My Mind's Eye Blog

'Tis the Season...Gift Wrapping with MME

Happy Tuesday MME fans! As Christmas creeps closer and closer, we thought it was time to share some gift wrapping ideas! Enjoy and make sure to share your MME gift wrapping ideas with us too!

Shelly is here to share her simply beautiful gift ideas with us.

Good morning everyone! This is Shelly and I have some fun gift ideas to share with you!

I just love the fun bright colors of the Winter Wonderland collection. When I first saw this collection, my first thought was that I could really have fun with wrapping gifts, and when I got my chance to showcase some of my ideas, I jumped at the chance.

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Tags patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,twine,chipboard,stamps;Misc:marker,ink,pop dots

I kept things very simple and easy to do. We all have lots to do this time of the year, and plenty of gifts to wrap, I am sure!

For my first gift, I decided to mix things up. For the larger box, I simply used normal wrapping paper.

For the smaller box,I went for it and got a little more creative!

I wrapped the smaller box with a left over kraft bag from all my shopping. I cut a 2-inch strip of pattern paper and wrapped it around the box.

Just an FYI, but the 12x12 paper is perfect for a DVD case! Then, I twisted the twine around and tied a bow. My daughter topped it off with a name tag that was cut from the “Tags” patter paper. Perfect!

My kids and I had created these same hearts for Valentine’s earlier this year. Not only are they perfect for fun little treats, but great for gift cards too.

I cut a large heart from a paper bag.  My daughter picked out her favorite stamps, and started stamping away.

Next I stitched up half of the heart.

Then, we filled the heart with the goodies. We add a little more fun with some star and snowflake punched shapes. Anything to create a little mess on the teacher’s desk, right? Then, I stitched up the rest of the heart, punched a hole, and tied some twine through it.

We started off with boxes, moved on to gift cards, and now we have gift bags.

I started off with a simple kraft lunch bag. I used the 6x6 pad, cutting a 5.5x4-inch piece to fold over the top of the bag.

Next I punched two holes, wrapped a piece of twine, and tied a bow.

Using the same “Tag” patterned paper as used on the box, I typed up a “to” & “from” before having my son sign his name.

Depending on what you are putting into the bag, I cut a rectangular shaped chipboard piece the size of the bottom to keep the bag sturdy.

I have lots more ideas in my head that also include the accessories pad and decorative tapes, but I have lots more shopping to do before I can get there, but this is a pretty good start!

Happy Holidays!

December Challenge

Welcome to our very first December challenge! DECEMBER? How in the world did that happen? Wow!!!

Today we are challenge you to scrap your wish list. Whether you make a layout, card, altered item, or mini...well that's up to you. You can scrap your Christmas wish list, or interpret wish list in another way. The sky's the limit.

As always, there are a few rules and here they are.

1.Project must be created new for this challenge.

2. Project must look like a MME project. We say this every month-but we are not going to give you a percentage of MME that you have to use. Just make sure that it is comprised mainly of MME product.

3. All submissions must be turned in by midnight on Tuesday,December 18. A random winner will be announced with the second December challenge on December 19. Please enter via the InLinkz form below.

4.Winner will win MME collection of their choice.

Karen Grunberg took the challenge this time and here is what she came up with.

Supplies:Lucky in Love:Roses are Red patterned paper,Floral Stripes patterned paper,stickers;Lost and Found 3-Oliver:adornments;Lush-alphabet

Karen says: I have to say that if I could only have one wish for me and my kids, it's that they grow to not only accept but love who they are.

I had heard this quote:

"You are perfect, only you don’t know it. Learn to know yourself and you will discover wonders.
All you need is already within you, only you must approach yourself with reverence and love.Self-condemnation and self-distrust are grievous errors.Your constant flight from pain and search for pleasure is a sign of the love you bear for yourself;all I plead with you is this: make love of yourself perfect.Deny yourself nothing – give yourself infinity and eternity and discover that you do not need them; you are beyond."
-- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

and it says all I needed to say. I wish for my kids to know that they are already perfect.

I love the way Karen interpreted the challenge. She chose to scrapbook her wish for her children.

So now it's your turn! And we can't wait to see what you do. Good luck!!!!

November Challenge- Gratitude

Welcome to our second November challenge! Today we are challenge you to show your gratitude. Whether you make a layout, card, altered item, or mini...well that's up to you. Just make sure that it demonstrates gratitude in some way.

As always, there are a few rules and here they are.

1.Project must be created new for this challenge.

2. Project must look like a MME project. We say this every month-but we are not going to give you a percentage of MME that you have to use. Just make sure that it is comprised mainly of MME product.

3. All submissions must be turned in by midnight on Sunday, December 2. A random winner will be announced with the first December challenge on December 3. Please enter via the InLinkz form below.

4.Winner will win MME collection of their choice.

 

Karen Grunberg accepted our gratitude challenge and here is what she came up with:

Supplies: All is Bright -chipboard accessories, stickers, layered stickers  (remember these lines are not just for Christmas!)

Karen says: In 2010, my friend Lori asked me if I'd be willing to do a year-long Gratitude Project. It turned out to be the best thing I've ever done. I didn't know this at the time but practicing daily gratitude has been proven to make people happier. It makes you realize all the wonderful things you have in your ordinary life. The things you take for granted or might not think about.

Since then, I've been practicing daily gratitude.

I've even involved my son in the process and he has a gratitude journal of his own. If you can only make one more layout, I say let it be one that commemorates gratitude for the small things in your life.

Those ordinary things are what life's made up of. They're what make your life extraordinary. Make the time to capture them. I am confident that you will not regret a moment of it.


Karen always warms our heart. Not only does she make beautiful things...she is also a wise woman. :)

Please take time to enter our challenge, we think that you guys are the BEST at using MME and we'd love to see what you can come up with. Check back later today for the Family Recipe Challenge winner!

See you all tomorrow!

 

November Challenge- Scrap a Family Recipe!

Happy November, y'all! A new month means it is time for a new challenge. And since November is a month that many of us celebrate traditions,family,and gratitude...this month we are challenging you to Scrap a Family Recipe.

It doesn't even have to be a scrapbook layout. You can make a mini, a card, an altered item...you name it.

The rules are the same as always and here they are:

1. You can submit a layout,card,album,altered item,etc.

2. The project must consist of mainly MME. It must "look" like a MME layout. :) It must fit the theme.

3. The project must be created new for this challenge.

4. Upload the layout to InLinkz at the end of this post by the end of the day on November 13.

5. A random winner will be chosen and announced with the second November challenge on November 14. The prize is any MME collection- the choice is yours.

Tamara took the challenge this time and here is what she came up with!

Supplies: Lost and Found Halloween:Hallows Cottage patterned paper, Hallows Rounds patterned paper, Hallows Pumpkins patterned paper, Hallows Halloween Ads patterned paper,glittered accessories sheet,chipboard accessories,brads;Misc:black thread,ink and pen,letter stickers,cream/orange cardstock

Tamara says: For my family, FALL = PUMPKIN!  We are huge pumpkin fans at our house and usually go through a dozen large cans of pumpkin from September through November. 

Some of our favorite pumpkin creations: pumpkin bars, Upside-down Pumpkin Pie, Dinner in a Pumpkin, Chiffon Pumpkin Pie, and Pumpkin Bread.

I have pinned 134 pumpkin recipes on Pinterest and can’t wait to try out some of my new finds.  But one of our FAVORITE recipes has to be these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins. 

The crisp cinnamon streusel topping gives way to a moist pumpkin cake with a creamy cheesecake center.  Pumpkin HEAVEN!  They also freeze very well and are the perfect breakfast treat after 30 seconds in the microwave.

The glittered orange accents of the Lost and Found Halloween collection added the touch of “pumpkin magic” to my layout.

I cut the scalloped border from patterned paper. Then I layered journaling spots and accented them with the perfect pumpkin chipboard. I printed the recipe directions on a card and slid it in a pocket on my layout.  That way, the layout focused on the photo and recipe and it didn’t look cluttered.  Find the full Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe on my blog.

WOW! I don't know about you guys, but Tamara's layout has my mouth watering and my stomach growling! Can't wait to see the recipes that you all share!

A reminder- the stamp challenge winner will be posted later today. :)

Shelly Takes the October Challenge!

Have you entered our October stamping challenge? We sure hope so! It's an easy way to have lots of fun and you could win an entire collection of your choice!

If you missed the challenge, you can find it here.

Shelly made a page for the stamp challenge this month and here is what she came up with!

Happy Halloween by Shelly Jaquet

Supply List:Lost and Found Halloween:Hallows Halloween Ads patterned paper,Hallows Dot patterned paper,decorative brads,stamps,diecut sheet,chipboard;Winter Wonderland:Christmas Trees patterned paper;Six by Six Two:Mother's Love paper pad;The Sweetest Thing-Bluebell:stamps;Indie Chic-twine;Misc:Prima chalk ink,VersaFine,Marvy Uchida tag punch;corner rounder,adhesive,computer

Shelly says: When I decided to do the October challenge, it was really a "challenge" for me! I am not much of a stamper,so I really tried to push myself to try a few different things.

I used a mask of the Marvy Uchida giga tag punch to create a stamped tag using the stamps from The Sweetest Thing Bluebell.Then I created a border with the "creepy.crawly.spooky.scary" stamp from Lost and Found Halloween.Last but not least...I simply tamped the bird and spider web as accents to my page.

Next, I created a background with the stamps from All is Bright.

I also used the chevron arrow stamp as a banner.

I had so much fun with this challenge, even though it took me out of my comfort zone. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

 

October Challenge

Happy Monday, everyone! It's time for the October challenge! Today's challenge is to incorporate stamping into your project. It can be a layout, a card, a mini album, an altered piece...the sky is the limit.

We just want to see you use our stamps! 

Let me remind you of the  challenge rules. This month the due date is a little different, as we are only having one challenge this month.

1.Project must be created new for this challenge.

2. Project must look like a MME project. We say this every month-but we are not going to give you a percentage of MME that you have to use. Just make sure that it is comprised mainly of MME product.

3. All submissions must be turned in by midnight on October 31. A random winner will be announced with the first November challenge on November 1. Please enter via the InLinkz form below.

4.Winner will win MME collection of their choice.

 

 

We asked Danni to play along this month and here is what she came up with!

Good morning, Danni  here with you today.

I am really excited to share with you a couple of cards I created with the new MME The Sweetest Thing Stamps.  These stamps are some of my favorites ever. I love how crisp the images are and how beautiful the images and sentiments work together. 

While stamps can seem intimidating at first, if you start with a background or block of card stock, it can make the process so much fun and rewarding. Today, I am going to share with you a step by step process for creating a card using the hexagon stamp in the The Sweetest Thing Happiness Stamps

Here is the card I created!

step 1:  stamp hexagons onto white card stock
   

I also created another card using the gorgeous doily stamps in the MME The Sweetest Thing Cutie Pie set!

  Finishing the card is made easy with the gorgeous chipboard and paper flags and brads.

I love to stamp a background and MME makes that so easy with gorgeous stamps and gorgeous chipboard to layer on top of the stamped background.

Supplies:The Sweetest Thing: "Cutie Pie and Happiness" stamp sets,  "Honey" simply lovely decorative brads and "perfect" chipboard elements, "Love" enamel dots, Tangerine chipboard pieces and decorative tape

September Challenge-Make it Work!

Welcome to our last September challenge! Today we are taking an idea from Project Runway. We want you to create a layout and then create a card that goes along with the layout.

In other words, your card must be clearly inspired by the layout. Whether you use the same design elements, or the same products...they must be a pair.

The name of this challenge? Make It Work. Yes. I'm channeling Tim Gunn. :)

Here is what two of our designers came up with.

Tamara:

Supplies: The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine:Sunny patterned paper,Woodsy patterned paper,Round patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Dandy patterned paper,Greetings patterned paper,Beam patterned paper,decorative brads,title,wood buttons,tiny word stickers,enamel dots,label stickers,decorative tape;The Sweetest Thing-Honey:wood buttons;Miss Caroline:Twine;Misc:brown ink,pen,blue and white machine thread,adhesive

 

 Tamara says:What a great challenge - I had so much fun creating this layout.  I love how the fresh, summery colors of The Sweetest Thing Tangerine line coordinated perfectly with this photo of my daughter and even matched her shirt! 

The banners perfectly described all of the things I love about her unique personality - I added stitching and the enamel dots to accent each word.  I cut out the chevron pattern and layered the papers, curling the edges to give a dimensional look to the page.  The wood buttons are fabulous!  I used a group of 3 to anchor the photo and create a focal point.

Now to create a card inspired from my layout!  I really liked the banners down the right side of the page.  So I cut out my own and stitched around them. 

I also wanted to echo the group of 3 circles from the bottom left side of the layout.  So I layered chipboard and wood buttons,brads,and enamel dots.  My layout was so bright and cheerful – so I knew I also wanted to mirror that in my card with the “You are my Sunshine” title (the edges of the yellow title also look like the zig zag of yellow chevron papers on my layout).

 

Shelly

Supplies: The Sweetest Thing-Honey:Notable patterned paper;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:Adorable patterned paper,Delicate patterned paper,Swatch patterned paper,label stickers,layered stickers,decorative brads,crocheted doilies;The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine:Round patterned paper,stamps;Lime Twist:twine;Misc:Girls' Paperie chipboard letters,Maya Road mist, Prima Vintage Pink chalk ink

Shelly says: 

For this layout I pulled out Tangerine’s Together Round paper. Perfect colors and I loved all the circle bursts that could be accessorized. I filled them up with a mix of decorative brads, die-cut shapes, and the crocheted doilies. For the larger one, I added a touch more color to it by stitching it down with some yellow floss.

It was easy to use each of the pedals as a guide to loop my floss through the doily. I topped it off by adding a brad with one of the paper doily die-cuts that are on decorative brad cards. I really like the look of the different layers and textures it adds to my layout.  

Lavender’s layered stickers were just too perfect to pass up on my layout. The sayings fit the theme perfectly. I finished off my layout with the ribbon banner above my title.

Just as a side note, sometimes when I do a layout, and I am just not sure where to put the journaling. I guess I put too many pretty little things on it! I still want to have the story behind the layout, so I sometimes journal on a tag and attach it to the top. That way, you just have to pull it out from behind the layout to read all about it.

Now, for the card. When I make a card after a finishing a layout, I use the layout as inspiration. This time around, I used the same supplies and even used my layout "sketch" as a starting point. I sectioned off the card just like I had done with the layout, just scaling it down to size.

The rules are the same as always, and here they are:

1. The submission must look like a MME layout. In other words, use MME product. Enough to make it look like it is predomindantly MME.

2. The project must be created new for this challenge.

3. The winner will be announced on the day of the October Challenge (October).

4. The winner will win the MME collection of their choice.

5. Link your submission through the InLinkz tool at the end of this post. Submissions are open through October 7.

Can't wait to see what all of you come up with! Oh- and the last challenge winner will be announced at 2 p.m. EST today. Thanks!

 

 

 

September Challenge

Happy September, friends of MME! We are so glad you are here today and we hope you all join in on September's first challenge!

The challenge is this. Document the end of summer.

Whether it be a layout, a card, a project, a mini, or another item...show us your thoughts on summer ending.

Shelly joined in this month and she chose to approach this challenge by doing a summary/glimpse of the past few months.


Supplies:Indie Chic-Ginger:pearls, Spice patterned paper,Damask patterned paper,Flourish patterned paper,twine;Indie Chic-Nutmeg:Checker patterned paper,Blooms patterned paper,Rainbow patterned paper,decorative tape;Indie Chic-Citron:Hibiscus patterned paper,Forest patterned paper,decorative tape;Indie Chic-Saffron:Daisy patterned paper

 

Close- up of left page:

 

Close-up of right page:

The rules are the same as always, and here they are:

1. The submission must look like a MME layout. In other words, use MME product. Enough to make it look like it is predomindantly MME.

2. The project must be created new for this challenge.

3. The winner will be announced on the day of the second September challenge (September 17).

4. The winner will win the MME collection of their choice.

5. Link your submission through the InLinkz tool at the end of this post.

 

Note: I will announce the BPC winner and the August challenge winner later today.

 

Have fun and good luck!

 

August Challenge #2

Welcome to the second August challenge! Today we want you to pull out those holiday papers and use them on a non holiday layout,card,or other project.

Tina and Suzanne are here today with some examples!

 

Merry Memories by Tina Walker

Supplies:Winter Wonderland:6x6 designer pad,designer accessory pad,enamel dots, twine,decorative brads,sticker accessory sheet,chipboard elements;Misc:cardstock,Silhouette Cameo,adhesive,sewing machine and thread

Tina says:Admit it...we all do it.  New holiday collections get released and we buy up every last piece.  We create adorable holiday projects, layouts, and cards, but yet we still have product left.

What should I do with it, you ask?  Just use it I say!  Just because the paper has snowflakes or cute little snowmen doesn't mean you can't use it for a non holiday project. 

Here are some ways I like to use Holiday collections for non-traditional projects.

1.  For holiday papers with typical holiday themes, cut them up!  Cut them into smaller sized pieces where the themed design isn't so obvious.  In my layout, I cut the snowflake paper into smaller pieces with my die-cut machine and adhered them to my page with pop dots.  Also, using Holiday paper with basic designs, such as dots and stripes can be used for any project.

2.  Hide holiday words on embellishments.  For my layout, I love the 'Christmas Memories' chipboard banner, but I obviously didn't want the word 'Christmas'.  So I hid the undesired word under my photo and you would never know it was a holiday embellishment.  You can also do this with tags or die-cuts that contain holiday words or phrases.  Layer and hide the words.

3.  Mix up individual letters from phases or words to create your own unique saying.  A great site to help you create new words is 'Scrabble Cheat'.  You enter the letters you have and possible words will be provided.  For example, you can enter the letters 'Merrychristmas' and you would get multiple words from those letters.  You can also use individual letters for unique meanings.  In my layout, I used the 'T' and  'S' from the 'Merry Christmas' stickers for initials of the people in the photo. 

4.  And who says red and green are for Christmas only.  These 2 colors look great together, so just use them!

 

 

The Best Day Ever by Suzanne Sergi

Supplies:Lost and Found Halloween:accessory sheet,chipboard elements,Hallows Dots patterned paper,Hallows Skull Doily patterned paper

Suzanne says:Even though the Lost & Found Halloween collection is spooktacular for Halloween memories, I thought it was perfect for creating a Happy Birthday card.  It has a vintage feel with the black and creams found on the papers.

I cut a small portion from a label found on the accessory sheet to add a bit of interest at the top of the card. I also created my own banner from cardstock that I used to print my sentiment. Some fancy trim along the bottom adds a bit of a party theme!

Great projects,ladies!

So here's the fine print,MME fans!

1.Project must be created new for this challenge.

2. Project must look like a MME project. I say this every month-but I'm not going to give you a percentage of MME that you have to use. Just make sure that it is comprised mainly of MME product.

3. All submissions must be turned in by midnight on August 31. A random winner will be announced with the first September challenge on September 3. Please enter via the InLinkz form below.

4.Winner will win MME collection of their choice.

Good luck!

 

 

August Challenge!

Welcome to our first August challenge! This is Shelly and I'm here today to issue an extra fun scrapbooking challenge. My challenge to you is to scrapbook a page that includes ten photos. Yes, that's right, TEN!

Supplies:Nostalgia-Classic patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Jacks patterned paper,Diamond patterned paper,Random patterned paper,Scallop patterned paper,chipboard elements,accessory sheet, decorative brads;Indie Chic-Ginger:twine;Misc-American Crafts thickers, eyelets,photo corners,adhesives

Seeing that most of my layouts are doublers, I have to say that I almost always have 10+ photos on any given layout of mine. Well, more often than not anyway! I tend to summarize several days on a layout. Whether it is a long weekend of guests or an entire season, and if it isn’t several days, then it is a bigger event that I ended up taking plenty of pictures to document. I am pretty sure I can’t be the only one out there that does that, right?!

For this page I wanted to document a visit from my parents. They live in a different state, so when they do come to visit, plenty of fun takes place! After shuffling through my pictures, I knew I had to use Nostalgia. The soft palette coordinated effortlessly with what everyone was wearing that week. I don’t always do that, but it was just too perfect to pass up. I also did lots of layering of the accessory and chipboard sheets too; the perfect little accents to document my memories.

Since all my pictures were horizontal, my go-to is to do a photo block, and then I chose two of my favorite pictures to stand off on their own.

I know I have been doing this a lot lately, but banners are just the perfect little thing to fill in some of that dead space on a layout. The “Sweetest Little Angel” die-cut from the accessory sheet was the perfect little banner and pattern, but since the title didn’t go with the theme of my layout, I took “The Best” sunburst die-cut with some pop-dots and layered it on top of that to create my own layered die-cut. I had a strip of the pink Scallop paper that I trimmed with my pinked edge scissors and then added a banner chipboard piece to add a little texture. Then, I finished it off with some stitching and brads.

Behind the journaling block, I layered some of the die-cuts from the accessory sheet. To add a little more visual interest to any pre-made journaling card, I love to add an eyelet with a little twine threaded through it. I love that “clothing tag” vibe that it gives off. And yes, I did say eyelet!

Of course, no layout of mine is finished without a few more brads. I also carried the twine across my layout by stitching down some of the letters in my title, tying a chipboard piece, and even wrapping a picture with it.

I had so much fun making this layout!

I can't wait to see what you can do with 10 photos! Here's the nitty gritty:

What: August Challenge- 10 photos

When: Due Tuesday August 14th at by midnight

Winner announced: With 2nd challenge on Wednesday,August 15th

Rules: must "look" like it is a MME project,must be created new

Prize: collection of your choice.