My Mind's Eye Blog

Memorial Day 2010

 

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!  ~Maya Angelou

 

Happy Memorial Day!

 

Scrapbooking Boys

Do you want to know one thing I LOVE most about My Mind’s Eye?  They take care of boys.  Every time we release new collections, there is a fantastic NEW boy collection or two.  They make it easy.

I don’t feel limited to boy collections only, though.  When my boys were younger, I could use a few flowers on their layouts.  Nothing much.  As the boys get older, I have to use flowers more subtly.  But don’t worry… it can be done. 

In fact, I kind of think it’s a personal challenge (and my duty) to help Mom’s of only boys enjoy scrapping their son’s adventures. 

Check out the four following layouts.  Can you find the flowers?

Featured Collection: Meadowlark

I designed this Batman using our Meadowlark collection.  One day, things were quiet – too quiet.  What mischief is he getting into quiet.  So, being a good Mom, I went to put a stop to that.  We’ll have NO FUN in this house, right?  I was just about to panic when I thought to look in the closet – aka the Bat Cave.  This is what I found.  (And, yes, I did make him wait so I could grab my camera)

Featured Collection: Breaking Free

The Wild Ride “Summer” Roller Coaster paper from Breaking Free adds to the feeling of movement and excitement.

Featured Collection: So Sophie

This layout about my son’s desire to play basketball not only has flowers on it, but purple (plum)! 

 

Featured Collection: Bloom & Grow

This is the most obvious.  The vine paper and floral circle add to the “jungle” feel of the layout.

Okay, the last one is a given.  So, look through the first three layouts and let me know (by leaving a comment) where the flowers are.

It's Shower Time!

It's that time of year and it seems that no matter where I look people are getting married... which is a GREAT thing! With weddings tend to come Bridal Showers (my favourite part!). I LOVE hanging with the girls wishing the bride to be many years of happiness with this fun tradition (or it is on this side of the pond anyways!).

 

I used the pink and black colours(obviously)from the LUSH Collection to create this album. What I love most about it is that I was able to create a pretty album, full of LUSH-ious texture and dimension with very little effort.

We not only celebrate with friends and family but future in laws too (if they are not already friends... good luck!). Just kidding:) Usually a Bridal shower includes a couple of games, fabulous food and plenty of gifts for the guest of honour to set her on her way to having a stocked home when she and her fiance tie the knot.
  

In the days leading up to a wedding, things can be quite hectic so wouldn't it be great to present the Bride to be with a mini album ready to go. All she needs to do is drop in a photo and do a bit of journaling! With the LUSH albums, she can journal directly on the cream chipboard page!

By using only black and pink, it makes the job of creating visually appealing pages a cinch! I could not really make any mistakes!

Layering the pretty ribbons is another way to add texture and visual interest to your project.

A fun technique to try is to add some self adhesive rhinestones to your chipboard letters to give them a bit of BLING (because bling is a VERY good thing;). Embellish your ribbon (YES... your ribbon) with some self adhesive rhinestones too!

Add a Decorative Epoxy or Pearl brad to the centers of some lovely Prima flowers. The ones that were originally in the center did not match the layout so I popped them off and added the Lush ones... now they are PERFECT!

 

Another project that I created is this nice little altered pail that you can use as a gift "bag" Card holder, flower container... the options are endless! Want in on a little secret? I actually found this at Michaels in the Easter CLEARANCE bin for 90% off!!! YUP! For less than a buck I was able to create this fun little project.

 
All it took was a little piece of black LUSH paper matted onto some of the fabulous Damask pattern and then popped up over the little bunny image that was originally on the front! I added the pink hand cut flocked flower, letters, ribbons and self adhesive rhinestones.OH! And I can't forget about the lovely little flower either... it finished this perfectly. Voila! Mission accomplished! SO very easy of a project and for a fraction of the cost of a gift bag at a card store yet the recipient will cherish it always!

So as you can imagine, the opportunities for creating goodies for a Bridal shower (or even a BABY Shower) are ENDLESS!!! Imagine creating place cards for a Luncheon, Menu Cards for the food table, invitations, decorations, treat boxes... so many options that I cannot list them all! I would LOVE to see what you do with My Mind's Eye to prepare for a Shower:)

Happy Scrapping!

 

My Blog
 

Blog Challenge #11: Anything Goes

Everywhere we look there is inspiration!  Have we told you how talented you are?  Thank you for sharing your talents with us!

Are you ready to be inspired?  You can see them EVERY entry in our Blog Challenge 11: Anything Goes photo album by following this link (be sure to look at page 2).

We are pleased to announce our winner:

Kim Holmes:

Not only do we love how Kim turned the sketch on an angle, but check out the sewing she did!  Be sure to really study Kim’s layout, there are a lot of fabulous details!

Our Honorable Mention winner is: 

Jenn Claar:

The red and orange combined with black and white photos makes a bold, yet romantic statement!

We look forward to seeing what you come up with for our next blog challenge.  Join us as we kick off Blog Challenge #12 on Monday, June 14, 2010.

Step out of the frame!

Frames...i love frames.  They are such a fabulous way to draw attention to your focal point, just like they do on your walls or shelves with your favourite photo's.  But frames can be as unconventional as they can be conventional.  Just because it has a 4x6 opening doesn't mean you need to fill the frame's opening with just a photo....try something new.

In the layout below, I adhered the frame in the opposite direction of the photo and let the photo hang out the edge.  To add interest and depth, I layered small embellishments both inside and outside the frame.

In the layout, Experience, which I created for my introduction as MME may guest designer, I used a frame that was smaller then my photo and just framed the part of the photo.  I also used an even smaller frame behind my photo and a circular frame in a grouping of circular journaling spots to add some fun dimension to my layout.

And don't forget that just because they are called frames that they can't be used in some other way...as i did in my friends forever LO (also created for my intro post).  I used a transparency frame as a background element.

 
Who says the frames need to be square??  Circular frames are just as fab...and no, you're photo doesn't have to be circular to use them!! think outside  the box and take your stash of frames further in your projects!!! consider a small circular frame on the front of a card holding a small "bouquet of flowers or a sentiment in word strips.  Or use contrasting shapes...such as a oval frame sideways with a paper heart layered over top.

So, go dig out that stash of frames you have been hoarding and get creating....let's see where you take your frames!!!

Caught Our Eye – Abbey Road

These beautiful layouts by Nancy Burke “Caught Our Eye” this month!  Nancy designed them for display in the scrapbook store she teaches at.

 

These colors just make me happy with the pink, aqua, lime, and a bit of orange for that pop! So fresh and springy, and the page is about shopping in Walt Disney World, so what is not to love? If you look closely, you can see a hint of an aqua core peeking out from under the light brown cardstock. I sanded the edges of a sheet of Core'dinations cardstock from their chocolate box collection to reveal the blue core. I just LOVE that stuff! 

The above page was super quick to put together once I sanded and distressed all the edges of the pieces. Just strips of patterned paper sewn down and then circles and photos scattered about. A quick, easy look you can create with any photos and patterned paper. This has always been a successful formula for a great page! And yup, I used my trusty old Dymo label maker for the journaling. :)

So for the page above, I just cut and layered several papers from the collection and used a few different sizes of circle punches to create the patterned circle elements. I also used dimensional foam tape to really pop the elements off the page. I finished it off with pretty buttons and journaling strips also popped off the page. I used pen-work to outline the different papers to give them a bit of definition.

This "Dinoland" page is a bit more "involved" with a few more strategically placed elements, border punches, and hand-cut leaves. I also got out the inks for shading all the edges and used letter stamps for the title as well. The trick to "good-looking" stamped letters is to NOT worry about them lining up perfectly. If I worried about perfectly straight stamped letters, I would STILL not be done with this page! Also, make sure to use alphabets that lend themselves well to a bit of crooked placement. I prefer alphas that are made to look a bit worn, distressed or vintage. Formal alphabets do not always look good when they are wonky. In the case of more formal alphabets, use a guide ruler and clear acrylic stamps to make them more aligned and "pretty".

Thank you for creating such beautiful projects using our products, Nancy!

Spectacular Stickers

You know how fabulous our embellishments are.  We know you like how easy it is to personalize your projects with them.  But, did you know that some of our embellishments are stickers?   We kind of snuck them in on you and even surprised our DT.  We thought it was about time they had their time in the spotlight!  Tiffani Smith has created three fabulous cards that also highlight a few of the ways you can play with stickers.

Tiffani inked the edges of the “Friends” sticker.

The “Make a Wish” sticker is layered on top of the “Birthday Girl” scallop sticker using pop-dots.

 

The flower stickers are sanded on the edges and layered using pop-dots.

Have fun!

Picture This

“Making memories last at Picture This”

Picture This
6021 Arndt Lane
Eau Claire, WI 54701
715-830-9555
mmemorieslast.com

Picture This has been in business for almost 12 years.  They are proud to be one of  Wisconsin's LARGEST independent scrapbook and stamping destination.  Their store offers over 6000 square feet of selection and inspiration. Picture This specializes in custom die-cuts to personalize your albums, and offer Scrap and Stamp 'til Midnights and weekly classes. Their huge classroom gives you ample space to spread out and create during business hours. Being scrappers and stampers also, they welcome the opportunity to share with you all that the industry has to offer.

Picture This is featuring My Mind’s Eye ALL month!  Visit their store (or blog) to enjoy these fun events:

May 10-14: Fab Five Design Challenge - featuring all My Minds' Eye papers, all five days!  The FAB 5 team is at it again with 5 Products in 5 days from 5 designers!  By the time they are done with all the fun there will be 25 ideas to get your creative mojo working.  Start at the store blog (click here) and follow the links to all 5 blogs all 5 days to view all the creativity!

(Day 4 project by Kayla Ann)

May Monthly Customer Challenge: each month customers submit a page, card or project (this month using My Mind’s Eye products).  When submissions are complete, every customer who makes a purchase is allowed to vote on their favorite project.  The 1st place winner receives $15 in store credit.  The 2nd & 3rd place winners receive $10 in store credit!

FREE weekly make-n-take: each Thursday Picture This rolls out a new FREE weekly make-n-take.  This month these make-n-takes will feature My Mind’s Eye!

(Thursday, May 20 - Free Make & Take is on the left, step it up for $1 more to make the one on the right!)

 

Monthly Senior Scissors Card Club: NEW this year!  Every third Thursday, Seniors can join Picture This staff in making 3 cards (for $6!) while enjoy snacks and coffee, provided by Picture This.  This month’s club is featuring our products!

 

Many of the Picture This monthly classes will feature My Mind’s Eye!  Like this My Mind’s Eye class held May 17, 2010.

(May 17 My Mind’s Eye Class)

And, for the icing on the My Mind’s Eye cake, be sure to visit the store all next week for their My Mind’s Eye A-thon!

“Picture This is featuring My Minds Eye the entire month of May, and our store will be spotlighted on the My Minds' Eye Blog - how awesome is that?!

*Get your name entered to win $35 in My Minds Eye product
*Monthly Customer Challenge due May 15 uses My Minds Eye
*Fab Five will feature My Minds Eye
*Senior Scissor class will use My Minds Eye
*Classes offered will feature My Minds Eye

Join us in celebrating our special recognition from My Minds Eye!”

Be sure to visit Picture This if you are in the area.  If you aren’t close enough to go to the store, visit their blog to be inspired by the Fab 5 for May and the many other fabulous ideas they are sharing.

Thank you Picture This!

Our April Top Tens of 2010

Can you believe another month has gone by?  Our albums are really starting to fill up.  It has been so much fun thinking back on the past month and remembering everything that we did.

 

Here are our April Top Tens:

 

Trisha Ladouceur:

“April Days”

My book is actually coming together nicely!  I’m sticking with my theme of no pictures, all journaling and using the Red and Black LUSH Collection.... LOVE it! The
simplicity of it is such a nice change of pace for me:)

 

Jana Eubank:

 

“10 Easter Treats”

I decided to create my April Top 10 page all about the yummy candy treats in the kids Easter baskets this year. Do your kids dump out all their treats on the floor like mine do?   Some of the treats were unique to this year, while others are classics that appear year-after-year. It will be fun to look back on the contents of their baskets years from now and remember the candies and treats we love.  I combined the Quite Contrary "Mary, Mary" collection with the chipboard accents and brads from the Abbey Road "Whirlybird" collection. I love that the colors from these two collections compliment each other so well!

 

Tamara Jensen:

"April No. 10"

To me - April is full of bright, fresh colors: Spring flowers, colorful Easter eggs, and yummy candy. The new "So Sophie Clever" collection just looks like Spring to me!  I love that it has pinks and blues that coordinate perfectly with photos of my sons and daughters. The beautiful scalloped journaling spot was perfect - I simply covered the #3 with a #10!

 

Amber Packer:

“Celebrate April”

When I asked the boys what their favorite things we did in April were, their first answer was: “Your birthday”.  How sweet!  Then I asked what else they liked and they said “We didn’t do anything else in April”.  I thought that was funny.  We then brainstormed and one thing led to another and they proclaimed: “We guess we DID do a lot in April”.  This conversation demonstrates why I am so glad we are doing this album.  I think sometimes we are so busy “doing” that we aren’t “living” and “enjoying” life.  I don’t want to forget that my dad had snowballs ready and started a snowball fight the minute we got out of the car on Easter.  In April, we learned that “Batman lives here”.  The boys worked together on Pinewood Derby cars and Neal had to work off a library fine $ 0.25 per chore.  It was a great month!

Challenge #11: Anything Goes

The challenge: Design an "Anything Goes” layout or other project based on this fabulous sketch by Anam Stubbington.

You may be wondering what we mean by anything goes.  We mean any title, theme, color scheme, MME products you’d like to use.  What’s that project you just haven’t gotten to?

The rules: Use ANY My Mind’s Eye products (current or past) you’d like as long as your project has at least 80% My Mind’s Eye products.

The deadline: Email your project, first and last name to [email protected] (with Blog Challenge 11 as your subject) or add a link in a comment on this post by Thursday, May 20, 2010 (midnight, MST).

(For tips on how to best photograph your entry, click here)

The PRIZE: Our lucky winner will be featured in a blog post and receive one of everything from three collections of their choice!  We will also award an honorable mention winner with one collection of their choice!

Everyone is a winner!  We are grateful to everyone who will participate in this challenge.  We will put every entry in a photo album here on the blog.  By submitting, you are giving My Mind’s Eye permission to include your entry.

Designer: Jessi Lute, Featured Collection: Quite Contrary “Jack & Jill”

 

Designer: Trisha Ladouceur, Featured Collection: So Sophie “Clever”

Because I used only one picture, I added an extra journal tag in it's place. Rather than a strip with holes, I added rhinestones.  I creatively covered portions of the die cuts with words that did not work for what I was trying to do.

 

Thank you Jessi and Trisha for your beautiful samples!