My Mind's Eye Blog

Wood Veneer…the Multi-Tasker

Hi all, this is Tonya with you here today. With the release of the Record It collection came a new embellishment from My Mind's Eye, wood veneer. After seeing this video by the über talented Jennifer McGuire on how to achieve the look of letterpress using your wood veneer I decided I had to give it a go! These first three cards were all made using the same piece of wood veneer.

The first card I kept very simple and basic. Since I used just the bare wood veneer with plain watercolor paper I really didn't want anything to over power the all white letterpress panel.

Supplies: Record It- Just Splendid: 6x6 Decorative Paper Pad, Decorative Tape, Enamel Wood Dots, Journaling Kit

For this next card I inked up the front of the wood veneer with a soft sea foam green pigment ink and then around the edges I inked it again using a darker teal color. Then ran it through my die cutting machine on a piece of watercolor paper.

 

Supplies: Record It-Just Splendid: 6x6 Decorative Paper Pad, Decorative Tapes, Journaling Kit Cut & Paste-Presh: "Noted" Enamel Dots Lime Twist- Fly A Kite "Spring" twine

 

This next card is the result of the wood veneer after it had been inked up for the previous card. I just let the pigment inks dry for a couple of hours before handling the card. I backed the open heart with some lime green glitter. That little strip of connected hearts was fussy cut out of one of the journaling cards in the journaling kit.

 

Supplies: Record It-Just Splendid: 6x6 Decorative Paper Pad, Journaling Kit Cut & Paste-Presh: "Noted" Enamel Dots

 

 

I have one last card for you. I made this one a while ago for a friend's birthday. To achieve the look on this wood veneer piece I first used watercolor paints to apply color to the veneer. After that dried I ran it through my Xyron machine to evenly apply a thin layer of adhesive to the front of the wooden piece. Lastly a layer of glitter on top for the final look! It really changes the look of the wood and makes it a sight to behold!

 

Supplies: Record It-Just Splendid:  6x6 Decorative Paper Pad, Journaling Kit Cut & Paste-Presh: Right Now "Hashtag" paper Lime Twist: Fly a Kite "Everyday" twine

 

 

I am loving the versatility of wood veneer. It's one of those products that can really be used over and over before it is committed to it's final project. You can keep it raw and organic or you can add some pizazz with colors and glitter. I think the possibilities really are endless!

 

Tonya

Welcome Lori Allred!

We are pleased to announce our November Guest Designer: Lori Allred!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be invited as the Guest Designer for November. If ever there was a blog I stalk and designers I am inspired by often, it would be here at My Minds Eye. I’ve always found it easy to create with the great options My Minds Eye offers with their collections and my love of all things My Minds Eye started years and years ago with their adorable Frame Ups. And to prove it, here’s a few layouts from long, long ago:

I’ve always enjoyed playing with paper, but started my journey into scrapbooking the way we know it now about 16 years ago when my oldest was a baby. Aside from single handedly keeping My Mind’s Eye in business by purchasing every release they come out with, my relationship with My Mind’s Eye started when I had the opportunity to design samples for them for trade shows and catalogs quite a while back.

As for my background, I’ve designed and worked for several different scrapbook related companies and you can find me blogging for a few these days. My expertise is social media and yes, I do get paid to Facebook. But I’m horrible at blogging for myself. You can find a lot of my work for projects or past publication on my blog at allreddesign.net. Here’s a couple projects I created earlier in the year (for Cricut).

As for working in this industry, my first love is teaching and this past year I’ve been to New Zealand and all over the US teaching classes to others like you that love crafting with beautiful papers. But lately you will find me working with My Craft Channel <link: http://www.mycraftchannel.com>. This new project gives me the great opportunity to work with many inspiring crafters from all types of genres and I LOVE IT!

Here are a few of my more recent My Minds Eye creations and I look forward to sharing more later on in the month!

Let’s welcome Lori in style!  Leave a comment welcoming Lori to the team on this blog post before Thursday, November 10 at midnight.  One lucky winner will WIN Lori’s favorite My Mind’s Eye things!

Welcome Laura Vegas!

Hey everyone! My name is Laura Vegas, and I was so excited when I got an email asking me to be the October Guest Designer! I have always been a huge fan of My Mind’s Eye products, all the way back to the little kid die cuts from forever ago (which I’m 99% sure we still have in the closet somewhere). I love My Mind’s Eye’s pattern papers, because of their texture and thickness, and great tone-on-tone patterns. And their embellishments make it so easy to add lots of fun details to my projects.

 

A little bit about me. I live in Manteca, California. People never know where that is. So I usually explain that I live about 90 minutes East of San Francisco, and 60 minutes South of Sacramento. Those cities are more recognizable than my little city. I live with my husband, Joe, who works as a Night Crew Manager in grocery, and also umpires baseball as a side-job, about 10 months out of the year. We have two girls, Alyssa (15) and Sarah (12), who are great sports about being in front of my camera at a moment’s notice. I spend lots and lots of time driving the girls to and from all of their school and sporting activities, and we can usually be found on the soccer field on the weekends. I work as a Daycare Provider, out of our home, which allows me to always be around for my girls. We all love my daycare kids to pieces, and they truly become little extensions of our family.

I started out scrapbooking almost 17 years ago. That piece of information just really dated me, didn’t it? LOL. I began, like so many of us did, with Creative Memories. My layouts had pen-doodled borders and titles, tons of Mrs. Grossman stickers, and photos cut into circles and ovals, using 7 different deckled edged scissors. About 10 years later, and after a huge progression in my style, I started teaching classes at a local scrapbook store. Around this same time, I started submitting to magazines and contests, and managed to have just a teensy tiny bit of luck with those. After teaching for a little over 2 years, the local scrapbook store decided to close their doors, and I put more energy into establishing myself within the scrapbooking industry.

Now-a-days, my scrapbooking is definitely more of a part time job, than just a hobby. But it’s a job that I LOVE doing! I’m very driven by assignments and deadlines, and I actually have a hard time scrapbooking without them now. I’m a professional procrastinator, and I seem to create my best when I leave things until the very last minute.

I am hugely driven by product, bright and fun colors, and great photos. I will either start a layout with great photos in mind, or by product that I am dying to use. My journaling is almost always the last thing that I add to a layout, and I never plan what I am going to say, until I have my title on the page to guide me. My favorite things to create are layouts, but I enjoy making cards as well. Altered projects and mini albums are my least favorite, although when forced to do them, they’re usually not half bad.

If you’d like to learn more about me, and see more of my work, visit my blog at www.lauravegas.typepad.com.

Let’s welcome Laura as our Guest Designer this month.  Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, October 9, 2011 at midnight.  We will randomly select one winner to win Laura’s favorite My Mind’s Eye things!

Blog Challenge 26 Winners!

Thank you for sharing your talents with us!  What fantastic entries you have created!

We are thrilled to announce this month’s winners:

 

Layout Challenge Winner: Mary-Ann Maldonado

 

Layout Challenge Honorable Mention Winner: Lilith Eeckels

 

Card Challenge Winner: Vanessa Menhorn

Congratulations!  Please email [email protected] with your shipping information and we will get your prize on the way to you soon!

We hope you will join us in September for Blog Challenge 27!

Eye Catching Find–Laura Vegas

This month’s “Eye” Catching Find was created by the talented, Laura Vegas!  We love the way Laura methodically layered and pieced her elements to create her masterpiece.

Laura created this layout to spotlight two special visitors of hers.  What a fabulous way to document their visit.  Thank you, Laura for creating such a beautiful layout using our products.

Welcome Tya Smith!

Have you ever had one of those dreams – no not the one where you go to school and you don’t seem to have any clothes on – no – one of the really good dreams. Well, there was a time when I truly had a dream that I was on the My Mind’s Eye Design Team and it was so exciting, so imagine my surprise when I was contacted to be the guest designer for the month of August! Needless to say – I had to oblige! I am so happy to be here with you all this month. Scrapbooking is somewhat of an addiction of mine and My Mind’s Eye is most definitely my drug of choice.

First off a little history. I have always been artistic. I remember wanting to be an artist when I was in Kindergarten. My sweet mom is one of the most creative people I know and she taught me it was good to be creative and she was always doing some sort of project here and there so I guess I inherited that from her. (Thanks Mom!) I have been scrapbooking for about 13 years. Think back to the good old days of deckle edges scissors and cutting our photos into awesome shapes like balloons and hearts. Ya – that’s when I was introduced to scrapbooking. I started shortly after my oldest daughter was born and I haven’t stopped since (although I have hung up my photo stencils.)

I was fortunate enough to be able to start teaching at my local scrapbook store about a year after that and they haven’t been able to get rid of me yet. If you are ever in the Salt Lake area, come by Heartland Paper Company and say Hi. My first love has always been teaching scrapbooking and paper crafting. I have taught it all from beginning scrapbooking to more advanced techniques. Recently I was named the design team coordinator for Heartland Paper and have loved that angle of this hobby as well. I get so much inspiration from those around me, and because everyone has there own style, I always learn new techniques from them. I have just recently started blogging and am in the process of adding more to that everyday. So it may be a little sparse now, but stay tuned! I tend to keep my designs very simple and clean. I love using sketches when I scrapbook and I really love grid type of layouts also. I am dabbling in card making and altered items but I mainly do layouts.

I live in Syracuse, Utah with my amazing husband Brad. He has always been very supportive of my hobby and I am lucky that he puts up with all the messes that I make around the house when I am in “create mode”. I have 3 super fun kiddos, Ashlyn who is 14, Ethan who is 11 and Madalyn who is 9. They keep me hopping between sports and gymnastics and choir lessons and plays. They are troopers who put up with my “mamaratzzi” phases. We also have a whole bunch of furry friends: 2 horses, 2 cockatiels, a fat old kitty cat and a lovable yellow lab named Boomer. They make me crazy, but I couldn’t live with out them.

 

 

Here are just a few fun facts about me:

• I LOOOOVE my Silhouette cutting machine.
• I have recently discovered the marvel that is Pinterest. (Follow me!) I am such a visual person, this was a GENIUS idea for people like me!
• I am a huge Harry Potter fan – or a “Potterhead”. Yes, I am sad it’s over and no I do not want to talk about it. I am such a big a fan, my cute husband even got me my very own vanity license plate – so if you see a ocean blue mini van cruising around Salt Lake with the license plate “MUGLMOM” honk and say Hi.

       

• I love to travel and have become addicted to cruises. We have taken a cruise every year since 2007.  My dream cruise would be the Mediterranean.
• I listen to 80’s music everyday. It makes me smile and if I break into a little Roger Rabbit while I am cleaning all the better.
• I love to cook. I went to culinary school for 2 years before I settled down and got married. They only course I didn’t finish was my baking classes, so I am not a very good baker. Luckily my husband makes a mean chocolate chip cookie so the baking apron was handed to him.
• I don’t really take myself too seriously. Life is too short to stress about minor details. I guess I am a hopeless optimist and just look for the best in everyone and everything I encounter. Hopefully this will keep me young and happy and maybe get me into Heaven.

That’s about it. Thanks again for letting me stay and play this month. It’s gonna be fun!

Tya Smith

Blog Challenge 25: Layout

With rolling our our newest releases and this being our blog birthday month this is an entire month is a celebration! We thought our challenges should be too.

The challenge: Design a card based on this fabulous sketch and use “celebration” as your theme (by Anam Stubbington).

Remember that along with the sketch, you must use this theme: Celebration

The rules: Use ANY My Mind’s Eye products (current or past) as long as your project has at least 80% My Mind’s Eye products.

The deadline: Add a link to your project to the bottom of this post using inlinkz by Sunday, July 24, 2011 (midnight, MST).  Please include your first and last name and project name when uploading.  (a photo of your layout or project will show directly in the post)

(For tips on how to best photograph your entry, click here)

The PRIZE: The winner will receive three ENTIRE collections of their choice!  We will also award an honorable mention winner with one collection of their choice!  All winners will be featured in a blog post and have bragging rights!

Enjoy this inspiration from our Design Team to help get YOUR creative juices flowing!

Courtney Lee: Big Sur

Featured Collection: Lime Twist 

 

Tamara Jensen: Party Girl

Featured Collection: Hip Hooray – Girl

 

Add your entry here:

Blog Challenge 25: Card

With rolling our our newest releases and this being our blog birthday month this is an entire month is a celebration!  We thought our challenges should be too.

The challenge:  Design a card based on this fabulous sketch and use “celebration” as your theme (by Anam Stubbington).

Remember that along with the sketch, you must use this theme:  Celebration

The rules: Use ANY My Mind’s Eye products (current or past) as long as your project has at least 80% My Mind’s Eye products.

The deadline: Add a link to your project to the bottom of this post using inlinkz by Sunday, July 24, 2011 (midnight, MST).  Please include your first and last name and project name when uploading.  (a photo of your card will show directly in the post)

(For tips on how to best photograph your entry, click here)

The PRIZE: The winner will be announced on the blog Monday, July 25, 2011 and receive one collection of their choice!

To get your creative juices going, check out this amazing card from Courtney Lee, our July guest designer:

Good luck!

 

Add your entry here:

Welcome Courtney Lee

Hello!!!  I am SO excited to be the Guest Designer for June for My Mind's Eye! I absolutely love their papers, embellishments, ribbon, everything! It's so easy to work with and everything coordinates so perfectly! Okay, you probably already know that if you are reading this blog, so I'll stop there ;)

A little about me...

I started crafting just over a year ago now. I started in May of 2010. So this is all very new to me still! The crafting world has opened up so many doors, new friends have been made, and a new passion has been discovered! I love to make cards and send them to people. I think it's wonderful to get something in the mail other than a bill so I want to share that!

I live in San Francisco with my handsome husband Hans and our sweet Yorkie named Spoon. She is my constant companion. I am a stay at home wife as my husband has a start-up - which basically means I'm a personal assistant, travel agent, office manager, and so many more roles - as most of us housewives have. :) I love my job and am so thankful for the choice that we have made for me to stay home.

I almost never make anything without die cuts (cut by my Cricut). My passion is shaped cards and my newest addiction is crinkled ribbon!

A quick 10 facts:

1. I LOVE boba. If you don't know what it is, you are missing out! If you like gummy bears, you will LOVE boba. It's little chewy gummy-like balls that sit on the bottom of your drink. I know it sounds weird, but it's SO good!

2. I am a redhead but I always told people I was a brunette and they were all colorblind. :) Since my husband likes redheads however, I have changed my tune...

3. Spoon is a spooner. Big time. She is the best snuggler ever! I guess that isn't about me, but isn't she cute!?!

4. I live in 450 square feet. We bought a studio here and you won't believe where I can hide my crafting stuff!

5. I feel like I was born to emboss. I LOVE embossing. I started crafting because I ran something through a Cuttlebug at something called the Maker Faire. I was hooked.

6. I love entertaining. I could host dinner parties every other night (one to prep and then clean the next day!)

7. I have seen 48 of the states - most of them driving to them. I have driven more miles then most people I know. And I'm a huge advocate of being aware of everything around you when you are driving. Be safe. Text later - or pull over.  Typing "LOL" isn't worth dying for.

8. I'm an Apple girl. Don't even ask me to go back to a PC.

9. I'm an open card - ask me any questions you would like! I'm happy to answer them!

10. I'll be at CHA in July (and probably January too). I would love to meet you!

Here are some of my favorite projects!

I did a Woodland Themed Birthday Party (I love doing sets like this!).

Invitation - I wanted it to look like the bee flew from the woods to their house:

Banner:

Cupcake Toppers:

Favors (up-cycled from empty toilet paper rolls):

Thank you:

I would love to have you visit me at my blog: Court’s Crafts.

Courtney

 

Let’s give Courtney a big My Mind’s Eye welcome!  Leave some love for her on this blog post by midnight on Sunday, July 10, 2011.  We will announce the winner on Monday, July 11, 2011.

p.s. Be sure to visit our blog next week (hint)!

June Word of the Month

Doesn’t time just fly?  When you take the time to reflect upon the month that is ending, it seems like there is always a theme, one word that sums up the direction the past month took you in.  Today, our talented Guest Designer, Misty Willis and Design Team Member, Jana Eubank are sharing their word of the month with you.

We would love to see your “Word of the Month” layouts uploaded to our Facebook page!

 

Misty Willis: Friend

Featured Collection: Lime Twist

My word is FRIEND...

With my kids being zoned to a new school next year, they are very sad to be leaving behind some of their best friends.  I have spent this last month establishing a good foundation for them to continue building their friendships on, regardless of the distance during the school year.  This photo is my daughter with her two very best friends from Kindergarten.  They have had sleep overs, pool party parties, and library dates since school let out...and the summer is not over yet!  SO...my word this month is FRIEND...because a friend is a flower in the garden of life!

I featured the Lime Twist collection...and added a "twist" to the baker's twine.  I decided I wanted flowers...so I crocheted all of the flowers from the twine.  I added brads from the Lost and Found collection to serve as my centers..and viola...instant flowers that PERFECTLY match my layout!

 

 

Featured Collection: Stella & Rose – Mabel

I chose "adventure" as my word of the month for June because, like most of you, we have been running non-stop ever since summer began! The day after school let out, my family and I went on a vacation exploring the southern part of our state. We hit four national parks and 3 landmarks within 6 days . . . one of them being the Grand Canyon. We also visited Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, the Four Corners, Lake Powell, saw an outdoor play, went horseback riding, and took a boat tour down the Colorado River. When we returned home the adventure continued with our backyard being torn up to address a water pipe issue. Not as fun as our vacation . . . but an adventure just the same!

I used the Stella & Rose Mabel collection with it's earthy colors and pop of orange (reminiscent of the orange mountains and rocks we saw on our vacation). The Lush 2 Orange Journal Blocks matched this collection perfectly! I finished off my page with digital die cut flowers and title, accented with the Stella & Rose Mabel decorative brads.