Ali Edwards's Blog, page 187

December Daily® 2015 | Day Two

Welcome to December Daily® 2015 | Day 02. 

Today in the process video you'll get to see me change my mind and adjust course mid-way resulting in a Photoshop tutorial included below about how to adjust the 
December Stories Vol. 2 6x8 layered templates to 3x4. All in a days work. Ha. If you are interested in why I make the choices I make I highly encourage you to check out the process videos where I speak a lot freer than I do in these posts.

As a reminder, here's what Day 02 looked like as a foundation page: 

And here's a look at what Day 02 turned out looking like after adding a photo and words and a few other things: 

Today's story is about taking Anna to pick out a toy for 
Toys For Tots. Her school was collecting toys and she was very emphatic that it was what we needed to do (Go Anna Go) so we did it. 

The photo was taken using my iPhone and printed with my 
Epson PictureMate PM400 here at home. 

I like real-life shots like this that show her size compared with a bunch of things in the store. I also added a 
cardstock sticker right to the center of the photo and added a hard-to-see transparent sticker that says "holly jolly" on the back of the sticker from Day 01. 

The second page for today includes four pockets. Inside the top left pocket is a "be of good cheer" card from the 
Cheer Story Kit™ + a transparent "tis the season circle" that was included with a Studio Calico kit last month. The embossed #2 was part of my Foundation Pages (super fun to emboss on those large chipboard letters). The journaling (which is the place where I changed my mind - you can see it in the video below) card includes a gold-embossed stamped title "I love this because" from the Holiday Circles stamp set. In the fourth pocket I ended up cutting up the "stuff" card from the Main Kit, attaching it to a piece of gold star vellum, and then adding a perforated phrase strip from the Cheer Story Kit™ to finish it off. 

Something else to note on the journaling here is that I framed it as a short letter/note to Anna. 

Here's a look at it outside of the album: 

DAY 02 | STEP BY STEP


DAY 02 | HOW TO ADJUST A LAYERED TEMPLATE TO CREATE A 3x4 JOURNAL CARD


SUPPLIES 

Please note that some supplies are not linked below for pieces that were created previously but can be found via my Foundation Pages post.

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit
Cheer Story Kit™ ("be of good cheer" card + kraft perforated phrase)
December Daily® Holiday Circles Stamp Set
December Stories Vol. 2 6x8 Layered Template Set
Epson PictureMate PM400 (for printing 5x7 and smaller)
Ranger/Tim Holtz Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder
Versamark Embossing Ink
Heat Gun
Snappy Tray
Studio Calico Highlands Kit (yellow-orange "tis the season" circle)
Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
Pink Paislee Yuletide Stickers
Maggie Holmes Craft Market Stickers
Maggie Holmes/Crate Paper Confetti Gold Star Vellum
Black Staz On Ink
Fiskars Trimmer

SHARE YOUR DAY 02

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 02 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

December Daily® 2015 | Day One

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day One. 

I always really start to fall in love with this album as it begins to come alive with the addition of photos and words. 

One of my biggest pieces of advice (t
hose of you who were in the workshop this year heard me say it over and over again): this album is not about any single story rather it is the sum of all the parts. Remember that as you go about your days and give yourself permission to make it work for you. I aim for a mix of short and long stories that come together in the end to make one big story of the season. Stick with it, even on the boring and/or busy days. 

Also, one thing I hope to do on some days this year is include step-by-step videos. I was able to do one for today that you'll find at the bottom of this post as well as on my 
YouTube Channel. Hope you enjoy the peek at my process. 

Here's a look at Day 01:

Today I decided to go outside the page protector and I printed two 5 inch x 7 inch photos, adhered them back to back, and added them to my album by punching holes using a 
Crop A Dile. 

On the front photo I added a #1 from the 
Emily Ley Mini Kit, a "merry" from the cut files in the Storytelling With December Daily® digital package (cut with my Silhouette & kraft cardstock), and "deck the halls" from my main kit (popped up with foam dots). 

When you flip the card over you see the second image - looking down on Anna and all the ornaments. As you take photos this season, think about your perspective: look up and look down vs. straight on for a different view. I love Christmas morning shots like this too. 

My large green ornament boxes are made by a company called Sterling Pair. I bought two from Amazon a few years ago when I was looking for a more sturdy option to hold our ornaments and they have been awesome. This year I also bought these grey twill ornament boxs with zippered lids for each kid that are just for their own individual ornaments (they are made for mugs but work great for ornaments - we wrap in tissue paper and then you can put multiples in each cubby). I had my own box growing up that my Grandma Cathy (Mom's Mom) made that I now have here at my house with all my childhood ornaments included. It was a big part of our family traditions when I was growing up to put your own ornaments on the tree and sit around and talk about where they came from (we had lists that documented who gave them to us because that's how my Mom rolls). 

On the page opposite the 5 inch x 7 inch photos I added a "memories" sticker to the Tuesday cut with my Silhouette. 

On the 4 inch x 6 inch card below I covered up the original design with the star pattern paper and added one of the circle label stickers + "before december" added with an electric typewriter that Katie found at a local thrift store a few years ago. On top of the label I added some gold stars from my stash. 

Underneath I wrote my journaling by hand that talks about what we did on Sunday when we put up the tree and how it felt a little like Christmas morning bringing all the stuff in from the garage. 

Here's a look at the pages outside the album: 

DAY 01 | STEP BY STEP 


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit
Emily Ley December Daily® Mini Kit (gold #1)
Crop A Dile (for hole punching)
Black Staz On
Rolling Date Stamp
Fiskars Trimmer
Epson R2000 Printer
Old Typewriter (Smith Corona Electric)
Scotch Dot N Roller Adhesive
Martha Stewart Fine Tip Glue Pen
Cut File from Storytelling With December Daily® workshop
Foam Dot Adhesive
Silhouette

SHARE YOUR DAY 01

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 01 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. 

December Daily® 2015 | Let's Begin

Welcome to December Daily® 2015. 

I seriously feel like I blinked this year and here we are again. 

I've been thinking, as I often do at this very same time of the year, about what I hope for you during this holiday and this project. This year what I hope most of all is that you find or embrace your own voice. Your stories, your joy, your real life truths and traditions at this point in time. This project is about capturing stories - big and small - during the month of December. It's about finding joy in the little things and looking for & making magic even as adults with serious jobs and serious lives. 

Here's a few things I often remind people as we embark on this project:

1. Find a pace that works for you. You might work on this project each day or you might save up a few days for a longer period of work time or you might wait until the end of the holiday season. People have so many different ways of approaching this project. For me, I do one story a day and I work on it daily (most of the time). Sometimes that's as simple as adding a photo and a few words to a pocket and sometimes it becomes a multi-page ordeal. I let the story, and the time available, lead me throughout the month.

2. Enjoy the process. If it starts feeling like a job, simplify. If it becomes boring, mix it up. Make this be something that enhances rather than detracts from you holiday season.

3. Read the 25 Ideas And Story Inspirations from a few years back. Or jump in on the Storytelling With December Daily® workshop that's still available to join where you can find additional inspiration for the reason why behind this project. 

4. Remember that it's not about what any one else is doing except you and your family. Embrace your own holiday spirit, your own stories - whatever they may be this year. Don't spend all your time looking at other people's stuff that you miss out on the time you could have spent working on your own project, telling you own stories. 

5. Look for the joy. Really, that's what this project is about. Find your own joy, even if you have to make it happen for yourself.

6. Start with an intention. What is it you hope for this holiday season? Can you describe it in one word? Why do you participate in this project? In case you missed my free "intentions" printable you can check it out and download it here: 2015 Foundation Pages.

You can do this. Absolutely, 100%, you can.

Let's tell stories together. Ready, set, go. 

I'll be working on my December 1 story today and sharing it with you here on my blog tomorrow. 

Thanksgiving 2015 & Cyber Monday Sale

Simon, Anna and I spent Thanksgiving with my parents on the Oregon Coast. It's one of our favorite places with our favorite people. We loved hanging out (there was a lot of that), eating (also a lot of that), and walking on the beaches. Here's a look at the story via photos: 

CYBER MONDAY & OTHER SALES

Heads up that today I'm wrapping up various sales with a 40% off my digital category (excluding 2015 December Daily® digital products - prices are marked and no code is needed). That sale is one day only (Monday, November 30th). Today is also the last day to grab anything from the Black Friday sale or pick up a past Story Kit™, Story Stamp™ or Digital Story Kit™ (none of those are regularly available so if you are interested you should definitely grab one now). 

And tomorrow December Daily® begins! I can't wait to tell stories with you. Tomorrow I'll have a launch/ready-set-go post and on Wednesday I'll share my December 1st story/page with you.

Give Sunday | 47

This year, in honor of my 2015
One Little Word® "give," I'm sharing a hand-drawn quote each Sunday here on my blog.

Click here to read my initial post and download the #givesunday word art title and checklist for helping you to give a little something today. You can also view all the past #givesunday quotes via the archives. 

Click here to download the #givesunday 47 quote. Please note: If you are reading this post via email you need to click through to the actual blog post to download the file. 

You're invited to join me. What will you
give today?

Have a wonderful Sunday. 

2015 Family Gift Ideas

This morning I was thinking about gift-giving for my loved ones and the things my family has enjoyed this year and wanted to share a quick list of ideas with you. 

Kiwi Crate Family Brands | A fun, educational kid-subscription program that has options for different ages. Each box has a specific creative project that includes instructions and the needed supplies. I've had these for the kids on and off and am getting Anna a new subscription for Christmas this year. I like gifts like this that keep giving. 

Illustrated Harry Potter And The Sorceer's Stone | I bought this for Simon earlier this year and it's awesome. Beautiful illustrations accompany the whole first story in the Harry Potter series. Great for reading aloud or for any other fans of the stories. 

Christmas Company Ornaments from Land Of Nod | I love these tree ornaments and love the idea of buying a family for the families I love most. They are sold individually so you can customize to your loved ones. 

Qello Concerts | This is a subscription service for watching concerts from yesterday and today (I watch them via my Apple TV but you can also just stream it online). If you have a music lover in your life this might be a fun gift - I love putting it on while I'm cooking or when we are just hanging out. There's a free seven-day trial to check it out. I just watched an old Paul Simon one that was awesome. 

Kindle Paperwhite | I finally bought myself one of these (I think it was last year) and I'm so glad that I did. I still buy paper books (usually non-fiction) but I am loving the Kindle for travel and for simplicity. 

Lego Dimensions | This is the video game that Simon has been working and saving for over the last few months. It's really a cool video game (he uses it with the Wii) that incorporates a bunch of different characters into one game. Think Scooby Doo + the Wicked Witch Of The West + characters from Back To The Future all working together. He's loving it. 

Wishing you all the best!

Stories Revisited Sale + Other Sale News

Morning! Just wanted to give you guys a quick heads up about a couple sales happening here over the next few days: 

1. STORIES REVISITED SALE | This morning we launched a sale on past Story Kits™, Story Stamps™ and Digital Story Kits™ (first time for those to be sold outside of the subscription). They are available while supplies last or until November 30th. You can see everything in this category here (and make sure to notice that some are digital and some are physical products). Please note that these kits do not include the classroom content as that is an exclusive benefit of the subscription. 

2. BLACK FRIDAY SALE | On Friday we will be having a shop sale with 50% off selected items. There will be a category in the shop called "Black Friday Sale" where you will be able to view everything that is included in the sale under that link. Think alpha stickers, stamps, etc.

3. CYBER MONDAY | On Monday we will be having a 40% off sale on select Digital products (excluding 2015 December Daily® digital products). 

Thank you again for all your support. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season. 

Give Sunday | 46

This year, in honor of my 2015
One Little Word® "give," I'm sharing a hand-drawn quote each Sunday here on my blog.

Click here to read my initial post and download the #givesunday word art title and checklist for helping you to give a little something today. You can also view all the past #givesunday quotes via the archives. 

Click here to download the #givesunday 46 quote. Please note: If you are reading this post via email you need to click through to the actual blog post to download the file. 

You're invited to join me. What will you
give today?

Have a wonderful Sunday. 

I Am Tag Book Mini Class Now Available

Earlier this year I decided to make the three workshops I taught in person in 2015 available online as self-paced mini-classes. The third workshop in that series, I Am Tag Book, is now available. If you have already purchased this workshop as part of the bundle option you should be able to access it under your user name/My Classes now. 

I Am Tag Book is a playful, fun exercise in painting, misting, embracing imperfection and reflecting on where you are in your life right now. As memory keepers, many of us focus on telling the stories of other people in our lives first and foremost. This simple tag book is an awesome opportunity to get yourself in the story or continuing telling your own story. Join me for an artistic exploration into who we are right now using “I am” statements and fun mixed media tags.

This workshop includes a supply overview video (10 mins), a presentation with an overview of the project and the reason why (20 mins), a process video that includes steps for creating the tags (40 mins), a 10-page handout with steps and images of my completed pages, and a message board and gallery for sharing and communicating with other students. Many of the supplies used in this project are also available in my shop under the Class Supplies/I Am Tag Book category. 

MINI CLASS BUNDLE OPTION ALSO AVAILABLE

The mini classes are each available for $18 or
choose the Bundle option for $44. Mini-classes included in the bundle are Day In The Life™, Love You Because, and I Am Tag Book. You can see a short description and images of each project on the Bundle page here.

Project Life® 2015 | Week Forty-Three

Today I wanted to share a super simple Project Life® approach which is great for focusing on the words and photos during any given week (or if you, like me, are playing catch-up). 

I've been skipping around in Project Life® this year, including some weekly spreads in the content for my Story subscription program. As I worked on a week that was included in the classroom content for the Cheer theme I was struck once again with how much I love this project and how I want to make time for it and that it doesn't have to be complicated.  

Blah. Blah. Blah. Sometimes I write stuff and I say that to myself while I'm writing it. Usually it's when I feel like I've said whatever it is I'm saying before - that whole broken record kind of thing. The truth is I've been focused on other projects and this one has been on the back-burner. The truth is I was really happy to work on this today and have another week complete. The truth is I don't think you can beat this format for everyday life documentation. Onward.

Here's a look at Week Forty-Three: 

This spread features cards from my Hello Today Journal Card set - this is a set of 3x4 and 4x6 cards that are a physical product now available in my shop. I've currently got three journal card sets available with three more coming in December. Want digital? You can grab The Story Of Today 3x4 Cards here.

Week Forty-Three was the week of Halloween so I've included a 6x12 page protector insert to hold additional photos and journaling (the story was copied and pasted onto 4x6 cards from this blog post). 

I done this style of using a same or similar design for each of the journal cards previously and it's always been a personal favorite (check out some past examples here and here and here). To be clear, I don't think I want to do this every week but I like having it as an option in my own personal style menu. It's nice repetition of design. It's simple. It keeps the focus on the words and the photos. 

At the bottom of each of the journal cards I used a rolling date stamp to specify the actual date and simply journaled my story below the day of the week using a Staedtler Permanent Pen or Uniball Vision Elite pen. 

My minimal embellishing included some of the kraft perforated phrase strips from the Cheer Story Kit™ paired with chipboard hearts. A Tiny Attacher was used to attach the heart and phrase strip to the photo. 

SUPPLIES
Design A Project Life® Page Protectors 6x12 inch 3-pocker Page Protector Avery 2-Inch Index Tabs Hello Today Journal Card set Cheer Story Kit™ (kraft perforated phrase, small black rubber speech bubble) Small chipboard hearts Rolling date stamp Staedtler Permanent Pen / Uniball Vision Elite Tiny Attacher