My Mind's Eye Blog

March Guest Designer | Tanya Privlova

Please help us welcome our March guest designer...Tanya Privlova!

We've been noticing (and pinning!) Tanya's intricate and detailed projects for quite some time, so we were thrilled when she agreed to join us for the month of March.

Here's a little bit about Tanya, in her own words.

Hi dear crafters! My name is Tanya.I live in Ukraine. In scrapbooking I came  3 years ago.I love to create all types of projects :) Cards, mini albums, layouts, altered creations, notebooks and so on. My main inspiration is paper! Also I love to create with chipboards, lace, buttons, flair buttons, letters, fabrics.. I love free style, American, shabby, sometimes love to mix all of them :)love to use many layers and sweet details.

 

FOLLOW ME:  Blog | Pinterest

 

Q | What is your favorite MME collection of all time and why?

 

A | One of my favorite collections is Lost and Found...this collection has such a sweet palette..and a special energy. Relaxing, comfortable, and vintage.

 

Q | What did you have the most fun working with as guest designer? why?

 

A | Oh, good question! And a very difficult one...each collection is very special and they are very different. In each of them I founded adorable details. Record It- Charmed is totally amazing and something very very new in scrapbooking. The patterns are so simple and so stylish!  The cards for journaling are also very very interesting and perfect for PL projects.  

 

In Record It- Pretty Things I loved the  journaling cards also and floral prints with beautiful signs ...they give a possibility to make very special and extraordinary projects. And finally, the Now & Then collection has so many perfect embelishments..I even can`t to choose my fave. They all can be a part of great creation.

 

Oh goodness are we ever in love with what Tanya created. Her work has a romantic, ethereal feeling and we just adore everything she comes up with.

 

Make sure to come back tomorrow to see the rest of Tanya's creations!

 

Don't Get Pinched - Scrap Green!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  In honor of this Irish holiday, I decided to create a green layout.  Usually green is a pretty tough color for me to scrap.  I dug through some of the new collections and came up with a variety of different greens to use on this design.

 

I decided to use some summer pool photos to make this even more of a challenge.  I started with one of the new Record It “Charmed” Word Art pieces.  I decided to cut the word “charm” out and use that as part of my title.  I love the font, and it went perfectly with the St. Patty’s theme even though my layout isn’t about that at all. 

 

Next, I dug into the Now & Then Milo collection and found a green & white polka dotted paper (“Inspired” Forest).  From there, I layered in many other green pieces.  I decided to tie in gold as well, which reminds me of the pot at the end of the rainbow.

Supplies: Record It! Collection: “Charmed” Word Art Ready to Frame Prints, “Pretty Things” Journaling Card Kit, Charmed Decorative Tapes, Pretty Things Decorative Tapes, Just Splendid Decorative Tapes, “Charmed” Enamel Dots; Now & Then Collection: Milo Papers—“Inspired” Forest, “Little Things” Doilies; Milo “Little Things” Label Stickers, Decorative Brads, “Inspired” Enamel Dots, “This Week” Enamel Shapes; Mildred “Oh Happy Day” Chipboard Elements, Decorative Buttons; Misc: gesso, pop dots, Martha Stewart Course Glitter Acrylic Paint, cord, thread, white Gelly Roll pen, Staz On Ink, Target Alpha Stamps, Sharpie black pen, transparency paper.

 

The Record It Journaling Card Kits are amazing!  I like to use these on layouts, and this one with the cut out hearts was perfect.  I backed it with green paper.  I added some blue decorative tape, some cord and a small piece from the Milo Decorative Brads topped with a gold enamel dot. 

 

The fussy cut title is my favorite part of this page!  I went over the gold with some gold glitter paint for some added sparkle, and then added in some tangled gold thread.  You can see how I also used gesso to create a faded look around the photos and papers.  I think doing this with a busy background helps the design pop and not be too distracting.  And plus it’s fun to get messy and create a not-so-perfect look!  Part of scrapping is making it look homemade, right? 

 

More gold pieces!  These chipboard shapes are from the Now & Then Mildred line.  I added more gold glitter paint inside the oval frame and then layered the heart on top of it.  Some tangled thread finishes it off.

I hope this inspires you to go green and create something that won't get you pinched!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

Focus

Hi!  Tina here today with a home decor project that will really make your room POP with color!

The new Record It! collections include 8x10 word art packs that are perfect for popping into a frame and go!  But what if you wanted to make something a little more YOU?

When I was given this assignment, I immediately knew I wanted to use one of the word art sheets from the Follow Your Heart collection.  This is one of my all time favorite My Mind's Eye collections and just perfect for what I had in mind.

Using the already amazing 'Focus' page, I added color with Paint Markers, Gel pens, and basic black and white doodle pens.  

I colored design elements, then outlined them in black and white pen to make the color POP off the paper.   I also wanted a bit of Glitz to my wall art, so added glitter to several areas for the added shine!

Don't' forget the edges of the Word Art.  I colored-in random hexagon shapes for even more color.

I really love how my very own artwork turned out!

Have you framed your Wall Art yet?  We'd love to see what you've done!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Now and Then Mildred

Hi everyone! This is Tonya here today to share with you a new layout using the Now and Then Mildred collection. There are so many super fun things about this line. One of my favorites?

The gold glitter enamel hearts!!!!! I mean we all love enamel dots, then add some glitter and hearts….BAM! I'm swooning! Another thing I love is the touch of metallic gold on some of the papers, stickers, die cuts, chipboard and washi tape.

 

This layout was wall inspired by the striped large number two that can be found in the decorative die cuts package, yet another awesome addition to the line up of products!

 

 

 

Supplies: Now and Then:Mildred- "Today" dots Paper, "Today" Shine Paper, 6x6 paper pad, "Oh Happy Day" 12x12 chipboard, "With You" Enamel Dots, "Oh Happy Day" Alpha/Tiny Words, "With You" mixed bag, "Girls" Brads, Decorative Tape, "Today" 3x4 pack, "Hello" Enamel Shapes

 

I backed the '2' with one of the 3x4 cards and used glitter paper to cut out the title, which I then stacked on some contrasting cardstock. Oh yeah, I spy one of those gold hearts!

 

Across the bottom I ran a strip of the wide washi tape and then used that for some of my journaling elements, I utilized the extra little spots for some small embellishing.

 

Have you made anything using Mildred yet? If so we'd love to see it! Hope you've enjoyed Now and Then Week on the blog. Have a wonderful day!

 

Now and Then Milo

Hi everyone! It’s Valerie and I have a new layout to share with you today. I’m totally loving the Now & Then Collection. I even think it might have become my all-time favorite My Mind’s Eye collection. So far this week you’ve met Izzy and Dorothy. Now meet Milo.

 

Supplies: Now & Then-Milo:6x6 paper pad, “Little Things” Doilies paper, “Friends” accent stickers, “Documented” chipboard elements, “Inspired” enamel dots, “This Week” enamel shapes, “Documented” alpha/word stickers, and decorative tape. Other: Silhouette Cameo, mist, cardstock, and Thickers

 

The Milo palette is full of pretty blues, teals, and yellow. With any layout, you just can’t go wrong with circles...especially a large cluster of them. To cut the concentric circles, I picked four different sheets of paper from the 6x6 pad and placed them 4-up on my 12 x12 Cameo cutting mat.

 

Since the paper is double- sided, I ended up with 8 different patterns to use—that all coordinate perfectly of course.I used the circles to frame my three largest photos. The two smaller photos were backed with circles cut from the 12x12 “Little Things” doilies patterned paper.

 

 

 

I repeated the doily motif with the chipboard accents and one from the sticker sheet. The anchor enamel shapes are a fun finishing touch.

 

 

Isn’t Milo great!? You’ll have to stop by and meet Mildred tomorrow. Had to save the best for last (in my opinion).

Now and Then Dorothy

Hey there!  It's Lea with you today, and I have a cute duo of cards to share with you!!  They feature the My Mind's Eye Now & Then "Dorothy" collection, and are full of amazing color & dimension!  I just love the pinks & blues & grays featured in this collection!

 

Supplies:Now and Then "Dorothy": 6x6 designer paper pad, alpha/word stickers, accent stickers, label stickers, decorative brads, enamel shapes, enamel dots, decorative buttons, & 3x4 cards

I used a very similar design on the base of the cards, which included wrapping twine around the seam from the two different papers and rounding just the one corner. This provided continuity between the two cards so they could be given away as a little gift set, but also so they would photograph well together!

Once the card bases were complete, I layered and accented the tops.  While I used different stickers, journal cards & accents on each card, I was able to maintain some similarity just by using the same collection.

That is one of the things that I love most about My Mind's Eye collections...there are so many different elements in each one and you have so much to choose from when it comes to designing your projects!!

So, what do you think of the new Now and Then "Dorothy collection?  Like I said before, I am completely in love with the color combo in this collection...it combines all of my faves into one amazing collection!!

Have an awesome rest of your day!!

Lea

Now and Then Izzy

Hello, MME fans!  Missy here with you today.  I’m beyond excited to share this layout with you!  For the next four days, you’ll be seeing projects created using the new Now & Then collection.  I could barely contain myself when I first received all the new goodies…everything is so amazing!  My project focuses on the Izzy range, and even though it’s geared toward boys, I used it to highlight some adorable pictures of my sweet (but wild) daughter. 

 

When I spread out all of the Izzy patterned papers, I knew I wanted to incorporate the green, blue, orange and yellow into my layout.  It was tough to choose which ones to use because I love them all! It’s always hard for me to narrow down what I’m going to use on a layout because I literally want to use every single piece!

 

I decided on quite a few of them, but I used a lot of them sparingly so you only see bits of each one.  I wanted a bold pattern behind the photos, so I chose the “Happenings” Frolic (navy & white stripes).  I added a bit of modeling paste and watercolors to give it a bit more color here and there.  I wanted to add a bit more of the turquoise color that is in the multi-colored chipboard banner, so that’s where the watercolor came in.

 

Supplies: Now & Then Izzy—Papers: “Smile” Regard, “Happenings” Frolic, “Smile” Bloom, “Happenings” Celebrate, “Good Times” Range; “Smile” Enamel Shapes; “Dream Big” Chipboard Elements; “Lovely Day” Izzy “Smile” Small Flair Pins; “Happenings” Enamel Dots; “Good Times” 3x4 Cards; “Boys” Label Stickers; “Dream Big” Alpha/Word Stickers; 6x6 Paper Pad; Decorative Tapes; Decorative Buttons; Crafter’s Workshop Stencil; Golden Modeling Paste; Thread; Pop Dots; Watercolors; Sharpie Black Pen; Silhouette Cameo; Stampendous Ink.

 

I was immediately drawn to this banner piece.  I loved that it had all the colors in it.  I used it as a divider between the top and lower half of the layout.  I added my title just above it, and I used some of the cute “Dream Big” Alpha/Word stickers.  A lot of this collections centers around dreams, so I wanted that to play into my title.  I like that the word “dreams” is raised up a bit.  It gives it some interest and depth.

 

 I layered a fun chipboard piece here with a label sticker and a 3x4 card.  I simply tore the title off and used just the top half.  I added an enamel dot as well.  I wanted a bit more pop of yellow, so I painted around the edges of my journaling.  I love this background paper (“Smile” Regard) because of all the square and rectangle shapes.  There are a ton of ways to use them.  I chose journaling.

 

 Something fun and new in this new collection is the Flair Pins!  They are so much fun and easy to use.  They immediately add dimension and a pop of color.  They’re great for layering, like I did here with this chipboard flower.  I added a fun button to the flower…don’t you just love that bright green color?!

 

Lastly, here you can see the texture a little bit better.  I love adding modeling paste to projects, even if it is subtle.  I just added a few lines here, but it has a neat effect.  I watercolored over it, so it toned down the white.  I also added in some thread tangles in a few places.  I like the way it gives it a messy and uneven look while adding a pop of color in just the right spot.  I also layered in more chipboard…that adorable film viewfinder!  I cut it in half so I could use it on both sides of my photo cluster.

 

I have to say this is one of my favorite collections so far!  The colors are just stunning, and all the embellishments make it fun and easy to create with. 

 

I hope this inspires you in some way to try and use at least one of everything in the collection!  And don’t be afraid to throw in some paint…watercolors are hard to mess up! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

 

Mix and Match with Karen | March 2013 Edition

 

Hi everyone!

It's Karen, back with another Mix and Match. This month, I decided to just have fun with the wide range of decorative tape My Mind's Eye has come out with in the last few years. I love this tape and I decided to
challenge myself this month to only use tape and no paper on my layout.

Here's the end result:


This whole page has nothing but tape for its background. Since I am continuing with the theme of 2 6x12 pages with a full page journaling, it was really easy to continue the washi tape on to the next page to create a more seamless and unified effect.

The other nice thing about the decorative tape is that it can be cut very easily.  For the left side, where I have a lot of journaling, I wanted to layer some extra tape to give it color and have the two pages go together better. But I didn't have that much room due to all the journaling, so I took my take and cut it into a third to make it really narrow. Below that one, I put an even thinner layer of the green one. I topped them with a blue heart and a pink enamel and that was all the left side needed to feel whole.


On the top right, I decided to add some stickers, enamels, and chipboard pieces just to give my page a bit more depth and texture. I also put some twine through the chipboard piece to give it a more whimsical feel.


And then, finally, I added my title. I loved pulling all the colors from all the different decorative tapes and just having fun with my long title. It says: This is a moment of deep joy and gratitude for me.


If you'd like to read the full journaling on this page, you can do so, here.

And here we are. If you haven't done a washi-only page yet, I highly recommend it. These tapes go wonderfully together regardless of how old or new your My Mind's Eye products are. They are really easy to adhere, cut, manipulate,  layer, and tear. And, as my son would say, they are super-fun!

Thanks for letting me share my page, see you next month with another Mix and Match!

Enamel Shapes

Hello! Valerie here with you today. I don’t know how I ever survived without My Mind’s Eye enamel dots and shapes! I LOVE them…I really really do!

They are the perfect little embellishment—just the right amount of dimension and shine. The new enamel shapes in the Now & Then collection are so trendy, fun, and versatile. Today I’m sharing with you how I’ve been adding them to the journal cards from the Now & Then 3x4 packs.

For each journal card I have a corresponding photo. These are all ready to be slipped into a divided page protector or can even be incorporated into a standard layout. These 3x4 journal packs are so great. They really make me reconsider my choice to not scrapbook week-by-week divided page protector style so I can use them all up.

Supplies: Now & Then- Izzy :“Good Times” 3x4 pack, Mildred “Oh Happy Day” alpha/word stickers, & Mildred “Hello” enamel shapes

It doesn’t take much to make these ordinary journal cards look a little more extraordinary with just a couple enamel shapes and a typewriter.

 

I’m loving the ombré effect on that photo too (note to self: must make more like it). Using Photoshop, I simply added a gradient to a new layer and played around with the opacity. Ta-da! Inspired by this Pin  from this website .

Supplies: Now & Then- Izzy: “Good Times” 3x4 pack, Milo “This Week” enamel shapes, and Milo “Little Things” decorative brads

 

 

Circles are fun to fill with enamel shapes and dots. Such an easy way to add some interest.

Supplies: Now & Then- Dorothy :“The Best" 3x4 pack, Dorothy “Wild & Free” enamel dots, and Dorothy “Lovely Day” enamel shapes

 

Isn’t this mustache so fun?! My son thinks his photo is hilarious now. I can’t fit my 12 x 12 layouts in my typewriter, but there’s more than enough room for these journal cards. I’m okay with my handwriting, but I love my typewriter too.

Supplies: Now & Then- Izzy: “Good Times” 3x4 pack, Izzy “Smile” enamel shapes, and Milo “This Week” enamel shapes

 

Glitter is not my favorite, but the glittery enamel shapes are totally doable for me. NO MESS! Yay for glitter that doesn’t get everywhere! The colors and illustrations in the Now & Then collection just make me so happy. I love the way this journal card turned out below. So simple, but just perfect.

Supplies: Now & Then- Mildred: “Today” 3x4 pack and Izzy “Smile” enamel shapes

 

And last but not least, there’s numbers too—in the Dorothy “Lovely Day” set. Great for making a numbered list or substituting for the word like I did below.

Supplies: Now & Then -Mildred: “Today” 3x4 pack, Mildred “Hello” enamel shapes, and Dorothy “Lovely Day” enamel shapes

 

So what do you think?! Aren’t the new enamel shapes from the Now & Collection a must have!? We’d love to see how you are using them. 

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Disney Album

Have you ever returned from a vacation with hundreds of photos?  I have, and those fabulous photos tend to sit on my digital card or hard drive - never to been seen by family members.

Supplies: Lost and Found Record It - Album Starter Kit and pocket pages;Record It-Here is Happy: Journaling Kit, 8x8 Word Art Pack, 6x6 pad, decorative tape, enamel dots; Chalk Studio II: Remember patterned paper, Word Soup patterned paper, smile patterned paper, 6x6 pad; Find Your Wings and Fly - Sky's the Limit and Up & Away - Alpha/Word stickers; Lost and Found 3 Ruby: decorative tape (gray); Misc: black pen, white letter stickers and chipboard, Mickey Mouse punches.

When I saw this new "Record It" album -  I knew it would be perfect for our 2006 vacation to Disneyland.  The "Here is Happy" Record It Journaling Kit had just the right coordinating colors and theme.  I was amazed that it has 108 cards in just one package!!

 

In fact, I cut out the back of the packaging to use as the "Here is Happy" title on my album cover - for the "Happiest Place on Earth".  I embellished it with decorative tapes and enamel dots. This album came together very easily, I loved simply sliding cards and photos into the pockets.  I even used two of the 8x10 word art prints for my pages.

 

I really liked the mixture of the various pocket page sizes and the heavy cardstock pages in the album. I used the 6x6 paper pad, a few solid pieces of paper,  and tiny alpha/letter stickers to complete the pages.

My favorite products in the Journaling Kit are the transparency cards in 3x4 and 4x6 sizes. They were so fun to layer over photos, or use on their own in a page protector.

Can you believe this album has 75 pages and 151 photos?!?!  My family has loved looking through this album and remembering our fun vacation 7 1/2 years ago.  

 

Yay - I finally got those pictures off that hard drive!! Can't wait to complete another one of these "Record It" albums!

 

Tamara