My Mind's Eye Blog

Mix and Match with Karen | November 2014

Hi everyone! This is Karen and I am delighted to be back with a Mix and Match for November.

In my ten years of scrapbooking, there have been some trends I really wasn't crazy about. I'd see the embellishments everywhere and I couldn't wait for the trend to pass.

But then there's gold.

I am perfectly happy if this gold trend stays here forever. I just can never seem to get enough of it and I love love love the way it shines on my pages. It's not messy like glitter and requires no drying time like Stickles but it's shiny and makes me happy.

So when I was making this month's page, I knew I was going back to my happy gold. Instead of using the tape this time, I cut off the wide gold strip from the awesome Garden Party paper from the Just Sayin' line.  Once I had that down, I was feeling so much happier that it almost didn't matter what else I put on my page.

I like pairing gold with black and since my photos had so much blue in them, I didn't want to add a lot more blue. So I decided to use pink, black, gold and a little blue on my page. I pulled out some Chalk Studio II chipboard pieces and stickers. Some heart enamels and tape with blues and pinks in it. I used hearts all over because why not.

I had already decided on my journaling which was about how my boys pout before they go to swim class and how I've always worried that they were having a horrible time but for this one week, I ended up being the one
to take them to class and I could see with my own eyes how very much they actually love it. So I pulled out the perfect "Just Sayin'" diecut from the Mixed Bag  and decided to couple it with some alphabet stickers for my title. I had my journaling, photos, paper,  tape, stickers, and hearts. I was all set to go.

Here's what I ended up with:


You can read the full journaling here.

People sometimes reach out to me to ask how I feel about using pink or hearts or flowers on my boy pages. I feel like these pages are mine and I do them for myself. I also feel like hearts, pinks and flowers are not  reserved for girls only. All shapes, colors and patterns are for all of us. So I do whatever I want to do and haven't had a complaint from my boys yet. This page has so many hearts, it's almost ridiculous. But they are all a little different. I have it on the tapes, the enamel, and the rubon.

I tried to put my hearts on three corners of my page and in threes (or ones) to have them visually interesting. I started with the upper left where I only had a bit of space:


And then to the lower left where I had even less space. I made one of these a rubon just to have the rubon and the gold in one more place on the page:


And then the lower right. I had two hearts on the title right by there already so, here, I decided to do just one and then added an arrow to go with the arrows on the tape below and added some more gold and made my
heart blue to add some color.


I just love love love how shiny that is.

As I was rubbing on my hearts on the photo, one of them got slightly messed up. After I was done being frustrated, I decided to 'mess up' the other two as well so they could look like they were distressed hearts.


I don't know if it worked but three messed up hearts bothers me a lot less.

And then I pulled out my sewing machine and stitched around the photos, the tape, the little letters and I felt like I was done. I stared and stared at the page and found myself wondering what it would look like if I stitched around the diecut. I am not the smoothest stitcher so I was chiding myself for coming up with an idea that would surely ruin the page.

I considered using a pen instead. But it doesn't have the same texture. A small voice kept saying "Just walk away, you're done, don't ruin it!" but then another one was saying "But what if it's really neat looking?" And my motto is that if you're finding yourself wondering, you should try it.

So what if you "ruin" the page? You can make many more. And if you try and it's indeed cool, now you know one more trick.

So I grabbed a pencil, drew some guidelines and went at it. The result was crooked indeed but I still loved it. I think it added just the right texture to my page.


Now that I'd tried my crazy idea, I was done. One more page done, one more story told. Here's to many more!

See you next month.

Collection Spotlight | Chalk Studio II - A Sides vs B Sides

Hi, everyone!  Missy here today.  It’s funny how certain things can inspire you at different times. 

 

I was sorting through my MME collections, and the Chalk Studio 2  collection caught my eye. I love the chalk elements, but also the other sides of the patterned papers have some amazing colors. I also pulled out the Record It “Here is Happy” Journaling Card Kit and used some the amazing overlays. 

 

I was in the mood to get messy, so I pulled out the modeling paste and a stencil and went to work with this gorgeous blue polka dot paper as my background. I used some MME decorative tapes as well as watercolor paints. I really love the black elements that just pop off all that color. 

 

The overlays are SO cool to play with!  I used one right over my photo and the heart one lets you peek through to the texture underneath.

Supplies: Chalk Studio 2- “Together” Paper, Chipboard Frames, 6x6 Paper Pad, Decorative Tags, Decorative Brads, Icon Stickers; Record It “Here is Happy” – Cardstock & Overlay Journaling Cards, Decorative Tapes, 6x6 Paper Pad; Record It Follow Your Heart – Decorative Tapes Chalk Studio – Decorative Alphabet; All Things Chalk – Enamel Dots; Cut & Paste – Decorative Stamps, Decorative Tapes; The Sweetest Thing – Decorative Stamps; Cupid’s Arrow – Enamel Shapes; StazOn Ink, Gesso, Watercolors, Heidi Swapp Color Shine, Stampendous Ink, Fiskars Border Punch, Inkadinkadoo Blending Chalk, Silhouette Cameo, Acrylic Paint.

Here you can see all the elements together.  Lots of layers and texture…I love creating with a mix of products that give interest and texture.  The Chalk Studio 2 tags are a fun element to layer with, and fussy cutting shapes (like this cute camera) are another way to add a layer. 

 

I can’t get enough of these enamel dots and shapes!  I dove into the Cupid’s Arrow collection for that cute arrow, and the original Chalk Studio line for that epoxy R sticker.  So many of the MME lines have enamel dots…they add the perfect little touch.

 

As soon as I finished my first layout..I was inspired to dive right back in. This time I wanted the black to be the focus. 

 

Back in March, a friend and I (who are total geeks, by the way) went to Megacon in Orlando.  We are both obsessed with The Walking Dead, and we got the chance to meet a lot of the cast members.  We got our photo with them, and I just couldn’t wait to scrap it!

 

I knew the colors in the photo coordinated with the colors in the Chalk Studio 2 collection as well as the Here is Happy line.  So I created a darker and messier page to showcase this photo.  If you watch this show, then you know it’s messy and gross, so I wanted lots of messy on this layout. 

 

I used a stencil and some blue paint to create those splatters.  I also used an overlay and journaling card, which I punched with a big circle punch.  I just love the saying “Yeah, I did that.” 

 

Supplies: Chalk Studio 2- “Smile” Paper, 6x6 Paper Pad, Decorative Tapes, Icon Stickers, Chipboard Elements, Decorative Tags, Decorative Brads; Record It “Here is Happy”-Journaling Card Kit (overalys), 6x6 Paper Pad, Decorative Tapes, Enamel Dots; All Things Chalk – 6x6 Paper Pad, Decorative Tapes, Enamel Dots; Americana Acrylic Paint, Tim Holtz Stencil, Circle Punch, Stampendous Ink, Artist’s Loft Watercolor Pencils.

 

I used a yellow watercolor pencil to add some color to this black and white chipboard star. The Here is Happy enamel dots matched perfectly. I love when two totally different collections coordinate together!

I backed this overlay with a piece of patterned paper, and I think it’s the perfect sentiment for this photo.  A few pop dots underneath it make it easy to add some tangled thread and some more enamel dots.

As you can see, you can get two completely opposite looks from the same collections.  You just have to be creative and check out both sides of the papers!  And don’t be afraid of altering things with paint…the slightest change in color or texture can make all the difference.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

Collection Spotlight | Chalk Studio II

Hello! Valerie here with you today sharing a five photo layout featuring Chalk Studio 2 (& a little Now & Then). I decided to create a layout about what my son is into right now at age 4 1/2.

Since I used a variety photos that span a period of about two months, I chose to unify them all a bit by converting them to black and white. I like the way the black and white photos fit in with the chalkboard look of the paper. Using that background paper from Chalk Studio 2 was definitely a little out of my comfort zone. It was a good challenge for me to set aside the white cardstock I prefer to use as my base layer.

Supplies:  Chalk Studio 2 - “Smile” paper, chipboard elements, & enamel dots. Now & Then- Milo “Documented” chipboard elements, Dorothy “Lovely Day” enamel shapes, Izzy “Smile” flair, & Milo “Little Things” label stickers; Record It! Charmed enamel dots & Cupid’s Arrow enamel shapes. Other: turquoise cardstock, Silhouette Cameo, thread.

With my photos in hand, I took a few minutes to write down my journaling on a scrap piece of paper. I laid out the design of my page using the Silhouette Studio software. I measured and marked off the “smile” and camera areas on the virtual cutting mat and then typed in my journaling and title. I let my digital cutting tool do all the hard work for me by cutting out all those tiny letters.

I placed lots of enamel dots down on the page for a fun confetti effect and finished it off with some chipboard elements and a little stitching. It was fun to do something different with my journaling. The die-cut journaling adds some texture and depth to the page that handwritten journaling doesn’t. What have you created or what supply have you used lately that has been out of your comfort zone? Thanks for stopping by! 

Collection Spotlight | Chalk Studio II

Hey there!  Lea here today, and I have a matching card & bookmark to share with you!!  For today's projects I've used the new Chalk Studio II collection, which I just LOVE.  I have a deep love for the chalkboard trend, and I love how this collection pairs it with pink, aqua & yellow.  Those three colors really give the chalkboard elements a much softer feel!

 

Supplies: Chalk Studio II: 6x6 designer paper pad, chipboard, enamel dots, decorative brads,;Now and Then-Izzy:  alpha/word stickers

I love the chipboard elements that are included in this collection, and I used one of the Instax frames to help create the sentiment to my card!  By pairing it with the"You and Me" block & some word stickers...I was able to create a sweet love themed card that could be used for a wedding, anniversary, or any special moment.

When I added the smaller gold banners & the enamel dots, I got the idea to create a matching bookmark.  For one...I am in dire need of a bookmark, and now I have a really pretty one to hold my spot between the pages!!  I kept it in the love theme as well, which would make this little set a nice gift that you could give to someone special.

There are lots of amazing items in the Chalk Studio II collection that make amazing cards, and lots of fun gift ideas!  Your scrapbooking product is a great place to start whenever creating a homemade gift...and this collection is a perfect pick!!

Lea

Layouts by Tamara

Wow - MME's latest Winter release is amazing!!! Just when I think I have seen it all - MME astounds me again with incredible new designs and innovate products. I had such a delightful time designing these layouts to display at CHA.

 

Supplies: Chalk Studio II: Remember patterned paper, Word Soup patterned paper, Shine patterned paper, 6x6 papers pad (blue and dot), tags, sticker labels, decorative brads, decorative alphabet, enamel dots, sticker icons, chipboard; Misc: Black ink, pen, and thread, white gel pen.

My first layout is"Happy Today", using the fabulous Chalk Studio II collection.  I just love the fresh yellow, pink and blue colors mixed with chalk art.  I used a fun photo with all the same bright colors (of my daughter playing at the park 9 years ago).

The background paper already had a great blue border and "today" title printed on it.  I added strips of paper and banners across the bottom of the page and matted the photo with a 6x6 polka dot paper. I accented the photo with a large label sticker, tag, chipboard, and sticker icon. Aren't the epoxy letter stickers great?  

 

 

 

Supplies: Now and Then - Milo: Shimmer patterned paper, 6x6 pad, sticky notes, enamel shapes, decorative brads, label stickers, mixed bag die cuts, enamel dots, accent stickers, journaling cards, chipboard, and decorative tape; Misc: Cream thread and black pen. 

 

My second layout was designed with the "Now and Then" Milo collection.  I used a fun photo of my 2 year old son playing in the sunshine.  The 3x4 journaling cards provided the perfect titles for my page.  I only used a 12x12 for the background paper, the rest of the papers came from the 6x6 pad.

 

I used the awesome, new wide decorative tape with the beautiful medallions for the border and anchor for my page. I LOVE the giant shiny silver ampersand and silver chipboard elements. I embellished my page with enamel arrows, enamel dots, chipboard, word stickers, brads, accent stickers, and a cool "Friday" sticky note.

 

 

 

 

Supplies: Now and Then - Izzy: Regard paper, Smart paper, Dapper patterned paper, 6x6 pad, flair pins, enamel shapes, mixed bag die-cuts, enamel dots, accent stickers, journalin cards, decorative brads, label stickers, chipboard, decorative tape; Misc: Black ink and pen, teal thread.

 

 

I can't believe how perfectly the colors of the new "Now and Then" Izzy line go with my recent family portrait.  The title: "Joy, Love, Laughter, & Smiles" captures the feelings we share as a family.  I framed the photo with a 6x6 paper and a strip of blue patterned paper.  I tucked a journaling card under the edge and used another one for the title.  I embellished it with an enamel dot and fabulous blue enamel shaped ampersand.

 

 

I created a cascade of horizontal elements under the photo with decorative tape, chipboard, stickers, and a banner paper.  I embellished it with a huge orange flair pin, silver chipboard key, brad, and enamel dot. I added a double row of stitching around the page and used it to attach three banners from the mixed bag die-cuts and the cool wide decorative tape with colored label frames.

 

Thanks so much by stopping by today, have a wonderful Thursday!

 

Tamara

 

 

New Collection Reveals | Now and Then + Chalk Studio II

Hello everyone! So glad you came by today- we have two MEGA sized blog posts coming your way today and tomorrow.

Are you ready to see our new collections? Keeping them under wraps has been agonizing. We are so excited to finally share everything with you today.

If you hang around to comment, you will be entered for a chance to win the collection of your choice... here we GO!

 

 

Up first is Now and Then by the always incredible Jen Allyson.

I am going to keep the words minimal so that they don't get lost among all the pretty images (that speak for themselves!) , but let me tell you a few things about this collection.

Now and then is comprised of four color schemes, each unique + fabulous.

Each color scheme contains 8 double-sided 12x12 papers, a 6x6 pad, and 12x12 chipboard.

The embellishment choices are endless! You will see customer favorites/regulars like enamel dots, decorative tape (note the wider size choices!), brads, buttons, and stickers.

You will also notice many NEW additions to the MME embellishment family!

- flair pins

- mixed bag die cuts

- 3x4 journaling cards

among others.

Enjoy!!!

 

First is Now and Then: Dorothy.

 

Next is Now and Then- Izzy:

Followed by Now and Then-Milo:

And the last (but certainly not least!) Now and Then color scheme is Mildred.

Wait...there's MORE! Yes, I said that in my best infomercial voice. HA!

Let us show you Chalk Studio II !!!!

This collection is vibrant, playful, and classic all rolled into one. It contains the chic chalkboard sayings you love, coupled with b-sides that pop!

Chalk Studio II has 8 12x12 double-sided papers and all the embellishments you know and love.

 

WHEW!
How fun was that? Told you we had a lot to show you!!!

So what do you think?

What do you love? What do you need? What caught your eye?

Leave a comment here and you will be entered for the chance to win the collection of your choice.

THREE WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN.

The comments section will be closed next Friday, January 10.

Good Luck!