Ali Edwards's Blog, page 154
December 5, 2017
December Daily® 2017 | Day 04
Welcome to
December Daily® 2017 | Day 04.
Today I'm telling the story of Simon coming back home and being super excited to catch up on his
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar. His enthusiasm is always contagious.
To create a home for my story today I used on the layered templates included with the
December Daily® 6x8 Layered Template Set Vol 4. Want to learn more about using digital products in paper projects? Check out my Hybrid Workshop for an awesome introduction to working with my digital projects to create layouts and projects that combine both physical and digital products.
I love the some days can be super "crafty" and others can simply focus on the words and photos. Do what works best for you and the season you are living in right now.
As a reminder, here is what I had in my album for Day 04:
And here's a look at what I ended up with for Day 04:
I used one of the layered templates included in the
December Daily® 6x8 Layered Template Set Vol. 4 to create the base of my layout. I first cropped my photo to the size of the page protectors (the outside dimensions = 6.75 x 8.25) and then adjusted the layered template in Photoshop by making the white box a bit larger and making the line a little longer to accommodate the additional width (originally the templates are sized to 6x8). I considered using the word art that was originally included with this layered template but decided to keep the focus more on the photo.
Font used for journaling is
Sentinel.
On top of the photo I added three things: (1) a large white number 4 from
this sticker sheet + a gold foil circle ("this moment") from the Main Kit + a very small red felt heart from the Main Kit.
Font size here is 9pt.
Here is the page outside the album:
DAY 04 | VIDEO OVERVIEW
SUPPLIES
December Daily® Main Kit 2017 (felt heart, gold foil circle)
Printer: Canon Pixma MG7720 (edited and cropped to size in Photoshop)
December Daily® 6x8 Layered Template Set Vol. 4
December Daily® Large Number Sticker Sheet - Set Of 2
Tiny Attacher
6-Hole Punch
SHARING FOR 2017
This year I'd love to invite you 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 blog post vs. a general blog address link.
For more inspiration on working with products for this project, check out my December Daily® Product Play workshop - registration is still open with immediate access to all the content.
December 4, 2017
December Daily® 2017 | Day 03
Welcome to December Daily® 2017 | Day 03.
Some days I have one page and some days I have more. Today I have more. My story today is about traditions and hands and the expansion of my family.
As a reminder, here is what I had in my album for Day 03:
And here's a look at what I ended up with for Day 03:
First page is the one I created for the December Daily® Product Play Workshop (this is a workshop that is still open - more details here).
I paired that heart cut out page with a 3x8 page protector to hold my story (back and front) and a full page photo of Audrey's hands with some Christmas Playmobil toys.
I added an Index Tab + a "hello weekend" stamp from Daily Words Stamp Set along the outside edge of the page protector.
Let's take a closer look at a few details:
I knew I wanted to work with a full page photo (I measure the size of the page protectors which is 6.75 inches x 8.25 inches) and add some words. I considered adding words to the photo itself as well as adding in a tag and ended up going with the 3x8 page protector because I loved the idea of adding in a punched heart at the top to maintain some transparency through to the photo (stapled into the page protector from the outside).
I loved the idea that I could place the punched vellum heart directly behind one of the hearts that I'd created for my foundation page. On top of the vellum heart I added two stickers back to back from the December Daily® Word/Phrase Sticker Bundle.
Here are the fronts and backs of the three pages outside the album:
One of the reasons why I continue to love doing some work on this album in advance of December is for days just like this. I love that the heart punched page was already done and all I had to do was pair it with a story.
Hope you are enjoying your December so far.
DAY 03 | VIDEO OVERVIEWSUPPLIES
December Daily® Main Kit 2017
Printer: Canon Pixma MG7720 (edited and cropped to size in Photoshop)
Heart PunchStar Vellum (similar)AED 3x8 Page ProtectorsDecember Daily® Word Phrase Sticker BundleTiny AttacherIndex TabsAED Daily Words Stamp SetAED Crafter's Ink: Pendleton6-Hole PunchSHARING FOR 2017
This year I'd love to invite you 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 blog post vs. a general blog address link.
For more inspiration on working with products for this project, check out my December Daily® Product Play workshop - registration is still open with immediate access to all the content.
December 3, 2017
December Daily® 2017 | Day 02
Welcome to
December Daily® 2017 | Day 02.
Today I decided to tell a short story about how December has started quietly around her (kids have been with their other parents for the last few days). I knew I probably wanted to build something on top of the large tag I used in Day 01 so I ended up creating a flip-open card that includes a photo of one of our cats and the "weekend stories" journal card from the Main Kit. More details below.
Remember, this project doesn't have to take a ton of time and you don't have to try to include everything you did on any particular day. Pick one story - it might be long or it might be short - and tell it.
Here's a look at my Day 02:
I paired a chipboard circle from the December Daily® Chipboard Bundle with one of the cork numbers from the Main Kit on the outside of the card.
As a reminder, here is what I had in my album for my
Foundation Page:
I'm loving the option to work outside the page protectors and using what is "there" for that day.
I used some of the printed masking tape to create the "flip-open" part of the card. I added strips of tape to both the outside and the inside (cutting down the star masking tape to just two strips of stars) of the cards to keep them together.
Right behind the chipboard piece I added a "love" perforated phrase to the adhesive portion that was showing through to the other side. I added my story directly to the journaling card and called it good.
December Daily® Main Kit 2017
Printer: Epson PictureMate PM400
December Daily® Masking Tape
December Daily® Chipboard Bundle
AED Precision PenSHARING FOR 2017
This year I'd love to invite you 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 blog post vs. a general blog address link.
For more inspiration on working with products for this project, check out my December Daily® Product Play workshop - registration is still open with immediate access to all the content.
December 2, 2017
December Daily® 2017 | Day 01
Welcome to December Daily® 2017 | Day 01.
I am so excited to be embarking on these daily stories once again. Really and truly. Let's do this.
Last year I started my album with a story about "paying attention" along with photos of each of the kids in a 2x2 pocket page. I loved including current photos of the kids at that time so I decided I wanted to begin this album with a photo that includes all of us along with details of our ages this year.
Here's a look at my Day 01 spread:
Today I paired a 6x8 photo of all of us with + the back of one of the gold foil tags to hold a little story.
As a reminder, here is what I had in my album for my Day 01 Foundation Page. Sometimes I only use what I had slipped in the pockets and sometimes I change things up:
Check out my overview video below to see how the page evolved from my foundation page to the end result.
I added one of the half-circles from the Main Kit + a cork #1 to the top of my 6x8 photo printed here at home using a Canon Pixma MG7720. I then ran that through my sewing machine to add the bit of red stitching along the top. Next to each person in the photo I added white number stickers from the kit + small star embellishments.
To add text to the half circle I used the December Daily® December Moments Stamp Set to create the curved text at the bottom the half circle.
Still loving the see-through lids on my inks - makes it super easy to see where you are stamping.
The second piece of my story today is the large tag that holds the story of our ages right now. I decided to use the back of one of the gold foil tags to hold the content of my story - see more below.
In the process video you'll see me make some mistakes and then some work-arounds to cover those up. My main issue today was not letting my ink dry (I should have just started with StazOn) before running it through the typewriter. No worries. I just cut out another tag and added the typewritten names first and the number stamping second.
I totally recommend cutting a new tag from white cardstock and working off that vs. working directly on the back of the gold foil tags.
Use a 6-hole punch to easily add holes to your tags. I recently got this one and have been loving it.
On top of the tag I used the numbers from the December Daily® Weekly December Stamp Set to correspond with the number stickers I added to the photo + a 3x4 pattern card + a simple chipboard circle from the Main Kit. I used a Tiny Attacher to staple the chipboard in place (I gently peeled the pattern + cardstock back in order to not have the staple go through to the other side).
Here's a look at the two pieces of today's story outside the album:
Remember, your stories don't have to be long and complicated. Think about the kinds of stories you'd like to look back on in the future and the kind of information you'd like to have easily available (like the ages of your family members). Go tell those!
DAY 01 | VIDEO OVERVIEWSUPPLIESDecember Daily® Main Kit 2017 Brother Sewing machine We R Memory Keepers Typecast Typewriter Stamps: December Daily® Weekly December Stamp Set, December Daily® December Moments Stamp Set AED Inks: Pendleton, Black Butte Printer: Canon Pixma MG7720 Tiny Attacher 6-Hole Punch Power Punch AED Precision PenSHARING FOR 2017
This year I'd love to invite you 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 blog post vs. a general blog address link.
December 1, 2017
For The Love Of Books | November 2017
This post is part of my monthly series this year called "For The Love Of Books" where I track and share what I've been reading in 2017. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see what I read in November. I'm also trying to do that on Goodreads as well if you are already into that platform. My hope is to post on or near the first of each month to share what I ended up reading last month and then share what books I'm selecting from Book Of The Month (BOTM) for the next month.
Please Note // This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Today is December 1 and that means it's time for current
BOTM subscribers to choose books from this month's selections.
This month I chose The Wife Between Us, Totally looking forward to diving into this one this weekend.
Book Of The Month Promotion: New members can get their first month for $5 using the code FIVE.
Sometimes I start a book and get part way through and set it down for one reason or another - lately it's been that I've been more excited to read something else:
Secret Garden // I think I have about 1/4 left of this one.
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind The Frantic For A Simpler, More Soulful Way Of Living // Reading this one slowly when I feel like I want/need to read the words.
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood (Kindle) // Loving this one and picking it up here and there between other books.
At Home In The World: Reflections On Belonging While Wandering The Globe // A new book from Tsh Oxenreider who runs the site The Art of Simple. This one is a memoir about her family's nine-month traveling adventures.
The Power Of Meaning: Crafting A Life That Matters // Savoring this one slowly.
Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road To Self-Love And Miracles // Reading this as part of an online workshop I'm currently taking. READ IN 2017
NOTE:
(BOTM) means the book came from the Book Of the Month Club.
JANUARY
You Will Know Me (BOTM) // First book from BOTM. Read it in a day and a half (suspense). Enjoyed.
Lucky You (BOTM) // I remember liking this one as I was reading it but to be honest I can barely remember it now. This is why I'm trying to remember to post some short thoughts on Instagram when I finish each one.
FEBRUARY
Behind Her Eyes (BOTM) // Suspense. Crazy twist. Enjoyed.
Perfect Little World (BOTM) // Vacation read. Liked the change of pace on this one (had been reading more suspense). This one was a sweet little story with topics of motherhood and family and tribes of people and how things change.
What Alice Forgot (Kindle) // Vacation read. Totally enjoyed this story and imagining what it would be like to experience memory loss in this way. Not suspense.
MARCH
The Twilight Wife // Aaron picked this one out at Target to read while we were on vacation and I read it when he was done. I thought this one was okay - probably had something to do with the fact that I read What Alice Forgot right before this one and they both deal with memory loss (this one is more suspense).
The Stranger In The Woods (BOTM) // Non-fiction. This true story about a man living in the woods of Maine for almost 30 years read like a long-form magazine article. I enjoyed the break from the fiction I've been reading.
Exit West (BOTM) // This one was a lot different from what I've been reading and I appreciated it for that. Different kind of narrator (omniscient) and subject matter (refugees). Glad I read it.
Marlena (BOTM) // Gave this one three stars on Goodreads. I'm going to go with "like" but not "love" on this one. I kinda think, after finishing it, that it might be one that will pop up in my mind as I go about my days (so maybe it should get a better review). I enjoyed the story and she used a few writing techniques that I really liked. Sometimes it felt slow and I just wanted her to get on with the story :).
Pachinko (BOTM) // Seriously loved this one and am super glad I picked it up again after putting it down before our Mexico trip. Epic generational tale of Koreans living in Japan (really loved learning more about that).
APRIL
Good As Gone (Kindle) // Definitely stayed interested and engaged with the story and wanted to know what was going to happen. As others have mentioned, the beginning felt stronger than the end. Felt like the author had a unique voice. Glad I read it. Three stars.
American War (BOTM) // This book took me longer to read than others recently and sometimes I would forget that it was a future US civil war vs. the past civil war and I wondered more than once where in the world the story was actually heading (and was it actually heading anywhere)? There were days where I felt like I was making myself read it - which I don't always don - but for some reason I wanted to keep reading. There was a certain point in this book, probably more than halfway through the story, where I realized that this was an exceptional book. I finished it today and I think it's one of the best books I've read in awhile. I found the author to be an extremely sophisticated writer/storyteller who was very purposeful and deliberate with his prose - I can't remember the last time I really felt that way about the words I was reading on the page.
Into The Water (BOTM) // A super fast, page-turning read for me. At first I felt like it was hard to keep up with all the different narrators but as I got more into it I was able to keep all the characters straight (it was one of those where I needed to keep flipping back and forth to remember who was who). Definitely enjoyed for a quick read!
MAY
Since We Fell (BOTM) // Totally enjoyed this one. Kept my interest with it's twists and definitely wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. As you might tell from most of my reviews, I'm not a super critical reader. If I like it, I like it and I liked this one.
Woman No. 17 (BOTM) // This one was a just-okay for me where I definitely felt like I was making myself finish it.
Small Great Things (Kindle) // So, so good. Hard and thought-provoking and worth it. Definitely my favorite of the month.
The Butterfly Hours: Transforming Memories Into Memoir //Picked this one up randomly at a bookstore. I'm always attracted to books about memoir writing (totally in alignment with my memory keeping endeavors) and this one really filled me up these last few weeks as I was working on some new classroom content. Patty Dann also loves to use one word jumping off points to pull stories from our memories/prompt us to tell more (similar to my 31 Things and 31 More Things workshops) so I loved checking out her writing style and reading her stories. I loved how her writing is fact based but conveys so much meaning and feeling just via the ways she chooses to construct her sentences. Quick and easy read.
JUNE
The Sisters Chase (BOTM) // Loved the story and the characters.
Chemistry (BOTM) // I really enjoyed the totally different writing style - basically it's written in snippets of thoughts/memories/etc. Being introduced to different writing styles is definitely one of the things I'm loving from reading so many books right now. I really liked the micro-story approach (a lot like what we do with memory keeping) and I also really liked the weaving of science/chemistry in with the lessons of life and love and moving forward. Super quick read.
This Is How It Always Is // Jessica Turner told me I had to read this one next so it jumped to the top of my list after I finished Chemistry. This book was amazing. Basically I feel a whole lot of love for this story. For the characters, for the message of acceptance and inclusion, for the nuances of the middle-path. Highly recommended.
JULY
Final Girls (BOTM) // Great quick mystery. Totally waned to know what happened in the end.
AUGUST
The Blinds (BOTM) // Really ended up enjoying this one.
All The Ugly And Wonderful Things (Kindle) // This is one of those ones that was recommended by quite a few people. Brutal. Honest. Challenging. Loved it.
SEPTEMBER
10% Happier // I devoured this book in just a couple sittings. Loved reading about his experience and his perspective as he learned - I laughed out loud a bunch and read passages to Aaron. Loved his honesty and his ability to change his mind about things/people he had initially been judgmental about. It was a good jumpstart for me as I'm getting started cultivating my own meditation practice.
Emma In The Night (BOTM) // Thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns and it definitely kept me interested in wanting to know what in the heck actually happened. I definitely love a good mystery and this one gave me what I wanted!
Little Fires Everywhere (BOTM) // My main criteria for enjoyment right now is basically this: do I think about the book during the day and look forward to reading it at night? That totally was the case with this story. Motherhood, art, family dynamics, love, loss - it was all there and weaved together nicely.
Braving The Wilderness // This is a timely book and a quick read and something I know I will return to again and again in terms of living in alignment with my personal values.
Sing, Unburied Sing (BOTM) // Finished this one last night. I found this one hard to get into in a good way - I'm challenged by the author's writing style in the way that I remember being challenged by important writers I read in high school and college. Her words are powerful and lyrical and I'm glad I took the time to read it.
OCTOBER
Startup // A fairly quick read. I can't remember reading another book recently that was so full of the technology of today. Definitely interesting overall but I felt like it ended quickly.
Beasts Of Extraordinary Circumstances (BOTM) // I can’t remember the last time I read a book like this - it just thoroughly delighted me. I really enjoyed her writing style - especially noticing some of her word combinations. Loved the magic, loved a bunch of the chapters, and loved the way it was told through reach of their perspectives.
What Made Maddy Run (Non-Fiction) // I first heard about this book on the "Feel Good Effect Podcast" where the author spoke about a bunch of different topics related to the heartbreaking story of the life of Madison Holleran: social media, perfectionism, college athletics, depression & anxiety, suicide, and transitions (among other things). This book totally made me think about all of those pieces in a variety of different ways. It made me think back to my own experience as a Division 1 athlete (swimming) and my transition from home to freshman year of college and how utterly exhausted I was which led me to quit after my freshman year (and how crazy my life was that first year of freedom with athletics, academics, and social stuff). It made me think about my own periods of anxiety and depression throughout my life - and mental health in general - and that very fine line between being okay and not being okay. It also really made me take a closer look at my own experience with social media and ask myself some hard questions about my own personal "whys" in terms of how our stories are told. I really enjoyed Kate Fagan's discussions regarding this topic and am interested in reading more. I think this is a super important read especially for parents and for student athletes - for awareness and compassion and a very hard look at the expectations we place on ourselves and others.
NOVEMBER
Sleeping Beauties (BOTM) // Enjoyed it. Took me a long time to get through just due to the sheer number of pages. I didn't love it but I definitely liked it and wanted to know how it was all going to shake out in the end.
The Rules Of Magic (BOTM) // Totally enjoyed this book. I hadn't read Practical Magic so the entire story was new to me (I don't feel like it mattered at all that I read this one first - I ended up reading Practical Magic after I finished this one) and I'm so glad this was my Book Of The Month pick. Reading this one made me want to read more by Alice Hoffman (this was my first).
Practical Magic // I ended up reading this one after reading The Rules Of Magic. It was interesting to read them out of the order they were written - I totally felt that The Rules Of Magic was a "stronger" book overall and I was more captivated by it. No idea if that would have been the case if I would have read them in the other order, but I'm super happy to have read both of them. If I could only read one it would be The Rules Of Magic.
Castle Of Water // I added this to my Kindle this month after reading a review from a friend who said to drop everything and read it now. After finishing a couple other books this month I started this one and didn't really have any idea what it was about or what was going to happen. I loved it.
December Daily® 2017 | Let's Begin
Happy December 1, 2017.
Today many of us begin the seasonal process of identifying and capturing one story per day for the next 25 days or the next month.
Some of you will be making daily pages along with me, some of you will just be taking photos, some of you will just be journaling, and some of you will approach this project from an entirely different perspective. Whatever this project needs to be for you this year is how you should approach it.
Starting tomorrow I will be sharing my stories each day here on my blog.
As we begin I'd love to share a few things I have on my mind as I begin documenting my stories:
Let's all take a collective deep breath. As awesome as this project can be, it can also be a source of stress for some people. You are the boss - don't let this project become stressful but rather use it as a tool to celebrate the season. Do not make it more complicated than it needs to be.
Don't spend one minute comparing your stories or your process with what anyone else is doing. Your life = your stories. My life = my stories. They are all beautiful in their own way regardless of the season of life you are in right now. Use this project as an opportunity to find the joy in your own life.
Establish a rhythm that works for you. Your documenting rhythm might look totally different from mine and that's perfectly okay. You might wait until January or later to work on your project. You might print your photos at the end of each week. You might be focusing more on words this year. Own your own story and your own process and then celebrate the stories that others are sharing.
Go read my December Daily® Hopes For You. What I wrote last year still holds true today. You can do this.
May you savor your own season. May you find joy in the small moments. May you create a December season that is the right pace for you and your family. May you remember what's most important for you and continue to come back to that again and again.
Need more encouragement or inspiration?
Check out my starting place/Foundation Pages for 2017.
Join either my December Daily® Product Play or my Storytelling With December Daily® workshops and get immediate access to all the content.
Review my past December Daily® blog posts.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
Follow @december_daily on Instagram. You can also follow me @aliedwards or my main business account @aliedwardsdesigninc.
Join the December Daily® Facebook group.
Read my 25 Ideas And Story Inspirations.
November 30, 2017
December Daily® 2017 | Q & A
December Daily® begins tomorrow and as we ease into the beginning of the month I wanted to share some questions I received within the December Daily® Facebook Group recently. I've been sprinkling in my responses within the Facebook Group and am sharing all of them here to have them in one place.
I'll be back tomorrow with a "Here We Go" post and then I'll be sharing my stories here daily leading up to Christmas Day. I'm so excited to share stories with you again this holiday season.
#01Carolyn Wright: Love seeing your traditions, your perspectives! How do you make choices as to what moments to include as there are days where I have more stories than others? Not my first Dec daily but trying to capture more as my niece & nephew get older & my Mom isn’t as well so moments collected mean so much more to me as I get older.
If I have more than one story I want to include from a day I usually do one of a couple things:
(1) Use a 4, pocket page protector (3x4) and tell each of the stories in one of those pockets. I might have two stories that I pair with two photos or I might have four different stories I'm recording on cards to go into the pockets.
(2) Tell the story on a different day. Ten years from now (and sooner) no one is going to care or probably even be able to tell if something happened on December 2 or December 3rd.
(3) Create a page that includes list journaling that talks about each thing that happened that day. Those stories might be short - one or two sentences - but it's an easy way to include a bunch of "micro stories" that might happen over the course of the day.
If the story is important to you as part of your "overall" story of December this year then you should totally include it!
#02Heli J Snr: What is your least favourite thing about Christmas?
My least favorite thing about Christmas is the frenzy and the unrealistic expectations that can be really easy to fall into <3. Each year I work towards bringing the focus back to what's most important for me and my family in any given year. I want to create magic without feeling the frenzy.
I also don't like egg nog - ha.
Leslie Austria-Olmos: How do you organize your DD supplies?
I'm a fan of baskets, trays and boxes to "contain" my supplies. Here's a photo of my box for 2017. This will stay out on my work table during December to make the products I want to pull from easily accessible. I am a super fan of limiting the amount of products I'm working with to simplify the entire process and help me focus on the stories rather than the product when I'm working on my album during the month.
Other supplies I will reach for are basic things like adhesive, ink, and maybe paint are in the drawers of my work table.
I will also put my December Daily® stamps in this red box - just forgot to add them before taking the photo.
Lisa Marie: Do you get (and record) a lot of your ideas for next years dd Kit while working on this years? And When does designing a dd Kit take place (like, a year in advance, a few month in advance…or whatever)
We start planning the new December Daily® products about a year in advance. For next year we’ve already had a meeting to map out the majority of the product offerings and the design work will begin next month. Each year it’s gotten earlier and earlier in order to make sure we have all the product in the warehouse in ample time to get it shipped out. In terms of my ideas, I definitely take notes while I’m working on my own album about what I liked and didn’t like - what I'd like to have more of or less of or what felt just right. We also monitor feedback we’ve received via conversations and on social media from the community in terms of some of the things we decide to offer in the future.
#05Annoesjka Halleriet: What is the one thing that makes that you want to do December Daily again, year after year? What keeps you motivated? And did you ever feel like you wanted a pause, just for a change?
The one thing that makes me want to do it every year is definitely the stories. What I love most at this point is looking at all the albums together and literally seeing the passage of time via the stories I’ve told in those albums. In my case that’s included my kids growing up, life at different houses, a marriage that ended, a new relationship that’s going strong, a new blended family - all those things are “seen” in the pages of my December Daily® albums along with my own personal seasonal reflections. I love seeing both the way things change and the ways they stay the same. The entire thing has simply become a way I experience the holiday season.
I’m motivated because I really do love the project and I’m also committed to it because it’s part of my job. There’s definitely a piece of that in there too. That said, if I didn’t really love it I would find a way to change it up or do something different.
Have I ever wanted to pause? Yes. There have definitely been times where I’ve imagined not doing it - for me that’s more related to my commitment to sharing my pages in December and the way that impacts my overall workload during the month. There was one year where I knew I was going to be traveling during the month so I went with a smaller sized album (4x6) and I loved even just that small change.
I am totally a creature of habit. I like tradition and repetition and find joy and comfort in having a project like this as an anchor for how I experience my holiday season. It’s been a great lens through which to view my December stories.
#06Nerys Young: I love that you share, but do you put extra things in to your DD that are just for you and your family to see and not for us (the Ali fan club)?
Everything I do gets shared! Every once in awhile I might add something, but I go about it with the intent to include everything.
#07Ingrid Burton: What’s the best way to get started so I don’t feel overwhelmed? I got the kit for kids and am hoping to work on it for/with my 10year old son.
One of the things that really helps me a ton is focusing on just one story per day. I tell myself over and over again to keep it simple and manageable - it’s not a record of every detail over the course of the month. What I love most about this project is the combination of all the stories together in one album (vs. any one particular story). Another thing that helps me is limiting my supplies and just sticking to what’s available on my table vs. digging through everything I own looking for the most “perfect” product. Focus on the story vs. the product. Some stories will be long + some stories will be short and that’s another part of the beauty of focusing on one story per day.
With my girls, who will both be working on their own little 4x4 albums, I’m just going to let them do whatever they want and not try to make it into something I want. I plan to talk to them about my approach - looking for a story to tell and just telling that one thing. I imagine for them they will just want to play with the stuff and I’m going to be totally okay with that too - it’s where there are right now as 8 (almost 9) year olds.
#08Jay Owen: What is your 'enough' for DD this year?
I love this question because I’ve been thinking about it a lot while we were on our familymoon. After doing this project for so many years I’ve got a pretty good rhythm down for identifying and documenting my stories during the month. I love being witness to the evolution of the month - the ups and downs and loud and quiet moments. My enough for this project usually includes using what I have (vs. looking for the “perfect” product) and keeping the focus on the words and photos. I want an album that is reflective of this season of our lives - who we are and what December looks like this year - that’s enough for me.
Related post: Establishing Your Own Enough In Memory Keeping: https://aliedwards.com/2016/10/establishing-your-o...
#09LeeAnn Thoresen: I get worried I'm repeating the same thing year after year. I look for differences and try to create new stories but life is very much of a muchness each year. How do you avoid repetitiveness (understanding that some repetitiveness makes December December).
Good question! Here’s the deal: an entire year has passed in your life. It’s your own internal reflections that are likely the difference even if your tree is placed in the exact same spot with the exact same ornaments as last year and the year before. I tell similar stories every year - something about the tree, something about twinkle lights, photos from around the house - but all those stories are infused with my own personal reflections about life this year. You might be focusing too much on the facts vs. your own personal feelings about the season this year which are nuanced - that might help you have a new perspective on the stories you tell this year.
When I’m paying attention and deciding what stories to tell, my goal is to capture the spirit of this particular season (and to me the “spirit of the sesaon” is a combination of facts and feelings). Some pieces will be the same and some will be different. There’s a whole lot of beauty in that.
#10Tania Thomson: I'd like to know how you know when to take a close up photo or when to take it from a distance, particularly when there's a group of people or a lot happening in the frame. Also what makes you consider using the photo in b&w verses colour?
I often take both shots (far away and close up) so I have the ability to choose which one I might want to use in my album to tell the story I end up wanting to tell. That story might end up being about the whole group of people or it might end up being about one or two people so having taken shots from a few different angles will give me more options. In general I find that I often like to show more of the scene with a wider angle - I like seeing all the “stuff” of life in many of my photos.
Most of the time if the color is “off” - usually at this time of year for me it means it’s way too orange (“warm”) from taking photos inside in low light - that’s when I’ll change a photo to black and white.
#11Marie Midori: I love your approach to scrapbooking, and your products always seems so well thought out! Do you have any product ideas for DD (or in general) that you have wanted to add to a kit, but thought was too crazy to try?
We don’t generally get too crazy with our ideas - I think this is mainly because I really want to make things that will help people tell their stories vs. coming up with the “coolest” or “craziest” new things. I tend more towards the tried and true generally.
#12Ann Belle: What's your favorite kit you've ever worked with?
Ah! I think every December Daily® kit feels like my favorite when we first get to see the products! I really loved the contents last year and I really love them this year too. There are always specific embellishments that I totally love - one of the things I really love in this year’s kit are the 1/2 circle journal cards. I can’t wait to use those!
If by chance you were asking about my favorite Story Kit™ themes, I think I really loved the Magic theme (back in March 2015). Really though I love each one in the way it gives me an opportunity to tell different kinds of stories each month.
#13Nadine Mizer Nyman: Note taking advice for the stories that have to be told later.
My recommendation to you is to first decide what kind of note taker you are - do you prefer writing by hand or writing on the computer? If you prefer writing by hand I’d suggest getting a small notebook (we design a December Daily® Log Book to use for this purpose) and simply writing out one story at the end of each day (or whenever a story comes to you through the course of the day that you’d like to document later on). If typing is more your style I’d recommend using something like Evernote (that’s the program I use for note taking), Notes, or an app like Day One (a journaling app). Whether you prefer handwriting or typing the key, in my opinion, is having a home to hold those stories until you are ready to create with them.
I think my overall approach to the stories would be the same. Each day I would be looking, listening, and paying attention to see what story I wanted to tell and then simply taking the time now to write out the story and then combining it with my photos and embellishments later on (I actually love this approach because it’s really “starting with story”).
#14Sheriff Rosa Smith: How do you decide which photos to photoshop words onto when doing DD? You don't want every photo but what tips if any could be used to decide that. Also do you ever get any time for just you and your family?
Most of the time it really just depends on the photo and the amount of words I want to include. In this project I don’t usually add words to every photo before printing (I have done that in the past in projects like Week In The Life™). I think it often depends on the space available on the photo - some photos lend themselves better to having words on them such as ones with lots of “white space” (sky, cement, wall space, etc). If there’s not really space for words because there’s a lot going on in the photo itself I’m not likely to add words to the photo.
I think it also often depends on how simple I want the page to be or what the overall design for the daily story is going to be. It’s super quick for me to add my story right onto my photo and add it to a page protector - there are definitely days when I appreciate that so much (and I love the look in my albums).
Of course I have time for just me and my family! During December I have a very steady work-flow because of my commitment to the project but time with family is my main priority when my work day is done.
#15
Linda Nicholson: Whose albums do you enjoy viewing for December Daily?
Nicole Coughlin Where/ Who do you get your inspiration from?
I combined these two questions since they both had to do with inspiration. I love seeing what people are posting here in the December Daily® Facebook Group - there are always great story and product-usage ideas being shared here. In terms of people, I’m always interested to see what these guys are creating for this project:
Marie Lottermoser // https://www.instagram.com/Lotty2000/ Geralyn Sy // https://www.instagram.com/inacreativebubble/ Liz Tamanaha // https://www.instagram.com/liztamanaha/ My Creative Team // https://aliedwards.com/creative-teamI also still love looking at Pinterest for visual inspiration.
#16Satoko Nakamura Biegler: What do you do with the leftovers from the past DD kits? I use some in my PL albums and also use in the next years but still there are a lot of leftovers.
I often share any extra supplies leftover with local friends or with local schools. I used to keep a lot of holiday products from year to year in a box but at some point a few years ago I stopped doing that - most likely around the time that we started offering more kits/products.
#17Jessica Haines: If you have a day where you are not feeling in the Christmas spirit, how do you get past that to work on your album, since you commit to making the pages each day?
There are usually a bunch of days I’m not feeling in the Christmas spirit in December. Ha - I think that’s pretty normal. There’s a couple ways I approach those days: (1) I write about how I’m feeling in an authentic way - maybe I’m tired or stressed or sad or worn out or just not into it and I’ll write about that - that is totally a December story. It is totally okay to also just skip a day - this absolutely does not have to be an every single day project. (2) Use the project itself as an opportunity to actively turn around your attitude/feelings. Use it to really look to find the joy, to create some magic but doing something new or different or just giving yourself a break, to take some action to change your mood.
#18Maria Pellegrini Everhart: Is it as effortless for you as it seems to be ? Like are you so used to it that the stories and photos and how to scrap it all just come together for you?
It’s not effortless but I definitely have a rhythm. I am really used to it (memory keeping in general) because it’s been such a huge part of my life for so many years now. I know what I like to work with. I know what kinds of stories I like to capture. I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel creatively. All those things free me up to keep it simple and focus on the words + the photos. I’m also a quick decision maker and truly believe that whatever story I tell on any particular day will be just fine for that day whether it’s long or short. I’m also motivated to get it done so I can move on to other things I’ve got going on (both work and family) and having some time constraints makes decision making for me even easier (some people are blocked by that but in general it motivates me).
#19Michelle Hunter: This December is your first remarried...how will you be 'marrying' surname/s initials? Will you be including those as a design element as you have in previous years? 3 different surnames in my house and I am yet to find a way to do this that is appealing designwise.
We are staying as Edwards + McKercher so when incorporating last name initials I’ll likely be sticking with “E + M” or something along those lines.
#20Heidi Laferriere: Can you do this project using traditional scrapbook layouts instead of pocket pages?
Sure! You can make this work in whatever ways you want in whatever style you want. When I first started doing this project (10+ years ago) pocket pages weren’t even a thing. I made my albums with rings and chipboard and created individual pages for my stories. You can totally still do that! This year I’m incorporating a lot both outside and inside the page protectors. You can see more of those past albums here: https://aliedwards.com/projects/december-daily and via my blog archives here: https://aliedwards.com/blog?tag=December+Daily®
#21Outi Suominen: There are only two of us at home anymore. What would be a nice way to include our children (4) and their families (10 grandkids) into my album? Only when they come over? They are still in my mind all the time…
I love including the voices of other family members in my albums. I almost always include an email received from my parents as a story for one of my days. Depending on the level of technology your extended family uses consider taking screenshots of FaceTime conversations, copies of emails or letters, etc. You can also invite those voices by sending your children emails with questions for them to answer that you can then include in your album. You can also ask them to share photos with you of what’s happening in their lives this holiday season.
Another thing I’d love to mention here is that my approach to these albums (and all my projects) is that I’m documenting my story. I am the main character in this story so most of them are about what I’m experiencing, seeing, hearing, and feeling. I include the other characters in my life - depending on the story, the day, etc - but the main story I’m telling (and the only one I can really tell) is about my own experience in life.
#22Deidre Mitchell: I struggle with the 'writing' of the story. It always feels like I'm just spitting out 'facts' and when I try to put in the feelings, it seems like its the same (feelings and words to describe)...every time. I struggle creatively....my factual accounting brain is really stuck.
For this question I feel like I need a little more information. I wonder a couple things: (1) Are you being too hard on yourself and expecting your feelings based journaling to be really deep (when the reality might be that what you are writing is already just fine)? (2) What are the feelings that you find yourself writing again and again?
Here are a couple suggestions:
(1) Try writing like you talk - use a conversational tone like you are talking to a friend and telling her the story. Most likely you’d probably give her a combination of both facts and feelings to round out your story.
(2) Remember that there really isn’t a right or a wrong way to do this. Feelings can be really simple: good, bad, happy, sad, fun, boring, etc. and they don’t have to be a super long expression.
(3) Keep practicing. If your intention is to add more feelings to your stories you CAN totally do it - keep writing, keep asking yourself how you feel (sometimes just identifying your actual feelings can be a challenge - especially if you are wanting to go beyond the basics).
(4) Remember that it’s the overall story told throughout your album vs. any single story that is most important (this helps me story worrying about whether I’m telling a “good” story on any particular day). You can do this!
#23Vanessa Templet Babin: What do you do when you have two or more stories in a day? Some days I do something during the day then a night I might have another event. I know it’s my book and my stories, but just curious how you would handle a day like that?
I often spread out those stories and will use one of them for the next day (depending on whether it was something I really wanted to include as a main story in my album). Other times I will tell a story that includes more than one event - maybe as a general recap of the day vs. focusing on one specific story. For me, night events often get told on the following day simply because of the way I approach working on my album (I do most of the work in the morning when I have access to natural light for photography and video editing).
#24Mary Henson: How do you edit your content? Stories/photos/extras (cards, tags, etc)? Do you have a number you go with or do you just focus on what you are most drawn to from that story/photo/extra? I always feel like I have too much and then editing takes so much more time because I'm going through so much!
Becoming an editor of your own work can be a challenge - especially when you feel like “everything” is important. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that what I love most is having a finished album and for me to finish an album I’ve got to make choices - often quickly - about what I’m going to include because I simply can’t include it all (this goes for almost all my projects). I’m a quick decision maker when it comes to storytelling and often find that one photo is all I need to support the words of my story (even if I took 20 photos).
#25Kelly Matti: How do you have the motivation to start reading a new book after you have finished a really good book? I always struggle with this.
Most of the time by the end of a book I’m already hungry and excited for the next one. My list of books to-read is long so there’s never a shortage of something I’d love to start reading next. Sometimes I wait a couple days and sometimes I dive right into the next one.
November 29, 2017
AE Creative Team | October & November Digital Release
Happy Wednesday!
Today we are sharing projects our Creative Team made using the October & November Monthly Digital Kits. These kits are all about celebrating fall and the season of giving and practicing gratitude. So thankful for these wonderful women who are willing to share their stories with us.
Hope you all have a great rest of your week!
November 22, 2017
2018 AE Creative Team
Happy Wednesday!
We are super excited today to introduce you to our Creative Team for 2018. Some of these faces you might recognize from last year (Jess Forster, Jenny Theriault, Kelly Ishmael,Pam Baldwin, Jen Schow, Jen Carlson, Ingunn Markiewicz, Melanie Blackburn, Brandi Kindcaid and Laura Wonsik) and some might be new to you or you might be familiar with their work from Instagram or other creative teams/projects.
All of these beautiful women are fantastic memory keepers who focus on
storytelling (bring on the words) in addition to great design. Most are hybrid scrapbookers
which means they take my digital products and print them out and/or use
them in projects that end up printed. Most do a combination of
traditional layouts and Project Life®. I'm so honored that they had an
interest in working with my products in the coming year.
Please take a moment to learn a bit more about them and welcome them:
We will have our AE Creative Team page updated to reflect the new team in January. Again a huge thank you to our current team members who have shared so much of themselves in the past year.
We are all looking forward to telling stories alongside you next year! Thank you for being part of this community.
November 19, 2017
Stories Revisited + Black Friday Sales
We have a lot of fun and exciting things happening around here this week and we wanted to make sure to give all of the details! *Please note that links will not be live until their coordinating sale start date and time.
STORIES REVISITED SALEThe Stories Revisited sale starts tomorrow November 20th, 2017 at 9am ET and runs through November 27th, 2017 at 11:59pm ET (here's a link to a time converter for you to figure out the time where you live).
Twice a year we offer you the opportunity to purchase any remaining inventory we have of past Story Kits™ and past Story Stamps™. We also make all past Digital Story Kits™ available for sale during this time as well. The next past kit sale will happen again in November. For the first time ever this year we are also offering select individual past kit components for sale.
Please note that no educational content is included with any of these purchases except the Stories Revisited Classroom Bundle.
Here is a list of the themes we will have available in this sale (some quantities are very limited and will sell out quickly). All past Story Kits™, Story Stamps™ and Digital Story Kits™ will be $14.99 each:
STORY KIT™ // $14.99 (all clickable links below so you can check out the past kits).
BraveLensEatBondFunReviewSurpriseUp
STORY STAMP™ // $14.99 (all clickable links below so you can check out the past stamp sets)
BraveFunEatBond LensNumbersReview SurpriseUpMeCraft Old & New (this one is available for $9.99)Cheer (this one is available for $9.99)WildTough HeartClickBlack & WhiteSpark
STORIES REVISITED CLASSROOM BUNDLE // $40
As we have been doing during the last few sales we will be offering a bundle of past theme classrooms. This time the bundle we are offering will include the following themes: Old & New, Heart, Craft, Tough, and Wild. Purchasing this bundle gives you access to those theme classrooms. No physical or digital products are included with the purchase of the classrooms - you are just purchasing the education content.
Sale ends November 27th, 2017 at 11:59 ET.
To view a list of all upcoming and past themes check out this page
We are marking down over 100 items in the shop! Check out all of the items marked down here. Sale starts 11/20/17 at 6am ET and runs through 11/27/17 at 11:59pm ET.
A select number of past December Daily® Mini Kits, December Daily® Mini Kit components, shop items, and albums will be for available as part of our Story of Christmas Past sale. This two day sale begins on Friday 11/24/17 at 9am ET and runs through 11/26/17 at 11:59pm ET.
CYBER MONDAY
For Cyber Monday (11/27/17) we are offering 40% off classes and digitals*. This is a one day sale that begins at 9am ET and ends at 11:59 ET.
*This sale excludes December Daily® Product Play, Storytelling with December Daily®, All 2017 December Daily® Digitals as well as the November 2017 Digital Kit.
SPECIAL OFFERS
Wishing everyone in the US a very Happy Thanksgiving this week! We are forever grateful for the love and support we feel from this community on a daily basis.
