Ali Edwards's Blog, page 51
March 17, 2023
Week In The Life™ 2023 | Crafting Live With Krystal 03
Hi friends, Krystal here! With the launch of the Week in the Life 2023 collection this week, I’m excited to bring you a three day mini-series where I will be sharing sneaks and ideas for how to use the new collection to document your stories this year.
This mini-series is composed of a daily Live video on the Craft the Story Facebook Group.
Today, we are taking a deep dive into the collection and discussing how the products can work inside of the WITL Notebook. If you missed the live video, you can check that out below.
Let’s take a closer look at the ideas we discuss in the Live video:
1. Transparencies, Kraft 7x8.25 Pages & Main Kit
When working in a notebook album, the key to making everything fit is keeping your dimension/embellishments to a minimum. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to still include LOTS of flat embellishments. One easy product to add to a notebook page that packs a big punch are the transparencies or designed pattern papers. Here are some ways to add those in to the WITL Notebook:
Trim down the 10”x8” transparencies to 6”x8.25” (you will want to trim off the hole punches). Then, using washi tape, create a flip out by adhering the edge of your transparency to the edge of a photo/pattern paper. Then, stick this onto a page in your notebook.
The kraft page is very easy to trim a little off each side and place into the notebook. You could fussy cut a title (or a few) from the transparencies and use one as the title for this page. Then, fill the boxes with words, photos, stuff of life, etc. This would be such a fun page to add to each of the daily sections.
2. Main Kit - Plastic Circles & Vellum Tags
Try using the large plastic circles as the centerpiece for a mind map page. Draw lines coming from the circle and branching out to photos/words related to the plastic piece.
Add a bunch of the plastic circles to a single page and cover up the middle icons with circle shaped photos. The titles would form a ring around your photos and create a pretty neat pattern for the page.
Attach four of the vellum tags to one page using the circle chipboard. You can remove a few layers of the chipboard backing to create an even thinner embellishment. Then, use the tag as a space for some photos, or journal using a slickwriter pen.
3. Main Kit - 4x4 Cards, Layered Stickers, Kraft Pockets
Cut apart the 4x4 cards into 2x2 sections. Then, layer 6 to 12 of these on a page to create a grid layout. You can place embellishments, photos, or words into the twelve sections.
Remove both layers of foam tape from the layered sticker titles and then adhere back together so they become flat. Even without the foam, there is still a funky/dimensional look to them. Use these, paired with a tiny phrase sticker or similar product, as a title or jumping off point for your journaling.
The kraft pockets are one of my favorite items in this year’s collection, but a little difficult to use in the notebook because of their thickness. While you could get away with adding a few to your notebook, I would caution against using them all. Maybe start the album with a pocket and add your reason why inside! You can also disassemble the pocket and trim down to a 2x2 square, 3x4 card, or fussy cut words that could be used as titles.
4. Main Kit - 6x4 Cards & Chipboard
Create a grid of photos (6-squares) and add the smaller label chipboard underneath for space to journal in.
Create an ending page/weekly wrap up using the small chipboard tags. To make the rows of four even, you could create a video that shows snippets of your week and link to it using a QR code placed in the final empty spot.
In terms of the 6x4 journaling cards, if you trim the top header portion off, you can re-adhere just that section to the top of a full page, then use the area below that for words or photos.
5. Main Kit - Papers
Using the highlights paper, trim (or fold) in-between the Thurs and Fri sections. Add the larger section to your notebook and let the other section flip out. OR, add the two sections across from each other in the notebook and finish the page with a strip of photos.
Create a journaling feature on top of a full page (12x8.25) photo by adhering the “reflections” page at one of the ends. Fill out ten reflections - on the day or on the week.
6. 3x8 Die Cut Inserts & 10x8 Cards
Add the 3x8 die cut insert directly to a page in your notebook and have it included as part of a grid layout. You could also add some plastic behind the cut out and some vellum confetti (made by hole punching color vellum) to create a “shaker pocket” look.
Using the 10x8 Stories cards, trim off the portion with the title inside (i.e. “Monday Stories”). Add this to a page or to a photo as an embellishment. This could also become a thin pocket of sorts.
7. Mini Kit - Moon/Star Plastic Title & Chipboard Titles
Similar to an earlier idea for using the sun and moon plastic pieces, these would also look great in the notebook paired with additional sun/star elements. These would become fantastic places to add photos or words.
While I would caution you against using all of the chipboard titles from the mini kit in your notebook (unless you are planning to cut the notebook apart and bind it in a different way), you could still include a few on some special pages. Most of the titles will fit horizontally on the page. A few will need to be turned on their side.
8. Mini Kit - Plastic Words & Die Cuts
The gold foil titles are perfect for adding to your notebook! They are flat but also offer a different texture/look, creating interest on your page. Layer these with a chipboard label (after removing some chipboard to make them flatter, if desired), and create your own designed pages for journaling. I love the idea of adding the puffy sticker suns or moons down the page and journaling next to them.
In a similar way, you could use the die cut starbursts as “bullet points” for journaling as well. With these, I think it would be fun to add alpha stickers for the initials of different people in your family.
9. Plastic Circle Bundle & Alpha Stickers
Pull out the Mon-Sun plastic circles from the bundle, along with a sentiment (i.e. This Week). Then, add four to one page and four to the other. You can intermix with journaling or photos, and create a recap of your week.
Using the half colored circles, create a 2x2 grid space with the circles - added in rainbow order. The circles can become homes for embellishments, titles, photos, or words.
Using the pie chart circles, place four in a column and create a grid journaling page (similar to the die cut start bursts above).
10. Large Numbers & Stamps
The large chipboard numbers are another product I would caution against using throughout the notebook because of their thickness. However, you could certainly get away with using a few. I like the idea of adding the 2 and 3 to my cover to designate this as my WITL album for 2023.
As mentioned, the key to documenting a full week in a notebook is keeping things as thin/flat as possible. The absolute BEST product to use, in my opinion, are stamps. The collection this year comes with so much variety in terms of potential titles and/or ways to embellish the page. Definitely check out the 2023 WITL stamps if you’re planning to document in a notebook… and don’t forget to check your own stash as well!
This concludes our video series of ideas for using the WITL 2023 collection to document your life this April! I hope you enjoyed talking through a bunch of ideas and seeing these sketches come to life. Thank you so much for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions. If you have more ideas for ways to use the supplies discussed today, let us know in the comments below. Until next time, let’s tell stories together!
In Case You Missed It | March 17
Happy Friday, friends! Welcome to the latest
In Case You Missed It. Just a reminder that this is a quick post that will happen every Friday afternoon with all the updates and links that have happened throughout the week. So, let's get to it:
2023 WEEK IN THE LIFE™ PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
The all new Week In The Life™ products for 2023 are now available! We have two new albums, our journal, a gorgeous main kit, an incredibly fun themed mini kit, and a collection of coordinating Week in the Life™ products. All of the products are in the warehouse and ready to ship! Shop the collection here.WEEK IN THE LIFE™ DOCUMENTING WEEK
Use code WITL2023 for FREE domestic shipping ($20 international flat rate) on Week In The Life category when you spend $75+. Offer valid until 3/22 at 11:59pm ET. Cart must include a minimum subtotal of $75 from the Week in the Life™ shop category to qualify. Digitals do not count towards the shipping minimum. All of the products are in the warehouse and ready to ship!WEEK IN THE LIFE™ SHIPPING
Use code WITL2023 for FREE domestic shipping ($20 international flat rate) on Week In The Life category when you spend $75+. Offer valid until 3/22 at 11:59pm ET. Cart must include a minimum subtotal of $75 from the Week in the Life™ shop category to qualify. Digitals do not count towards the shipping minimum. All of the products are in the warehouse and ready to ship!WEEK IN THE LIFE™ PREP DAY
Week In The Life™ Prep Day is also available for registration, happening April 15th. We'll have more details for your soon! Register here.WEEK IN THE LIFE™ DIGITALS
Our collection digitals for Week In The Life™ will be available on Friday, April 7th. Layered templates will be coming to the shop closer to the documenting day. We will have 10x8 and 6x8 layered templates again this year. Layered templates are .PSD files. Main kit journal cards and papers will be available as separate file. The kraft pages will be available with a white and transparent background and we will also have album art available. SVG files, which can more easily be manipulated in CANVA, will be included when possible, consistent with previous digital releases.CRAFTING LIVE WITH KRYSTAL WEEK IN THE LIFE™ SERIES
This week on the blog we’re sharing a summary and recording of all three pf Krystal’s Week in the Life 2023 collection LIVE mini-series. For this series, she’s sharing sneaks and ideas for how to use the new collection to document your stories this year. Check them out now here.
40% OFF SELECT DIGITALS + CLASSES
Use promo code SPRING40 to get 40% off select digitals and classes all month long!
IMPORTANT SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES
Since January, we’ve seen incredible growth in our subscriptions! As always, we are extremely grateful for your support and thrilled by your enthusiastic response to the changes we’ve implemented. As a result, we are currently on a waitlist for both new Stories By The Month™ and Story Kit™ subscribers. Now is the time to subscribe or jump on the waitlist if you’ve been considering a subscription to either of these products. If you are interested in receiving one of these subscriptions when they become available, it’s important to sign-up for our waitlist now as it helps our team anticipate future quantities.
As always, we’re so grateful to have you all as members of this community! Thanks for joining me today and have a great weekend!
March 16, 2023
Week In The Life™ 2023 | Ali's Album Setup
Today is the day! The all new Week In The Life™ products for 2023 are now available!
We have two new albums, our journal, a gorgeous main kit, an incredibly fun themed mini kit, and a collection of coordinating Week in the Life™ products. All of the products are in the warehouse and ready to ship! In celebration of release day, Ali was LIVE in our Craft The Story Facebook Group earlier today sharing her album set-up for 2023.
Check out the recording below:
Just a heads up that Ali will do another post within the next few weeks where she includes images of her design formula. Stay tuned!
This year Ali will be documenting her week beginning Monday, April 24th, 2023. Week In The Life™ Prep Day is also available for registration, happening April 15th. Stay tuned for details on Ali's new Storytelling With Week In The Life™ class, coming soon!
Our collection digitals for Week In The Life™ will be available on Friday, April 7th. Layered templates will be coming to the shop closer to the documenting day.
SHIPPING DETAILS: Use code WITL2023 for FREE domestic shipping ($20 international flat rate) on Week In The Life category when you spend $75+. Offer valid until 3/22 at 11:59pm ET. Cart must include a minimum subtotal of $75 from the Week in the Life™ shop category to qualify. Offer subject to change.
March 15, 2023
Week In The Life™ 2023 | Crafting Live With Krystal 02
Hi friends, Krystal here! With the launch of the Week in the Life 2023 collection this week, I’m excited to bring you a three day mini-series where I will be sharing sneaks and ideas for how to use the new collection to document your stories this year.
This mini-series is composed of a daily Live video on the Craft the Story Facebook Group. The final live will take place on Wednesday, March 15th at 12:00PM ET.
Today, we are taking a deep dive into the mini kit components and discussing how they, along with some of the shop products, can work inside of the 10x8 album. If you missed the live video, you can check that out below.
Let’s take a closer look at the ideas we discuss in the Live video:
1. 7x8.25 Vellum Quote Page (Mini Kit)
This quote gave me goosebumps as I read it. I can’t wait to find a way to include this piece in my album this year. Looking for some ways to make it work in your album? Here are a few ideas of how to the vellum page in your project:
Attach the vellum page to the top of a full page photo with washi tape. This allows the quote to stand out against the photo… but also lets you flip the vellum page up and gives you the full view of the photo underneath.
Trim down the quote page to a 6x4 filler card. You can slip this into a pocket page as a transparent element, or add on top of a photo/journaling card.
Fussy cut the quote from the page, or trim into a smaller rectangle, leaving only the quote with a very small border. Then, use the piece as an embellishment.
These titles are SO fun and give you a ton of great journaling jumping off points for your Week in the Life album. One of my favorite things about them is you get the opposites for each word: i.e. Morning/Evening, AM/PM, Etc. Here are some fun ideas for adding these to your album:
Layer the title piece on top of a full page photo. (For example, add the Sunrise title on top of a sunrise photo.)
Add a title to the side edge of a smaller photo/page protector. The word can act as both a title and a tab, of sorts. This would work great for a 6x8 page or 3x8 page.
Create a grid page using photos/journaling to represent the title. I.e. add “Morning” into the center of a 10x8 page. Then, place five photos above and below the word, with small bits of journaling for context.
Add a title into a page protector pocket. Turn into a shaker pocket by adding sequins and sealing the pocket shut with washi tape or a fuse tool.
Create a versus page: morning vs. evening, AM vs. PM, Day vs. Night, etc.
The large sun and moon plastic embellishments are a super fun product with a lot of ways to potentially use them. The large graphic nature of the embellishments will make any layout with them look bold and fun. Here are some fun ways to use these pieces:
Add the large plastic sun/moon to a full page background photo as an opener or closer to a day.
Create a mind map with the plastic title at the center. I.e. add the sun into the middle of your page with branches off to photos from your morning and journaling for context (or time stamping).
Create a pattern of suns to document a day. Pull out (or create) any sun embellishments you may already have in your stash. Layers these onto a full page for a fun designed look. Then, add photos/words to the centers of the suns.
Same as #3, but with the Moon title and stars. Add photos, journaling, etc into star shapes to give your page the “night sky” look.
These gold foil titles give us another medium for telling stories this season. The plastic material makes them perfect for adding to a flatter project as well. Here are some ideas for how to use the gold foil titles in your album:
Pair with a chipboard label and pre-typed/printed journaling on a full page photo. These could be really pretty places in the dark sky space of a photo from the morning or evening.
Add titles to journaling cards (cutting them apart to fit onto smaller cards, if desired), and use the titles as story prompts.
Pair with puffy stickers to create a grid page/bullet pointed journaling page.
Create a pattern using the puffy star stickers.
While there are not any tiny phrase stickers in the collection this year, the vellum word strips are a great alternative! Simply add these to any space you would normally add a tiny phrase sticker. OR, here are some other ideas:
Add word strip to the top of a journaling card/page and use it as a prompt for storytelling.
Make into a rainbow pattern and add to a blank journaling card as a design aspect.
In the die cut pack, there are a whole host of different shaped pieces. From whimsical speech bubbles, to wonky banners, to shaped embellishments and graphic starbursts - this pack is jammed! Here are some fun ways you might want to incorporate these into your layouts:
Use the speech bubbles to document a conversation.
Trim the icons out of the die cuts to use as just the image (alarm clock, newspaper, etc.)
Create a pocket/filler card using the starburst to make a pattern.
Layer the pieces to create embellishment clusters (i.e. clouds and sun).
Use as headers on journaling cards + as journaling prompts.
These are another favorite product for me this year. I’m OBSESSED with the pie designs on many of the circle pieces and can’t wait to see these in action. Here are some ideas for using the plastic circles to consider:
Add a number or alpha sticker to the top half of the divided circles. Then, use the blank bottom half to add a small photo.
Create a swivel feature by placing the plastic circle on top of a circle photo/journaling spot. Attach with a brad so the plastic can move and the underneath can be fully seen.
Create a layout to document “pieces of your day” using the pie designed circles.
Add to the 2x2 page protector and intersperse with photos/journaling.
Make a pattern page by using many/all of the circles. A full page with all of those pie shapes would be SO fun!
Per the request of a few in our community, I also put together images that feature all of the products by day. These are all of the items from the full collection (main kit, mini kit, shop items) that have the day of the week printed/displayed on the item in some way. This photo can help you see how each day consists of a plethora of colors and gives you a wide variety of colors to work with and more flexibility in choosing which products to use in your album as a whole.
This concludes our second set of ideas for using the WITL 2023 collection to document your life this April! I hope you enjoyed talking through a bunch of ideas and seeing these sketches come to life. Thank you so much for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions. If you have more ideas for ways to use the supplies discussed today, let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to tune in on Wednesday, March 15th at 12PM ET to see ideas for the WITL Notebook. Until next time, let’s tell stories together!
March 14, 2023
Week In The Life™ 2023 | Crafting Live With Krystal 01
Hi friends, Krystal here! With the launch of the Week in the Life 2023 collection this week, I’m excited to bring you a three day mini-series where I will be sharing sneaks and ideas for how to use the new collection to document your stories this year.
This mini-series is composed of a daily Live video on the Craft the Story Facebook Group. The next live will take place on Wednesday, March 15th at 12:00PM ET. And today’s live will be posted here tomorrow.
Today, we are taking a deep dive into the main kit components and discussing how they, along with some of the shop products, can work inside of the 6x8 album. If you missed the live video, you can check that out below.
Let’s take a closer look at the ideas we discuss in the Live video:
1. 10x8 Transparencies
These text based transparencies are SO fun! While they are designed to fit outside the page protector in a 10x8 album, they can also be cut down and used in any of the album sizes offered this year! Here are a few ideas of how to use these in your project:
Trim the transparency down to fit your album - 6x8, WITL Notebook, Travelers Notebook, and more. Add a tab to the top to make finding each day of the week quick & easy.
Open each day of your weekly documenting with the transparency and a kraft pocket adhered on top. The contrast of the kraft and bold black in white is so striking!
Trim the transparencies down even further to create filler 3x4 or 6x4 cards. This gives you a fun peek-a-boo effect in your album AND can serve as a home for some fun embellishments.
Fussy cut titles from the transparencies to create your own plastic word titles. The transparencies include SO many sentiments that can be used as story prompts. Some examples include: Home, Stories, People + Places + Things, Stuff of Life, Thankful, Etc.
I absolutely love a paper that gives us space for direct storytelling. The 10x8 Highlights paper would be the perfect way to start or finish a WITL album. If you’re working in a size smaller than 10x8, you can still use this paper by trimming it down or creating a folded flipout. Then, fill the columns with words, photos, or both!
3. 6x4 Journaling Cards
The main kit comes complete with a set of seven days of the week 6x4 cards. These feature sections to fill out your currently -ing activities: thinking, feeling, watching, listening, laughing. Aside from sticking these straight into a 6x4 pocket, here are some additional ways to use these cards:
Trim off the top header portion of each 6x4 card and re-adhere the daily titles to the top of a 6x8 page of journaling.
Trim each 6x4 card in half so the title and prompts become a 3x4 card. Use the second half to stamp a different title/prompt OR simply add journaling into the blank section.
With a little bit of trimming, these square color-blocked 4x4 journaling cards can totally work in a 6x8 album. The mix of colors also adds a nice colorful touch to the daily documenting. Here are some ideas for incorporating these cards into the 6x8 album format:
Add the full square directly to a full page photo or to patterned paper. Adhere on three of the four sides to make the square into a pocket.
Use the squares as homes for words or photos.
Trim down to 3x4 journaling cards - either by evening removing .5” from each side (making the rectangles even), or 1” from a single side (making the square sizes offset).
Trim the color squares into 2”x2” sections and add into a 2x2 page protector, or onto plain white cardstock - intermixing photos throughout.
Using the layered stickers and circle chipboard, create journaling prompt titles to help guide writing. With four sections, there’s lots of opportunity to tell four details of a single story.
These kraft pockets add such a fun textured element to the collection this year. The contrast of the kraft with plain cardstock is gorgeous. Here are some ideas for these pockets:
Add on top of a full page photo (one that is just a background-type photo) or on top of a transparency (backed with additional journaling/photo).
Add attacher strips to the back of the left side, add into the album as a small insert OR put onto rings and create a small mini WITL album.
Use the pockets to store additional photos, ephemera, journaling, etc.
The chipboard and layered stickers are SO FUN! I can’t wait to see how these are used by the community in the WITL project this year. Here are some ideas to think about for ways to use the layered stickers and chipboard circles from the main kit:
Remove the foam tape from the layered stickers to create a flatter embellishment - good for keeping the bulk down or using in a flatter project altogether.
Use the layered stickers at titles/journaling prompts on 3x4, 6x4, and 6x8 journaling cards/pages. For a pop of contrast, consider placing a black tiny phrase sticker or strip of washi in-between the title and the journaling text.
Add a circle chipboard to the middle of the color-blocked 4x4 card. Use the sentiment to help guide your journaling and tell four things related to the prompt.
Use all seven circle chipboards as journaling prompts for a 6x8 bulleted list.
Create a mind-map using the circle chipboard. Include “today’s story” in the middle, then branch out to the other six prompts, and branch from there to journaling/photos/stamps/etc.
The final two embellishments included in the main kit add two more textures into the mix: vellum and plastic. Here are a few ideas for these pieces:
Add one vellum tag to each day, placing on top of a photo, transparency, patterned paper, etc. Use the space as a home for a photo, some journaling (slickwriter pen recommended), or an embellishment.
Layer the chipboard tags and vellum tags (or vellum tag and label chipboard) for a formulaic way to designate the day on your layout.
Create a patterned tag collage page using the full set. Add photos, journaling, or embellishments into the various spots.
Use the plastic circles as a repeat element throughout your album.
Use an older circle nested chipboard as a frame around the plastic circle, giving the page more texture & dimension.
Cut the circles in half and use them as a journaling card title header.
Create a circle patterned page using the full collection.
Last, but not least, we have two fun shop products to consider this year. These are two of my top favorite components of the WITL collection for the whole release! Between the cardstock cutout number inserts and the 10x4 journaling cards, the colors are so fun and make me want to jump right into documenting. Let’s talk ideas for how to use them in your 6x8 album:
Create smaller dividers using the cardstock number inserts. Adhere a tab to the top of the frame so you can easily find your place for each day in the album.
Make the window portion into a shaker pocket, using all the colorful sequins to match the collection.
Add a 3x8 photo or page of journaling next to the cardstock number inserts and stitch the pieces together to form a full 6x8 layout.
Fold the 10x4 journaling cards to create a flip out component. Attach into the album with an attacher strip. Include journaling/photos on the inside and back of folded card.
And with that - we have the first set of ideas for using the WITL 2023 collection to document your life this April! I hope you enjoyed talking through a bunch of ideas and seeing these sketches come to life. Thank you so much for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions. If you have more ideas for ways to use the supplies discussed today, let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to tune in on Tuesday, March 14th at 12PM ET to see ideas for the 10x8 album AND additional ideas from the mini kit and shop products. Until next time, let’s tell stories together!
Week In The Life™ 2023 | Collection Preview + Date Announcement
Welcome to the preview post for our
Week In The Life™ 2023 Collection.
These products will be available on
Thursday, March 16th at noon Eastern/9am Pacific. This collection is in stock and ready to ship.
Read below for lots of details regarding the schedule for this project and surrounding community events.
This year
Ali will be documenting her week beginning Monday, April 24th.
Is this your first time learning about Week In The Life™?
Check out more details on this project that Ali started in 2005 here.
Use code WITL2023 for FREE domestic shipping ($20 international flat rate) on Week In The Life category when you spend $75+. Offer valid until 3/22 at 11:59pm ET.
PREP DAY: Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 15th for our Week In The Life™ Prep Day. Registration to come.
STORYTELLING WITH WEEK IN THE LIFE™: This year Ali is putting together a brand-new workshop which walks you through the basics + heart of this project. Fashioned after the popular Storytelling With December Daily® and Storytelling With Project Life® workshops, Ali will take you on a journey back through her past projects and share ideas, tips, and inspiration for approaching this project (mindset, prep, etc), what to do during the documenting week, and tips on putting it together after the week is over.
Registration for this workshop will start during our Week In The Life™ Prep Day on Saturday, April 15th.
We will be offering most of these products digitally on Friday, April 7th. New layered templates will be released before the documenting week (date to come).
WEEK IN THE LIFE™ COLLECTION VIDEO OVERVIEW
Here is an overview video of this year's collection:
Here is a look at the products via images:
Ali will be using this album for her 2023 project. Includes 21 page protectors in three styles.
Includes 21 page protectors in three styles.
Our 2023 Main Kit includes the following:
7, 4x6 inch single-sided Journal Cards7, 4x4 inch single-sided Journal Cards1, 10x8 inch Vellum Pattern Paper1, 10x8 inch Highlights Pattern Paper1, 3.75x8.25 inch Reflections Journal Card1, 6x8 inch Non-Adhesive Chipboard Sheet7, 3 inch Dimensional Ing Word Stickers10, 4 inch Chipboard Numbers8, 2.25x3.88 inchVellum Tags7, 4x4 inch Kraft Envelopes with Tabbed Story Cards9, 2.5 inch Plastic Circles
Here are some ideas to get your creative documenting juices flowing:
If you are using a 6x8 album you can fold this Highlights Pattern Paper to create a fold out in your album.
And our Main Kit in the 6x8 album:
The 2023 Morning + Evening Mini Kit includes:
1, 7x8.25 inch Vellum Quote Paper1, 4x6 inch Non-Adhesive Chipboard Label Sheet1, 4x6 inch Puffy Sticker Sheet8, .25 inch Long Skinny Vellum Phrases8, 1.5 inch tall Chipboard Words8, 2.25 inch to 6.3 inch Plastic Shapes/Words30, 2-3 inch Die Cut Pieces
Here are some ideas to get your creative documenting juices flowing:
These can be used together or separately.
Here's a few images of the kit + journal so you can see the scale:
Last year we introduced a new journal option for Week In The Life™. Some people used it for note-taking/story collection during the documenting week and others used it for their entire project. We love that it brings additional options for people to tell their stories.
This is the same size as the One Little Word® Journal (6.25 x 8.5 approx).
There are also two blank spreads in between each day.
Our friend Yin used the notebook for her project last year. She put together a whole blog post sharing what she did - totally worth checking it out if you are considering going in this direction this year. Here are a few images from her project:
10x8 TRANSPARENCY DIVIDERS | $9.99
Here's a look at these in use:
These can be cut down to fit into the 6x8 album:
PLASTIC CIRCLE PACK | $9.99
Here's a look at these in use (so fun added into the 2x2 pockets):
3x8 NUMBER + JOURNALING INSERTS | $7.99
Here'a a look at these in use:
6x8 Kraft Documenting Pages | $7.99
This is a set of seven pages sized outside the page protector (7x8.25) perfect for holding photos, words, embellishments, or any other stuff of life you might want to document this year:
10x4 Journal Cards | $7.99
These fit into the page protectors in the 10x8 album:
Here's a look at those in an album:
4x6 Alpha Sticker Bundle | $3.99
Here's a short overview of Ali stamping each of the stamp sets from this year's collection:
Week In The Life™ Days Of The Week 6x8 Stamp Set | $28.99
Week In The Life™ Phrases + Circles 6x8 Stamp Set | $28.99
Week In The Life™ Numbers 4x6 Stamp Set | $19.99
Week In The Life™ Morning + Evening Phrases 4x6 Stamp Set | $19.99
This year we are trying something new which is a limited number of "Buy All" button packages. We've seen requests for this in the past when we release collections like this so we wanted to test it out with Week In The Life™. As this is the first time doing this we anticipate we'll learn some things as we go through the process of offering it.
People who choose the "Buy All" option will also receive this exclusive mug that has the sun + moon designs on it from the Week In The Life™ Mini Kit.
In addition to the products featured above we'll have a variety of basics available under the Week In The Life™ category, including page protectors, inks, and this organizational box (not included with the "Buy All" option).
March 13, 2023
Story Play | Day In The Life™ Details
Mark your calendar for our first Story Play Week featuring our Day In The Life™ project (with the actual documenting day happening on Saturday, April 1st).
Each day during the week leading up to the documenting day I’ll be sharing a video on YouTube + my blog with some ideas and inspiration related to Day In The Life™. This year we are using the lens of color as a way to tell the story of our day. I’ll share how I’m setting up my project + my documenting approach during the video on Tuesday during the Story Play Week.
If you missed out on the physical kit you can grab the digital version here or use your stash!
You can see our complete Story Play Collection here.
March 10, 2023
In Case You Missed It | March 10
Happy Friday, friends! Welcome to the latest
In Case You Missed It. Just a reminder that this is a quick post that will happen every Friday afternoon with all the updates and links that have happened throughout the week. So, let's get to it:
It's the 10th of the month which means that today we are revealing a new Story Kit™ theme: MAKE! We are all makers. We make plans, we make time, we make progress, we make choices, we make stuff by hand, etc. This month we are telling stories of the things we make in our lives: the big things + the little things. Head to the blog for Ali's blog post with all the details about this month's release. Looking for sparks related to this theme? Don't forget to tune in to #aestorychat Tuesday, March 21st at 12pm ET when Krystal will chat one-on-one with @pambaldwin to take a deep dive into this theme!
$10 STORY KITS
Yep! You read that right: now through tomorrow at 11:59pm ET, you can stock up on $10 Story Kits™. Subscribers, you can add these to your box with no additional shipping charges. Quantities are limited. Shop the sale here.40% OFF SELECT DIGITALS + CLASSES
Use promo code SPRING40 to get 40% off select digitals and classes all month long!
2023 WEEK IN THE LIFE™ UPDATES
IMPORTANT SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES
Since January, we’ve seen incredible growth in our subscriptions! As always, we are extremely grateful for your support and thrilled by your enthusiastic response to the changes we’ve implemented. As a result, we are currently on a waitlist for both new Stories By The Month™ and Story Kit™ subscribers. Now is the time to subscribe or jump on the waitlist if you’ve been considering a subscription to either of these products. If you are interested in receiving one of these subscriptions when they become available, it’s important to sign-up for our waitlist now as it helps our team anticipate future quantities.
STORY PLAY DIGITALS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Story Play Digitals are here! Kits, Stamps, Paper, and Embellishments...the same fun & festive designs as the physical products, only in digital format. We love to see how this incredibly creative community plays with digitals! Resizing elements and cards, adding journaling to papers, creating cut files, transforming files into transparencies, the sky is the limit with digital files. Shop digitals here.
As always, we’re so grateful to have you all as members of this community! Thanks for joining me today and have a great weekend!
Make Story Kit + April 2023 Stories By The Month Kit
Today's the 10th of the month and that means a new Story Kit, Story Stamp, and Stories By The Month kit. This month we also have the next One Little Word® Mini Kit available too.
This month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of Make.
We are all makers. We make plans, we make time, we make progress, we make choices, we make stuff by hand, etc. This month we are telling stories of the things we make in our lives: the big things + the little things.
Initial story ideas for this theme include:
Make a list of the things you are currently engaged in making.
When was the last time you "made it happen"? Write that out telling the who and what and where and why and how.
What are you making time for in your life right now? STORY KIT
The
Story Kit™ includes:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
The
Stamp Set:
Here's a video overview of the Story Stamp:
Here's a look at what's included in the Digital Story Kit™:
Your digital kit and the classroom and any Add-Ons purchased will be available to you on the 12th once your card has been charged for the month.
This kit is also available to physical kit subscribers as an Add On each month.
Here are a few sneak peeks at projects you'll find in the classroom this month from Ali:
Again, thanks so much for subscribing and/or considering our
Story Subscription program! If you have any questions about this program please let us know below in the comments.
First and foremost we are excited to begin offering a classroom included with this subscription (called
Inspiration By The Month™). Each month Lisa Varshine, Krystal Iduante, and Jen Wong will share inspiration in a classroom using pieces from the Stories By The Month™ kit.
Here is a full look at the kit this month:
The kit now includes a sheet of vellum or transparency (sized outside the page protector in a 6 inch x 8 inch album), a pattern paper, a 3 inch x 8 inch (outside the page protector) journal card with the month at the top which will be repeated each month, a 3 inch x 4 inch stamp set, chipboard, 4, 3 inch x 4 inch journal cards, 3, 4 inch x 6 inch journal cards and an embellishment.
And a video overview:
This subscription is a great option for those who are looking to tell more calendar/everyday life sorts of stories.
Our Digital Stories By The Month™ kit is now called Inspiration By The Month™. With this subscription you receive access to the Inspiration By The Month™ classroom and the digital kit.
This kit is also available to physical Stories By The Month™ kit subscribers as an Add On each month.
For the next couple of months we will be offering add on's from our current inventory. Make sure you check out what's all available via your My Subscriptions page.
Add On options are available to all Story Kit™, Story Stamp™, and Stories By The Month™ physical subscribers (this excludes Digital Story Kit/Story Class subscribers since you don't have any part of your subscription shipped already). Current and new subscribers can select + purchase Add-On's via your new drop-down menu access under your user name in the top right corner of the site: you need to do this before the 11th of the month in order for them to ship with your kit.
Depending on product availability subscribers may be able to purchase the Add-On's after the Add-On period has ended and regular shop shipping rates will apply because they will ship separately from the kit.
One Little Word® Mini Kit #2 subscription is now available!
Purchasing the first One Little Word® Mini Kit commits you to an "auto-shipment" + charge of the remaining three kits at the time of their shipping. The remaining two kits will be charged + shipped on/around 6/15/23, 9/15/23.
Please note if you are already subscribed to the Mini Kits last year you do not need to sign up again.
We hope that spreading out the kits throughout the course of the year will do two things: (1) help keep you continue to connect to your word by giving you products you can use as you make your word visible in your album throughout the year, and (2) spread out the cost over the course of the year rather than a bigger purchase all at once (since we totally get that this is a busy time for spending).
The Mini Kits will ship for $1 for domestic customers/$5 for international customers.
March 9, 2023
Labels Scrapbook Kit | Special Guest Denine Zielinski
Hello friends! This is Denine Zielinski. I’m excited to share some ideas with you for how I plan to use the Labels Quarterly Scrapbook Kit. With a variety of 12x12 and 7x8.25 papers, as well as some label embellishments, this kit is great for a wide variety of stories. I have created some sketches to share with you here today and some ideas to go along with them. Plus, don’t forget that the digital kit comes along with the physical products for even more possibilities. Let’s get started with my video, and I've also broken down each of my ideas below.
IDEA ONE
My first idea is for the 12x12 paper with the pastel labels. I love this label shape so much, and I also love how they are overlapping each other. My plan is to cut this down to fit in my 6x8 album. In my video, you can see how I use a 7x8.25 piece of craft plastic to determine where I want to cut a patterned paper like this. The labels can then be filled with photos, journaling, or embellishments to go with your story. The Plastic Labels that come in the kit would really pop off the page coupled with the pastel colors on the paper. I want to try to cut out a few photos in the shape of the labels and add them with foam squares. I plan to pair this with a full-page photo. This paper also can be used as is for a 12x12 page using the same ideas. I’m not quite sure what story I will tell, but here are some ideas that I’m considering:
A story about me A fancy event (wedding, shower, dance, etc.) Things that bring me joyIDEA TWO
For this page idea, I want to use the 12x12 Circle Label paper. WOW! So many awesome circles to choose from. I’m thinking about using the circles labeled 1, 2, and 3 (either the numbers or the written ones) to document three things about my job that bring me joy. That may change, though, but any three things would work well. I will add some stamping in the bottom halves of the circles and some journaling directly on the page. Other ideas could include:
Your favorite quotes and why (paired with a photo of yourself…your story matters) Three beautiful things about your day Three things you love about yourself (don’t be modest. You are awesome. Tell the world)IDEA THREE
This 7x8.25 Mixed Media paper is so super cool. I immediately thought of cutting out the labels from the 7x8.25 Rectangle Labels paper and adding them in a staggered line down the middle of the page. A photo collage on the opposite page would be great. I would number each photo and then stamp numbers on each label before I add my journaling. Since the digital file comes with the kit, I might also just do two pages of stacked labels on the Mixed Media paper. No photo needed, right? Perhaps some thoughts about where you are in life right now or maybe a bucket list. Other ideas might be:
A group photo and what you love about each person A photo collage and “currently” stories A list of gratitudes A top five list or a top ten list if you do 2 pagesIDEA FOUR
The Pastel Label 7x8.25 paper can totally be used as is…a perfect home for your stories and photos. I like to cut things out, so I will do that and then adhere the labels to another background using foam squares. Love that dimension! I could use other patterned papers from the physical kit as backgrounds (I’m good with different patterned backgrounds in the same spread) OR I could print out one of those papers from the digital kit to keep the backgrounds the same. I’m also planning on cutting my photos to the shape of the labels to keep them consistent. I’m thinking this would be great for photos of an evening with friends. You could also document:
Favorite shows/movies and why Same photo/different dates (I’m thinking me and my son in different years) Monthly round upIDEA FIVE
This 12x12 Love Pattern paper would be great as a background for a page as is if you scrapbook 12x12. If you’re like me, and you want to do 6x8, it would be easy to trim down. I plan to add a small photo in the corner so more of the paper shows on my spread. Of course, it would also look great with a larger photo or several smaller ones. For the second page, I want to use the 12x12 Watercolor Dot paper as the home for my journaling on a few of the Die Cut Labels in the kit. Perhaps, I will also mix an additional photo or two with those labels, as well. Use some foam squares to “pop” a few of the labels off the page! I’m thinking of doing a spread about someone I love. Here’s a few other ideas:
A hobby you enjoy Your pet(s) A relationship A day/evening with friends or familyIDEA SIX
The space on the top of the 7x8.25 This Moment paper is just calling out to be filled! My first thought was a really big title. I am thinking word art, but you could totally do a really cool title with stamps or letter stickers or a combination of both. I plan to pair this page with a 4-photo collage. Numbering each of the photos and the journal spots would help the viewer connect each photo to a story. You could also do a full-page photo as the second page. Additionally, If you prefer to have a single page, a photo or photo collage would look great right on the paper from the kit above the journal spots. Some story ideas include:
Right now Road trip/day trip that you loved Four favorite places Pieces of your day
Thank you all for joining me as I planned some sketches and stories for the Labels Quarterly Scrapbook Kit. There are so many possibilities! I hope that I was able to give you some ideas and inspiration to tell your own stories. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or even to share some great ideas of your own! Happy storytelling, my friends! Find me on Instagram here.
