Ali Edwards's Blog, page 182

Just The Three Of Us

This past weekend I took the kids to Disneyland. 

As you know from past posts, I really like Disneyland. And I also really like surprise adventures to Disneyland. So I did it again. 

I kept it to myself until 3:30am last Friday morning when I woke them up and said, "Wake up we're going to Disneyland."

Man, that's seriously the best. 

Last weekend marks about the half-way point between their two birthdays (Simon on January 21 and Anna on February 10) so the timing was just right, along with it generally being a less busy time of year to visit which makes it a little easier for Simon to enjoy. 

We took a couple flights to get down, landing around 9am and headed straight to the hotel and then straight into California Adventure. 

The last time Anna was at Disneyland was in 2012 (blog post about that adventure here). She had just turned four and remembers a few things about being there so it was really so great to take her again. 

They are both such good travelers and really up for seeing and going and doing. 

I'm one of those people that alternates quickly between being in the moment and reflecting on the moment. As we were walking around, riding rides, standing in line, having snacks and generally enjoying being there one of the phrases that kept going through my head was "be the kind of people that __________."

Be the kind of people that go on adventures.

Be the kind of people who are compassionate and patient and kind.

Be the kind of people who make time for fun.

Be the kind of people that make space for people to be who they are.

Be the kind of people that take breaks when we need it. 

Be the kind of people who stretch and reach and work through fears.  

I've been so happy to be able to take these two a few times over the years at very different ages and stages - all have been great for one reason or another. But this time, with both of them being older, it was definitely easier overall.

And so darn fun for it to just be the three of us.

I love that they like to just hang out. 

They don't mind going back to the room for a rest and they don't have the "I have to do every single thing" mindset. It was a good pace and flow. 

I love that they are excited and silly and want to see stuff. 

Simon could have definitely stayed in Tomorrowland the whole time - especially with the new Star Wars focus. I know one of the reasons I love to take him is because he really does light up in the fantasy and the stories and the characters.

Anna wanted a photo with every character we passed. I loved it because I know that doesn't last forever either. 

We stayed at the Grand Californian. I love being able to walk out the door into California Adventure. 

They both loved the water slide. 

I did take my big camera along but this is really the only shot I took with it. My phone worked just fine for this trip. 

Simon was really patient - something he's been working on and yes the phone does help with this - while waiting for Anna to be able to do the things she wanted to do and see. 

Like Elsa and Ana. 

Gah. So great. 

Thank you Disney for bringing characters and stories to life for my kids. 

Apparently they are good at following directions when I say "serious face." And apparently I cracked. 

I'm telling you - the best. I can't wait for more trips with these two as they grow older. They are awesome. 

We happened upon this "Jessie" hat in the shop over by the Toy Story ride and it was perfect for Anna. 

I think we rode Big Thunder Mountain five times while we were there this time. It was all of our favorite on this trip. 

I took this shot with my iPhone - just holding it out in front of me and hoping for the best. I think I took about six shots and this one was the best of the group.

Be the kind of people to hold on tight for the wild ride of life with a big smile on your face. 

On Sunday it rained like crazy. 

We are not afraid of rain - come on, we live in Oregon. But by mid-morning it was enough and we were soaked. We headed back to the hotel and hung out and talked about our options and changed clothes and then went and saw Kung Fu Panda 3 at the movie theater at Downtown Disney. I'm a fan of that too. 

We flew home on Monday morning. 

And as soon as I saw this photo I immediately remembered this one from 2012, also at the Orange County airport - also heading home from Disneyland: 

The best. Seriously. Love seeing yesterday and today collide like that. 

Oh my sweet kids - let's always be adventurers. 

February Digital Release | Lots Of Love

Happy February! 

This year we are changing things with how we release digital products and I want to share more about that with you today.  

Rather than launching new products weekly (which is what I've done in the past), I'll be releasing 8-12 new products at the beginning of each month. The products will continue to be a combination of brushes, printables, and layered templates. Throughout the month we hope to share inspiration from me and my Digital Creative Team using these products to give you ideas and inspirations to get your own stories told. 

This month I've got 11 new products (the 9 shown above + 2 more) to help tell stories related to love, valentines and encouragement. These are great companions to the Heart Story Kit™ or used on their own. 

Check them all out here.

INTRODUCING CLASSIC AE

In addition to the new products I'll be releasing each month, I'll also be re-releasing some of my older digital products into the shop (these are products that were previously offered for sale at Designer Digitals - we are keeping the names of the products the same as they were there). We have designated these products in the shop as Classic AE and can be found easily via the grey frame around the packaging or via the Classic AE category. 

This month's release features 26 Classic AE products (including the 6 shown above) focusing around the theme of love and Valentines. 

Check them all out here.

Project Life® 2016 | Week Three

Happy Monday and welcome to Project Life® 2016 | Week Three. 

I love this. I love this. I love this. 

That's all. 

One more friendly reminder that my Storytelling With Project Life® workshop starts tomorrow. Please note that the optional kit has now sold out. 

Here's a look at Week Three: 

One of the things I've learned after going back through all my Project Life® albums since 2010 for the Workshop is that I love to have a mix of weeks. That means that some weeks are really simple in their design & execution and other weeks are more "crafty" or simply include more products. I want both styles in my album.

Cards included on this side of the spread include AE Hello Today Journal Card Set ("Monday"), AE Love Life Journal Card Set ("don't forget"), AE Celebrate Journal Card Set ("celebrate together"), and "the ultimate list" is a sticky note that was included in this SC Canyonlands Stationary Set. 

On top of the cat photo I added some Crate Paper/Maggie Holmes Thicker Letter Stickers. You'll see these repeated two other times this week. 

On top of the 6x8 page protector I added a strip of mini washi tape - every once in awhile I add something to the outside of the page protectors and this was one of those times. 

After I took photos of my spread this week I decided that I wanted to add the story I posted last week about going skiing. I formatted it in Photoshop to fit in a 6x8 page protector and printed out a photo of Aaron in the snow to add to the front. 

When you look at the spread the two 6x8 page protector inserts lay on top of each other in the album. I staggered them using the bottom two holes for the one holding Anna's note and using the top two holes for the story and photo about the snow. 

Here's a look at the second insert: 

Avery Index Tabs hold stamped labels that make it easy to turn the page. 

Journal cards on this side of the spread include AE Celebrate Journal Card Set ("let's party") and AE This And That Journal Card Set ("the story of today"). Foam stickers were added to the top of two more of the photos for a nice visual triangle across the spread. 

Have a great week!

BASIC SUPPLIES
Project Life® Design A Page Protectors Rolling Date Stamp Black Staz On AE Precision Pen Epson PictureMate PM400 Avery Index Tab Tiny Attacher (stapler)
EXTRAS
Build Story Stamp™ (used inside the Index Tab) What Today Looks Like Stamp Set (used inside the Index Tab) Blue & Black Mini Washi Tape AE 6x8 Page Protectors Crate Paper/Maggie Holmes Grey Foam Thickers AE Hello Today Journal Card Set AE Love Life Journal Card Set AE Celebrate Journal Card Set SC Canyonlands Stationary Set

Heart Digital Story Kit™ Inspiration | AE Creative Team

It has been so fun to see all the stories using the Heart Story Kit™ this month. Kits and stamps are still available if you'd like to begin your subscription with this theme. 

Today I'm sharing a couple of projects from some of our new 2016 Digital Creative Team members who used the Heart Digital Story Kit™ to tell their stories. 

Jen Schow | Love this story about hearts pounding and heats breaking and heavy hearts and tender hearts and living with our hearts on our sleeves from Jen. 

Here's the first of two projects from Sarah Zayas. Love how she hand-cut the big open heart title and tucked her journaling behind the photo using the "love this" tab. 

Sarah's second project is this awesome little minibook - you can read more about her process over on her blog. 

She used a bunch of different elements from the kit to create homes for her words.

These last two are from Kelsey McEvoy (click on her name to head over to hear blog to read more about both these layouts). Two lovely layouts about very personal real-life stuff. 

Here's to living with heart! Have a great weekend!

Project Life® 2016 | Week Two

Welcome to Project Life® 2016 | Week Two. 

Just a heads up that my online Storytelling With Project Life® workshop begins next Tuesday - February 2nd (registration will close on February 9th). I've been spending a lot of time recently going back through all my past albums gathering story ideas and assessing what's worked and not worked and what I've learned along the way. It's been awesome to go back and see what this project looked like for me in the beginning vs. today (the things that are the same & different). I'm excited to share another in-depth workshop with you as we all figure out our own heart of the matter with Project Life®. Get all the details here. 

Here's a look at how my words and photos came together for Week Two: 

Another insert this week. I don't do this every week, it really just depends on what's happening and what I might want to include. These two drawings from Anna were ones that I didn't want to cut up. So great Anna. This is one of the things I love about Project Life® - it can be a home for this kind of stuff. Not all of it of course, but added in here and there it makes the whole thing come to life that much more.  

The "heart this" in the speech bubble card is included in my Love Life Journal Card Set. 

Ah yes. The Mega Date Stamp. It's giant and it's awesome and I think I'm likely to use it a lot this year. I got one when they first came out last year and ended up giving it to my sister because I'm nice like that. When they became available again a couple of weeks ago I jumped at the chance to order one for myself. Super happy with that purchase. The cute little chipboard heart is from Freckled Fawn's Iconic embellishment kit. 

The "tell it like it is" card was created using a stamp from my Stories stamp set and a journal card from my New Year set. "Currently" is a journal card that can be found in the This and That set. 

Lots of handwriting on journal cards this week - it's such a simple and easy way to document. 

And Powerball, of course. And of course #notawinner. One of the things I've loved as I've looked back through all my older albums is the inclusion of ephemera and random papers like that - I want to keep being intentional about including those kinds of things. 

The "magical ordinary moments" chipboard circle was included in the SC Wink Wink Scrapbook Kit.

One of my favorite recent photos of Anna is this one I took of her with an iPad in her lap before bed. The fun little sticky note on top was from a Freckled Fawn embellishment kit. 

I used the black vellum alpha and cork number from SC's Arendal Kit to create the "dinner" journal card (on top of white cardstock). 

And you gotta love that photo of Simon. The red "bring on the awesome" was cut from a 4x6 inch card in the Cheer Story Kit™.  

On top of the photo of Anna I used the "go ______ go" stamp from the Cheer Story Stamp™ set and placed one of the vellum alpha stickers right in the middle. Love creating little homes for embellishments like that. 

BASIC SUPPLIES
Project Life® Design A Page Protectors 8.5x11 Page Protector Rolling Date Stamp Black Staz On AE Precision Pen Epson PictureMate PM400 Tiny Attacher (stapler)EXTRAS
Mega Date Stamp AE Love Life Journal Card Set AE New Year Journal Card SetAE This and That Journal Card SetAE Stories Stamp Set SC Wink Wink Scrapbook Kit (chipboard circle) SC Arendal Kit (black vellum alpha, cork number 7) Freckled Fawn Chipboard HeartsFreckled Fawn Oxford Kit Heart Story Kit™ ("the heart of the matter" journal card)Cheer Story Kit™ Cheer Story Stamp™

Full Circle

Sometimes you go away from something for a long time, and then, all of a sudden (or maybe not so suddenly), you are back. 

On Sunday I went skiing with Aaron for the first time in probably 15 years.  

It was so, so fun. 

As a kid my parents decided that skiing was something we should know how to do (along with golf and swimming). They took us up to Crystal Mountain in Washington State a couple of weekends when I was in grade school for lessons and fun in the snow. Once we were all able to ski decently it was a fun thing we did together as a family. In high school I rode the ski bus a few times (my brother did it a lot more) or went with friends. In college I went a number of times - usually with Chris and his parents to Mt. Bachelor in central Oregon. It was never my biggest passion but it was something that was a part of my life and something I enjoyed when the opportunity came up.  

After Simon was born we stopped going. Sometimes things just stop. It wasn't ever anything to do with not wanting to go necessarily - it was just, well, complicated (physical fitness and money and emotional fitness). Seasons. We were focused on other things.

And then it comes back again. 

One of the things Aaron really wanted to do this winter was get his kids up on a mountain. He made that happen a couple weekends ago and then suggested we go together this past weekend when our kids were away. At first I had a bunch of my usual excuses - mainly work - and also that I don't have any ski clothes any more. 

And then I remembered that I want to say yes to opportunities like this; that part of being "whole" is making sure that I'm actively living my life. 

Big thanks to the nice lady at REI who helped me get what I needed and especially for her thermal-under-layer suggestions that kept me nice and toasty during this adventure. 

Willamette Pass is about an hour or so from my house - not too bad at all for a day activity. And as you can see in the photo above - crowds weren't really an issue at all. 

It was awesome to go with Aaron. He first snowboarded in his early 20's and our level was about the same - we had a really nice time hanging out, riding the chairlift, cruising down the mountain, having lunch, remembering how to turn and stop, and just being outside. 

It was a lot like when you learn to ride a bike - my body remembered. We did about 8 runs with lunch in the middle and called it good. I can't wait to go again. 

(Of course he didn't like that I had my phone out on the chair lift.)

On of the things we talk a bit about in my One Little Word® workshop is having a symbol that represents our words. It's not a requirement - it's simply another way to connect you with your word visually. My word this year is "whole" and my simple symbol is a circle or pie-chart. 

When I think about my life right now I like thinking of it in terms of a pie chart - each piece representing a piece of myself that all come together to create the whole (kids, work, relationships, family, reading, music, outdoor adventures, gardening, etc). One of my personal goals this year is to evaluate all those pieces (or simply be more conscious of them) - the big ones and the little ones and make sure they are the right size and a piece that I still want to keep. Going skiing this past weekend felt like I rediscovered a piece of myself that's been missing for awhile. 

Here's to adventures and weekends and finding pieces of ourselves again. 

Project Life® 2016 | Week One

Say hello to Project Life® 2016 | Week One. 

You guys will be so proud of me (I'm proud of me) because I actually already have Week Two done and will share it here soon. 

Also just a reminder that registration is now open for my Storytelling With Project Life® workshop which begins February 2nd. You can read more details in my blog post here (including a bundling code for a discount when you purchase both the class & the optional class kit) or check out the class in the shop here. Don't forget that we are including a free set of digital cards and stamp (all PNG files) if you register before February 2nd.

Part of the reason for teaching the workshop is to re-ignite my own love for this style of memory keeping. It's working. 

Here's a look at my Week One: 

Week One was part at home, part on the road. To document the story of my adventures at CHA (blog post here), I used a 6 inch x 12 inch insert. The front side features a half-sheet of patterned vellum + a collection of word and phrase stickers. 

That back is a full 6 inch x 12 inch page of journaling taken directly from my blog post with a few edits. 

For my date card I used a digital "january" png file from my Thicker Months set. Below that I used a rolling date stamp + black Staz On for the actual dates. 

The "yes, this" card is from my New Year Journal Card Set. 

On the first half of this spread I added in a bunch of writing directly on the photos - it's one of the simplest and easiest ways to add a little more of the story directly onto the photos. I'm using my AE Precision Pen for writing on my photos. When I write on the photos I'm generally looking at the shapes or blank space within the photo to use as a home for my words. 

I embossed the back of the "E" and added a chipboard phrase. 

This "I am thankful for" card is actually on the back of one of the cards I used for my 2016 Title Page. I don't usually work on both the front and the back - but sometimes it works out just right. 

The vellum "this is our year" is from Studio Calico's Arendal Kit. The light blue "yes" ticket is from a really cool, still available kit from Studio Calico calledNes Verk (the blue Heart Eyes card is also from that kit). Around it I added word and phrase stickers and chipboard from my Gatherings Story Kit™, the Build Story Kit™, and from a Freckled Fawn chipboard set. The white rubber star is either from a SC or Freckled Fawn kit. 

And of course, as I do on most inserts, I added an Avery Index Tab along the side. The "joyful story" stamp is from the Cheer Story Stamp™. 

The "Good Times" card is from my Love Life Journal Card Set and the grey word/phrase stickers are from the Heart Story Kit™.

BASIC SUPPLIESProject Life® Design A Page Protectors6x12 Page ProtectorsRolling Date StampBlack Staz OnAE Precision PenEpson PictureMate PM400Avery Index TabTiny Attacher (stapler)EXTRASAE Thicker Months DigitalAE Love Life Journal Card SetAE New Year Journal Card SetAE Gratitude Journal Card SetSC Nez Verk Kit ("yes" ticket, Heart Eyes card)SC Arendal Kit ("this is your year" vellum)Freckled Fawn Chipboard SetHeart Story Kit™Gatherings Story Kit™Cheer Story Stamp™

Simon At 14

Yesterday Simon turned 14. 

I started to write up a post about him and me and us and this life and then I started going through all the photos. Oh the photos. 

Today I'd just like to celebrate him via some of those photos. 

2004

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Happy Birthday Simon. You are so very loved. 

Love This | Scrapbook Layout

When I was putting together the classroom content for the Heart Story Kit™ this month one of the story ideas that came up was "hearts pounding." 

In the presentation I shared this photo from one of our Disneyland rides and said that I was pretty sure I was going to make a layout with that photo - enlarged - as the base. 

As you'll see below it's a blurry, imperfect, full-of-motion iPhone photo that I enlarged to 12 inch x 12 inch and printed it here at home using my Epson R2000 printer. This is the over-sized printer I've been using for a number of years now and it looks like they have a newer version available which is also less expensive: Epson Sure Color P400. I print these 12 inch x 12 inch prints on 13 inch x 19 inch photo paper from Epson. 

This truly is a heart pounding story of fun with friends - the best kind of blurry. 

Here's a look at how the layout turned out: 

After printing out the photo I gathered up a collection of word and phrase stickers and printed out my journaling on a 4 inch x 6 inch piece of paper. 

I considered making this a 2-page spread but decided to just put my story right on the photo along with the embellishments. 

At the top the cluster of embellishments includes a large gold-foil heart from the Heart Story Kit™ (grey phrase stickers are also from that kit). The brown perforated phrases are from the Cheer Story Kit™. The chipboard phrases are from Freckled Fawn's Together Is Best kit. The black and white stickers were included with the Gatherings Story Kit™. "Fab" is from the Canyonlands Scrapbook Kit.

Here's a closer look at the journaling portion on the bottom: 

For the journaling I just created a 4 inch x 6 inch canvas in Photoshop and wrote out my journaling. I printed on my PictureMate PM400 onto photo paper and then cut it up to create the strips. 

I bet you have a photo you could enlarge this weekend to get one of your stories told! 

Have a great one. 

SUPPLIES
Heart Story Kit™Cheer Story Kit™Gatherings Story Kit™Freckled Fawn Embellishment KitCanyonlands Scrapbook KitEpson R2000 PrinterEpson PictureMate PM400 Printer

Join Me At Inspired Retreat

I'm excited to let you guys know that I'll be speaking at and attending Amber Housley's Inspired Retreat this May. 

Are you a creative woman entrepreneur (or dreaming of becoming one) looking to learn and connect with others in a small-group setting?

A one-of-a-kind business and lifestyle retreat for creative women entrepreneurs, I'll be speaking about the "lessons learning" at the intersection of work & life. Which is a lot. And yes, that says "lessons learning" because that's been my personal experience in this crazy ride. 

Running your own business or getting it up off the ground can be a lonely experience (some people thrive on that and some people wilt). Coming together in an intimate setting with others walking similar paths is one of the ways to really get to your own heart of the matter both personally and professionally. You better believe I'm excited about this part for myself and my own business. 

Registration includes meals & lodging, 3 days of engaging business content, creative hands-on sessions, opportunities for close conversations with speakers (I have a small personal bubble-ha), a professional headshot, and more. 

See what others are saying about this event here.

This event is happening outside Nashville, TN from May 1st through May 4, 2016. More details and registration here. 

SPECIAL CODE FOR EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: Save $200 off registration using the code ALIEDWARDS. Registrations are limited to only 30 seats to allow for close connections, relationship building and access to speakers and fellow attendees. Early bird registration rate ends February 18, 2016.

Here's a video that shows you a bit of what you can expect from Amber's event:

I'd love to meet you there!

Photo Credits: Nancy Ray Photography and  Alexis June Weddings