My Mind's Eye Blog

December Sketch Challenge

It's sketch time again! On this month's sketch, we are using strips of patterned paper to anchor a photo in the bottom right corner. I stacked the title up at the top between the journaling and surrounded it with little accident pieces. I added more embellishments near the photo including the big flair. 

Remember...you are interpreting the sketch so feel free to rotate the sketch or change out the one photo for multiple photos.  Envision the pieces and see how you can make the sketch your own with embellishments, paint, patterned paper, and other wonderful My Mind's Eye products. 

Supplies: Now & Then: Izzy - Smile 'Bloom' Paper, Izzy - Smile Flair; Izzy - Happenings Mixed Bag; Izzy - Happenings Enamel Dots; Izzy - Good Times 'Range' Paper; Milo - Friends 'Field' Paper, Izzy - Boys Brads; Izzy - Dream Big Buttons; Other: Stencil: TCW Stencils, Ranger Ink: Archival Ink, Distress Ink; Maya Road Twine; Uniball Vision Ball roller

I started this layout by selecting a fun patterned paper background from the Now & Then line. I let the colors guide my layout and used the same colors to stencil some designs on the background. Next I added some splatters of black paint before adding in the strips of patterned papers. 

Next I pulled out some leftover strips of patterened paper to create my base for my photo. I absolutely love using up scraps on my layouts. I find strips of paper very grounding and my go to design. I ripped one of them and stacked them together. I find it easy to combine bold patterns together in small strips. I added also black ink around the starts to give them a little more pop. 

Here I inked the edges and stitched them to the background. I also added a sub-title next to my picture using a die cut from the mixed bag.  After I glued the photo I added the baker's twine on top. 

I love making my title as part of my design. I started with lines drawn in pencil on the top of the page. I started by placing the title down first and then added the journaling all around the title. It really draws the eye to the top of the page and adds a cool element to the page. 

Okay. Now it's your turn.

A random winner will be chosen and shared on January 2  . You have until the end of the day on January 1  to share your project.

Please link your sketch via the InLinkz tool at the bottom of this post. Your layout must feature MME products. Only one entry per participant, please. The prize is any MME collection.

Have fun and good luck!

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Collection Spotlight | Now and Then Milo

Hi everyone, Laurel here with a layout I created using the Now and Then: Milo collection.

Supplies: Now & Then Milo: This Week Shimmer; Little Things Doilies; Little Things Anchor; Inspired Forest; Little Things Brads; Friends Journal Cards; Friends Stickers Other products: Unity Stamps

We have only had Ringo for a couple of months as we was a rescue dog. He had never been camping before.... I must say he adapted very well!

My favorite thing to do lately is non-symmetrical layouts and stacking similar photos as I have done here. It works for me and it is also a way to appease my daughter who I made this for... she doesn’t like layouts with only one photo!

I also seem to use Silhouette on every project, I love to do my titles with it! How about you? Do you own a die cutter, which one is your favorite?

Laurel

August Sketch Challenge

Hi, it's Ronda here today!  For this month's sketch, we are grounding our main photo (or photos) in the center and building all around it with lots of layers.   Three arrows pointing to that main layer really reinforces our focal point.  I love the playful journal at the top of the page and near the middle, split in two sections.  Try doodling around your strips of paper to add some fun accents to your page.  Lots of layers and with MME products you have a world of possibilities.  

Remember...you are interpreting the sketch so feel free to rotate the sketch or change out the one photo for multiple photos.  Envision the pieces and see how you can make the sketch your own with embellishments, paint, patterned paper, and other wonderful My Mind's Eye products. 

Supplies:  Now & Then: Mildred - With You: Library Paper; Jubilee: Tangerine - Awesome: 'Sheild' Paper, 'Arrow' Paper, Mixed Bag, Enamel Dots; Tangerine - Story: Rub-ons; Tangerine - Honor: Decorative Brads, Label Stickers; Tangerine - Fantastic: Sticky Notes, Chipboard Elements; Other: Watercolors, Black Pen

I knew i just had to use the Jubilee Sheild Paper as my jumping off point.  Do you ever find a patterned paper that you must have & use?  The playful chevron "B" side of this paper is perfect for me.  I couldn't decide if i wanted to paint the chevrons or leave them black & white.  In the end I decided to paint another MME paper to give me that pop of color.  

First i altered the paper with a light gesso wash and then added layers of watercolors to get that beautiful pop of yellows, pinky reds, and oranges.  I trimmed off a rectangle piece and I will save the rest for other projects.  

I added the white rub-ons on top of the altered patterned paper.  I LOVE rub-ons so I am really happy MME has new ones to add to my collection.  I added light aqua blue to the background paper and layered the altered paper on top.  I love all the playful details of the fonts, the mixed pieces, and the chipboard title.  I doodled around the edges of the layers of patterned paper to continue that playful touch. 

On top of the photo i added the sticky note and layered a brad on top of it.  I love how they look grouped together.  I even doodled all around my photo.  I added journaling to the chervon lines too.  So much fun!

The last touches are always those enamel dots.  I decided to do tone on tone with those dots and I love that choice.  It didn't overpower the rest of the layout!

Okay. Now it's your turn.

A random winner will be chosen and shared with our next challenge on Monday,September 1   . You have until the end of the day on Sunday, August 31 to share your project.

Please link your sketch via the InLinkz tool at the bottom of this post. Your layout must feature MME products. Only one entry per participant, please. The prize is any MME collection.

Have fun and good luck!

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Monochromatic Layout

Hello! Valerie here today. The end of summer is upon us, but I'm hanging on tight to these last few days and celebrating with another summer layout. Before we know it, it will be time to make those back-to-school layouts. 

SUPPLIES:Now & Then Milo "Little Things" Anchor paper and Izzy "Dream Big" chipboard elements. Necessities Black & Gray "Stripe" vellum paper and enamel dots. Blues enamel dots and decorative brads. Other: Silhouette Cameo, American Crafts Thickers & cardstock, pen.

 

I have been almost exclusively mixing the Necessities line with Market Street, but when I chose these photos, I knew it just had to be Necessities with Now & Then this time. I gravitated toward a very monochromatic color palette with this layout and love how it really makes the photos pop. 

I started this page in Silhouette Studio. I picked this circular raindrop shape I originally designed for another purpose, and decided on a horizontal strip of photos. I kept the colors all very soft and similar for a great texture effect. 

 

Next time you sit down to make a layout or two, I challenge you to try a monochromatic scheme. And remember, monochromatic isn't just shades of white and black. It can be any color. I'd love to see what you make. 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Valerie

Revisiting Now & Then : Card Duo

Hey there, everyone! Lea here today to share a couple of cards with you!! I don't know about you, but I love to mix & match collections.

Supplies: Now & Then "Izzy": 6x6 paper pad, alpha/word stickers, accent stickers, flair pins, decorative brads, buttons, enamel dots, 3x4 cards; Now & Then "Milo": 6x6 paper pad, accent stickers, buttons; Now & Then "Mildred": 6x6 paper pad, mixed bag; Other: ivory twine.

The Now and Then color schemes mix together really well, and I combined elements from the Izzy, Mildred & Milo sets. I started by choosing a color palette of orange, aqua, grey/silver & just a touch of navy. I then grabbed the 6x6 paper pads from these collections, and pulled out 4 papers that matched my color palette best.

I then selected matching journal cards, stickers, buttons, brads & enamel dots to embellish the front of the cards. I used the same design for each card, creating one vertically and the other horizontally. This is such a great way to get the most out of your design process!

The two cards end up looking quite different from each other, and you've saved some time! You can do this with sketches from all the amazing online challenges out there as well...I love using a sketch multiple times, especially if they are a design that I love!

It was also great to break out my "Now & Then" collections again! I've already used them a ton, but there are so many great patterns & elements that I still wanted to use! By combining them, it allowed me to use even more of these great collections! I hope that you've enjoyed my cards today! Have a wonderful start to your week! 

 

Lea

In Her Happy Place | Scrapbook Layout by Tona Dirk for MME

Happy Thursday My Mind's Eye fans! This is Tonya here with you. Today's project features Now and Then-Dorothy and a mix of a few other lines. I found these photos of my daughter on the beach and the colors in the Dorothy line immediately came to my mind. The organic nature of the woodgrain paper was the perfect background for the feminine colors.

Supplies: Now and Then-Dorothy: 6x6 Decorative Paper Pad, "Celebrate" 12x12 Chipboard, "Celebrate" Buttons, "Celebrate" Alpha/Tiny Words, "The Best" Stickers, "Pretty" Brads, "Pretty" Label Stickers, "Lovely Day" Enamel Shapes, Decorative Tapes Necessities - Woods: "Worn Wood" paper Kraft Funday: Happy Days Twine Miss Caroline: Fiddlesticks "Story" Stamps

 

I loved the fun whimsical look of the pinwheels. I dressed the pinwheels stickers up a bit with buttons and some foam dots.

I wanted some pinwheels to have a bit of dimension, so in addition to the stickers that are part of the line I made of few of my own.

 

The half doily stamp that you see behind the pinwheels is from a stamp set that was part of the Miss Caroline collection.

 

One thing to note is don't be afraid to mix and match your collections. If you look at the supply list under the first photo you will see that I used product from four different lines. One of the many things I love about My Mind's Eye…theircollections mix and match so well with one another. 

 

Thanks for stopping by the MME blog today, hope you found a bit of inspiration.

 

Tonya
 

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | June 2014

Happy Friday! This is Shelly with your monthly dose of the makings of a double page layout.

With this month being dedicated to all the wonderful fathers out there, I thought I would do a double layout dedicated to my husband and all the fun things that make him an awesome dad. I have had these pictures filed away for awhile to get creative with. I already completed a layout for my daughter’s album of similar pictures, and I thought it was about time I do it for my son’s album too! 

Supplies: Now & Then: Izzy – “Boys” Smart Paper, “Happenings” Frolic Paper, “Smile” Regard Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, “Good Times” Accent Stickers, “Boys” Decorative Brads; Milo – “Friends” Field Paper, “Documented” Alpha/Word Stickers; Necessities – Wood “Worn Wood” Paper; Other: Alphabet stickers.

As always, I had my sketch book ready for me. Since these were printed quite awhile ago, this definitely came in handy.

Laying them out on white cardstock, I figured out the colors that I wanted to go with. The Now & Then Izzy Collection colors called out to me with all the primary colors in my pictures.

Since there were lots of pictures and lots happing in those pictures, I opted for a nice neutral background. The Necessities Wood Collection was perfect to play with as a base to my page. I loved how the white borders popped off the dark Worn Wood paper. I also decided to push my pictures around just a touch to give the layout a little more “haphazard” look.

After seeing my open space on the layout, I cut a few strips of patterned paper to act as a border around my page. I also added in some decorative tape, brads, and a little bit of stitching for some texture.

To mirror that same look, I embellished the top left corner with the same design.

I created a visual triangle completing that same design near the title. Being that this page was full of little moments from here and there throughout the year 2012, it was only natural that the “Moments” sticker was top on my list to use.

As always, here is each side for some more inspiration.

With a little picture adjustment over to the left, this would make a great single page layout.

With this side, you could add some more embellishment fun to it by including additional patterned paper stretching across the top.

Thank you so much for stopping by on this fabulous Friday. I hope I have inspired you to get scrapbooking and take on a double page layout or maybe even scrapbook those everyday moments that makes someone you love special. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Shelly

June Sketch Challenge

 

Hi, it's Ronda here today!  For this month's sketch, i thought we'd go small.  3 small photos that is!  These photos really become the focal point when stacked on a large mat of patterned paper.  Use up your stash to create the banner floating across the photos!

Remember...you are interpreting the sketch so feel free to rotate the sketch or change out the small photos for one large photo.  Envision the pieces and see how you can make the sketch your own with embellishments, paint, patterned paper, and other wonderful My Mind's Eye products. Supplies:  Now & Then:  Dorothy - Wild & Free Mixed Bag, Enamel Dots; Dorothy - Lovely Day 'Play' Paper, Flair; Doroty - Celebrate Buttons, Alpha/Tiny Words Necessities: Teal - 6x6 Pad, Black & Grey - 'Confetti' Foiled Vellum;  Market Street: Nob Hill - Chipboard Buttons; Other: Ranger lnk: Dina Wakely Media Gesso & Heavy Body Paints, Golden Paints, Jillibean Soup Alpha, Black Pen, Fiskars Border Punch

The gray background paper is a lovely neutral paper for my vacation photos.  I've been thinking about this beach ever since i left it.  I am ready to go back there & stay a while.  I used the teal Necessities 6x6 paper pad and layered rows of the foiled vellum over the it.  I used a border punch along the edge of the vellum to give it texture.  

Got leftovers?  Line up little pieces of chipboard, patterned paper, buttons, die-cuts, and other items to make your own adorable banner.  I love the pop of color in the little banner, especially against my photos.

Did you know you can sew through the chipboard?  No needle change, just use a regular size need.  Because of the adhesive on the back of the chipboard, you should wipe the needle after sewing with alcohol.  It removes any sticky residue.  

Okay. Now it's your turn.

A random winner will be chosen and shared with our next challenge on   . You have until the end of the day on Monday, June 31  to share your project. The winner will be announced with the July challenge on July 1.

Please link your sketch via the InLinkz tool at the bottom of this post. Your layout must feature MME products. Only one entry per participant, please. The prize is any MME collection.

Have fun and good luck!

An InLinkz Link-up

Scrapping Dad

Hello! Valerie here today. I tend to gravitate toward creating layouts about my son, but with Father’s Day coming up I’m way overdue for a layout featuring my husband. Naturally I’m a little biased, but he’s the best dad I know and totally deserving of a layout or two every now and then.

Supplies: Market Street-Ashbury Heights :“Aim” paper, Ashbury Heights and Nob Hill mixed bags, Nob Hill 6x6 pad, and Nob Hill chipboard elements; Necessities-Teals 6x6 pad and Black & Gray “Confetti” vellum paper.

Nothing too fancy going on here. Just some basic layering using the Market Street and Necessities collections. The 12 x 12 vellum in the Necessities collection is tough to beat. I’m a huge fan of vellum and there’s a color to match anything. I also love everything that is gold and silver foil stamped in both collections. I’ll take foil stamping over glitter any day…way less mess. (Although, it is a little more difficult to photograph.)  



Before I leave, I have a little journaling tip for you. Since I had a lot to say on this layout (which is totally unusual for me), I decided it would be best to do a little practicing first. I wasn’t sure where exactly to start and then if it would all fit, so I decided to practice on a sheet of tracing paper. I laid the tracing paper down right on top of the layout and then used the stripes of the patterned paper as my guide.

First I tried writing on every other line. I soon realized it wouldn’t all fit if I did it that way, and so I switched to writing on every line instead. Problems solved. I can now slide the tracing paper around and figure out where I want to start and see that it will all fit in the space I provided.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Now go grab a photo of your favorite dad and make something today.

Teacher Cards

Hi everyone, Laurel here. As a teacher I was quite happy to get the assignment of teacher cards! I am a sucker for anything school related and that includes notebook or ledger type of paper.

One thing I love to is use non-themed collections for themed cards and I thought the Now and Then collections would work perfectly for this assignment. I started with the Now and Then Milo collection to create a couple of simple masculine cards.

Supplies:Now & Then- Milo:  6 X 6 pad; Friends Accent Stickers; Documented Chipboard; Now & Then-Izzy: 6 X 6 pad; Good Times 3 X 4 pack; Cut & Paste- Flair: 6 X 6 pad; Today 5X7 Sticker Sheet; Wow Chipboard Stickers

Easy to do with layering of the paper, chipboard and stickers. I then chose to create a card using the Now and Then Izzy as I thought the map paper would be perfect for a teacher card.

I put my Silhouette to work and die cut an apple and a frame for this fun card and once again went to work layering. I thought I was done but then the Cut & Paste Flair was calling my name so I dug into it as well.

I love how easily I could create these teacher cards with the MME products. It goes to show how far a collection can go!

Laurel