The Working Life | In Progress
Happy June! JUNE.
Today I wanted to give you some updates of what we've got going on in and around the office. As you might have noticed it's been quieter here on the blog recently. I've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes that doesn't always show up here on the blog until it's in it's finished form and I've been working hard to establish more consistent work/life boundaries. Story Subscription monthly content (a couple layouts per month + videos + handouts), Type workshop content (a couple layouts a week + videos + handouts - this workshop will run again next year for any of you who missed it this time around), new product design (for general upcoming releases as well as December Daily®, Week In The Life™, etc), and One Little Word® monthly content are all among the things happening around here at any given time. It's a full plate of memory keeping goodness.
Here's a few other things from around the office:
Loving Elise's new Get To Work Book | Planners are all the rage - but this one is different. It's not really a planner in the traditional sense of a place to write down your dentist appointment on Tuesday or your dinner date on Friday - it's a more project-based approach which is perfect for tracking my working life. Rather than times of the day there are simply columns for each day of the week - that works the best for me as I use iCal for my regular calendar of kids stuff and appointments. For me those columns will be home to the tasks that need to be completed each day and there's plenty of room for holding ideas and such as they come up through the month. I love the idea that it will work as a central home for all my work-related notes, tasks, etc. I'll keep you posted on the reality of how it works once I begin using it regularly in July (it's a July through June calendar - she will also be releasing a January - December calendar later this year for those of you who prefer a calendar year set-up). Click on over to her site to see all about the insides and her intentions/reasons why for creating this work book. And a disclaimer for anyone wondering - I purchased this on my own and am genuinely excited to share it with you.
Listening | To Top-40 (all Katie's fault) and The Grand Budapest Hotel Soundtrack which is awesome mainly instrumental background music great for working and writing.
Speaking of Katie | Congratulations are in order because she is expecting her first child in the Fall. Recently people have been asking if she still works for me since you might not see her as publicly as in the past - she sure does. She's instrumental in helping me get the things done I need to get done by keeping track of all the projects and deadlines we have happening behind the scenes. We're experimenting with some flexible working situations for when she has her baby later this year. We're also working on getting back into something similar to the Block Schedule that we had previously implemented before some of my big business transitions to the new site and new design/content creation responsibilities. All those changes (many you didn't really see here on the surface necessarily) have resulted in some major schedule change-ups from the way we were working previously. In the past many of the things we did were weekly whereas now many of our deadlines are monthly - it's been quite a shift but one I welcomed in terms of shaking things up.
Preparing to shift to a summer schedule | My kids have one and two weeks of school left respectively, which means a transition to a different set-up for all of us for the summer months. They each have a couple camps lined up plus the usual family camping adventures. I never really know exactly how the summer will play out. I'm hoping to do another summer manifesto just to keep my eye on what's most important over the next few months. Summers usually either end up being awesome or challenging from a childcare standpoint - my kids are getting older which I want to think gives us all more flexibility, but sometimes I over-estimate those things and end up going a little crazy on those summer days when I need to work and they are bored. I have no problem with them learning to be bored but I also want them to have "fun" - most likely this means an menu of choices for them during the days when they are here so they don't end up on the couch in front of the TV for most of the day - Simon would love that and Anna would like it for about 30 minutes.
Working on Day In The Life™ | I've got all my photos printed (going with a 4x6 format this time) and I cut out a bunch of words with the Silhouette and now I just need to get my words added in before finishing it up. Hoping to share my completed project next week.
Differentiating | We're getting the @aliedwardsdesign instagram account up and running and working on differentiating it from my personal @aliedwards account. We just started a new campaign called #WITLmemories (for Week In The Life™ memories) and have invited several guests to share images and thoughts and reflections from their past Week In The Life™ projects. We'd love to invite you to share some of your past albums and why they are important to you as well. Use the hashtag #WITLmemories and we may share some of those over there or here in the coming months leading up to Week In The Life™ in mid-to-late August. 2015 kits are available for pre-order here.
Thinking about, but not totally acting on, Project Life® | It's here in my office on my shelf and it's collecting bits of life and photos but I haven't completed a spread in quite awhile. Right now I'm totally okay with it and I know I'll make time for it soon - my main focus has been on making more traditional layouts for the Type workshop and Story Subscription. It's all a balancing act as you guys know. I'm still going with the weekly format and have been sticking things in here and there as time slips by. I'm hoping that getting back to a Block Schedule will also help make time for this specifically - right now PL gets done in my free time and to be honest I don't always want to do memory keeping in my free time since it's all part of what I do in my working hours as well.
Shipping Kits | Katie is packing up kits to ship to She Scrapbooks in Florida for my last in-person event of the year. We've added another Day In The Life™ workshop on Friday, June 26th from 1-4pm and we'd love to see you there. Click here for more information: http://bit.ly/1HHoUY3 and to sign up for the class, contact She Scrapbooks via phone at 352-259-6226. After we finish up we will be releasing some of those classes here over the next 6-months as self-paced workshops.
Here's to being "in-progress"!
Congratulations to Katie! I really enjoy all the classes you offer! I have to admit ... I miss seeing your Project Life spreads. Happy Summer!
Thank you! :)
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Phew, that sounds hectic! Don't know how you do it. My PL is gathering dust like never before, with far less on my plate. Excited to see that some self paced workshops will be coming our way! And great to hear there might still be PL inspiration to save the day here.
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Whew! That's a lot of balls to keep in the air! I discovered earlier this year, kinda by accident, that for most weeks in my PL album, a single page is enough. It really provides the snapshot of our lives with a little less stress of "what am I going to put in all those pockets?" Occasionally I will have a two-page week (usually when we're traveling) or an insert for a special event. I am current in my album, which is something I usually can't say by this time of the year.
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Congratulations Katie! Hope you and the kids have a great summer Ali!
Thank you! :)
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Congratulations Katie!
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Congratulations, Katie. It's a wonderful time. My best wishes to you.
Ali, I don't know how you do it. I'm glad you've put boundaries between work and regular life. I hope it's restful and restoring for you. Enjoy the summer, I hope everything works out. Looking forward to WITL. Michelle t
Thank you Michelle :)
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Hmmm...just realizing that I'm going to be in the Villages at the same time as your workshops!
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finally! A NEW BLOG POST! :) CONGRATS TO KATIE! <3333
I know, right? I'll figure it out one of these days :).
Thank you! :)
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Congrats Katie
Loving your Type Class - you inspire me
Thank you :)
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Congratulations Katie, really delighted for you xxx
Thank you! We are delighted as well :)
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I miss seeing your blog, but am really liking the new products and offerings.
Thanks Jennie - what would you like to see most here?
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Missed your postings. Congrats to katie. Loving your classes but will also be interested in your PL spreads too!
Thanks!
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Congrats to Katie, so exciting. You have so much on your plate I don't know how you do it all! Glad you are working on your work/life boundaries, I'm sure it's challenging for you :)
Thank you :) We are very excited
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Congratulations Katie. What an amazing and exciting time!
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Congratulations Katie what a blessing you are expecting. Ali thanks so much for sharing the bits and pieces of your life with all of us. I enjoy reading your blog posts.
I agree, such a blessing. Thank you!
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Awesome list! I bought the Get To Work Book as well and can't wait to start using it.
I bought the "Summer Manifesto Layered Template Package" in 2012 and would love to use them this year. Do you plan to create a 2015 cover? No problem if not.
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What a list! (I was actually wondering how you did all this when the WITL preorder popped up). Glad to hear the Type workshop will come back.
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Congrats, Katie!
Thank you!
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Congrats to Katie! How fun! I echo others in saying I don't know how you do it all - juggling all the work projects along with your personal life but I love everything you give us.
I've posted on the type message board that despite my efforts to stay caught up, im terribly behind and have thrown up my hands and am hanging on for when school gets out (I work in a school) and we have less activities and more lazy days to catch up on some storytelling!
Thank you!
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How awesome for Katie. New marriage, new baby, new life experiences.
Pretty exciting stuff :)
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Congrats to Katie! I am sure you two will figure out a schedule that will work for both of you! Excited for WITL but keeping busy with the Story Stamps Kits and PL for now.
Thank you!
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Love seeing new blog posts but can understand how you are trying to achieve a work/life balance. I love the type class although I'm a little behind. I've been enjoying my story/stamp kits since the beginning and love all you do :) Enjoy the start of Summer - I am so looking forward to our summer adventures! We're going to Montreal for 3 days by train from Ottawa to see U2 in about 2 weeks as the last gift for my 40th birthday in April - my second time seeing them live and I can't wait. Hope you get to see some more music with Aaron! Enjoy what makes you happy :) Thanks for inspiring us! And sending so many best wishes to Katie & Peter with expecting their first baby!
U2 is so awesome! I saw them in Seattle a few years ago on their last tour. Dave Matthews for Labor Day weekend is on the schedule again and Katie and I are taking Anna to see Taylor Swift in August - wishing we had more time for more live music too!
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Congratulations, Katie and Peter!!! XOXO
Thanks Tinka!
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Hi Ali,
I love that you posted about this, life is hectic, and sometimes priorities shuffle, and lots of times admin and grunt work (that isn't glamorous or easy to 'capture' or measure) takes over. I appreciate your authenticity :) It is your best trade mark.
I can not wait to share my Week in the Life albums via Instagram with your Hashtag. I will photograph this weekend! My week in the Life Albums are my favourite of all time, I always say these are the albums I would rescue in a fire... and by photographing and sharing them I will have a 'back up' copy :)
Genius really!!!
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Ali, I laughed at your comment about summer and the kids being "bored". When I was in elementary school (and that has been too far back to narrow this down anymore than that), I told my Mom one day I was "bored". She "let" me clean our two bathrooms and I seldom got bored again. We always had chores but this was a learning experience. :)
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