My Mind's Eye Blog

Mini Albums with Monika | February 2015 Edition

I'll let you in on a secret, I have a crush on Chipboard Elements! They never fail to elevate a project to just right or even, if you dare, over-the-top perfect. Chipboard Elements add dimension, color and texture and can either take the stage as the star of the show or fall back into the chorus line and be easily as effective.



Hello friends, I'm Monika and for today's mini album project, I hope that you'll join me in pulling out your stash of chipboard elements so you can play along with me.

Supplies Used | Chipboard Elements:  Find Your Wings and Fly "Sky's the Limit", Find Your Wings and Fly "Up and Away", Kate & Co. "Cambridge Court", Jubilee Sherbet "Peace", Jubilee Mint Julep "Live It Up", Just Sayin', All is Bright,  Enamel Dots and Shapes: Just Sayin', 6x6 Designer Paper Pads, Vellum, Foam Dots, Post Attachment

I invite you to create your own "Good Words" mini album using Chipboard Elements. I realize more and more every day that sometimes it's nice to be reminded of the good things in life and how lucky we truly are. And I do love good words.

Gather Your Supplies

1. I began my project by first choosing a selection of yellow themed papers from a variety of new and old 6x6 Designer Paper Pads, but feel free to choose a color that makes you happy...and what might work best with your collection of Chipboard Elements.
2. Dig through your My Mind's Eye Chipboard Elements and pull them all out. All of them. This will help you to see what you have to work with and if you can develop a theme with color, shape or words. 
3. Trim your 6x6 papers to 4x6 and again trim the remaining scraps so that you can add a thin, contrasting strip to the bottom of your 4x6 album pages. 

 

Let's Create!

 

 

1. For your vellum cover, select a few thin paper strips to adhere and cut into each of the ends to create a pennant. Now add a Chipboard Element on top.
2. Using your color scheme, begin layering Chipboard Elements to create pleasing vignettes on each of your album pages. I started with just two elements per page and then added bits and pieces and played around until it seemed finished to me.
3. Don't be afraid to mix and match collections and varying shades of the same color. In real life, I'm kinda sorta a matchy-matchy kind of girl, but when it comes to my creative side, I like to be mixy-matchy and sometimes even add in something that doesn't even relate.

 

JUST A NOTE | While creating my mini album this month, we were in the middle of an ice and snow storm with no power for over 4 days. I had to think quick to come up with a creative mini album project with no photos to scrap and the topic of good words, and seeing the good in life, came to mind.

Have a lovely day,

Mini Albums with Monika | January 2015 Edition

Thirty wonderful days of 2015 are now behind us. And how lucky we are to have had the gift of another new day, each and every day! It's something I remind myself of when my day just didn't go the way I had planned.

Hello My Mind's Eye friends, I'm so happy that you dropped in today for another...

 

This month's mini album project is a little bit of a stretch, but as I work toward living my word of the year, which is simplify, I've been keen to use up my stash and clear my work space of the clutter. And that's how this idea popped into my head. In my effort to simplify, I've used a frame and paper I've had in my stash and documented my One Little Word in a 3D mini album


Supplies Used | Chipboard Elements: Just Sayin', Jubilee Mint Julep "Live It Up" and Sherbet "Peace ," Alpha and Word Stickers: Just Sayin', Transparent Frames: Just Sayin' Flair Pins: Jubilee Mint Julep "Wild" Enamel Dots: Jubilee Mint Julep "Beautiful" 6x6 Decorative Paper Pads: Find Your Wings and Fly "Up & Away" Meadow, A Mother's Love, The Sweetest Thing "Lavender" and "Honey

This isn't something you don't already know, but it does bear repeating...so many MME collections coordinate and blend and work so well with one another. After going through my older stacks of 6x6 Designer Paper Pads, I chose muted patterns {all of these are B side papers by the way} because I knew that I was going to use decorative elements from the current Jubilee and Just Sayin' collections.

Can I show you some detail shots?



Flair pins are not just for pinning anymore. I used some foam dots to attach it to my decorative chipboard pennant flag.




I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike. I added this cheerful little piece of chipboard goodness just because it makes me smile. I added some enamel dots to the flowers and the wheels just because I could.



And now, my one little word. Simplify. Even though I've used multiple decorative elements in creating my 3D mini album, it feels calming and simple and open to me. And here's a little secret I'll share, it's hiding lots and lots of paper behind there that's not nearly as nice to look at as this cheerful piece of art.

Have fun exploring your word of the year in a 3D mini album!

 

 

 

Mini Albums with Monika | December 2014 Edition

Happy New Year's Eve to all our MME friends. We wish you all that best and here's hoping your 2015 brings you peace, contentment, health, happiness, hugs, laughter, love, giggles and lots of time to be crafty!

Hi, I'm Monika and I'm a paper planner addict from way back. You know, before there was such a thing as a Google calendar or smart phone apps to keep you organized. And today, I'd love to share with you how you can trick out your paper planner with items from your scrapbook stash...why should layouts and mini albums have all the fun?

Supplies | Jubilee: Mint Julep "Journey" Journal Cards and Rub Ons, Wild Berry "Hey You" Rub Ons, "Live It Up" Sticky Notes and Chipboard Elements, "Peace" Sticky Notes and Chipboard Elements, "Tangerine" Sticky Notes, "Ride" Love Paper, "Ride" Bike Paper; Just Sayin' "Beauty" Paper, "Garden Party" Paper, Chipboard Elements, Transparent Frames, assorted Decorative Tapes

That's right, why not use your chipboard elements, enamel dots, decorative tape and cute scrapbook papers to personalize your planner to show your creative side. I began personalizing my planner by choosing my favorite papers and tracing the tab divider page onto the back side of patterned cardstock and trimming to size.

I recommend punching your holes now, before embellishing them with chipboard, especially if you are using something other than a hand held hole punch.


And who says we can't embellish our divider tabs? I love opening up my Filofax and seeing all that gold glitter! And the floral deer head just makes me smile!


Rub-Ons are a perfect embellishment for those of us that don't like a lot of bulk on our planner pages. You can still write on each side of the page without obstruction. And how do you like the way I added the colorful enamel dots to the Bike paper?

It always seems that I need to do forward planning when planning vacations and appointments, so I use a vertical pull-out calendar for the following year and made a top tab page so I can easily flip to this pages when I need to jot a quick reminder.


Sometimes a girl just needs to jot a quick list on a sticky note and not actually write it in her planner, right? I love that MME has designed some super cute options for adding journaling to a layout or mini album, but the sticky notes are so, so perfect for your planner or calendar, too!


And because I do use sticky notes, I've found that the transparent frames, trimmed down, are great to add between my weekly pages. I can still see the notes for the whole week, but I'm greet with an upbeat message and awesome design each time I review my day. Plus, the transparent frame is the perfect spot to hold my sticky note collection...yes, there may just be more than one note on here at one time!


I like to embellish the edges of my weekly pages with Decorative Tape to add a bright outlook and it doesn't add any extra bulk. By trimming an envelope, and reinforcing it with tape for strength along the cut edge, I am able to store my coupons here, thereby reducing the bulk in my wallet.

NOTE  | To find free Filofax planner downloads, like the perpetual calendar you see above, visit with me on my blog here.

Mini Albums with Monika | November 2014 Edition

Who's ready for some daily story documenting this December? Welcome Friends to...

I'm Monika and I'm tickled to share with you my largest "mini" album to date. Well, size wise anyway! Sit back and let me share my approach with this Holiday Memories mini album.

Supplies:Sleigh Bells Ring | Patterned Paper: “Noel” “Christmas Confetti” “Reindeer” “Blitzen", 6x6 Designer Cardstock Paper Pad, Alpha & Word Stickers, Decorative Tape, Gift Label Stickers, Treat Bags, Decorative Tags,Joyous | Patterned Paper: “Red Reindeer” “Carols” “Joy” “Dear Santa”, 12x12 Paper Crafting Kit, 6x6 Designer Cardstock Paper Pad, Mixed Bag, Alpha & Word Stickers, Decorative Tape, Decorative Tags, Gems Miscellaneous | sewing machine, adhesive, jute twine, Bind-It-All, glassine and kraft bags, kraft cardstock, paper doily

THE PROCESS
I've done December mini books in the past:

1. ranging in size from 3" thick, starting on the day after Thanksgiving when we decorated the tree all the way to December 31st
2. just jotting notes into a smallish embellished spiral bound notebook and not even including a story for each day
3. that aren't finished...and it's been years since I began them...but that's okay because I was able to capture stories and photos for at least part of our December and something is better than nothing

If you're thinking, "Who has the time for that?" then how about this...choose a few activities this month that have meaning for you. Take some photos. Jot down the story about why these photos have significance for you and voila, you now have a snapshot in time of some lovely memories.

So this year, I'm giving myself permission to document our December story just on days that I want to. Or have time to. Because as you all know, December is so very busy and full of joy.

 

I'm not sticking to a rigid schedule, but we do have some annual activities that we do as a family and I've included pre-made pages into my mini album to help me document those events.

 

THE PAGES

THE DETAILS

I'm making the glittered advent tags work for me and pre-designing pages for activities that I know are going to happen. 

 

• 14 is for the year 2014
• 8 is glued on a Polaroid Frame chipboard element that has foam dots on the back allowing me slip a small photo behind...we'll be attending our town's Christmas tree lighting on this evening
• 5 is part of a two page design and has been embellished with a Gem and a Decorative Tag...I'll add in our #5onthe5th photos {a monthly project I do} and we're going to document our favorite ornament
• 2 is for the "2" of us - this page is just before my December 24th page and might appear to be out of order, but...my husband proposed to me on Christmas Eve and I'm going to try to get him to write a little note to tuck inside the Treat Bag along with mine

I love little surprises!

 

REPETITION FOR THE WIN

How gorgeous is that Dear Santa paper? 

 

I adore it and actually used it for three pages in my mini album. 

 

Yes, three times! 

I have three kids, aged 9, 11 and 23 so I've inserted those Santa pages for the 9th, 11th and 23rd of December.  

 

The Glittered Advent Tags were added to glassine bags {for the 9 and 11 year-olds} and then I added the 23 tag right on top of the 25 next to Santa for something a little different. 

 

I can't wait to look back on these pages years from now, seeing their handwriting and their thoughts. And the glassine bags are perfect for holding pages from circular ads showing what they've circled to be added to their Wish Lists.

 

 

DESIGN TIP | adding pages to a spiral bound mini album

Drop by my blog where I share a quick + easy tutorial showing how to add photos, ephemera and more pages to an already bound album here.  Because we all know that if you give a girl a mini album, she's going to have tons more stuff to add!

 

Enjoy your holidays, however you celebrate them or choose to document them, and may you have love and joy in your homes.

Mini Albums with Monika | October 2014 Edition

Our Canadian friends have already celebrated their Thanksgiving and here in the US, we're just weeks away. As we head into the season of thankful thoughts and counting our many blessings, I wanted to share a free download along with my project today.

 

Hi, Monika here and welcome to another...

 

Supplies | Jubilee Mint Julep -  "Wild" patterned paper + flair pins, "Beautiful" patterned paper, "Journey" rub ons + journal cards, Jubilee "Live It Up" transparent frames, "Ride" label stickers; Jubilee Tangerine - "Awesome" patterned paper, "Adventure" flair pins, "Honor" label stickers; Jubilee Sherbet - "Enjoy" patterned paper, "Pretty" flair pins; Just Sayin' enamel dots and shapes, transparent frames; Other - binder rings, doily, glue stick, stapler, tab punch

 

 

I'm adding a little twist to this month's mini album project, actually it was a first for me, but this entire mini album has been created without a single photograph. Gasp! I challenged myself to let the awesome array of My Mind's Eye products "stand in" for places where I would usually use a photograph.

 

 

The Setup

The left side of the spread has a thankful journaling card {in a colorway that works well with the Jubilee collection} and the right side of each spread has a different patterned paper embellished with flair buttons, transparent frames, letter stickers, chipboard elements and journal cards...and sometimes a combination of two or three items...making for a chunky, layered, colorful mini album.

 

The Design Elements

I had a vague idea of things I wanted to include in my Thankful mini album, so when browsing through the Jubilee collection, I noticed that I could create and craft my album with just the supplies I had on hand.

My thinking was that I could incorporate the design elements from the MME collections to help the reader picture what I had journaled.

 

Let me show you how I did it.

 

Using the Transparent Frames from the Just Sayin' and Jubilee Live It Up collections, I inserted frames between my thankful journal card on the left and my patterned paper on the right side. I even added Rub Ons and Letter Stickers to the frames!

 

Layering Chipboard Elements is one of my most favorite ways to add depth and dimension to layouts and mini albums.  For the feather page, the coral rectangular shape had a sentiment that didn't fit my project, but served as a perfect anchor for my other elements. 

 

The polaroid frame comes with the photograph chipboard, but I separated the two items, and added the chipboard arrow between the two by adding foam squares to lift the frame off the page.

 

I might just be a little bit in love with the Rub Ons. I used them in a few projects earlier this month for the October challenge and haven't stopped playing around with them since. Here, I used them on a transparent frame and on patterned paper to highlight a flair button.

 

 

The Album

 

One can never have enough layers, I think it adds a bit of surprise and makes me want to keep turning the pages to see what comes next. Sure, I could have begun with just the thankful journal card, but instead I opted to add a transparent frame that I stapled a chipboard element to.  I lined it with patterned paper so that the raw chipboard wouldn't show through to the back side of the frame. I popped a chipboard frame atop the journal card and it fit perfectly. And no, I didn't plan it...it just happened, lucky me.

 

 

All these little pieces come together to help me tell my thankful story: life is an adventure, the good life...all a part of what I want to document.

Using journal cards is always a favorite way to jumpstart a story for me. So many times, they spark a memory of a moment that needs to be documented.

 

And the butter that holds this biscuit together are the awesomely gorgeous patterned papers, don't you think. And who says you can't cut into your favorite piece of paper? Not me...here I've trimmed the gold glitter nerdy glasses paper to use as journal card.

Go ahead, it's okay. I say it's better to use your paper and enjoy it than to save it and never see it.

The Downloads
Don't forget to download your thankful journaling page. And, I've also included what I journaled on the left side for each right side page decoration.

 

JOURNALING

 

THANKFUL CARD

 

 

Have fun and until next month,

50 Until 50 Album

We have an exciting announcement to make. Our beloved Monika Wright is returning to the MME team. We couldn't possibly be happier...we missed her so much!

While she was away Monika created this extraordinary 50 Until 50 mini album (using almost all MME products). Here's what she had to say about this project:

Some time ago, I had an idea to count down the 50 days before my 50th birthday with lists. I had a few ideas about what I wanted to share about my life so far, but mostly I just took a moment to think and documented my list. Each day, I posted my 50 lists on Instagram and you can find them by searching the #50until50 hashtag.

If you do check out my lists on Instagram, you might notice that there is a gap in the posting of lists. In March, my Father-in-Law passed away suddenly and I halted my posting and documenting. You might also notice though that I did eventually carry on with my project. He would have been 70 in May. 

My motivation for this project were my children. I wanted them to know things about me that I might never have brought up in conversation. One day when they're older, they might find this album, read these lists and perhaps they'll serve as topics of conversation between us. Or not. Who knows, that's the beauty of life.

For more details and insight into this precious album, read Monika's blog post HERE.

Thank you so much for sharing this personal and lovely album. And WELCOME BACK!

Jubilee Mini Album by Tina

Hi!  Tina here today with a unique, custom-made, Smash-like mini album.

Supplies Jubilee-Mint Julep:Ampersand Gold Foil Paper, Gold Foil Paper, Tribal Paper,Stripe Paper, Adventure Paper, Bike Paper, Live It Up Chipboard, Wild Flair, Beautiful Mixed Bag, Live It Up Sticky Notes, Beautiful Enamel Dots, Ride Decorative Brads, Ride Label Stickers, Wild Enamel Shapes, Journey Journal Cards, Live It Up Transparent Frames, Wonder Transparent Frames; Jubliee-Sherbet:Peach Chipboard; Necessities, Metallic Decorative Tape; Other: Die Cut Machine: Silhouette Cameo Binder: WRMK Adhesive: Tombow (tape runner), Imaginese (foam tape) Twine:  American Crafts

 

Mini Albums have long been a favorite project of mine.  I love creating minis to preserve those family vacations and trips and for allowing me to share many pictures of a memory, which a normal scrapbook layout doesn’t usually have space for.

While I often create easy, one step mini albums...I also like to create minis using scrapbook paper and my trusty digital die cut machine. To create the pages of my mini album, I digitally cut several page shapes and pockets in varying sizes.

 
I purchased my cuts from the Silhouette store.   Here are links to the digital cuts used.

ONE

TWO

Using coordinating chipboard shapes, enamel dots/shapes, die-cuts, and decorative tape, I embellished my mini, adding photos of a family trip to Gettysburg. 

Special Note:  It is never too late to scrapbook pictures that are years old.  These pictures were taken 7 years ago when my children were much younger.  I have always loved this ‘day vacation’ and thought the Jubliee collection would be perfect for documenting that trip.

 

Once all of my pages were embellished and pictures were added, I bound my mini together with a We R Memory Keepers Cinch.  I recently purchased this and LOVE IT!  Perfect for creating your own minis!

There is still plenty of room in my mini to add more pictures and journaling, documenting my memories of that day.  I love the versatility and endless possibilities when creating this type of project.

 
I’d love to know if you enjoy creating Mini Albums.  If yes, do you use pre-made albums for ease?  Or do you enjoy creating your own from-scratch unique minis?

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great day.

 

Tina

 

Mini Albums with Stephanie | July 2014 Edition

Hi there!!  Stephanie here with you today!  I am excited to share this month’s mini album tutorial, but it’s also pretty bittersweet to me!  This month will be my last month here at My Mind’s Eye.  It has been such a pleasure and an incredible honor to be a part of this amazing team.  The company, products, staff and design team are so awesome and I am humbled to be a part of this journey with them!  Thank you so much for joining me this month, as well as every month!!

 

Ok….onto the mini album!  This month, I decided to focus on all of the millions of Instagram photos I have on my camera roll!  I am a big fan of Instagram and their square photos and thought a little album of our "insta days" would be fun to look back on years from now.

 

Let's get started!


1. Print out those photos.  
I printed mine at 4x4 inches, which is also the size that I will be using for my album.  I like to print my photos with a small white border around the edges and just use my normal print settings to select the "bordered" option when printing.


2. Trim your papers and gather journaling cards.
After you have your photos printed, the next step is to trim your favorite My Mind's Eye papers to 4x4 inches.  While you have your supplies out, shuffle through the journaling cards and pick the ones that coordinate with your papers.  I chose one card for each photo since I am planning on have a photo and a journaling card on each spread.


3. Attach the journaling cards to the base pages.
Easy peasy!  Now your base pages are all ready to go!
 

4. Adhere the photos to the back of the base pages.  
Be sure to pay attention to the orientation of the journaling cards to make sure they are facing in the correct direction.  Now is also the perfect time to coordinate your photos with the sayings on the cards.


5. Embellish!
Grab your MME embellishments and add a little pop and dimension to your photos and journaling cards.  As you will see, I kept my pages rather simple, but really, anything goes here!  


6. Bind your mini album.
I wanted to do something a little different than book rings, so I decided to use my Bind-It-All to bind my pages.  You could easily use ribbon, book rings or twine to hold your pages together.

And now your mini album is complete! Yay!
Here is a look at my finished book:

 

So fun and so easy, right?  Thanks so much for joining me this month!!  I hope you enjoyed this simple mini album tutorial and are inspired to record those Instagram memories!!

Mini Albums with Stephanie | June 2014 Edition

Supplies: Market Street Ashbury Heights; Market Street Nob Hill; Necessities Metallics; Necessities Woods

Hi there!  Stephanie back with you today to share this month's mini album.  This book is a really special book to me!  I just celebrated my 37th birthday and decided to make my own birthday daybook to document where I am in my life right now, as well as list some of my goals and aspirations for this upcoming year.  You could easily make this type of book for just about any occasion or event!  They are so simple to make that I recommend making a few at a time to have on hand, or to share with others.

Let's get started!



1. Gather your supplies.

I am using a mix of the Market Street and Essentials collections.  I'm also adding in a few neutrals, including a white doily, an office supply tag and a white piece of printer paper.



2. Trim and score your papers.

The cover of my book is 8x10 inches (before scoring and folding).  I've trimmed my inside pages to various sizes to add a little variety in my book (all inside pages are smaller than my cover page).  Feel free to get creative here!  Once your papers are trimmed, score each page and your cover down the middle.




3. Organize your book.

After your papers are scored and folded, organize your papers how you want them to appear in the book. Remember that both the front and back of each paper will be visible.  I like to make sure I don't have two bold papers next to each other.  Mixing in the whites and neutrals keep the book bright  and fun!




4. Clip your pages together and bind the book.

For my book, I decided to sew right along my scored lines.  I like to use a large clip to hold my pages together when sewing.  It keeps them from slipping and moving.  If you have smaller pages in the middle of your book that aren't secured with the clip, be sure to hold those in place as you run them through your sewing machine.  
If you don't have access to a sewing machine, you could always hand sew your pages together, or use a hole punch to punch two holes and tie your book together with a ribbon.

Here's a look at my book after sewing:



I cut out the number "37" with my Silhouette Cameo added it to the front of my cover to act as my title.  It wraps around the front and back of the book and creates a nice contrast with the light wood paper from the Essentials collection.

Here is a look at my completed birthday daybook.  I just love how it turned out!  I used just a few photos, as well as some of the journaling cards from the Market Street collection to fill up my book.  This book is so fun to make and even more fun to fill up!  It would make the perfect birthday gift for  yourself or someone else!

Mini Albums with Stephanie | May 2014 Edition - Inspiration File

Hi there everyone!!  Stephanie back with you this month to share another fun mini album tutorial!!  I've really been wanting to create an inspiration file book for a while and as soon as I opened the new My Mind's Eye Market Street and Necessities goodies, I knew they would be perfect for my book!!

I'm a huge fan of Pinterest and online galleries, but I really love holding tangible items!  I love gathering all of my favorite ideas on paper rather than only having them on my computer.  This inspiration file contains some of my favorite quotes, magazine pieces, photos, etc., but you could easily make a mini album or travel folder using this technique!  Let's get started!!


1. Start by gathering your supplies.

You will need:
1. paper for your cover and end page (8x10)
2. two pieces of chipboard trimmed to 8x10
3. two pieces of vellum trimmed to 8x10
4. decorative tape
5. adhesive
6. adhesive fastener

I am using two of the Market Street 8x10 Ready to Frame art pieces for my cover and end page.  The "A Dream Is Where It All Begins" is the perfect quote for my little book!  And the gold vellum paper from the Necessities collection is just divine!!  I love how they all work together so nicely!



2. Adhere your vellum to one side of your chipboard pieces and your cover/end pages to the other side.  If you have paper with a certain orientation make sure that each one is facing the correct direction before adhering down.



3. Add a strip of glittered tape or washi tape down the middle between your two chipboard pieces.  Leave just a little gap between the two so your folder can open and close properly.
 

4. Add another strip of glittered tape/washi down the spine of your book and fold together to make sure your tape is sealed well.


5. Sew or hand stitch around your file book edges just to make sure your cover and inside pages stay attached.
 

6.  Add an adhesive fastener (purchased from local office supply store) to the inside of your book.  I added mine to the right hand page, but you could easily add one to both side.

Now you are all ready to fill your book with inspiration and ideas!!  Here's a look at my inspiration file book!



On the inside, I decided to add my inspiration pieces to the right side of my book and a few of my favorite quotes and embellishments to the left hand side.  



Whenever I come across something that I want to keep, I just add it right to my inspiration book!  It's stacked right with my calendar, so I carry it with me wherever I am!  You can never have too much inspiration!!

Thanks so much for joining me today!! I hope I have inspired you to make your own inspirational file book or folder mini album!!

Supplies used:
MME Market Street Ashbury Heights 8x10 Ready to Frame Art
MME Market Street Ashbury Heights Chipboard Elements
MME Market Street Ashbury Heights Journal Card Packs
MME Nob Hill “Sparkle” Foiled Paper
MME Nob Hill Journal Card Packs