AE Story Kit | Two "Firsts" Layouts

The day after Christmas, I signed up for Ali Edwards' Story Kit subscription, intent on making at least one scrapbook layout a month this year.

When my first box of goodies arrived in January, I was giddy with excitement. And I was just holding the box, mind you. (If you've been reading my blog long, you know what a fan I am of Ali Edwards + pretty much anything she creates.)

Then, I opened it up and was treated to an assortment of stickers and chipboard embellishments and cork letters and 3x4 cards and 4x6 cards, all relating to the theme: firsts.

Because I just couldn't stop myself, I created two layouts with the "firsts" kit, both about my FIRST (and only) trip to Click.
 
It's one of those "firsts" that I think about often.  A first that was both challenging + fun. A first where I definitely stepped outside my comfort zone, and because of that, came away with renewed self-confidence, a well of courage, and a willingness to attempt other firsts.



1 | "The Story of a First"

I love this image.  To me, everything about it screams the Outer Banks -- from the lattice fence to the staircase leading down to the beach to the reeds blowing in the wind to the sandy beach filled with footprints. I go back there instantly, hearing the roar of the ocean waves. 

I know it's ridiculously hard to read the journaling in the above photos, so I've typed it below:

It all began with the click of my mouse. It all began by saying "Yes!" to Click, even though I knew it would be hard for me. And because I stepped out of my comfort zone, I got to meet Ali Edwards for the first time! I got to meet Me Ra Koh and Tracey Clark, too. I got to visit the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I got to meet lots of lovely bloggers, take photos, eat yummy food, learn about photography, play carnival games, and experience a crazy-loud crack of thunder.  Boom! I missed Noah and Brian, but I had so much fun at my first blogger retreat. {Oct 2013}



2 | "Number 1"

I wanted to include more than one photo in this layout, so I started by resizing the ocean image to 12x12, and then placed it on a 12x18 canvas and ordered it at Costco. I also resized five photos to 2x2, and placed them on three 4x6 canvasses. 

To make the big #1, I reused packaging from a matching game that Noah received for his birthday. Originally, it had 12 squares; I just took a razor blade and trimmed it down to seven. (I also used the blade to cut the cork number 1 off of the word "number.") I painted the number one white and let it dry.

I had planned to insert a bookmark filled with journaling behind the photos, but then totally forgot when I was piecing the layout together, and glued the photos down instead.  Oh, snap!

Plan B: Attach journaling to the back of the layout.   

Thank God for Plan B. 


Lastly, in this kit, Ali poses a really thought-provoking question, that I thought I'd share so you could gnaw on it, like I am.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I'm still thinking (probably not a good sign), but if you're so inclined, please share about the last time you did something for the first time in the comment section.