My Mind's Eye Blog

Mixed Media with Karen- April Edition

Hi everyone!

This is Karen and I am back with another Mixed Media with Karen. This month, I wanted to try something different so I decided I would use the papers in the Collectable line to create a paper mosaic.

The first thing I did was to pull out two templates. One for drawing clouds and one that had a bird on a branch. I used a pencil to draw them onto my page and create my scene.


I then pulled out every paper that had a shade of blue and a few grays. I cut them all up into little pieces and grouped them by paper so I would know to use a variety. I patiently started gluing them down:


Maybe you can see from the photo, but I just covered my cloud with glue and stuck the papers down. This meant I didn't have to glue the tiny sheets (which would have been no fun for me.) I layered and varied colors haphazardly to make it not look perfect in any way. This is best to do while listening to fun music, a great book on tape or some TV you don't actually need to watch because it takes a long, long time. It's not boring or hard, but it is time consuming. (At least, it was for me.) Here are all three clouds covered with paper:


I then picked pink papers for the bird, brown ones for the branch and green ones for the leaves. Here's a side photo I snapped. It was pretty late at night by then hence the lower quality of the photo.

and once all the paper was glued down, I just had fun. I painted the background with a light blue wash, traced around the clouds with a pen, added some shading to the cloud in the back, etc. I then added my words, of course, because without words, it's never finished for me. And here's what I ended up with:

It says: It is all going to be ok. You can rest awhile.

Here's a little close up of the clouds:


and of the bird on the branch


If you haven't played with paper just for fun or made a mosaic in a while, I urge you to tear some paper and just have fun with it. The last time I remember doing this was in middle school and I forgot how much fun this simple activity can be. Was there something you really loved as a child that you haven't done for a while. This is the very best moment to try it again. I promise you will not regret it!

As always, thank you for letting me share my art. See you back here next month!

Mixed Media with Karen- March Edition

Hi everyone. Karen here. I am back for another dose of Mixed Media with Karen. Last month, I took the Brave Girls Art Class - Wings session and one of the things Melody taught everyone was how to draw and collage butterflies.

I thought it was super-fun and since I adore butterflies, I wanted to give it a try and see what I could create with my beautiful My Mind's Eye papers.

The first thing I did was to draw the skeleton of my butterfly. Since I knew I was going to add my gratitude, I decided to make my butterfly big and have half of it off the page.


Then, using those lines as my guide, I cut pieces of paper and layered them on there to create the shape of the butterfly. I cut off flowers, too. Just tried not to think too hard and play.


Once I was all done, I glued everything down.


The next thing I did was to add some dots and small touches with paint. I also added a thin layer of blue paint to the background.

My next step after that was pretty drastic.

At least, for me it was. I took some brown paint and used it to distress my butterfly. I also used it on the background and then rubbed a lot of it (and the blue paint) off the background with baby wipes. I also added some twine for the antennae. I ended up with this:

I did a few more rounds, a few more layers, some more distressing, and a border. And, of course, added my words. My final page looks like this:


and here are a few closeups:


The page I ended up with is very atypical for me. I generally like to go with bold, happy colors and I don't distress. But, to me, the whole point of regularly creating art is learning, playing, taking chances and
not being afraid to mess things up.

It's only when you try things that you have never done before that you discover new gems. When you stretch yourself, you grow. You learn more about the art, about the materials you use, and about you.

Thank you for letting me share my process and my art. I hope, this month, you take the time to try something new. Something that's not "you" and see how it works out. You might be surprised!


Supplies: Collectable-Notable:all papers,assorted embellishments

February Mixed Media with Karen

Welcome to another Mixed Media with Karen. As soon as I saw this  paper, I knew I wanted to use it in my page this month. The first thing I did was to cut out the Polaroid frames.


Since I knew I was going to use a part of my page to collect all my daily gratitudes from the week, I covered the page with graph paper from the new My Girl line. I then used an edge punch with the rainbow paper from the same line and covered a third of my page with it.

Then I added my three Polaroid frames. I like to make my objects come off the edge of the page cause it gives it a feeling of continuation and it's not so "perfect."

I then added some embellishments using the days of the week  and washi tape. I just had fun with it didn't over-think it.

Next, I added my title and two photos. One of me and my sister from when we were kids. And one of my two boys. My title says: Family is where you are loved just the way you are.

Next came stitching. I stitched right through all my alphas and the tiny word stickers on the edge of the Polaroid frames. I love love love adding stitching to my pages, it adds texture and makes me happy.

Once all of the elements were down, arranged, glued, and stitched, it was time to add paint. I picked my two favorite colors from the paper with the stars: orange and pink. And I just had fun with it. My last step was to add black paint to the edges of my page. It makes everything else on the page pop that much more.

and here's my final page, ready for the daily gratitude journaling.

Thanks for letting me share my page and process. I hope you liked it and if you use the awesome My Mind's Eye products on your mixed media pages, I'd love to see them so link me up in the comments!

Supplies: Collectable:'Love this" Adore patterned paper,'Journey' journal patterned paper,'Memo' label stickers,tiny word stickers;My Girl:Fancy Free patterned paper,Rainbow patterned paper;Decorative Tape Sets: red and turquoise, red and black

Mixed Media with Karen...Gratitude

Good morning!

It's Karen and I am back with another mixed media page. One of my focuses for this year is gratitude. I have designed a few projects for myself and my kids to keep gratitude front and center in my life.

Since I like doing mixed media, I thought combining the two would be the perfect opportunity to create some art and practice daily gratitude at the same time.

I bought myself a Moleskine sketchbook in the A4 size (a little longer and thinner than 8.5x11). I am creating a simple piece of art on each page and then recording my daily gratitudes all week long (I
also record one for my older son each day.) At the end of the week, my page is full of wonderful things to remember from that week. You can read more about my project here. (http://www.karenika.com/archives/26444)

Here's one of my pages from this month. The first thing I did was to take the Lost and Found 3 Ruby Collage Stripe paper and cut some strips out.

I then glued them down on my page and added the doily sticker from the Ruby Stickers page. (I cut it up and added one section on either side.) I also added a few word stickers that say "never forget these beautiful moments" and stickers to denote the first day and the last day.

And I started to paint my page a little.

Then I just went crazy with the paint. No rhyme or reason, just fun. The best kind of art, if you ask me.

I purposefully decided to only use one side of my book this year so I could stitch on my pages if I wanted to. So I grabbed my book and put it through my sewing machine. It required some creativity but I managed it and I always love the texture stitching adds.

Then I added a few little stamps just to pull the whole page together. Love how the birdcage dangles down and the bodyform stands up to anchor my page on both ends.

And then the last thing I added was a message. I always like to have a message. This one says: You are so very lucky right now (always good to remember.)

And there we go. If you'd like to see my filled page you can visit my blog  on Monday when I post the full page.

Thanks so much for sharing another mixed media adventure with me. I hope you create a gratitude journal of your own this year; it's proven to bring a lot of joy into one's life!



Supplies: Lost and Found 3-Ruby:Collage Stripes patterned paper,stiicker sheet,stamps;Lost and Found 2-Blush:'Princess'

Mixed Media with Karen...Lost and Found 3

Good morning everyone! This is Karen Grunberg and I'm here with my December mixed media blog post.

This month, I wanted to have fun with some of the beautiful papers and embellishments in the Lost and Found 3 line.

As I looked through the papers, the labels jumped out at me and gave me the inspiration for my page. So I cut them out and started laying them down in my book. I didn't over-think it, I picked two corners and cut out the two pieces of paper I liked the best. I painted my background a muted gray and glued the papers on the edges.

Supplies:Lost and Found 3-Oliver:Bingo glitter paper,Collage glitter paper,enamel dots,chipboard,stamps,sticker sheet;Lost and Found 3-Ruby:sticker sheet;Lush:black velvet alphas;All is Bright:stamps;Kraft Funday-Everyday Fun:stamps

I then used the sticker sheets and chipboard accents to add some layers and shimmer to my page. I grabbed some contrasting alphas and wrote my main word (free) and started adding more letter stickers.

After adding my title, I also used some of the texture stamps to add a little interest and layering to my background. The gray looked too dull to me and I like the noise and texture the stamps added. I colored the
edges of my page with some black paint and I was done.

The title reads: You are not bound by the labels others have put on you. You are free. Only you choose who you are. Only you.

And here's a closeup that shows you all the beautiful shimmering glitter Lost and Found 3 accessories and papers have:

And there you go, another fun mixed media and collage page. My challenge to you this month is to pull out some paper you love and start playing with it. Don't save them for a special occasion, every single day you
live is a special occasion. Use the supplies you love!

Thanks for letting me share my art and see you next time!

Mixed Media with Karen...Layered Stickers

Hi everyone!

This is Karen and I am back with another Mixed Media page! This month, I wanted to do something totally different and have fun.

I've been getting in the holiday mood more and more lately and when I pulled out the layered stickers in the Winter Wonderland line, I decided they would be the focus of my mixed media page for this month.

I then went to the On the Sunny Side line and pulled out those layered stickers, too. I knew I wanted to use the houses so I created a base for my page by painting the bottom part green (for grass) and then the rest
blue (for sky.)


I then put down the "summer" houses on one side and the "winter" houses on the other.

I added some snowflakes, a birds and a butterfly, and a crocheted doily for the sun.

My next step was to paint the right side grass white as if it's covered by snow.

Then I painted a little on each of the layered stickers, the doily, and the chipboard so it would all blend in better. A few letter stickers and my page was done:

The stickers read: Summer or winter, make a point to celebrate your life in all its seasons.

A super-sweet and simple page that took very little time. Here are some detail shots of summer:

and winter:

If you haven't played with the layered stickers in your art journaling, that's my challenge for you this week.

Pull them out and play!!

Thanks for letting me share my page and please leave me a comment with your pages too, I'd love to see them.



Supplies:On the Sunny Side:layered stickers;Winter Wonderland:layered stickers, chipboard accessories;The Sweetest Thing -Honey:crocheted doilies

Mixed Media with Karen...Stamping on Watercolor Paper.

This is Karen, back for the October Mixed Media page. This month, I wanted to try something different. I took a watercolor paper and used a bunch of our stamps to create  flowers. I didn't overthink it. I just stamped.

As you can see some of them didn't come out perfectly but I didn't worry. I just stamped along the edges and added a few butterflies. It's fun to stamp some of the flowers so they look like they're going off the edge. It gives the piece a bigger feel.


I used a water-proof pen to draw over some of the parts the ink had missed. Then I decided what my sentiment was going to be. I wrote the word "life" and stamped the rest of my title using a mix of My Mind's
Eye stamps.


Then I started coloring. I used my Tombow dual-tip markers. These are watercolor markers so when used on watercolor paper, they react to water.

Again, I didn't over-think it. I just colored, had fun and reminded myself again and again that the goal was not perfection but fun and joy. I wanted to focus on enjoying the process.

Life is often about the journey and so is art. If you have fun along the way, the end product doesn't even matter as much. So remember to enjoy.


After I'd colored the flowers and watered the ink, I decided to draw a blue border on my page. I used a lot of water to then pull the color from the edges all the way into the page. I added a few more stamps for some background texture and double-stitched my border.

And I was done!
Supplies:The Sweetest Thing:Hello stamps,Remember stamps;All is Bright:stamps;Follow Your Heart:Be Happy Stamps,Be Amazing Stamps;Kraft Funday:Everyday Fun Stamps

And there it is. Thank you for letting me share my page and I hope you take some time this week to play with stamps and coloring. Coloring is not just for little kids!

Remember to be who you are and keep it imperfect. I hope you share your creations with me in the comments. I look forward to seeing them!

Mixed Media with Karen...Fun With Tapes and Stamps

Hi everyone!

This is Karen, back for the September Mixed Media page. This month, I wanted to have fun with color and the first product I think of when I think color is our wonderful tapes.

So, my first step was to cover the page with stripes of color:


Doesn't it look so yummy?

I decided it was too bright and I wanted to give it more of a unified feel, so I washed it all out with a little gesso and a lot of water. I then put different colors of acrylic paint randomly in the areas where the tapes meet.

I then created a pink border to unify the page even further and here's what I was left with:


The next thing I did was to think of my message. What did I want the page to say? I've been thinking a lot of being comfortable in your own skin. Being okay being who you are. Showing the world your true colors.
I think magic comes from each of us truly being who we are and bringing our whole selvesinto our everyday interactions.

Anyhow, that's what was on my mind so I added my title:

I loved the contrast of black against all that color. So I decided to add more. I picked the stamp that said "just be you" and decided it was perfect for my theme. And stamped it again and again on the right side.

I purposefully left a little hole and there I stamped the one that said "perfect just the way you are" which also seemed to magically align with my message. I added my frame and some more random stamping and I ended up with this:


Here's a closer look at the right side:


See how imperfect those stamp impressions are? It doesn't matter. You read one and you know what all the others say. The power is in its repetition not in its perfection.

And here's the left side:

And there it is. Thank you for letting me share my page and I hope you take some time this week to play with tapes, paint, and stamps. Remember to be who you are and keep it imperfect. I hope you share your creations with me in the comments. I look forward to seeing them!

Supplies: The Sweetest Thing:stamps and tapes;Miss Caroline:stamps;Follow Your Heart:stamps;All is Bright:decorative tapes

Mixed Media with Karen...Layering.

Hi everyone!

This is Karen, here with this month's mixed media project. For this month, I thought it would be fun to focus on layering. I used to be afraid of layering. I worried I'd do it "wrong" and just mess things up.

But I am here to share a secret with you.

Ready for it?

There's no right or wrong way to layer.

No, I mean it.

There's no trick. Nothing to learn. Nothing others know that you don't. The only trick is to go slow and just do what makes you happy.

It's not an art form. It's just about creating a cluster of items that appeal to you. Each person layers differently and what looks good to me might not to you. And that's perfectly okay.

So let's get started!

I'm using a Moleskine sketchbook for my collage book. The first thing I did was to cover the page with tissue paper. Since the tissue paper is so fragile and thin, it starts bunching up and ripping right away.

I love this step because the end result is so messy that any perfectionist tendencies I had are out the window.

When doing art, it's best to do away with perfectionism as early as possible.

The next thing I do is just to pull out some of my stickers and chipboard and create a frame on one side of the page.

I have no idea what I am doing yet, I am just playing.

Then, I move on to the left side. I've been meaning to use the garlands for a long time so I jump at the opportunity. I layer a peace of tape to create some contrast and then glue down the garland. To create some unity with the other side of the page, I put another flower on this side. I like how the right page is horizontal and this one is vertical.

I decide I need more color and more contrast. I add some more stickers and a little black and white behind the garland.


And then I stop and think about the message I want to give with the page. I pick my alphas and write out my title. And then go back to the right side and add some more to my frame.

I come back and add more to the left side.

I like to break my title across the pages to give the spread a unity. I use some twine to create a frame, I add some journaling and a few more stickers to the top right and I am done.

The title says: Smile and soak it up. Remember that today is all you get. Make it count.

Here's a closeup of my right side frame:


And one more thing.

Just because the layered stickers are a certain way, it doesn' t mean that you have to use them as is.

I loved the "smile" sticker but the background behind the stars didn't match my color
scheme. So I took them off and just used the top two layers:


These products are yours, don't be afraid to make them your own.

There we go! Thank you for letting me share my page with you and I hope you experiment with layering on your own and remember to have fun!

I'd love to see examples of your creations so please feel free to link me up in the comments!

Today's Supplies: Indie Chic-Citron:wood frame,border stickers,decorative stickers,layered stickers;Indie Chic-Saffron:garland,layered stickers;Indie Chic-Ginger:layered stickers,border stickers;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:decorative tape