Ali Edwards's Blog, page 68
May 4, 2022
Storytelling With Stamps | This Is Us
Next up in my Storytelling With Stamps series is a spread featuring the Iconic TV Quotes 6x8 Stamp Set to support a story about Anna and a couple of her good friends right now.
This is a fun set even if you aren't into iconic TV shows. Lots of these sentiments can be used to support regular life storytelling. Laura used it in this example in a recent pocket page spread:
Here's a video with a look at my process:
Here's a look at my completed project:
For this project I paired a piece of pattern paper from the Write Story Kit with a full page photo of Anna + friends. They are super into taking photos right now and I'm here for it and love seeing their relationship captured via photos.
On top of the pattern paper I paired the small Kraft pockets from the Write Story Kit with two photos sized to the same dimensions. On top of the kraft pockets I stamped "this is us" from the Iconic TV Stamp Set along with a quote from the Ali Phrases 4x6 Stamp Set (seriously loved using this set on a variety of projects you'll see in this series). I also used the small "love us" stamp from the Heart 6x8 Stamp Set below the title on the card inside the pocket.
My plan is to invite Anna to write a bit about each friend on those cards inside the pockets.
On top of the kraft pockets I also added chipboard banners from my stash (still loving having my chipboard organized by shape - you can read more about that here).
In addition to the journaling I'm inviting Anna to add to the paper inside the kraft pockets I also added a large speech bubble from the Write Story Kit to add my own thoughts. I stamped "this is us" along the top and added small puffy hearts in between the words and then hand wrote my journaling below. I also added the quote from the Ali Phrases Stamp Set below as a sub-title (same quote as I added between the lines on top of the kraft pockets).
SUPPLIESIconic TV Quotes 6x8 StampAli Phrases 4x6 Stamp SetHeart 6x8 Stamp SetTim Holtz Mini Archival InksAED Redwoods InkLawn Fawn Stamp ShammyWrite Story Kit Pattern Paper + Speech Bubble Die CutRainbow Scrapbook Kit Pattern PaperPuffy Heart Stickers from previous kit Foam Adhesive SquaresScrapbook.com Dot Roller AdhesiveRolling Date StampStazOn Ink6 Hole Punch
May 3, 2022
Storytelling With Stamps | Never Too Old
Welcome to a fun new seasonal series called Storytelling With Stamps!
Over the next nine days I'll be sharing project ideas + process videos using recently released stamps as part of our collaboration with Laura Wonsik. I had the best time working on all these projects and am excited to get to share them with you here. You might have seen images of some of these last week via our One Stamp | Two Ways newsletter series.
Today's project features the 4x6 Block Uppercase Alpha:
Here's a look at my process via video:
Here's a look at the finished project:
For this project I paired a full page photo (7 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall) with a pattern paper from the Star Scrapbook Kit that featured a large heart with a star outline. I'll break down the details of how I set up the heart pocket and journaling below.
I also used the stamp set to repeat stamp the letter "A" on top of a chipboard heart. I added a canvas phrase from the Rainbow Scrapbook Kit on top.
To create a pocket I cut some Hero Arts Wood Grain Vellum using a pencil to outline the shape (you can see through enough to the heart on the pattern paper). I stamped the title using the Block Uppercase Alpha Stamp Set (with Redwoods, Tillamook, and Honeyman inks) on white cardstock and used my sewing machine to stitch the title to the top of the pocket.
On top of the pocket I also added a felt flower from the Currently Story Kit and a puffy phrase which is an add-on to the Write Story Kit.
I composed my journaling in the shape of a heart and printed it on ink jet transparency. Along the top of the heart I stapled a tab sticker from the May 2022 Stories By The Month kit.
SUPPLIES4x6 Block Uppercase Alpha StampAED Redwoods InkAED Tillamook InkAED Honeyman InkHero Arts Wood Grain VellumFelt Flower from Currently Story KitWrite Story Kit Puffy Phrases Add OnRainbow Scrapbook Kit Canvas PhraseStar Scrapbook Kit (digital version available)Scrapbook.com Dot Roller AdhesiveInk Jet Transparency Rolling Date StampStazOn Ink6 Hole PunchMay 2022 Stories By The Month Sticker Tab
April 29, 2022
In Case You Missed It | April 29
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:
LAURA WONSIK + ALI EDWARDS STAMP RELEASE
Last week we launched our new collaboration with Laura Wonsik. Ali and Laura have teamed up for another incredible stamp collection. These stamps are vibrant, full of opportunity , and ship free all week long! We can’t wait to see how you use them to tell your stories! Digitals for the collection will be available Friday, May 6th. Shop the physical stamps here.
CRAFTING LIVE WITH KRYSTAL
This Thursday we kicked off a brand new series of LIVE Facebook events with @krystal_idunate 🥳 Crafting Live with Krystal will happen twice a month, in our Craft The Story Facebook group. These events will be saved and available for those unable to join live. Krystal’s next LIVE will happen Thursday, May 12th at 12pm ET. Be sure to mark your calendars! Not a member of our Facebook Group? Join our amazing community of inspiring and like-minded crafters here.
ALI’S CRAFT THE STORY YOUTUBE SERIES
Ali's back with a Friday video this week on YouTube and the blog and this time she's sharing a look at how she's documenting stories in her yard from April in her Around The Yard notebook. Find the post here.
NEW CLASS: PLAYING WITH PAPER W/ PAM BALDWIN
Playing with Paper is all about playful, creative ways to get crafty with your memory keeping projects! In this class, we're going on a treasure hunt for fun ideas and inspiration that spark our curiosity. We'll turn that spark into a variety of fun projects that include stitching and sewing on paper, transparencies and vellum, envelopes and pockets, creative cut-outs, interactive flaps and pull-tabs, and going BIG! This class is for people of all skill levels. Our goal is simply to have fun telling our stories, and to make projects that bring you joy! I hope you'll come out and play! Learn more 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!
Around The Yard Notebook | April 2022
As we get close to the end of April I wanted to take some time to add a few pages to my Around The Yard notebook.
I started this notebook in March as a way to document what's happening in my yard. I love the idea of using notebooks for specific themes (during my Storytelling With Stamps series next week you'll see me start a new one for some everyday life stories). I'm primarily using the Stories By The Month kits for this project along with a lot of full page photos.
You can see the beginning pages in this notebook here.
If you'd like to see more about memory keeping in notebooks check out this video: Telling Stories In Notebooks.
Let's dive in to the video:
Here are the completed notebook spreads:
Back in March I established a couple design foundation formulas that I've decided to continue as we transition from one month to the next. It's likely that I'll need to start a second notebook sometime this summer as I imagine I'll tell stories in here through October (the tail end of the majority of the things I grow here in Oregon).
Having a couple spreads that repeat a design removes some of the guess work out of creating my pages. To start I used the simple foundation that's built into the Art Of Noticing notebook and added in a full page photo (4.25 inches x 8.25 inches) along with a second photo sized a little smaller than the outline square. I used a Uniball Vision Elite pen for my journaling and added a chipboard embellishment from my stash on top of the plastic abbreviated month.
The next spread features a full photo spread (sized 8.5 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall and cut down the middle). In between the speed I added two 4 inch x 6 inch cards from the April Stories By The Month™ kit which are adhered back to back and include a small folded piece of cardstock in between. That small piece of cardstock is then adhered to the back of one of the photos in order to create a new page.
On the back of the pattern 4 inch x 6 inch card I added the 3 inch x 4 inch April Gratitudes card (love that this is a card included with the kit each month).
The next spread features a full page photo and two additional photos that are 1/2 page. I used cards and a chipboard piece from the April Stories By The Month kit to create an additional page insert. Washi tape added along the bottom covers up the .25 inch left over.
On the back of the April card is a daffodil photo and another journal card from the kit. I adhered the photo and the April circle pattern card back to back with a small piece of cardstock in between that was adhered to the back of the "current pieces of the story" card (same technique I used above).
I can't tell you how much I'm loving having a home for these flower photos and getting some of these details of the flow/rhythm of the seasons in my yard.
The last spread I put together for this month includes another big photo cut in half to go across both pages but this time I created a vellum pocket with journaling on top to hold some of the new plant tags.
I started this by typing up my journaling and printing it on vellum (I use this printable vellum). After looking through my stash of printed vellum I came across a floral design from Heidi Swapp (here's a similar one to the one I used) to use on the back in order to create the pocket. I adhered both pieces of vellum together along the flap edge (the part that gets adhered behind one half of the photo) before running it through my sewing machine on three sides to create the pocket.
When setting up my journaling I left some space (a tab) in order to add some gold puffy stars (these are from last year's December Daily® Star Mini Kit).
I loved making this into a pocket to hold these plant details.
That vellum is so great! I also added a label sticker on the photo to designate the location where I plan to plant pumpkins again - that was one of my most favorite things to grow last year.
Also a quick heads up that starting next Tuesday I've got a 9 day Storytelling With Stamps series to share with you here on the blog + YouTube. I had so much fun playing with the new stamps we recently released in collaboration with Laura Wonsik. You may have seen some images of these projects in the newsletter this week - next week's posts will include my process videos and additional images.
SUPPLIESArt Of Noticing Notebook April 2022 Stories By The Month Heidi Swapp Floral Vellum (similar) Yellow Label Stickers (similar) Epson XP15000 Printer Corner Rounder Sewing Machine Scrapbook.com Rolling Adhesive Gold Puffy Stars from December Daily® Star Mini Kit Slick Writer Pen Heart Pen from Write Story Kit May 2022 Stories By The Month™ Kit TabsPrintable Ink Jet Vellum
April 28, 2022
AED Brand Ambassador Program | Building A Bigger Table
You may have seen community members posting recently on social media that they are a part of a new trial AED Brand Ambassador Program.
Ali and our AED team wanted to take some time today to share why we made the change to let go of the traditional Creative Team model and move towards something different.
For many years we've had the pleasure of working closely with memory keepers who applied for and were welcomed onto our Creative Team after meeting criteria we had set up (the biggest one being that words were a primary piece of their memory keeping method). We are very thankful to those women who joined us as we grew this community through the sharing of projects and a love of storytelling. Many became dear friends along the way.
At the same time, the process of selecting a Creative Team was always emotionally challenging for our team to not accept all who applied. As you are likely well aware, memory keeping is so, so personal and honestly, who is to say what is "good" - especially when we one hundred percent believe that stories matter and believe in the value of storytelling as a lifestyle.
Over the last few years as the AED brand has grown and evolved, Ali has felt very passionate about welcoming, including and highlighting a wider variety of voices. As a team we have been brainstorming ways to be more inclusive in our products, our projects and in the way we approach our Creative Team. With that in mind we made the decision to do something different this year which is how the idea of a Brand Ambassador Program was born.
We are hoping to build a bigger table.
For our trial Brand Ambassador Program we reached out to a diverse group of memory keepers including people we have worked with in the past and people we haven’t. Some have been on traditional Creative Teams in the past and for others this is their first time.
A change like this doesn't happen without a lot of thought and intentionality is one of the core values of our business. When one of your values is being intentional in your decision making sometimes you can get stuck in the planning phase and never move into the implementation phase. With that in mind we initiated a soft launch of our trial Brand Ambassador Program to simply get it started knowing that we would likely make changes as we went along.
We know there will be bumps along the way. We know it will be imperfect. We know it will take time and unlearning on our part as well as within the community. We are committed to working towards something new even if we don't have it all figured out at the start.
THE VISION: WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DOInclude, embrace + highlight inspiration and ideas from a wider variety of voices within the community. We are a diverse community of individuals brought together by a shared love of memory keeping and we want to focus more on the variety of documenting styles and stories and backgrounds and life experiences. Depart from the traditional Creative Team model and change the narrative around these kinds of programs to make them less about highlighting individuals and more about celebrating the wider community of memory keepers. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BRAND AMBASSADORSThe role of a Brand Ambassador is to simply share a love of memory keeping using our product collections via tips, ideas, and the sharing of projects. Their commitment is one post per month (significantly different from what we expected in the past from our Creative Team) and they are compensated with digital products and a discount code. When a Brand Ambassador shares a post on Instagram that they are being compensated for they will be using the hashtag #aedbrandambassador. You can follow that hashtag on Instagram. OUR LONG TERM GOALS FOR THIS PROGRAMOur long term goal for this program, and what we hope to move towards in the coming years, is that anyone who wants to participate would be able to join. Before we can get to that place In we need to be able to test some things out which is why we are starting with a trial and giving ourselves the opportunity to simply see how it goes. Where we are at right now is our starting place.
As a work in progress, this trial program will be reviewed at multiple times throughout the year as we ask the following questions:
Is this working for our community?Is this working for the Brand Ambassadors? Is this working for the AED Team?As always, thank you for being a part of this community. Thank you for sharing your stories and valuing storytelling and creative reflection as a part of your life.
April 16, 2022
Ali's 2022 6x8 Story Album | Volume One
Today I'm taking you along with me while I finish up Volume One of my 6x8 story album for 2022.
You can check out a video where I shared more about this from the beginning of the year here.
This year I decided that I wanted to do most of my "regular" storytelling outside the page protectors in 6x8 albums (for any stories that aren't part of other projects like Week In The Life™, etc) and adhere the spreads/pages back to back. In this video I'm doing a flip through of the stories I've told along with adhering the rest of my projects back to back and creating one additional simple page along the way.
Let's dive in:
Scrapbook.com Dot Roller Adhesive
We R Memory Keepers Hole Punch
Rolling Date Stamp
StazOn Ink
6x8 Album Options
6 Hole Punch
May 2022 Stories By The Month Sticker Tab
April 15, 2022
Laura Wonsik + Ali Edwards Stamp Collaboration | Preview
Welcome to the preview post for our Ali Edwards + Laura Wonsik Collaboration stamp release.
These products will be available on Monday, April 18th at noon Eastern/9am Pacific.
Many of you are familiar with
Laura as a member of our Creative Team and as the leader of our recent Stamp Your Story Live event. Laura has awesome ideas and a wonderfully creative spirit and we are really honored to bring her stamp ideas to life with this release. Our first collaboration with Laura was an overwhelming success and we are so excited to have her second release to share with you today.
Stamps ship free domestically + internationally. No promo code required, ends on Friday 4/22 at 11:59pm ET. Clear stamps only. Domestic + International! Please note: if items other than clear stamps are added to the cart, shipping will be calculated and added for those items.
Earlier this week Ali and Laura had a fun live conversation on our Instagram Account. The ladies shared a look at the new stamps, chatted about Laura's inspiration and creative process, picked their personal favorites, and more. Check it out below.
Here's a look at what's included with this release via images:
(Wooden Apha and Number Stamp Set with 36 individual 0.75" x 0.50" Stamps)
In addition to these new designs, we’ve restocked the following stamp sets:
6x8 Mental Health Matters6x8 Alpha Varieties6x8 Buildable Alpha6x8 Lined Alpha 4x6 Week In The Life™ Phrases 4x6 The Great Outdoors
Ali and Laura have teamed up for another incredible stamp collection. These stamps are vibrant, full of opportunity , and ship free all week long! We can’t wait to see how you use them to tell your stories!
Thank you so much and we hope you have a great weekend!
In Case You Missed It | April 15
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:
NEW STORY KIT THEME
On Wednesday we revealed our April Story Kit™ theme: WRITE. For many of us involved in memory keeping, the words are one of the most important pieces of the documenting process. This month we are coming together to tell stories about our writing lives including the words we favor, how and when and why we choose to write, and the opportunity to document why words are important to you. Take a look at Ali’s blog post, complete with video walkthrough and product photos here.LAURA WONSIK + ALI EDWARDS STAMP RELEASE | SET YOUR ALARMS
Set your alarms for Monday, April 18th at 12pm ET! Ali and Laura have teamed up for another incredible stamp collection. These stamps are vibrant, full of opportunity , and ship free all week long! We can’t wait to see how you use them to tell your stories! A preview post with all of the details is coming to the blog later today.ALI + LAURA LIVE CHAT
Earlier this week, Ali and Laura had a lively conversation about Monday’s release. During the conversation they shared a look at a “whole bunch” of the new stamps coming to the shop next Monday, April 18th at Noon EST. We love working with Laura and are excited to make these sets available to you next week! In addition to the new 4x6 and 6x8 stamp sets we will have restocks of some past favorites, a fun new wood mounted alpha, a stamp shammy from @lawnfawn, and a new “storyteller” sweatshirt. Find the conversation here.
ALI’S CRAFT THE STORY YOUTUBE SERIES
Ali is taking a quick break from her videos this week and will be back next Friday.
NEW CLASS: PLAYING WITH PAPER W/ PAM BALDWIN
Playing with Paper is all about playful, creative ways to get crafty with your memory keeping projects! In this class, we're going on a treasure hunt for fun ideas and inspiration that spark our curiosity. We'll turn that spark into a variety of fun projects that include stitching and sewing on paper, transparencies and vellum, envelopes and pockets, creative cut-outs, interactive flaps and pull-tabs, and going BIG! This class is for people of all skill levels. Our goal is simply to have fun telling our stories, and to make projects that bring you joy! I hope you'll come out and play! Learn more 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!
April 13, 2022
Write Story Kit + May 2022 Stories By The Month Kit
Today's the 13th of the month and that means a new
Story Kit, Story Stamp, and Stories By The Month kit.
This month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of
Write.
For many of us involved in memory keeping, the words are one of the most important pieces of the documenting process. This month we are coming together to tell stories about our writing lives including the words we favor, how and when and why we choose to write, and the opportunity to document why words are important to you.
Initial story ideas for this theme include:
Tell the story about your writing life. When do you write? Where do you write? Why do you write?
Make a list of current words you like and dislike along with a list of words that bring you comfort.
Think back to when you were a kid: did you like writing? How do you feel about writing now as an adult vs. when you were a kid?STORY KIT™
The
Story Kit™ includes:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
***Please note that I included an Add On which is incorrect: the set of wood veneer pieces is for an upcoming One Little Word® kit and not for this month.
The
Stamp Set:
Here's a video overview of the Story Stamp:
***Please note that I included an Add On which is incorrect: the set of wood veneer pieces is for an upcoming One Little Word® kit and not for this month.
We are also excited to announce that Laura Wonsik will be sharing a stamp idea in the Story Classroom each month using the stamp set. Here's a look at her project this month:
DIGITAL STORY KIT™ (Included with the STORY CLASS)
Your digital kit and the classroom and any Add-Ons purchased will be available to you on the 15th once your card has been charged for the month.
Here's a look at what's included in the Digital Story Kit™:
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.
Here are a couple peeks at pages from Ali that will be featured in the classroom this month:
Stories By The Month™ kits include 4x6 chipboard, 3x4 and 4x6 cards, a 3x4 stamp, a sticker sheet, and an embellishment (wood veneer, cork, fabric, etc).
Here is a full look at the kit:
This subscription is a great option for those who are looking to tell more calendar/everyday life sorts of stories.
And a video overview:
***Please note that I included an Add On which is incorrect: the set of wood veneer pieces is for an upcoming One Little Word® kit and not for this month.
This kit is offered for only $9.99 as an ongoing month-to-month commitment.
Our month-to-month subscription option allows you to cancel at any point prior to the 10th of the following month without penalty or a cancellation fee.
SUBSCRIBER BONUS: Stories By The Month™ physical kit, Story Kit™, Story Stamp™ and Story Class™ subscribers will be able to add the new Stories By The Month™ Digital Kit as an add on to their order for only $5 during the add on period each month.
Add On options are available to all Story Kit™, Story Stamp™, and Stories By The Month™ 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 15th 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.
April 10, 2022
Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 07 : Looking Back I See
Welcome to the final prompt in our 7-day Pieces Of The Past series. Today's prompt is "looking back I see."
I loved ending this series with the "looking back I see" - it felt like a really nice way to collect a bunch of thoughts/feelings that came up for me while working on this project this past week.
Here's a video of my process:
Here's a look at the finished prompt in my notebook:
For this last prompt I ended up cutting two pages in the notebook to create homes for my journaling between my full photo background pages. I cropped and printed my photo to 8.5 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall and cut it in half before adhering it to the notebook pages. I used the "looking back" messy circle stamp and Scattered Straw ink to create the pattern and added a chipboard from the upcoming May 2022 Stories By The Month kit on top.
The sticker tabs added along the top of my journaling pages are also from the upcoming May 2022 Stories By The Month kit.
I really loved this prompt invitation to collect thoughts + feelings from looking back this past week. Even if you didn't have photos to look back on you can collect words from the memories + thoughts + feelings that came to you while deciding on the stories to tell in this project.
Before printing my journaling I did a test print to make sure I would have enough space for the "looking back I see" stamp.
After responding to the "looking back I see" invitation I also added in a bit of thoughts related to this project generally. It felt like a nice way to sum up my experience with the project.
Thank you so much for following along this week whether your journaled, crafted, or simply reflected on the stories from your own past.
We'll be back later this year with a new prompt series for Pieces Of Play.
SUPPLIES
Pieces Of The Past Notebook
Pieces Of Life Notebook Bundle
Pieces Of The Past 4x6 Stamp Set
Pieces Of Me 4x6 Stamp Set
Notebook Covers
Corner Rounder
Secret Service Typewriter Font
Scattered Straw Ink
Barn Door Ink
Chipboard + Tab Stickers from May 2022 Stories By The Month Kit (coming soon)
