This year I participated in Ali Edwards' 7-day documentary project, Week in the Life. While I try to capture details of everyday life in my Project Life family yearbooks, this Week in the Life project is more of a deeper dive. More photos, deeper, meaningful stories. Although Ali and many of her followers have been taking on this project each year since 2005, this is the first year I decided to participate. Today I am sharing the photos and stories of this year's Week In The Life project which took place May 11-17, 2020.
I created a 6x8 album using Affinity Photo on my iPad Pro. All digital products shown are by Ali Edwards.
I went with a super simple cover–a piece of digital graph paper and label. I believe the paper is from one of Ali's December Daily Collection from a few years ago. The label is from the Week In The Life 2020 Digital Collection.
Throughout the album you will notice that the day of the week will fall on the right hand side of the spread and will basically have the same layout. I wish I could say this layout was my idea, but I actually scrap lifted it from Instagrammer LindaLovesCreating. She had a photo of what she was doing but using physical product. I wanted to see how duplicating it in digital form would look and I am super happy with the results!
Since this was my very first time participating in this project, I wanted to simplify things as much as I could. I used many of the WITL 2020 Digital templates, and added a few of my own personal touches. For instance, with the exception of Friday, you will see a collage page on the left and a page of text on the right for the first double-page spread for each day. I also used Ali's "lenses" (story prompts) for each day as well. This was super helpful in trying to tell my stories throughout the week. It's amazing how easily stories can unfold by simply using a word or a phrase. The journal page on the right is one that I created myself. I took color cues from the day of the week sticker on the graph paper "number" page and paired it with the color of the circle day of the week sticker you see below. I did this for each day. I thought it was a great way to organize each day. When flipping through the book, and you see a new color, you know you are on a new day!
Again–the same color treatment for the journal card.
The last page for each day is opposite the intro page to the next. I really wanted to use this circle template for each of day of the week, but I found I didn't have enough left over photos to do so. So, I was only able to use this template on Days 1 and 2. But no worries. Read on and you'll see what I used instead.
New day, new color scheme. The 4x6 journal card was one I created myself. I used it a few times in the album and just changed out the colors and story lens. word art.
Even though the Tuesday circle sticker isn't that peachy color I used in on the journal card, there was a little heart sticker in the WITL Digital sticker book that paired the yellow with the peach, so that is how I came up with the color scheme for Tuesday.
I am LOVING my new range and microwave!!!
Currently my tower herb garden is sooo out of control!
You can see here how there are less photos on the "pieces of life" below than there were in the Monday section.
Now even though I used a red and pink color scheme for Monday, I am using the same here (again following the cues of the "day of the the week" sticker in the spread above, and the "Wednesday" circle sticker on the second spread below). However, this time the colors are reversed on the journal cards. Subtle difference, I know, but I'm not going to overthink it (Yeah-famous last words. You'll see why come the Thursday section).
I think some of my favorite spreads are those where one side has the photos bleed off the page and the other side has a white border around them, like you see below.
I LOVE the photo below of Zoe blurred out in the background and the focus is on her squeaky toy.
Lots of pics in on the left in the spread below. I like placing the word phrases to describe the photos a bit.
So here is where I had to change things up a bit from the "pieces of life" template. I ended up using Ali's Transparency Phrases from the WITL 2020 Digital Collection as an end page to each day.
Now I started to overthink my color-schemes in the album (hahaha)! Because there was so much blue and green in the various day of the week stickers towards the end of the week, I didn't want the end of my album totally bombarded with blue. So on Thursday I went with green (like the day of the week sticker in the photo above) and used a lighter shade of green as a compliment to it.
The "facts & feeling" story lens, I felt, was the most difficult to work with. It really challenged me to take a deeper look at the story behind my photos.
While I do like the 6x8 collage layouts, I think when I do this project again (and even December Daily), I will be adjusting the templates so there is a gutter between the photos. I feel like they need some air.
The photos in this spread aren't that great, but it is what it is. I do like to change pictures to black and white when the lighting was low or it's just a bad pic in general. The black and white seems to hide the flaws!
So here's the thing. I only took one photo on Friday. Just one. I just didn't feel like snapping pictures. And that is okay. I thought my lack of photos was a perfect {short} story to tell with the story prompt for today–some days + most days. Oh, and just like I did on Thursday, I used two shade of blue this time for the color scheme for Friday.
One photo. One journal page. One double-page spread for Friday.
Ahhhhh...the weekend! Loved the prompt for today! We were super busy so I made sure to take lots of photos to make up for not taking any on Friday!
Changed up the color scheme to blue and peachy-pink for Saturday. Didn't like it at first, still not my fave, but it's growing on me.
And how about that baby tomato! That pic was taken almost a month ago. I have many more tomatoes on the vine!
Last day of this project! Finally getting away from the blue and green. Three cheers for pink and yellow!
I really like the prompt for today–"I want to remember." I feel like it made me just want to write and write! And I did. I think this whole project made me want to reflect more on the stories that are hiding behind the photos.
Who's husbands ended up with a "Covid Coif" during this pandemic! This is the longest Chris's hair has been in 30+years!!!
It's seashell season!!!
Nothing like curling up on the couch, after a day at the beach, and watching a Disney movie!
The last page of the album is below. It's just a plain white page with a piece of word art and a cute little heart sticker placed below it.
This project was so much fun to do. It is one I will definitely do year after year. Like I just mentioned above, all of these story lenses (story prompts) really made me take a deeper look at the details hiding behind each photo. I am so grateful for this project Ali had created and how she encourages those participating to take a more detailed look at our photos and stories!
Thank you for taking the time to read this post! Let me know if you have any questions!!!
