2023 megaaa DECEMBER DAILY thread (ALL December projects)

I would love to hear more about this! It looked like fun. She has a sale on her classes right now and I was considering getting one but I'm on the fence. I do really like her. She seems real.


Ha ha ha!!! OMG. I do have a teen so I will scavenge her stash. She probably has some.
I gave my colleague at work the Hallmark pdf and when I popped to her office to say hi, she had already printed it out and marked it up. She had hearts and stars just like me! And Xs on the ones she didn't like. So funny. I can't wait to tell her about the poop stickers. That is exactly what I need.

OMG. For real? 

I 'get' keeping track for medical reasons...I don't get using stickers and posting about it on Etsy in a review! 

We used those stickers for potty training with my daughter. It worked well lol.

blemon This year I took Paige's on-line Halloween album class as well as her in-person Christmas album class. I was impressed by the amount of product you get with her classes! As in, the entire collection, including the albums. I think the only difference in the Christmas kit was that instead of getting all the washi rolls, we were given maybe a yard of so of each, which was fine with me.

Also, Paige is such a sweet woman! "Real" is definitely a good description. And incredibly creative!

The video class included step-by-step videos for each page as well as a PDF with very well-written instructions. In the live class, she demonstrated each page and included a handout with very well-written instructions.

What makes you think that Ali hasn't seen negative reviews and/or doesn't take them to heart? I think she has done a great job in growing her business. She has expanded a lot through the years. I have been scrapping since the mid '90s and have found that her style is what works best for me. I appreciate all the content that she provides to go along with her products. Not sure of many others who do the same. And even though I haven't loved Product Play this year, I have found every other class I've taken to be well worth it. I also don't find her DD products to be stale or dry. If you find other crafters who are "doing it well", then that's great. Thankfully, there is something for everyone.

Not who you asked, but it’s well known that any comments on Instagram or Facebook that even lean negative are deleted and not approved by her moderators. That’s where people think she isn’t hearing the negative.

I know I have had issues in the past and while her representatives were not interested in solving a customer service issue but when I messaged Ali directly on her persona; Instagram about it she said she was not aware of any issues and she went out of her way to correct the situation once she found out about it. This particular problem was a quality control issue and I had been in constant contact with her team for several days trying to get the situation handled. And according to AE, she had no clue anyone was unhappy. 

She does take negative feedback to heart. Years ago, as mom said, Ali was more involved in the Facebook group. I remember a ton of negative comments on the OLW group. Some were valid, but others were nasty. I can see how it would affect someone who has any degree of sensitivity, and I do think Ali is a sensitive person. She has mentioned many times that she's had to back away from the social media aspect, and that it's been difficult to let go.

The problem is that, in my opinion, the social media monitoring has gone too far. Posts need to be approved before they go up, and any vaguely negative replies are deleted. I tried to post a respectful question once, and it was rejected. I was told to reach out to customer service.

I disagree that Ali's products are stale. I've seen predictions in this group that her business would decline, but I honestly see that AE has endured and evolved over the years. We've seen a lot of scrapbooking companies go under, but I think Ali's products appeal to many (but not all) scrapbookers.

With that said, I think constructive feedback would be good for the company. I also think Ali tries hard to be inclusive, and I think fresh ideas would enhance the classes and the products. 

This all resonates for me too.  I have been following Ali for 21+ years - wow - that's a LONG time .  I remember following her blog and taking a CKU class from her and thinking this woman has a clean, creative approach I can learn from.  And I feel like she has grown and evolved with the market - there is no way I would still be buying her stuff or inspired otherwise as I have evolved and changed what I like to do myself.  But I also think we creatives move through our own phases and interests and her style is not going to land for everyone all of the time.  I think that is totally normal.  I also agree with the comments that she is very open to customer feedback, but also probably had to step back because it is hard on social to not get personally caught up in the "drama" feedback alongside of the useful and helpful feedback. I know I would not be able to stomach some of the crap out there.

I think the customer surveys are a good way to get feedback to her and I do hope her team recognizes the balance of tempering the drama feedback with the useful.  Everyone needs constructive feedback to grow and to shift as customer needs change.  That is how businesses endure.

I think the OLW changes are a good example of her evolving.  I am hopeful that she will revisit the Product Play for 2024 and if not, they if enough people stop buying it, she will figure it out that way.

Still so very thankful for this project.  I liked today's PP and while I did not order this year's 3x8 pack (which I am now waffling on), I am going back through old product to see if I can recreate the cute pocket idea.

Thanks for the reminder Jenna! I have been including a Spotify wrapped page for the last few years, such a fun new addition to DD!

I don’t put much stock in Spotify Wrapped because I only listen to a couple of specific things on there, but I love using Goodreads to summarize my year. They usually post their stats too early - I read a lot in the last couple of weeks of the year! But I always include a screenshot of the books I’ve read at the end of my DD.

I am reading like a fiend right now. I am five books away from meeting my Goodreads goal and I need that confetti screenshot saying I met my goal!



I am planning on doing PL again next year and I am definitely going to check this out! It sounds like a very fun addition to regular memory keeping.

That sounds fun! My moods are going to be all over the place. 

Christmas at the Biltmore - swoon, will rewatch again soon.
Catch Me if You Claus - Italia Ricci was terrific, Luke McFarlane has never been better as Santa's son. Fun, fun, fun.
Mystic Christmas - I adored this one, but Mystic is local-ish to me so it was fun picking out all the location. Sift Bakery got so much product placement!
Where Are You Christmas? - great concept that I don't think Hallmark would have tried a few years ago. Also some scenes shot in Mystic CT. lol

I also liked Christmas at Notting Hill and Heidelberg Holiday - mostly for seeing seeing London and Heidelberg at Christmas

The biggest dud for me as of 11/30: Never Been Chris'd (cringe)