My Mind's Eye Blog

XOXO by Jana

Hello everyone! This is Jana and I'm here with a fun Valentine's Day layout!

 

Every Valentine's Day my parents drop by with a sack full of goodies for my kids. It's fun to capture the family together with all of the craziness and fun of the kids opening their gifts.

These kinds of pictures can be difficult to scrapbook, however, because of how busy the photos tend to be with many people, colors, and patterns.

One way to address these types of pictures is by placing them on a solid cardstock background and then using only a few slivers of patterned paper as accents. In this case, the photos can actually be considered a "patterned paper".

The supporting patterns should be used sparingly. You can see on the page below that I have incorporated several patterns, but only in small strips or as a border around the page. The photos are still the main "pattern" of my page

Supplies:Lucky in Love: Chevron patterned paper, Roses are Red patterned paper, Floral Stripes patterned paper, Heart Burst patterned paper, 12 x 12 Stickers; Red & Turquoise Decorative Tapes 

 

close up of left page:

 

close up of right page:

I began my page with two sheets of white cardstock. I spruced it up a little by spritzing the background with teal mist. Next, I arranged the photos on my page, matting a few of them with the blue tone-on-tone pattern side of the Chevron paper.

I wanted the smaller photos to be anchored on a common horizontal line, so I ran a length of turquoise decorative tape across each page. I layered the red heart strip from the Roses are Red paper on top of the tape.

Next, I used more turquoise decorative tape underneath my photo arrangement, along with 0.5" strips of the Floral Stripes paper. I handcut the pink lace borders from the Roses are Red paper and added that along the bottom.

Now it's time to add page accents! The 12 x 12 sticker sheet was perfect for this. I'm a very visual person and I like to move elements around the page several times before deciding on their placement.

With stickers, this can be tricky to do without tearing the paper underneath. My solution? I keep a small dish of cornstarch on my desk that I apply to the back of the stickers so that they are no longer tacky.

Now I can move them around and even add foam squares to the back for dimension.

 

 

Thanks for coming by today! Happy Valentine's Day Eve!

 

 

Classroom Valentine Ideas with Shelly and Suzanne

Welcome to the blog guys! You picked a great day to come by, we have some amazingly creative and darling classroom/child valentines to share with you all today.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Thursday!

Die Cut Valentines by Shelly Jaquet

Supplies:The Sweetest Thing-Honey:'One of a Kind' title,'Perfect' title,'Simply Lovely' title, 'One of a Kind' journal card, 6x6 paper pad,decorative brads;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:'Cutie Pie' title,'The Best' title,'Fabulous' title, 'About Me' journal card, decorative brads, 6x6 paper pad;Indie Chic-twine;Winter Wonderland-stamp set;Misc:tag punch,Versafine black ink,sewing machine and thread

Shelly says:With Valentine’s Day right round the corner, we are starting the next round of “holiday” parties for the New Year.

My daughter just loves it when she gets to play with all my craft stuff with me, and so do I!

What could be easier than using My Mind’s Eye pre-made die cut titles and journaling cards?We flipped through my stack and together we chose our favorites. Then, we pulled out the coordinating 6x6 paper pads and decorative brads.

My daughter will be having a Valentine’s Party with her Daisy Girl Scout Troop next Sunday. So we sat down together this past weekend to create some special handmade Valentines for her Daisy Friends.By keeping to this size, the valentines will easily fit into an envelope.

We trimmed 2” strips of paper from various patterns and matched them up to each of the die cuts. Using a 4.25”x5.5” card base as a guide, we trimmed the 2” strips to size after arranging them how we wanted them.

We finished each card off by stamping “to and "from” (using the Winter Wonderland stamp set) on to white tags. I have a punch to create these, but you can also find pre-made tags at your local office supply store.

Next, we attached the tag using brads and twine from the Indie Chic Collection.With the odd shape of these valentines, I was worried that they might fall apart after all the handling they would endure with the kids, so I quickly ran each through my sewing machine. Those babies aren’t going to fall apart now!

To add a personal touch, my daughter added to the pre-printed sentiment. I have to say that I was pretty proud of how she knew just what she wanted to say to each one to make it her own message in her own handwriting. She is so excited to hand them out at her Valentine’s Party!

I hope you feel inspired to pull out your stash of die cut titles and create with your kids today!

 

Assorted Valentine's Day Treat Bags by Suzanne

Supplies: Lucky in Love:Flower patterned paper,Cupid's Arrow patterned paper:Lost and Found 3-Ruby:stamps,enamel dots;Misc:glassline bag,doily,glitter

 Suzanne says: I thought cookies would make for a fantastic Valentine treat for my children's classmates. They are easy to make, and fit nicely in these glassine bags.

I took a 5x7 glassine bag that I cut to 5" x5 3/4". Then I took an oval punch, and punched the top of the bag to add a handle at the top. Glassine bags are perfect for baked goods, and make a beautiful presentation.

I covered the middle of the bag with the Flower Power patterned paper, and added a stitched doily to the top.  A few glittered hearts, and a cute stamp (from Lost & Found 3) add fun valentine details. 

Supplies:Lost and Found 3-Ruby:Grey Quatrefoil paper,Ruby Stripes glitter paper,enamel dots,layered stickers;Misc:vellum,heart doily,glitter,ribbon

Suzanne says: I also created these popcorn pockets stitched together with vellum. The Lost & Found 3 Ruby Collection has a color palette that is so very perfect for Valentine's Day crafts. This was so easy to create...and it is a beautiful way to present special treats, notes, and cards.

These were the perfect size to add individual servings of popcorn tucked inside! An inexpensive way to ensure all 25 classmates are gifted with a treat on Valentine's Day.

And another vellum popcorn pocket example:

Supplies: Lost and Found 3- Ruby:Medallion patterned paper,Quatrefoil paper,Floral patterned paper,layered stickers,decorative brads;Misc:vellum,doily,ribbon

Supplies:

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope I've given you some different and fun ideas for your valentines!

Lucky in Love with Suzanne

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! We hope you are having a wonderfully creative day. Today we are sharing two lovely Valentine's Day projects by Suzanne. Enjoy and happy creating!!!

Valentine's Day Mason Jar by Suzanne

Supplies: Lucky in Love:sticker accessory sheet,Floral Stripes patterned paper,Roses Are Red patterned paper,Cupids Arrow patterned paper;All is Bright:twine;Lost and Found 3-Ruby:enamel dots,sticker accessory sheet;Misc:mason jar, diamond dust,doily,sewing machine

Suzanne says:Our children and our loved ones are usually the ones I shower with gifts on Valentine's Day.This year I plan on showing their teachers how much we appreciate them, too.

A simple and pretty gift idea is to dress up a glass mason jar. These are so pretty on their own. However, fancying them up  with the  Lucky in Love collection makes them the perfect gift for Valentine's Day.

I chose two of the papers to create a 3" border that I stitched along the bottom. Next I wrapped it around the jar on top of a white doily.I love creating tags, and I pulled in bits from the Ruby Lost & Found 3 Collection to create a bold tag to hang on the side of the jar.

Layering doily elements from the sticker accessory sheet, I created a pretty bloom.

I covered the heart sticker with diamond dust to add a bit of sparkle. The twine from All Is Bright works perfectly with this collection, too.Now, this jar can be filled with candy, a gift card or cookies that any teacher would love to receive!

Hot Air Balloon Card by Suzanne

Supplies:Lucky in Love:Roses are Red patterned paper,Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,sticker accessory sheet;All is Bright:twine;Lost and Found-Ruby:buttons;Misc:vellum,doily,sewing machine,embossing folder

 Suzanne says:When I saw the hot air balloon on the Lucky in Love sticker accessory sheet, I knew I HAD to use it on a card. But I wanted it to stand alone so that it could make a bold statement on the card.

I decided to back the sticker with white cardstock so that I could add my personal message.

Next I simply created a 5" x 4" base from the Roses are Red patterned paper. I then punched a circle midway in the middle of  the card, so it would nestle underneath the hot air balloon sticker.

I wanted this card to be able to be read, and I also wanted to add a gift card inside. So, in the inside of the card, I created a pocket using vellum that I stitched along the sides and bottom.

What is Valentine's Day without hearts? I punched small hearts and placed them inside of a vellum pocket. Next I embellished the balloon sticker with layers of vellum, cardstock, heart stickers, and a button.

A  few more details were then added to the bottom of the card.

This card is the perfect card to show someone special in your life  how much they are loved!

Rolled Paper Heart

I always find it difficult to decide what to decorate for in January: snow/winter or go directly to Valentine’s Day. I usually try to split the few weeks between the two and don’t get to fully enjoy either. We have had snow on the ground the entire month of January and it has been cold, so this year I went directly to Valentine’s and have loved it!

Since we have two sweet boys at our house, my décor is focused on family love instead of romantic love. At the end of my life if my boys know one thing, I want them to know without a doubt that they are loved. That they are the most important things to me.

I love the fun, bright colors of the Lucky In Love collection. The sticker sheet is full of darling pieces. I especially swoon at the bicycle built for two!

I love the flowers in the bottom left corner. They frame the heart and draw your eye to the title: “Love Lives Here”.

To create the heart, I cut 21 - 4” x 6 1/2” pieces of paper, lightly spritzed them with water, rolled them around a skewer and glued it together. When I had them all rolled, I hot glued them to the heart pattern (link to pattern).

Download Instructions here:  Download 2013_02_05_GTU_Rolled Heart Frame

Heart pattern link: http://www.amberpacker.com/patterns/2013/02/rolledpaperheart.html

I demonstrated this project on Good Things Utah this morning. I will add the link to the segment when it is online here:

 

In the Mood for Love {Cards} with Danni

Good morning everyone!  Danni here with you today to share a few more cards using the Lucky in Love papers and the Lost and Found 3-Ruby enamel dots.  I love finding all kinds of reasons to adhere as many of the enamel dots on a card as possible, they make me very happy and they add the perfect spot of color and happy to every project.

On my first card, I created a tic tac toe board using my Cameo and the beautiful papers from Lucky in Love and after stitching the grid, I added spots of happy to the 'os' with my enamel dots, the perfect little touch to still keep this card reasonable to mail and fun to receive

Tic Tac Toe by Danni Reid


I love that the enamel dots draw your attention to the 'os' and inadvertently you are drawn to see the center of this tic tac toe grid is a heart.

On the next card, I decided to add a little spot of happy to the amazing arrow paper in the Lucky in Love line to draw attention to the centers of these cute patterns.  I really love this pattern, it's so happy and fun!

I Heart You Card by Danni Reid

Using the enamel dots on the arrows allows you t really see the bullseye the arrow shot through, fun little details to add a whole lot of happy.  And while you are adding touches of color, happy and embellies, this card is still reasonably and easily mailed at the post.

On my last card, I really couldn't take it anymore, I decided to play with a lot of enamel dots (they make me that happy....giggle) and created a heart using these beautiful color spots and a couple of the gorgeous buttons.  I then decided the heart should remain the focal of the card, so I added a short sentiment cut with my Cameo to the bottom.


I hope you, too, will pull out your gorgeous enamel dots to add to your Lucky in Love Valentine layouts, cards and gifts this year.  They are truly the perfect little happy on each project.

Thank you for visiting us today.  Happy Creating♥

Tic Tac Toe card supplies: Lucky in Love-Chevron patterned paper,Flower patterned paper,Multi Stripe patterned paper;Lost and Found 3 -Ruby:enamel dots,buttons;Misc:Cameo, white cardstock, machine stitching

I Heart You Card supplies: Lost and Found 3-Ruby:Doily patterned paper,ename dots; Lucky in Love: Chevron patterned paper,Multi Stripe patterned paper,Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,Heart Burst patterned paper;Misc: Cameo sentiment, machine stitching, white card stock

XO card supplies: Luck in Love:Flower patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,Roses are Red patterned paper;Lost and Found 3:Ruby enamel dots, buttons; Misc: Cameo sentiment, machine stitching Bazzill kraft card stock

Lucky in Love Cards with Danni

Good morning, Danni here with you today. 

I am absolutely smitten with the new Lucky in Love collection and will be creating with it A LOT in the next month or more.  I say "more" because I love to create cards long after Valentine's Day for my loved ones. 

This new line allows you to create "love" cards for your loved ones all year long.  Whether you are creating for an anniversary, missing you, thinking of you, love you, happy birthday, these papers are PERFECT.  I know we will also have lots of Valentine inspiration using these papers in the next few weeks, but let's go ahead and create a couple of "fun" cards, just in case you need to tell that special someone you love them before Valentine's Day.

On my first card, I had to create with that dual bike for my beloved.  Yes, we have one, we ride one, we love one and it brings up so many memories of very happy times for us. 

I plan to sneak this card into his lunch one of these mornings and can't wait to see his reaction.   I love that you can block/quilt the papers in this line to create a gorgeous array of color and patterns. 

And, the new Collectable 'Today'  stamps from are perfect to pair with the Lucky in Love line, they are incredible stamps.

Supplies: Lucky in Love:Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,Multi Stripe patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Roses are Red patterned paper,enamel dots;Collectable;'Today, stamps;Misc:Papertrey Ink die, Jenni Bowlin Cough Syrup ink pad, machine stitching, Bazzill cardstock

On my second card, I wanted to show that you could use these gorgeous papers to playfully and beautifully tell your loved one how much you love them with a play on words in the sentiment sticker. 

One of my favorite things about MME products is how beautifully they mix and match from previous releases.  I paired a sticker from The Sweetest Thing line with the gorgeous new Lucky in Love line. 

And, if you do not have a numbers die in your stash, you could easily use number stickers or number words that come in your Tiny Word stickers packs. 

Supplies: Lucky in Love: Flower patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,The Sweetest Thing-"Reasons Why" stickers;Misc:Papertrey Ink number dies,Bazzill cardstock, Martha Stewart heart punch, machine stitching

I hope I have inspired you to take a look at Lucky in Love for ALL it's possibilities, for layouts and cards beyond Valentine's Day, and don't be afraid to pull The Sweetest Thing together with it...wink. 

Thank you for visiting us today, we can't wait to see what you will create with this fun, new Valentines line.

Gina Part Two

Yesterday we introduced you to our fabulous January guest designer, the crazy talented  Gina Rodgers.

Today she is back with two more layouts, and we couldn't possibly love them more. We know you will love them too. Enjoy!

 

Thirteen

Supplies: Lost & Found 3-Ruby:Pink Lace patterned paper,Doily patterned paper,Honeycomb patterned paper,Collage Stripe patterned paper,Floral patterned paper,Postcard patterned paper,Medallion patterned paper, cecorative brads,adornments,decorative buttons, enamel dots,chipboard elements,decorative tape,sticker accessory sheet

Gina says:This layout is of my 'baby' who is thirteen, she looks like she's going on 18 in the photo and it's a bit scary! I've used some layering, paper and decorative tape strips and added a
border using strips from the Ruby Doily paper.

 

Circle of Friends

Supplies:Lucky in Love:Hugs & Kisses patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,Multi Stripe patterned paper,Floral Stripes patterned paper,sticker accessory sheet;Lost & Found 3 -Ruby: decorative Brads,sticker sccessory sheet,decorative tape,6x6 paper pad,decorative buttons,

Gina says:I had so much fun scrapping this photo of my youngest daughter Jem with her fabulous group of friends. I love how the Lucky in Love collection goes so well with the Lost & Found 3 Ruby line!

I've run 3 narrow strips of paper through the center of the page with the top and bottom strips overlapping on angles which helps to draw the eye to the photo.

I also added some dimension to the decorative brad below by pleating a couple of strops of paper from the Lost & Found 3 Ruby 6x6 paper pad.

Thanks SO much for sharing your creativity with us this month, Gina. It's been a pleasure and a treat!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

Mini Albums with Monika..."Right Now"

We're just days away from a brand new year, can you believe it?

Greetings...I'm so excited to share another Mini Albums with Monika project today.

A few years ago, I recorded answers to the same questions every month for a year...similar to the "currently" journaling prompts we've all seen around.

Fun project to do and even more fun to look back to read what was on my mind back then. I thought it was time to do this project again, so let me share with you my process and the mini album page download, which you'll find at the end of the post.

Supplies The Sweetest Thing-Honey:Love patterned paper, 'One of a Kind' layered stickers, Lost and Found 3-Ruby:chipboard elements;Indie Chic:'Hanging Out ' decorative tape,Misc: sewing machine and thread, glue stick, spiral binding machine and o-wires, raw chipboard

When I create a mini album project, I nearly always design the cover last. Once I began my search for goodies to embellish the front cover, the chipboard piece "Tell Me All About It" seemed just the perfect title for this collection of "right now" thoughts.

You might notice that I added a chipboard arrow to cover the title that was already on the layered sticker. A little machine stitching (in red) highlights the red spiral binding and the red in the chipboard arrow that points to the title.

I'm still crushing on the decorative tape trend and I chose the gold polka dot tape to enhance the gold from the layered sticker embellishment on the front cover. For the back cover, a little more decorative tape to add a bit of interest. If you don't have a binding machine, use binder rings instead.

Supplies:The Sweetest Thing-Honey:Love patterned paper,'One of a Kind' layered stickers,Lost and Found 3-Ruby:chipboard elements

See those blank blocks at the top and bottom of the mini album page? Here's how I decided to kick it up a notch...add more MME paper to the project!

I printed enough pages to record my thoughts for two years, but left some pages unembellished so that I can add other MME collections to my mini album as new collections are released.

 

DESIGN TIP | When adding paper that needs to fit within a block, my go-to adhesive is a glue stick, which gives me just a bit of time to wiggle the paper around until it's in just the position it needs to be in.

Supplies Lost & Found 3-Ruby:Floral patterned paper,Lost & Found 3-Oliver:Mixed Floral patterned paper;The Sweetest Thing -Honey: 'Perfect' Flawless patterned paper;The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine: 'Happy' Sunny patterned paper, 'Hello' Wishes patterned paper;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:'Reasons Why' Swatch patterned paper,'Fabulous' Berries patterned paper;Lucky in Love:Multi Stripe patterned paper

Here's another peek at the Right Now mini book and the link to the mini album page template for you to download. Just print the file on your favorite 8.50 x 11 piece of cardstock and trim to size. 

I would adore seeing how you used the download for your own mini album project posted to our Facebook page, so please share!

For some reason we can not get the download to work today. Just CLICK HERE if it isn't working for you below!

Naomi Part 2

Today we are back to share more beautiful layouts from Naomi Atkins. Make sure to check out yesterday's post (if you haven't yet)!

Thanks for being our December guest designer, Naomi! We love what you came up with!

 

Joy layout

 Supplies: All is Bright:Chevron patterned paper,Christmas Tag patterned paper,chipboard elements,decorative brads,decorative brads,twine;Lost and Found 3:chipboard elements;Misc:sewing machine and thread,doily,American Crafts cardstock,adhesives,letter stickers;Photography:Inspired and Enchanted Photography

 

A Tip from Naomi: I love this vintage Christmas line! I cut some of the details out of the patterned papers and sewed along the lines of some of the chevron patterned paper. I layered the chipboard shapes, and added paper and date stickers underneath the chipboard tag. I sprayed with a but of Mr Huey's as well.

 

My Girl layout

Supplies:Lost and Found 3-Oliver:Yellow Floral patterned paper,Blue Lace patterned paper,Ledger Stripe patterned paper,adornments,chipboard elements,decorative buttons,enamel dots;Misc:sewing machine and thread,doily, American Crafts thickers

 

A Tip from Naomi: I did a lot of stitching and detail cutting of the patterned papers. I hand cut the banner out of paper and decorated and added a title. Last, I added lace under the border of the photo.

 

 Love ,Most of the Time layout

Supplies: Lucky in Love:Cupid's Arrow patterned paper,Multi Stripe patterned paper,Along for the Ride patterned paper,Floral Stripes patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,stickers;Lost and Found 3-Ruby:decorative tape,buttons;Misc:doily,adhesive,American Crafts thickers,Silhouette Cameo,Kerri Bradford arrow die cut,sewing machine and thread

A Tip from Naomi:I had fun die-cutting the arrows from the different patterned paper and then sewing and layering them to the layout. i also adhered the pictures with some fun strips of washi tape.  

Thanks again, Miss Naomi!

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!!!!