Week In The Life 2011 | Bringing It All Together (with Video Overview)
Hello completed Week In The Life album. I'm so happy to put you away on my shelf.
This year I decided to put together a short (13 min) video that walks you through all the pages of my 2011 album. I talk about some of the decisions I ended up making this year, general observations, etc. I'm hoping this will make it a bit more "real" for those of you that like to see a bit more beyond the photos and written words.
Week In The Life 2011 | Completed Album Overview from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.
Over the last few days I've been working on the 9-pocket divided page protectors that go between the spreads for each day of my week. That means I've been trimming photos, creating small cards, cutting up some pattern paper, etc.
I cut up the Hambly Little Circles Overlay and added the Ormolu 2-Day Hooray Days of the Week Button Embellishments. On the back I added small circle numbers from BananaFish Studio.
I also ended up adding in some cards using stamps from my different Technique Tuesday sets. If you've watched the video above already you probably heard me talking about those. You'll also see them in the photos below.
OVERALL OBSERVATIONS
- One of the things I kept asking myself as I was bringing all the components together is how can I simplify this process? What I realized is that I'd really done most of the work already - the words were documented, the photos were taken and printed - and I really just felt like leaving it at that. You might notice as you watch the video or view the photos below that I decided to just add the Daily Sheets right into the album. For me it was the decision that seemed to make the most sense. I simply added a few more page protectors to the album to accommodate those sheets.
- I'm pretty sure that next year this will be a completely digital project for me and will be printed in book format. It felt a little bit crazy to me to be cutting out all those smaller photos just to add them to the divided page protector. We'll see. Maybe I'll feel different next year. It's important to me to allow myself to evolve, to allow projects to evolve over time, etc. And like I've said all along, there's no right or wrong way to bring this all together.
- I collected way less stuff this year than I have in past years. I think that might have something to do with Project Life and how much I already add there each week.
- I'm glad I did it in the summer, but I think I like it better at other times of the year. Not sure why that is exactly - maybe it's because I long for a different pace in the summer and this just felt like a lot of work. Maybe a summer Week In The Life needs to be modified for the pace of the season...
- I'm still planning to put together a little video from the times I took it during the week. I'll post that when it's completed.
2011 COMPLETED ALBUM
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
SUPPLIES
- We Are Memory Keepers Vanilla 8.5x11 Album
- We Are Memory Keepers 8.5×11 Page Protectors
- We Are Memory Keepers 8.5x11 9-pocket page protectors
- Week In The Life 8.5x11 Layered Template Set Vol.3
- Week In The Life Journal Cards Vol. 2
- Cosmo Cricket | Odds & Ends Junk Drawer 12x12 Pattern Paper
- My Mind’s Eye Lime Twist Out Of The Blue Playful Number ( Two Peas )
- Hambly | Little Circles Overlay
- Hambly | Small Cameras Overlay (coming soon)
- Ormolu | 2-Day Hooray Days of the Week Button Embellishments
-
Epson Stylus Photo R2000 Printer and Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster - Love, Ali Stamps for Technique Tuesday ( Two Peas | Scrapbook.com )
- Dad Rocks Stamps for Technique Tuesday ( Two Peas | Scrapbook.com )
- Life In Pictures Stamps for Technique Tuesday ( Two Peas | Scrapbook.com )
- Ordinary Days for Technique Tuesday ( Two Peas | Scrapbook.com )
- Jenni Bowlin | Spice Tin Ink
-
Embracing The Everyday Brushes & Stamps (this package includes the Week In The Life logo) - BananaFish Studio | Circle Numbers
And here's a list of all the posts for 2011.
2011 PRE-PLANNING + BASICS
-
2011 Supplies And Design Plan - Thoughts On The Process & Daily Sheet PDF
- Ready Set Go and Big Picture Community Announcement
2011 DAILY PHOTOS AND WORDS
- Monday Words + Photos
- Tuesday Words + Photos
- Wednesday Words + Photos
- Thursday Words + Photos
- Friday Words + Photos
- Saturday Words + Photos
- Sunday Words + Photos
COMPLETED PAGES & HOW TO
- Week In The Life 2011 | Working With The Layered Template Album (Video Tutorial)
- Week In The Life 2011 | The Photos
- Week In The Life 2011 | Bringing It All Together (with Video Overview)
If you'd like to see links from past year's go here.
A really big thank you again for joining me on this journey. Whether this was your first year or fifth, I so appreciate your participation and interest in this project and I hope you enjoyed the process (or are enjoying the process as you continue bringing it all together).
Don't forget about the free Week In The Life Community at Big Picture Classes which will remain open indefinitely. I'll be checking in there on and off and am happy to answer questions over there or here on my blog. There's also a Flickr Group if you'd like to share your work there.
SHARE YOUR ALBUM
In addition you're invited to share a link to your completed album below. Please remember to link to a specific post on your blog (vs. a general link to your blog) that shares your completed project.
Awesome!! I love it! I started mine this past week. My son starts Kindergarten Monday so my week was his last week before school. I hope mine turns out half as good as yours!! Thanks!
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awesome, awesome, awesome! mine is gradually coming together - about ready to order pics thru scrapbookpictures.com !
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Hi Ali, your Week in the Life album looks great.
I have a question...I am planning to do my Week in the Life in a 12x12 album and add my daily notes in a 8.5x 11 page protector. Before I order some 8.5x11 protectors, could you tell me if they will fit in a 12x12 We R Memory Keepers album. Just wanted to check that the page protector holes are the same distance apart.
Thanks, Gen
I often mix album types and page protector types and manufacturers. I just take a small scissors and slit the punched hole vertically a little bit so it can slide easily over the binder rings. Hope this tip helps,
Debbie
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Ali - I just had a breakthrough listening to your video commentary about your WITL concept. I'm going to be honest....I have the Project Life kit and tried to work with it on a daily basis but I just found it too overwhelming for 365 days straight -- so I stopped. After watching your video, it just dawned on me to just focus on one week at a time....maybe seasonally....and use the PL kit as a collection of A Week in the Life projects!! 4 weeks out of the year is certainly doable as opposed to 52 weeks! And since the kit is so large I can fit several years worth of WITL projects in it! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Love your idea!
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Hi Ali,
I'm sure you've answered this question a thousand times:) in your blog but could you tell me what kind of pen and markers you use for your journaling cards?
Thanks!
Sompa
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First of all, it KILLS me that you're wearing long sleeves in August! I'm so jealous!
How interested is Chris in this project specifically and your scrapbooking in general?
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this is awesome.....I don't have my completed album uploaded to a blog but you can see the whole thing here :)
http://www.acherryontop.com/gallery_viewer/,14640854,cid,,9,,149374
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Love this! Is the "Week in the Life" "Edwards Family" a sticker that you placed on the photo or something you did in Photoshop? I can't seem to find this in your list. Sorry if I missed it somewhere.
That is part of the Week In The Life Layered Template Set No. 3 available at Designer Digitals. In Ali's list above (The fourth one down) with all the links. It's an awesome set of templates. Hope this helps!
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...please don't forget that it's not summer for everybody! it's winter down under :)
this was my first time participating and I questioned whether the particular week would work for me but I did it anyway and am so glad.
I do like that you pick a different week each year. I look forward to doing one in "my" summer.
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Ali, I loved seeing your finished album. I have learned so much by following along this year...about myself, my family and also about scrapbooking techniques, flow, etc. One funny thing I learned is that my younger son chooses whatever clothes are on top. I guess We do laundry often enough that he is often wearing the same thing in the pictures. I promise though, he does shower and change his clothes.
I also learned that next time, I will do more writing. I used the daily sheets more like notes for myself and now wishing I had fleshed them out a bit more.
Thanks for sharing yourself and the journey.
Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Leora
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Hi Ali, your work is just fabulous. I didn't do WITL this year as Project Life and a 5 week overseas trip album are taking up all my time (with 4 & 2 year old boys, lol, what time?!!), but I loved seeing all your posts about it and hope to do it next year.
I have a question about Chris as well - I noticed he isn't in too many photos, obviously because he's out of the house working all week. I am concerned that this is happening in my Project Life album - lots of pics of the boys but only sporadic ones of my husband. I'm worried the boys will think he was never around when they are older! I try to make the weekend photos more about him, whether on his own or with the boys, but it doesn't always work out, especially if we are visiting family, the pics are then of them.
Anyway sorry to ramble on a bit but I was wondering if this is something that concerns you and what you do about it? Thanks, and again, love your style!!
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Ali--
I admire your attitude on scrapping and love that you keep your focus where it belongs: getting things done and enjoying them, rather than letting yourself get mired in the details. That is an amazing gift, and I am inspired by your blog to do the same, though it is not an easy feat for me. I can easily see that I would be likely to want to keep all my albums "the same" over the years, so that they looked pretty on the shelf, but I would get bored with the same style. By freeing yourself from that, you free yourself to evolve and grow and continue to experiment. It's awesome! :)
Often, I have to fight my tendency to organize, because it can overcome my desire to create, and then things only get half-done. You manage to blend organizational skills with an acceptance that things don't have to be "perfect" to be "good enough." I want to be like that when I grow up!! ;) In reality, though, your posts have encouraged me to create projects I would never have considered...and I LOVE the results. Your posts have made my scrapping experience more fun for me and helped me to embrace the perfect imperfection of them. Thank you.
Rebecca,
I feel the SAME WAY. Thank you for putting it inot words!!
Thanks,
Tracey
Rebecca,
I really like your insight. This describes me very well :).
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Thank you for the inspiration and the guidance through this project. I'm almost done mine. As I've been working on it, I keep saying "wow, this is so much work" then my oldest child turned 12 this week and my youngest turned 4 last week. Last night I realized that yes, it's alot of work but wasn't it just yesterday I was holding a baby in my arms. I'll never have this time again and I want to remember what it was like to have a pre-teen and a pre-schooler at the same time. Thanks for the revelation.
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Ali, I love what you've done with WITL - it looks absolutely fantastic!!!
You've inspired me to try this myself, and I started last Monday. So far all is going well EXCEPT I have a question I'm hoping you can help me with about one of your products. I bought "The Story of Today 8.5x11 Overlays" and want to know whether I'm able to change the size of the journaling box, ie make it bigger with a smaller space for the photo at the top? Also, is there some way I can use just the outside border for my right-hand page? I want it like you did your 2008 album, but can't work it out myself ...
I'm using PSE and have looked at several of your digital scrapbooking posts, plus those on Designer Digitals, but still can't figure it out - and this is my first time trying any digi scrapping. Please help me!
Thanks so much, Kylie
Hi Kylie - this link should help you adjust those overlays: http://aliedwards.com/2008/10/week-in-the-life-album-creation-part-one.html
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Hey Ali! I absolutely love what you have done with your Week in the Life album! I haven't done it yet, but I am planning on doing it soon! I was going to do it this year with you, but I just got back from a mission trip to Africa and I was super jet lagged and so I was not organized at all for that week. I think I might start in a couple weeks once school gets started. I'm a college student and I just changed majors to nursing so I think it would be interesting in the future to look back and see what my life was like during my first month of nursing school.
I did have a few questions for you. 1) I'm just curious what the purpose of the black plastic thing in the WeR album you used. I have always wondered what this is for. 2) Do you think that the daily journaling sheets would work for travel as well? When traveling, I always have a problem with getting overwhelmed with keeping a journal. I was thinking that this might be a great way to capture what we did each day in addition to my feelings about the day. 3) How is Lily doing. I have been thinking about her and your family lately. I have a 15 year old dog who scared us like Lily did several times in the last 6 months. I know how you're feeling and I'm praying for you, your family, and Lily.
Thank you for answering my questions and for inspiring me to create!
Hi, I just wanted to respond to your question about the black thing in the front of the We R album. They come in a lot of regular binders as well and it helps keep papers down flat (and sometimes from tearing) when the binder gets really thick.I have put some of those in some of my thicker albums to keep the front pages from getting folded or messed up. Hope that helps.
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Thanks so much for this, Ali. Beautiful work, as always, and so inspiring! =)
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Ali, your practical approach, with just the right amount of creativity always brings me back to earth. I started this and had a stutter in the middle of the week where I felt overwhelmed, but kept plodding through. Now I'm thinking about a do-over, putting less pressure on myself (should have listened to you in the first place!!!). This did get me back into picture taking mode, as I'd slipped a bit in Project Life....at the very least I have a plethora of pictures I can use there - they can be sprinkled in around the last few months since they're just snapshots of our life right now. One way or the other, I'll still have a good story about a week in our life.
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Wow! That came out really nice and it looks so easy. Great job!
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Love this!
I have a question about the left side pages...the one with the large photo. Do you print that photo at home on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet or is there somewhere that will print this size for you? Or is the photo matted on white cardstock? I like the clean lines of the white border.
Hi Lana - I printed all my photos at home on photo paper. You can read more about that here: http://aliedwards.com/2011/08/week-in-the-life-2011-the-photos.html. Last year I had the photos printed and matted them on white cardstock.
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Hi, Ali!
Thanks so much for sharing your WITL album. I have a couple of questions about your completed album:
1. On your left-hand pages, with the large photos -- did you scan in your daily sheets & use those as a background? I can see the times to the left of the photo, just not sure what you did here.
2. On your right hand pages, where you put your pictures . . . I noticed you "journaled" on your photos, along with the time. Are these just from the daily sheets, as well, or just a description of the photo in your own words?
Thanks, again!!
Hi Kate - (1) Yes, I scanned them in and used them as the background. (2) The text on the photos are a combination of words from the Daily Sheets and just thoughts that came up when I looked at them.
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Thanks for sharing your album and the video about your thoughts and your process! I decided to use your templates from last year and had a great time putting the album together! Like you mentioned in the video, seeing the week play out definitely brought to mind things that I'd love to change or improve on in my life! Thanks again for allowing us to join you in this project!
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I have done the 'week in the life of' book for a few years now and am wanting to do it again this year... although I'm doing the daily Becky Higgin's too so I'm wanting to simplify the process... is there any way you could email me the daily sheets that you have used? I tried to look on your blog but I couldnt' find the actual downloadable documents that you used. Please help me :) By the way.. LOVE how your books always turn out! GREAT job!
Hi Desiree - click on this link http://aliedwards.com/2011/07/week-in-the-life-thoughts-on-the-process-daily-sheet-pdf.html and scroll to right above the comments. Click on the link that says "Download the Week In The Life Daily Sheets here (3.1 MB)." to begin the download.
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[...] all who are not familiar, Ali Edwards does this wonderful project once a year where she documents her everyday in detail for one week. Then, she makes a scrapbook [...]
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absolutely amazing and so inspiring. i will put less pressure on myself and just get it done in the next couple weeks. thanks for using the smile tag!
I'll be doing mine in a week or so, too. I've decided to use your Amy Tangerine line from American Crafts because I won it on the AC blog. Super excited about that! :)
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Thank you Ali for the inspiration to capture life. Just so wonderful to participate and have my week captured and pages done. Your pages are awesome and so life-ful! I am a digital scrapbooker and do miss the part about adding bits and pieces of notes, receipts, etc to my pages. I know we can scan them in, but would love to see how you might do it beautifully if you do it digitally next year. Thank you!!
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