Ali Edwards's Blog, page 8
April 10, 2025
Pieces Of You | Starts Monday, April 14th
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 You.
Past Pieces Of Life themes:
Pieces Of Me Pieces Of Home Pieces Of The Past Pieces Of Play Pieces Of Joy Pieces Of Us
Each
Pieces Of Life project consists of seven storytelling prompts - one for each day over the course of the week. Ali has been using notebooks to document these stories but you can choose your own adventure and simply share these prompts on Instagram, in a traditional scrapbook, in pocket pages, or even in a personal journal.
For
Pieces Of You the prompts will be as follows:
Monday: You Are
Give some details about the person you are focusing on in this project. Who are they right now (or who were they)? This could be a list of basic facts such as age, etc.
Tuesday: You Love
What does this person love most? Make a list or focus on something specific. It might be about a "thing" they love (such as a physical object) or it might be a pet or a sport or an art or a style of music. What does this persona love that becomes a characteristic that defines them.
Wednesday: In Your Own Words
Do you have some words this person has said? Maybe it's something they've written or something they say all the time. It could be something they said out loud to you this morning or it could be a sentence they wrote on social media or something from an old scrapbook. Give them a voice in this project.
Thursday: Three Things I Love About You
List out three things you love about this particular person. What makes them special to you? This could be a list of facts or a list of feelings. Include a photo or photo collage to illustrate those things.
Friday: Most + Least Liked Foods
What does this person love to eat? What do they not like to eat? This is such a fun, everyday detail about people in our lives. If you don't know the specifics see if you can simply tell a story about a certain meal or a time you were together that includes food (look through your photos and you might come across a food photo that could be used for this prompt). Saturday: Your Dream
What is this person's dream (or what was it)? Was it achieved or are they on the road to achieving it? Is there something that was dreamed about but left behind for one reason or another?
Sunday: A Memory Of You
Do you have a favorite memory of this person? It might be a tiny little memory or it might be a much bigger story from both of your lives. Write the story here. What makes it a favorite?
As Ali states in the "thoughts on the prompts" section of the notebook:
We all have a story. This practice is a wonderful opportunity to focus on some pieces of joy in your life. Enjoy this chance to focus on some pieces of joy that tell a little more of your own personal story. You've got this! I'm excited for you. Have fun!
Check out both the physical and digital versions of this notebook and stamp set here.
Ali's also put together a printable PDF in case notebook documenting isn't the method you'd like to use for this project and you'd like to have a place to jot down notes or your story.
Download the Pieces Of You one-page PDF here.
PS: You might notice that the prompts are out of order in the notebook! You can choose to cover up the pages like I'm doing or simply add your story to the corresponding page in the notebook. Get your stories in there! We ordered the last two notebooks together. Going forward they will be correct!
New Releases | April 2025
Welcome to an overview post of our new subscription + shop releases!
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm about this new kit and schedule.
Details about this kit:
Four kits per year releasing in January, April, July, and October. When you sign up you are committing to the four kits (or however many are left in the year). Includes classroom + content from Ali and contributors that will be spread out over three months. Shipping is $1 domestic + $5 international (same as Story Kits). You can also shop the Add On subscriber section and add to your box during the Add On period for no additional shipping (on the 10th + 11th each month). Physical kit subscribers can add the digital kit for $14.99 during the Add On period. We are unable to offer a "skip" option with our quarterly kits
Here's a video overview of the new kit:
Here are some additional images of elements in the kit:
If you are looking for a digital only subscription that gives you access to digital Storyteller kit and the classroom content then the Storyteller Class is for you.
This is $24.99 and is a quarter to quarter commitment (
you don't have to commit to all four kits but if you want to cancel you need to reach out to our Customer Service Team).
Stamps Are Fun features a 6x8 Stamp Set designed by Ali and shipped to you each month.
This subscription does not include class content but will be supported through blog posts sharing ideas for using the stamp sets each month. Some months the stamp set may be aligned with the theme of the Storyteller Kit but mostly they will be a fun, random assortment of words and shapes. This monthly physical stamp subscription includes the digital version of the stamp.
Here's the pricing for this monthly subscription:
$20.99 - 12 month commitment $23.99 - 6 month commitment
$28.99 - month commitment
*Digital version of the stamp is included in subscription price.
Ali will be sharing process videos for these projects later this week on the blog.
Let's play together!
This subscription includes 4x6 and 3x4 cards in paper and vellum, chipboard, sticker sheet, and an embellishment. It also includes access to a classroom.
Here's an overview of the kit this month:
And a few additional kit images:
If digital is more for you in this season we've got you covered. This subscription includes the digital Stories By The Month kit and access to the SBTM classroom.
This kit is also available to physical Stories By The Month™ kit subscribers as an Add On.
ALSO NEW THIS MONTH | ALPHAS + NUMBERS ARE AWESOME
We've got a new Alphas Are Awesome (#25) and this year we are also offering a coordinating 4x6 Numbers Are Awesome set.
Physical kit subscribers can add these to their box for no additional shipping. They are available to Add On (for physical kit subscribers) and are also now available in the shop.
Ali will be sharing a process video and blog post for this project here on the blog tomorrow.
April 4, 2025
In Case You Missed It | April 4
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. Please note there will be no ICYMI next Friday (April 11th). We'll be back Friday the 18th. So, let's get to it:
STORY PLAY IS HERE
Shop our new Story Play collection now! This year's four themed kits can be purchased individually or in a bundle. Here are a list of the themes and the month's we will be inviting you to join us in documenting this year: Day In The Life™, Dogs + Cats, Watch + Listen, and Gratitude. Documenting dates will be shared soon!
Digital kits (including stamps) are available now. Once these kits sell out, they will not be restocked.
FINAL DAYS FOR MARCH KITS
Earlier this month we revealed our newest kit and stamps. For March we have the next installment of our Stamps Are Fun set, we also have a brand new Stories By The Month™ kit, a new Alphas Are Awesome set, as well as the next One Little Word® Mini Kit, and a new chapter of Pieces Of Life: Pieces Of You. Physical kit subscribers with a kit releasing this month can add items from this new Pieces of You collection to their box. It's also available in the shop for everyone. Head to the blog for Ali's post with all the details about this month’s release.
TENTATIVE 2025 PROJECT + PRODUCT SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE
Earlier this week on the blog Ali shared our 2025 project schedule. Recently we've been encountering some unexpected delays in manufacturing which is inviting us to be more fluid in our release/project scheduling (the reason why we've been holding off on sharing a more concrete schedule). Head there now for our rough schedule and a few general notes. We’re excited about the year ahead!
APRIL DIGITALS
The first Friday of every month we have a new digital release available in the shop. Play with scale, recolor objects, add journaling, print multiples…the sky is the limit when playing with digitals. 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!
A Look At The Start Of Ali's 10x8 Album For 2025
Just a quick little video today to share a look at how I'm documenting ongoing stories in 2025.
This year I'm using supplies from our new Quarterly Storyteller Kit (subscribers have been seeing this album come together in the classroom), Stories By The Month, and my stash (and lots of alpha stamping) and I'm totally loving this approach. Here's to finding what works for you in your own particular season of life.
I will still be embarking on our annual projects including Week In The Life™ (new collection coming later in April), December Daily®, Pieces Of Life, and using our Story Play kits.
SUPPLIES
10x8 Album
10x8 Page Protectors
Storyteller Kit
Stories By The Month Kit
Stamps Are Fun
Alphas Are Awesome Stamps
Clear Monthly Dividers
April 3, 2025
Facebook Live With Nolana | Storyteller Kit 01
Hi Everyone!
How are you today? I've fully enjoyed crafting Live over on the Craft the Story Facebook Group.
In this Live, I created two title pages for my 6x8 Project Life albums which documents October 2024. Here's the video of them coming together.
For the first title page, I used the Fun Vellum page (MY FAVOURITE!!) to create a vellum shaker window.
Then, because October is such a special month for us, as my son's birthday is at the very end of the month - FUN!!! -I thought it fitting to do a “title page to kick off the spreads which celebrate his 3rd birthday- this commenced with a Disney Cruise, followed by a week of celebrations. One of his favourite phases is, “This is So Fun!” - so this die cut piece was perfect for it!
I thought about numerous ways to create this page but in the end, I ended up using this 6x8 page protector - placing vellum on one side and sequins on the other. I loved using the die cuts to bring them all together
Here's how it looks in the album on top of my photos and some journaling.
I hope you've had the best time playing with the Fun Storyteller Kit. I've enjoyed seeing all that everyone's made during the last quarter and can't wait for the next kit
Cheerios
Nolana
March 31, 2025
Storyteller Kit 01 | Special Guest Jen Wong
Hi, friends! I’m happy to be back on the blog to share another project using the Fun Storyteller Kit! I’m still working on pages in the Hawaii TN I started a couple of months back using pieces from this kit, but I thought I’d make a different set of pages this time just to show how great the kit is for telling all kinds of stories.
My daughter and I recently went on a quick trip to Mammoth with my brother’s family and since I am not sure I will document it anywhere else, I wanted to at least tell a few fun stories from the trip in a 6” x 8” layout.
I started with the 6” x 8” paper with the numbered “The Story” titles on it. It’s a perfect starting point for telling a few stories! Instead of adding writing to the rectangles, I decided to print photos and put those on top. These photos are sized to slightly larger than the rectangles on the page at 1 1/2” H x 2 5/8" W.
I still wanted to include journaling about the photos though, so I decided to make some fun tags using the top portions of the 3” x 4” “This was fun” cards. I cut these into tag shapes and added my journaling on the back of the tags. This also gave me a chance to try out the new Borders 4x6 stamp, which I used to decorate the tags!
For the left side of the page, I constructed a page using a 3.5” x 8.25” photo (half of an outside-the-page-protector paper) and the same size piece of the rainbow “fun” vellum paper. These are stitched together using a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.
I added one of the pocket tags on top of the vellum paper to include some extra journaling about the overall trip.
You can see all the steps and how I put these pages together in the video below.
A couple of extra photos:
Let me know if you have any questions and I hope I inspired you in some way! You can find me on Instagram (@circleplusarrow).
March 28, 2025
In Case You Missed It | March 28
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:
STORY PLAY COMING ON TUESDAY
This year's collection includes four intentionally designed, universal themes and for each theme our team will be coming together to share a week of content/ideas/inspiration related to the particular theme. This collection will be available for purchase on Tuesday, March 25th at 9am PST and will ship in mid-April.
This year the themes include:
Day In The Life™, Dogs + Cats, Watching + Listening, and Gratitudes. You can purchase these kits and stamps individually or as bundles. Digital kits will be available the first Friday in April. A preview post will be available on the blog prior to the release.
MARCH REVEAL
Earlier this week we revealed our newest kit and stamps. For March we have the next installment of our Stamps Are Fun set, we also have a brand new Stories By The Month™ kit, a new Alphas Are Awesome set, as well as the next One Little Word® Mini Kit, and a new chapter of Pieces Of Life: Pieces Of You. Physical kit subscribers with a kit releasing this month can add items from this new Pieces of You collection to their box. It's also available in the shop for everyone. Head to the blog for Ali's post with all the details about this month’s release.
TENTATIVE 2025 PROJECT + PRODUCT SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE
Earlier this week on the blog Ali shared our 2025 project schedule. Recently we've been encountering some unexpected delays in manufacturing which is inviting us to be more fluid in our release/project scheduling (the reason why we've been holding off on sharing a more concrete schedule). Head there now for our rough schedule and a few general notes. We’re excited about the year ahead!
MARCH DIGITALS
The first Friday of every month we have a new digital release available in the shop. Play with scale, recolor objects, add journaling, print multiples…the sky is the limit when playing with digitals. 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!
March 26, 2025
Project Life® 2024 | Week 45
My 2024 Project Life documenting continues with Week 45!
This past weekend I got all the rest of my photos printed and into these 9x12 pockets. I'll be continuing to add my stories and other fun stuff and sharing the finished spreads over the next couple of months.
This spread has a couple inserts as it was a big week around here with my birthday and the state high school volleyball tournament for Anna.
Let's dive in to the video:
Here are some close up images:
I saved a few pieces from the Fan Story Kit (now available outside subscription) for this particular week. I trimmed photos to fit into the white spaces on the journal cards and then added my journaling using sticker.
The vellum exclamation point I used for the title card is from the November Stories By The Month 2024 kit (we've got a few of these available).
For my Birthday this year Aaron and the kids set up a little Christmas tree and wrote a bunch of message, quote, and coupon tags. It was such a fun gift idea! I took photos of each of the tags and cropped them to 2 inch x 2 inch to fit this page protector. I added the plastic numbers to designate my age.
Loved this sign that Katie's son Graham made for Anna's volleyball championship game. I just punched holes and added it straight into the album.
On top of my photos I also added gold rimmed label stickers. Always a fan of those!
9x12 Page Protectors
Fan Story Kit
Fun Storyteller Kit
November Stories By The Month
Home Story Stamp
Birthday Story Stamp
Gold Foil Label Stickers
2x2 Page Protector
Silhouette Sticker Paper
Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent Pen
Basics via Amazon Storefront
March 21, 2025
Story Play 2025 | Collection Preview + Shipping Details
Welcome to a preview post for our 2025 Story Play collection.
This collection will be available for purchase on Tuesday, March 25th at 9am PST and will ship in mid-April.
Use code STORYPLAY25 to receive FREE domestic shipping or $20 flat rate international shipping when you spend $75+ with items from the Story Play category. Make sure to check out the Story Play category for additional products.
Story Play is an opportunity to tell stories together outside of our monthly subscriptions. This year's collection includes four intentionally designed, universal themes and for each theme our team will be coming together to share a week of content/ideas/inspiration related to the particular theme. We will share a schedule of the content weeks after the collection has shipped.
This year the themes include:
Day In The Life™
Dogs + Cats
Watching + Listening
Gratitudes
You can purchase these kits and stamps individually or as bundles. Details below.
Digital kits will be available the first Friday in April.
Here's an overview of the collection:
Bundle: $54.99 (Includes all four kits)
Individual Kits: $14.99DAY IN THE LIFE™ KIT
A few in-use ideas:
A few in-use images:
Here are a couple of in-use examples:
Here are a couple in-use examples:
This image will be updated when the photography is complete.
3x4 STAMPS // AVAILABLE INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A BUNDLE
Bundle: $45.99 (includes 5, 3x4 stamp sets)
Individual 3x4 Stamps: $10.99
In Case You Missed It | March 28
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:
STORY PLAY IS HERE
Only a few days left to shop our new Story Play collection and take advantage of free domestic shipping and $20 flat rate international shipping. This year's four themed kits can be purchased individually or in a bundle. Here are a list of the themes and the month's we will be inviting you to join us in documenting this year: Day In The Life™, Dogs + Cats, Watch + Listen, and Gratitude. Documenting dates will be shared soon!
Digital kits (including stamps) will be available on the first Friday in April. Once these kits sell out, they will not be restocked. Terms: Shipping offer valid through 11:59pm ET on 3/31/25. Must enter promo code at checkout to receive special shipping offer. Cart must include a minimum subtotal of $75 from the Story Play Collection shop category to qualify. Offer subject to change. Can't be used with other promo codes. Free Domestic Economy Shipping on orders $75+ from the Story Play Collection. $20 Canadian and International Shipping on orders $75+ from the Story Play Collection.
MARCH REVEAL
Earlier this month we revealed our newest kit and stamps. For March we have the next installment of our Stamps Are Fun set, we also have a brand new Stories By The Month™ kit, a new Alphas Are Awesome set, as well as the next One Little Word® Mini Kit, and a new chapter of Pieces Of Life: Pieces Of You. Physical kit subscribers with a kit releasing this month can add items from this new Pieces of You collection to their box. It's also available in the shop for everyone. Head to the blog for Ali's post with all the details about this month’s release.
TENTATIVE 2025 PROJECT + PRODUCT SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE
Earlier this week on the blog Ali shared our 2025 project schedule. Recently we've been encountering some unexpected delays in manufacturing which is inviting us to be more fluid in our release/project scheduling (the reason why we've been holding off on sharing a more concrete schedule). Head there now for our rough schedule and a few general notes. We’re excited about the year ahead!
MARCH DIGITALS
The first Friday of every month we have a new digital release available in the shop. Play with scale, recolor objects, add journaling, print multiples…the sky is the limit when playing with digitals. 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!
