Ali Edwards's Blog, page 69

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 06 : A Challenging Chapter

Welcome back to 
Pieces Of The Past - one chapter in our Pieces Of Life prompt collection. Today's prompt is "a challenging chapter." 

We all have challenging chapters in our lives which are one piece of our overall story. For this prompt I decided to write a little about my relationship with my Dad which has been a combination of good + challenging times. I decided to keep my writing private but I do read a few lines from my story in the video to demonstrate some of the language I include when writing about the past from the perspective of today. As you'll hear, incorporating the concept of "and" (more than one thing can be true at the same time - thank you Liz Lamoreux) into my writing helped me honor both the challenging and good parts of my relationship with my Dad. 

Please remember that writing about the challenging pieces of our lives is an individual choice each of us gets to make for ourselves. You never have to tell the whole story. Maybe today you choose to make a list of some of the challenging pieces or include a quote or simply a photo with a heart embellishment. There have been times when I wasn't ready to write more about my story with my Dad but this time I was ready. 

PS:
In the actual prompts in the notebook prompt 5 + 6 were switched. It's all part of the larger story. 

Here is the video to go along with this prompt: 

Here's a look at my spread in the notebook: 

To hide my writing I incorporated a folded piece of Hero Arts Wood Grain Vellum. I used a 1 inch circle punch to punch out a half circle (I like how that shows that there is something underneath) and on top of the vellum I added a large chipboard ampersand, two letter A chipboard stickers, and a clear "my story matters" sticker that's from a past One Little Word® kit. 

On the other page I used a 4x6 card as pattern paper from the Ampersand Story Kit. On top I added painted wood veneer piece that will be available next month as an add on to the Write Story Kit. 

Next up: Looking Back I See

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
Mini Chipboard Stars (included in Great Outdoors Collection Bundle)
Hero Arts Wood Grain Vellum
Ampersand Story Kit Journal Card
Wood Veneer Square (available to subscribers next month)
Black Chipboard Alpha Stickers 
1 Inch Circle Punch 

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 05 : Best Childhood Memory

Welcome back to Pieces Of The Past which is part of our Pieces Of Life series. Today's prompt is "best childhood memory."

One of the things I love about working in a notebook like this is that is can essentially be viewed as a grid to hold my content. There are a number of ways you can add in your photo(s), words, and any patterns or embellishments you'd like to add to support your story. In today's video I consider a few different options before landing on what you see below
. Again, no right or wrong! 

Here's the video to go along with this prompt: 

Here's a look at the finished spread in my notebook: 

After considering a variety of options to bring my content together for this spread I landed on a full page of journaling (I'm feeling so happy that I took the time to type this up today) + a custom pattern paper with a pleather circle on top + one photo of me at the pool I called home while growing up. 

Next up: A Challenging Chapter

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
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Scattered Straw
Corner Rounder
Secret Service Typewriter Font
6x8 Typewriter Alpha Stamp Set
Pleather Circle Sticker (similar)
Mini Chipboard Stars (included in Great Outdoors Collection Bundle)

Playing With Paper

Are you ready to have some fun?

We are so excited to tell you about our latest class offering, Playing With Paper, taught by Pam Baldwin. Many of you are probably familiar with Pam's creativity and playful, interactive style from her amazing projects that she has contributed to various classes over the years. In this workshop, Pam is going to lead you on a treasure hunt for fun ideas and inspiration that will spark your curiosity have you creating a variety of fun projects.

Here's Pam to tell you a little more about her class.

Registration for Playing with Paper is now open, and the topics of this class include stitching and sewing on paper, playing with transparencies and vellum, having fun with envelopes and pockets, creative cut-outs, techniques to expand your memory keeping canvas, and interactive flaps and pull tabs.

Each core lesson (6 in total) will include a printable handout, a video to introduce the topic + review skills/techniques, a collection of fun inspiration pieces, and process videos for each project (2-3 projects per lesson). This class is for people of all skill levels with the goal of simply having fun telling our stories and making projects that bring you joy! We hope you'll come out and play!

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 04 : Education

Welcome back to our
Pieces Of The Past project! Today's prompt is "education."

As I was thinking through how I'd like to approach this particular prompt I kept looking at a set of plastic negative frames I have on my desk that are currently available as an Add On for Story Kit + Stories By The Month subscribers. I ended up using two of those back to back and creating an insert to hold photos and details about my education experience. 

Here's a look at my process today: 

Here are some photos of my finished spread: 

First step today was to pick out a few photos. I chose to include a high school graduation photo along with five others at various points in my growing up years. I sized the smaller photos and the details of the schools to 2 inch x 2 inch squares that fit behind the negative frames. 

To attach the frames I cut + folded a piece of cardstock that both serves as a holding place for my photos + words (under the frame) and is used to attach the frame to my enlarged photo. Along the outside edge I used the Pieces Of The Past stamp set ("school memories) and slipped that inside an Avery Index Tab. 

I decided to follow a similar formula for tackling my journaling as I did for the play prompt a few days ago. I paired number stamps (in Scattered Straw ink) with the "remembering" stamp (Barn Door ink) and simply wrote out a few general education thoughts. 

Next prompt: Best Childhood Memory

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
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Scattered Straw
Tim Holtz Barn Door Distress Ink
Rolling Date Stamp
Corner Rounder
Secret Service Typewriter Font
Avery Index Tabs
Plastic Negative Frames (available to current Story Kit/Stories By The Month subscribers) 

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 03 : A Childhood Adventure

Today's prompt for Pieces Of The Past is A Childhood Adventure. 

The first thing that immediately comes to mind related to childhood adventures is spending time on local rivers in my Dad's drift boat. We also had many, many adventures where we all piled into the car (sometimes wanting to go and other times not wanting to go) and simply drove around. Most often we ended up "in the woods" or at a log yard where my Dad was checking out the inventory (he worked in the timber business). For today's prompt I simply took some of those memories and wrote up a short paragraph to add to my notebook along with an enlarged photo that spreads across both pages.  

Quick + wholehearted reminder that you can respond to these prompts with specific stories or they can simply be general reflections on the topic. 

Let's dive into the video: 

Here's a closer look at this project: 

I started this one off by printing a photo sized 8.5 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall (printing on an Epson XP15000 printer) with the intent that it would go across both pages in my notebook spread. I also used a similar technique to Monday - this time I cut the top portion of the prompt page off and removed it from the album which created a page that looks like an insert below. 

Along the top of the 1/2 page I added a half circle cut from a 3x4 journal card from the Whole Story Kit. I added a photo to the back (see below). In the video I also talk about how I'm taking photos of my original photos before printing them out for use in this album.

Below the prompt I used our 6x8 Typewriter Alpha Stamp Set and Tim's Scattered Straw Ink to create a custom text pattern using words from my journaling such as driving, floating, fishing, and listening. On top of the custom pattern I added a "remembering" stamp and "embracing all of me" (from the Pieces Of Me stamp set). 

I used adhesive and stapled the half circles to prompt portion of the page. I also added chipboard stars like I have on past days. 

I typed up my journaling for this story (size of the journaling space there was 4.25 x 4.25) and adhered it onto the prompt page. You can also see the second photo I printed (4 inches x 2 inches) and adhered to the back of the half-circle. I added the Freckled Fawn washi tape as another way to hold the photo in place. 

Tomorrow's prompt: Education

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 Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Scattered Straw Tim Holtz Barn Door Distress Ink Rolling Date Stamp Chipboard Stars Corner Rounder Black + Gold Washi Tape (Freckled Fawn from 2016) Half Circles from Whole Story Kit (the half circle I used was cut from a 3x4 card) Tiny Attacher Typewriter Alpha 6x8 Stamp Set Secret Service Typewriter Font

Awesome Mini-Album | Special Guest Morgan Beal

Hi friends! I’m here to show you a mini-album I created using the Awesome Story Kit. 

I have been carrying around a heavy heart these past few months for many reasons. And I needed an uplifting project that reminded me of all the awesomeness around me. It was a way for me to actively look for good and document it, however small. And y’all know how I loooove a good mini-album! 

Cue the Awesome album! It’s so bright and cheery and full of awesome goodness. 

Have you ever made a project and thought “Wow, that was cathartic”? Yeah, that was the Awesome album for me. I needed this project. 

(insert video walk through) 

Bio: 

My name is Morgan and I reside in Lincoln, Nebraska with my partner and son. I’m a documenter, change maker, advocate and eternal hopeaholic.  

Instagram: @morganbeal

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 02 : Most Loved Toy

Welcome back to our Pieces Of The Past series! 

Today's prompt: Most Loved Toy

This was so fun to think back about some of my favorite toys in my younger years. I picked five things to highlight but selecting just one and going deeper is another angle you can take depending on what story you want to tell within this project. 

I had one photo of myself with my favorite yellow bike (totally counting that as a toy) and I took a photo of the small yellow lion that I still have with me. The other three images were found online. I simply saved those to my desktop and then brought them together in Photoshop before printing. I used black puffy number stickers and the same number stamp font today along with the "growing up I loved" stamp from the Pieces Of The Past stamp set to create a home for my journaling. 

Here's a video about my process today: 

Here's a look at my notebook spread: 

Love how these notebooks can be a wonderfully simple home for our stories. Have fun with this one! 

Inks used here include Tim Holtz Scattered Straw + Tim Holtz Barn Door.

Next up: A Childhood Adventure

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 Numbers 6x8 Stamp Set Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Scattered Straw Tim Holtz Barn Door Distress Ink  Rolling Date Stamp Chipboard Stars Puffy Number Stickers Corner Rounder

Pieces Of The Past 2022 | Prompt 01 : Family Of Origin

Originally I was intending to share all my Pieces Of The Past stories at the end of the week but had some time + space today so I decided to get it all uploaded and into a post. 

One of the things I love about this project is it can be as crafty or as simple as you want it to be. Use these prompts simply as a jumping off point and go deeper or wider and/or whatever makes sense for you in your life right now. You might want to write a whole lot more or less. You might have photos or you might not have photos. You might just want to write and do nothing else. 

My hope is to simply spark some stories and encourage you to write them down. 

Something I mention in the video below is that when I'm diving into a project like this I have zero intention that this will be the be-all-end-all story of my family of origin (or whatever the prompt may be). I'm simply showing up today to tell one story - one story of many about my own family. I'm choosing this time to focus on a few facts but other stories I tell this week may be much more rooted in feelings. Let go of the feeling that the story you write today needs to be perfect or the best or the most comprehensive. 

As always, there isn't a right or a wrong way to approach these stories. 

Here's a look at my process in the notebook for this first prompt via video: 

Here's how I decided to approach today's prompt: 

As you'll see in the video I changed my mind a couple times during the process of telling this story. Initially I was planning to just handwrite some details below the photo but once I had that part done I didn't love the end result which invited me to consider another alternative. 

I ended up cutting the notebook page in half, right along the line at the bottom of the section that says "prompt: family of origin." By cutting that page in half I was able to create a 1/2 page that became home for more details about my family when it's opened up (and gave me a second chance on the design using the "we are" stamp). 

Pattern paper here is from the Circle Scrapbook Kit and I made my own pattern paper to cover up the bottom of the notebook page using white cardstock, Tim Holtz Scattered Shutters ink, and the "we are" stamp from the This Is Us 4x6 stamp set. The "every family has a story" half circle is from my stash and was originally an Add On to the Family Story Kit. Around the outside edge of the circle I stamped "pieces of my history" from the Pieces Of Me Stamp Set. On top of the photo of my family I added puffy number stickers and a small chipboard star above my head. I also stamped "looking back" from the Pieces Of The Past stamp set (digital version available) on white cardstock and hand cut it out. 

The top portion with the family photo was adhered to the next page in the notebook. I also added three small chipboard stars to tie it all together. I also added a small tab sticker along the top of the page that turns. 

For the inside I came over to my computer (after measuring that the space would be about 8.5 inches wide x almost 4 inches tall) and set up a grid to hold the content I wanted to include about my family. You can see what I included in each based on what I included in the section about me. I used the Numbers 6x8 Stamp Set (first available with December Daily® last year) to designate who was who (and yes I totally loved that the stamped font is the same as the puffy number stickers). 

I added the date of today next to the prompt title. Font used here is Secret Service Typewriter.

Next up: Most Loved Toy

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
Circle Scrapbook Kit
This Is Us 4x6 Stamp Set
Numbers 6x8 Stamp Set
Black Staz On Ink
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Scattered Straw
Family Story Kit Add On Plastic Half Circle
Rolling Date Stamp
Chipboard Stars
Puffy Number Stickers
Retro Numbers 6x8 Stamp Set
Secret Service Typewriter
Corner Rounder

Day In The Life™ | Special Guest Azzari Jarrett

Hi friends! I am Azzari and I am so excited to share my Day In The Life album with you. One of the things that I have learned since I started scrapbooking in 2013 is the fact that what seems "normal" today will not be that way for long. I look back at this project and sometimes it seems like I am capturing such mundane things throughout the day. Who would care about this stuff? It doesn't matter - I will. I enjoy this project for me and I know that in years to come, I know I will be so happy that I captured the little things. It is what truly makes up our lives. 

I’m really looking forward to using this album for all of my documenting days for 2022 - and I added a quick stamp of the year to the outside of my album. One of the things that I love about this 4x6 inch album size is how quickly layouts come together. You don't have to think too much about how to organize because it's such a small space, but enough room to capture the story of my day.

Gosh, I love the colors included in this album so much! I am normally a minimalist when it comes to scrapbooking and a black and white fanatic, but there is something about the colors in the kit that really stand out to me. I opened by adhering "Stories from Today" on the front cover and "Our Lives are made up of these moments". Sometimes you don't need to have a grand entrance, or spectacular beginning. You just need to begin with what you have.

On the back of the intro card, I attached a photo of the same dimension. I love to include photos in my album that actually live outside of page protectors. I chose a photo of our azaleas which are currently in bloom. They only bloom once a year, so these are really special to me.  I stamped the date on the journal card from the kit and included a selfie that I captured in the morning (dirty mirror and all!).

I used the same formula throughout the kit, which helped it come together pretty quickly. I used the "Story" journal cards to capture the time and chipboard stickers to lead my journaling for the day. I also used embellishments from the kit to make my photos stand out. Capturing the simple things from my day - my skincare products and current closet - may seem a bit boring, but I know in a few years, it will inevitably change. It's always a good idea to photograph "your stuff" - it tells a story too!

I had a total of 3 Zoom meetings that day. This is not normal for me, but part of my workday, so it was good to capture what life is like right now.

Grabbing a snack in between Zoom meetings and a 2nd cup of coffee. Don't forget to journal directly on your photos as well! The curve of a cup is always a great place. 

One last nugget that I did for Day In The Life this year that was new to me. I mostly used my iPhone for the day, and there is a "Live" setting. Instead of taking a photo, it captures a 3 second moving image. I brought all of those moments together for a quick video recap of my day. I've never done that before, but I love how the day comes to life in this format. 

I hope you were able to find a little joy + inspiration from my layouts. Thanks so much for checking out my album! 

If you are interested, you can find more of my work on my Instagram: @azzarijarrett

In Case You Missed It | April 1

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:

*Please note that we will not have an ICYMI post next week, but will be back on Friday, April 15th. 

WEEK IN THE LIFE™ 2022 

The all new Week In The Life™ products for 2022 are now available! We have two new albums, a new journal format, gorgeous main and mini kits, and a collection of coordinating Week in the Life™ products. This year Ali will be documenting her week beginning Monday, June 20th, 2022. We are planning a little farther out this year in the hope that members of our community who live internationally will be able to receive their supplies prior to the documenting week. We are planning a Week In The Life™ Prep Day for sometime in June prior to the documenting week. More details to come. Our digitals for Week In The Life™ will be available on Friday, May 6th. Place a Week In The Life™ order of $75+ and receive FREE domestic shipping** ($20 International flat rate) with code WITL2021SHIP.*Shipping offer valid through 11:59pm EST on 4/1/22. Must enter promo code at checkout to receive shipping offer. Cart must include a minimum subtotal of $75 from the Week in the Life™ shop category to qualify. Offer subject to change. Shop the collection here.

PIECES OF THE PAST | SET YOUR ALARMS

Quick reminder that you are invited to join Ali next week as she embarks on the next chapter in our Pieces Of Life project: Pieces Of The Past. Pieces Of Life is a project that consists of two different themes each year. Our first theme for 2022 is Pieces Of The Past and our second theme later this year will be Pieces Of Play. Past themes include Pieces Of Me and Pieces Of Home. Find all of the details on Ali’s blog post here.

ALI + KRISTIN LIVE CHAT

Earlier this week, Ali + Kristin chatted about using the “currently” story lens (this month’s Story Kit™ theme + one of Kristin’s favorite ways to approach documenting), why they both see storytelling as an act of self care, and other things that are sure to come up when two passionate long-term memory keepers get together. A recording of the conversation is archived and available on our Instagram account. This conversation is also available in the CURRENTLY Story Class.

DON’T FORGET! SUBSCRIBER DAY HAPPENS SATURDAY

As a way to say thank you + celebrate this awesome memory keeping community, we are putting together our first Subscriber Day. Any current subscribers (as of March 31) will have access to this fun online event. You have until March 31st at 11:59 ET to subscribe to one or more subscriptions to gain access to Subscriber Day. Stay tuned for more information about the event!  *All active subscribers will be added to the classroom on April 1st and the event will begin on April 2nd at 10am PST. This includes Story Kit™, Story Stamp™, Stories By The Month™, Digital Stories By The Month™, Story Class, Just Write, One Little Word® Mini Kit, and Quarterly Scrapbook subscribers. 

NEW CLASS: THE STORY OF SELF W/ LAURA WONSIK

Join Laura Wonsik on a journey of self-exploration to learn more about yourself and your true identity. The Story of the Self is created by a memory keeper for memory keepers with the knowledge that this particular creative outlet is rich with material for this inner work. This class includes lessons in mindfulness, values, self-care, and vulnerability, all of which will help you uncover deeper layers of your story and find your authentic storytelling voice. In this four-week workshop, Laura will guide you through a variety of frameworks to explore your identity from different angles, using different methods, all tied together with the goal of being curious wanderers in the terrain of our identity. The content is aimed at building awareness of your inner and outer worlds in a way that becomes a practice ground for building insight, flexibility, patience and change through the memory keeping process. 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!