Ali Edwards's Blog, page 86
August 27, 2021
Summer Notebook Spread Featuring Stamped Pennant Flags + Hexagon Journaling Spots
In today's Craft The Story video (Episode 31) I’m sharing another story in my summer notebook this time including
stamped pennant flags and hexagon journaling spots.
Also, in case you missed it I posted a new Storytime video to YouTube earlier this week that responds to the question: how do we tell hard stories in our scrapbooks?
Let's dive in to a video of how today's spread came together:
Here's a closer look at this spread:
SUPPLIES
Art Of Noticing Notebook Laura Wonsik Flag Pennant Stamp Set Hexagon Scrapbook Kit 4x6 Number Stamp Set 4x6 Stamp Sleeve Honeyman Crafters Ink (Yellow) Tillamook Crafters Ink (Orange) St. Helens Crafters Ink Corner Rounder Corner Rounder Epson XP15000 Printer Scotch Rolling Adhesive Rolling Date Stamp Tiny Attacher StaplerLEARN MORE
Sign up for my newsletter and get our Storyology workshop for free. Curious about the monthly Story Class subscription? Try a Story Class for free via this link.
August 26, 2021
December Daily® 2021 | Schedule
It's that time of year around here where we get ready to share with you all the fun products we've created for
December Daily®.
As in the past years we will be offering an
Order Selection Period using a box-ordering system. Products will go live on September 9th, 2021 at 10am Eastern and you will be able to add products to your box until September 30th at 11:59pm Eastern. I'll be sharing a How It Works post on Friday, September 3rd that outlines this special shopping set up.
Make sure to follow the December Daily® instagram account for previews of this year's products.
We are so excited to embark on this project again with you this year and to offer products designed to support your December storytelling.
Here's a look at the schedule of events, releases, etc:
Thursday, September 2nd | Blog post with overview videos of all the Add On options this year to help you plan what you might need for telling your stories this year (basically everything except the kits and albums).
Friday September 3rd | How It Works blog post live. This will walk you through the shopping process - this will be very similar if not exactly the same as last year.
Tuesday September 7th | Blog post here that shows you the full contents of the kits and video walk-throughs before they go live on the 3rd. We will also post a shopping/price list with this post to help you with planning.
Thursday, September 9th | December Daily® Order Selection Period begins at 10am Eastern. Products are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited. The Order Selection Period will end on September 30th at 11:59 Eastern.
Thursday, September 9th| We have two classes to announce for this year: December Daily® Product Play: Back To Basics workshop (more details below) and Create With Canva by Kim Hurst (featuring this year's Digital December Daily® Main Kit digitals). Sign up during the Order Selection Period and get $3 off both classes. More details to come on these awesome new classes.
Thursday, September 30th | December Daily® Order Selection period ends at 11:59 Eastern and shipping will begin October 1st. Any remaining products will move into the shop and regular shipping rates will apply.Wednesday October 13th | December Daily® Digitals available. Tuesday October 19th | Create With Canva class begins (more details to come soon)
Tuesday, November 1st | December Daily® Product Play: Back To Basics class begins. This year we are offering a brand new take on Product Play with a 30 ideas for 30 days workshop featuring ideas using products from this year's collection. Ideas offered in this workshop will include completed stories, foundation pages, and other fun ways to use this year's products to get your stories told. More details to come soon
Saturday, November 6th | December Daily® Prep Day. Registration details to come.
Wednesday, December 1st | Start documenting your December.
I will be sharing my foundation pages sometime in late October/early November just like I have in past years and will be sharing my daily stories here in my blog throughout December.
As always, thank you for being a part of this awesome community of memory keepers!
AE Creative Team | August Stories By The Month™ Digital Kits
As summer starts winding down, we are delighted to share the awesome projects our Creative Team created using our
August Stories by the Month™ Digital Kits!
As always, we are so grateful to our Creative Team for sharing their stories and creative inspiration with all of us!
August 23, 2021
New Stamps Collaboration With Laura Wonsik Now Available
Today we are super excited to announce the launch of a brand new stamp collaboration with
Laura Wonsik.
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.
Here's a video overview from Ali of the new stamp sets:
Here's a look at what's included with this release via images:
This super cool set includes shapes that come together to create letters of the alphabet:
HOW TO USE THE FUNKY ALPHA
NEW STAMP BLOCK: 1.5 INCHES x 8.6 INCHES
Thank you so much and we hope you have a great week!
August 20, 2021
In Case You Missed It | August 20
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 QUARTERLY KIT REVEAL
On August 16th, we released the new Quarterly Scrapbook Kit theme, HEXAGONS. Find more info and a video here.
ALI EDWARDS + LAURA WONSIK STAMP RELEASE
You haven’t missed it….yet! The new release of seven amazing stamps is happening on Monday, the 23rd at 10am ET. There will be a detailed blog post with all the information, shipping info, digital info, etc, coming Monday. Also, Laura and Lisa will be hopping on the Ali Edwards Instagram account to chat live about the release at 11am ET. That conversation will be recorded for those of you who are not able to join us live.
DECEMBER DAILY
We are officially active over on the December Daily Instagram account! We’ve started sharing sneaks, updates, and introducing you to our new Creative Team members. Also, sign up for the Ali Edwards Design Inc newsletter for the most up to date info on the release and more. Find the signup form in the footer of our website. We’ll be sharing more information about the release very soon! As always, thank you for your excitement around this project!
CREATIVE TEAM INSPIRATION
Our Creative Team is sharing their projects using the September Stories by the Month™ Kits over on the blog. You don’t want to miss their gorgeous projects!
CLASSES
The Magic of Moments // Our third week of content went live in the classroom and we are loving your response! The Magic of Moments is a photography class built around this simple idea: you have the most intimate access to your life and the people in it, take the pictures no one else can. Throughout the course of the workshop, Lisa will guide you through the process of finding your authentic voice, mastering your unique style, and capturing the magic in the everyday moments that make up your life. This class takes you on the journey from simply taking photos, to making them. In addition to Lisa’s content, this class will feature bonus conversations with talented photographers from our community, exercises, challenges, an amazing digital kit, and a bonus December Daily-themed photography lesson releasing later in the fall…all for $20. Head to the site for all of the details and to register.
CRAFT THE STORY VIDEO
Ali is taking a week off and will be back next week with a new video.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!
August 17, 2021
2021 Travel Collection | Special Guest Jennie Rey
Hi! Jennie here! Feeling so inspired by the Travel Start to Finish 2 class and all of the awesome travel products I decided to make a travel album about 3 trips we took to the same place in France during the pandemic.
In May of last year, we had planned a trip to Oregon so I could attend Story Camp followed by a road trip through Oregon but of course, all plans were canceled due to the pandemic. I felt sorry for myself for a little bit (I know… first world problems ;-)) and then we started looking for things that were possible at the time. We were lucky: in June it became possible to visit France again and so we booked a stay in a cute house in a very small village just over the border in France. It was perfect. It was close to home, it felt safe, there was a lot to do and see in a safe way and… we were out of the house!! Because we loved it so much we booked another week for the end of September (again we were very lucky: a few weeks later everything closed down again). And who could have known that in 2021 we would be in the same situation!? We booked another two weeks at the same place and made the best of it!
For the start of my album I enlarged the watercolor globe from one of the cards from the digital main kit in Photoshop and cut it in half. I added a star from the chipboard bundle to point out where we were and stamped the name of the village using alpha stamps and added it to one of the plastic circles from the main kit. On the backside I added my journaling about why we ended up going to this place three times and I added a cut-down 2x2’s page protector with the story of the outward journey and a big photo of the road sign entering the village.
That became my ‘design formula’ for this album. The base of my album would exist of big photos of the size of the outside of the page protectors glued back-to-back and in between I would add a cut down 2x2’s page protector with some extra photos and my journaling.
Normally when making a travel album I approach it per day. So for each day I would write down my journaling, choose my photos and use my ‘design formula’ to document each day somewhat the same (in hindsight: I still think that approach works best for me ;-)). But for this album, with 3 separate trips, I decided to not document the trips per day (because there were days we did absolutely nothing but hanging in front of the fireplace with a book!) but per site/place we visited.
I made an itinerary page of sorts using a screenshot of Google Maps divided into two pages (they do overlap a bit to have room for the holes) and marked all the places we went to using the cork geotags from the main kit with a stamped star behind it. I also printed little photos of all those places (1x1 inch squares and 1 inch circles and 1,5 inch half circles to put on the plastic circles) and connected those to the geotags using thread.
Inspired by Kim Chaffin’s use of the lined alpha stamp (in the Travel Start to Finish 2 Class) I decided to stamp a title for each page in the colors of the kit with Ali’s inks: Pendleton, Willamette, Columbia, Tillamook and Otter Rock.
We stayed in this beautiful farmhouse that exists of 4 smaller houses and we stayed in 2 of them, both a bit different but so nice and cozy. To document the inside and outside of both houses I used a double-page photo of the outside and made a pull-out for each house with some journaling and photos of the inside.
To number my pages I cut a half circle out of two photos and added a piece of transparency in between. On top of the transparency I added a geotag and a stamped number that corresponds with the numbers on my itinerary page.
Next I typed out all of my journaling, making sure it would fit on 1, 2, 3 or 4 2x2 squares. With my journaling ready I knew how many spots I would have for photos and so I selected 2 big photos or 1 double-page photo per place we visited and a number of 2x2 photos. I also printed a few pages with 2x2 squares with patterns from the digital travel notebook (and I recolored the pattern in Photoshop to yellow/orange to have 4 different colors of patterns).
With everything all printed and ready I could start with bringing it all together! I first cut all of my photos, cut out the half circles, put the transparencies in between the pages and added the numbers.
Between the 2 big photos per place we visited I added a cut-down 2x2’s page protector, 1 or 2 columns depending on the amount of journaling and photos I had. Above all of my journaling I added a strip of patterned paper (from the digital notebook), rounded 2 corners and added one of the chipboard plus signs.
I cut out the speech bubbles with the –ING words from the journal cards from the main kit and used those as a tab on the 2x2-pages. On the backside of the speech bubbles I repeat-stamped the dates.
If I didn’t have enough photos to fill all of the pockets I added 2x2 squares with patterned paper with an embellishment on the outside of the page protector (the fabric circles are from the 2020 travel collection).
I chose to use minimal embellishing. With the big photos it felt like it was busy enough and also the places we visited, the memorial sites, the historically important places and the stories that went along with it deserved all of the focus.
In between the double-page photos I didn’t want to include an insert with 2x2’s because I wanted to be able to see the whole photo so I decided to make a flip-out instead. For this, I have cut one part of the photo in two pieces, attached my journaling to another photo of the same size of this cut-off piece using washi tape and glued that on the backside of the previous page. On top of this flip-out I added the cut-off piece of the big photo. Next to my journaling I stamped a border using the travel phrases stamp set (https://aliedwards.com/shop/travel-co...). I added one of the chipboard tabs (backed with cardstock) to emphasize the flip-out.
On a few places I added a cut down journal card or a quote from the digital notebook on the outside of the insert/page protector.
Because I didn’t want to waste too much of the 2x2 page protectors I reused the 2 cut-off columns to make another page protector by cutting down the middle column to 0,5 inch and add holes. The page protector on the photo below is made that way, if you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t notice the difference!
The rest of the album follows the same formula: an insert for the 2 big photos or a flip-out for the double-page photos. I made sure I varied with the placement of the tabs and the chipboard plus signs, so I wouldn’t have one spot in the album that was very thick!
For one site we visited I added another insert: a photo on vellum of how it once was on that specific spot. In these few weeks we have learned so much about the First World War and we have heard and read so many heartbreaking stories. I feel like this old photo of a church represents the overall feeling we had when visiting these places: the importance of remembering what happened and what should have still been there.
There were a few double-page photos that didn’t need an insert, so I added a bit of journaling and one of the speech bubbles directly to the photos. I did print a few extras using the digital kit and I also made the ‘loving’ and ‘wishing’ one myself using the digital cards/stamps.
I didn’t collect a lot of ephemera during these trips but I did have a few tickets, cards, a map and I had a few photos I ended up not using. To store those I used the envelope the travel kit came in and cut out the side with the flap attached to it. I printed the ‘collected on this adventure’ text from one of the journal cards onto vellum and stitched those pieces together using my sewing machine. I attached the other piece of the closure(?) on the vellum using a hot glue gun.
I ended my album as I started it: with a road sign! This time the road sign we passed leaving the village!
Thank you so much for taking a look at my album! A little flip through can be found on my IG: @thereypie.
AE Creative Team | September 2021 Stories by the Month™ Physical Kit
Stories of change and new routines. Stories of embracing this season. Stories of life right now. Today we are delighted to share the special projects made by our awesome Creative Team using the September 2021 Stories by the Month™ Physical Kit.
As always, we are so grateful to our Creative Team for sharing their stories and creative inspiration with all of us!
August 16, 2021
Quarterly Scrapbook Kit: Hexagons Now Available
Heads up that our third
Quarterly Scrapbook Kit (Hexagons) is now available.
If you previously purchased the
Heart Scrapbook Kit (when it was originally listed via the subscription) or the Circles Scrapbook Kit this will be auto-shipped to you.
One big change we made to the Scrapbook Kit is that the pattern papers are now single sided! No more having to choose which pattern you want to use.
Here are reminders about how this Quarterly Kit works:
The kit will be available for $34.99 and that includes both the physical kit and the digital files . The digital files will also be available separately with next month's regularly scheduled digital release.
Shipping will be free domestically and $4 for international addresses.
This first kit will ship separate from other subscriptions, but the remaining kits will ship with your existing subscriptions.
This is an auto-ship subscription which means that when you sign up for this first kit you are signing up for the other three as well (this is the same set up we use for the One Little Word® Mini Kits ). Subscriptions will remain available while supplies last. If you miss this first subscription you will be able to start with the second one when it releases if they are available. If we have extra inventory of this first kit when the second kit becomes available the first kit will move to the shop and regular shipping rates will apply.
We do have a few of the
Heart Scrapbook Kits remaining (the first kit in this Quarterly Subscription). The Circle Kit sold out.
Next up is a kit focused on Stars.
Let's dive in to the video overview:
Here's a look at the contents of the Hexagon Kit:
The Hexagon Kit includes six 12x12 pattern papers, eight 6x8 pattern papers (sized to the page protectors), 6 plastic hexagons, six fabric hexagons, a 4x6 sheet of patterned chipboard hexagons, and a super fun set of nested painted wood veneer hexagons.
Here's a look a closer look at the patterns on the 6x8 pattern papers:
And the 12x12 papers:
Here's a look at the components included with the Circles Scrapbook Kit:
And in case you missed it before here's a look at the contents of the
Heart Scrapbook Kit (the Circle Kit has sold out):
Here's to having fun getting more stories told!
August 13, 2021
In Case You Missed It | August 13
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
Today we revealed our August Story Kit™ theme: TEACH. We’re so excited to share this one with you. Take a look at Ali’s blog post, complete with video walkthrough and product photos here.
STORY CHAT
Last night, we hosted our monthly Story Chat over on our Ali Edwards Design Inc Instagram account. Guest host @kashakgage lead the discussion with community member and new @decemberdaily Creative Team member @poshplans, and our amazing @aliedwardsdesigninc Creative Team members @Jenny_theriault and @elizabethheinz. A recording of the conversation is available on our Instagram TV channel and will also be available in our Story Class. Find a recording here.
DECEMBER DAILY
Last week we announced our new 2021 AE December Daily® Creative Team. And this week we started to share a few sneaks as our 2021 collection makes it’s way into our hands. We’ll keep you posted on release dates and all of the info as soon as we have it, but be sure to follow our December Daily instagram account (@decemberdaily) for sneaks, behind the scenes, and more. Also, please consider joining the amazing group of like-minded memory keepers over in our December Daily Facebook group for tons of incredible inspiration.
CRAFT THE STORY YOUTUBE SERIES
In today's Craft The Story video (Episode 30) Ali is sharing another story in her summer notebook this time including tag inserts to hold my words. Watch the video here.
CREATIVE TEAM INSPIRATION
Our Creative Team is sharing their projects using the Ampersand Story Kits™ over on the blog. You don’t want to miss their gorgeous projects!
CLASSES
The Magic of Moments // Our second week of content went live in the classroom and we are loving your response! The Magic of Moments is a photography class built around this simple idea: you have the most intimate access to your life and the people in it, take the pictures no one else can. Throughout the course of the workshop, Lisa will guide you through the process of finding your authentic voice, mastering your unique style, and capturing the magic in the everyday moments that make up your life. This class takes you on the journey from simply taking photos, to making them. In addition to Lisa’s content, this class will feature bonus conversations with talented photographers from our community, exercises, challenges, an amazing digital kit, and a bonus December Daily-themed photography lesson releasing later in the fall…all for $20. Head to the site for all of the details and to register.
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!
Teach Story Kit + September Stories By The Month Kit
This month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of Teach.
We all teach in one way or another. Some teach in actual classrooms and others teach through words and actions in everyday life. This month we are telling stories about teaching, being taught, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
Initial story ideas for this theme include:
What are you currently teaching + what are you currently learning?
Make a list of the teachers who have had the most impact on your life.
Every expert was once a beginner. Tell a story about being a beginner (either as a teacher or the one learning).
The
Story Kit™ includes:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
STORY STAMP™
The Stamp Set:
Here's a video overview of the Story Stamp:
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™:
And a couple peeks at the layouts I created with the kits this month (
full details, including process videos and how-to handout, are included with subscription):
This month Linda is joining me in the classroom with a pocket page spread.
Again, thanks so much for subscribing and/or considering my
Story Subscription program! If you have any questions about this program please let me know below in the comments.
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:
And a video overview:
This subscription is a great option for those who are looking to tell more calendar/everyday life sorts of stories.
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.
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.
