Ali Edwards's Blog, page 196
July 22, 2015
Celebrating Memories Of Week In The Life™ | Marie Lottermoser
Today I'm sharing
#WITLmemories from Marie Lottermoser. Marie is a talented memory keeper who has also created some awesome December Daily® projects in past years - definitely worth clicking over to check out her site if you are new to her work.
#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, October 27, 2014
I wake up with a long to-do list of places to go and things I need to accomplish. Both my husband and son have come down with the flu though, so I end up staying home to take care of them and postpone my errands. I spend a quiet afternoon working on some scrapbooking projects by the fire, while it rains outside. In the evening I curl up in bed and read
Orphan Train, for my upcoming book club. I need to finish it by the weekend, and I've only just started.
TUESDAY
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
It's mid-summer and neither kid has an event or camp today. In the morning we run some errands and come home to work in the yard. My son is creating his own vegetable garden and today he's planting carrots. In the afternoon we drive to the airport to pick up my niece. She's been traveling the globe and has lots of stories to share. We barbecue dinner, and sit out on the patio until late at night visiting with her and listening to the new songs she's written. In the morning she leaves before dawn, off to her next adventure.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
It's been raining hard for days now. My son misses the school bus and is late because traffic is so bad. There are a couple of incidents at my daughter's high school and I spend the day on edge. Halloween is just two days away and we make a last minute run to the costume store. It's so different from when the kids were little and they knew two months in advance how the would dress up. We have a party to go to on Friday night and I start planning a potluck dish to bring.
THURSDAY
Thursday, October 30, 2014
It's formal day at school and my son grabs a clip on tie that he's had since he was a toddler that is much too small for him. The sun finally comes out in the afternoon and we make a stop to pick up Halloween candy. I'm starting to see signs of fall colors which is a welcome change from the rainy gray skies.
FRIDAY
Friday, September 13, 2013
We're starting the transition from summer to fall. The kids are back in school and evenings are taken up with homework and activities. After getting everyone off to school and work in the morning I run home and make myself a latte and take in the quiet.
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 begin August 17th if you'd like to record along with me during the same week. If you want to dive even deeper you can also check out my archive of past Week In The Life™ blog posts.
July 21, 2015
On Being A Beginner
On her very first day of swim team Anna jumped right in and swam four laps, barely stopping.
I'm not sure when the last time you swam four laps without a lot of rest, but it's truly not easy, especially if you don't have your side-breathing down quite yet.
"Swim Team is hard." she whispered to me as she sat on my lap after getting out of the pool shivering.
We all start as beginners. Every single one of us. And often it's hard and scary and uncertain. We all have to start somewhere - whether that's in the pool, on the page, in a classroom, introducing yourself to a new friend, etc.
But man it can be so fun and so rewarding and so life-affirming when we let ourselves be in that spot. Unsure, nervous, uncomfortable - and we do it anyway.
I loved that she jumped right in and I love that she got out when she needed some support.
And so we sat. I hugged her tight all wrapped up in her towel while we watched the other kids swim down and back and down and back. I had no problem just watching and letting her acclimate and asking her if she'd like to try again tomorrow and watching her nod and knowing that she would try it again tomorrow because she's that kind of kid.
Report from Day Two
Last night as I was tucking her in Anna told me, "Tomorrow I'm going to get in the pool and stay in for the whole practice."
She did exactly that and loved it.
And the weather cooperated with beautiful sunny skies.
I won't lie - I kinda hope I have shots like this for many years to come.
And I hope she keeps wanting to be a beginniner.
I hope that for myself. And for you.
July 20, 2015
AE Digital Creative Team | Summer Stories
Here's a look at this week's inspiration from the AE Digital Creative Team using designs from my Summer Stories word art set. Remember, many of these awesome women are paper scrapbookers who use these products in conjunction with their paper projects.
Don't forget to click on the team member's name to visit their blog. If they have written up a post about their project with more details we've linked to that otherwise it goes to their main blog page.
In addition, here are the two newest products available in the shop:
Check them out here: Get In The Pool, Go Digital.
Paige Taylor Evans (linked to layout)
Paige Taylor Evans (linked to layout)
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.
