My Mind's Eye Blog

June Sketch Challenge!

Hi there!  It’s Ronda here with you today bringing you the June Sketch!  Have you notice the arrow trend?  Well this sketch keeps you right on track with arrows all around. 

On the sketch you will find three stamped arrows which you can interpret any way you wish.  Layers of patterned paper on the center of the background creates a nice mat for the two photos.  Add in some brads, enamel dots, and paint splatters and this sketch is complete.  

Supplies: Find Your Wings and Fly-Sky’s the Limit : ‘Labeled’ paper, ‘Tiled’ paper; Find Your Wings and Fly-Up and Away:  ‘Krafty Floral’ paper, decorative brads, layered stickers, enamel dots, decorative tapes, decorative stamps, alpha & word stickers; Misc: gesso, watercolors, acrylic paint, Ranger black ink, black pen

I always want to remember these days.  The first photo is our engagement photo and the second is the reception after our wedding.  Almost 20 years later and I know we will always be together.  I started this layout by layering on the patterned paper and then applying a wash of gesso.  After it was dry I added in some watercolors and let them drip down my page.  I sprinkled some black watercolor paint on my page to create the splatters.

I then added my photos to the background and started adding in embellishments like the layered sticker.  I stamped some arrows around the page along with a few other images.  Arrows even show up on the brads, layered stickers, and washi tape!

Did you notice I didn’t trim the title off the patterned paper?  I love the way the type looks underneath the gesso & watercolors.  I stamped another arrow here and added in some gesso arrows using a stencil.  The enamel dots are perfect little accents of colors for my page.

While I had the black watercolor paint out, I decided to paint on my title.  You can start with a penciled in word and then cover it with the paint. I used a waterproof black pen to draw some lines underneath my journaling.  I really like how they make the journaling stand out.    

I hope you have fun taking on the trending arrows in this month’s challenge.  I cannot wait to see your creations!

Please share your sketch via the InLinkz tool below. One entry per person, please.

A random winner will be chosen and shared with our next challenge on Monday, July 1. You have until the end of the day on Sunday, June 30 to share your project.

The winner will win the collection of their choice.

 

 

 

May Sketch Challenge!

 

Hey everyone! Ronda here with your May sketch.

This fun sketch can be used for a layout or cards.  Start off with scattering scraps or tiny shapes in the background and then stitch some lines both vertically and horizontally.  Frame your photo, object, or saying on a piece of patterned paper to ground it.  Add the title to the bottom right of the photo and then journal around the outer edged of the page. 

Supplies: Find Your Wings and Fly-Sky’s the Limit :Layered Ephemera Paper; Find Your Wings and Fly-Up & Away:  Be Awesome Paper, Krafty Floral Paper, Admit One Paper, Mixed Media Paper, Quatrefoil Paper, Sticker Accessories, Enamel Dots, Alpha/Word Stickers; Misc: black pen, vintage thread, American Crafts Thickers, Maya Road Spray ink, Liquitex Gel Medium

I was so anxious to play with the new lines of Find Your Wings and Fly that I had to use bits & pieces on my background.  I started off with cutting out the tickets found on the Admit One paper.  I placed them on the nice neutral background from the Sky’s the Limit Layered Ephemera Paper.  I love how compatible these lines are to use. 

 After placing the papers around the page, I added stickers to fill in the gaps.  I then stitched three vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines.  I then sprinkled some spray ink over the papers and the background. 

I added some matte medium onto the page and placed my vintage thread on top of the patterned paper.  I love leaving it loopy. 

You can stitch through the stickers too! I added the enamel dots to complete the page and to add pops of color.  Lastly I journaled around the edge of the page, telling my story. 

This month I asked Danni to join me in the sketch challenge. I thought it would be fun to show all of you how to easily translate the sketch to a card!

Here's what Danni came up with. Enjoy...can't wait to see what YOU do!

Danni says:I chose to create my cards with the new Kate & Co. Oxford Lane line of papers and embellies, and it was so fun to play with different interpretations of the sketch.

Supplies: Kate & Co.-Oxford Lane: patterned papers: Floral Burst, chipboard, stickers, designer tape, layered stickers and enamel dots;Misc: Papertrey Ink tag die, Bazzill cardstock

On my first card, So Much Fun with You , I was excited to play with the chipboard glasses and mustache.  These are so cute and so much fun and this sketch proved perfect to pair the two together.

Supplies: Kate & Co.-Oxford Lane: atterned papers: Handsome, 6 x 6 patterned paper pad, stickers, enamel dots;Misc: Cuttlebug Dry-Embossing, Stitching, Bazzill cardstock

On my second card, Hello, I dry-embossed the background, stitched the lines as shown in her sketch and used these cute stickers as my focals.

Supplies: Kate & Co-Oxford Lane: patterned papers: Polka, 6 x 6 patterned paper pad, stickers, decorative brads, chipboard, enamel dots;Misc:  butterfly punch, Bazzill cardstock

On my last card, Oh So Sweet on You, I chose to use the pinstripe patterned paper and cute a block for the focal with enamel dots and brads for the scattered blocks.

Please share your sketch via the InLinkz tool below. One entry per person, please.

A random winner will be chosen and shared with our next challenge on Monday, June 3. You have until the end of the day on Sunday, June 2 to share your project.

The winner will win the collection of their choice.

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout-Finding Inspiration in a Single Page Sketch

Hello everyone! This is Shelly back with another behind the scenes look at the makings of a double page layout. This go around, I took on the challenge of turning a single page sketch into a double page. Earlier this month, the MME Team was invited to play along with Becky Fleck’s Page Maps Team. The sketch I was challenged to use was a single page 12x12.


This is what I originally came up with…



Now, I am a fan of any and all sketches. They are just so versatile and easy to make them your own. Even when I am looking at a single page sketch, I always see a few variations of making it into a double page layout. You can “stretch a sketch”, “mirror a sketch”, or even just make the single sketch one side of your double layout. The first time I saw this sketch, I immediately thought to “blow up” the sketch. I wanted to use the same arrangement for the pictures, but just make everything bigger to fill both sides of my page. To do this all I had to do was enlarge the size of the pictures.



This was my take on Becky Fleck’s Page Map to make it into a double page. I did add one additional square photo into the mix. Once I chose the pictures for this page, I had one extra picture that I wanted to include. No problem, I just added it!

And this is how it all ended up…

Supplies:Collectable-Notable: 'Love This' title,'Memo'Document patterned paper;Collectable-Memorable:'Note'Details patterned paper;'Journey'Journal paper;Collectable-Unforgettable: ‘Story’ Tale Paper, ‘You Are’ Pleasant Paper, ‘You Are’ Charm Paper, ‘Today’ Remember Paper;Misc: American Crafts Thickers, Silhouette, Prima Chalk Ink, Date Stamp, EK Success circle punch, Stampin’ Up ticket corner punch, pop dots

I was still able to keep the integrity of the original sketch, but still make it my own as a double page. I still did the three main blocks of pattern paper with a corresponding embellishment cluster to substitute for the smaller squares that are paired with each of the pattern squares.

I initially had only the diecuts/journal card on each of the squares. I wanted a little something more to add a little more visual interest. I had just shuffled through my papers, and the hexagon pattern from Unforgettable ‘You Are’ Charm paper was still fresh in my head.

For a split second, I considered cutting those tiny little hexies out. Then reality hit me, yeah right! So, I grabbed my circle punch and began to punch away. I got lots of different patterns with just one piece of paper. Perfect AND easy.

For the journaling, I kept it simple and easy too. I used one of my journaling cards that I had precut from all of those lovely journal card papers. If you haven’t cut up a sheet (or four) of those yet, just go ahead and do it! I keep them all stacked up nice and neat right next to me. Easy to grab when I am in the middle of a page. 

So here ends another post of double inspiration. Hopefully the next time you see a single sketch, you might be inspired to make it your own double page layout. Thanks for stopping by!

April Sketch Challenge

Good morning ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the second April challenge.

Today Ronda is with us and she is sharing another awesome sketch and layout.

Hello! This month’s sketch is a fun take on all the pennants & banners that are trending lately.  How fun would it be to make a giant one to anchor our photo? I layered and layered different sizes and lengths of the pennant shape to create a playful background.  Scattered around the page are circles of different sizes and shape for that extra pop of color.  Have fun and remember one photo can always become two or three depending on your needs!

Supplies:Collectable-Unforgettable :’Story’ Label Stickers; 'You Are’ Charm Paper;  ‘Today’  Decorative Pins, Stamps;  ‘Happiness’ Decorative Buttons; ‘Firsts’ Enamel Dots; Boy Crazy: Seeing Stars Paper, Stitched Paper, Decorative Buttons; Misc: gesso, watercolor crayons, black pen, vintage thread, tag, American Crafts/Amy Tangerine Thickers, Maya Road Spray ink, Ranger Black Archival ink

This layout is so dear to my heart.  My youngest, Anthony, went to his junior prom not too long ago.  He went with a bunch of friends together in a group.  As I stood there taking their pictures (Don’t they look beautiful?), I kept thinking how fast time has gone by.  Gone are the days of him crawling into my lap telling me he wants to marry me.  Here are the days when we start visiting campuses to see which college he might be attending.  It makes it harder with him being the last in my house.  All too soon I will be an “empty nester.”

I started with the Boy Crazy patterned paper and lots of gesso.  I wanted to have that patterned paper peeking through but punch up the overall layout with watercolor crayons.   I completely adore how this looks.  I stamped shapes over & over again on the background.  I love the way black grounds a page.

I then layered the patterned paper on the background creating pennants from both Collectable & Boy Crazy papers.  I love the way the shape is repeated over & over again.  The title was a light grey but when I added spray ink over the top the cross hatched resisted the ink creating a cool effect.  The chipboard pennants are a perfect pop of color and texture to the page.

I wanted a little more pop of color so I added a manila tag that I painted with watercolor crayons.  I then stamped those great motifs from the Collectable Unforgettable Today line.  It really added another layer of texture & depth to my page. 

Journaling on gesso can be tricky.  I usually always draw pencil lines on my layout, then journal, and then erase the pencil lines.  On gesso however the pencil lines will not erase.  Knowing this, I just go for it and pen in my lines giving it a cool look and a straight place to journal. 

I love those little touches that add symbolism to my page, like the pins and thread.  The vintage thread is a current favorite item for me to add to my layouts.  The pins added that bit of color to my page.  It made me laugh because I had to pin on the boys boutonnieres for the girls had  no idea how to do it. 

I hope you have fun creating with this month’s sketch.  Hug your babies for all too soon they are grown and you too will be So Close to letting them go. 

Please share your sketch via the InLinkz tool below.

A random winner will be chosen and shared with our next challenge on Wednesday, May 1. You have until the end of the day on Tuesday, April 30th to share your project.

The winner will win the collection of their choice.

I'll be back later today with the March sketch winner and the April Fools challenge winner.

Thanks!

Page Maps Sketch Contest!

Good morning MME fans! We have a fun collaboration to share with you today. :)

We are joining up with the Page Maps team to sponsor a fun sketch contest. The prize is the My Girl Collection!

Here is the sketch for the contest:

To enter, create a layout based on this sketch, in any size, any orientation, any way you want to interpret it and using any products you would like. Post a comment on this thread with a link to your entry. The contest starts today and ends at midnight, Sunday, April 21, 2013 (MST). This contest is open to everyone, everywhere! :)

GO CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Here are the awesome layouts the MME team came up with. (click on individual images to see details)

Tina Walker (left), Stephanie Howell (right)

Jana Eubank

Shelly Jaquet

Monika Wright

 

Tamara Jensen

Ronda Palazzari

Amber Packer

 

We hope lots of you will head on over to the Page Maps blog and participate in this awesome challenge.

See you there!!

March Sketch Challenge

t's time for the March sketch challenge! Ronda is joining and inspiring us with another one of her fabulous sketches. I'll be back later today with the March Die Cuts Challenge.

Share your layout via the inlinkz tool at the bottom of the post and you could be chosen for a blog spotlight and collection of your choice. You have until Tuesday, April 16 to enter. The winner will be announced along with our next sketch challenge on April 17.

Building layers comes to mind with this sketch.  Go beyond layering patterned paper and bring play into the mix.  Maybe the background is one piece of patterned paper on the top half and a second underneath with the middle layer holding it all together.

The center photo is a 4 x 4 photo that could easily be a group of four 2x2 or even a 4x6.  Arrows are in so repeat those shape around your page!  But most importantly have fun with the sketch and really challenge yourself.

Supplies:Collectable-Notable :'Wonder’ decorative brads; Collectable-Memorable:'I’m With' Together patterned paper; Collectable-Remarkable: ‘Smile’ label stickers; ’Authentic’ Genuine patterned paper, ‘Authentic’ chipboard, ‘Authentic’ Tiny word stickers, 'Day' decorative brads, ‘Day’ Dates patterned paper, ‘Day’ Daily patterned paper; 'Handsome' enamel dots; Decorative Tapes:Red & Black; Misc: book paper, punch, black pen, sewing machine & thread

My son Anthony has one year left in high school.  I can see the weight of the world on his shoulders trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life.  They are so excited to move on and yet so scared by the possibilities.  As he chooses his path, his university, his degree, and really the rest of his life choices, I just want him to be happy & authentic.  It’s all a mother could hope for her children.

  

I decided to cut up the authentic genuine paper and layer the rulers as stripes.  After finding the placement of colors, I tucked in the book paper under some of the rulers and then stitched all the pieces down.  I love how it add layers to the simple background.  Layering embellishments really give this layout texture and creates movement.  The black & white photo really enforced him standing at a crossroads.  The die-cut became my title as it was the perfect pop of color on the photo.

 

I love My Mind’s Eye enamel dots.  I usually scatter them across my page replicating paint splatters.  This time I decided to place them all in a row just like how they are on the packaging.  I love how the they get bigger towards my focal point, my photo. 

The word stickers are a great way to add in visual interest to your journaling.  Draw lines on your layout with a pencil.  Write out your journaling with a pencil as well.  Next use your word stickers to replace some of your journaling erasing the lines and words as go.  Once you filled in some words, go over your penciled journaling with a pen.  Let the pen dry and then erase all the pencil marks. 

 

Enjoy the sketch, can't wait to see what you come up with this challenge!

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

February Sketch Challenge

It's time for the February sketch challenge! Ronda is here with another one of her fabulous sketches.

Share your layout via the inlinkz tool at the bottom of the post and you could be chosen for a blog spotlight and collection of your choice. You have until Thursday February 28 to enter. The winner will be announced along with our first March challenge on March 1.

With the sketch break out strips of patterned paper and washi tape to build a cohesive layer.  The canvas background is bordered by a patterned paper.  The photo could be one larger longer photo or three smaller photos.  A stacked title off to the left side of the photos balances the journaling on the right.  Stamp black elements around the edges of the page to add interest. 

  Supplies:Collectable-Notable :'Love This' Adore patterned paper,'Love This' Devoted patterned paper, 'Love This' journal card;Collectable-Memorable:'I’m With' decorative stickers;Collectable-Unforgettable: 'You are' Charm patterned paper;Collectable-Remarkable:'Day' decorative brads,'Handsome'  decorative stickers,'Beautiful'  stamp;Decorative Tapes: Yellow & Grey, Red & Turquoise, Green & Navy; Misc: heart punch, paint, floss thread, black ink, American Crafts thickers

 

Rhonda says: My mom & dad seem to be camera shy.  If we can get a photo of one, the other remains elusive.  Rarely can we capture them together.  Blessedly at their grand daughter’s wedding, I was able to capture a great photo of the two of them.  I decided to use three of the same of this great capture for my photo strip. 

I wanted this layout to feel light, fresh, and airy so I gravitated towards yellow, aqua, & lime green with a pop of red accents.  The strips at the top match the strips down the center.  Did you notice the washi tape in the heart and on the butterfly body? 

Little bits of washi tape are a great way to add in pops of color around the page.  For my journaling I used a typewriter on the journal card.  I love the red “Noted” pennant so I trimmed around it so I could adhere it to my photo.  I used black stamped images and black stitches around the layout to bring it all together. 

There you have it. Can't wait to see what all of you come up with!

Remember- please enter via the inlinkz tool below. I will be back later today with the January Sketch and Groundhog Day winners!

 

January Sketch by Ronda

TGIF MME fans! We hope you have a wonderful Friday! Ronda is bringing you a new sketch for inspiration today...just perfect for your weekend scrapping!

Share your layout via the inlinkz tool at the bottom of the post and you could be chosen for a blog spotlight and collection of your choice. You have until Thursday February 14 (we will share the February sketch on Feb.15) to enter!

Have fun!

Ronda says:

With this sketch you can create a background with inks, spray inks, or paint or even patterned paper. 

The photo could be one larger photo or two smaller photos.  A stacked title off to the right is a great way to balance the patterned paper & photo on the left.  You can add journaling stripes, hand written journaling, or printed journaling under the photo. 

Supplies: Collectable-Notable: 'Love This' Adore patterned paper,'Wonder' Dream patterned paper; 'Wonder'  decorative brads,'Wonder' decorative buttons,'Love This' journal card,'Cute' enamel dots, decorative tape;Collectable-Unforgettable:'Today'  stamps;Collectable-Remarkable:'Beautiful'  stamps;Misc:black ink, distress inks, stencil

My nephew is very close to my kids.  They grew up together as my sister & I were always together.  I love the relationship these three have.  When Jake comes out for the summertime, they are inseparable.  I am overjoyed that they feel like almost siblings and not cousins. 

To create the background, I used my stencil and distress inks.  Next I layered the yellow patterned paper over the journaling card.  I added a bit of washi tape on the journal card for color and another design element.  Those arrows were just perfect! 

I decided it needed another strip or two to balance the color story so I added flower strip and number strip to the layers.  Before I glued everything down, I sprinkled the background with black paint splatters. 

I thought a title would look great off to the right so I used the backside of the 'Love This'  Adore patterned  paper to ground the title.  To create the stacked title using the today stamp “a good day” I masked off each word with post it notes. 

All around the edges I stamped different images & words using black ink to bring the page together.  The layout needed some texture so I used the decorative brads and enamel dots scattered around the page. 

I am always ok with hand written journaling because it gives future generations a bit of me on the layouts.

Enjoy the sketch, can't wait to see what you come up with!

December Challenge #2- Use our Sketch!

We are here today with our second December challenge. And I know that all of you will be thrilled to see that our sketch challenge is back!

Ronda Palazzari is here today with a new sketch and her take on it. But before I show you her gorgeous work, I need to lay down the ground rules for you.

1.Project must be created new for this challenge. It must use the sketch in some discernable way.

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,January 1. A random winner will be announced with the first January challenge on January 2. Please enter via the InLinkz form below.

4.Winner will win MME collection of their choice.

Sound good? Easy enough right? Here's the sketch and Ronda's fun layout. Enjoy!

Supplies:Lost & Found 3-Ruby:Medallion patterned paper,adornments,decorative tape,stickers;Lost and Found 3-Oliver:stamps,stickers;The Sweetest Thing:-Tangerine: 'Happy' Woodsy patterned paper, 'Wonderful' chipboard elements,'Hello' buttons, 'Sunshine' brads, 'Together' enamel dots,'Together' stickers, 'Together' designer tape;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:'About Me' Collage patterned paper;The Sweetest Thing-Honey:'Simply Lovely' brads,'Simply Lovely' crocheted doilies;Misc: The Crafter’s Workshop stencil, Maya Road spray ink, Liquitex paint & modeling paste, Ranger Archival black ink 

Ronda says:Instagram has changed the way I take daily photos.  I love those little squares of everyday life.  This sketch was a perfect way to capture our date nights that are so very special to us. 

The background paper is so beautiful so I just wanted hints of texture that didn’t take away from the patterned paper.  I used modeling paste & a stencil to create subtle details.   I picked the bright papers of The Sweetest Thing to pop against the neutral background. 

Like the sketch there are two layers of patterned paper on the bottom left & upper right corners.  I interpreted the circles by using two kinds of doilies, one paper one and the other is a beautiful crocheted doily. 

I love how easy it is to layer in My Mind’s Eye embellishments to add details to a layout.  Washi taped adds even more pops of color.  

The enamel dots and stamped images really complement the splatters of spray ink and stenciled hearts.  I placed the journaling on the side next to the stamped images to complete my layout. 

 Note about the sketch:Layering is easy with December’s Sketch.  You can use two smaller square photos or one larger photo to layer on patterned papers.  Interpret the circle motifs as you wish.  Tuck in embellishments here and there.  We cannot wait to see your takes on this month’s sketch. 

 

Remember- link your submissions via the inklinkz tool below. I will be back later today with a winner for the first December challenge.

Have fun and good luck!