Day In The Life™ | March 2018 Project + Vlog

A big thanks again to those of you who played along with our first Day In The Life™ project for 2018. We will be doing a second documenting project later this year, along with our 7-day Week In The Life™ project coming in May. 

Today I'm sharing how I brought my words and photos together into a simple insert that has been added to my Project Life® album along with a Day In The Life™ vlog I put together to document our day. This was the first time I've played around with video documenting as a way to capture a Day In The Life™ and it was seriously so, so fun. I feel like it added a whole other dimension to the actual story. I'm not someone who has taken a lot of video over the years for a number of reasons so having a bit of a learning curve was actually invigorating. I feel super happy to have captured a slice of our life in this format this time around. Will I do it every time from now on? I have no idea at this point, but I really did enjoy the process both of documenting and of editing it all together. 

A couple details about the video: I used a Canon G7X for filming and iMovie for editing. This camera is an awesome compact camera that takes great video and great photos and is so much easier to carry around than my Canon 6D. The smaller camera was recommended to me by Amy Tan when I told her I wanted to start incorporating a bit more video. 

During the day I carried around the Canon G7X and my iPhone for taking still photos. I also did some video that I added to my Instagram story for the day. It was definitely a bit of juggling but again my focus this time was more on video and less on still photos. I took enough to be able to fill some pockets to go along with my stories for the day. 

Here's a look at the video I put together of my day: 

You can also view this video on my YouTube channel here

In terms of paper documentation I decided to cut off the far column of pockets on a Project Life® Design F page protector to create a home for my words and photos. 

My approach with this project this time was quick and easy using the Day In The Life™ kit (a digital version is available here since the physical version has sold out) as the jumping off point for my stories paired with photos cropped to 3x4.

During the day I jotted down notes onto this PDF using the categories included on the journal cards. When I was ready to work with the cards I simply transferred the words over to my cards.

As I was looking at my content (photos + words) I decided to adhere a couple of my photos directly onto the cards vs. writing out a story. These ended up being some of the themes that I didn't have much to write about and the story was able to be told fairly easily with just the photos (ie: I only drove Anna to and from school on this particular day). 

Also I didn't have photos for all the themes - such as "move" and "read." For those two I just wrote my story and didn't worry about pairing them with a photo. 

On top of the journaling cards I also used some past Story Kit™ word/phrase stickers in the spot next to the "here's the story" section. 

On the title card I used some of the plastic circles and die cut paper circles from the kit to create a circle pattern along the bottom of the card. I kept the extras to be used on another project in the future. 

On the back I followed a similar process as the front in terms of deciding to add a photo onto the card, just having a card, and also pairing a photo with a full journaling card. 

I added another 4x6 pattern card to the back of the page protector and stapled the gold foil heart circle + the plastic "life" circle on top. 

As I re-read this post before hitting publish I was thinking about the differences between video and paper. I totally think there is a place for each. Sometimes the stories I tell with words are long and in-depth and sometimes they are shorter and quicker and now maybe sometimes they will be via video where we have this amazing gift of hearing people's voices and seeing them move and smile and go about their day. For me that's all a part of my overall memory keeping archives (mine will live here on my blog and in my hard drives and on YouTube). Having a video to go along with what I'll put into my scrapbooks is a fun way to supplement the story and to see our lives via a different lens - a moving lens. 

I think that focusing on video this time actually helped reinvigorate a piece of me that needed a creative challenge. After doing Day In The Life™ projects for a long time via still photos and words on paper it was fun to talk it through - which this time happens to be more in-depth than I went on paper. It's all part of our story. 

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25 thoughts

  1. lizness says…
    03/19/2018

    Love, love, love the video ("Giblets!" Hah!). So great. =)

    PS: Hi to your mom (such a surprise to see her--love that and miss her.)
    PPS: Please tell her I'm learning to sew (finally) from my sister. Man is it hard for me! LOL.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. amandacarey says…
    03/19/2018

    This was fantastic Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Jeannew says…
    03/19/2018

    This is so good! I thought I was going to miss the video of you putting together your spread but the DITL video blog is such a wonderful snapshot of your life. Thank you for allowing us this sneak peek of your day. Anna is fabulous-she’s going to be an actress! Audrey has the best smile! Simon looks like he might be done with all your documenting.. but is a good sport. 😃 I’m planning to put my spread together tomorrow. Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. kybarb says…
    03/19/2018

    I'm loving the addition of video to your day in the life documentation! I am lucky to have some old home movies from when I was a kid but none with sound (old school). I would give anything to hear my parent's voices again or even my own voice as a kid.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. nhudson says…
    03/19/2018

    Hi Ali! Love your video :) What kind of hoodie are you wearing? What kind of vehicle do you drive? I just got a Honda Pilot not too long ago and I love it so far. I love seeing your home and all the normalness like us.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/20/2018

      Hi! This is the hoodie - it's awesome: https://www.stio.com/womens-sweetwater-fleece-hoodie and I drive a Suburban.

  6. CarolineMcD says…
    03/20/2018

    So love seeing your day come together and love that you've included video. Man I miss hearing the voices of family already gone so this is a great reminder to get some footage!
    I did my first day in the life using a 2017 kit (I bought them all to use this year) and I loved it. Kinda bummed that I didn't do one years ago, lol. Also started project life this year (ditto the bummed bit!) so it's just fit into my album using 3 6x8 page protectors.
    The challenge for this year is to take more life photos.
    Thanks for the awesome inspiration!

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. sparkle says…
    03/20/2018

    Loved loved loved this! Especially the video...AWESOME!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. robyn_karsten says…
    03/20/2018

    Ali I just love you!!! Love seeing your family in real time. Audrey and Anna are so stinkin' cute and being an animal lover myself it was a treat seeing your four legged family members, especially Sam curled up on your bed.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. kellyannlibby says…
    03/20/2018

    This was incredible!! soooo cool to see your day. My biggest question: How on Earth are you all so calm??!! I love the flow of your home and schedule. Any tips to organize so many people and pets?? :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. northcarmen says…
    03/20/2018

    I really enjoyed that - it's so different seeing how all the pieces of your home fit together, in live action. Anna is hilarious - she reminds me so much of my daughter, who is always putting on shows for us. And all your dishwashing got me inspired to clean up my messy kitchen and dining room, so thanks for that as well. ;)

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Untiedt says…
    03/20/2018

    Ali, this was an awesome video. I love seeing just an ordinary day unfold. The tiny little moments captured are the best. My mom passed away years ago and its the tiny little moments that we shared that I miss the most. I can't wait to put my DITL in my album. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. voskoboiny says…
    03/20/2018

    Hi Ali.... just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for the inspiration you gave me with your Day In The Life video. Just this weekend my daughter asked me if I had any videos of her Grampa ( my father) who has passed away. She said Mom...I just really want to hear his voice again. I only had a small clip with a few sentences of a man who lived 88 years. How is it that an obsessive memory keeper like myself has missed this element of memory keeping and story telling??? Right then and there I made a commitment to start taking videos of everyday moments. Today your video reinforced that SO strongly and I am very excited to tell more stories in a new way... so grateful you share your perspectives on capturing life.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. PatyPerez says…
    03/20/2018

    Thank you Ali for sharing your day with us. You keep amazing me really! I heart it so much. It was so different from paper and words, although is was the same object: your day. It is amazing to me how you can see the stories in the ordinary, plain, simple everyday.
    Thank you once again for inspiring us to tell our stories!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. mimifatspagetti says…
    03/21/2018

    Truly enjoyed the video. Makes it feel much more real. I don't know how you keep it all together.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/22/2018

      The same as everyone else ;) - one day at a time.

  15. 217Liz says…
    03/22/2018

    Loved the video and thanks for sharing your life with us. :) I am trying to keep up with the 1 second a day app and hopefully have a video of this year. I'm excited to see the end result but have a hard time remembering to take a video everyday. Most days are photos because thats what I am used to doing, but it is coming along. Couple questions- kind of silly question- do your cats use a litter box and if yes where do you keep it and are the kids in charge of cleaning..... I'm guessing the cats go outside. Also, what was the music you used in the video I really liked it. Thanks again! You are inspiring, as always.

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/22/2018

      Hi! Cats do go outside but we also have two litter boxes - one in the laundry room and one in my office - the orange cat uses them the most. Aaron and I generally clean them out.

    2. my3js says…
      03/22/2018

      I just started using the 1 Second Everyday app and I love it! I have and iPhone and have Live Photos turned on, so I have little video clips to put in the app (as long as I am taking pictures each day!). I was also able to work backwards, and have almost gotten to the beginning of this year. I can't wait until the end of the year when I will have a video of the whole year.

  16. lachsonne says…
    03/22/2018

    I had to laugh when you're picking up Anna in the video: Mothers all over the world seem to ask the same initial questions. "How was you day?!" (I suppose the answer "good" - one word - is the same all over the world as well :-) ) "Did you have any tests?" "Did you get any tests back." Same here! Haha! Love from Germany ...

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. NatRat says…
    03/22/2018

    Hey Ali. I have been following you for a long time, but I wanted to say thank you for your posts. They are so inspiring. You are such an inspiring person and I really admire your outlook on life. I heard about you via a Podcast that I sometimes listen to by Jess Lively. I was so inspired by your story and your strength after listening to your interview with her that I have followed you ever since. As a recently divorced woman in her early thirties, it is AWESOME to see women like you who are out there who keep it real. You are amazing. Thanks for your work.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/22/2018

      Thank you for those kind words.

  18. Maggie_Zygo says…
    03/22/2018

    Ali, the vlogs are a phenomenal addition~I've loved both of them so far. And of course you're going to love having that capture in the years to come!

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. marcela says…
    08/26/2018

    Hi Ali,
    Do you have a date for the next DITL set? Just curious ;) need to set a reminder in my phone hehe

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      08/26/2018

      I don't yet - it will be sometime this fall.

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