My Mind's Eye Blog

I Spy with MME- April 2013 Edition

Good morning blog readers! Today it's time for the April installment of I Spy with My Mind's Eye. Every day we scour blogs, online galleries, Facebook, and Twitter to find examples of layouts, cards, and other projects using our products.

Once we find eye-catching,inventive projects...we pin them to our "Inspiring Cards and Layouts" Pinterest board. No one uses MME better than YOU do. So keep sharing, we love what you create.

Today we have seven projects that we wanted to share with you. Each designer's name is linked to their blog. So make sure to stop by, say hi, and see more of their talents!

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Designer:Valerie Huang
 

Valerie says:The reason I created this layout is to put it in the frame as our family photo in the living room.I love Instagram and absolutely can't live without. Love the random shots I took the same week. It also makes me smile whenever I see it. 

Why it caught our eye:  We adore the way Valerie showcased Lucky in Love  on this layout. The "clothesline" is so smart and creative and this is the perfect piece to showcase special photos.

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Designer:Cathie Reed
 

Cathie says:Enamel dots are wonderful embellishments for boy pages – I love them.  I bought a few packs from my LSS and I wondered what would happen if I used a lot of dots on one page. It was a little scary at first but once I let go of that supply-hoarding-instinct I had a blast and love how my page turned out.

Why it caught our eye: Cathie rocked the enamel dots in this layout. She uses them in a modern, playful way and we LOVE this page. The strip of fun, scattered embellshments across the bottom of the page adds the perfect finishing detail to the page. We loved seeing our dots used in such an inventive and creative way.

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Designer:Debby Hughes
 

Debby says:I created this card for a CASE Study challenge. I wanted a repeating patterned graphic card but felt it would be great to break the pattern up a bit for interest. My Mind's Eye enamel dots were the perfect solution! I used the My Sweetest Thing honey love and bluebell smile.

 

Why it caught our eye: This is, hands down, the most chic way we've seen our enamel dots shine on a card. Simply, graphic perfection. This is a card that anyone would be lucky to receive!

 

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Designer:Valerie O'Neall
 

Valerie says:This layout was created for The Scrapbooking Studio. This is the first two-page layout I have done in such a long time. My Mind's Eye has such fun embellishments! They really make layouts come together quickly!

Why it caught our eye: This is a two page layout done right. Valerie uses our embellishments in perfect moderation here. We could study this layout all day and still find things we love about it. 

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Designer:Tiffany Hood
 

Tiffany says:The Lost & Found 3 Ruby collection is my favorite collection of all time.  It's elegant and sweet and sophisticated.  I fell in love with the colors, the sparkle, and the elements when I first saw it and knew instantly which photo I wanted to use with the collection- a picture of my sweet little girl when she turned one, decked out in her tutu and pearls.

Why it caught our eye: This page is lush, beautiful, and feminine. It should be framed on the wall and not put away in a scrapbook. Lost and Found 3: Ruby is the perfect line for this darling photo.

 

Thanks for stopping by today, MME fans!

Remember, keep sharing your beautiful creations and you might just be featured in next month's edition of I Spy with MME!

 

A Card Sketch from Danni

Good Morning! Danni here with you today to share a card i created using the new Collectable "Handsome" dots and "Remarkable" decorative  tape.

I started my card using the sketch below and deciding on one of my favorite quotes "Shoot for the Moon" by Les Brown.

I wanted to bounce the fun, bold colors in the enamel dots against the white and the designer tape allowed me to do just that. Instead of patterned paper, I chose to work with the tape because you can still see "white" through the tape so I was hopeful to really bounce the playful colors and make a "bold" statement.

I love how the enamel dots add the perfect touch to embellish the arrows and stars, it makes it playful, fun, bold yet still mailable (yay!!!).

Thank you for visiting us today and if you give the sketch a try, we'd love for you to link us up!

card supplies:Collectable: 'Handsome' enamel dots,decorative tape;Misc: Cameo arrows, computer-generated sentiment, Bazzill white cardstock

Using Clusters to Lead the Eye

Hello everyone! This is Jana!

Did you know that one of the best ways to lead a viewer's eye around your scrapbook page is by using clusters? Clusters provide interesting spots for the eye to rest and absorb your layout in nice "bite-size" pieces. I especially love building clusters with all of the wonderful, dimensional embellishments that coordinate with the My Mind's Eye collections.
 


 
I knew was going to have one photo, so that allowed me the opportunity to have a little fun with the remaining space on the page. First, I created a background for my photo by layering together several random blocks of 6x6 papers. There is no rhyme or reason to it, infact I sliced some of the corners off of a few blocks just for fun!
 
I decided that I wanted the page title towards the top. I combined the Happy Days layered sticker with the "Handsome" Title Card and then built a cluster around that with several decorative brads and "The Best Day" chip sticker from the decorative buttons.
 


 
The point of the title card naturally leads the eye down the page, so I knew I would place part of my design in the lower left corner. This is where the journaling block ended up. I used another cluster of embellishments on the bottom of the journal card to lead the eye towards the right. The arrows from the decorative stickers were a great choice and calls attention to the photos perfectly. A few more brads and a decorative button add a bit of interest.
 


 
I only had one image for this page, but the single photo felt out of balance. To remedy this, I added the exact same photo next to it printed in a slightly smaller size. This "echo" effect strengthens the page subject through repetition.
 
Finally, I didn't want the eye to stop abruptly at the photo. I stamped the trio of arrows from the "Today" Decorative Stamps pointing back towards the center of the page (I also stamped the same image at the top of the page by the title block) and added a cluster of layered stickers and more decorative brads to the top right corner of the photos. This casually circles the eye back to the title of the page and just rounds out the page.
 

Next time you build your page, try using clusters of embellishments to lead the viewer through your page.
 
Thanks for stopping by today!
 

SUPPLIES: Collectable-Remarkable: 'Beautiful' Delightful patterned paper,'Authentic' Genuine patterned paper, 6 x 6 Paper Pad,'Handsome' title tard,'Authentic' journal card,layered stickers,decorative brads, decorative buttons,decorative stickers,label stickers,enamel dots;Collectable-Unforgettable:'Today' decorative stamps;Misc:cardstock,circle punch,brown distressing innk,black stamping ink,white spray ink, black journaling pen,scissors,trimmer,adhesives

Pinspiration Thursday

We are so glad you stopped by today, it's Pinspiration Thursday!

Every day, we scour the Internet for inspiring MME projects. We find your work on your blogs, through our FB page,and in online galleries. We pin the ones that inspire us most!

Then once a month we challenge our designers to use one of your creations as inspiration for a layout or card.

This month Suzanne and  Stephanie are joining us. Here's what they came up with. Enjoy and have a lovely, creative day!

 

Inspiration Piece: Tamara Tripodi

 

Stephanie's version:

Supplies:My Girl: Flutterby patterned paper,Fancy Free patterned paper,Genuine patterned paper,Playful patterned paper,designer tape,felt stickers, layered stickers,enamel dots,decorative buttons,chipboard accents;Collectable-Unforgettable:'You Are' tiny word stickers,'First' decorative stickers;Collectable-Memorable:enamel dots;Collectable-Notable:'Love This' tiny word stickers;Misc:doilies,Simple Stories letter stickers,Dear Lizzy Thickers,American Crafts precision pen,adhesives

 

Stephanie says: Tamara's page made me so HAPPY the moment I saw it. I just knew immediately that her's  was the page I wanted to lift.

The first way I lifted Tamara's page was to use My Girl, since she used all Boy Crazy for her page. I would have used Boy Crazy, too...but with four little girls in this house that just ain't happening. :)

I lifted the overall design- photo placement, paper layering placement, embellishment clusters,etc. The title is in generally the same place.

The biggest design element I lifted from Tamara is the sweet scattering of embellishments all over her darling page.

She used brads, enamel dots,stickers, and chipboard...I used layered stickers, enamel dots, tiny word stickers, and felt accents.

Thank you SO much for the inspiration, Tamara...you've help me create a page I love!

 

Inspiration Piece: Marlene Gomez

 

Suzanne's version:

Supplies:Lost & Found 3-Ruby:Doily patterned pape,Medallion patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,Floral patterned paper,decorative brads,enamel dots,layered stickers,sticker accessory sheet;Misc:letter stickers, adhesive,doilies,sewing machine and thread,embossing folder

 

Suzanne says:I was really drawn to this altered set by Marlene Gomez. I loved the combination of pinks and browns. The softness of her layout and all the pretty details inspired me to create a layout of my two favorite girls!

I used a large banner on the left hand side of my page, and used doilies to replicate her white diecut scrolls.

I used hearts and vellum flowers as the tiny details to my page. I also added stitching on my page. I also love the enamel dots, as they are a quick way to add interest to letters, and images found on the patterned papers.

How to Create a Confetti Border with Enamel Dots

Hi, Everyone! Jana Eubank here. I have to tell you that I am loving the new My Girl and Boy Crazy collections. The bright colors have me sifting through my summertime photos to scrap .... the perfect five-minute-vacation from the chilly, single-digit temperatures outside my window. :)

Supplies: My Girl :Pinwheel patterned paper,Multi Plaid patterned paper,Sweet Girl patterned paper,Kite Strings patterned paper,Ride patterned paper,Genuine patterned paper,12 x 12 Chipboard,layered stickers, decorative brads,decorative tape,felt stickers,enamel dots;The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine: 'Happy'  label stickers

For this page, I pulled out a few snapshots I took at Disneyland last year of my daughter riding the King Triton Carousel.

In Photoshop, I duplicated the photo on top of itself, changed the top layer to black and white, and then erased the area with the seahorse for a spot of bold color.

I arranged my photos in blocks on different patterned papers and grouped several circles at the bottom (decorative brad circles, chipboard circles, and felt sticker circles).

The bottom of my page was very decorated, and I wanted to balance that out by adding fun detail to the top of my page as well.

I decided to sprinkle enamel dots across the top to look like confetti. I snipped the clear acetate carrier sheet so that each dot was on it's own little clear square. This allowed me to be able to arrange the dots in a pleasing manner before actually sticking them to my page.

I sprinkled in a few of the stars from the 12 x 12 chipboard elements sheet for variety.

I love the texture and whimsy the enamel dots look across the top! Wouldn't this be cute on a birthday or water page, too?! I can't wait to try it again!

 

Thanks for coming by!

The Sweetest Thing with Jana+Danni

We think that The Sweetest Thing is truly the sweetest collection around right now. The variety of prints,patterns,and colors is just beautiful. We hope you think so too!

Today Jana and Danni are here to share projects using The Sweetest Thing. Enjoy!

 

Jana Says:I LOVE the mixture of patterns of The Sweetest Thing collection! I love the way the casual polka dots & plaids play off the trendy chevron and hexagon prints, as well as the elegant florals, doily and damask prints.

Supplies:The Sweetest Thing-Honey: Damask patterned paper, Notable patterned paper,Cheerful patterned paper, Fond patterned paper, Flawless patterned paper, die cut title,layered stickers,tiny word stickers,decorative brads,decorative tape;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:stamps;Miss Caroline-Dilly Dally:Planks patterned paper;Misc-cardstock,vellum,letter stickers,journal block,ink,embossing powder,journaling pen,adhesive

The number pattern from the Honey collection especially caught my eye! On this page, I chose to cut out the number eight from the One of a Kind Notable paper to signify my daughter's age in this photo. But I can think of so many other ways I want to use this paper!

A countdown calendar or daily type of mini album would be fun! So would a "Top 5 or 10 Reasons I Love You" page. Or how about including one of those cute numbers on a birthday card?!

I used the Lavender Cutie Pie stamps to create a raised doily accent. The heat embossing on the vellum paper adds a bit of shine to the page along with the decorative brads. I love how bright and fun the NEW enamel dots are!

I wanted my title to go across the bottom of my photo, but found that the letter stickers were getting lost in the image. I added a couple of strips of the decorative tape to fade and soften a section of the picture, allowing the letter stickers to show up better. Almost like a beautiful strip of patterned vellum. Love it! 

Danni says:Hi everyone!  Danni here to share some cards created with the new enamel dots in The Sweetest Thing line.  I was giddy to see these new enamel dots in the CHA summer releases.  I love the colors, sizes and texture.They are perfect for cards and layouts to add the extra little something without adding a lot of bulky embellishments.  My favorite part about these enamel dots is how you can use them to accentuate your card, as a subtle embellishment, or as the main focal because of the fun colors. 

On the first couple of cards, I wanted to use the dots to accentuate my sentiment, adding the little extra splash of color while still allowing the cards to be mailed easily.  I love that you have so many sizes to choose from in each package to add the perfect amount of color.

On the next two cards, I was excited to create focal embellishments using the dots.  I really wanted to play with the colors on the first card, a bright, cheery card for someone special so I pulled out the new stamp set and matched my inks to the enamel dots.
 
Aren't those dots the most cheerful little things?  I just love them.  After creating this card, I had an idea to use them as flower centers because...well,they just HAD to be used this way! I punched a few flowers and added them as focals.  I love them against this background patterned paper, it really allowed the colors to pop.

As you can see, even with the larger dots, you could still mail these relatively easily, without a lot of hassle. 

I really hope you'll give these new enamel dots a try, they are so much fun and really add a lot of color to your projects.

Supplies: The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine:Sunny patterned paper,Woodsy patterned paper,Dandy patterned paper, Blossom patterned paper,Round patterned paper, Chevron patterned paper,enamel dots,tiny word stickers,stamps;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:Swatch patterned paper,Misc: Cameo File cuts, lace trim from stash, Jenni Bowlin and Papertrey Ink ink pads, Lil Inkers label die