Ali Edwards's Blog, page 199

Give Sunday | 19

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 19 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. 

New Story Theme Now Available | Little Things

Say hello to a new
Story Theme for my Story subscription program: Little Things.

This month the focus is on the little things and stories of life - you know, those things that are often actually some of the bigger things when we start to stop and consider and document. 

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 Little Things:

And the Story Stamp™:

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 Little Things:

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 (full details, including process videos and how-to handout, are included with subscription): 

Let's tell stories together!

HELLO STORY NOW AVAILABLE AS A SELF-PACED WORKSHOP

If you are looking for additional opportunities to learn more about memory keeping with an emphasis on storytelling, check out the self-paced version of my popular workshop Hello Story. This class includes 12 complete lessons (covering 12 different "story structures") with full-color handouts, 36+ layout examples created specifically for this workshop including 12x12, 8.5x11 and Project Life® inserts, over 62 videos (a video presenting each theme and step by step process videos) and 12 digital packages (valued over $48). It's packed with content and layout ideas and just waiting for you. Some of my most favorite layouts I've created from the past few years are included in this workshop. Full details here. 

Day In The Life™ | May 2015

I'm not sure just how many times now I've documented a 
Day In The Life™. More than a handful. It's enough times to know that each and every time I fall a little more in love with photography. 

There is something so awesome and wholehearted about capturing the "everydayness" of the lives we lead - no matter what phase we are in, with or without kids, boring or out-of-your-mind-busy. Beauty exists in all those phases and I hope I continue to embrace, celebrate, and live that truth throughout the rest of my life. 

I've long been a fan of the gritty, real, often un-posed style of documentary/journalistic photography. There's a special quality to it that I think I've started to strive for more and more as I capture my own life via my lenses. It's about capturing what is real right now and embracing what is and recognizing what can be adjusted and celebrating that fact that we are
alive. 

My day was pretty normal - normal meaning that things didn't all go as planned. Anna was sick (
day two on the upswing) and stayed home from school. That resulted in a little less driving around for me and no gymnastics for her in the afternoon. Aaron was here in the evening, also not an everyday thing but a piece of our normal these days. He made strawberry margaritas for Taco Tuesday and I made chocolate covered strawberries because why the heck not? We could all use a little more joy like that in our weekly evenings. Celebrating what is.

I didn't take any notes besides the captions I added to my photos on Instagram. I really focused more on looking through the lens knowing I could bring it together with some reflections (
including both facts and feelings) when I bring it all together into a project. 

Speaking on the project, I'm not sold on any one way to collect this into something tangible just yet but I'm leaning towards a minibook. I'm thinking I might use one of 
these 4x6 albums. I also loved using one of these 4x4 albums last year. I've got five different colors available in my shop if you are interested in one of those. My plan is to work on this project next week when I have a little more time after finishing up the new Story Kit content and another week of Type workshop content. I'll share my process here when it happens. 

My photos this time are a mix of iPhone (
many of the those photos were shared on Instagram yesterday) and Canon 5D with a 24-70 lens. I edit using Photoshop and RadLab (awesome, easy to use program that basically adds filters to your photos - lighten, darken, black and white, etc). I went for a mix of black and white photos this time partly to help with some of the off-color images and partly because I just like that style.  

Here's a look at my Tuesday: 

I hope you enjoyed the process of documenting and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with to make the photos and words come alive in your albums. 

SHARE A LINK TO YOUR DAY IN THE LIFE 2015 | MAY

You’re invited to include a link to your May 2015 Day In The Life™ page here. Please link directly to your post vs. your general blog link.

AE Digital Creative Team Projects | Click Digital Story Kit™

Hey friends! Today I wanted to share some Creative Team inspiration using the Click Digital Story Kit™. 

Also - a quick heads up that I'm doing  Day In The Life™  today in case you forgot or missed the announcement. Read more details  here . 

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. 

Here's a look at what the team made with the kit this month (a combination of digital and hybrid projects): 

Annette Haring // Love how Annette took two pieces of word art and enlarged them to create her title. And of course I always love stories of the reason why. 

Sasha Farina (click to see a post on her blog about this page) // Awesome enlarged word-art title from Sasha - she's so great at combining embellishments. Love the stitching here as well. 

Pam Baldwin // Adorable photo and banner to go along with it. Pam printed the word art onto a tag and combined it with a bunch of other embellished tags, strung together across the page with twine. 

Lindsay Bateman // Love the scale Lindsay used here in terms of making her photos small and pairing them with a bunch of repeated hearts and the word photos. 

Kelly Schmidt (click to see a post on her blog about this page) // Nice combination of words and photos on Kelly's Project Life spread. I like seeing how she used the journaling cards to hold her stories. 

Emily Webster // Emily's spread is such a great reminder that simple is lovely. 

Donya Gjerdingen // Donya took the 4x6 "here's the story" card (a personal favorite of mine) and turned it into a 3x4 to fit her design. 

Cristina C. // Cristina used a variety of products here to document her story of visiting Chengdu, China. 

Teresa Victor // I really liked how Teresa enlarged the number banners and how she placed the "take more pictures" circle embellishment inside the camera. 

Hope you have a great week!

Day In The Life™ Tomorrow May 12th

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow I'll be documenting a Day In The Life™ tomorrow (May 12th, 2015) and you're invited to play along. 

If you are new to the concept, check out my Day In The Life™ projects page for past examples and a short video overview, or my Day In The Life™ blog post archives. 

From the time I wake up until I hit the pillow at night I'll be taking pictures and jotting down notes about my day. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you approach this project: 

There's no right or wrong. Sometimes I've taken a hundred photos on the day of this project and other times I've ended up with 20. The more I do it the less photos I tend to take - I think that's because I've gotten better at knowing what kind I personally want to include. That said, I'm always delighted and surprised by the things I do capture on these days - magic is almost always found. Have fun. Think of it as a game - how can you demonstrate your day purely via photos? Even though I generally like to include words along with my images, it's helpful to think about what best captures the hours of my days right now. Stop it right now if you are saying to yourself that your day is boring. Your day is what it is. Document it. I don't work in a traditional office environment but I still spend quite a few hours at my desk. Each time I do this project I look for something to capture - often it's something that's the same as I've captured in the past (such as the same angle of my working at the computer) AND something that's different. I challenge myself to capture a new angle of the same stuff - it's a great way to practice and play with your photography skills. And please, please, please remember that what you deem boring today might be just the thing you wished you remembered five years from now. Perspective is key and your story is worth it. I generally enjoy using my "big" camera for this project because even though I love the convenience of my phone - and it's what I use most regularly - some of my most favorite everyday life shots have come during this project day and the quality of my bigger camera is really hard to match with the phone. But, as is almost always the case, the best camera is the one you have with you. Give thanks. Look around you - there is so much to be thankful for. Use your lens to capture that along with your regular routines. If you have trouble remembering, set an alarm on your phone to go off at specific intervals. Even if you stopped what you were doing each hour you were awake and took one photo of what was happening in front of you at that point in time would be so awesome. The last few times I've done this project I've liked noting the times of things. The numbers make great embellishments in the finished project. 

If you've got tips to share from previous experiences feel free to share them in the comments below. 

Enjoy! Use the hashtag #dayinthelife if you are sharing your images on Instagram. 

Give Sunday | 18

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 18 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. 

Love You Anna Layout & Story Kit™ Sale

Today I wanted to share a layout I put together yesterday that uses a bunch of things that have been sitting on my table. I actually love that concept as a challenge - what's on your table right now and how can you bring it together into a layout. When was the last time you approached a story that way? 

Products are made to be used my friends!

Here's a look at what I came up with: 

This layout features, among other things, the pie chart transparnecies that were include in the Click Story Kit™. It also includes this awesome outline alphabet stamp set (called Kit Alpha) from Studio Calico around the outside of my main content area. And rather than continue to hoard my collection of word/phrase stickers I decided to bring a bunch of them together as a piece of the pie.

I began the process for putting this page together by finding a recent photo of Anna. She's so cool. 

From there I printed it at least 8 inches tall (the width of the pie chart when all put together). I used four pieces from the pie chart to cut a template which I then used as a guide for cutting my photo into a half-circle. I adhered it down onto white cardstock using foam dots.

Each of the pie chart pieces got a different treatment: 

The top one features "2015" using these AE white alphabet stickers.  The second one I used the transparent piece to cut a template out of cardstock (so I could use the transparent piece again in the future vs. adding the word phrase stickers on top) and then added a bunch of different word // phrase stickers on top and trimmed them all at the end to fit to the pie piece. I love how that turned out - such a great way to use your stash.  The third piece of the pie features the "this is life" die cut sentiment that was also included with the Click kit.  On top of the fourth piece of the pie I added an assortment of stars from previous Studio Calico kits. 

After figuring all those pieces out I used orange ink and these outline stamps to stamp around the outside of the circle.

In the bottom corner I added three more sentiment stickers. 

I like when they become a little poem/message. 

Around the outside edge of the page I added washi tape (pretty sure this is an old roll from Freckled Fawn). I've done this before and I'll do it again - love how it frames the page. 

I finished the page off with journaling around the interior edge of the washi tape and with the small circle gold star embellishment in the middle of the pie chart. 

SUPPLIES
Click Story Kit™ (transparent pie chart and sentiment label and "I love you so" sticker) Kit Alpha from Studio Calico Memento Luxe Morocco Orange Ink Pad AE White Alphabet Stickers Yellow Airmail Washi Tape Precision Pen .01 Seven Paper Word/Phrase Stickers: Pink // Grey Tim Holtz Small Talk Stickers Maggie Holmes/Crate Paper Tiny Phrase Stickers Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (which you can now get in my shop) Assorted Star Embellishments (because you can never have enough of these)STORY KIT™ & STORY STAMP™ SALE

Also, don't miss out on the 
Story Kit™ and Story Stamp™ sale happening this week. Generally these kits aren't available without a subscription so this is a great chance to grab one if you're interested in seeing what they are all about. Check out the Sale here. 

Around The Yard | Spring 2015

Happy Monday!

A couple things to share with you today: 

1. Today is the last day to join Type - my 12-week online workshop that is currently underway. Registration closes tonight at midnight PST.

2. I'm currently having a sale on select past Story Kits™ and Story Stamps™. If you have an interest in those check out what's available here. Please note that this sale does not include the education portion of the Story Subscription or the Digital Story Kits™.

3. I loved listening to this Jess Lively podcast this weekend where she interviewed Alexandra Franzen. This was my first introduction to Alexandra and I was really impressed with her approach and ideas. Worth a listen if you are looking for an uplifting, inspiring listen this week. 

4. There's a really awesome mail-in-rebate going on right now for my oversized Epson R2000 printer on Amazon. I love this printer and have used it for a number of years for any photos larger than 4x6 and recommend it if you are looking for the convenience of an at-home printer that can print up to 13x19. There's currently a $250 rebate in effect through 5/31/15 putting this printed in the $400 range. Check it out here. 

5. I took some time to photograph around my yard this past weekend (and ended up making a layout with these images for this week's content in the Type workshop). Here's a look at what's growing and blooming right now: 

All photos above taken with a  Canon 5DMKII  and a  24-70 lens .

Give Sunday | 17

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

This week's quote comes from my friend Amber Housley. She included it in some words she shared on one of her Instagram photos this past week. Her writing totally resonated with me, especially this quote. Here is the full text of what she wrote: 

I spoke last week at Inspired Retreat and shared my journey of the last couple of years. How I had it in my mind one path to success and when things changed, I fought against it. I put a lot of band-aids on truths and failed at a lot of things. It all eventually brought me to this new starting place that I didn't want to be. What? Start over? I asked. There's a sad feeling you get when you're stuck in one place and it seems like the rest of the world is just moving forward, and you're frozen in time. But rest assured, in time you start to get cozy in that spot and you realize it's exactly where you needed to be -- perhaps to catch your breath and just be. Tonight, a friend asked me "so what's next?" I smiled and was so content and happy in saying, "I don't know. I'm just enjoying where I'm at right now." Sure, there's lots of things I would like to start but for once I don't feel like I have to do them all at one time or all right now. There's a peace that comes with saying "it all doesn't have to happen right now." So I sit back on the sidelines, just wanting to do what makes me happy and what fills my heart with joy...and cheer everyone else on.I hope you know that this life and business journey doesn't have to be that glorified phrase emblazoned on Pinterest and art prints: "hustle!" I wish we said 'hustle less and live a good life more.' 

Thanks for sharing your heart Amber.

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 17 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. 

Do You See What I See

Aaron snapped this photo of me last weekend as we were celebrating my friend Todd's 40th Birthday (that's him there next to me). I've known Todd since my very first week at college - I was 17 which means we've been friends now for more than 20 years. He's part of a group of friends from college who all live here in town. He gives good hugs and laughs easily - always has.  

As I looked at this photo, the phrase that kept popping into my head was Do You See What I See? And then I started thinking about photos of ourselves and why we like or don't like them and all the underlying layers of stories that can go along at any point in time about who we are and how we got to right now. 

Here's what I "see" when looking at this photo: 

I see a woman approaching 40, with all the wounds and gathered strength from experiences that go along with midlife. I see a woman genuinely laughing and enjoying being in the company of good friends. She loved that it lasted until the wee hours of the morning and included dancing.  I see a woman who watched her new love and her old love stand together at this party in a long conversation about homes and kids and politics.  I see a woman who loves wearing stripes and who debated about the white jeans but was happy with that choice in the end.  I see a woman struggling to figure it all out and struggling to remember that she doesn't have to have it all figured out.  I see a woman who loves and lives her work, sometimes to the determent of those around her because it can be tough to turn off.  I see a woman who often spends a crazy amount of time in her own head - for better or worse.  I see a woman with a 13-year-old son and a 6-year-old-daughter who sometimes questions where the time has gone and how did I get to right now?  I see a woman who misses some pieces of the last chapter of her life but who also can't imagine this new chapter without the experiences of the last one.  I see a woman who is, no matter what, thankful for the combination of experiences that have brought her to where she exists today. 

After writing these up I asked Aaron what he saw when looking at this photo. His responses were very typical Aaron - funny and sarcastic and literal. I like the opportunity to bring his voice into my stories. Here's what he saw: 

He sees that the guy with the tucked in shirt might make me laugh but the guy with his shirt untucked is the one that gets to put his arm around me.  He sees that the only reason I'm not holding a drink is because I drank all mine already.  He sees that I'm near the exit sign, which could potentially mean I want an easy getaway if I start to panic (back story: he's been with me on more than a few occasions - concerts and airplanes and such - where I've needed anti-anxiety medication to alleviate my issues with crowds/enclosed spaces/lack of control).  He sees that I'm not wearing my glasses, which must be a sign of "something" and that come on, it's a 40-year-old birthday party and at least half these people should probably be wearing glasses. 

When he first messaged these back to me I laughed out loud. I love that he's a truth teller and witty and I love that his response was not the same as mine in terms of getting all reflective and serious. It's one of the things I like about him, that he brings a levity to the table for me that I sometimes forget to bring for myself. 

Photos are powerful story sparks. There is so much below the surface that relates to who we are and the ways we see ourselves. Take a look through your own collection of photos and pick one and answer the question, "Do you see what I see?" Begin each of your statements with the same repeated phrase, "I see..." 

This month's Story Subscription theme is Click. We're telling stories of our relationship to photographs and photography and supporting each other along the way. All Story Subscriptions include education and additional inspiration to help encourage you to tell more of the stories of your life.