Week in the Life 2022

Yes! This is my favorite project. I love doing it during summer.

I’m undecided but I’m leaning toward doing it the same week as the community. I normally like to do it a week or two after the community just to get some more ideas. The week they are doing it is the most normal week in June for us unless I wait until July.

I bought pretty much all of the WITL collection this year. I’m going to change it up and try the 10x8 size 😬

I’m excited because there are so many changes from 2021. New family member (I was pregnant for last years witl) new house, new job. Lots of changes.

I'm doing it! The week of June 20th works for me and I'm looking forward to the change of date. I usually follow Ali for the dates because the inspiration and encouragement that week helps me. I've done WITL every year since 2010 so this year I'm changing up the size of album and doing the 10x8 one. I am going to include some 6x8 pages in there too to use some of the 3x4 cards. I got the main kit and some extras. Already ordered extra printer ink. Plus I decided I'm strictly using my phone instead of stressing with my dslr. Just going to do what works for me.

I’m doing it. Same week as Ali.

I put together a reel of my kit. I’m trying to use my hoarded feed your craft stash.

www.instagram.com/reel/CcqRsVdFEVq/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I’ve done it 2-3 times in 6x8. This year I am on an extended vacation that will last into Friday of the WITL and then the last 2 days are travel days and involve also taking my son to camp. At first I did not want to do the community week, but now I’m thinking it will be a super unique WITL so I am excited. I printed out some of the digital journal to use to capture and document while here and I also have my PM 400 to print out pics. My plan is to assemble and put it together the week I get home using some of Ali’s stuff, her 6x8 album and some of my own stamps and HS stop the blue supplies.

Glad you created this post bc I always get new ideas from others and I’d love to add some new lenses this year.

Oh dang blemon I'm so happy you remembered about the transparencies because I for sure did not Absolutely no rush on those btw! Get your album how you want it even if it's after the week you document, then lemme know your paypal or something so I can send you some $$$ for packing and stamps!


Honestly I'd forgotten what day it was until Ali posted about on IG a day or two ago.. I was thinking "man wasn't witl in June this year? 🤔". I'm using the kit from 2019 and the AE 3x8 album that's really more of a 4x8 so I'll just be using a mix of pp from citrus twist I have lying around. ..hopefully I have more than full sheet ones available, I should really go through and grab everything I need in case I need to order some more lol. I didn't have as much fun doing DITL on a different day this year so I'll be documenting the same week as Ali.

I've done WITL a few times randomly but I don't think any of them are 100% complete.. so that's fun

blemon Thanks for the thread. I kinda forgot about WITL but really want to participate this year. I'm sad I didn't last year since everything is completely different now and I had no idea then, how different life would be a year later. I love my WITL from 2020, since it captures life during the height of the pandemic. It's such a great project. With luck, I'll even have most of the boxes unpacked by the 20th. 

I think I'll grab the digital journaling cards and then likely add from stash and/or it will give me a good excuse to do some shopping. 

Technically I did WITL the week of May 23-29 (maybe through the 30th for Memorial Day) but so far I haven't actually done any of the work besides uploading all of the photos to my computer and I've barely done any written documentation to help me remember things when I make the album. This is the farthest behind I've been on the project since I started in 2015. It was a good week to do because it was fun to have a big moment to focus on for my youngest son (8th grade graduation and final day at the private school he's been at for 5 years) instead of including my oldest son's birthday because that's happpened more often than not with the earlier in May WITLs.

Now I'm not so sure, not just because I've not done anything beyond taking photographs (and there were days I didn't take many at all) but because the official week is looking more interesting...unfortunately it would feature a big event for my oldest DS (his return from a 12 day school trip to Germany).

I only got a few of the new AE supplies because I have so much leftover from past years including an entire kit I got at a great price (after initially skipping the kit). I wasn't wild about this year's kit and I've come to realize how little of the WITL kits I use, especially as I do more and more digital work on mini albums like this. I will do 6x8 again.

I've done 2 WITL albums so far (2016 and 2020). It was fun cause I was in such different points in my life those weeks. I really want to do one this year since my son starts preschool in the fall, so this is the last of the non-school time.

I've found if I don't do it with the community then I fall off the wagon documenting about 3 days in, so I will be documenting the week of the 20th. That week also ends with my son's 3rd birthday, so a fun way to document the day and round out the week.

I've got a an old 2018 AE WITL kit and album sitting in my stash that I am going to use.

My tips:

1. If you have several people living under your roof, it's fun to do an ID card at the start of the project with everyone's name, age and favourites (yes, they surprisingly change over the years, even for adults). This is the perfect opportunity to take a group selfie/portrait. It sets the general timeline of when the WITL project took place really well in my opinion.

2. News. Include the big news items. Pick up a physical newspaper one day of the week or take a screenshot from your go-to online news media.

3. Cost of life. I've been a huge advocate for taking notes of the cost of daily life over the years and right now, wwith the crazy inflation (and stagflation here in Europe), it's even more important to make a record. Photo ideas for the story: your grocery bill if you don't want to retype the items, grocery bags in the car trunk/on the floor with arrows marking the most significant price jumps to record (flour, meat, produce), a photo of the sign at the petrol/gas station with the pricing.

4. Daily life action shots. Set up your camera or phone (seriously, phones are totally fine, especially with the cameras they have these days) to show yourself doing the dishes, cutting veggies, gardening, opening a parcel, someone else getting into your car if you do pick-up.

5. Include your home nice and wide. People forget to do this. Décor changes, people move, appliances and furniture are upgraded. And the entire background of our memories fades much to our frustration. Make sure you shoot a few photos over the week from a faraway POV so the people are shown as inhabitants of your home. Include the spaces you use most as a family: kitchen, living room, patio/deck. And heck, front door and the façade as well (carrying in groceries/taking the dog out for a walk is a great opportunity for this front-of-the-house shot).

6. Neighbourhood. For the reasons in 5: everything can change pretty quickly, especially over the course of several years. Ask your postman if you can take a photo of them delivering the mail in the street so you can show what the homes around you look like if you don't live in an apartment building. If you have a neighbour you are close to, ask if you can include them in your album. Perfect opportunity to bring over some flowers or baked goodies to thank them.

7. TECHNOLOGY! Same as 5 and 6. This changes crazy quick. If you have multiple people with different smartphones, a phone flatlay is a great idea. You could include a story about texts exchanged that week to organise daily life or share something funny. Include screenshots as well. Emojis and user interface are also subject to quick and permanent change. You could also document all the apps you use frequently and why in your WITL. Again, this is a landscape nobody is recording so it's your job to do so before apps disappear/are bought out/change. Real nostalgia right there.

ETA: 8. "Cultural consumption." We call it this way in French but I find the term fits in any language: everything cultural you consume on a regular basis these days so not just your current book(s) but also music (playlist if you like to keep up with new releases or new album by an artist you like), streaming platform, TV series, movie(s), magazine(s), video game(s). 

Thanks for sharing, mom .

I think the Ali videos are probably a good idea and the best alternative to an actual prep day. People still follow her brand mostly for her and with the lack of traditional PL from her this year, this feels like a nice, free treat for all.

ETA: But oh my, spelling hasn't gotten any better at the storyteller's brand. "[in] it's place" Ouch, my eyes. 

sleepingbooty Thank you so much for your ideas! I've done this project many times, and still found your list helpful. I will definitely be referring back to it frequently during the documentation week!

sleepingbooty Love your list. Definitely plan to use them. Thank you. 

Citygirl I didn't even realize there was a journal. That is cool to see. 

I'm halfway kicking around trying to do this all digital to see how I like an all digital project. I normally just put it in my regular PL album but this could be the perfect project to try going full digital and print a photo book. I guess I still have a bit to decide. 

I was thinking about the question of how to make this easier to be able to complete the project. All of my albums are finished and the way I work on them seems to work for me. First I set out all the page protectors in the album alternating configurations. I rarely work on the album during the week but make sure to take photos, lots of photos so I have options. The next week or when I'm able to work on it...only the products I'm using will be on my desk. I will go through and print out photos by the day and then put them in the pp. Then I go back to the beginning and add journalling. After that's done, then I go back and add embellishments etc. I sometimes keep a pattern sometimes I don't. But I find it I do it assembly line style I'm able to complete the album and get it done. I also try not to over think it.