December Daily™ STORY Album

This post highlights a December memory keeping album project along with my 2022 product picks. 

As I write this post it's what's commonly known as "December Daily Eve" as the community is filled with excitement for the 2022 December Daily Product Collection release early tomorrow morning.  Every year the product selection gets better and better, and its hard to not have FOMO if some of my favorite items sell out super quickly.  
This will be my 6th year of documenting stories during December and I've definitely learned a few things along the way.  My December albums hold some of our most treasured family memories, and my only regret is that I didn't create albums like this when my kids were little. My 2016 & 2017 albums are "almost" done, but now I can clearly see what held me back from finishing them.  My 2019, 2020 and 2021 albums are done and 100% completed in December, or early January.  And I know none of this would be possible without using Canva.  I now embrace a hybrid approach to my memory keeping leveraging all the "pretty things" while embracing digitals with easy to use technology.

what's on my 2022 product wish list

I've watched and re-watched preview videos.  I've printed and highlighted the .pdf price list and I've edited and added a few times now.  You can find the entire December Daily preview post here along with videos and even more info on the AED social channels; Instagram & Facebook communities. 
With all this excitement I often get asked "what's on my must have list" so today I'm sharing my personal wish list of products I want to purchase on release day, and will also share which products I think will work really well in digital form.  So here we go!
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TOP PRODUCT PICK: Kit & Album

Products Release August 31st, 2022

The physical kit that made the top of my list this year is the Mini Kit by Paislee Press.  Here's 3 reasons why I chose it:

1. It's the only kit with chipboard and I LOVE chipboard!
2. The papers & journal cards are two-sided so you have more options and not to mention the gold foil accents are stunning!
3. A set of transparency cards with white foil are included in this kit which are great since I always struggle to get my minc mini to play well with the white foil.   

For me this kit has a great mix of physical embellishments, along with a minimal modern feel that I just love and plays well with the entire product line.  

(Kit is now sold out but will be available digitally 10.14.22)
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For the past three years I've done albums in a variety of sizes: 2019 in a 3x8, 2020 in a 4x6 and 2021 in a 4x8.  Maybe...I subconsciously started with a smaller album and worked my way up, just so I could actually complete an album.   But if you're not sure you can totally commit to creating a page for every single day in December, creating a December album of stories is another way to take the pressure off.   By not using numbers on my pages I did just that and it gave me the opportunity to focus more on the photos & stories, not what happened on each day.  I could work on my pages as time permitted during December and I really enjoyed this approach. 
My album pick for 2022 is the Floral 6x8 album. (and I predict it will sell out quickly) I love that it matches the kit I picked, but it's also going to look very complementary among all the red albums on my shelf.   I think I'm finally ready to tackle this larger page size again, especially since I'm going to creating this December album with Canva & a using slightly different lens to storytelling this year.  

 (That was quick!  This album sold out in under two hours of release)
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So in addition to my top picks above, here are a few other of my favorite physical items this year:

(popular item)
​Plastic shapes are one of my favorite items to work with every year and and easy way to add a cohesive look to your album pages.  

(now sold out)
I'll be featuring an idea with these large plastic trees in the 2022 Product Play Class.   I can't wait to share. 
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​I have a fun DIY Holiday decor idea in mind for these flags!  I'll be posting about this and other projects to use your stash of supplies in "Handmade Holidays"

Edited to add a few more of my favorite things! 
If you like a to get a little crafty with DIY & Decorating for the season add these to your wish list.   Twelve Days of "Handmade Holidays" will be coming this November.

Felt Presents​

Die Cut Bundle
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DIGITAL PRODUCT Picks

Digitals Release October 14, 2022

I really do love all the pretty things, but getting everything isn't always within everyone's budget.  So creating this project with a mix of physical items and digital files is a great way to go that's easier on your wallet.  And most of the items can work well in a digital format.  
Ali's main kit is always ah-maz-ing! and it's got so much in it.  I'm pretty sure you could literally do your whole album with just this one kit.   This kit also get's my top pick for digital this year because; it's very paper forward; which is great for Canva custom frames & templates, and has a great mix of embellishments that could be used digitally endless ways.   

Here are two more items that are "must haves" in digital for me; journal cards and stamps!
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Digital Journal Cards

The 3x8 journal card & transparency set is my go to for longer digital journaling since I can edit my stories without the fear of messing up that "one & only" card. This way you always have multiples. ​ And with digital you are not limited to this page size.  They also translate well for 4x8 and 6x8 page sizes too. ​ It's also really easy to add photos on these cards in Canva before you print.  And the digital pattern designs are easy to print at home on transparency or vellum paper. 
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Digital Stamps

Digital stamp designs are filled with possibility because you can resize & recolor them without the mess!   You can also play with the opacity to create really cool effects on your pages.  And at a fraction of the cost they are an affordable way to collect them all!

If you've made your own wish list, I'd love to hear what your top pick is from the release this year!  I invite you to share in the comments. 
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This post will be updated with links to Ali's shop once the release has gone live @ 8/31/22 at 7:00am EST.