Ali Edwards's Blog, page 211

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Tuesday Words & Photos

Welcome back to Week In The Life™ 2014. 

On Monday I took a lot of shots that included me and the people I interact with most. Today (Tuesday) I decided to simply focus on what I see and use that as the jumping off point for my images and my words. 

As some of you noticed yesterday, I generally like to use a wider angle lens (the 24-70 opened all the way up) because I like to include the environment in my photos. It goes along with my "tell me more" philosophy. What else tells a story within the photo? What insignificant background stuff will be interesting in years to come? How can I tell more of the story? 

Today I went for a bit more balance and intentionally included some closer shots as well as more stuff around the house.

Every photo we take includes a story - many include multiple stories that go layers deep. You tell one and realize how hard it is to tell one without telling another (or giving context) and so on. So many threads and opportunities in each photo. 

The story of today includes these thoughts: 

My kids are growing up. Wow. And this isn't in the sad, longing-for-those-baby-years sort of feeling. My main thought right now is this: my kids are RAD. They are good kids. Of course they both have their own stuff, like every other human on the planet, but I love the people they are becoming. 
I'm doing the best I can with what I have in front of me right now. 
Have you guys noticed how people are talking about story everywhere? I know it's not really something new and maybe it's one of those things where once you become aware of it you see it all over the place, but man, it's really everywhere. From business to sports to global development to fundraising to education and on and on. Stories are powerful things. I was reminded again how lucky we are that we get to tell our own stories, that we get to define the narrative of our lives by simply taking photos and writing down the words. How awesome that we get to give our voice to the world and our families and friends - however shy, loud, etc. 
#storiesmatter
Today is also the day that I remind you that this isn't a competition or a race. 
The concept of seeing your life, and yourself, though the lens is a powerful one. Adding words to those thoughts adds a whole other layer of context and depth. 

TUESDAY PHOTOS & STORIES

About 100 DSLR + about 19 iPhone shots

Tuesday began and ended with rain. The hard kind of rain that you can hear stomping down on the roof. 

I saw myself, up at about 6:30am after multiple snoozes, sitting at my desk first thing even before a fresh cup of coffee. Checking in, reading, thinking, planning, assessing, responding, deleting. I'm one of those people that starts fast - before I'm out of bed I've got ten things I'm clicking through on my list. 

It's a blessing and a challenge. 

I saw myself getting my first cup of coffee, taking my medications, and playing with the self-timer again. 

Something I'm personally working on with my photography as you might have noticed, is embracing the contrast between dark and light and figuring out how to effectively capture that through my lens.  

I think sometimes I shy away from darker images because I want the nice, clean, bright white images (or because that's what I want my life to look like - how many times have I said I want to dip my entire house in white paint?). But man those darker ones tell good, interesting stories. They communicate a completely different mood and often a different time. They actually feel different. They are far from perfect, often including grain or noise. 

Much like life itself. 

I saw myself at the breakfast table with Anna again this morning. Banana & cereal for her. Coffee for me. I stopped getting the local paper recently and I'm missing it and not quite sure what to do with myself when I sit down at the table in the very early morning. 

For those of you who feel like you do the same thing everyday (there are elements of that in play here), consider different angles. Yesterday I took a shot of Anna and I eating breakfast from the other side of the room, today I set up the camera in the kitchen and set the timer. 

I saw Anna, hot pink hat and rainbow shoes + her school uniform, in the backseat holding the iPad in her lap. Technology is intrenched around here again and I'm assessing how I feel about it for myself and for them. I set limits. I get lax. I want conversation. I want quiet. A lot of paradoxes all around.  

And man, she's great at loving words. That's actually what comes to mind when I look at this photo tonight. She is mighty but kind. 

I saw Simon, excited in his new glasses, happy that it was Taco Tuesday. 

After dropping the kids off and filling the tank with gas I decided to see what I could see around the yard and in the house. I was looking for things that captured my attention. Things that represent the current season - in weather and in life. 

I saw dahlias hanging on. 

And tomatoes past their prime which tell a story of best intentions, of travel, of distraction and decay. 

I saw George sleeping soundly on the couch after a night out. 

I saw images and art on the wall and made a mental note that I want to add more and move things around. It's been a long time since I made that a priority. 

I saw well-loved dolls and stuffed animals in a crib waiting for attention to be paid. 

I saw the lock that needs to be replaced. 

I saw outdoor chairs and a table that were purchased from a second-hand store the week we moved into this house. 

I saw dishes from last night and this morning. 

I saw Anna's handwriting on her door and the glass knob that needs adjusting. 

I saw myself adding dishes to the dishwasher which is an act of procrastination as much as it is a necessary task. 

I saw myself washing my hands in the sink and looking out the window which is one of my favorite views into the backyard. 

I saw myself back at my desk. Working through a long list, yet distracted and off-focus. Tap, tap, tap on the keyboard. Listening to Dave Matthews and NPR. Chatting with Cathy. Watching the clock as it ticked toward the time I need to go get the kids. 

I saw George again and wished I was curled up in that bed too. 

I saw my desk filled with the current tasks at hand. 

I saw the leaves changing color on the way to pick up Anna. Driving on this street (Jefferson) at this time of year is one of my favorite things because of the trees. They create an amazing canopy of bright autumn colors with trees on both sides of the street reaching out to touch the ones on the other side. I took this shot with the sunroof closed, holding my camera in one hand as I was stopped at a light. 

I saw drops and drops and more drops of rain on my windshield. This is western Oregon after all. 

I saw Anna at gymnastics and got the news that she's been invited to join one of the development/pre-team classes. She was super excited to know that she was going to get to start going twice a week next week. 

I saw Simon's teacher filled in his martial arts worksheet. He'll be happy to turn that in during his lesson on Friday. 

After returning home from after school activities (Simon at lego club and Anna at gymnastics), I saw them go about the process of putting away the dishes I had loaded earlier while I got dinner ready. I saw myself get frustrated with Anna as she melted down in the middle of the task. I saw Simon bristle at the confrontation and de-escalted myself in reaction to his body language. 

I remind myself that she's five, almost six. It goes with the territory. Around here we call it "hangry" (hungy + angry = hangry). It's an after-activity-before-dinner episode that would be eliminated if I just got it together and brought her a snack to have on the way home from whatever activity she just completed. 

Note to self | don't forget the after-the-activity-snack + the after-school-before-activity-snack. 

This is where my Mom would tell me I was exactly like that when I was a kid. 

I saw him put on his green ninja Halloween costume that came in the mail. I saw Anna run up to her room to put on her Tiana costume. I saw them chase each other around a few times with swords and a light saber. I saw him retreat when he'd had enough into the little room off the foyer and turn on the Suite Life of Zack & Cody. 

I saw her get her PJ's on, brush her teeth and then climb into my bed. 

I had one of those days with her where I said "just a minute Anna" one too many times. Totally on me. I saw me not giving her the time she needed to connect with me because my list is long. Thankfully I get to try again tomorrow. To keep recalibrating. To remember what are the most important things and to get stuff done in the time scheduled. Work in progress. 

I saw her walk into my office a half-hour or so later and proceed to work on writing letters and, as she calls it, "math-ing it' - meaning she was writing out numbers and counting and laughing out loud about how awesome she thought it was to add up numbers. It's hard to tell her to go back to bed when she's learning (and she doesn't have school for the next few days due to conferences). 

SHARE YOUR TUESDAY

I'd love to have you share a link to your TUESDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Monday Words & Photos

Ah, Mondays. 

My first thought tonight, as I sit down to write about the day and work through the photos, is that I'm thankful. 

I'm thankful for a million different things but one of the big things today is simply the ability to capture pieces of my life through my lens. 

It's a simple thing that I sometimes take for granted as I get caught up in this or that. I love being able to use my camera to tell the stories of our lives. 

Before I share my photos for today I've got some general observations on the process: 

One of my favorite things to do with this project is go through the photos at the end of the day. I love seeing what went right (in terms of captures) and what didn't quite go right. Ha. When I go through my photos I know without a doubt that I won't use more than one shot of the same thing. I delete the ones I will not be using. 
There were some things I tried to capture today that just didn't come out right. For example, getting Anna to school. Almost all were blurry - too blurry to use. I made a note to myself to capture more of that process tomorrow. 
I definitely don't try to capture every little detail of the day. I took more photos today with people in the shot vs. photos without people. As you'll see, I took a lot of self-timer shots. 
I'm really conscious about light and the way things are lit/where light sources are coming from. I'm on the look out for interesting light and I'm really enjoying playing around with getting my camera to do what I want it to do. This project encourages me to experiment and I like that. 
I also liked thinking through the lens of story today as well. I didn't feel as frantic as I sometimes do and I was less lax than usual in terms of writing down stuff as it was happening. 

MONDAY PHOTOS & STORIES 

About 200 with my 
Canon 5DMKII (24-70 lens) + about 25 with my iPhone

Today began with my alarm at 5am. I took the shot at the top of the post holding out my Canon 5D and praying I didn't drop it on my head. Grabbing my phone is often the first thing I do since it's my alarm and as I was reading over some of my early morning emails I was thinking about how the iPhone was so bright in a very dark room and wondered if I could use it to light my face. I got up out of bed, grabbed my camera, got back into bed and took a couple shots (not using the timer, just holding it out and clicking the button). 

Ah, yeah.

And hey, when you're the only one in the house you gotta make it happen for yourself. 

I used "Monday Photos" word art from my 
Daily Photos & Stories package.

The story of my morning today is that I wanted to get up earlier than the kids. I like that quiet time. It's a bit earlier than normal because when I'm doing this project I often need a bit more time to get my other projects done. 

And did I say I like the quiet time? 

The story of Anna's morning, which began about 6:40am, is that she found Hannah Montana on Netflix. 

This school year I'm doing things a bit different in the morning. Simon, as he gets older, needs a bit more sleep. I'm letting him sleep in while Anna gets up and dressed and I get her to school. By the time I'm back Simon is up and has made himself breakfast and is dressed and ready for the day. 

Did you read what I wrote above about not getting any decent shots of getting Anna to school. I kinda like the motion and movement in this one. 

The story of today includes notes-to-self. 

I took a bunch of shots in the car, telling the story of the time I spend driving the kids to and from school. For these shots I set the camera on the dashboard and turn on the timer. 

I get what I get. 

The story of today includes a boy who might have slept in a little later than he was supposed to but pulled it all together and out the door on time. 

The story of today includes a stop at the grocery story after getting the kids to school. 

That would be a self-timer self-portrait in the grocery store. I set the camera on the floor and hit the button and walked over to grab the Teriyaki sauce from the shelf. 

And one in the parking lot. 

I like the experimentation of these shots. They aren't perfectly composed. They don't have a perfect focal point. But they show pieces of my day. 

The story of today includes the fact that I spent all my working hours sitting right here. 

Except when I went downstairs for lunch. 

And when I took a iPhone selfie after putting on my hat. 

The story of today includes no shower (at least at the time of typing this up). 

And the story of today wouldn't be complete without mentioning that Katie is gone this week as she spends time with her family awaiting the arrival of her first niece. Katie rocks with babies. That's going to be one lucky baby to have her for an Auntie. 

The story of today includes a kid who loves when I pick him up from school. Big, full smile.

The story of today includes a kid who loves when I pick her up from school. 

In her case it's actually the after-care at school - she loves it and asks to go every day. 

The story of today includes an effort to get the three of us together in a shot. Fun counts. 

Anna introducing Simon to Hannah Montana. 

Seriously. 

The story of today includes picking up Simon's new glasses. First pair.

The story of today includes boxes piled in the garage. 

The story of today includes grass that's still green and leaves that are falling. 

The story of today includes this cat, George Washington Edwards. 

The story of today includes this Dad, who came to pick up the kids to take them to dinner with his parents to celebrate his Dad's birthday. 

The story of today includes this guy, who came over to have sushi with me and then make cookies. 

We both ate the sushi. I made the cookies. 

The story of today includes a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors for who gets to sleep in my bed with me tonight. He won. She gets tomorrow night. 

The story of today includes the bedtime prayer, Anna counting to 100, and Simon reading to me from Harry Potter. 

Both are timer shots I set up myself by placing my camera on a shelf. 

LENS OF JOY

Want to learn more about looking through the lens? Join me for 
Lens Of Joy. 

Designed with the storyteller in mind, 
Lens Of Joy is a 4-week photography workshop that covers processes related to capturing life through the lens of your camera. I'll walk you through my personal workflow from picking up the camera, looking through the lens, establishing the story, experiencing the moment, composing, uploading, organizing, editing, printing and pairing the end result with words to tell a more complete story. 

Get the full details 
here. 

SHARE A LINK TO YOUR BLOG

I'd love to have you share a link to your MONDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Ready, Set, Go

And so it begins. 

Welcome to Week In The Life™ 2014.

My challenges to you this week: 

Look for the stories. Read this post for inspiration. As you go about your day, think to yourself about how you can capture those stories with your lens. How do all these different stories weave together to create the life you are living right now? 
Answer the question, "what is the truth of my day?" As you walk around your house, your office, your kids school, think about and document the truths that make up your day.
Remember that it's NOT about the products. It never has been and it never will be. Yes, they are fun and I love working with them to bring an album together, but the products are not the point. If they help get you going in the right direction then that's awesome - but don't let them detract from your experience. 
Remember that the best camera is the one you have with you. Get yourself in the photos - by whatever means necessary - at the very least once per day.
Without a doubt, this project often mirrors back to me many different things about my life. It is often a catalyst for change as I see things in front of me that really can't be ignored much longer. I challenge you to think about those things this week. 
Somehow I came across that quote in the image at the top of this post within the last week. What are the marvels of your everyday life? 
Or skip all that intentional stuff and just have fun taking a whole lot of photos of your daily life.  
Join the free Week In The Life™ community message board and gallery here. 

Bottom line, I challenge you to take this opportunity to celebrate and to write and to photograph your life as you are living it right now. No one can tell this story but you.

It's the stories people. The end. 

To get you going I suggest reading these posts if you haven't already: 

The Really Big Getting Ready Post
Our Days Are Built With Stories
Check out how AE Digital Creative Team Member Annette Haring is getting her album ready here. 

Also, for those of you wondering, there are some Week In The Life™ kits (without albums - those are all sold out) still available here. 

I'll be back tomorrow morning sharing my words and photos for today. 

I wish you an awesome story-aware day. Have fun looking through your lens. Have fun documenting your life. I can't wait to see what you capture. 

Minted Giveaway

Today we're partnering with Minted to offer a $250 credit towards their holiday cards. Please read below for instructions on how to enter this giveaway as it's different than the normal process.

I've used Minted for my holiday cards the last couple of years (You can see them here: 2011, 2012, 2013) and have been super happy with the quality and service each time.

Minted recently released their new holiday Booklette™ and I'm smitten. I love the idea of sending a little book that includes a little more of the story behind the photos, or about your year.

They come in a variety of awesome designs and the quality is fantastic. I'm so looking forward to the holiday season and all of the happy mail it brings.

 PLEASE READ | This giveaway is going to be run a little different than we have in the past. Instead of leaving a comment to enter what you need to do is click here to enter via Minted's website. When you click over it should take you to a page that looks like this:

This giveaway will run from today through Sunday, November 3rd, 2014 and I'll post the winner when I receive the name back from Minted.

Our Days Are Built With Stories

As many of you get ready to embark on Week In The Life™, I want you to think about this statement:

Our days are built with stories. 

Often when I begin documenting my week I'm hyperfocused on writing down the schedule of our day. Stuff like the times we get up, the times we eat, the time I leave the house to take the kids to school and the time I return home to sit at my desk.

I still plan to do that to some extent this year, but as I alluded to in my post earlier this week, I also really want to be conscious and intentional about the micro-stories that make up a day or seven in a row (remember that was a term Aaron first used wwith me when he was talkingg about what he wanted to remember from our Dave Matthews adventure).

Each of our daily actions is often just the tip of a story pyramid. Those of you who took my Hello Story class are familiar with the concept I focus on in that workshop which is simply this, "tell me more."

Tell me more about the why. Tell me more about the who and the where and the what. Don't just tell me you had a cup of coffee, tell me what you had in it or what you left out. Give me more details that will paint a clearer picture of the life you are living right now.

And then give a little more.

Consider these stories:

The story of why you wake up to an alarm on your iphone at 5:45am each morning. The story of why you wake up at different times each day, rarely following a set routine. The story of how your child runs into your bedroom regularly (at least for the last week) in the middle of the night for comfort from the fierce monsters in the dark.

The story of how your 12 year old now makes his own breakfast each morning but you still pour cereal (dry with no milk most days) for your 5 year old.

The story of why you drive each kid separatlely to school in the morning and how you treasure the time in between drop-offs when you get to select the noise in the car (NPR, please).

The story of why you don't exercise. The story of why you do and how that fits into your day. The story of how you think about it every day but still don't choose to put yourself first.

The story of how you take your coffee and how you hate those little disposable plastc cups in your single-serve coffee maker but how you love a hot cup each and every time.

The story of the moments of longing you feel at random points throughout the day. For something different, for something complete, for something you once had (or think you did).

The story of the moments of gratitude that pull you out of the mental funk - where you literally shake your head as a means of erasing the mental spiral.

The story of how you walk into your office building each day and are, like clockwork, greeted by the same older gentlemen who looks you in the eye and smiles or who barely acknowledges your existence.

The story of why you often skip lunch or why you eat the same thing at the same time each and every day.

The story of the things on your desk. Bills to be paid. Invoices to be filed. Hand-drawn ideas to be added to the bigger list. Lists piled on other lists, some things crossed off with a thick black pen, others with a thin red marker, but many simply waiting.

The story of your commute. In the car. On the bus. On the train. Is it long or short or beautiful or do you wish it away for some other life?

The story of the things you are working on - work stuff, life stuff. What's rattling around in your brain during these seven days in your life? What is consuming you? What do you wish you were consumed with?

The story of how you walked past a family in the grocery store, smiled at the Mom as she wrangled a toddler into the cart, and wondered what their lives were like.

The story of what you are reading. The story of what you are watching. The story of how you have so very little time for either. The story of how Candy Crush is your saving grace after a long day of stress and arguments and discomfort.

The story of waiting for your oldest child in the parking lot of the middle school and saying a silent prayer for a report of a good day, a happy smile, a sparkle in his eyes, a conversation - however brief or rote.

The story of homework, or the lack of, and a comparison to your experience growing up.

The story of how multiple times throughout the day you quickly contemplate dinner options but never settle on anything specific until the kids are past the point of needing to be fed and how you decide that popcorn, cheddar chesse and apples is always a very good idea.

The story of how your daughter recounts her kindergarten day in all it's glory and how the cast of characters seems to multiply exponentially as each day goes by.

The story of the hilarious amounts of junk mail you receive and how it's a sign of the times we live in.

The story of how your cat plops down on the hardwood floor after a long day adventuring around the neighborhood and meows until you rub his belly.

The story of why you chose one path instead of another on your evening walk becuase you know one includes more flowers.

The story of what's in your refridgerator and how you feel about it. Do you care a lot about what you eat or a little? Do you plan all your meals in advance or fly by from moment to moment? Is there very litttle in there because you regularly eat out? What's your favorite snack to reach for right now and why. Tell me more.

The story of your lonliness.

The story of your exuberant joy.

The story of your current fears and how on particularly bad days you imagine you are the only person on the planet with these fears and on particularly good days you know they ebb and flow and you'll work through them just like most other people do.

The story of the movie of the day, carefully selected via a negoation betweeen the 5 year old and the 12 year old.

The story of how you drink decaf tea with a touch of milk at the kitchen table after the rest of the family has gone to bed and how you give thanks for the real life you lived today.

What stories will you tell next week? 

Week In The Life™ 2014 | The Really Big Getting Ready Post

Next week you're invited to join me in documenting seven consecutive days in your life.  

This will be my 9th time embarking on a Week In The Life™ project. 

Last year I shared a look back at spreads from each of my past albums - you can read about that here.

Each year I take a little time before starting my new week to look back on the previous year. 

As I looked through last years album (2013) my number one question was "where are the words?" 

Of course there are some there. Little bits of life, which I love and appreciate. But I think the reality is that I slacked off on that last year - maybe that's not exactly the right phrase or way of looking at it. I can't remember if it was because I was tired, bored, too busy, depressed, in a hurry or just wanting to leave the words out, but when I looked at that album I felt like there were details missing. I felt like I missed an opportunity. 

As I was writing this out I went and looked at my daily blog posts from last year - I actually wrote more words there vs. what got added to my album. Interesting.

Now when I come across something like that I don't beat myself up. I make a note and set an intention to do something differently the next time around. 

Hello next time. 

I want the words to go along with the photos. Period. I'm the only person that can make that happen in my albums. 

Just saying it out loud to myself, and to you guys, will help me make it a priority once again this year. 

Here's a look at some thoughts as we get closer to documenting the week: 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT NEXT WEEK

1. I will be sharing my words and photos each day on my blog. Monday will be shared on Tuesday and so on. My main intention next week is to simply document. I save the creative stuff for after the documentation period so I can focus on that portion of the project first and foremost. Really all you need for next week is a camera and a way to write down what's happening (pen, computer, etc). You might also want to have an envelope for each day of the week if you want to include other papers and such that you might collect over the course of the day. 

2. Some people like to get their album set up in advance. If you are one of those people, go for it! I don't generally do that for this project, as I mentioned above, but as with all these creative projects I encourage you to embrace what works for you. 

INTENTION LIST

This year I've had some thoughts in advance of things I know I want to capture. Most years I just charge up my camera battery, print out the Daily Sheets (an 6x8 version will be available later today), and go for it. Download the 6x8 Daily Sheets here.

Lately I've been thinking about things (stuff, routines, etc) that maybe I haven't photographed or written about lately. I like photos that show the things I'm using, the stuff that's part of our lives. Many of the photos answer the question, "what makes up the stuff of my life right now?"

Here's a few things I know I want to capture with my lens: 

the contents of my bag (my current go-to stuff)face front shots of each kid against the white wallcards with each of our ages on it - maybe a favorites card for each of usa family shot of the three of us (me, Simon and Anna)shots of basic stuff: toothpaste, the kind of bread we eat, fridge with the doors open, etc. 

Why the basic stuff? Because it changes. Because it's interesting to see in 5, 10, 20 years. I would love to see photos of that kind of stuff from when I was a kid - what were we eating, what were we wearing, what were we listening to, etc. 

PLEASE REMEMBER | This is not a race to see who can take the most photos. You don't have to take a photo of every little thing every single day. 

Because, seriously, who needs that many photos? 

That said, I definitely use this week as an opportunity to take more photos than I normally do of our everyday lives. Without a doubt every single time I do this project I get some photos that I absolutely love. 

ACTION LIST

1. Think about what you'd really like to capture during this week. What photos do you really want to take? What stories are you on the lookout for?  

2. Download and print the Daily Sheets. I thought about re-working these but when I sat down to look at them I felt like they still cover the things I want to focus on - they are a great starting place for writing stuff down. 

3. If you ordered the kit, take some time to look through it and see which cards you might want to use during the week (vs. ones you'd fill in after). There's a couple in there that are good jumping off points for stories to tell during the week. 

4. Consider purchasing the Week In The Life™ layered templates (in 6x8 or 8.5x11) or the 4x6 printable cards/overlays (these are great if you just want to include pieces of this project in Project Life®). See below for more details on those sets.  

5. Charge your camera battery. I tend to use my bigger camera vs. my phone during this week. I usually include a few phone photos but most tend to be with my 5D. If you print photos at home you might also want to check your ink levels to see if you need to order more ink. 

6. Get your head in the right place. This isn't a competition. This isn't about who has the best or the most or crafting the perfect story of your perfect life, this is about documenting what is real in your life at this point in time via words and photos and intentional embellishments. You are not going to get in trouble if you forget to take photos or write things down. If you find you forgot at one point or another it's no big deal, just start where you left off. Every year someone leaves a comment that they woke up and forgot to take photos on Monday morning so they end up bagging the entire project. That is not what this is about. 

SUPPLIES TO CONSIDER

Here's some supplies to consider using to tell the stories of your week: 

UPDATED DESIGN PLAN | I've updated my initial design plan to accommodate two styles of page protectors that were included with the album. You can download that on the pre-order page here. Click on the orange link that says "click here to download sketch."

KIT | Many of you have purchased and received the Week In The Life™ kit. Obviously this isn't a requirement for participation. If you are still interested there are a few kits still available here. 

DIGITAL PRODUCTS | New sets are available this year in a 6x8 and 8.5x11 versions (see below for a 4x6 option) that include PSD and PDF and PNG files. I'll share a tutorial on how I used the layered templates when I share how i put my album together. You can view my 2013 layered template tutorial for Week In The Life™ here (it uses a previous template set but gives you the basic idea).

Here's a look at what's included in both the 6x8 and 8.5x11 digital packages:

These packages include a PDF of the 7 main weekday pages (without the grey box). 

This is for easy printing if you want to print out the pages and then add a photo, journaling or other embellishments directly on top. 

Here's what the PDF pages look like printed out on Epson Matte Presentation Paper: 

Also included in the package are 7 photo collage pages: 

You can mix and match these within your album. 

Here's a look at both pages together (using photos from last year): 

WEEK IN THE LIFE™ IN PROJECT LIFE®

If you are looking to incorporate this project into your Project Life® album you might be interested in the Week In The Life™ 4x6 PNG/PDF set. 

These files can be printed via the PDF or you can add the PNG files directly on top of your photos:

I used this idea last year (using the 2013 templates) and here's how that turned out: 

You can read the full post about putting that together here. 

You can scroll through all my past Week In The Life™ project posts in the archives here. 

I'm really looking forward to embarking on this adventure again. I learn something new about myself each and every time.

Questions? Excited? Nervous? Let's do this together!

Mentor Mom | Traditional Scrapbook Layout

For the last year or so I've been writing an article for each issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine. 

Today I'm sharing a layout which was included in the 
Fall issue which you can download/view for free here or have a hard copy delivered to your home. 

I really enjoy working with the SCT team - they are very professional, dedicated and willing to let me share my own personal take on this crazy memory keeping adventure. 

In this issue I wrote about scrapbooking the mentors in your life and shared three layouts. You can download bonus items from this article (including the journal card and "mentor" cut file I used on all three of the layouts) 
here. 

The layout I'm sharing today is a 2-page, 8.5x11 spread that documents the ways my Mom has mentored me through the years. 

I seem to have a common theme lately of these enlarged full page photos + journaling on the second page (or in this case on the first page). It's not really a new thing, just something I'm personally really loving right now. 

In addition to the
journal card (I added my text in Photoshop and printed on white cardstock) and die-cut "mentor" title cut with the Silhouette, I added some letter stickers, a couple strips of pattern paper, and sticker phrases. 

The gold stars are rub ons are from Jenni Bowlin and they are awesome.  

I just rubbed a portion of them onto the bottom of the journal card after printing it out on white cardstock. 

I still love rub ons. 

Around the outer edge of both pages I added strips of gold polka-dot vellum from My Mind's Eye. 

It's a really easy way to bring two pages together. 

The gold rub-ons were repeated on a punched half-circle and paired with a chipboard "make magic" banner and Anna and my Mom's initials. 

IDEAS & INSPIRATION 
Cut strips of pattern vellum (or pattern paper) to create a border around the outside edges of a 2-page spread. Focus on the story first. Who is one of your personal mentors? Write the story of that relationship and then find a photo to go along with it. If you don't have a "perfect" photo to support the story, take a new one of something that represents the relationship or just create a no-photo layout. Line things up. Look back up at the full 2-page spread. I intentionally lined up the top of the pattern paper strip on the first page with the horizon line on the photo. The horizon line in the photo gave me a good starting place to start that grouping of pattern paper strips, journal card and title. Check out my article about scrapbooking your mentors in the Fall issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today for more ideas and inspiration. 
SUPPLIES

Click on the images below to link to the products used in this project.

InLinkz.com

Hello Again

In the last 15 days I've been on 15 different airplanes. 

From Eugene to Portland to Miami to Lima to Iquitos to Cusco to Guayaquil to Baltra (Galapagos Islands) to Bogota to Miami to LA to Eugene (and back and forth between a few of those). 

The travel within the travel. That's a lot of time on airplanes. Enough time to read three books (more on those later) and play a whole lot of Candy Crush. 

It feels strange to be back in my house. Amidst my stuff (oh how that desire to purge is in high gear again) and the regular routines of life. 

Huge, running hugs from my kids. Home. 

I've been lucky to be able to travel with Jim West of ScrapMap over the last four years - each trip leaving a million little memories on my heart and mind. Each trip punctuated by my own personal thoughts and feelings and emotions about where I'm at in my own life. 

People travel for all kinds of reasons. 

For me it's another opportunity to learn about the world (via sights and sounds and tastes), to do things I'm afraid of, to deepen relationships with my fellow adventurers, and often to reflect on the life I'm living back home. 

And oh yeah, have some fun. 

I'll be sharing more from this adventure in the coming weeks. 

So as I settle back in I want to say thanks for sticking around even when I wasn't blogging regularly. The break from access to the internet was good for me. 

I know it was a bit of a crazy time to be gone as there is a whole lot of stuff happening around here in the next couple of months. In case you've missed it here's a run-down of what's coming up: 

Week In The Life™ begins on October 27th and people who ordered kits have started receiving them. If you get yours in the mail and you notice that the page protectors have a couple different pocket configurations (specifically a 2x2 pocket page), never fear, I'll have an updated design plan available soon that uses those as a substitution (you know how I love to go with the flow). As usual, I will be sharing my words and photos throughout the week right here on my blog. Also as usual, you don't have to have a kit to participate. It's so much more about the words and the photos and I'll share more thoughts on my documentation goals for this year next week. Digital templates for 2014 are now available for those of you who like to incorporate those into your project as well.  Lens Of Joy, my newest 4-week workshop, begins November 1st and this one is all about my photography processes and looking through the lens. You can read more about this workshop here. I'm super excited about this content.  December Daily® kits for 2014 are now available. We hope to have "real-life" images available soon (including the albums) vs. the digital mock-ups (which at least gives you an idea of what you'll see in the kit). We also have a limited number of 2013 December Daily® kits available here.  The October Story Stamp™ is also now available and this month's theme is Get Real. If you are a current subscriber you can access the education content while you wait for your stamps to arrive (click on your user name and then select My Classes). 

I also wanted to send out a general thank you to everyone as we all acclimate to this new site. I don't intend for it to always be like this - having Week In The Life™, a workshop, and December Daily® this close together is a little crazy-making (oh yeah and a 2+ week trip out of the country on top of that). I'm excited to get back into the routine of sharing layouts and projects and stories.  

Video | A Closer Look At The 2014 Week In The Life Kit

Hey everyone! It's Katie. Ali is off traveling in Peru right now, and I wanted to pop in and share this video. This video will give you a closer look at the items that are available in the first ever Week In The Life Kit. 

Week In The Life will be happening October 27- November 2nd. We can't wait to see what you all create with this kit! 

If you would like more information on this project click here. 

Week In The Life Digital Products are now available in the shop! 

Two sizes of layered templates are offered this year: 6x8 and 8.5x11, as well as 4x6 overlays and some Week In The Life themed word art. 

AE Digital Creative Team + Shop Update

We are so excited to announce the members of the new AE Digital Creative Team!

Celine NavarroPaige Taylor EvansGinny HughesPam BaldwinCarly RobertsonKelly SchmidtSasha FarinaTrisha Harrison Emily WebsterAnnette HaringStephanie BaxterTeresa VictorLindsay BatemanDonya Gjerdingen Cristina C.

You will be seeing a lot of inspiring projects coming from these ladies very soon. Thank you to everyone that applied. We really loved seeing all of your projects in our inbox.

SHOP UPDATES 

DIGITAL PRODUCTS |  We have several new digital brushes available including these Daily Photos and Stories Boxes in the shop here.

ART PRINTS | We have released 7 art prints, 4 of which are gold foil. We have some holiday themed prints, as well as ones that can hang in your house all year round. Check them all out here.