Ali Edwards's Blog, page 195
July 19, 2015
Give Sunday | 28
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 28 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.
July 16, 2015
Week In The Life™ 2015 Updates
We've got a date! I'm excited to let you know that I'll be documenting a Week in the Life™ from August 17th through August 23rd, 2015.
A seven-day documentary project, Week in the Life™ began in 2005 as an annual opportunity to capture the simple everyday details of life with photos and words. You can check out all my past blog posts on this project here, view my gallery and watch a video here.
Join the free Week In The Life™ community (includes message board & gallery for sharing your project) and grab this word art package:
It's been fun seeing this word art pop up on images on Instagram using the hashtag #weekinthelife.
If you'd like a simple way to share you are participating this year we've also created a couple of ready-mage images for you to use that you can download on the Welcome Page in the free Week In The Life™ community.:
Pre-ordered Week in the Life™ kits for 2015 have started shipping.
Preorders placed after July 15th will ship the last week of July (and still qualify for free shipping). More details on the preorder page here.
The kit also includes your choice of 6x8 album (see images on the kit page) - each come with 31 page protectors:
The digital kit (includes the cards and stamp set) should be available in the shop soon.
I'm getting super excited to embark on this project again! Thank you for being part of this community and being interested and willing to capture and celebrate the stories and images of one week in your life.
Let's tell stories together!
July 15, 2015
New Story Theme Now Available | Roots
Say hello to a new
Story Theme for my Story subscription program: Roots.
This month we are telling stories of where we come from (who, where, when, etc), what kinds of roots we are planting today, and maybe even who we are rooting for. This theme is a great jumping off point for including more stories from your past in your memory keeping projects.
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 Roots:
And the Story Stamp™:
I can't wait to use that day of the week timeline.
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 Roots:
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 (f
ull details, including process videos and how-to handout, are included with subscription):
Let's tell stories together!
If you are looking for additional opportunities to learn more about memory keeping with an emphasis on storytelling, check out the self-paced versions of two of my popular workshops: Yesterday & Today and 31 Things.
About Yesterday & Today: The goal of Yesterday & Today is to help you meaningfully document and celebrate life by looking to the past before approaching the stories of today. The benefit of looking to the past is that we gain perspective. We see things differently after developing an awareness of what we know and what we wished we knew. Looking back, even if we're just viewing old photos of people we don't know, can change the way we approach the photos we take and the stories we tell today. This workshop would be a great companion to this month's Story theme. Topics this workshop addresses include:
Where do you begin creating with photos from generations past?What do you wish you knew about your parents when they were growing up?How do you document the challenging times in your life?How do you create layouts that tell special stories when you don't have any photos?What are the lessons of your life so far?
About 31 Things (31 More Things is coming this fall so this is a great time to take this class before taking the live version of 31 More Things):
This self-paced workshop includes a collection of 31 prompts that invite you to document some"thing" about your life right now via a single photo and words. Some of the topics include: jewelry, conversation, technology, shoes, think, chores, and smell. Gather your photo and words for each prompt into a 12x12 album (using the templates and tutorials provided in the workshop) or simply use the prompts as jumping off points for blog posts, personal journaling, etc. Full details here.
July 13, 2015
Celebrating Memories Of Week In The Life™ | Annette Haring
Today I'm sharing some
#WITLmemories from Annette Haring. Love the honest reflections she's included with each image below including thoughts on work, the evening routine, imperfect photos and stories, and remembering the little things.
#WITLmemories is all about sharing the Week In The Life™ love. It's about re-visitng our past projects (to reflect and learn and get inspired), sharing ways of telling the story of our daily lives, and creating a community of people around this popular project to support and encourage one another.
You're invited to share your own personal favorite #WITLmemories via Instagram, Facebook or your blog. What do you love about the project? What do your past albums mean to you now? Feel free to share a link to your blog post in the comments below.
Here's a look at Kristin's past projects:
MONDAY | APRIL 23, 2012
hello Monday | get to work day
A little about me: I am a work outside the home mom and was working a pretty heavy schedule with long hours and a long commute for four years while my husband was in a PhD program. We all have different seasons of life and reasons we are busy. This just happened to be one of my busy work seasons. And even though the schedule was tough, I have found that capturing self portraits helps increase my self awareness, self compassion and decision making. I also know that I am part of this story and I want to make sure I am a part of these books as well!
On this particular Monday, I worked (as noted by the photo of my purse with my work tablet and other accessories) and then made it home before dark to do finish up work. I was driving a lot for work during this part of my life so the fact I made it home at a decent hour was a good thing. And I like that I captured my scrapbook desk / work desk that was actually in the bedroom of our apartment at that time. Making it work, right?
TUESDAY
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2014
remembering the little things
Fast forward two years. My daughter is now four years old and is definitely growing up. Here's my journaling from the title page: "The story of this photo is her independent spirit at 4 years old. That she often gets her own milk and cereal, even when the jug is full and she boasts how strong she is since it is so heavy. That today I poured some in a measuring cup for her because I was stressed and didn't want to clean up a big mess, just in case. That one of her habits is pulling her hair back with her left hand because she refuses to wear anything in her hair and loves it long. That the yellow sunflower mix is still looking good after celebrating her grandma's birthday over the weekend. It was a good morning. Hello Tuesday."
The story of this photo is also that I am no longer driving the long distances I was. Still working but not to the extent I was in the prior 4 years. So thankful I had time to spend at home that morning to capture little moments like this.
I also love the daily schedule in Ali's kit last year but I had not filled it out during the week. I just finished up my journaling in time to share it with you now. Thankfully I had written notes on Ali's daily sheets so I had some great nuggets to add to the schedule. My favorite little nugget: 8 am: "Mom, you can't go to work in those pants can you?" Note to self: must do laundry!
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY | JULY 27, 2011
imperfect stories + photos matter
I love to make sure I capture some photos of the characters of the story that is our life. That afternoon I came home from a busy day and because it was Week in the Life™ I grabbed my camera and got my daughter to cooperate with a few photos on the balcony. And while I'm super thankful to capture her cute face at 17 months, I'm also happy I captured the story behind our day with additional photos, like places I went that day. Lunch at Panera (so that's where my Panera card is!!) Clean bathrooms at Central Market (when you drive a lot in Austin traffic you are thankful for clean bathrooms!) And then the stories not told with photos. Here I added a note from her teacher at daycare and I love that I added those details.
Also remember the photos and stories don't need to be perfect. It is the collection of little photos and stories that make this project so great.
THURSDAY
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 17, 2013
the bedtime routine
In 2013 I started each day with a focus on a particular time of day or routine. So for each large photo on the left side and the smaller photos on the right side I have a focus on things like the morning routine, work routine, afternoon routine, bedtime routine and after school routine. You can break it down as you need for your routine. I liked that it gave me some focus to make sure I got a good photo for the enlargement each day. That took pressure off of me to not feel like I had to take a zillion photos each day. Again, my work routine was very busy during this time but taking the time to capture a bit of my life has been amazing to look back on. Instead of focusing on the negative, I was able to reflect on the beauty that is all around me and the stories that are present if I just look and reflect.
Here I captured how her room looked at the time, which is cool to look back on. I also captured her love of pajamas and blankets. Doing the the pajama dance and hiding under her blanket. So happy to have these little moments recorded!
The journaling: Evening routine: "You right now. Bedtime routine at 3. You really love your pajamas. Just like Mom, as soon as you get home it is PJ time! We like reading a few books like Sandra Boynton "Pajama Dance" and maybe watch a Curious George episode or two. And milk. Always milk. We love you."
FRIDAY
FRIDAY | JULY 29, 2011
observations
One of the things I love about Week in the Life™ is just simply to observe your life as it is right now. I like to capture the photos in a documentary style much of the time. And I like finding new points of view, such as placing the camera on the floor and then seeing what you get (as in the top right photo.)
I also love this project for easy comparisons between years. For instance, in Thursday's photo I notice the difference in her bed. Here she is 17 months old and still has the full crib. Two years later she has the rail off for a toddler bed. ***big sigh here as I reflect on how fast time flies
I also like that I captured my husband picking up my daughter from daycare. He is a very caring and involved father and he did this most days so I could focus on work. He was going through a rigorous PhD program and stressful internship at the time, which makes me even more thankful for all he does. Again, this time of our lives was busy. But I'm so very thankful I captured what I could.
And I'm so thankful for Ali for her inspiration with this project. It's amazing and I will happily be joining in again this year! Hope to see you there too! Thanks for having me this week!
For more information about Week In The Life™ check out my projects page and pre-order your kit that makes it easy to focus on capturing and celebrating your words and photos with a fun, story-focused intentional embellishments. Week In The Life™ 2015 will happen starting August 15th. If you want to dive even deeper you can also check out my archive of past Week In The Life™ blog posts.
July 12, 2015
Give Sunday | 27
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 27 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.
July 9, 2015
AE Digital Creative Team | Go Digital Story Kit™
Hey friends! Today I wanted to share some Creative Team inspiration using the "Go Digital Story Kit™.
Each month we take the designs from the Story Kit™ and Story Stamp™ and turn those into a digital kit (not all products translate but most do). The Digital Story Kit™ is only available during the month that the story theme is live (until the14th of the month). The best part of the digital kit is that you can use the designs again and again vs. a physical product that is a one-time-use. You can also adjust the sizes of the elements to fit your own specific design.
You can subscribe to just the Digital Story Kit™ - or if you subscribe to both the Story Kit™ and Story Stamp™ you receive this kit for free.
All Digital Story Kit™ subscribers also receive access to the Story classroom that includes educational content to go along with the monthly theme (PDF, videos, etc).
Here's a look at what the team made with the kit this month (a combination of digital and hybrid projects):
Cristina C. (linked to layout)
Ginny Hughes (linked to layout)
Paige Taylor Evans (linked to layout)
July 8, 2015
Celebrating Memories Of Week In The Life™ | Autumn Nguyen
Today I'm sharing
#WITLmemories from Autumn Nguyen. Autumn took my Week In The Life™ workshop eight years ago when it was offered at a CKU event and I still remember her smile, her kindness and her enthusiasm. She is joy personified. When we first talked about inviting people to share their memories from this project she was one of the first people I thought of - thank you Autumn for sharing pieces of your story her.
#WITLmemories is all about sharing the Week In The Life™ love. It's about re-visitng our past projects (to reflect and learn and get inspired), sharing ways of telling the story of our daily lives, and creating a community of people around this popular project to support and encourage one another.
You're invited to share your own personal favorite #WITLmemories via Instagram, Facebook or your blog. What do you love about the project? What do your past albums mean to you now? Feel free to share a link to your blog post in the comments below.
Here's a look at Autumn's past projects:
Story from intro page on Monday, July 25, 2011
Here we are -- documenting a full week of our life with you, our adorable early riser and raspberry blowing love bug. You are almost six months old and I am finally feeling like I’m coming out of the new-mom-fog. I finally feel like we have a routine down (which took a long while) and I am slowly gaining confidence as a mother. I question my actions daily and constantly wonder if I’m doing things right. To be honest, I battle the “what ifs” on a daily/hourly basis. Is there really a right way to be a mom? You are reserved, observant, and extremely curious about the world around you. You do not give out smiles freely -- it takes work and patience because you take your time to study people and things -- including my camera. Photos of you smiling are rare -- so I leap for joy each time I freeze one.
TUESDAY
Story from Tuesday, July 26, 2011
We visited Ba this morning while daddy worked at the pawn shop. She is currently living in daddy’s house, across from the elementary school I went to when I was a kid. We found the first quilt I made many years ago and opened it up for you to lay on. Ba has a difficult time getting on the floor but I found her there often, singing songs to you in Vietnamese or making silly noises to get you to crack a smile. She adores you so much -- her heart bursts with joy and her face hurts from smiling so much. Her laugh is loud and you can hear it throughout the house. She feels frustration when she speaks in English to you -- saying that you cannot understand her. I encourage her to speak Vietnamese because I sure hope you pick up some of it from her.
WEDNESDAY
Story from Wednesday, May 7, 2007
Gratitude:
Student volunteers who manned the science stations at Open HouseLast BTSA commitment.Teacher appreciation week.
Background: Today, we go back 8 years. This layout is from the Week in The Life™ class I took from the genius herself, Ali Edwards, at Creating Keepsakes. She had us document the week beforehand and bring all of the photos, words, and ephemera to class. We completed the project in several class sessions and I immediately fell in love with the project and have been ever since. Each day of the week started out with a self-portrait -- something I might incorporate into this year’s book. I am a teacher and was in a relationship then so most of this book is about me and my work. Now that I have a child, I tend to focus more on him, but after reviewing this album, I am reminded that I need to incorporate more of my story into this year’s book.
THURSDAY
Story from Thursday, July 28, 2011
I want to remember all the details of our time together. I want to remember how hard you’re working to catch the animals on your mobil. I want to remember that you kick your legs when you’re excited. I want to remember how we play the game of “tug-o-war” with your sippy cup and how upset you get when I pull it toward me. I want to remember how much you love your doorway jumper. I want to remember your chunky legs and how strong they are. I want to remember that Daddy and I always watched you jump and that we cheered and laughed with each big jump and spin. I want to remember your focus during stories. I want to remember how much we enjoy life with you at this age.
Today’s journaling was focused on things I want to remember about my boy.
FRIDAY
Story from April 23, 2010
Clothing | I love long dresses. Love them. This black dress with zebra print belt became an instant favorite. I receive a ton of compliments each time I wear it.
Comments | This photo was taken a month before I became pregnant with my now four-year-old. Documenting a Week in the Life has afforded me the opportunity to look back and reflect on how I’ve evolved. My life looks different now than it did in 2010 and 2007, but without these precious albums, the details would have been forgotten.
For more information about Week In The Life™ check out my projects page and pre-order your kit that makes it easy to focus on capturing and celebrating your words and photos with a fun, story-focused intentional embellishments. Week In The Life™ 2015 will happen in mid-late August. If you want to dive even deeper you can also check out my archive of past Week In The Life™ blog posts.
July 7, 2015
Disney World 2015
I've been to Disney World a few times in my life. Once back in 2006 with Chris and Simon and a few other times when CKU events were held in Orlando. This past week we made the trip again - this time with Aaron, Katie, Simon, Anna and Audrey. You can read about our 2006 adventure here.
Magic is a word that tends to get thrown around a lot, but really and truly there is a whole lot of magic in that place.
But before we get to that, let's start at the beginning:
Katie and I flew to Orlando before Aaron and the kids and I taught five workshops at the awesome She Scrapbooks. Loved being back in a real-world scrapbook store again - such a great, relaxed environment for workshops. There was a lot of laughing, and a bit of crying (good kind of course), and lots of stories being told. Big thanks to Stephanie and her staff for making our stay so enjoyable.
After finishing up the workshops Stephanie drove Katie and I to our "home" for the next five days: Disney's Art Of Animation Resort.
It was a really great choice for this trip - especially in that we were able to get a "family suite" that fit six people staying all together.
Art of Animation is in the budget category of Disney lodging (previously in 2006 we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge) and it was honestly perfect for this trip. The rooms were clean, the food was fine (we did the Deluxe Dining Plan), the pools were fun and we were able to use the Disney buses for transportation to and from the parks (never had to wait longer than 10 mins).
Aaron flew across the country with Simon, Anna and his daughter Audrey. They made it one piece with only a few minor hiccups along the way (par for the travel course). Before they arrived we did a bit of shopping at the Disney store in Downtown Disney and picked up some t-shirts and lanyards and pins to surprise the kids when they got to the room.
We stayed in the Cars section of the resort and loved the Cozy Cone pool. It was HOT and humid (hot here at home while we were away too which is crazy) and the kids loved swimming in the pool the first night and a few other times as well.
In terms of cameras for this trip I ended up just using my iPhone. I brought my DSLR along but ended up not wanting to carry it because it's heavy and I was already carrying a backpack of kid-related stuff that was enough.
Before I get much further, our goal was simply to have fun. It wasn't to see every single thing (just crazy) or ride every ride as many times as we wanted or make sure we didn't miss a single thing. We're a pretty go with the flow group of travelers but we did have a general plan mapped out in advance of which parks we were hitting on which days. For our trip we choose a 3-day Park Hopper pass (I love being able to go from park to park on one day) knowing that some of us would be spending at least one day of our trip at Universal Studios to visit Harry Potter World.
We started with Magic Kingdom because it's still the favorite. One of the first things we did when we got in the park was get both girls a dress - they ended up wanting to get the same one (Belle from Beauty and the Beast).
The Disney World app is awesome and we used it regularly - if you are going you should definitely download it for all kinds of reasons (fast passes, information, maps, etc).
One of our first stops was Splash Mountain. Simon wasn't interested (he wanted to do Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom - more about that in a minute) so Katie took him to work on that and the rest of us waited in line (about 30 minutes) for Splash Mountain.
This was the first time for both girls on this ride (both first time at Disney World) and they LOVED it. Both were shouting "Again, again!" at the end of the ride.
It wasn't long before it started to rain/thunderstorm on that first day. We had lunch reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern which ended up being perfect timing when it really started to pour (even though the four of us that rode Splash Mountain were already soaked and got completely drenched as we made our way over to the restaurant).
Simon, not generally a fan of rain (which is tough when you live in Oregon), did pretty darn well with the poncho.
So Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom - this was something I had no idea about before this trip. Simon found it via the app as he was researching and it ended up being one of his favorite things. It's basically a scavenger hunt throughout the park. You start at the Main Street Firehouse to learn how to play and pick up a set of spell cards and a map. From there you follow the clues on the map and use the cards to defeat evil villains that appear in various hidden locations. He was seriously all over this - loved it.
On this trip he was definitely less interested in the rides and more interestd in scavenger-hunt sorts of activities in each of the different parks.
One of the best parts of this trip was having a one-child to one-adult ratio. Having kids that are far apart in age (seven years with some special needs thrown in to the mix) can be a bit of a challenge on a trip like this with the varied interests. Because we had more adults on hand we were able to split up when necessary which made for a better overall experience for everyone.
In the afternoon Katie, Simon, Anna and I headed back to the hotel for a rest while Aaron and Audrey kept going. Anna immediately fell asleep on the bus of course. We met back up later in the evening at Hollywood Studios for the Frozen Sing-A-Long.
The photo above, though blurry and grainy, perfectly captures the awesomeness of that show.
We stuck around for fireworks and a popcorn snack before heading back to the hotel.
On Tuesday we started the day at Epcot (I don't think I took any photos there) and ended the evening with fireworks and rides at Magic Kingdom again.
Before the fireworks and Main Street Electrical Parade we ate dinner at The Crystal Palace - a character meal featuring Winnie The Pooh and Friends. I wasn't sure if the girls were going to be into this one or feel like they were "too old" but they loved it.
We did utilize the Disability Access Service Card that Disney World offers (similar to a Fast Pass but this allows you to not have to wait in line and rather come back at an assigned time). This proved very helpful as we couldn't always plan ahead for how Simon was going to be doing/feeling at a particular time. It gave us just enough flexibility (and the freedom to move around while we waited for a particular ride). We rented a wheelchair for Simon on a couple of the days (which he was so, so happy about) and a double-stroller for the girls - having both those options really made a difference in their overall ability to enjoy the experience (especially in the crowds and heat). It's a lot of walking for anyone, but particularly challenging for someone with less stamina.
On Wednesday the girls and Katie had a pool day while Aaron and I took Simon to Universal Studios to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The girls didn't really care (and it's expensive for the two park pass) and Katie was ready for a hang-out day so it worked out just right.
I might have choked up getting on the train between Hogwarts and Diagon Alley.
Simon, of course, was over the moon.
Movies live in Simon's head. They are on repeat in his mind and seeing a favorite storyline come to life was definitely magic. He's read a few of the books and seen all the movies multiple times. It was rad.
We started at Diagon Alley - because you have to get your school supplies before you go to Hogwarts.
First thing we did was go to Ollivanders and buy an interactive wand so he could walk around and practice spells (another scavenger hunt style of activity). He did some of those and then we ate at the Leaky Cauldron and tried butterbean (of course). We rode the Gringotts ride - liked it - and then walked around doing more spells
Next we made our way via the train over to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. We also used a similar Disability Pass at Universal which cut down the wait time for the big ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Once was enough for me on that one (the 3D and 4D visual effects + the motion of the ride = not great for me) but Aaron and Simon turned right around and rode it again.
Simon picked up a chocolate frog (Rowena Ravenclaw on the card) at Honeydukes.
We also rode the Flight of the Hippogriff a couple of times as well. Love seeing Simon smiling and happy. We really took our time and let him set the pace - another thing that was nice about being able to take him on his own. And, as he will gladly tell you, he's not a fan of glitter so it was a nice break from those glittery 6-year-olds.
After getting his fill of Harry Potter stuff (he easily could have stayed there multiple days just playing with the interactive wands) we explored a bit more or Islands Of Adventure which basically meant we rode every water ride they had available and go completely soaked: Ripsaw Falls, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. Water rides are my favorite. I had brought along his swim trunks and water shirt to change into because I knew from past experience (not a good one) that going on any water rides would require that.
And yes, on Thursday we got wet again. This time at Animal Kingdom where we started our day. Girls loved it too.
In the afternoon it was the girl's turn for some magic which included going to the Bibbity Bobbidi Boutique for princess makeovers. Anna did this when she was three at Disneyland and she still talks about it.
Simon and Katie stayed at Animal Kingdom checking out the animals and other attractions. Simon ending up riding the Expedition Everest roller coaster on his own and got stuck on the ride when there was one of those emergency stops that results in everyone having to evacuate the ride. As serious luck would have it he was right at the very end of the ride and Katie was able to be right there to help him exit. They then got a free fast pass to the front of the Safari line because of the stopped Everest ride.
We met back up at Epcot for a princess dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (in Norway). We tried getting reservations for dinner at Cinderella's Castle a few months ago but it was all booked up. This ended up being a great option.
This day also represented the most challenging in terms of kid meltdowns. It had been building up and one by one they were all reaching their point of no return. Somehow, miraculously, they all made it through dinner. Katie took them all back to the room after dinner and Aaron and I got to run around Epcot and then over to Magic Kingdom for a few more rides on our own. We didn't last too long - we were tired.
On Friday we had a late flight out of Orlando so once we were all packed up we spent some time at the pool before boarding the bus to head to the airport.
Love Simon photobombing in the background.
It's a 5.5 hour flight (or so) from Orlando to Seattle. Anna looked like this most of the time. I slept. Simon slept. Aaron and Audrey each did a bit. Katie never sleeps on planes.
Coming back into Seattle looked like this. So beautiful.
We got into Seattle around 10pm and our flight to Eugene was supposed to leave around 11pm (putting us home right around midnight). Unfortunately they ended up canceling our flight after maintenance delays around midnight (for us by that time it was 3am since we'd been on East coast time). They put us up in a nearby hotel and we took a flight mid-day on the 4th of July (that's the short version of a much longer story that includes me crying when talking to the gate agent in the morning when we got back to the airport to do it all over again).
It was a good trip.
Magic, yes. Fun, yes. Challenging, yes. It felt rushed but I'm just not sure there's another way to do Disney World when you live on the opposite coast. We missed a few rides I generally would never miss - Tower Of Terror being one - just because it didn't work out - which was fine because it wasn't all about me. Totally worth it.
We'll definitely be back again in another few years.
It was the best feeling to get home on the 4th in time to take a nap before heading over to our friend's to celebrate.
July 5, 2015
Give Sunday | 26
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 26 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.
June 30, 2015
Celebrating Memories Of Week In The Life™ | Kristin Tweedale
Today I'm sharing
#WITLmemories from Kristin Tweedale (you might be more familiar with her as @rukristin). She's included some great tips and ideas below as she reflects on her past Week In The Life™ projects.
#WITLmemories is all about sharing the Week In The Life™ love. It's about re-visitng our past projects (to reflect and learn and get inspired), sharing ways of telling the story of our daily lives, and creating a community of people around this popular project to support and encourage one another.
You're invited to share your own personal favorite
#WITLmemories via Instagram, Facebook or your blog. What do you love about the project? What do your past albums mean to you now? Feel free to share a link to your blog post in the comments below.
Here's a look at Kristin's past projects:
Monday, September 9th 2013
Because I never know what the light is going to be like throughout the day, I chose to print all my Week in the Life photos in black and white. It lets me capture the little details that I relish capturing during Week in the Life. Moments in the beginning of the day, like this one: snapping a quick photo of my iPod classic on my bedspread, first thing in the morning. Documenting the little toy I bought myself in more than ten years ago as a freshman in college and still use every night to help me fall asleep.
TUESDAY
Tuesday, October 28th 2014
As someone who works at home and is alone most of the day, it can be difficult to find ways to document my life. I set timers throughout the day to help remind me to take snapshots of my right now life. On this sluggish Tuesday, I took a picture of myself and a picture of the project I was working on and spiced it up with bright yellow journaling cards. I love using colors and patterns to help reinforce the feelings of a particular story.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, September 11 2013
This photo might not seem like much at first, but it's what it means to me that really matters. This is the street where I live (or did in 2013). On this morning, September 11th, I got up and went into the middle of the street and snapped this photo, looking westward. Had been facing eastward, I would have been looking directly towards Manhattan. Looking at the skyline, all eight miles away, without the towers, is still pretty hard, but it's still a part of my life and deserves to be documented. That's why I went with the reverse photo -- even without all the background story, it's still a great picture of the street on which I lived.
THURSDAY
Thursday, October 30th, 2014
Thursdays are a big photo day for me, and this one was no exception. On this page, I let the photos speak for themselves and left them alone with no journaling to guide the stories. I took a bunch of photos throughout the day, one of me in front of my new-found favorite selfie mirror, a few of J (my person) asleep in our sparsely furnished new home, and a few others. Sometimes for me, its important to step back from the words and let the pictures document the details of my everyday life.
FRIDAY
Friday, October 31st, 2014
Chores. I make it a point to document the little things that I don't put in any of my other scrapbooks in my Week in the Life album. I try to ask myself throughout the week, 'what does my right now look like'. As I was rushing around the house trying to get it decent for our Halloween party that evening. On this page I have a photo of me chopping some vegetables and quick shot of the messy laundry room. I'm so glad, I managed to capture a few of the moments that made the whole night happen.
For more information about Week In The Life™ check out my projects page and pre-order your kit that makes it easy to focus on capturing and celebrating your words and photos with a fun, story-focused intentional embellishments. Week In The Life™ 2015 will happen in mid-late August. If you want to dive even deeper you can also check out my archive of past Week In The Life™ blog posts.
