Week In The Life™ 2016 | Progress Update + Video Overview

Today I finished up getting all my photos into my Week In The Life™ album and I wanted to give you a video overview of my progress so far as I get closer to completing this project for 2016. Most of the products I'm using can be found in the Week In The Life™ kit.

As you might remember from my previous post, I started the process of bringing my words and photos together with the title and end pages for each day using the Week In The Life™ 6x8 Layered Templates Vol. 3 for the title pages: 

The end pages ended up all being full-page 6x8 photos with journaling + a white plastic letter (stapled in place) + word/phrase sticker + a gold chipboard embellishment: 

Next up I tackled my journaling. This year, rather than adding text to every single photo like I did last year, I decided to copy and paste all the text from my blog posts during the week and print them onto white cardstock pages (journaling on both the front + back). 

For Monday through Friday, where I had enough journaling for the front and part of the back of each day, I added one of the black chipboard letters to the top of the printed pieces. I created text boxes in Illustrator but you can do something similar in Word or Photoshop as well. Each journaling page measures 5 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall with a 1 inch margin along the edge for the holes (punched using a Crop-A-Dile). Along the edge of each journal block I attached an Avery Index Tab (more of these are coming to the shop soon) with stamped sentiments from my Days Of The Week Stamp Set inside: 

Here's a look at the backs of the journaling pages before adding any photos to the white space areas: 

For Saturday and Sunday I ended up adding my story to 4 inch x 6 inch white pieces of cardstock. I had less journaling and less photos for both these days so it made sense to fill the pockets with the story: 

Along the top of each journal card I stamped "The Story" from The Story Stamp Set with Black StazOn ink

As you'll see in the video below, my next steps are to add embellishments and some writing directly onto my photos to wrap up my album:  

In the video I mention using a 1.5 inch circle punch to punch circles to be placed behind the chipboard circle. I love how this keeps a small border of adhesive on the outside of the chipboard circle allowing it to be adhered inside the pocket. 

Hope that's helpful as you start/continue building your own album. Questions about how this is coming together? I'm happy to answer them for you below. 

Remember, it can be whatever you want/need it to be - more pages, less pages, more words, more embellishments, etc. Make it meaningful to you. I'll be back later this week to share my completed pages. 

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42 thoughts

  1. mtercha says…
    05/24/2016

    Looks so awesome. Thank you for taking the time to share as you do. Michelle t

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. irenespie says…
    05/24/2016

    Awesome.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. DameNellie says…
    05/24/2016

    Hey Ali - I did my WITL documenting back in Feb and you are inspiring me to finally do the album!! My question is Did you use the daily sheets and if so do you plan to put them in the album or not? Thanks Ali you rock!!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      I didn't this time but I have in the past. A couple ideas to add them in - slip them in behind the 6x8 first/last pages or simply punch holes and add them in OR put all of them in together as the last page in your album.

  4. vickypyc says…
    05/24/2016

    Gah! LOVE this post Ali - I was totally one of those people that waited to see what you did before I started to tackle my own WITL! Thanks for the inspiration - you never cease to amaze me. What size font is the text that you add directly onto your photos? And the story that you write up on your last page of each day is it also from your blog post or is it like extra details (not sure why the latter question is important, but I just wondered!) x

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      Hi! I'm using Garamond size 10 for the journaling this time. The story on the last page is simply extra details about that particular photo - not a wrap up of the day or anything like that. I just tried to add a little something extra.

  5. Divinemsq says…
    05/24/2016

    Just a heads up, Ali - you've got a rather amusing typo:

    "For Saturday and Sunday I ended up adding my story to 4 inch x 6 inch white pieces of carsick"

    I didn't know you could get automobile-induced vomit in 4x6!

    Sorry - I couldn't resist..... :)

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      Ha! Thanks for finding that - autocorrect is more a fan of that than cardstock (which it also wants to autocorrect to yardstick).

  6. justlisa says…
    05/24/2016

    I love how you did your journaling - such an awesome idea!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. cf7979 says…
    05/24/2016

    Hi Ali - love the smaller dividers. Trying to use my crop a dile for the first time. How did you punch the white cards that you've backed onto the dividers. I've tried with not much success. Thanks

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      I adhere them first and then use the holes on the chipboard pieces as the guides for the holes.

    2. TerryLothan says…
      08/11/2016

      I love your creative idea! That's just perfect way to do that.Pay for term paper to get to know more about creative methods of arranging things.

  8. Jeannew says…
    05/24/2016

    You are so good at this! (Guess that's why it's your job! ) Love the creative ideas. Now I need time to do mine... It's such fun to,put together and real life has been getting in the way!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Lize says…
    05/24/2016

    So love the way you're bringing it all together. You have captured a beautiful home and family life filled with light. Just one request: Would you please consider bringing the printed transparencies from the 2015 kit (the pre-order gift) to the shop.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      Those were my favorite too. We were unable to source those this time at a reasonable cost. If that ever changes you better believe I will be first in line!

  10. KProffitt says…
    05/24/2016

    Thanks so much for showing us your progress, Ali! I just love your album! LOVE what you did with the chipboard dividers! I have other things to do today, but I am going to have to bust out my album and work on it some - you always inspire me! Ha! ;) Thank you!! Have a great day! XO!

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Jadeconran says…
    05/24/2016

    LOVED IT thanks so much for sharing where you are at it is really great to see your progress so far !! : )

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. NEM1 says…
    05/24/2016

    Thank you for sharing your progress; your album looks wonderful! What did you use to cut the chipboard dividers? I'm not sure if my trimmer can handle chipboard, or cut it so cleanly!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. desertgirl says…
      05/28/2016

      I used an Exacto knife and a ruler.

    2. Fivepops says…
      06/01/2016

      I was wondering the same thing!! Thank you

  13. papergoddess says…
    05/24/2016

    Love how your album is turning out and like to see the differences from years past. I am finding I am enjoying the assembling, planning process more & more, I like trying to figure out how to get it all in there the way I want. Such a fun exercise.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. limecicle says…
    05/24/2016

    Your work is so inspiring! Love your products and style and some of your words have really resonated with me. Just, love, love, love it. Life has been super tough around here and my reason for all of this is just as you said in one of your videos, "seeing my life reflected back to me." I am well aware (too aware :) ) of all the hard things, but this has been a tool in reminding me of the truth, beauty, and goodness that is still present in my life. New to PL and WITL and I'm really enjoying it. Thank you!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      Awesome :). That is one of the main reasons I continue to do these kind of projects - there is always something to celebrate and this project helps me literally SEE those things in my life. Thanks for being a part of this community.

  15. larkindesign says…
    05/24/2016

    This looks awesome! I don't participate in WITL because at this time I feel like my PL is as much as I can handle - but I can totally see using some of these ideas for December Daily. Regardless, this looks great as always. Thanks so much for so much inspiration every single day!! :-)
    ~Theresa

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Wilna says…
    05/24/2016

    I love love love your creative process. :) I have a question: What font did you use for your journaling? I am not really a documenter-type-scrapbooker but I still adore your approach and projects.

    Reply 3 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      Garamond :).

    2. CassM says…
      05/25/2016

      I know you love Remington Noiseless, Ali ... are you using Garamond this year as it suits the larger This Was Monday title page fonts better?

    3. AliEdwards says…
      05/25/2016

      Just mixing it up :).

  17. Mori49 says…
    05/24/2016

    Looking terrific! Just a quick word to thank you for sharing your process so thoroughly. I follow it all closely and learn so much.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      You are welcome! Thanks for being part of this community.

  18. alitawings says…
    05/24/2016

    Ah! There's no 'life ephemera' in your album this year. I always look forward to what you gather and how you work it in as I often find it interesting to see that when looking back at my albums... Was it a conscious choice this year?

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/24/2016

      You know, I think because I include that kind of stuff regularly in Project Life® I'm less focused on it for this project as I have been in the past. I don't think it was really conscious or unconscious necessarily, just more of a focus on stories vs. collecting life ephemera. I like seeing it too and I think because I collect it and add it to PL it just wasn't as front and center.

  19. CaliVal says…
    05/25/2016

    Love your album! Thanks for the sharing, certainly helps those of us that are first-timers. I do have a question. Are the dividers part of the kit or a separate purchase? I have seen quite a few other posts with them, but did not receive any with my kit. If they are separate....think I need them ☺️

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/25/2016

      They were a part of the kit if you preordered the kit during the preorder period (when you could put things in your "box"). They are available here if you missed the preorder time: http://aliedwards.com/2016/05/week-in-the-life-2016-monday-in-album

    2. CaliVal says…
      05/26/2016

      Thanks Ali. I didn't make the pre-order. I will order them Thanks again for your reply!

  20. KrystleMeyer says…
    05/25/2016

    Ali what size of hole puncher do you use? Every time I look for the Crop-a-dile it looks like there's more than one type offered.... Thank you :)

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      05/25/2016

      This is the one I use: http://bit.ly/1Q8vtf6 (it includes two holes - one that's 3/16 and one that's 1/8 - I use the 3/16 side the most)

  21. dkemnitz12 says…
    05/29/2016

    Where do you get your 6x8 6 ring albums from? I've been looking everywhere but have been unsuccessful.

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. binesophie1608 says…
    05/30/2016

    Hi Ali! Thanks for sharing! Your work and how you put this all together is so much inspiring! I hope I soon find a "normal" week to make my project start.
    I like the way of your white cardstock journaling. Did you print two pages and glued them together, or did you make a duplex print (if yes, how did you do it with that size?), or did you print the text in boxes beside and folded the page? Thanks for your technical tips!!
    Sabine

    Reply 0 Replies
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    10/14/2016

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    10/14/2016

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