The Female Persuasion // I enjoyed it but felt like I had to force myself to finish it - I did want to know how it ended. I generally like this kind of story that spans a longer period of time where you get to see the characters develop and grow via the passage of time. I liked the themes of female mentorship and friendship and changes that we don't anticipate.
JULY 2018
The Last Time I Lied (BOTM / Amazon) // Super quick, page turner, and super enjoyable. Put aside anything that seems "not quit right" (I had some questions - ha) and just enjoy it for the fun read that it is. Something In The Water // I was definitely into this one and devoured it quickly over the last couple of days. The story was all over the place + you might have to suspend disbelief at some points, but still enjoyable. I thought a lot about "unreliable" narrators as I was reading this one and I really did want to know how it was all going to end (was she just not very smart, unreliable, or some strange combination of both - ha). If you enjoy disliking the main character you might like this one (someone mentioned that on an Amazon review and it totally resonated for me). The Outsider // I haven't read a lot of Stephen King over the years but I decided to try this new one out (his book "On Writing" is one of the best books about writing generally that I have read) just for some variety in my reading. I worried that it would be way too scary (it wasn't) and there were moments/parts where I was totally into it and others when I wasn't and felt like I was slogging along. I did feel like I had to push myself through to the end and kept waiting for there to be some additional, satisfying twist (there isn't). Solid read.
The Glass Castle // I started this one and am about 1/2 way through.
AUGUST 2018
The Glass Castle // Finished this one (I had read about 1/2 of it in July). A hard but important memoir about growing up with very unconventional/dysfunctional parents and the resiliency of children. China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems // Finished these two quickly for my book club (we read Crazy Rich Asians last month). This series isn't the kind of book I'm generally drawn to but I did want to know how it all ended and wanted to be able to chat with my friends about it at our book club dinner. I think these would be great vacation reads or for a time when you wanted something that wasn't complicated. Brave Love: Making Space For You To Be You by Lisa Leonard (coming June 2019 - preorder available on Amazon) // I was given early access to this book from the publisher with an invitation to write an endorsement. I've known Lisa for many years and was honored that she would give me the opportunity to read her book. I loved reading her story which was so much about allowing ourselves permission to be who we truly are - embracing all of it.
You can also see everything I read in 2017 here.
October 2, 2018
December Daily® 2018 | Product Play Workshop Open For Registration
Happy Tuesday! I'm excited to let you know that registration is now open for December Daily® Product Play 2. More details below as well as details about the classic Storytelling With December Daily® workshop that is available as a self-paced class (it's open year-round now for anyone to take at any time). If this is your first year participating in December Daily® I highly recommend Storytelling With December Daily® as it is really the core workshop for this project.
As always I'll be sharing my foundation pages and my completed pages here on my blog for the actual stories I'll be telling this year. I'll begin sharing my foundation pages (my starting point for this project) in late October.
DECEMBER DAILY® PRODUCT PLAY 2Last year I offered a brand new workshop for December Daily® called Product Play (that workshop is still available if you'd like ideas on working with stars, hearts, and circles).
For 2018 I've created all new content for December Daily® Product 2.
In this 3-week workshop - starting November 6th - we will take a closer look at playing with three specific shapes in December Daily® documentation: trees, titles/type, and tags. There are so many different ways you can creatively play with these kinds of products/shapes in your project to compliment your stories. We'll also be talking about the specific design concepts that go into working with these shapes/topcis which will be useful for you in any projects going forward. I'll be using products from this year's December Daily® collection (including some digital products) but the specific products are not required. As always I'll be coming at this with storytelling and simple design at the forefront.
COST: $20.00
REGISTRATION: Open now. First delivery of class content will be on Tuesday, November 6th.
INCLUDES: Digital package
Contributors to the workshop this year include the following Creative Team Members:
Laura Wonsik
Jen Carlson
Lisa Varshine
Ingunn Markiewicz
Amy Grethen
Pam Baldwin
Storytelling With December Daily® is definitely the class to take if you are really looking for a deep-dive into getting to
the heart of the matter with this project. If you haven't taken this workshop I highly recommend it as a way to really think through how you might want to approach this project and the stories that are most important to you. I put my whole heart and experience into putting this workshop together that first ran in 2015 and I'm happy to bring it back again as a self-paced workshop (same content as the previous versions of this workshop).
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Past Perspective: what's worked and not worked for me in past December Daily® projects
Specific story ideas for seasonal storytelling that can be incorporated into your own album
Photo ideas (because photos are often story sparks)
Favorite techniques for including stories in my December Daily® albums (including digital, interactive, etc)
Encouragement and inspiration for creating your own personal process that is workable for you
COST: $15.00
REGISTRATION: Open now. This class will be offered as a self-paced experience which means when you purchase the class all the content will be immediately available to you.
INCLUDES: Digital package that includes PNG and cut files.
NOTES: Albums included in the video walk-throughs in this workshop include all my albums through 2015. You can view a walkthrough of 2016 here. I will also film a walkthrough of my 2017 album and share it here on my blog sometime in the next couple of months.
I'm so looking forward to seeing you guys in these classrooms this year! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my passion with you.
October 1, 2018
Ideas For Making Things Less Complicated In Memory Keeping
Recently one of our community members Kin Jal posted a thread in the Craft The Story™ Facebook Group talking about her response to some thoughts I had in the Learn Story Classroom challenging subscribers to take a closer look at the ways we overcomplicate memory keeping and figuring out which parts are overwhelming your own process.
I thought her list was really interesting and thorough and I asked if I could use it for a blog post. Today I'm sharing the things on her list along with some thoughts/commentary from me that include ideas, suggestions, and commiseration (because the struggle can be so very real).
Before you read further I want you to keep in mind that my responses are fueled by my own experience which might be totally different than yours. We are all in different seasons, different life situations (family, financial, employment, etc), and in the end we are all trying to make it work with what we have right in front of us. I think it's also important to recognize that my ideas are just that - they aren't a prescription and they don't mean that I have all the answers (no way + how boring that would be). People approach memory keeping from a variety of different angles and what works awesome for me - or be important to me - might not be the same for you and that's totally okay.
I also think it's super important to recognize seasons of life in respect to memory keeping. Just because you've been doing something one way for years doesn't mean a new approach isn't worth your time. And something you might have tried a few years back that didn't work just right might be exactly what you need to try today.
As you read I also want to invite you to specifically identify your own memory keeping challenges which can totally help you figure out your own enough (or develop systems to simplify).
KIN JAL : I over-complicate by:
KJ 01 : Not knowing or being able to see the "end" at the beginning. For example, I want a single consistent home for my stories but I can't easily print 6x8 photos or pages at home which makes things like December Daily, WITL, and the story kit digital pages I sometimes make much harder to work on or "complete". I don't know how or when I will get them off my computer or how I should store them consistently on the computer/backup etc until this date.
AE | There was a point in my own personal memory keeping journey where I let the idea of a single, consistent home for my stories go and started focusing more on just getting stories told vs. worrying about where they were going to end up. I think part of that for me was starting to think of the albums themselves simply as "holding places" vs. my albums reading as if they were a book (at least this is the case for my annual 12x12 albums). Does that make any sense? They are the containers vs. the consistency. The consistency I want is in the storytelling - in taking time and making that piece a priority.
Not being able to print at home does make it more challenging when you can't complete a project on demand (and creates that need for more organization). If I was working within a budget the first thing I would do is spend money on a home printer (you can see my current printers here). Having the flexibility to print on demand is a huge part of how I get any of my projects done. It would be a completely different experience for me if I wasn't able to print at home.
One thing you could consider is using your album to hold the pieces of the stories you plan to use with the 6x8 photos. That way at least you would be keeping it all together for when your prints arrive.
KJ 02 : Storage space; I live in a small (720sq flat) with my husband and 12 week baby and I already have so many projects and albums on the bookshelf. I want to make more (and I have a lot of "stuff" that needs using up) but I also worry about the long-term storage aspect. Digital albums are thinner but I feel like I'm creating a lot more...stuff to dust, look after, clean.
AE | First off, congratulations on your baby! That is a huge, amazing life change and you are just getting started on that journey. I also love that you have a lot of pre-baby projects on your shelf - you will never regret having those stories from before you were a Mom.
A couple thoughts:
(1) Storage is a very real issue. Do you have any opportunity for any kind of longer term storage? One idea I had while I was reading this is could you box up some of your pre-baby projects and put them somewhere where you have less access to them? I have some of my past projects stored in tubs out of the way which has freed up space to hold newer projects - I realize this might not be an option for you at all, but it might be for someone else who is reading.
(2) Even though I do have a home office, I am very conscious of the amount of products I keep here. These days I store more albums than products.
(3) Also, do what you love. Everyone has something (or lots of things) that are less than perfect in our lives. One thing I think many women (and some men for sure) deal with is the idea of taking up "space" in their lives. It's okay for you to take up space doing something you love. It's okay for you to not have an answer about what will happen to the albums/projects in the future. It's okay for you to complete some projects and not complete others.
What I recommend is getting really clear that you are doing projects that you actually love vs. doing it just because other people are doing it. By identifying the projects that really bring you joy that might help you narrow down what you want to do. If this wasn't my job I might just do two projects a year: Week In The Life™ + December Daily®. What I love about both is the they are a specific time (meaning not an ongoing project) and they have a beginning and an end. I might also consider doing Project Life® every other year or once every couple of years.
If you really want to do "all the things" than you have to have a strategy and a way to make it manageable for yourself - especially with a little baby. Maybe for you right now doing one on-going project is more meaningful than doing other time-based projects.
KJ 03 : Chronological scrapbooking. There are years I need to finish before I feel I can start on the current. I do really try not to feel "behind" but it still feels hard.
AE | This is honestly something I don't worry about at all. Basically ZERO. Some years I have more, some years I have less. Some years I've finished Project Life® and other years I haven't (I generally like to finish them but sometimes it is what it is). I figure that whatever I'm doing will be enough. It's not about capturing every single little story - it's about capturing stories that actually matter to you.
I would highly recommend starting with right now. Don't worry about the past stories. They will likely pop up from time to time and you can tell them when they do. Scrapbooking does not have to be linear - you don't have to tell stories in a linear manner for them to be meaningful. With my Story Kits™ I sometimes tell stories from the past because that feels like it's the most meaningful for the theme.
As I'm responding to your questions I'm thinking about how much "letting go" lessons we can learn via memory keeping. Letting go of perfection, letting go of needing things to be black & white, letting go of worrying about what everyone else is doing, etc.
KJ 04 : Organisation. When I have a few minutes here and there, I feel I "should" use it on organising my digital kits, culling my photos so that it's easier next time I have time. But I never have enough time to make a dent, which brings me to the next point;
AE | One of the pieces of my process that helps me not spend a lot of time on photo management is that my photos are auto-uploaded from my phone to my PhotoStream library. I spend zero time organizing my photos. I don't tag anything. I have two folders per month - one that comes from my DSLR uploads and one that is my PhotoStream photos from my phone. I do have other folders for work related projects but those are the main two I have for each month. I could simplify it even more and just have one but I still like seeing which were taken with my DSLR and which were taken with my phone.
The only time I go into my photos is when I'm printing them. These days that's usually when I print photos for my stories in the Story Classroom and one or two other times a month when I print up a bunch for Project Life®. Other than that I really don't even go into there at all.
Remember that your photos are essentially a supply. You need to be the boss of those photos vs. letting them control your time. Also consider that if you are feeling like you need to organize your photos or your digital supplies all the time maybe you simply have too many.
KJ 05 : Consuming, not creating. I feel the intake of photos especially with digital pictures and how each variation of the same shot gets uploaded instantly to my manager before I even delete it, is hard. And backups and digital kits pilling up on my hard drive.
AE | I store all my photos + digital products on an external hard-drive so that it isn't using my main system. Depending on what photo management program you use you should be able to google how to store your photos + media to an external drive. You can get a 1 or 2TB external hard-drive for a lot less than it used to be. For many years I used LaCie external drives. Aaron takes care of all that stuff for me now so I don't even know what I have beyond knowing that I still backup to an external drive as well as store all my media on another external drive (and backup through CrashPlan). I also regularly delete movies - mine are work related - after I have finished a project. Those files tend to take up the most space for me.
Another suggestion: take less photos. To some people this might sound really crazy but, trust me, you don't need 10 photos of anything that are basically the exact same image. You just don't. So rather than running into those photos when you get on your computer, don't take that many in the first place. This, as with anything else, is a practice. Sometimes we go into auto-pilot when we pick up our phones or cameras and take way too many photos simply because we can. Remember when each one of those shots had a $ attached to it when everything was film? Imagine if all the photos we take now still had that $ sign attached? In a way there is a price for all those photos - it's called overwhelm. Try a little bit of mindfulness when it comes to taking photos next time and see if that impacts the number you are taking + if it impacts the amount of time you are spending down the line.
Remember that stories don't require perfect pictures. Remember that often even what we see with our eyes is really hard to actually capture with our camera.
KJ 06 : Overwhelm of stories - I have so many I want to tell, each story prompt opens up so many thoughts. Which should I tell? How should I tell it; just words or a new technique? How long should I spend, should my goal be to tell as many, or tell some that are 'better' quality?
AE | One thing I encourage people to do is adopt a long term memory keeping mindset. There is absolutely no way to tell all the stories and there are hundreds of ways to tell any given story. Over your lifetime, if this is one of your passions, you will likely tell a whole lot of stories in a whole lot of different ways. Some will be short and some will be long and some will be awesome and some will not be awesome and some will happen really fast + easy and others you might struggle for years to tell. This is all normal.
Over the years I have learned that the more I tell my stories the more I trust myself + allow myself to tell stories in whatever way it ends up. So much about this is trusting yourself and trusting the voice - whether it's visual or written.
What if you committed to just one or two stories using the Story Kit per month? They might simply be the first ones that come to mind. This is essentially what I do each month - tell three stories using the kit/stamp and then use it to complete one Project Life® spread. I go with the stories that "feel" good to me on the day I've set aside to get the projects done. For me having a deadline eliminates the going back and forth with "is this the right story" or "is this the best story" or any other questions like that. There will always be more. Just about every time I work on my projects that go along with the theme I'll think of others I could tell. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't (for me it's usually because I'm already moving on to the next project).
Remember, it's just memory keeping. Whatever you pieces of your story you choose to tell is awesome.
KJ 07 : Guilt of spending this spare time on scrapbooking and not on the house, kid, etc
AE | Letting go of any sort of guilt related to memory keeping will be one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. In no way am I advocating for neglecting the other responsibilities of your life, but please make sure you are actually living your life (not just going through the motions). One of the ways I am truly alive in my life is when I'm memory keeping. You have to make time for the stuff that truly matters to you. A happy Mom is one who gets to cultivate her passions. Again, that doesn't mean that you stop taking care of the people you live and the place you live. It might mean adjusting expectations about quality time and, to be honest, cleanliness (totally going to be different for different people - I like picked up counters way more than I care about sweeping the floors every day).
With a new baby in the house you are in a major time of transition. Give yourself grace daily for just getting up in the morning and feeding your baby. If you tell one story a month that would be awesome.
You might also find it helpful to create a values list with your spouse. What are the things that are the core values of your family? Is cleanliness a core value? Is happiness (and what does that look like for each of you)? Is education or faith or sports or memory keeping or manners or
Also, I can't write anything about this topic without referring you to check out Jessica Turner's books The Fringe Hours or Stretched Too Thin (geared towards working moms but has lots of good ideas and thoughts for all women). Both are really great at encouraging you to consider how you actually use your time during the day and making time for the things that actually matter.
KJ 08 : "Making a mess" : if I only have ten minutes then taking a lot of things out on our one table and not having the time to put it back again...
AE | Maybe rather than thinking about making a mess when you only have 10 minutes are there other tasks you can do when you have 10 minutes that are necessary for your process? When I have 10 minutes I often clean off my desk or print a couple photos (again it gets back to printing at home) or make a list or journal on a Project Life® card. What are smaller tasks you can do in those little pockets of time that will help you move forward?
Another idea - what about an under-the-bed storage box that could act as your "project in progress" space (no idea if you have space under your bed)? Or a tray that holds whatever you are working on that could be placed in a different location when you want to move it off your table?
KJ 09 : Deciding which project to work on, and what is "enough?" I love Project Life, OLW, WITL, December Daily, 30 days of thankful and I also daily journal, daily gratitude, p365 (7 years), 1sec a day (3 years)...that's a lot, before I even look at the story classroom. I want to do all of these projects especially because I love how not having a "gap" makes the years stack up nicely and learning things between each year, how life changes is amazing. But I can't realistically do all of these projects for all of the rest of my life. At some point I have to make peace with only doing one or two.
AE | This is totally one of those things that each one of us has to decide for ourselves - and in different seasons of your life you'll have more and less space/interest/motivation/time/etc. Which one brings you the most joy? You are already doing SO MUCH daily (journal, gratitude, photo, video) - seriously, that is so much every day. One thing I would remind you is that you don't have to do things daily in order to see life changing from year to year. I see that just in my Week In The Life™ and December Daily® projects. For those of you who've never checked out my Establishing Your Own Enough In Memory Keeping post here's a link to that.
I totally get not wanting to have gaps but the longer I live as a memory keeper the more I understand that life is full of gaps. Ha. But seriously, gaps in relationships, gaps in work, gaps in hobbies, gaps in vacations - it's super normal.
I think that our own "enough" is going to be different in different seasons and different times in our lives. What's enough when you have a 12 week old baby is likely different then when you have teenagers (and for different people even those two seasons might be reversed). Own where you are at and adapt to that season.
September 29, 2018
December Daily® 2018 | Order Selection Period Ending September 30th
Hey Friends!
Just a quick reminder that the December Daily® 2018 Order Period is ending this Sunday, September 30th at 11:59pm Eastern.
After that the December Daily® items will move to my shop and regular shipping rates will apply.
We anticipate boxes to begin shipping in early October.
Thank you again for your support and I can't wait to start telling stories with you this holiday season.
