Ali Edwards's Blog, page 9

In Case You Missed It | March 21

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!

Project Life® 2024 | Week 44

Back at my 2024 Project Life album this week with the last week in October and the start of November. 

Let's dive right in to the process video: 

Here are additional images: 

Something I've been loving recently is adding in screenshots (I'm adding some each month to my story album for 2025). As I was working on this spread I went back into my photos and saw that I had saved a screenshot of Simon's text message to me that went along with the sunset photo. It made me so happy to add that right on there. As my kids continue to get older it's important for me to find ways to include their voices and/or the places where our lives intersect. 

It's the beginning of November during this week so that means I'm including an insert for this spread. I've been doing that within each spread at the start of the month for 2024. 

Also loved using these die cut labels on my photos in this spread. 

Keeping things simple as I go back and get my stories told is feeling so good. Love just handwriting on the cards and labels to get my story into the spread. 

SUPPLIES

9x12 Page Protectors
Pack Of Labels
November 2024 Stories By The Month Kit (limited available)
October 2024 Stories By The Month Kit (October 2023 Available)
Burgundy Ribbon 
Tiny Attacher
Uniball Vision Elite Pen
Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent Fine
Basics via Amazon 

Storyteller Kit 01 | Special Guest Linda Jordan

Hi there! This is Linda and I’m super excited to be on the blog today to share with you my first project with the new Storyteller Kit. When I first saw this kit, I was immediately excited about all the stories I was planning to tell with it. But, the red and pink 12x12 paper was the first to jump out at me with an idea, I wanted to build a layout on top of it using the pink circles as homes for my content.

In the video below, check out how my project comes together. To learn more about this spread, I have more photos + info below the video.

I usually scrapbook smaller than 12x12, so my first step was to figure out how what size I wanted to create this spread. I chose 9x12, but you could definitely use this paper to create a similar spread in whatever size works for you. 

Then, I had to pick my story idea. Because it’s the new year, I am enjoying wrapping up my 2024 documenting, so I instantly thought of creating a recap of some of my favorite memories from the year. These memories have all be scrapbooked in more detail elsewhere, so this page was focused on just the highlights. 

Using the die-cut numbers from the kit as a jumping off point, I selected 10 memories from the year (omg it was hard to narrow it down to only 10!) and printed a 2x2 photo to represent each story. Then, I used my 2 inch circle punch to punch out my photos. The perfect 2 inch circles fit nicely in the wonky circles on the page. I paired each of these photos with a number to fill 10 of my circles.

Then, I punched two circles out of white cardstock to hold my journaling. I only needed to add a few words for each memory because these stories are documented elsewhere, this was just to collect the main idea for each one.  

After my photos + words, I still had some circles to fill. This was the fun part! I dug through the kit to select some embellishments, and picked a few of the die cut pieces to add to some of the circles. I had a few more spots to fill, so I decided to pull a few items from my stash. I used a large stamp to add two hearts on vellum + pulled some chipboard from older releases to stack on top of the die cuts for added dimension. 

Finally, I wanted to add a title. I used a number stamp set that was released last year to stamp “2024” on vellum and then cut out the numbers to add into the final pink circle. I layered one of the die cut pieces on top. 

I absolutely love how this spread came together! This will be the final page in my 9x12 stories album that held stories from 2021 - 2024. I’m super happy to have this recap of the year all on one page, and it was so much fun looking back through the photos + memories of the year to select 10 big moments to document. 

Here is a look at how the completed page came together.

You can see more about how I plan to use this kit, including how I planned out this spread, in my lesson coming to the storyteller kit classroom in February. If you want to see more from me, be sure to follow me on instagram + youtube where I will share more of how I use this kit in my projects. 

In Case You Missed It | March 14

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:

30% OFF SELECT EMBELLISHMENTS HAPPENING NOW

The little things make a big difference. Whether it's a pop of color, a textured detail, or a meaningful word sticker-embellishments bring our stories to life in ways that words alone cannot. For a limited time, take up to 30% off select embellishments and add those special finishing touches to your memory-keeping projects. Ends March 16th at 11:59 pm ET. Shop our embellishment sale now here. 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!

Storyteller Kit 01 | Special Guest Jill Drangsholt

Hi friends! Jill here. When I saw the papers in the Fun Storyteller Kit made from Ali's mixed media, I knew it would be perfect for telling the story of my most recent crafty retreat. Perhaps you also have a crafty retreat, get together, or crafting related story to tell? It could even be a story about your craft room or supplies! 

The numbered 6x8 paper was the perfect home for all of my stories from the weekend, and I paired that with one of my favorite photos (looking into the crafting space from outside) on the other side. One of the circle die cuts paired with some basic info typed on my typewriter made for the perfect title. 

I took a lot of photos of my friends and the gorgeous house so I decided to use the 12 paper with the multi-colored scalloped rectangles to hold my photos. But I didn't want one large block of photos, so I decided to cut it into 4 6x6 pieces to make a grid that paired the photos with squares of mixed media. I used an old Becky Higgins page protector for this but you can easily create this on a 12x12 canvas. 

I also cut up the 12x12 mixed media paper to fill the other alternating pockets. I love how the light peachy background gives the eyes a bit of rest from the multi colored rectangles and photos. I was excited to figure out that the mixed media paper also made a perfect home for some mixed media pie charts that we made during the retreat. I hated covering Ali's artwork but it was such a perfect fit that I went for it anyways. I made sure to include some of Ali's art on the back side though! 

One of the advantages of cutting my papers into grids was that I was able to rotate one of them so that I could fit in a few horizontal photos! 

I used a few of the pieces from the kit (the little labels and "evidence of something fun" strips) to create visual triangles on my pages. 

I love how this project turned out and how it fits into my Project Life album! Check out my video below for more on my design process. 

You can follow along with Jill's other crafting adventures on Instagram (@jill.drangsholt).

Stamps Are Fun 03 | Ali's Project 02

Sharing another project idea using our newest Stamps Are Fun 6x8 stamp set (03). 

Something I wanted to try with this stamp set was the idea of radial flowers coming together to create unique shapes. 

A little like snowflakes but made with flowers! I stamped these using StazOn ink on vellum for my project. 

Let's dive right in to the process video: 

And here's a look via still images: 

This project is a two-page, 11 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall project that will live in my 2025 story album. I will be creating on the back of the vellum within the album adding another story later this month. 

As you can see above, this project started with creating the background pattern on the vellum using outline flowers from this stamp set. On top of that custom background paper I added a series of circles and photos to tell my story. 

I used an older stamp set that has a bunch of outlined, half-filled shapes to start my circles. I used a 2.5 inch circle punch to punch those out before using the Birthday Story Stamp (we have some of these in stock) on top. I curved the "a birthday story" and "celebrating you" on my stamp block to fit this particular circle. Next I added the floral outline stamp before running my circles through my sewing machine with some dark pink thread. 

I punched a Storyteller pattern paper for the title and added some stickers from my stash for her age and initials. I then used a 3 inch circle punch to punch white cardstock circles as a base for my journaling and photos. Those circles get overlapped when I adhered the circles to my background pattern vellum. 

I love how that spread turned out! 

When I first started working on these Stamps Are Fun projects I did some warm-up stamping in a variety of colors. I ended up punching those out with a 1 inch circle punch and plan to add them to a project soon. Loved adding in a couple stamped on vellum too for a texture variation. 

Have fun playing with this set! 

SUPPLIES
Stamps Are Fun 03Storyteller Kit 01Vellum AED InksBirthday Story Stamp SetCircle Background Stamp Set (similar)Pink Puffy AlphaWhite Alpha Thickers2.5 Inch Circle Punch3 Inch Circle PunchWhite CardstockSewing Machine Rolling Date StampBasics via Amazon Storefront

Stamps Are Fun 03 | Ali's Project 01

This month's Stamps Are Fun set features a bunch of flowers with filled in versions and outlines. 

Stamps Are Fun is a monthly stamp subscription that features a 6x8 stamp set. Some months include words, some months are illustrations, and some are a mixture of both. 

One of the first things I knew I wanted to do was create some kind of frame using the flowers. I did some warm up stamping first and then stamped a border using a bunch of green inks from Tim Holtz around the outside of a pattern paper from last year's travel collection. Love stamping on top of these prompt papers to make them my own. 

Let's dive into the process video: 

Here's a look at the full spread: 

Get out some of those prompt papers in your stash and stamp on them! It's so fun to play like this! 

I cropped my photo into a circle in Photoshop before printing it here at home. Black + white worked so well with all the greens in the stamping. 

From my 3x8 paper stash I found a number list with the green stripe on the bottom and stitched that to my first page to document a few of the basics from this Saturday morning. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project idea using this stamp set. 

SUPPLIES

Stamps Are Fun Set 03
Travel Pattern Paper Pack (currently marked down)
Past 3x8 Prompt Paper
Pen
Peeled Paint Distress Oxide
Pine Needles Distress Oxide
Lucky Clover Distress Oxide
Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide
Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide
Forest Moss Distress Oxide
Twisted Citron Distress Oxide
Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide
Rolling Date Stamp
Sewing Machine
Basics via Amazon Storefront 

New Releases | March 2025

Welcome to a monthly overview post of our available subscriptions this month, including our brand new monthly 
Stamps Are Fun, the next One Little Word® Mini Kit, and a new chapter of Pieces Of Life: Pieces Of You. 

STAMPS ARE FUN | 03

Stamps Are Funand 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

SIGN UP HERE

*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. She also used the Birthday Story Stamp in this particular project.

STORIES BY THE MONTH 

Our 
Stories By The Month kit continues with the this selection of items: 

This subscription includes 4x6 and 3x4 cards in paper and vellum, chipboard, sticker sheet, and an embellishment. It also includes access to a classroom. 

SIGN UP HERE

Here's an overview of the kit this month: 

INSPIRATION BY THE MONTH (DIGITAL KIT + CLASS) 

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. 

SIGN UP HERE

This kit is also available to physical Stories By The Month™ kit subscribers as an Add On.

ADD ON 3x4 STAMP

We've been offering an 
add on 3x4 stamp option regularly but haven't always included it with these posts. Ali had a chance to play with the April set to create some custom 3x4 cards - she paired the stamp with a pattern paper from the Storyteller Kit and 3x2 images. She'll be adding her story and putting these into page protectors in her 2025 10x8 album. 

ALPHAS ARE AWESOME | #24

We've got a new 
Alphas Are Awesome (#24) 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. There are available to Add On (for physical kit subscribers) and are also now available in the shop.

SHOP 6x8 + SHOP 4x6

Here's a look at this stamp in action: 

QUARTERLY STORYTELLER CLASS (DIGITAL KIT + CLASS)

Our physical Storyteller Kit is at capacity and is currently waitlisted. 
Click here to join the waitlist. 

If you'd like to join us in the classroom for inspiration + ideas you can sign up here.
The Storyteller subscription includes the digital kit seen below. 

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). 

SIGN UP HERE

ONE LITTLE WORD® 2025 | MINI KIT 02

Our next One Little Word® Mini Kit is now available. Here's a video overview of the contents: 

Learn more about this quarterly subscription here. 

NEW CHAPTER IN PIECES OF LIFE: PIECES OF YOU  

We've got a new Pieces Of Life notebook available: Pieces Of You. 

Physical kit subscribers with a kit releasing this month can add items from this collection to their box. 
It's also available here for everyone. 

We've got a notebook, stamp set, and cute little  available with this release. 

More information about this release and when Ali will be documenting in April can be found here.

In Case You Missed It | March 07

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:

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!

PIECES OF YOU COMING MONDAY

The next chapter in our Pieces Of Life collection will be available on Monday, March 10th with our monthly kit releases. Physical kit subscribers will be able to add the notebook, stamp, and pin to their kit shipment. If you aren't a physical kit subscriber you can purchase these items from the shop. Ali will be documenting her Pieces Of You using a new notebook + seven categories/story sparks during the week of April 14th. Head to Ali's post now for photos and more. 

ALL NEW STAMPS AVAILABLE NOW

New in the shop are eight stamp sets, in both 6x8 and 3x4 sizes. Physical kit subscribers can add these to their box and have them ship with their kits. These are also now available in the shop (and ship free through February 17th). Ali's been working on projects that incorporate some of these stamps. She'll be sharing the process videos that go along with them later this week. Head to the blog now for more images and a few sample projects from Ali. As always, digital versions of all of these stamps will be available the first Friday of March. Shop stamps now. 

STORYTELLER KIT CLASSROOM UPDATES

Earlier this week our second round of inspiration went live in the Fun Storyteller Kit classroom. Have you checked it out yet? We have more incredible story planning from @lindalovescreating, and gorgeous hybrid inspiration from @denine2, a beautiful page idea from @nehlan.has.a.plan, and a stunning traveler’s notebook spread from @circleplusarrow. You don’t want to miss these projects! Stay tuned for our community sharing coming March 12th. We’ll have more details on how this will be structured later.

FEBRUARY REVEAL

Earlier this month we revealed our newest kit and stamps.  For February we have our 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 a handful of fantastic new stamps that subscribers can add to their box now! ⁠Head to Ali’s blog post for all the details about this month’s release.⁠

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!

Pieces Of You | Coming Monday, March 10th

Ready for the next chapter in the Pieces Of Life project? 

The next chapter in our Pieces Of Life collection will be available on Monday, March 10th with our monthly kit releases. Physical kit subscribers will be able to add the notebook, stamp, and pin to their kit shipment. If you aren't a physical kit subscriber you can purchase these items from the shop. 

Ali will be documenting her Pieces Of You using a new notebook + seven categories/story sparks during the week of April 14th. As always you are invited to join this documenting adventure or participate during a time that makes the most sense for your own like.

Here's a look at the prompts: 

Our Pieces Of Life projects come in a fun notebook with the prompts already outlined for you. 

Ali stores two chapters in one felt folio. Here's a video overview of the new notebook + a quick look at some of the past chapters!

This week Ali's been sharing a look back at her past notebooks on Instagram. You can see those videos here or you can check out the archives with all past posts from these projects (including images and process videos). 

Here's a list of the physical past chapters still available in the shop and a link to all the digital versions: 

Pieces Of Joy Notebook Pieces Of Joy StampPieces Of Us Notebook Felt Folio Digital versions of past notebooks + stamps