Ali Edwards's Blog, page 180

Project Life® 2016 | Week Ten

Today I'm happy to be sharing Project Life® 2016 | Week Ten.

Here's a look at how it all came together: 

So what's up with the ampersands? What I loved about using them here is that I just kept thinking about how our stories go on and on and on. Within any given week (or day) there are so many different stories we could tell - the "&" represents how there's always another one. I also love the simple repetition from one card to the next. 

All of the 3x4 cards I used this wee are from the Homespun kit from Studio Calico. 

When looking through the Homespun 3x4 cards I was looking specifically for the ones that had some kind of a design on the bottom (or the top if you turn it around) that would hold the chipboard ampersands and then have space for my story in the white area. 

Title card is the Tough marketing card that's included each month (a different design each month to go with the theme) with the Story Kit™. Along the bottom I added 1/2 of a label sticker.

I wrote on Instagram that I loved how this looking down angle made me think of fireworks. Love the idea of flowers as fireworks. 

Right on top of the photo I used my Cascade Alpha Stickers to communicate that memory. 

Lots of my stories this week, written directly onto the cards, are about the meetings we've had with Simon's teachers and the high schools. He also had an evaluation this week with a psychologists to get him qualified for Developmental Disability Services via our local county. 

I love all the words. I love that they are pieces of our bigger story. Writing directly on my photos continues to be an easy way to get more words/context into the overall story. 

Hope you are having a good week!

SUPPLIESAED Cascade Mixed Shapes ChipboardAED Cascade Alpha StickersAED 6-Pack Label StickersAED SlickWriter PenTough Story Kit™SC Homespun Documenter KitRolling Date StampProject Life® Design A Page ProtectorsBlack StazOn

AE Digital Creative Team | March Inspiration

Today I'm sharing Creative Team projects using the March release of digital products. You can read more about how I've changed up how I release my digital products here.

 I'm excited to let you know that we now have a Creative Team Gallery where you their projects all together in one place. Tons of inspiration over there. Click on any of the projects there in the gallery to see additional close-up images. 

Click the links below to visit the designer's blog and/or check out the product links. Most of these projects are hybrid - meaning that the designers are printing out the digital products to use in their projects. 

Brandi Kincaid | Brandi used designs from Gratitude Digital Journal Cards & Celebrate Digital Journal Cards

Carol Chastain | Carol used designs from This & That Digital  Journal Cards, Celebrate Digital Journal Cards, and Day In The Life™ Circles.

Emma Speller | Emma used designs from the Digital Day In The Life™ Mini Kit, Day In The Life™ Circles, Celebrate Digital Journal Cards, and Day In The Life™ 6x12 Layered Templates No. 2

Ginny Hughes | Ginny used designs from That & That Digital Journal Cards and Day In The Life™ Mini Kit No. 1

Ingunn Markiewicz | Ingunn used designs from Spark Digital Stamps, and Thicker Travel. Check out more images of her travel album in the Creative Team Gallery.

Jen Schow | Jen used designs from This & That Digital Journal Cards, Old & New Digital Stamps, and Thicker Travel. You Can read more about her layouts on her blog here.

Jen Carlson | Jen used designs from the Cheer Digital Stamp, Black & White Digital Stamp, Sparks Digital Stamp, Day In The Life™ Circles, and Gratitude Digital Journal Cards.

Kelsey McEvoy | Kelsey used designs from Celebrate Digital Journal Cards and This & That Digital Journal Cards.

Pam Baldwin | Pam used designs from Gratitude Digital Journal Cards and Celebrate Digital Journal Cards

Sarah Zayas | Sarah used designs from Celebrate Digital Journal Cards, Gratitude Digital Journal Cards, Sparks Digital Stamps,  and Black & White Digital Stamps.

Spark Your Story | Scrapbook & Cards Today Spring 2016

A very big Happy 10th Birthday To 
Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine!

Starting today until March 30th the Scrapbook & Cards Today team will spend 10 full days celebrating with projects and giveaways. You can read more about how they are celebrating over on their blog here.

The new spring issue is now available and this year my column in each issue will include a traditional layout and a Project Life® spread and a fun download (click here to see all the free downloads from this issue). You can also follow along over on their Facebook page. 

Today I'm sharing the full images of my layouts from this article here but invite you to
click over and download your own FREE digital copy of the magazine and read my full article that includes much more about the concept and ideas related to each layout. You can also become a subscriber and have it delivered to your home address (awesome). They have even set it up where you can download just a PDF of my article: Spark Your Story.

Here's a look at the pages I created for this issue with a focus on going big with alphas and words: 

YES | SUPPLIES

AED Astoria Chipboard Alpha
AED Oversized White Alpha
AED Slickwriter Pen
One Little Word® Alpha set from 2015 (no longer available in white)
Word and Phrase Stickers from various past Story Kits™
Freckled Fawn Together Is Best Chipboard Phrases
Freckled Fawn Gypsy Kit ("yay")
Freckled Fawn Together Is Best Pink Sequin Heart

PL2014 | WK21 | SUPPLIES

Project Life® Design A Page Protectors
AED Gratitude Journal Card Set
AED Love Life Journal Card Set
One Little Word® Alpha set from 2015 (no longer available in white)
Various chipboard pieces and word/phrase stickers from past Story Kits™

Project Life® 2016 | Week Nine

Happy Friday! Here's a look at my Project Life® 2016 | Week Nine:

This week I took a pretty lax approach and really just focused on filling in those pockets. Things have been pretty crazy around here the last couple of weeks as we've been dealing with getting Simon a high-school placement that is the best possible fit for his specific needs. We've got "advocacy action" happening around here in high-gear - touring, talking, more talking, and going back again to ask the questions we didn't know to ask the first time. 

This week I worked on the back of the cards I created using the Day Of The Week craft dies. Because I wanted to keep the transparent part of the pockets around the letters I went ahead and trimmed all the cards/artwork to fit without covering the letters.

The "Made With Love" card was from the Craft Story Kit™. The Label sticker is from this bundle. 

One weeks like this sometimes it's nice to be able to fill more than one pocket with one image. That image could be an enlarged photo or it can be something like your kids artwork. 

The "write this moment on your heart" is from the Tough Story Kit™ which is available now via subscription. 

The "adore this" chipboard circle is from Freckled Fawn's Oxford Embellishment Kit.

I used the "morning" and "evening" stamps from the Stories Of Life stamp set with Pistachio Green Memento Ink on the back of one of the journaling cards I created last week to write a few things about the day. 

This stamp set is currently included in the Week In The Life™ pre-order can be added to your Week In The Life™ box anytime before March 31st for free shipping (flat rate $10 international). 

The second half was filled with some much-needed friend hang-out time. 

I also really love taking the opportunity to include a piece cut from Anna's math homework the week before and a copy of her morning checklist. Stuff like that makes me so happy down the road. 

I also totally took advantage of the ability to write directly on my photos this week including using my Silver Metallic Marker and my Precision Pen.

I used my Friends stamp set on top of a lined-star journal card from my Love Life Journal Card set. The "So Thankful" card is from Gratitude Journal Card set. 

I used one of my Silver Metallic Markers to write directly on my photo. 

SUPPLIESAED Friends Stamp SetAED Stories Of Life Stamp SetAED Silver Medium Metallic MarkerAED Label Sticker BundleAED Love Life Journal Card SetAED Gratitude Journal Card SetAED Precision PenMemento Pistachio Green InkTough Story Kit™Craft Story Kit™Freckled Fawn Chipboard from the Oxford Embellishment KitRolling Date StampProject Life® Design A Page Protectors

Lens Of Joy Returns | 4-Week Photography Workshop

Designed with the storyteller in mind, Lens Of Joy is a 4-week online photography workshop that takes a deep dive into processes related to capturing life through the lens of your camera. I'll will walk you through my personal workflow from picking up the camera, looking through the lens, establishing the story, experiencing the moment, composing, uploading, organizing, editing, printing and pairing the end result with words to tell a more complete story.

I think this workshop is especially timely as we get closer to Week In The Life™ - there are tons of ideas and tips and all my thoughts in one place about the ways in which I look through the lens of my camera and my reasons why. 

Please note that this is a re-run of the same exact workshop that ran in the fall of 2014. All the content will be the same with the exception of the weekly Q&A videos which will be re-recored based on new Q&A threads each week. 

ALUMNI OPTION | If you previously took this workshop in 2014 we are offering an alumni-option for those of you who might want to participate again with the live re-run for $24. Stay-tuned for details on this option.

LENS OF JOY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

From April 5th through May 3rd you'll encounter 11 different lessons that include over 8 hours of presentation/video content that address the following topics: 

WEEK ONE | The Art Of Seeing (Photo Vision): Your Photo Story, The Reason Why, Photo Mantra (includes two lessons delivered Tuesday & Thursday)

WEEK TWO | Composition & Design (Photo Voice) and Ali's Around The House Shooting Style (includes two lessons delivered Tuesday & Thursday)

WEEK THREE | Photo Workflow: Uploading & Organization, Choosing, Editing, Printing (includes four specific lessons one delivered each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday)

WEEK FOUR | Storytelling With Photos: Self-Portraits, Bringing It All Together, Storytelling With Photos In Project Life® (includes three lessons delivered Tuesday, Thursday & Friday)

Registration will close Tuesday, April 12th at 11:59PST.

Here's a 6-minute video intro to this workshop: 

STUDENT REVIEWS
moneybag | Wow, Ali you totally Wowed me with the class. I think i have figured out what has happen to my photography over the past four years. This class has reclaimed the excitement / and my voice I used to have before I had to put my camera down. Thank you so much for offering a class like this. I had to dig deep to figure things out:) Pat8 | I have gotten so much from this class about joy in what I do, about looking for story, technical tips, encouragement, design principles, and too many other things to name. Your video on shooting around the house was so very very helpful. Watching you work, hearing your talk through your objectives and methods, they were all fabulous. Char | I feel like this class perfect timing for me. I had started to become more intentional in my memory keeping and really spending more time on telling more complete stories. This class has really energized me and it is so lovely to listen to someone a few times a week who feels as passionate as you do about this hobby and the wonderful things that come out of it. So thank you so much for doing this class. It has been wonderful and I have learned a lot.

Please consider joining me for Lens Of Joy as we explore the ways we look through the lens and how that impacts that stories we tell. 

New Story Theme Now Available | Tough

Happy mid-March and welcome to a new Story Theme: Tough. 

As I've mentioned in past months, my goal is that these products are tools in getting your stories told. Our stories include ups and downs, weaknesses and strengths. The products included in this month's kit are designed to support and acknowledge the more challenging times in our lives from bad days to divorce, and they ways in which we bravely face those times. 

If you are already a subscriber to you can now access the content in the classroom (make sure you are logged in to your account).

If you are new to the Story Subscription program, check out all the details here.

Here's a look at the Story Kit™ contents for Tough:

And the Tough Story Stamp™: 

We also have a Digital Story Kit™ subscription available that includes access to the classroom content. Here's a look at what's included for Tough (which also shows all the designs for the journal cards included in the printed version of the kit): 

Here's a video overview of the products included in the kits this month: 

And a couple peeks at the layouts I created with the kits this month (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!

30% Off Classes & Journal Cards

Happy Thursday! 

Just a heads up that we are currently having a 30% off sale on classes (excludes One Little Word®) and physical journal cards in the shop. Prices are marked.

If you've never taken either Yesterday & Today or Hello Story I definitely recommend checking them out. Both originally ran as 12-week workshops and are full of storytelling ideas. Hello Story includes 12 different "story structures" (basically story themes) and each lesson includes three layouts + a Project Life™ idea for how to translate the theme into the pockets of your album. Each layout includes a process video to walk you through the steps of creating the layouts - this class was the inspiration for how I'm approaching the education portion of the Story Kits™.

Sale ends 3/11 at 11:59PM EST. 

Project Life® 2016 | Week Eight

One of the things I highlighted in the Storytelling With Project Life® workshop was the idea of setting yourself up for success by creating cards in advance or having a specific theme you are documenting for a particular week. For Week Eight I created my own cards using my Days Of The Week Craft Die set. 

I apologize in advance that we are currently sold out of the Days Of The Week Craft Die set. At the time I set this week up we still had them in stock. If you are interested in purchasing them feel free to click the Notify Me button and we'll send you an email when they are back in stock. Once they are back in stock I'll share a video tutorial with you on how I used an Evolution die-cut machine to create these 3x4 journal cards. 

Here's a look at Week Eight: 

I love having something set up in advance, a plan of sorts.

 In this case the plan was simply that I created homes to hold my daily stories using the Days Of The Week Craft Dies - when you start with that it's pretty darn easy to fill in those spots. 

And yeah, I also love repetition. 

Here's a closer look: 

The "today" card is from my This And That Journal Card set (also now available digitally here). 

SC Mega Date Stamp + alpha stickers from the SC Brimfield Scrapbook Kit on top of a card from the Everyday Core Kit. 

I don't always take a photo every single day. Sometimes I include photos from the same day or same event next to each other in the Design A pockets - I especially love it when it can be something like these two photos that tells stories about each one of my kids and they can be placed in pockets right next to each other.  

I'm loving the chance to use my new Rolling Time Stamp (included with the Day In The Life™ kit). 

I stamped "story" from my Stories Of Life stamp set right onto the "saturday" card. Right now that stamp set is available to add to your Week In The Life™ box through March 31st and receive free domestic shipping or $10 international shipping for anything you add to your box from the WITL preorder page. 

Thursday's journaling includes some "-ing" prompt words: reading, listening, watching, cooking, and buying. Such a simple way to document a few things that are real about right now. 

For Friday I added a few tags from a little shopping trip I took. 

As you might have seen last week, I took a lot of photos of my shoes this past month. I loved this one of my shoes + the kids shoes at the park. 

SUPPLIES
Rolling Time Stamp from Day In The Life™ KitAED Days Of The Week Craft Die SetAED Stories Of Life Stamp SetAED This And That Journal Card SetEvolution Die Cutting MachineSC Mega Date StampSC Brimfield Scrapbook KitEpson PM400 PrinterEveryday Core KitProject Life® Design A Page Protector

AE Digital Creative Team | Craft Story Kit™ Projects

Happy Monday! Today I'm sharing awesome layouts made by my Digital Creative Team using the Craft Digital Story Kit™. 

Also, I'm excited to let you know that we now have a Creative Team Gallery where you can go to check out how the team is crafting their stories using my products - including additional images from the projects we are sharing below. We'll be updating it a couple times a month. 

This month the team is sharing stories they crafted using the Craft Digital Story Kit™ which is available via subscription now through March 14th:

Here's a look at how the team worked with the Craft Digital Story Kit™. Just a heads up again that most of my team uses the digital kit to create paper projects - meaning they print out the digital pieces and add them to paper layouts/pockets (vs. completely digital projects):

Brandi Kincaid | Brandi told the story of how she embraces the mess of her personal creative process of making stuff. Love how she cropped her projects into star shapes and how she enlarged the "make stuff" word art for a big title.  

Emma Speller | Emma told the story of three different crafts she participates in using the number circles to highlight each one. 

Ginny Hughes | Ginny told the story of handmade quilts. I love the addition of the new + old photo to help tell a more complete story. 

Ingunn Markiwicz | Ingunn tells the story of doing what she loves - getting outside/hiking - and learning that her sweet little baby can fit right in. Love how they are making that happen. 

Kelsey McEvoy | Kelsey told the story about her daughter making friends using an enlarged version of the "make" word art. I love that the theme of "craft" has lots of story threads that can be followed - making, passion, crafting, etc. 

Sarah Zayas | Sarah tells the story of embracing her desk mess :) and how that all relates to her personal creative process. Click over to Sarah's blog post to read more about how she created this layout. 

Sasha Farina | Sasha used Design F page protectors to hold her story of her crafting passions. I love how each pocket is a micro-story that supports the overall theme. 

Jen Schow | For her story of "making stuff like it's her job" Jen incorporated digital items from the Craft Digital Story Kit™ + the rolling time stamp from the Day In The Life™ kit. I love how she used the enlarged image of the watercolors as the background/home for her stamping. Click over to Jen's blog for more information on her story this month. 

Carol Chastain | Carol used the kit this month to create a mini-book telling the story of her love of crafting. She printed out a bunch of the journal cards, punched holes, and added her story along the way. Here are a couple pages from the inside:

Check out the Creative Team Gallery for more detailed photos of each members projects.

Interested in learning more about working with digtal scrapbooking products? Check out my free series on Getting Started With Digital Scrapbooking here. Check out all my digital/printable scrapbooking supplies here.

Let's Do This | Pocket Storytelling

Last month in the February 
One Little Word® classroom the prompt was to "practice" something each day over the course of the month. 

I decided that my daily practice was going to be walking one mile. Over the course of the month I took photos of my feet each time I walked, knowing that I wanted to visually tell the story of connecting with my word in this way. I love that over the course of the month I literally crafted a story - a story of building a habit one day at a time.

There's still time to join us in the One Little Word® workshop as we work together to make our words visible each month via creative prompts. We generally close this classroom in the late Spring and class runs through December. 

To tell this story I decided to print all my photos at 3x4 and use a Project Life® Design F Page Protector to hold the photos and words. This story will go into my yearly 12x12 album but you could easily add a story like this to Project Life®. 

After printing out each of my photos (all printed 3x4) I used the rolling time stamp from the 
Day In The Life™ kit to add the time and the date using Black Staz On.

All these photos were taken with my iPhone. I'm currently still using Aperture for my photo management and it, like most photo management programs, holds the "metadata" for your photos. That information includes the time and date the photos were taken which made it super easy for me to go back when I was ready to document these and stamp the real-life times directly onto the photos. YES! Go technology. 
Noell at Paperclipping.com has written more indepth information about metadata if you'd like to learn more here.

Here's a look at how it all came together on the front and back of a 
Design F page protector: 

And the other side: 

A few things to note: 

For the title card I used a 4x6 card from my Sparks Story Kit™ + the "let's do this" stamp (part of the Craft Story Stamp™ that you can still grab between now and March 14th - there is also a digital version of this stamp set available without a subscription here) + a black label from my package of label stickers. 

For my journaling I printed out a short reflection (I also included more about this in my One Little Word® album which is part of the workshop content) and paired that with a "hashtag" chipboard piece from my AED Cascade Chipboard set.

The rubber "February," which I just slid into the pocket, was included in the SC Savannah Scrapbook kit.

The "photos for the win" card was from the Click Story Kit.™

In the bottom corner pocket I included a card from the Everyday Core Kit + a cork speech bubble from Freckled Fawn + an "@" symbol from the Cascade Chipboard set. 

SUPPLIES

AED Rolling Time Stamp (included with the Day In The Life™ kit)
AED Cascade Chipboard Mixed Designs
AED Labels
Craft Story Kit™ (available via subscription through March 14th)
Sparks Story Kit™
Click Story Kit™
Black Staz On
Everyday Core Kit
Project Life® Design F Page Protector (or available in the Big Variety Pack  here )
SC Savannah Scrapbook Kit (February word)
Freckled Fawn Lovely Embellishment Kit