My Mind's Eye Blog

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout - August's 4x6 Photo Love

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

This month I am going with a 4x6 photo theme! As with probably a lot of you, I enjoy being part of different online communities across the web. I have read several times in different places people searching for inspiration using only 4x6 photos. They love to keep things real and simple by ordering all their pictures in stacks of the traditional 4x6 size. I usually plan out my pages prior to ordering so that I can size my pictures accordingly, but I thought I would take on the challenge today to create a page using only 4x6 photos.

Supplies: Kate & Co.-Oxford Lane: From Me, Tartan, Triples, and Polka patterned papers; Chipboard Elements; Sticker Accessory Sheet; Enamel Dot; Decorative Tapes; Kate &Co.-Cambridge Court: Sticker Accessory Sheet; Boy Crazy: Tags pattern paper, 6x6 paper pad; Misc: Silhouette, photo corners, string, Zig photo pen, Bazzill cardstock

I picked out a small handful of pictures taken over the Fourth of July week last year. I printed them all 4x6 without doing any page planning ahead of time. Awe, I have to admit. It was pretty darn nice just to send these off to the printer without putting any thought into it.

Like I do with just about all my pages, I laid out two sheets of white cardstock to plan my attack. Within no time, I had my pictures placed just where I liked them. I was able to fit 7 of the 8 photos I had printed on my layout. Nice.

I really loved the bold colors of the blues and yellows from the Kate and Co-Oxford Lane Collection. I pulled out a few of the papers and realized that I really needed a pop of red too. The Boy Crazy Collection had just what I needed to complement the Oxford Lane papers.

I decided to do different vertical strips on the left side of the page. I knew the navy chipboard border from the Chipboard Elements would be perfect for this page. So, how do you get a 12-inch border to work for a double page layout? You cut it. I do this a lot. I usually just zip it in my trimmer while the border is still on the packing sheet, but this time the backing kept slipping. I pulled out my trusty scissors to cut away following the inner circles as a guide.

Once my paper strips and border were in place, I was able to work on the title. I cut the “Summer” title from my Silhouette. After having the full title in place, I realized that the “vacation” didn’t have enough pop. To fix that I already had the Boy Crazy Collection on the floor next to me, I layered a 6x6 sheet of the grey stars underneath my title. That solved the problem!

I mimicked that same look on the right side of the page, adding in my journaling. By total chance, the journaling matched up perfectly with the lines from the B-side of the Polka patterned paper. I had my journaling printed out on a white sheet of cardstock. The paper was sitting right next to me, so I lined it up out of shear curiosity. Boom! Perfect match. If you are curious to what my settings were for my journaling, it was Bohemian Typewriter font (downloaded from the internet) with a font size of 10.5 and single line spacing. Don’t you just love it when the stars line up for you?

My final step was to have fun embellishing! I filled the open space on the left side of the layout with that bold yellow doily flower from the Kate & Co.-Cambridge Court Sticker Accessory Sheet. It may have taken me some time to pop out those little holes, but so worth it once it was in its home. I finished it off with a chipboard button and some decorative tape across the picture.

Once I do something to one side, I like to do the same to the other. So, more decorative tape, buttons, and enamel dots were in order.

I know not everyone likes to do double pages like I do, so I thought I would show you this trick again.

......

Do you see it? This layout has three times the inspiration! Each side will totally work for all you single page loving, 4x6 photo printing scrappers out there too.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Hopefully, I have inspired you to pull out those pretty papers and scrap a double page layout (or maybe even a single or two!). If not, is there something else you are looking for when it comes to doublers? I would love to hear your comments, concerns, and challenges when it comes to a double page layout!

Summer Fun Cards with Tonya

Happy Monday morning to you all! Tonya here to share with you some cards that feature all things summer...flowers, butterflies, and of course the sun!

I've pulled out three different collections, one for each card. That is one of the things that I love about My Mind's Eye...it is so versatile. None of these collections are summer themed, but they all were super simple to make summer cards with!

This one was made using Boy Crazy...

Supplies: Boy Crazy- 6x6 paper pad, decorative buttons, chipboard elements, enamel dots Lime Twist: Fly a Kite "Everyday" Twine Find Your Wings and Fly - Sky's The Limit: Alpha & Word Stickers

This one uses Cut & Paste - Presh...

Supplies: Cut & Paste - Presh: 6x6 paper pad, decorative buttons, enamel dots

This last one was made using My Girl...

Supplies: My Girl- 6x6 paper pad, felt stickers, enamel dots, decorative brads, decorative buttons Lime Twist: Fly a Kite "Everyday" Twine

Hope I have inspired you to pull out your supplies and make a few cards, summer themed or not! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Tonya

4th of July Cards

Hi everybody, Tonya here to share a few 4th of July cards with you. I adore this holiday, it's the one of the rare times through out the year that my family and my husband's family get together. The pure joy on all of the kids' faces as they light up and watch fireworks is just the best site to behold.

Red, white and blue is one of my favorite color schemes and using a variety of My Mind's Eye Products I made these three cards, all were super quick and easy to put together.

For this first card I pulled suppies from the Kraft Funday collection.

Supplies: Kraft Funday Bright Days- 6x6 paper pad, Chipboard Elements, Decorative Brads 

For this next card I put the Decorative Tape to use by cutting out three different sized chipboard stars and covering them with different tapes.

Supplies: Kate & Co.- 6x6 paper pad, Decorative Brads  Decorative Tape set, black and red Kraft Funday Bright Days- Decorative Stamp Set

 For this last card I thought I would make a play on the cute little bird in the Kate & Co Cambridge Court stamp set. Instead of "Let freedom ring", I used...

Supplies: Kate & Co Cambridge Court- Decorative Stamp Set Kate & Co Oxford Lane: Decorative BradsBoy Crazy: Enamel Dots Decorative Tape Set: Red and Black

Hope you all have a fabulous and wonderful 4th of July holiday week!!!! 

 

Tonya

  

Mix and Match with Karen- Mother's Day Edition

This is Karen and I am back for another month of Mix and Match with Karen, the Mother's Day edition!

Mix and Match is the blog series that allows me to share how easy it is to mix old MME with new MME.

Recently I came upon a photos of my mom with her two daughters (my sister and me) and I knew I had a photo of me with my boys, so I decided this would be the perfect excuse to honor my mother for Mother's Day. I thought about how it all started with her.

Not only could I have not had my kids if she hadn't had me but I know that she taught me how to be a mom with the unparalleled love she had for me.

Since my photo was quite colorful, I decided to pick lines that were loud and happy colors. I ended up using My Girl, Boy Crazy, Hip-Hooray, and The Sweetest Thing. I have a few stickers and enamel dots from other lines, too but those are the main four I used.

Once I picked the back of the Simply Lovely Doily Paper from The Sweetest Thing, I noticed the zigzags and got the idea to cut it apart and have some colorful paper sneak up from behind.  I cut off the paper
using the zigzags as my guide and then glued some Hip-Hooray Boy Party Paper on the back. I then lay the top piece of the zig zag paper on top. I decided I wanted one more section to peek out so I cut out another line along the zig zags and this time glued the Kite Strings paper from the My Girl line. I then put down the zig zag paper on top and I ended up with something like this right before I put the top section back down:


Once I had the top part down, my paper was about 15 inches so I cut off an inch from the bottom and two from the top. I then stuck the photo of me with my boys in the red section and put my mom's photo behind a frame just below mine. And then I had fun adding my title and journaling. The rest of the layout was just pulling random chipboard embellishments, accessory sheet papers, enamel dots, and stickers from each of the lines.

This is what I ended up with:



Here's the embellishment cluster on the top left. And you can also see how I stitched along the zigzags. I used blue thread for zigzags and green thread for the frame.


Here's the photo of me with my kids and my mom with her kids:


And a mini-cluster on the top, right:


The title on this piece reads: It all began with you. Thank you for being the best mom. I am so thankful.

And the journaling says: There are many things I learned from the schools I went to and the books I read in my life. But the most important thing I ever learned came from you, mom. You are the one who
taught me how to be the best mom in the world. You are the one who taught me to love unconditionally and to support the people my kids are, no matter what. I am so incredibly lucky to have had you as my teacher. I love you with all my heart. Thank you so much, mom.

So there we go.  If you haven't touched these beautifully soft and happy lines in a while, I urge you to pull them out and play with them. I am confident you will have at least as much fun as I have had. And if you use them for a Mother's Day layout, all the better!

MME+Teacher Appreciation Week with Jana

Happy Tuesday everyone! This is Jana and I'm here to share a creative and unique Teacher Appreciation Week gift idea with you!

I've researched online and have asked teachers I know what kinds of gifts they love to receive from their students and they all seem to say the same thing ... GIFT CARDS! But giving a gift card to someone can feel "last-minute" and impersonal. So why not package the gift card with a personal touch? Like this sweet school bus shaped gift box.

Supplies:Boy Crazy:Seeing Stars Paper, Plaid Paper, Point the Way Paper, Stitched Paper, 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Felt Stickers, Enamel Dots, Decorative Buttons;Find Your Wings and Fly -Sky's the Limit: Alpha/Word Stickers ;Kraft FunDay: "Happy Days" (Brights) Twine

I used the Boy Crazy collection along with my electronic cutting machine and an ice cream truck cut file by SVGCuts.com to create this fun box. The characters from the felt stickers make perfect passengers! And the Decorative Buttons are the perfect accents! I even created a flip-out stop sign for the side of the bus to keep the boarding riders safe and sound. Letter stickers from the Find Your Wings and Fly Collection  label the bus with the teacher's name.

 

When the back of the box is opened a few handfuls of the teacher's favorite candy come spilling out along with a library card pocket containing a gift card to her favorite restaurant.

 

The library pocket and apple were also cut with my electronic die cut machine. I gave the apple a little texture with an embossing folder. Another button from the Boy Crazy collection and some twine from the Kraft FunDay collection add some fun (and a little visual interest) to the pocket. The candies get dressed up patterned paper bands using the Boy Crazy 6 x 6 papers!

 

The mini banner pieces from the Boy Crazy Decorative Buttons adorn the other side of the bus, and the Enamel Dots make the most perfect lights and wheel accents!

 

It's a colorful and fun way to let your child's teacher know how much you appreciate them! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Felt Stickers

Happy Thursday, MME fans!

Today we want to spotlight one of our favorite embellishments...felt stickers! These stickers are the perfect way to easily add a touch of whimsy to your layout or project.

They are fun, happy, bright, and playful. Who doesn't want more of that in their world?

I challenged Jana and Danni to share their ideas using these darling stickers. Here's what they came up with!

 

Be Happy by Jana Eubank

Supplies:My Girl :Playful paper, Rainbow paper, Pinwheel paper, Sweet Girl paper, Bouquet paper, Genuine paper, Felt Stickers, Layered Stickers, 12 x 12 Stickers, Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots

Other: Yellow cardstock, Tab punch, Scallop border punch, Ink, Adhesive, Foam squares, Trimmer

Jana says:I adore the felt stickers from the My Girl and Boy Crazy collections. I love the multiple layers in bright colors. Some of the layers even have stitching on them, which really adds to their cozy, handmade feel. When I look at them, they remind me of the cute, whimsical designs that are stitched on my young daughter's clothing (something I look to often for inspiration). I knew they would be a perfect accent on this layout about my daughter's birthday.

I added some of the enamel dots to the flowers, ice cream cone, and butterfly wings. I love the contrast of the shiny enamel dot with the fuzzy felt. So fun!

 

 

Robot Door Hanger by Danni Reid

Supplies:Boy Crazy:Plaid Paper, Geared Up, Felt Stickers, Decorative brads, tape, layered sticker, enamel dots,Silhouette Cameo, hole punch

When I first saw these felt stickers, I knew I wanted to create a door hanger for my youngest son's room.  These cute robots, cars and stars just needed to be displayed.  He loves fun things from my scrap booking supplies, from lunch notes, to bookmarks, to door hangers, to folder inserts, he loves them (he's still young enough to enjoy those things, yay).

I cut the door hanger using my Silhouette Cameo and then cut a fun block of arrows and backed it with chevron paper.  I loved layering the hanger with the papers, felt stickers, tapes and brads. 

I used hot glue in a "glob" and pressed it up a little to angle the head so the robot is looking at "you".  I thought it would be fun to add the layered sticker "genuine boy" to his hand, a couple of brads to the felt sticker and a couple of enamel dots to that cute robot tummy.

 

 

Eye Love You by Danni Reid

Supplies:Boy Crazy:Plaid, Point the Way, Stitched and Seeing Stars paper, Felt stickers, decorative brads, enamel dots;Misc:heart punch, white cardstock, machine stitching, Tim Holtz mini attacherIf you do not have a Silhouette Cameo, you can use a door hanger template online.  Here's one of several free printable templates online: Door Hanger Template

Danni says: I decided it would be fun to use this fun one-eyed monster to create a fun card for my youngest, one to slip into his lunchbox.  I thought it would be fun to create a sentiment that played on the "eye" in the monster.

How darling and creative are these ideas??? Have you used our felt stickers in your crafting? If so, we'd love to see! Link in the comments or on our FB page.

Happy crafting!

Boy Crazy with Tamara

Supplies: Boy Crazy: Stitched patterned paper, Point the Way patterned paper,Plaid patterned paper,Tags patterned paper, felt stickers, enamel dots, brads, chipboard, stickers; Collectable - Remarkable: Daily patterned paper, tiny word stickers, label sticker; Collectable - Notable: Petite patterned paper; Grey and red decorative tapes; Miss Caroline - Fiddlesticks: Twine; Misc: Black ink and pen, grey thread, pop dots.

TGIF everyone! This is Tamara and I'm here to share a fun layout using the Boy Crazy collection.

I LOVE the new "Boy Crazy" collection - it seems like this line was made just for my son.  He has an amazing imagination and is always on the go.  Exactly a year ago, I looked out my window to find him racing a truck down our street at incredibly high speeds - powered by the strong wind blowing a Walmart sack.

Fun note - he had raided my scraproom to find a piece of string to tie the sack with and I used the same yellow & white twine on my layout (appropriately tied to brads on the page). :)

The title "Powered by Imagination" was perfect for these pictures of his wind-powered invention. I cut the title out of patterned paper, rounded the corners, and sewed a border around it to add focus.

I used a lot of circle elements to echo the wheels and speed in the photos. I especially LOVE the stitched felt sticker - it added great dimension to the layout.

I cut a strip of the multi-colored chevron "Point the Way" paper, and placed it on the left edge of the page to give movement and draw your eye to the bottom of the layout.  

I anchored the bottom of the page with a strip of gray decorative tape and dove-tailed the end to echo the "GO" arrow sticker above it. I used enamel dots between the "3,2,1" countdown chipboard stickers.

So there you have it! Have a wonderful weekend. Make sure to check back tomorrow for a special St. Patrick's Day post!

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout- March

Supplies: Boy Crazy:Geared Up patterned paper,Stitched patterned paper,Plaid patterned paper,Ready Set Go patterned paper,6x6 pad,chipboard,enamel dots;My Girl:decorative tape;Winter Wonderland:twine;Misc: Silhouette,circle punches,snowflake punches

Hello everyone! This is Shelly back with another behind the scenes look at the makings of a double page layout. This past January, I brought you the first installment of this series. Thank you so much for all the sweet comments, and I am so happy to see that I am NOT the only one creating double page layouts. Go doublers!

Now, I also read some of you have multiple kids and take too many pictures to fit on a single page. I am right there with you! My favorite thing to do to get lots of those pictures onto a layout is to do a Season Summary page for both of my kids.

Yep, I have an album for my daughter and album for my son. I am sure there are some of you who just keep one family album, and some are like me (I hope) who scrapbook for each of your children. Right? It can be challenging to keep up with multiple albums, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. 

Summarizing an entire season onto one layout can knock out three months of memories all at once. Kind of nice! I just make sure I plan and order my pictures for those pages at the same time. The pictures that I use are almost identical, with a couple varied to focus on the individual child.

This past December, I shared a winter layout for my daughter.

Today I am going to share with you my son’s winter layout from the same year. When I started planning for my daughter’s page, I also planned for my son’s knocking out two birds with one stone.

Once I organize which pictures I am going to use, I start with a sketch. If I don’t sketch them out, I will completely forget what I was planning on doing with them when I find the time to scrap them. Sketches are key for me.

As you can see, I have my daughter’s page right there with my son’s page. I had a couple of extra pictures for my daughter and different “kid specific” pictures that were not of the same orientation, so I didn’t use the same sketch. I did use the same 2x3 size for the majority of the pictures and then had the larger sizes for the “kid specific” pictures. Doing blocks of 2x3 or 3x4 pictures for these summary pages can really streamline my process.

On those special days where I have time to scrapbook, I pull out my pictures and match them up with their sketch.

I always start off with a white base to push my pictures around on to get the layout just the way I want it before I add color and embellishments to the equation. I did have two different 4x6 pictures printed for this page. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to go with as the main picture; the sledding picture or my son looking through the window.

After putting my pictures on paper, I saw that I was able to add them both by trimming down the sledding picture.

Next step is journaling and color! Once I type up all that I want to say for a layout, I know where I can fit it in around my pictures or if I have to switch up where my pictures go. This time, it was easy. I already had journaling from my daughter’s page and it also worked perfectly for my son’s.

I printed it off on a tag which fit nicely next to the focal picture. Then, I get to add my color with pretty papers.

I deviated from my sketch a bit by dividing the left 4x12-inch strip on my page. It just felt like there was too much space above the journaling tag, so I simply trimmed the Plaid Paper and flipped it over to see the yellow circles.  Then I sized each piece to match with the adjacent papers.

The final step is to embellish and title the page. I knew I wanted a big ol’ title on the top of the page over the Ready Set Go Paper, and those fun circle chipboard pieces from the Boy Crazy line were calling to me with a mix of snowflakes.

To ground the chipboard circles, I layered them on top of different sized circles and then mixed in some snowflake punches. After cutting my title out of the grey cardstock, I realized that the letters got lost on such a busy piece of paper.

I tried the title in aqua, but it was still the case. I went back to the grey, and decided to stitch on each letter with different coordinating colors. Perfect, that worked for me.

To carry the circles and snowflakes over to the other side, I did the same thing in the plaid square. Since I used a red circle for layering, I decided to pull the red tag off that I had underneath the journaling tag because there was already enough happening over there with the circle embellishments. I simply added some twine to my tag, attached decorative tape down on two of the pictures, and my page was done.

So there you have it, another scary look inside my creative process of a double page layout. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for joining me today!

Just a side note for all you single page makers, you can still pull some inspiration from me today. If you look at each side of my layout individually, they can totally work for a standalone page too. Double the inspiration or should I say triple the inspiration?!?