Exclusive Content for Project Albums with Canva Facebook Group
Section No.1 | #Planning
April 2022
WITL Album Sharing
Video walkthrough of some of Kim's past WITL (week in the life) albums. Includes narrative on what I liked, what didn't work, and what I would change when making albums in the future. 4x8 Albums are from Citrus Twist Kits 
photo credit // Ali Edwards
Over the years Ali has written a variety of posts related to this project. Here are a few of her favorites that might help you get your head + your heart in a mood for documenting:
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2018 WITL Album
This is the first year my photos actually made it into an album. It's not completely finished, but I'm still happy to have made it this far. And I learned a lot of what worked and didn't work for me with this project. Part of me really wants to go back and finish up the missing journaling, but I'm still super happy to have completed as much as I have.
2020 WITL Album
This album features a combination of mixed AE products & embellishments, along with a simple page formula using a template for photos & digital journaling all set up in Canva. You can learn more about how I set this album up here.
2021 WITL Album
2021 WITL album planning post is here. The felt hearts & word stickers were my favorites. Looking back through this album, I now see just how much of the physical products I didn't actually need or use.
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WITL Supporting Products
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For my album I will be using the digital files, but I also purchased the main kits & some add on physical items to use for embellishing. In these videos I unpack what I bought and how I might use them as I consider a cohesive page design.
Making Choices that are right for you; Products (new/stash), album size, digital/hybrid Physical kits & add on products released Mar 28 |
Welcome and Q&A
Recorded: Friday, April 22 @ 5:oo pm Pacific Time |
Section No 2. | #Templates
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May 2022 // Digitals Release: May 6
Shop Link: https://aliedwards.com/shop/week-in-the-life 
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Planning Your Pages
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How to use Digital Files &
Designing Page Templates in Canva |
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Page Planning & Making Templates
Recorded: Friday, May 13 @ 5:oo pm Pacific Time |
Section No. 3 | #PHOTOS & Documenting
June 2022 // Ali is documenting the week of June 20
TAKING PHOTOS
10 Photo Tips from Ali Edwards (video link)
"Photos are an opportunity to bring our stories to life"
"Let go of the expectation you are going to take a photo of every single thing you do during the course of a day"
"Photos are an opportunity to bring our stories to life"
- Take photos with white space. White space can be a home for your words.
- Pick one thing to capture everyday. Repetition for the win.
- Make friends with your timer. (or bluetooth remote) Get yourself in the Photos!
- The best camera is the one you have with you. Learn to use what you have.
- Take photos of things. Your stuff + your space tells a story.
- Get up close + Get far away. Have fun playing with different perspectives.
- Capture the mess. We all have messes. Capture things as they are, not how you want them to be.
- Make a date with the obvious. Capture the true basic stuff for life right now.
- Look for relationships. Not just people + people, but people interacting with things.
- Find a photo-taking pace that works for you. This will depend on the life season you are in right now.
"Let go of the expectation you are going to take a photo of every single thing you do during the course of a day"
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Getting Yourself in the Photo
Guest Content by Jessica Luther 
Documenting Week Q&A
Taking the photos / Documenting the stories Friday, June 10 @ 5:oo pm Pacific Time | ||
DOCUMENTING THE STORY
Thinking about the stories from Ali Edwards (video link)
"Our days are built with stories"
"Our days are built with stories"
- Pay attention to the facts of the day + times things happen.
- Watch for "micro-stories". The little stories are meaningful.
- Tell me more. Ask yourself this question when your are writing.
- What is deeper? What are you missing? Tell me about the who, where, why. What stories will you tell?
- Make a list of stories you want to tell.
Things I Love + Things I've Learned (video link)
Things I Love
Things I Love
- The opportunity to focus on photography. Some of Ali's favorite photos ever came from WITL.
- The opportunity to dig deeper and explore the photos & stories.
- It has a beginning and an end.
- It gives me an opportunity to reflect on my life right now. Who are we right now? What do we need to change?
- To express gratitude for my life right now.
- Don't take 1,000's of photos. You don't need a photo of every single thing. Take enough to give you a few choices, but not overwhelm you.
- Keep focused on the words + the photos. It's never really about the products.
- Approach this project with grace. It's ok to miss a day, a photo or a story. What ever you capture will be enough.
- Less is More. You don't have to use everything.
- Your story is worth telling. And watch your story evolve over time.
Section No. 4 | #ALBUM // Putting it all together
June / July 2022
Finishing an album like this is where most people get stuck. There's no denying that a project like this can be overwhelming and you could start to lose your momentum. But working up the courage to take the next step & get started on the album assembly is often what actually gets in our way. Remember it doesn't need to be done all at once. I actually encourage you to adopt a batching approach, either one day at a time, or common items at a time; printing, cutting, embellishing.
If you're still feeling a bit of stress about this next step, use these seven steps to walk yourself through the process to move forward.
1. GIVE YOURSELF A PEP TALK
Everybody could use a rousing pep talk to inspire them every now and then—so why not give one to yourself?
This is the opportunity to ask yourself; What exactly is holding you back from completing this project? Zoning in on the reasoning behind why you keep pushing it off will be helpful when you work your way through the next steps.
2. FORCE YOURSELF TO COMMIT
Sometimes you just need to start, even if you don't have a plan. Give yourself a block of uninterrupted time; say 20 min to start. Shut yourself in a quiet room with only the things you need for this project. Do your best to stay away from the lure of your phone notifications or your inbox, and start with just one thing related to your album, even if it's just looking through your photos or organizing your supplies. Avoid background distractions, but listening to music just might be the mood booster you need.
3. BREAK IT DOWN
One big reason that we often delay completing larger album projects is because they often seem too daunting. They can be large and overwhelming, sometimes we can hardly figure out the best place to start. The best place to start is by breaking it down into smaller steps, or batches. What bite-sized chunks can you separate this into? Doing this instantly makes that daunting project feel at least a little more manageable—making you that much more likely to actually make some progress, even if it’s in baby steps.
4. FIND THE RIGHT TIMING
Finding the times of day when you feel most energized and ready to take on tasks. Whether it’s as soon as you wake up or late into the evening hours, working at your peak times will make this more enjoyable for you. Find what works for you.
5. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
Whether you just want to bounce some creative ideas around with someone or get some early feedback on a page of your album, involving other people can motivate you, provide a sense of accountability, and ultimately improve the quality of your album. When you share your small achievements with like minded people who will support you, they will feel happy for you too. That will also encourage you to keep working further on your album.
6. STAY FOCUSED ON THE FINISH LINE
In those moments when you feel completely discouraged, try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Think about who you will share your album with. How will you feel when your album is done?
7. CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT
Once you have your album completed it's important to give yourself some kudos! You worked hard on this project and you need to celebrate this accomplishment. Reward yourself with a little treat (frozen yogurt anyone?) Or plan something that you love & enjoy. Appreciate the time and love that went into creating your album. Express gratitude for having completed your album. This creates a sense of calmness in your mind; you may feel happy, more confident, accomplished.
What will you do to celebrate when you finish your album?
Finishing an album like this is where most people get stuck. There's no denying that a project like this can be overwhelming and you could start to lose your momentum. But working up the courage to take the next step & get started on the album assembly is often what actually gets in our way. Remember it doesn't need to be done all at once. I actually encourage you to adopt a batching approach, either one day at a time, or common items at a time; printing, cutting, embellishing.
If you're still feeling a bit of stress about this next step, use these seven steps to walk yourself through the process to move forward.
1. GIVE YOURSELF A PEP TALK
Everybody could use a rousing pep talk to inspire them every now and then—so why not give one to yourself?
This is the opportunity to ask yourself; What exactly is holding you back from completing this project? Zoning in on the reasoning behind why you keep pushing it off will be helpful when you work your way through the next steps.
2. FORCE YOURSELF TO COMMIT
Sometimes you just need to start, even if you don't have a plan. Give yourself a block of uninterrupted time; say 20 min to start. Shut yourself in a quiet room with only the things you need for this project. Do your best to stay away from the lure of your phone notifications or your inbox, and start with just one thing related to your album, even if it's just looking through your photos or organizing your supplies. Avoid background distractions, but listening to music just might be the mood booster you need.
3. BREAK IT DOWN
One big reason that we often delay completing larger album projects is because they often seem too daunting. They can be large and overwhelming, sometimes we can hardly figure out the best place to start. The best place to start is by breaking it down into smaller steps, or batches. What bite-sized chunks can you separate this into? Doing this instantly makes that daunting project feel at least a little more manageable—making you that much more likely to actually make some progress, even if it’s in baby steps.
4. FIND THE RIGHT TIMING
Finding the times of day when you feel most energized and ready to take on tasks. Whether it’s as soon as you wake up or late into the evening hours, working at your peak times will make this more enjoyable for you. Find what works for you.
5. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
Whether you just want to bounce some creative ideas around with someone or get some early feedback on a page of your album, involving other people can motivate you, provide a sense of accountability, and ultimately improve the quality of your album. When you share your small achievements with like minded people who will support you, they will feel happy for you too. That will also encourage you to keep working further on your album.
6. STAY FOCUSED ON THE FINISH LINE
In those moments when you feel completely discouraged, try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Think about who you will share your album with. How will you feel when your album is done?
7. CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT
Once you have your album completed it's important to give yourself some kudos! You worked hard on this project and you need to celebrate this accomplishment. Reward yourself with a little treat (frozen yogurt anyone?) Or plan something that you love & enjoy. Appreciate the time and love that went into creating your album. Express gratitude for having completed your album. This creates a sense of calmness in your mind; you may feel happy, more confident, accomplished.
What will you do to celebrate when you finish your album?
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Use sentiment cards on days where you don't have enough photos
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Batch like items, print like size photos
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Fill 2x2 pockets with collected items, ephemera & embellishments
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Album Assembly
Finishing your album Friday, July 8 @ 5:oo pm Pacific Time Video Walkthrough of Kim's finished WITL 2022 album
will be updated here |