My Mind's Eye Blog

Fall Card Trio by Tonya

Hi everybody Tonya here today! Happy World Card Making Day! Today I'm doing a special Saturday post since it is WCMD!

I don't know about the weather where all of you are, but our weather has definitely done a one eighty on us! Our beautiful summer weather left and the rain, wind and cold came in with a vengeance.

The good thing about it is that it really put me in the right mood for this blog post! Today I have three autumn cards to share with you.

For two of the cards I used the Indie Chic collection. I found it's colors to be perfect for fallish type cards. 

This first card was easily put together by using a banner shaped die to cut different pieces of patterned paper and then I simply line them up at a stagger.

Supplies: Indie Chic- Adventure Bouquet paper, Direction Brocade paper, Picture Flourish paper, Pictures Damask paper, Travel Stripes paper,Travel Tulips paper, Memories Tapestry paper, Family buttons Lime Twist- Fiddlesticks Lucky twine

For this second card I used a leaf die and cut one leaf out of felt and the other two out of the base of my card. I backed the negative space of the leaves with a contrasting patterned paper and then stitched the felt one on down the middle.

Supplies: Indie Chic- Memories Tapestry paper, Directions Spice paper, Adventure Bouquet paper, Family Buttons Follow Your Heart-Be Amazing Rhinestones

For this last card I used a trio of decorative tapes. First I die cut a leaf out of three different pieces of card stock and then layered the papers with the negative spaces.

Supplies: Decorative Tape sets- Yellow & Grey, Pink & Orange Follow Your Heart- Amazing button card Lime Twist-Out of the Blue Remember twine

Hopefully I have inspired you to go put on a nice cozy sweater, grab a hot cup of cider, and make some festive fall projects!

 

Old+New with Tamara

Good morning, everyone! This is Tamara and today I'm here to talk a little bit about combining old with new.

It is still winter, the snow keeps falling, and the temperature is freezing around here.  My heart longs for the sunny rays of California.  Since a vacation isn't financially doable right now - the second best thing is to scrapbook photos of warm sunny days at Disneyland.  It doesn't matter that these photos were from a vacation 7 years ago, the photos still warm my heart.

Supplies: Collectable-Remarkable:Beam patterned paper,Daily patterned paper,label stickers,brads, layered stickers,chipboard,:Collectable - Notable:Petite patterned paper,Devoted patterned paper;Miss Caroline-Dilly Dally:Tickets patterned paper,Token patterned paper,label stickers,die cut title,wood die cut, pearl sticker;Indie Chic-Nutmeg:decorative tape;Misc:gray thread,black ink,pen.

I love how the large photo captures the golden rays of light and the joy on my little guy's face.  I immediately thought of the pearl "Sunshine" accent from the "Miss Caroline" Dilly Dally Collection from last year. I layered it with the wood die cut and placed a layered sticker from the new "Collectable" Remarkable collection. 

One of my favorite things about MME products is that the lines are so easy to intermix. The papers and embellishments work seamlessly together.

This is good because MME comes out with new papers and emblellishments often. I have quite the stash of older MME that I still love and don't want to get rid of! Luckily older lines mix with newer MME lines very easily!

The"Miss Caroline" title "Our Many Adventures" was perfect for photos of the Disney California Adventure Park.  I cut out the tickets from paper - adding to the amusement park theme.

The "Collectable" chipboard "sunburst" accents echoed the sun on the Ferris wheel in the photos and added to the warm, sunny feel of my layout. Another older product I love is the decorative tape from Indie Chic. I loved adding it to the layout.

As you can see...Miss Caroline,Collectable, and Indie Chic all worked together perfectly here. Do you have older MME products that you held on to and love to use? Or do you use everything up? I'd love to see your projects combining "older" MME lines with newer MME lines! Link me up in the comments!

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

September Challenge

Happy September, friends of MME! We are so glad you are here today and we hope you all join in on September's first challenge!

The challenge is this. Document the end of summer.

Whether it be a layout, a card, a project, a mini, or another item...show us your thoughts on summer ending.

Shelly joined in this month and she chose to approach this challenge by doing a summary/glimpse of the past few months.


Supplies:Indie Chic-Ginger:pearls, Spice patterned paper,Damask patterned paper,Flourish patterned paper,twine;Indie Chic-Nutmeg:Checker patterned paper,Blooms patterned paper,Rainbow patterned paper,decorative tape;Indie Chic-Citron:Hibiscus patterned paper,Forest patterned paper,decorative tape;Indie Chic-Saffron:Daisy patterned paper

 

Close- up of left page:

 

Close-up of right page:

The rules are the same as always, and here they are:

1. The submission must look like a MME layout. In other words, use MME product. Enough to make it look like it is predomindantly MME.

2. The project must be created new for this challenge.

3. The winner will be announced on the day of the second September challenge (September 17).

4. The winner will win the MME collection of their choice.

5. Link your submission through the InLinkz tool at the end of this post.

 

Note: I will announce the BPC winner and the August challenge winner later today.

 

Have fun and good luck!

 

Mixed Media with Karen...Layering.

Hi everyone!

This is Karen, here with this month's mixed media project. For this month, I thought it would be fun to focus on layering. I used to be afraid of layering. I worried I'd do it "wrong" and just mess things up.

But I am here to share a secret with you.

Ready for it?

There's no right or wrong way to layer.

No, I mean it.

There's no trick. Nothing to learn. Nothing others know that you don't. The only trick is to go slow and just do what makes you happy.

It's not an art form. It's just about creating a cluster of items that appeal to you. Each person layers differently and what looks good to me might not to you. And that's perfectly okay.

So let's get started!

I'm using a Moleskine sketchbook for my collage book. The first thing I did was to cover the page with tissue paper. Since the tissue paper is so fragile and thin, it starts bunching up and ripping right away.

I love this step because the end result is so messy that any perfectionist tendencies I had are out the window.

When doing art, it's best to do away with perfectionism as early as possible.

The next thing I do is just to pull out some of my stickers and chipboard and create a frame on one side of the page.

I have no idea what I am doing yet, I am just playing.

Then, I move on to the left side. I've been meaning to use the garlands for a long time so I jump at the opportunity. I layer a peace of tape to create some contrast and then glue down the garland. To create some unity with the other side of the page, I put another flower on this side. I like how the right page is horizontal and this one is vertical.

I decide I need more color and more contrast. I add some more stickers and a little black and white behind the garland.


And then I stop and think about the message I want to give with the page. I pick my alphas and write out my title. And then go back to the right side and add some more to my frame.

I come back and add more to the left side.

I like to break my title across the pages to give the spread a unity. I use some twine to create a frame, I add some journaling and a few more stickers to the top right and I am done.

The title says: Smile and soak it up. Remember that today is all you get. Make it count.

Here's a closeup of my right side frame:


And one more thing.

Just because the layered stickers are a certain way, it doesn' t mean that you have to use them as is.

I loved the "smile" sticker but the background behind the stars didn't match my color
scheme. So I took them off and just used the top two layers:


These products are yours, don't be afraid to make them your own.

There we go! Thank you for letting me share my page with you and I hope you experiment with layering on your own and remember to have fun!

I'd love to see examples of your creations so please feel free to link me up in the comments!

Today's Supplies: Indie Chic-Citron:wood frame,border stickers,decorative stickers,layered stickers;Indie Chic-Saffron:garland,layered stickers;Indie Chic-Ginger:layered stickers,border stickers;The Sweetest Thing-Lavender:decorative tape

Tape Decor with Shelly!

Hello MME fans! This is Shelly and today I'm here to talk a little bit more about decorative tape.

 

I love that decorative tape can go on just about anything. It’s nice because it sticks, but it can easily be peeled if off too.  I’ve had these frames for several years that have a large open space photo mat. Open space you can do anything with. I chose to snaz one up with some of MME decorative tapes in a chevron pattern.

Supplies:All is Bright:decorative tape;The Sweetest Thing-Honey:decorative tape;Indie Chic-Ginger:decorative tape

 

If you can’t find a photo frame with a mat that you like, you could go to your local craft store and have the framing department cut a custom photo mat for your liking.

First, I started to experiment with the length and size of the pattern. I choose to go with about 2 inches. I pulled out my ruler, stuck one end at the 2-inch mark, and cut the other end leaving the tape on my ruler.

I then grabbed my speed square to mark a 45-degree angle on each end to create a parallelogram. I simply peeled it off my ruler trimmed the 45-degree edge off, and placed on my photo mat.

I repeated this, flipping the speed square over at each section I cut. Good thing I had Geometry back in the day!

The next project I did with MME decorative tapes involves Christmas ornaments. Yes I know it is only August, but the stores have it out, and I was ready to play! I chose a frame and a metal star.

For the frame, I pulled it apart, and simply put strips of decorative tape across the front of the glass, and trimmed off the edges.

I really wanted the light to shine through the glass to show the sheerness of the tapes, so I spread a bead of Glossy Accents all the way around the inside of the frame.

After placing the glass piece gently into the frame, I put another bead of it to fill in the gap between the frame and the glass. To add a little something extra, I embellished the front with three of the rhinestones from the All is Bright collection.

Supplies(for both this and the ornament below):All is Bright:decorative tape,twine,faceted rhinestones;Winter Wonderland:decorative tape,twine;Indie Chic-Nutmeg:decorative tape;Indie Chic-Ginger:decorative tape  

 

After doing this mini project, I think it would be kind of neat to hang it in your window too. Maybe even doing a larger fancier frame? Oh the possibilities!

For the star, I wanted to try my hand at punching shapes out of the tapes. I peeled off strips of tape and lightly put them on a scrap piece of paper. I wanted the paper to be thin enough that my punch would go through the tape and the paper. I punched away, and it worked!

To peel the tape off of the paper, it wasn’t too tricky at all. I used my exacto-knife (or you could use your finger nail) to get in between the paper and the tape. When I punched the circles, there was always a little frayed spot on the paper. That was the easiest spot to start pulling them apart.

I hoped you enjoyed seeing what I did with MME’s decorative tapes. There are so many things that can be taped up with all these pretties. I hope you try your hand at it, and share what you did with us!

Scrapbooking with MME Stitched Garlands

Hi, Tina and Shelly here today and we would like to share with you some really fun and easy ways to use MME stitched garlands!

Tina:

Banners and garland are such an 'IN' thing right now, and I just can't get enough of them.  I love the look of banners and garland on layouts and cards, and I'm always trying to think of new ways to use a banner/garland design idea in a new way. The little pre-made MME garlands are super easy and a super fun way to add a banner to a layout. 

Supplies: Indie Chic-Ginger:Bouquet patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,Brocade patterned paper,twine,stickers,layered stickers,decorative tape,garland,buttons,label stickers,chipboard;Misc-Lily Bee stickers,Tim Holtz staples and stapler,adhesive

For my layout, I strung several strands of the pre-made MME garland across the top of my page.  I really love the circular garland in the IC Ginger collection because each little circle is like a little bundle of happiness.

To add just a little more fun, I strung several buttons on strands of twine and stapled them between the lines of garland.  Using mini clothespins, I 'attached' my photos to the garland to make them appear as if they were hanging. 

Because I used the 'Adventure' Bouquet paper as my background, not much else was needed except a title. 

I hope you enjoyed this project using MME garland.  I can't wait to see how you use it on your projects!

Shelly:

I think banners are such a fun trend right now. They can add such a fun playful element to any page. Once I saw the Nutmeg garland, I knew I had to do a beach page with all those lovely shades of blue.

Supplies:Indie Chic-Nutmeg:Rose Patch patterned paper,Tapestry patterned paper,buttons,label stickers,layered stickers,garland,decorative tape;Indie Chic-Citron:Honeydew patterned paper;Indie Chic-Ginger:Damask patterned paper;Indie Chic-Saffron:decorative buttons;On the Sunny Side-The Sweet Life patterned paper

After laying out my pictures on my blues, I realized I wanted a pop of red to complement my daughter’s swimsuit. I pulled out that lovely red diagonal stripe paper that is on the B-side of On the Sunny Side’s The Sweet Life. I added a strip of it along the top of my page, and then added a few buttons.

After cutting my title out with my Silhouette, I wanted to add a little more red to the bottom of my page, so I cut out an “e” to give my title that extra pop that it needed.

I finished off my page by adding a label (love those to date my pages!), a couple of layered stickers (that perfect little something), and of course decorative tapes (I find myself using these on all my pages! Love.)Oh and guess what, even after all that swooping of garland on my page, I still have a couple of feet left. Hello!

Sketch Time!

Remember when I introduced Keri as guest designer for July and I said you'd see her later this month? Today is the day! We loved this layout and accompanying sketch so much...we wanted to feature it in its very own post!

When Anam left we lost our sketch designer and we have missed her creative sketches very much. When Keri came up with a sketch to turn in with her assignments,we were over the moon!

Here's what Keri came up with:

Supplies:Indie Chic-Saffron: Birds patterned paper, Free Spirit patterned paper, 6x6 designer paper pad, border stickers, title, brads, journaling card, trim, wood label, layered stickers; Nostalgia: Roses patterned paper, 6x6 designer paper pad, accessories sheet, chipboard; Misc: thread, alphabet stickers.

Keri Says:I created this layout by first choosing my palette: dark pink, light pink, pale blue, & grey.  Then I went through the Indie Chic-Saffron & Nostalgia collections and grabbed everything that fit strictly within this palette. 

Once I had everything spread out in front of me to work with, I had fun layering diecuts & clustering embellishments.  The “Always Follow Your Dreams” accent is one of my favorite pieces, love the look of the dark pink ink on the wooden texture.

The placement of the squares & rectangles on this layout was something a bit interesting for me, so I created a sketch for anyone who wants to give it a try.  I’d love to see what you create with it!

Wow, Keri...LOVE that sketch. What do you guys think? I'm in the mood to do a little fly by the seat of my crazy pants giveaway.

Create a layout using this sketch (using mostly MME), share the link in the comments here, and I'll select a winner at the end of next week. A random winner. And how about I send you a set of designer tapes?

FUN!

Can't wait to see what you do!!! Oh- and thanks so much Keri!

 

 

Scrapbooking With Wood Accents

MME offers some beautiful wood pieces in their lines, especially in Indie Chic. For those of you who tend to buy pretty things and then look at them instead of use them...we thought we'd offer some inspiration today.

Jana and Tamara are here to share layouts they created using MME wood accents.

Waiting for Dad by Jana Eubank

Supplies:Indie Chic-Saffron:Filigree patterned paper,6x6 pad,create wood label,decorative tape,stitched garland,border stickers,brads,buttons,decorative stickers,layered stickers,label stickers;Indie Chic-Citron:Party wood frame;Indie Chic-Ginger:Pictures wood label,Relax wood frame;Miss Caroline:wood die cuts assorted;Follow Your Heart:rhinestones;Misc-White Cardstock, Watercolor paint, Circle Punch, Small Scalloped Circle Punch, Scalloped Edge Punch, Die Cut Machine & Cartridge (Title), Chipboard Letters, Computer & Printer (Journaling), Distressing Inks, Black Gel Pen, Needle & Floss, Sewing Machne & Thread, Adhesives

Jana Says:I adore the wood pieces by My Mind's Eye and love the natural texture they add to my projects! For this page I decided to create a collage background of several wood pieces from the Indie Chic and MIss Caroline collections. I love all the different shapes together!

I added a soft, color wash to a few of the pieces with pink and gray watercolor paint. For some pattern, I wrapped a couple of the wood pieces with decorative tape from the Indie Chic Saffron collection.

The smaller photo of my daughter is framed with another wood piece. I anchored my title on the large pennant shaped wood piece and tucked my journaling strips underneath the right side of the framed photo. Stickers, brads, buttons, and gems add the final touches.

My Greatest Inspiration by Tamara Jensen

Supplies: Indie Chic Saffron: Filigree patterned paper, Lattice patterned paper, Ornament patterned paper, Daisy patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper, brads, border stickers, decorative stickers, wood label, layered stickers, label stickers, Miss Caroline-Fiddlesticks: die cut wood;Misc:sewing machine and thread,black ink,pen,adhesives

 

Tamara Says:My Mind’s Eye always creates the most unique embellishments – and I think their die cut wood pieces are some of the most innovative ever.  I was just giddy with excitement when I saw their new die cut wood pieces in January.  Then, they even started PRINTING on them with the latest Indie Chic release!  Heavens!  I used the banner wood piece from the Miss Caroline collection – perfect for journaling with a fine tip sharpie.

The pink “Always Follow Your Dreams” title from the Saffron line is such a beautiful piece, I had to use it too. I love how this layout turned out!

How do YOU use our wood pieces? We'd love to see!

Hope you have a beautiful and blessed weekend,MME fans. And as always...make sure to find time to make something beautiful!

 

Double Page Layout Day!

Hey guys! This is Shelly and I'm taking over the MME blog today. Can I say how excited I am about double-page layout day? I love the larger canvas to play with so that I can put lots of pictures and have plenty of space for the creative and fun part.

I started off by scrolling through my summer photos that I have taken so far, and what do you know; I stumbled upon our first camping trip of the season right off the bat. The perfect pictures to complement the earthy tones in some of the Indie Chic collection!

Supplies:Indie Chic-Citron:Lovely patterned paper,Sherbet patterned paper,Tangerine patterned paper,tape,decorative brads,layered stickers,label stickers,die cut title;Indie Chic-Nutmeg:Rainbow patterned paper,Medallions patterned paper,decorative stickers;Misc-cardstock,Cosmo Cricket chipboard letters,circle punch,Becky Higgins date stamp,adhesives

 

Knowing that I was going to use lots of different patterns and colors, I started my base off with cardstock. Bazzill’s Mud Puddle Dotted Swiss was just the thing. I am pretty sure I heard some angels singing in the background when I placed a piece of Indie Chic Nutmeg “History” Medallions Paper next to it.

Nothing beats that feeling of the perfect match, does it? And that is when I just went to town layering and cutting all my pretty little pieces of paper.

Then it was time for the title. Indie Chic has one massive collection of fun die-cut titles. Of course, I found the perfect one with “Nothing is better than time together.” I simply added the word “Camping” to complete my title. Easy peasy.

I finished off my page with a little stitching here & there and a touch of decorative tape to a few of my pictures. I stitch across the banners and added a few brads to add a little something extra.

Extra Tip:Do you want to know a little trick I do with brads? I actually use wire cutters to trim off the prongs, use the back side of tweezers to bend the ends in, and then I can move them around my page until I find the perfect spot for them. When I find the right spot, I just use some glue dots to stick them down.  I’m not sure how many other people do this, but it works for me!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, guys! Hope your Thursday is lovely.

Keri Part Two!

Today Keri Babbitt is back with us to share what she did with Nostalgia,On the Sunny Side,and Indie Chic.

Just wait until you see the mini album she came up with, it is an absolute delight!

You Make Life So Sweet card

Supplies: On The Sunny Side: Flutter patterned paper, 6x6 designer paper pad, layered stickers, accessories sheet, , brads; Nostalgia: Label patterned paper, layered stickers, chipboard; Indie Chic-Ginger: Pictures stamps; Other: popsicle sticks, ink, computer font

Keri Says:The idea for this shaped card came together when I combined the frozen treat accents from On The Sunny Side, with the “sweet” word accents from the Nostalgia collection.  The “so sweet” stamp from the Indie Chic stamp set added simple detail to the popsicle-stick card openers at the bottom. This card would be perfect tied onto a plastic beach pail filled with a bag of popsicles for a fun summer gift. 

Our Big Adventure mini album

Supplies:Indie Chic-Ginger: Adventure, Direction, Pictures, Relax, Travel patterned papers; 6x6 designer paper pad, border stickers, layered stickers, metal medallions, brads, mini garland, wood frame/label, twine, titles, layered chipboard, stamps, decorative tapes, pearl medallion, buttons, journaling card. Indie Chic-Saffron: Dreams patterned paper, border stickers, brads, layered chipboard, layered stickers, decorative tape, pearl medallion, label stickers, decorative stickers. Nostalgia: Label patterned paper, brads, layered stickers. On The Sunny Side: 6x6 designer paper pad, brads, layered stickers. Other: thread, ink, scallop punch, vellum, computer font, glossy accents.

Keri Says:When I saw the Indie Chic-Ginger collection, I knew the colors & theme would be awesome for our recent summer trip photos.  I chose 3-4 patterned papers to make the 5x7” album base pages.

For uniformity, I stitched a border around each page, and then went to town with my MME embellishments & tapes.

The wood accents and mini garlands were especially useful for the mini album format.

I love the results…I don’t think I’ve ever actually COMPLETED a mini so soon after a trip before, and it feels great!

 

To say we love this album would be a massive understatement. Keri will actually be back next week sharing one more layout and a sketch. We are so thrilled with what she came up with...we had to ask her back again!

Hope your Tuesday is wonderful!