Ali Edwards's Blog, page 187

December Daily® 2015 | Day Eleven

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day 11. 

Today I created a I created my page using one of my 
December Stories Vol. 2 Layered Templates to tell the story of "down the hall" (journaling included below). I've included a video tutorial on how to work with my layered templates in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. There's also a step-by-step video below that talks about what I did after printing out that page. 

In other news today I'm excited to share that I now have a
collection of paints available in my shop. These are the same consistency of paint as the silver paint included in the December Daily® Main Kit:  

There is a
bundle option available or you can purchase them individually. And I have to tell you that one of the most fun things was coming up with the names - all names of places or spaces or culturally relevant things in Oregon and Washington. Love the Northwest. 

Here's Day 11 from my foundation pages post (it was essentially just the tag): 

And here's how it turned out in my actual album: 

Today is a great example of simply watching and listening for a story. This one happened to happen right as I was waking up and starting to walk down my hallway. I think I was struck by the feeling of loving seeing those twinkle lights first thing and the words "down the hall" came to mind and I immediately started thinking about the people down the hall from me. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots - some with it on the ground and some holding it about waist high. I ended up going with one of the waist high shots as you can see above.

Here's what I wrote for Day 11: 

In the very dark, very early morning hours I rise from my bed to begin my day. I stand in the doorway of my bedroom and look down the hall towards two small twinkling Christmas trees. Down the hall my two kids are fast asleep in their respective beds, dreaming of whatever it is that they each dream about at this time in their lives. I feel cozy and thankful and happy. I’ve been getting up at 5am for the last few months and I’m savoring the quiet darkness. It’s a time for me to have a hot cup of coffee and to get a bit of work done before getting the kids up and off to school on the days they are here with me. Down the hall I walk, closing each of their doors carefully and quietly so as not to wake them as I walk down the stairs to feed the cats, make some coffee and begin my day.

To house my photo and my words I decided to use a digital layered template from this set: December Stories Vol. 2 6x8. This package includes 12 different 6x8 layered templates that can be used for this and other memory keeping projects - they include places for words and photos and most include some kind of word art. Each element is on it's own layer so you can move things around and change colors and mask in your photos easily. A similar 4x6 layered template set is available here. 

This page was printed here at home using my Epson R2000 printer. 

Here's a look at all 12 of the layered templates: 

These are meant to be used in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and I've included a video tutorial for you on the step-by-steps of working with the templates here:

VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR WORKING WITH DECEMBER STORIES LAYERED TEMPLATES

If you are looking for more information on getting started with digital techniques like this check out my Getting Started With Digital Scrapbooking free collection of tutorials. 

I wanted to keep the #11 tag so I decided to simply punch holes (using the page protector holes as my guide) and include it as a page on it's own. On the back I adhered the sweater pattern paper from the Main Kit and added a red circle label sticker and the "joy" badge. Red and white twill ribbon is from Paper Source.

DAY 11 | STEP BY STEP


SUPPLIES

December Stories Layered Templates Vol. 2 6x8 (also available in 4x6)
RadLab (for photo editing within Photoshop)
Remington Noiseless Font
December Daily® 2015 Main Kit 
December Daily® 2015 One Little Bird Mini Kit
Paper Source Red & White Twill Ribbon
Epson R2000 Printer


SHARE YOUR DAY 11
I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 11 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

2016 Digital Creative Team Call

2016 is fast approaching and with that comes time to select a new Digital Creative Team. 

I'm super thankful for all the hard work the 2015 team put into their projects this year. We wish them all the best as they continue to craft the stories of their lives. 

For 2016 I'm looking for a small group of memory keepers who are interested in using my new digital products on their projects to be part of my Digital Creative Team. You can be digital or hybrid or traditional - or a mixture of all three - but the most important thing is that you have a passionate commitment to telling your story. 

If you are competent & creative using digital/printable products and are interested in having your work seen on my site in blog posts, as in-use product examples, and on my social media channels please email Katie (katie@aliedwards.com) the following: 

2-3 project examples
Links to your blog and any social media outlets your currently use
A list of any other design teams you are currently on

Please put "AE Digital Creative Team" in the subject of the email. 

Deadline to submit is December 21st, 2015.

You can check out all my new digital products here.

December Daily® 2015 | Day Ten

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day 10. 

In Week Four of the Storytelling With December Daily® workshop I shared an idea for cutting up the Main Kit box (or any of the kit boxes) into two, 4 inch x 6 inch cards and then showed how to emboss using Gold Glitter Zing and the stamp set. Today I'm using those cards in my album as a home for "loving" lists written by my kids. 

Back on Day 06 I talked about how I like to include other people's voices in this album (on that day I included an email from my Mom). Last night I asked my kids to write up a list of 10 things they are "loving" or into right now. They were more willing than I anticipated and they sat right now and made it happen and I love having their written voices in this album. 

Here's a look at my Day 10 from my foundation pages post: 

And here's what I ended up with for Day 10: 

Day 10 includes a full page or pattern paper from Ashley's December Daily® Mini Kit + a #10 from the Emily Ley December Daily® Mini Kit + a green "celebrate always" sticker from the Main Kit. The second portion of the day are the two 4x6 pieces cut from the Main Kit box: 

I love these lists. Little peeks into their lives right now. I love how Anna drew around the word "loving" (totally her) and that included both Shopkins and food and her Advent calendar and her elf (Elf On The Shelf). I love how Simon included his interest in "historical figures" and "actors" - he's been researching both recently (specially historical figures related to characters from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) and sleeping and legos are still on his list.

I think this is the first time I've included a list like this of what they are actually "loving" or most interested in right now in their own voices. I often do these on my own, based on my own observations but it's so cool to have them come up with their own lists. 

On the front of the green star card I added a gold star + Simon's initial. Along the edge I added my favorite Avery Index Tabs. 

On the back side of the second card I repeated the same simple gold star + initial combination. 

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

DAY 10 | STEP BY STEP


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit (including the box)
Storytelling With December Daily® Stamp Set ("loving")
December Daily® Emily Ley Mini Kit (#10)
December Daily® Ashley G Mini Kit (tree pattern paper)
White Embossing Powder
Seven Paper Gold Chipboard Stars
Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder
Avery 2-Inch Index Tabs

SHARE YOUR DAY 10

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 10 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

December Daily® 2015 | Day Nine

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day 09. 

Today was super fun to put together. I've been excited about playing with circles in some way or another in this album ever since I received the 
Main Kit with the wood veneer circles. And I love see-through pages. And yes, I did change this up even after I filmed the video. I ended up taking off the "E" and embossing the little white trees on top which keeps it consistent with the other large red chipboard numbers I've added on previous days.  

Step-by-step video included below.
You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel if you'd rather watch videos over there. 

Don't forget to download my gift to you today 
over on Pinterest as part of my 12 Days Of Giving. 

Here's my Day 09 from my 
foundation pages post: 

Originally Day 09 was in a 4-pocket, 3x4 page protector. Day 08 ended up being one page so I was able to remove that page protector before starting Day 09. 

Here's what I ended up with for Day 09: 

Day 09 includes a 
transparent plastic page (content on both the front + the back) and a full page 6x8 photo. 

The photos in my album today were editing using 
RadLab which I use within Photoshop. The filter I used today (and a couple of other days in this album) is called Bullet Tooth. 

The story, obviously, is quick and simple to fit into the 3-inch circle. 

The
transparent insert page is a thicker plastic piece that holds up well as a page on it's own. I originally bought these from Studio Calico in 12x12 sheets - this one was cut down to the same size as the page protectors - but you can also get them via Amazon here. 

On the front of the page I included four things: 

The large wood veneer circle from the Main Kit + a circle-punched piece of the white star transparency + a large letter red E (for my last name) that has been trimmed around the edges and that's embossed with small white stars + a green "jingle all the way" sticker. 
The number 9 card from the Main Kit punched with a 3-Inch circle punch + a "merry everything" circle from the Seven Paper Felix Plastic Shapes (stapled on top). 
A photo of Anna and the tree punched with the 3-Inch circle punch. 
Two 1-5 inch punched circles from the star transparency.

On the back of the 
transparent page I repeated the same circles - simply adhering these other circles directly on top of the other circles (simply on the other side). One photo of me, one star pattern paper (Main Kit) and one circle punched from December Daily® Jasmine Jones Mini Kit (lines with home for the story). 

I cut the "twinkle" white rubber banner to have the same edges as the circle. Little circles on top of the white tree are from the 
December Daily® Jasmine Jones Mini Kit.

On the bottom of the enlarged photo I added a red label sticker that I had stamped on using stamps from the 
Storytelling With December Daily® workshop stamp set. 

DAY 09 | STEP-BY-STEP


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit (red chipboard letter, label stickers, #9 card, green phrase sticker)
December Daily® Jasmine Jones Mini Kit (lined paper, mini stars and circles)
RadLab for editing photos in Photoshop
Seven Paper Felix Plastic Shapes ("merry everything transparent circle)
Grafix Transparent Plastic Page 12x12 (cut down to the size you want)
3-Inch Circle Punch
1.5-Inch Circle Punch
Storytelling With December Daily® Stamp Set
StazOn Ink
AE Precision Pen .03
Bella Blvd White Star Transparency
Epson R2000 printer (anything larger than 5x7)
Epson PictureMate PM400


SHARE YOUR DAY 09

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 09 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

Spark Your Story | Scrapbook & Cards Today Winter 2015

The Winter issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine is now available and my article this time is about navigating how to tell your holiday stories in traditional layouts. 

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: 

Joy Together

A great example of a way to use the December Daily® kits outside of your actual album if you plan to tell additional stories from this year or past years. 

Products featured include: 

December Daily® Jasmine Jones Mini KitDecember Daily® Emily Ley Mini Kit"Here's The Story" stamp from my Stories Stamp Set

Love These People

A favorite silhouette shot of mine from my holiday in 2014. 

Products featured include: 

Gatherings Story Kit™ (black and white stickers, half-circle chipboard piece)Week In The Life™ Star Washi TapeChipboard Hearts

Oh Yes

My Black Butte Chipboard alpha paired with a full-page in the dark photo on a beach in Cancun last year. And stars, always stars. 

Big thanks to Scrapbook & Cards Today for being so great to work with! 

December Daily® 2015 | Day Eight

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day 08. 

Part of making your own magic includes setting stuff up in order to have it actually happen. In my foundation pages I used the "Let's read a Christmas story" card from the Emily Ley mini kit as a reminder to make it happen - which wasn't too hard since I knew it was something we would do anyway, but I bet you get the idea.

Also, check out my fun 12 Days Of Giving information below to see how you can download free holiday word art as a gift from me to you. 

Here's a look at Day 08 from my 
foundation pages post (in that post I talk about how I embossed the number 8 using a star stamp and white embossing powder): 

And here's how it ended up looking with the story and photo: 

I moved things around this time by removing the 4-pocket page protector and just using the back of Day 07. This story fit just fine in these three pockets along with the addition of the flip up card. 

The book Anna's reading is called 
The Sweet Smell Of Christmas and it's one of the favorites around here. You can read a post I wrote previously about our Christmas book collection here. 

PS: I can't wait to play with Day 09. Circles here we come. 

Something I've done the last few years is include flip-ups and/or flip-outs to make space for my stories or additional photos. We talked more about this in the 
Storytelling With December Daily® workshop (which is still open in case you wanted to dive in to that content) - it's a simple and easy way to make sure you don't skimp on the words. Washi tape for the win. 

The "A" and the "6" are from an old Studio Calico kit - no idea which one it was (if you know feel free to mention it in the comments). They are plastic rectangles and I've been holding on to the alphabet & numbers waiting for a good reason to use them. 
Today was the day. Love the red. The "A" is for Anna and the "6" is because that's how old she is right now.

Here's a look at it outside the album: 

STEP BY STEP | DAY 08


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit (wash tape, #8)
December Daily® Emily Ley Mini Kit ("Let's read a Christmas story" card)
December Daily® Ashley G Mini Kit (pattern paper behind the 8)
White Opaque Zing Embossing Powder
Epson PictureMate PM 400 printer
Word/Phrase Stickers | Maggie Holmes Craft Market, Pink Paislee Yuletide Stickers

12 DAYS OF GIVING 

Yesterday we started something special and fun over on 
Pinterest. For the next 11 days I'm excited to bring you 12 days of designed giving. Follow me on Pinterest and check back each day to reveal a free digital stamp download (click on the number over on Pinterest and it will take you to a free word art download for the day). May these gifts inspire you to create something special and spirited this season.

As an added BONUS, you can enter to WIN a 6 month subscription to my Story Kit™. See 
this pin for all those details - full rules and regulations can be found here: http://aliedwards.com/12-days-of-giving.

SHARE YOUR DAY 08

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 08 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

December Daily® 2015 | Day Seven

Welcome to 
December Daily® 2015 | Day 07. 

A quick and easy page and story today to start the week. I've also included a super quick overview of this page via video below. 

Here's a look at Day 07 from my 
foundation pages post: 

And here's what it looks like with words + photos added: 

First up is the transparent page that says "the most wonderful time of the year" that was included with the Main Kit. I love this page. I mention in the video that it's a nice "break" in my stories as I transition personally from being without kids for the last five days to with kids. I didn't intend that when I originally put the foundation pages together but noticed it today. 

Today's story is simply about Simon coming home this morning (a no-school day for him) and opening up his Advent calendar for the last few days and being in awesome spirits. 

I repeated basically the same design for the card as I did for the short note to Ann on Day 02 which included an embossed title at the top of the card. 

On top of the photo of Simon I added one of the rubber banners from the Main Kit which I trimmed it with scissors to adjust the size and added a small gold star above it. 

Here's a look at the page outside of my album: 

DAY 07 | VIDEO OVERVIEW



SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit
December Daily® Ashley Goldberg Mini Kit (#7 card)
Epson PictureMate PM 400 printer
Ranger/Tim Holtz Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder
Versamark Embossing Ink
Heat Gun


SHARE YOUR DAY 07

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 07 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

New Story Subscription Promotion | Book Of Joy

Thinking about joining my Story Subscription program? Sign up for a 6-month or 12-month subscription by December 13th and receive my online workshop Book Of Joy for free. 

Book Of Joy is a fun mini-book project celebrating the things that make you happy and the workshop includes a full color PDF handout + step by step process video + a message board and gallery for sharing your project. It's a mini-book that would also make a great gift as you document the joy that someone brings to your life.

Each month Story subscribers receive a Story Kit™, a Story Stamp™ or Digital Story Kit™ (depending on your subscription choice) comprised of intentional memory keeping products based around a certain theme. Past themes have included topics such as gatherings, roots, cheer, little things, magic, click and go. Upcoming themes include old & new, heart, craft, tough, wild, read, and believe. 

Here's a look at a sampling of products you can expect to find with a Story Kit™ (products shown are from the current Cheer kit):

In addition to the products shipped for free domestically or for $2 international, each month includes a classroom with step-by-step process videos for at least three story-based projects (usually including one Project Life® spread), a welcome presentation that addresses story ideas for the specific theme, and a PDF handout that includes the story ideas + the how to's for each project. We also have guest storytellers each month who share their take on the theme with a couple projects posted mid-way through the month to keep the ideas and inspiration going. 

Now's a great time to join this awesome community of storytellers who are encouraging and inspiring each other as we tell the stories of their lives.

All current subscribers should have already received access to this workshop as a Thanksgiving gift - check your My Classes section. If you are a current subscriber and you don't see it under your user name / My Classes please start a conversation with my Customer Service team and they will be happy to give you access. 

December Daily® 2015 | Day Six

Welcome to
December Daily® 2015 | Day Six.  

I love including other voices in my album - today I'm doing that in the form of an email from my Mom that I formatted to fit on the back of the tag from 
Day 05. 

In the video today I show you my step-by-steps as well as how to use the joy/stars silkscreen + paint that was included with the 
Main Kit and how I'm using the Fuse Tool for closing off some of my page protector pockets. 

Here's a look at Day 06 from my 
foundation pages post: 

And here's a look at Day 06 after including my story and making other adjustments: 

As I mentioned above, the story for Day 06 is an email from my Mom that I received in the morning. I loved how she talked about some of the things she's thankful for (a nice addition after my own list of thankfulness for Day 05). 

I copied and pasted the body of my Mom's email into an Illustrator file (you can use Photoshop, Word, etc) keeping in mind that the tag was 4 inches wide x 8 inches tall. The font is Remington Noiseless. After printing I used 
Super Sticky Red Tape to adhere the letter to the back of the tag and trimmed off the excess cardstock from around the edges. 

To get the silver stars on the tag I used the silkscreen + the silver paint from the 
Main Kit (watch the video for a tutorial on how to use the screens). On top I added a metal-rimmed circle tag that I had put together when I did my foundation pages. I cut it in half using scissors from Tim Holtz. 

At the top I used some great
red + white twill ribbon from Paper Source to finish off the tag. 

I decided to cut the 2 inch x 2 inch pocket page down to one strip of four pockets. I added a silver glitter star from the 
Main Kit and then added an Avery Indext Tab along the edge with stamped sentiments from the Holiday Circles stamp set. 

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

Think about the different ways that you could include another person's voice in your album. Emails, notes, things children bring home from school, stories you ask someone else to write, etc. 

DAY 06 | STEP BY STEP


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit (includes star silkscreen and silver paint)
Fuse Tool
Metal Rimmed Circle Tags
Paper Source Red & White Twill Ribbon
Crop A Dile 
Fiskars Trimmer
Avery 2-inch Index Tabs
Tim Holtz Scissors
Super Sticky Red Tape
December Daily® Holiday Circles Stamp Set

SHARE YOUR DAY 06

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 06 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.

December Daily® 2015 | Day Five

Welcome to
December Daily® 2015 | Day Five.  

Today I'm sharing what I ended up doing with those 5 number tags I had included in my foundation pages. Step-by-step video is included below (also feel free to follow me on my YouTube channel as well). 

Today involves a bit of painting and embossing with a star stencil and writing out five things I'm thankful for right now. 

Remember, my days will probably get simpler here when the kids are back this week. Making it work for you is about telling longer stories/more involved pages when/if you can and then doing shorter stories/quicker pages when time is tight. 

Hope you guys are having an awesome weekend! Thanks for being part of this storytelling adventure. 

Here's a look at Day 05 from my 
foundation pages: 

And here's a look at how it looks with words and photos and other adjustments: 

For the back of my Day 04 photo I ended up adding another enlarged photo (sized to the size of my page protectors). I went with a photo I took last week of the paperwhites in my kitchen window. Alongside the enlarged photo I created a pocket tag to hold my number tags. More details below. 

On top of the enlarged photo I added a rubber banner from the Main Kit + "tis the season" stamp from the Holiday Circles stamp set + a small gold star from my stash. 

To create the pocket tag I started with a 4 inch x 8 inch manila tag (you can see this process live in the video below). On top of the tag I painted three coats (or so) of white gesso as my base layer. On top of that I used this star stencil (same one I used for the interior of my album cover) and more of the Gold Tinsel embossing powder from Tim Holtz to create the star pattern. 

To create the actual pocket I cut a piece of star transparency and used my Brother sewing machine to stitch around three sides. The collection of tags then slip right into the pocket. 

I totally love how that turned out - better than I imagined actually. 

The front side of the tags outside of the pocket. I decided to just keep them plain. 

On the backside of the tags I used the gold stripe washi from the Main Kit along the bottom of each tag + a red star sequin adhered to the gold star sequin. 

I stamped "tis the season" using Color Theory Well Red ink and then wrote out each of the five things I am thankful for right now.  

Here's a look at the pieces outside my album: 

DAY 05 | STEP BY STEP


SUPPLIES

December Daily® 2015 Main Kit (number tags)
December Daily® Emily Ley Mini Kit (gold #5)
Gesso (or other white paint)
4 inch x 8 inch Manila Tag
Tim Holtz Circle Philosophy Metal Tag
Tim Holtz Loop Pin
Color Theory Well Red Ink
Sticky Dots .25 Flat Circle Adhesive
Crafters Workshop 12x12 Star Stencil
Bella Blvd White Star Transparency
Brother Sewing Machine
December Daily® Holiday Circles (tis the season stamp)
Ranger/Tim Holtz Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder
Super Sticky 1/4 Inch Red Line Tape

SHARE YOUR DAY 05

I'd love to have you share a link to your Day 05 album pages below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link.