My Mind's Eye Blog

Tina Takes on the Sn@p Album!

Hi!  Tina here today with a project that that I am super excited to be able to share with you.  This project will be created over the next several months and you will see it as I add to it each month.  

Supplies:Lost & Found Record It- Antique:Sn@p album,Sticker Accessory Sheet,Chipboard Elements, Decorative Brads,Decorative Tape,Die Cut Embellishments,Enamel Dots,Layered stickers;Misc:Adhesive - Tombow (tape runner), Scor Tape, Imaginese (foam tape)Twine: Michaels

Today we will start with how decorated the cover of my Lost & Found Antique Sn@p Binder.  The inside pages will be created and shared in the next few months.  This will be a new type of project for me since I've never created a Project Life,or daily type of project before. I am so excited to create something new and share it with y'all.  I hope you will enjoy it!  I'd love to hear your comments and ideas for how to keep adding to my binder.

I had originally wanted to 'get messy' with my Sn@p binder.  I wanted to cover it with paint and ink, but then changed my mind.  (we are allowed, right? )  :)

I love the ephemera packet that is included with the Record It collections, so I thought it would be fun to create a collage on the front with various die-cuts, chipboard pieces, and stickers.    I really love how it turned out and how the ephemera die cuts are perfect for the theme I have in mind.

How are you going to decorate your binder?  Please share them with us!

Stay tuned next month for my first share on the inside of my binder!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Documenting December with our Sn@p Album!

Hello! Valerie here with you today with one of the Lost & Found Record It Sn@p Albums. I'm so excited about this collaboration between My Mind's Eye and Simple Stories! I love the size, versatility, and endless customization opportunities of these albums. I get to share with you how I customized (or fancied up) one of the albums.

Supplies: Lost and Found Record It Antique Collection—Sn@p Album and alpha & word stickers. Mistletoe Magic Collection— "Trees" paper, chipboard elements, enamel dots, and decorative brads. Vintage Christmas Collection—decorative buttons and faceted gems. The Sweetest Thing Collection— Bluebell "Smile" enamel dots. Other—embroidery floss and Prima Chalk In

I've been tossing around the idea of tackling an album to document our December this year. I haven't done this since 2009, for our son's first Christmas. I love that album and am so glad I did it, but the three years following 2009 I just made some layouts about December and Christmas and that was good enough for me. No regrets about not having an entire mini-album devoted to December. Now that we have a little one in house again and will be celebrating another first Christmas, I think it's time for another album. I'm ready and looking forward to it! So here we go, a couple days before December and I'm off to a great start (first time around I made the cover last). 

I decided on the Record It-Antique album for my base. The embossed pattern is so lovely. To bring the pattern out a little more I lightly rubbed some white chalk ink over it. I didn't want to do too much because I'm a fan of raw chipboard and wanted that natural color to show through. After the ink dried, I sealed it with a layer of matte gel medium just to add a little protection. 

 

I picked a striped patterned paper from the Mistletoe Magic collection and cut it to size to fit the window. I slid the paper into the slot and traced around the window onto the patterned paper with pencil. Next I removed that paper from the slot and filled in the square I just traced with various circle shaped embellishments from the Vintage Christmas collection and Mistletoe Magic collection. The "Merry Christmas" chipboard piece is from the Mistletoe Magic Decorative Buttons embellishment pack. I attached it with a bit of hot glue then used my paper piercer to carefully punch holes for the thread. I like to keep my album covers simple with very few layers. I feel like less layers=more durable. There's less to fall off and get damaged.

 

For the spine I added a little tag, trading out the brad for an enamel dot because I didn't want to punch a hole in the spine. Last but not least, I added the date with the Record It-Antique alpha and word stickers. ...And now I have an album ready to be filled with our memories, traditions, and activities from December 2013. I'll be back next month to share some of the inside progress with you. Can't wait! Until then, how will you customize your Lost and Found Sn@p albums? We'd love to see them!

 

 

 

 

Thankful

I love Thanksgiving, it is a wonderful time to pause and reflect upon the abundant blessings in our lives. I can't think of a greater blessing or more precious gift than my family. I used our recent family portrait for my layout. It was so kind of My Mind's Eye to design the perfect papers to coordinate with it! :) The colors of the Cut and Paste "Charm" collection match our clothes perfectly, even down to the stripes and chevron!

Supplies:Cut and Paste - Charm: Twinkle patterned paper, 6x6 pad, 4x6 journal cards, tiny word stickers, enamel shapes, label stickers, decorative buttons, brads; Cut and Paste - Presh & Adorbs: tiny words stickers; Miss Caroline: yellow twine; Misc: navy and orange thread, black ink and pen, white letter stickers

My Mind's Eye products are so easy to use! Can you believe this layout required no cutting (other than trimming off the strip with the barcode)?  I used two 4x6 journal cards and two 6x6 papers.

I accented my "Thankful" title with the fabulous orange and aqua enamel shapes.

I framed my layout with two rows of machine stitching in navy and orange thread. I used a combination of 3 different sets of "tiny word stickers" along the right side of my page.

As a final touch, I stitched the decorative button chipboard stickers to the top of the page with yellow twine.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning!  Happy Thanksgiving to all of the US residents who are reading today! We are so grateful for you, your inspiration and friendship. 

 

Today I am sharing a card created with a mix of Vintage Christmas, , Cut and Paste Charm and Mistletoe Magic lines.  While these are Christmas and "everyday" lines, there are enough colors in both lines that are perfect for fall, autumn, back to school even Thanksgiving.

Supplies: Vintage Christmas: Red Damask, Santa Paper, Multi Dot, Tree Trimmer, 6 x 6 paper pad, 12 x 12 sticker sheet;Cut and Paste-Charm;MISC: burlap from stash, OA decade stamp, Jenni Bowlin fountain pen ink pad, Tim Holtz mini attacher, twine from stash, Bazzill cardstock

When I started creating today's card, I knew I wanted to create a Thanksgiving turkey for the front, I love these little turkeys, from the hand-painted turkeys in our classroom to the pine cone turkeys, to the fabric turkey my son learned to hand-sew for me.  So I decided to use the rich burgundy, mustard and ivory colors to create a more vintage-looking turkey for my card.

 

Traditions Card

 

I decided to start the turkey feathers using the paper below and my Cameo.  I could've cut these by-hand using templates, but I remembered I had purchased a turkey and decided to put it to use on this card.  You can Google a template that would work for your feathers.

I cut four feathers then used the paper below and reduced the size of the feathers to cut four smaller feathers.

Traditions card details

 

I then adhered the two sizes together and stitched them using a tan-colored thread.  I love how rich the colors are together.

 

 

 I cut the body from the Vintage Dictionary paper below:


I layered vintage trim onto the bottom of the body and stitched each section using matching thread, though a good adhesive would work just fine.  I then layered the turkey with buttons and a button sticker from the Vintage sticker sheet:

 

I cut the beak from the Cut and Paste paper and the wattle from the Mistletoe Magic 6 x 6 paper pad.

So there you have it!

I hope you'll take a look at MME Christmas lines for your autumn and Thanksgiving pics as well as your Christmas photos this year.

 

Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!

Mini Albums with Stephanie | November 2013 Edition

Hi!  Stephanie back with you today to share this month's mini album.

Since it's the season for Thanksgiving, and to go along with this month's challenge at My Mind's Eye, I decided to create a "gratitude" mini book to record all of the things my family is thankful for.  There really is so much to be thankful for!!

Supplies needed:
Chalk Studio collection
White cardstock
Paper trimmer
Bone folder
Adhesive
Hole punch
Ribbon/twine
Date stamp & ink


1. Start by gathering your supplies.  I am using the Chalk Studio collection for my album.


2. Build your album cover by trimming down a piece of patterned paper to 6.5x12 inches and a piece of white card stock to 7x12 inches.  That extra half of inch on the white card stock will create a frame around your patterned paper and will also add to the sturdiness of your book.


3. Trim regular printer paper to 6.5x11 inches.  I used about 13 pieces of printer paper and 2 pieces of patterned paper for my base pages.  I wanted to make sure I had one piece of paper for each day during the month of November, but you can add as many or as few pages as you would like.  I typically would use card stock for my base pages, but since I was including so many I felt like printer paper would not be as bulky.

4. Score your trimmed patterned paper and printer paper down the middle and fold.



5. Using your crop-a-dile or hole punch, punch a half circle from the fold of your cover papers.  I recommend placing a scrap piece of paper over your folded cover before you punch your hole.  Be sure to line up the edge of your scrap paper with one end of your cover (or you could trim your scrap paper to the length of your cover).

The punched mark on your scrap paper will now act as a guide for the next hole you punch.  This will guarantee that your holes are evenly spaced.


6. Flip your scrap paper over, lining up the edge with the edge of your folded cover.  Punch your second hole.


7. Repeat the above steps for the base pages of your book.


8. Grab your ribbon or twine and thread each end of your ribbon/twine through the holes on the inside of your book.


9. Pull the ribbon/twine all the way through the holes and tie in a bow on the outer edge of your cover.


10. Decorate the cover of your album.  I chose to keep my cover very simple and used the "The Story of Us" layered sticker from the Cut & Paste collection.


11. Using a date stamp, add a stamp for each day of the month.

And now your book is al lready to be filled with memories!

Here is a look at some of the completed pages of my album.  This book is still going strong at our house and it will surely be a family tradition.  

The whole family has been involved and hearing what my children are thankful for just warms my heart.  I'm pretty sure I am going to have to make my daughter her own book next year.  She begged me everyday to fill in our book.

Thanks so much for joining me today!!  I hope this tutorial has inspired you to make a thankful journal for your family.  Please let me know if you have any questions!!

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | November 2013

Hello everyone! This is Shelly with another behind the scenes look at the makings of a double page layout.

This month, I decided to revisit the 4x6 photo theme. Let’s face it. It really is the easiest print option out there.

With fall all around us here in the Midwest, I felt compelled to pull up my pictures from last year. There are lots of fun activities to document for this season with the great pumpkin hunt and carving, trick-or-treating with parties galore, and ending the season with Thanksgiving.

I decided to focus on the fall fun that we as a family have around our house; simply put, our everyday fall. I picked a handful of my very favorites that told the story and printed them off 4x6.

Supplies: Cut & Paste – Charm: “Sweet” Treat Pattern Paper, “Sweet” Spin Pattern Paper, “Carefree” Mellow Pattern Paper, “Smile” Shine Pattern Paper, “Bliss” Jovial Pattern Paper, “Carefree” Label Stickers, “Hey You” Decorative Buttons, “Smile” Decorative Brads, “Sweet” Bits & Pieces, “Smile” 4x6 Journal Card; Cut & Paste – Adorbs: “Hello” Greet Pattern Paper; Supplies: Cut & Paste – Presh: “Right Now” Hashtag Pattern Paper; Misc: Silhouette (Wisdom Script), cardstock, vellum, string, eyelet.

First things first, I started my page with a simple hand drawn sketch. I had 7 horizontal 4x6 photos to fit on my two page spread. One of the easiest things to do when they are all the same size and orientation is to line those pictures right up.

That is just what I went with. I lined them all up on the bottom portion of my layout leaving one 4x6 space open for embellishing with some pattern paper, journaling, or even a title.

After seeing that space blocked off, I decided to mimic that same look on the top left portion of my layout too hoping that would give my layout less of a “straight lined” look to it.

Once my pictures were in my hand, I started to play with papers! I love that My Mind’s Eye collections always have such versatility to them. Last month, I created a bright summer layout. This month, I am creating a fun fall layout with the same collection, Cut & Paste. How great is that!

The one thing I decided to do with that open 4x6 space on my layout was to use one of the awesome 4x6 journaling cards. The only problem I had when I started out was deciding which one to go with. I was leaning towards the “Smile” Journal Card.

I added a touch of fun to the card with a label sticker and banner. I added a brad on the banner to bring that same element from the wood grain block down to the bottom of my layout.

Since the “Smile” card had a pretty chevron rainbow of color and a grey background, I wanted to bring that same grey base to the top left side of my layout. This grey wood grain was exactly what I was looking for. I added my journaling and a few fun Bits & Pieces to pretty it up.

To finish off my layout, I added a journal card, and a small detail picture to the top right corner to help break up that straight linear look to the layout a little more. I created the tag from the pre-printed journaling cards on the “Sweet” Treat pattern paper. The smaller detail picture was a last minute addition. I had it on hand already.

I tend to stack my unused pictures in a pile, which is very handy sometimes. I am guessing I had this printed for one of my Project Life weeks from 2012 or from my daughter’s Fall 2012 layout. Either way, it was nice to put it to use. I finished the corner off with another cluster of buttons and a brad. The best way to bring a double page layout together is to repeat similar elements.

As always, I know the double page is not everyone’s cup of tea, so I thought I would show this trick again.

From every double page layout, comes two great ideas for single page inspiration too! You could always keep the sketch the way it is here, or you could always switch around your 4x6 blocks.

Don’t forget about the right side too.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope I have inspired you to pull out those pretty papers, a few 4x6 pictures, and scrap a double page layout (or maybe even a single or two). Have a wonderful day!

Mixed Media with Karen | November 2013 Edition

This is Karen and I am back with another Mixed Media with Karen. 

This month, and next, I decided to play around with some stamps and create a few simple cards that you could send to your friends. At the beginning of 2013, I bought watercolor postcards  that I've been using to create art and send to friends. I grabbed one of my cards and the Cut & Paste Flair stamp set and stamped down the frame:


and then I used the curly stamp from the Collectible - Remarkable (Beautiful) set to add curls all around the frame.


I then used my watercolor markers to add color to all the sections created by the curly stamp.


Once I was done, it looked like this:


I then used a few of the stamp sets (Collectible - beautiful & hello, Follow Your Heart - Be Happy) to create a little title in the frame:

Once I colored the frame, I was done. I then decided to have fun experimenting with different frames. Here's one that's loose and uneven:


I decided I wanted it stronger, darker and starker so I just added a lot of black paint to the edges and ended up with this:



Which makes the watercolors that much more striking.

That's it for this month, see  you in December!!

Sketch Week | Two Page Layout

Hello and happy Friday! Sketch week continues. It's me, Valerie, here with one last take on the sketch. This time it's a two-page layout using mostly My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste collection. How do you take a single page sketch and turn it into a two-page layout? It's simple really—I just did a little stretching. I have a hard time following sketches exactly anyway, but I think you can see how I was definitely inspired by the sketch.

 

Supplies:  Cut & Paste Collection— Charm and Presh 6x6 paper pads, Presh "Right Now" 4x6 journal card, Charm "Hey You" stamp set, Charm "Hey You" decorative buttons, Charm "Sweet" bits & pieces layered stickers, Charm "Carefree" chipboard stickers, Charm "Smile" enamel dots. Collectable—Unforgettable "You Are" tiny word stickers. Sweetest Thing—Bluebell "Smile" enamel dots. Other— cardstock (American Crafts), date stamp, tiny attacher (Tim Holtz), Thickers (American Crafts), chalk ink (Prima), pen (Copic), and thread.

 

Like the sketch, my title is almost completely surrounded by photos and other elements. I also did some scattered journaling as seen in the sketch too. Unlike the sketch, my layout feels a little messier and has less white space around the edge.

 

I LOVE the Charm "Sweet" Bits & Pieces layered sticker pack and decided those clouds and flowers were worth breaking away from the sketch a little bit if I got to use them. It was a beautiful day for a combine ride, and I wanted the layout to reflect that. I also love how the Cut & Paste 6x6 paper pads have a mini version of the Project Life style cards. The smaller size is so much fun!

 

 

And here's the sketch again for comparison. It was so much fun to follow along this week and see how each of us used the sketch differently! How will you use the sketch?

 

This week was a BLAST for all of us at MME. We hope you will join in and enter a project in the November Sketch Challenge!!!

 

 

Sketch Week | Altered Item

Hi everyone, Laurel here.  When I saw the sketch I thought it would be such a great way to use up some of the scraps that I had leftover from other projects.  I dug out my Vintage Christmas collection and went to work. 

Did you know that sketches can be used for anything? They aren't only for cards or layouts...they are for whatever your heart desires.

I decided to use the sketch as a jumping off point for this gift bag.

Supplies:Vintage Christmas: 6 X 6 pad; Sticker Accessories; Chipboard Accessories; Decorative Brads; Decorative Buttons; Layered Stickers; Faceted Gems;Misc:SRM clear stickers, May Arts twine

 

First off, I cut a piece of kraft cardstock to cover the front of the bag.  All of the pieces of paper used for this were scraps and it felt so good to use them up!  I trimmed and adhered them using the sketch as a guide.  I then just did some random stitching to make sure they were held in place well.

 

I then added the embellishments, here and there until I was happy with how they looked. 

 

Finally I added some twine, clear stickers and vellum snowflakes to finish it off.

 

I love the dimension this bag has and I can’t wait to package something up in it this Christmas.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sketch Week | Make a Card

Happy Wednesday, everyone! This is Tonya and I'm so excited to be joining in sketch week!

I decided to use the sketch to make a card. While I love making layouts, sometimes I'm just in the mood to make a quick, easy, and chic card. Ronda's sketch made doing so a snap!

Supplies: Mistletoe Magic- 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, Decorative Stamps, Decorative Buttons, Enamel Dots, Decorative Brads

Since my dimensions for this card (4.25 " x 5.5", are quite a bit smaller than a layout I scaled things down a bit. To do this I just used fewer of Ronda's design elements. My sentiment simply replaced the title of the layout and instead of photos,  pieces of patterned paper were used for the squares/rectangles.

You can see how I embellished some of my shapes with some glitter, stitching and a zig zag edge. I loved how Ronda threw in the one round shaped element, to incorporate that I used some enamel dots in various places.

Do you use layout sketches to create cards? We'd love to see what you have come up with!

Thanks for stopping by today-