My Mind's Eye Blog

Thankful…

As we wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, we thought it would be fun to take the time to reflect upon the things we are thankful for.  You don’t need a “holiday” to remember focus on the good things in your life.

“The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles” William Penn

 

We would like to thank our Design Team for sharing with you a few of things that add happiness to their lives.

 

Thankful by LG Belarmino:

Featured Collection: Alphabet Soup 

Living in a 3rd world country is very difficult that is why I am thankful for a lot of things in my life right now. Being alive and able to survive everyday is a blessing to me and my family. I am grateful that God is keeping us healthy and strong to overcome everyday problems and trials. I am thankful for having a very supportive and loving husband that I can rely and depend on. I am also thankful for being blessed with a very smart and gorgeous baby girl. These are the most I am grateful for!

 

Thankful by Tamara Jensen:

Featured Collection: Life Stories

The timeless “Life Stories” collection was perfect for this autumnal layout.  I loved layering all of the page elements and frames. The new “Lost and Found” brads coordinated so well. I also glittered the Brown Lush Chipboard letters.

I enjoyed taking a moment to reflect upon my abundant blessings – I have so many to be thankful for.  I really could have taken two whole pages to write them down, and still had more to write.  This Thanksgiving was unique, my 8 year old came down with the Chicken Pox so we spent it alone while our family went to St. George.  Their absence on Thanksgiving helped me to appreciate their presence in my life even more.  I think it is important to be thankful for the “Little Things” – that make our lives so great.

 

Blessed Twice by Suzanne Sergi:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Union Square

I took this snapshot of my lovely daughters at Thanksgiving. Macie is difficult to photograph, unless it is with her sister. Then she is all smiles.  As I was downloading our photos, I knew this was one I wanted to scrapbook. One of my favorite collections is Union Square. The color palette of reds, and blacks were perfect for this snapshot. In fact, the hostess decor reminded me of the Lost & Found Union Square Collection.  The papers are vintage, and muted so I did a photo action on the photo to reflect the mood of the papers. I added a bit of stamping in the upper left hand corner of the page with the Union Square Perfect Stamp Set.

At Thanksgiving we reflect on what we are grateful for this season. I feel truly blessed to have the gift of two daughters. They both are kind, and loving people. They do have very loud personalities, but I would not want it any other way. I have been truly blessed twice.

 

My Girls by Anam Stubbington:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Union Square

(Home Sweet Home – “Love” Glittered Paper, Home Sweet Home – Layered Glittered Stickers, Home Sweet Home – Glittered Accessory sheet, Perfect – Layered Stickers, Perfect – Glitter die cut Title, Favorite – Epoxy Brads and lots and lots of adhesive foam squares)

 

Thankful 2010 by Jana Eubank:

 

Featured Collection: Fine and Dandy – True Blue

I typically do not add a large amount of journaling to my pages, but this time I decided to make it the focal point of my design. I wrote out what I wanted to say in a notebook beforehand so that I had an idea of how much space to plan for my journaling. Next, I created a design leaving lots of writing space, the notebook patterned paper in the Fine & Dandy "Tickled Pink" collection was perfect for this! I used chalks to emphasize the words in my paragraph that went along with the Thankful theme of my page.

Remember the Journey...

Sometimes it's not where we end up but the journey that got us there that matters the most. As many of our American friends have been able to celebrate their Thanksgiving Holiday this past week, even those of us who are not in the States can take a moment to reflect on the many blessings we have in our lives.

 

We often take for granted the little things that make each and every day so special. Sometimes a reminder is needed (for me anyways!).

When I first got my hands on the Lost & Found "Union Square" Collection I KNEW it was one of my all time favourite releases from My Mind's Eye and I saved it until I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. This was the outcome. After some creative cutting of the background paper, I was able to layer an assortment of co-ordinating papers from this gorgeous collection, incorporate some trims and embellishments and I now have this wonderful layout that reminds me to enjoy the journey on this road called "life".

 

There are so many individually beautiful components to each of these patterned papers that I wanted to combine as many as possible so I cut out the parts I needed from assorted papers and die cut embellishments to create the title.

I also used an exacto knife to cut around the Eiffel Tower so I could still include it as a prime component on this layout and tucked my layers of papers and trims beneath.

I wanted to have a constant reminder of this Journey that I am on and went as far as putting it in a large frame from IKEA so it can adorn my walls and serve as a visual reminder each and everyday. Plus, it's far too pretty to tuck into an album.

 

I hope you also "Remember 2 LOVE and treasure the ever so sweet journey" and continue to be grateful for your many blessings every day of the year, not just Thanksgiving.

 

Memory Box

 

Arbolote Street #19 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00969

787-200-2582

Monday to Saturday 9:00am to 7:00pm

www.puertoricoscrapbookevent.com

www.memoryboxonline.net

Memory Box Scrapbook Store opened its doors in Guaynabo Puerto Rico on March 11^th, 2006 as a straightforward Scrapbook Store.  Memory Box quickly took over the Puerto Rico scrapbook market immediately positioning itself as the market leader in less than a year.  Since then, Memory Box is the number one scrapbook store in the Caribbean.

Memory Box and its owner operator Yamille Fernández are also the market leaders - establishing scrapbook trends all over the Island and influencing other Caribbean Islands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Our store is continuously bringing our clients the best products in the industry. We also offer classes, workshops and a variety of creative activities with the last trends and new products of the season.

 

June 10,11 and 12, Puerto Rico Scrapbook Event 2011 @ Convention Center of PR.

Puerto Rico Scrapbook Event is a dream come true for us.  We want to give our clients and all passionate scrapbookers form US and the Caribbean the best alternative to escape this summer!

This is going to be a great event. If you absolutely LOVE scrapbooking like I do and you want to have the time of your life there is only one place to be this summer ...THE 2011 PUERTO RICO SCRAPBOOK EVENT! Only in Puerto Rico.

Please go to the website for more info and see the video of the last event www.puertoricoscrapbookevent.com. (it’s a FUN video)

 

Our company motto is:  Every Moment Counts!

Blog Challenge #17: Winners!

Thank you for sharing with us some of the lessons you’ve learned.  We believe that this hobby we share is as much about reflecting on the lessons we’ve learned and passing along advice as it is about documenting the fun times.

If you are looking for fabulous inspiration, check out the Blog Challenge #17: Lessons Learned photo album.  You will be inspired by much more than the beauty of the entries.

Without further adieu… we present our winners:

 

Winner: Angella Peardon

Look at the absolute joy on this darling girl’s face as she learns to clap!  What a fabulously composed layout by Angella.  Notice how Angella cut out random hexagons from the paper behind the photos.

 

Honorable Mention Winner: Jeannette Siciliani

What a peaceful and serene layout about the lessons taught to Jeannette by her beautiful daughter.

No matter what holiday you celebrate, December is a busy month for many of us.  Because of that, we will be starting our December Blog Challenge on December 1st and ending the blog challenge on December 18.  We hope you will join us!

Trim Spotlight

Have you noticed all the beautiful Trims we have come out with lately?  Glitter ribbon, pom poms, felt rick rack, loopy satin and even crepe paper! 

 

Trim the tree?  I think NOT – more like TRIM your projects!

 

Our guest designer, LG Belarmino and Amber Packer are here to show you how to use our fabulous trims.

 

Happily Ever After by LG Belarmino:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Madison Avenue

“A few months ago I bought my 2 year old a cute tutu skirt. I love how the tulle were layered together creating volume and dimension. Inspired by this, I used some of MME's Madison Avenue's trim to create the same effect. I applied the layering on the mannequin doll design that came with "Pretty" Dress Shop glittered paper. It was perfect! I also used the brown trim to stitch over the punched border that I added.”

 

Thanksgiving Place Cards by Amber Packer:

Featured Collections: Lush (brown), So Sophie, Fine and Dandy and Lost & Found – Union Square

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought: what a better way to feature our trims than having fun with Thanksgiving place cards. 

Amber place card: I went in the backyard and found a maple leaf with a lot of red in it.  Then I soaked it in water, flattened it and allowed it to dry.  I then threaded the top of the Lost & Found Trim and gathered it into a circle shape and added a Union Square brad in the center.  A bit of glitter ribbon and another brad provided the finishing touches along with a doodled name.

Bryan place card: I trimmed around the brown lush damask (my favorite Lush paper) and added yellow Fine & Dandy pom pom trim and blue glittered trim.  The printed name and scallop bling provide the finishing touches.

Boys place card: I used a So Sophie journaling card for the background and added the Fine & Dandy brown velvet rick rack trim along left side.  The I gathered the top of the blue velvet scallop trim to make the darling flower.  A Union Square brad provided the perfect flower center.

Note: Pin Frogs are one of my favorite secrets.  They make such easy and decorative bases.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Caught our eye: Anthea Peterson

The other day we went to our Facebook page and had a great time viewing all the fabulous projects that have been shared with us lately.  We’ve got to say: you guys ROCK!  We love seeing what you create with our products. 

There were two projects in particular that caught our eye.  They are both use our Fine and Dandy collection and are designed by:  Anthea Peterson!

We love the mix of "blocking” and the whimsical feel combined.  Can you believe how fabulously Anthea used Fine and Dandy to create a layout about swinging AND snow! 

Fabulous work, Anthea! 

Keep posting your work on your blogs, forums and our Facebook page.  We can’t wait to see what will catch our eye next month!

Thanksgiving Gifts of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is upon us.  It is one of my favorite celebrations. I love spending this time with my family and truly reflect on the blessings around us. Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude.  I enjoy making handmade creations that reflect this season.

I fell in love with the Lush Collection this past year. The monochromatic collections were simply gorgeous and the coordinating embellishments were a perfect match!
The Brown Lush Collection is the perfect color palette for the fall season. It's combination of elegant designs with simple patterns make it versatile for creating home decor, to gift cards and yet perfect for documenting the everyday moments, too.

I created the following ensemble as an expression of my gratitude to friends, and family. 

This ensemble features the beautiful papers, brads, chipboard letters, and ribbon from the Brown Lush Collection. A few additions of crepe paper, and dainty doilies were the finishing touches to the projects. Stamping always finds a home on my projects, so the Lost & Found Stamps were the perfect addition!
 

I had so much fun creating these cones! I tucked in a "sweet" treat as a thank you to my children's teachers. I am grateful to them for all the lessons they instill in my children.

I created this frame, as an addition to our Thanksgiving Decor. However, I think it will find a permanent home to be enjoyed every day. The Lush Large Damask Paper, is perfect to stand alone in a frame. However, I wanted to add a few details, so I combined a few simple ingredients together. 
Family is very important to me, and I look forward to sitting down with my family at the Thanksgiving table. We eat as a family every day. However, at the Thanksgiving table, we will take time to discuss what we are most thankful for this joyous season.

The beautiful floral paper paired with paper roses, and a simple white doilie, is the perfect card to share my gratitude with my friends.


Finally, I created these tiny enclosures to hold a gift card of thanks to my children's teachers, too. I made a few more because the packaging is beautiful to stand alone. The paper flowers were made from papers from the gorgeous Market Street from Lost & Found. I also mixed a generic sentiment with the Portobello Road "Boy" Stamps, to create one stamped sentiment on the card. With so many stamp sets from My Mind's Eye, you can mix & match them, to create your own stamped images.

I wish you and your families a wonderful, and joyous season!
 
 

Our October Top Ten

So Grateful by Anam Stubbington  

Featured Collection: Fine and Dandy 

I used the Fine & Dandy  True Blue 6x6” paper pad with the Ribbon & jewels, the alpha is from the sticker sheet. I cut a bunch of strips and stick them down kinda randomly. Matted the photo about 4 times. Foam adhesive dots galore. And I loved the result!

I am very grateful for our armed forces. Every one of them from those who are serving, to have served to killed in service from Army to Navy to Air Force, from Peacekeepers to K9 teams and to their families who support them with love and hope. While I may not agree with the politicians, I support the armed forces totally.

These are my top ten reasons why I am so very grateful for the armed forces.

• They are allowing me the right to teach my girls to read and write.
• They are allowing me the right to love my husband.
• They are allowing me the right to practice my faith.
• They are allowing me the right to voice my opinions.
• They are allowing me the right to protect my own body.
• They are allowing me the right to talk to strangers.
• They are allowing me the right to have career outside of my home.
• They are allowing me to think of the future with the hope of changing it.
• They are allowing me to right to not be afraid.
• They are allowing me to raise my girls in a safe and happy environment, where they can grow and blossom into beautiful people. 

I am grateful for every single one of the men and women who put themselves out there to give us the rights we quite often take for granted. Thank You So Much!

"October 2010 Happy Days"  by LG Belarmino  

Featured Collection: Lost & Found

October 2010 was a very busy month for me and my family. It was the month when my 2 year old daughter participated in a fundraising fashion show sponsored by Adidas. The whole month was in preparation of this show to raise money for Special Needs Children educational scholarships. I am proud that we decided to enroll my daughter to this school who specializes in special education because we want our daughter to learn how to appreciate and socialize with these kids.

My daughter is the youngest preschool student and this was her first time participating in a big show. October was full of rehearsal schedules, fitting, venue scouting and practices. We were so proud of her for doing more than we expected, facing more than 500 audiences and walking down the runway. It was the highlight of that month!

 

Fall by Jana Eubank 

 

Featured Collection: Fine and Dandy 

I adore the new Fine & Dandy collections! The gold, orange, brown and aqua colors in the Fine & Dandy "True Blue" collection (patterned papers, trims, gems, chipboard, dimensional stickers, and decorative brads) were perfect for scrapping these pictures of my kids posing at the pumpkin patch. I created faux stitching on my page by using a paper piercer to punch holes along the edges of my page and the tree shape. Next I used a black gel pen to connect the pierced dots. I love to use this technique when I have curvy shapes (the tree) and want them to appear as though they have a perfectly stitched edge . . something that can be difficult to a achieve on a sewing machine. This is also a great technique to use if you don't have access to a sewing machine. (Fall title and tree shapes from Cricut cartridges.) Fall is such a fun time for our family . . . we take Fall Drives, visit local pumpkin patches, roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard, bake fall treats together in the kitchen, and more! We love it!

 

 

Sisters by Suzanne Sergi  

  

Featured Collection: Lost & Found

For my October Top 10 layout, I wanted to document the similarities between my daughters. Although,there is a seven year age difference, they enjoy so many of the same things.

They love the color pink, so the My Mind's Eye Market Street Collection was perfect for documenting  the loves of my sweet girls.

Remembering those who protect us

What a special day today is!  In the United States we call today “Veteran’s Day”.  In Canada it’s called “Remembrance Day”.  No matter what you call today, the meaning is the same: we honor the heroes who have died throughout every war or conflict and to acknowledge those still fighting.

Many of our readers have close loved ones and friends who are away from them currently serving in the military.  To them, we say: Thank you!  Thank you for serving, thank you for sacrificing, thank you for supporting your loved one so that we can be safe.  We encourage our readers to take time today to thank someone who is or has served your country (wherever you may live) in the military.

There are many organizations that coordinate getting handmade cards to deployed military personnel.  We have included links to just a few such organizations:

www.operationwritehome.org

www.opwritehomecanada.blogspot.com

www.soldiersangels.org

www.anysoldier.com

www.trevlac.biz/Chosen_Soldier.htm

www.uk4u.org

 

Suzanne Sergi:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Portobello Road

The Portobello Road from the Lost & Found Collection, had the old world charm I was hoping to achieve with my Veteran's Card. I love the muted colors, and the beautiful artwork on the papers. The airplane was the inspiration for creating this card.  On this Veteran's Day, I thank the Veterans for their courage, and honor they have given our beautiful Country!

 

Anam Stubbington:

 

Featured Collection: Fine and Dandy 

Card 1 features papers from the 6x6 pack. The alpha is the round alpha from tickled pink cut into squares.

Cards 2 & 3 use the regular true blue paper and chipboard and stickers.

 

Jana Eubank:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Union Square

 

Amber Packer:

Featured Collection: Lost & Found – Union Square

I am forever grateful to those who have served in the armed forces.  Thank you.

 

WE thank all the heroes among us.

Blog Challenge 17: Lessons Learned

We are thrilled to be presenting this month’s blog challenge today.  We truly look forward to your creations. 

The challenge:  Design a layout or other project based on this sketch (by Anam Stubbington) and include the theme “Lessons Learned”.

The rules: Use ANY My Mind’s Eye products (current or past) 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 17 as your subject) or add a link in a comment on this post by Thursday, November 18, 2010 (midnight, MST).

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

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

As always, EVERYONE is a winner!  We love seeing what you create for our challenge and want to thank everyone who will participate.  Every entry will go in a photo album here on the blog.  By submitting, you are giving My Mind’s Eye permission to include your entry.

We hope you enjoy this month’s oh-so-fabulous samples:

 

"Lessons Learned"  by LG Belarmino

Featured Collection: So Sophie – Clever

Like all mothers, we have this instinct of protecting and loving our babies. We love them because they came from our body, they are adorable, and we feel that they are dependent on us. But as they grow, we learn so much from them. They are starting to have their own personality, identity and confidence. These new characteristics gives us more reason why we love them so much.

 

“Soar” by Suzanne Sergi 

Featured Collection: Fine and Dandy – True Blue

 

I wanted to document my son's accomplishment of building his first Lego creation.  He owns so many of these detailed creations, but never had the confidence to Try on his own.  One afternoon, I told him the possibilities are endless with all the tiny pieces.
It did not have to be exactly like the picture.  All he had to do was use his imagination.  Well, after a few attempts, he did it! I was so proud of him for trying, and not giving up!  The lesson he learned from a plastic creation is priceless.