Ali Edwards's Blog, page 142
August 25, 2018
Project Life® 2017 | Week Thirty-Seven
Here's that missing 2017 Project Life® spread that I talked about in the video recently.
So now I'm officially done. For real.
Here's a look at Week 37:
For this spread I used cards from the Seasons Of Fall Journal Card Set.
My simple design formula for my 4x6 photos includes using the 1/2 circle paper pad from the Travel Collection Main Kit (2018) + Deschutes Crafters Ink + See & Stamp Transparent Alphabet.
Embracing the words that don't really fit with some messy stamping.
I used my Brother Sewing Machine to stitch the 1/2 circles onto my photos.
Cut those label stickers in half (or less than half) and use them on more than one title card.
I used a couple of the oval shapes from the September Stories By The Month™ Chipboard Set on two of the 3x4 photos.
Remember, not all spreads need to have a ton of words. Bring on the balance and bring on the ability to finish up your projects.
SUPPLIESDesign A Project Life® Page Protectors StazOn Ink Rolling Date Stamp Epson PictureMate PM400 Printer Seasons Of Fall Journal Card SetDeschutes Crafters Ink (navy blue)See + Stamp Transparent Alpha StampsBrother Sewing MachineGold ThreadStories By The Month™ September 2018Travel Collection Main Kit 2018
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
August 24, 2018
A Look At My Completed 2017 Project Life® Albums
Project Life® 2017 is complete.
I've been working my way through, slowly but surely, and I'm feeling super satisfied to have it all done. Thinking I might go back in to 2016 and complete spreads from that year next (I have at least through May completed in those two albums).
Actually, as you will see in the video, I thought I was totally done with 2017 until I filmed this video and I found one more spread that needed to be done. Ha. I'll share that one with you soon.
My 2017 Project Life® fit into 2, 12x12 albums. You can check out my post showing a video walkthrough of the first 1/2 here (January through June).
Here's a look at July through December 2017:
2017 observations:
Simple for the win. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.
As always, it's the sum of all the parts that I love the most vs. any individual spreads. This helps me so much as I work through the weeks and helps to keep perfectionism at bay.
Loving using my Story Kits™ in Project Life®. Each month in the classroom I share at least one spread that I have completed using products from the kit. I still love this kind of storytelling. I love having a home for many of my everyday life photos.
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
August 22, 2018
Project Life® 2017 | Week Fifty-One
Today I'm celebrating the completion of my 2017 Project Life® album.
High fives all around.
I'll be doing a video overview of the second half of 2017 soon so you can see it all together. You can see a video overview of the first half of 2017 here.
Here's a look at Week 51 from 2017:
For this spread I used some of the cards from last year's December Daily® kit and the December Daily® Word/Phrase Sticker Bundle that I didn't use in my album. That kit is sold out but we do have a digital version of it available here. New December Daily® products for 2018 will be released in early September.
The design formula I followed for this spread was to add three December Daily® Word/Phrase Stickers (digital version still available) to each of my photos + a December Daily® Chipboard Star.
You can read more about how I like to create and follow simple design formulas here.
For my title/date card I added a December Daily® Label Sticker to a pattern card from the Best Story Kit™.
Most of you know that I tell a lot of stories (one per day) from December 1 through December 25 in my December Daily® album. I loved coming back to this week in Project Life® and finally getting it done even with super simple storytelling.
I so love that photo.
PROCESS VIDEO
Here's a look at how this spread came together:
Design A Project Life® Page Protectors
StazOn Ink
Rolling Date Stamp
Epson PictureMate PM400 Printer
December Daily® Main Kit 2017 (digital version of the cards here)
December Daily® Word/Phrase Sticker Bundle (digital version here)
December Daily® Label Sticker Sheet Bundle
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
August 21, 2018
December Daily® 2018 | Schedule
It's that time of year around here where we get ready to share with you all the fun products we've created for December Daily®.
As in the past years we will be offering an Order Selection Period using a box-ordering system. Products will go live on September 6th and you will be able to add products to your box until September 30th. We are making changes to the way the products are organized this year so that will look different and we will be showing you more about that before the pages are live. Our hope is that this will make for a more seamless shopping experience.
We are so excited to embark on this project again with you this year and to share our expanded product line designed to support you in telling your December stories.
Here's a look at the schedule of events, releases, etc:
Wednesday, August 29th | Facebook Live at 7am Pacific on my main Ali Edwards Design FB page. During this Facebook Live I'll be showing a look at some of the new products. The video will be shared via YouTube as well after the live broadcast and posted here to my blog for those of you who don't do Facebook. New This Year: the new December Daily® Planner and the updated December Daily® Journal will go on sale on this day and ship immediately. More details about these during the Facebook Live.
Wednesday, September 5th | Blog post here that shows you the contents of the kits and video walk-throughs before they go live on the 6th.
Thursday, September 6th | December Daily® Order Selection Period begins. More details to come about how this works and the changes we have made to the actual shopping pages. Products are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited.
Tuesday, October 2nd | December Daily® Product Play workshop registration opens. All new content with three new themes for this year focusing on tags, trees, and words. You can check out last year's workshop here where we focused on hearts, stars, and circles. This workshop is still open if you are wanting even more inspiration (products used in last year's workshop include products that were available in 2017 but the ideas within the workshop are pretty universal).
Wednesday, October 10th | December Life Collection available. Think gift tags, tshirts, gift bags, ornaments, etc.
Friday, October 19th | December Daily® Digitals available.
Wednesday + Thursday, November 8th + 9th | December Daily® Prep Party here in our hometown of Eugene, Oregon. You are invited and space is still available! More details here.
Tuesday, November 6th | December Daily® Product Play workshop begins.
Saturday, December 1st | Start documenting your December.
I will be sharing my foundation pages sometime in late October/early November just like I have in past years and will be sharing my daily stories here in my blog throughout December.
As always, thank you for being a part of this awesome community of memory keepers!
August 20, 2018
Seattle Adventure | August 2018
Last week Anna, Simon and I traveled up to Seattle so that Anna could perform with the Junior SeaGals at CenturyLink Field during one of the Seahawks pre-season games.
This was Anna's third time participating in this summer camp and my first time taking her to the game. This is usually a special event for Chris & Tiffany to go with her but their schedules didn't line up this year and mine did so I took a turn and I'm seriously so glad I did. It was such a fun adventure.
With our blended family sometimes it can be challenging to figure out who is going where and when. As you can imagine, it’s expensive to take everyone especially if flying is involved. Breaking trips up into experiences for one or two or three kids seems to work well (Aaron even made a spread sheet to keep track of who has gone where and when and who is up next for an adventure).
It's been awhile since Simon and Anna and I traveled on our own and it was such a great reminder of how much I love traveling with them.
Elise made a comment on one of my Instagram photos during this trip that went something like this, "I can't imagine the day when my children are just my casual travel companions." My response was that "it is the best and worth the wait."
These two at 9 and 16 are fantastic travelers. They are excited to go and have generally decent stamina. Simon's ability to be flexible and patient has grown in leaps and bounds.
Anna's currently reading My Life In Smiley and Simon's reading Last Shot (a Star Wars novel about Han + Lando). His shirt was a gift from Aaron's sister Lindi.
Most of the time when we visit Seattle we drive. It's a 5-hour car trip (sometimes longer depending on traffic) but since the kids had just come back from a week in the San Juans with Chris & Tiffany I had decided to mix it up and fly up there. From Eugene it's a super quick 1-hour flight and we were able to easily take Uber to our hotel downtown from SeaTac.
It was such a great reminder that you don't have to always go really far away to feel like you "got away."
For this trip I booked a room at the Embassy Suites Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square knowing that it would be close to CenturyLink Field. It ended up being right next door which made everything really easy when we needed to walk Anna over for practice and then for getting to the game itself.
The view wasn't bad either.
Anna's wearing a unicorn sweatshirt overall with hood from H&M that she would wear every day if she could.
You can see the stadium reflected in the windows of the building next door.
During our first morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then Simon did some reading and Anna did some swimming before her practice began.
After hanging out it was time to get Anna dressed for her practice. They needed to wear their full outfits for this practice because they had their photos taken. She was so excited to be doing this again. She loves dancing and performing.
And she was really excited because she got to wear a little bit of makeup.
After she was all ready we walked around the block to the field for the check-in process. Tiffany had brought her up to Seattle last month for the initial practice weekend where they learned their dances.
As with all travel, there's almost always some waiting involved.
Simon carried his book with him everywhere. He can even read while riding in the car which is a total "no" for me because I get carsick.
She wasn't excited at all.
One of my favorite memories from this time during the trip was when she was standing in line with all the other girls in her age group and she was texting me while I was standing with other parents who were waiting for the main group photo before leaving (probably about 10 feet apart). They were lining all the girls up by height and I was telling her via text that she was shorter than the girl next to her and that she should switch places.
So she sent me a photo of me texting her.
Screenshots are so fun. She is so fun.
After they had their group photo taken I gave her a big hug and Simon and I were outta there.
While Anna was practicing for the big performance Simon and I visited MoPop - the Museum Of Pop Culture. This was our first time visiting this museum and it was so cool. They had a Marvel exhibit going on along with a Fantasy: Worlds Of Myth + Magic (included some Harry Potter stuff) and Infinite Worlds Of Science Fiction (probably his favorite that had a bunch of artifacts from movies).
After we Ubered (love that it's now a verb) back to pick up Anna we met up with some friends for dinner at Ivar's down on the waterfront. Love catching up and love that they got to meet Simon and Anna.
This is what is so great about traveling with Simon. There is joy around every corner.
After dinner the one things the kids really wanted to do was go up to the top of the Space Needle. They have been up there a couple times before but it's changed quite a bit since the last time with a whole lot more glass - both along the outside edge and even on the floor in a section they are now calling the Loupe (used to be the restaurant). The kids were all over the glass floor. Me, less so. Ha.
As always, Seattle is beautiful.
Growing up south of Seattle in Federal Way, I always loved coming up to the city with my parents. Moving away after high school it's always been all the different views of the water that I miss.
These guys were totally into the glass benches that tip back towards the glass. I preferred to stay closer to the inside edge.
The next day was game day and we followed a similar chill routine in the morning before the afternoon/evening activities.
That's also totally one of the things I like about traveling with these two - we share the same pace. Our pacing is slow and relaxed generally. We don't like to be in a hurry and we like to be early in order to avoid being in a hurry. Hmmm, wonder where they got that from?
After dropping Anna off - she had to be at the stadium at 1pm for a 7pm game time start - Simon and I did a workout together. He's working on his Physical Fitness Merit Badge for Boy Scouts so I did the workout he and Chris set up together with him in the gym at the hotel. I love his commitment. Boy Scouts has been a truly great experience for him.
Love this dude.
We got to the field when the doors opened around 5pm and started to make our way up to our seats. The seats came as part of the SeaGals camp package and ended up being way up top. It's great for the city view but not great for seeing anyone you know on the field. It was also really sunny in our seats when we first go there so Simon and I got a snack and sat down out by the food vendors to wait because it was too hot. Simon read for a bit and then got tired and laid down to take a nap. He definitely got his ability to take a nap anywhere from me. It didn't last long before a security person came by and said he couldn't lay there and by that time it wasn't as hot in our seats.
The view. I'll take it.
It was super fun to be here for the Seahawks game. The last time I was at a game was when they played at the Kingdom which was imploded (literally) back in 2000.
I've been to two previous events at CenturyLink Field: I saw U2 there with Chris and then took Anna to see Taylor Swift a couple years ago (where she also fell asleep on our chairs part way through the concert - it's a thing with my kids).
Layout from the Spark Story Classroom telling the story of our adventure to see Taylor Swift at CenturyLink Field.
Half-time finally came around and all the girls (so many) who were participating in the camp came out onto the field to perform their dance routines. We weren't sure exactly where Anna was on the field so I started just watching the jumbotron and I told Simon to do the same and to try to take a photo if he saw her up on the big screen.
All of a sudden there she was. And we cheered really loud and took as many photos as we could.
After halftime we had to pick her up so we decided to head out after that and go back to the hotel to hang out.
As you can see, they were pretty done with the day.
What's awesome about this is that their attitudes weren't bad at all, they were just legit tired.
I love them.
The next morning our pace was leisurely once again with some screen time and reading time before heading to the airport to fly home.
This will always be one of my favorite sights.
Making sure to get myself in the story I set my phone on a table next to us and turned on the self-timer and hustled back to take a sip of coffee.
Paolo was working on the day we flew home so we got a few minutes to chat.
Looking at this photo totally takes me back to a very little Simon flying for the first time with Chris to meet me in Florida in 2006. I remember talking to Chris on the phone and him telling me how great Simon had done on his first flight and how that was the first of many adventures to come with him on airplanes.
I love that he loves to just go. I love his sense of adventure and his desire to see the world and I want to keep cultivating that for him and for all the kids.
Love these two so much and I'm so thankful to get to be their Mom and to get to experience life with them.
Looking forward to another adventure coming up this December when Katie and I take Simon and Elliott to New York City for Simon's 16 year old trip (he turned 16 in January). Simon's been talking about going to NYC forever to visit some of the iconic places he's seen in movies. Initially I'm planning on figuring out how to tell December Daily® stories while traveling once again. You might remember I took a trip to New York City in early December back in 2012 when I created a 4x6 December Daily® album. That was the first trip Aaron and I took together not long after we met and I worked on that album while we were traveling. I'll share more about my plans for that as we get closer to the holidays - it will likely play into how I set up my Foundation Pages in advance.
Here's to get aways that aren't far away and for making time.
August 17, 2018
Project Life® 2017 | Week Forty-Four
Going back in time to last year because I have just two spreads left to complete for my 2017 Project Life® album.
Seriously, that makes me so darn happy.
Today I'm sharing Week 44 - which was the week of Halloween - and I hope to share my final week (which happens to be the week before Christmas) soon.
This post includes a video overview of my process below.
Here's a look at Week 44 (2017):
In this spread I mainly used products from the
Season Of Fall Journal Card set. These were released last year and we do still have some available in the shop at the time I'm posting this.
In addition to the
Season Of Fall Journal Card set I also copied and pasted text from photos I posted to Instagram and printed them on photo paper (the white writing on black backgrounds). I still love using Instagram as a holding place for my stories.
This week included two different shapes in the 3x4 pockets (from the week before and the week after). I cut the lined 4x6 journal card to cover the back of the heart and the back of the circle and used those as homes from some additional words.
For my title card I paired the leaf pattern journal card with one of the gold foil "the story" tags that were part of the December Daily® product release last year. I cut the tag down to just use the top portion to hold the dates of this spread. I added a small piece of large yellow ribbon through the hole.
If you like that leaf pattern I also have a really fun stamp set that allows you to create a similar pattern yourself: Time For Leaves 4x6.
Under a couple of the black/white journaling strips I added puffy heart stickers (from past Story Kit™/Story Stamp™ add ons). On top of the soccer photo I used a Sharpie White Paint Pen to add my words.
PROCESS VIDEO
Here's a look at how this spread came together:
SUPPLIESDesign A Project Life® Page Protectors StazOn Ink Rolling Date Stamp Season Of Fall Journal Card Set Epson PictureMate PM400 Printer Sharpie White Paint Pen Past Story Kit™ products
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
August 15, 2018
Thinking About The Ways We Evolve
Remember when I used to “just write” more in this space?
I do.
For those of you who have been around for years - maybe even back to the beginning in 2004 - thank you for still being here. Things - so many things - are obviously very different from when I first started this blog. Think of all the things in your own life that have happened over the last 14 years: children, work, family, health, etc.
Fourteen years.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ways we evolve: personally, professionally, emotionally, spiritually, etc.
I know there are some of you out there who wish this space still contained the same kind of story-sharing as it used to in past years. To be honest, there are times I really miss it and times I have no idea what to say and times when it’s the last thing I want to do. I have drafts here on my computer of posts I’ve started and abandoned for one reason or another over the years.
These days I do most of my story sharing via Instagram. I like it over there. I like the visual nature and I think it’s felt like the right place for me for a number of years to share more personal pieces of my story (and to then copy + paste my words into many of the projects I create). This blog space has become more of an archive of past posts along with current posts about projects and the products that support those products - the business piece of my life. That’s simply been the evolution of my business. I know it's not the same as it was before and I know some of you wish that was different.
I still tell my stories on layouts and I still do projects and I still document my life and the lives of people in my family in a variety of projects very regularly. I share December Daily® and Week In The Life™ and Day In The Life™ and Project Life® spreads here and tell many other stories within the Story Subscription and within the One Little Word® classroom content each month. I also do a whole lot more design work and focus on a steady stream of content creation for workshops and take care of the business part of the business. All of that has been an evolution of the way my business has grown and changed over the years.
A lot of times we want things to stay the same. We may even beg for them to remain the same - man, I have been there. Most of the time though, it’s not in the cards no matter how much we want it. Things change and grow and end and stagnate and then there are new beginnings. Sometimes it’s easy and other times it’s super hard.
So why am I writing about this now?
I think I’m writing it about it now becuase I’ve been thinking a lot about writing for the sake of writing and I've been taking a good hard look at a bunch of "spaces" in my life as part of my journey with my One Little Word® for 2018.
My life does look different now. My family has expanded and there are more things to consider than there was back in the beginning. How do I tell these stories? Which pieces are mine to tell? So maybe it will be baby steps.
I guess what I want you to know is that I get it. If you have missed a more personal connection in this space, I understand. And thank you. Thank you for being a part of this space for how ever long you have been here. Thank you for giving me space to figure this (all whatever “this” is) out as I go along. It’s how we grow and evolve. Thank you for sticking around.
Sometimes it’s simply time to start again.
Download a word art PNG freebie here.
August 13, 2018
Light Story Kit™ + September Stories By The Month™
In the
Story Classroom this month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of Light.
Here are a few thoughts about this particular theme:
Ah, light. So much love for light. It’s what gives us the gift of being able to see as it literally makes things visible. This month we are telling stories about the ways in which light works in our lives and all the different story paths that go along with that one word and it’s various meanings. You’re invited.
Initial story ideas for the Light theme include:
As memory keepers most of us love capturing the images of our lives via the lens of our camera. Tell a story about the way light impacts your images or about how you have become more aware of the quality of light in your life.
When was the last time someone told you to lighten up? Are you serious or silly or a combination of both?
Tell a story about how you or someone you love shines their own light brightly.
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 Light:
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 Light 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:
STORY STAMP™
The Light 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:
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 Light:
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.
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 September:
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.
August 11, 2018
AE Creative Team | Adventure Digital Story Kit™
Happy Saturday!
We're so happy to share the projects created by our awesome Creative Team using the Adventure Digital Story Kit™. Tomorrow (8/12/18) is the last day to start a subscription to receive this current theme. A big thank you to our awesome team for sharing the stories of their lives and crafting it so beautifully!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
August 5, 2018
Project Life® 2018 | Week Fourteen
This is the seventh and final post in a series where I'm sharing six
Project Life® spreads + a video overview I put together last week using simple design formula ideas.
You can see an overview video of this spread along with five others using this concept here.
Here's a look at Week Fourteen:
For this week I used a super simple treatment on each of my 4x6 photos - I just added a white with black type chipboard piece to the center of each photo (from the Summer Chipboard Shape Variety Pack - released last year). Again, don't make it more complicated than it needs to be - sometimes just one sticker can be a simple unifier for the spread.
Journaling for this week came directly from a couple Instagram posts during this time period. I just copy and paste those words and print them on photo paper (fill the canvas to black and adjust the type to white). On the top of both those journal cards I added a small chipboard circle.
You also might notice that I didn't have the actual "each day of the week" white chipboard piece because I had already used Tuesday and Sunday. Rather than just let those chipboard stickers sit there I decided to add the ones I did have left and just use a couple sentiments for my Tuesday and Sunday photos.
The "family gathering" journal card is from the April Stories By The Month™ kit.
SUPPLIESDesign A Project Life® Page Protectors StazOn Ink Rolling Date Stamp Past Story Kits™ Past Stories By The Month™ Epson PictureMate PM400 PrinterSummer Chipboard Shape Variety Pack (from 2017)
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
