My Mind's Eye Blog

Welcome Lisa Spiegel!

Hi everybody! I’m Lisa Spiegel and I’m thrilled to the Guest Designer for My Mind’s Eye this month! I don’t know if anyone knew, but it’s my birthday month, too, so this is the GREATEST gift ever!! (And truth be told, my birthday wish from last year came true!) I have always been a huge fan of My Mind’s Eye and have hoarded their products since the very beginnings of the scrapbook industry…I still have more than a few little Frame Up people and Quotes and the obsession with MME’s products hasn’t ever gone away! It is such an honor and a pleasure to be here!

 

A little more about me…I have been an artsy craftsy kind of girl my whole life. My mother was quite the hobbyist, painting, decorating and flower arranging were some of her specialties, so I’ve been exposed to creativity my whole life. I joined Girl Scouts when I was 8 and got bit by the crafty bug and, well, I’ve never been able to shake it. I stayed in Girl Scouts, mainly for the crafts and the camping, and even though I left it in High School, I continued to volunteer with children so I had an excuse to color and get messy. In college, I thought originally I wanted to be a preschool teacher, but in the end, I became a Recreational Therapist, with a specialty in Art Therapy, and was lucky enough to find a way to make money doing arts and crafts all day!

I began scrapbooking when I was pregnant with our oldest daughter, about 17 years ago. I couldn’t find a baby book that I liked so I started keeping a photo journal and the rest is history. I’ve evolved from Mrs. Grossman’s stickers and origami paper to the scrapping we know and love today. I slowly became more and more obsessed with the hobby and I began teaching classes at my LSS back in early 2005. Since then, my little hobby grew from a small rolling cart I stored in a closet to the huge loft above my family room I use today. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching and doing Design Team work for so many wonderful companies. I’ve been published in many magazines both online and in print. I absolutely love sharing my passion with paper and stickers and glitter and all things crafty and fun with others that share the same passion. You can find me on several message boards, on my blog at Just a Slice, and on Pinterest (follow me!!)…oh Pinterest…lol. (Don’t you just love it?)

Now, I live in the “valley” of Los Angeles, about 20 minutes from the coast, with my hubby of almost 20 years and our three daughters, Madison (16), Jillian (14) and (Camryn) 10. When I’m not scrapping, I am a Lamaze Childbirth Educator and Newborn Hearing Screener as well as a Girl Scout Leader for the 10^th year running. My girls keep me busy shuttling between their many activities like concert band, many dance classes, scouts and cheerleading. Thankfully, they love to have photos taken of them so I have lots of opportunities to capture their lives. Keeping those memories is what drives me to scrapbook. My parents did put photos of me in albums but there are no stories and for me, the story is what I want to remember. It makes me proud to know that my girls will have the stories of their lives bound in albums for them to look upon fondly as they grow.

I mainly create layouts, but dabble in cards, sewing and home décor. It’s so fun to be able to create something custom for my family and loved ones. I’m always surprised where my pages take me…I don’t often have a plan before I sit down. I am either inspired by pretty paper or pretty pictures and the bonus is, at the end, they become a unified story that I am proud to share.

 

 

 

I’m super happy to be the Guest Designer for My Mind’s Eye this month and am looking forward to a month of crafty fun!!

Lisa Spiegel

Let’s give Lisa a warm My Mind’s Eye welcome!  Leave a comment on this blog post for Lisa by Sunday, February 12 and we will give one lucky commenter “Lisa’s Favorite Things”!

Blog Challenge 31 Winners

Isn’t is amazing how many talented blog readers we have?  We love seeing what you will share with us each month!

If you have not had a chance to see the beautiful entries, click on the following links:

Card Challenge Link

Layout Challenge Link

 

Our January winners are:

 

Winner: Jenny Evans

 

Honorable Mention: Jody Rogers

 

Card Winner: Christine Penafor

 

We will be announcing the sneak peek winners on Wednesday.

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.

Blog Challenge 26: Layout

The challenge: Design a layout based on this fabulous sketch and use “Anything Goes” as your theme (by Anam Stubbington). That means the theme is your choice!

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, August 21, 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!

Our Design Team has already had fun with this challenge – what will you create?

Tya Smith: Love

Featured Collection: Lost & Found 2 

 

Anam Stubbington: Fancy That and Birthday Memories

Featured Collection: Lime Twist

 

Suzanne Sergi: Merry Christmas

 

Upload your entry here:

Blog Challenge 26: Card

Blog Challenge #26 – really!?  Where has the time gone.  We are so thrilled to have you create along with us each month!

The challenge: Design a card based on this fabulous sketch and use “Anything Goes” as your theme (by Anam Stubbington).  That means the theme is your choice!

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, August 21, 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!

Our Design Team has already had fun with this challenge – what will you create?

 

Tya Smith: “Fun” card

Featured Collection: Hip-Hooray!

 

Anam Stubbington: Fancy That and Birthday Memories

Featured Collection: Stella & Rose 

Upload your entry here:

 

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

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.

Father’s Day layouts

We hope you enjoyed celebrating the Father’s in your life last week.  We also hope you took the chance to take a photo of them!  A few of our designers have taken a moment to honor some of the important Father’s in their lives with a layout.  We hope you are inspired to create a similar layout.

Misty Willis: The Day we Celebrate Dad

Featured Collection: American Made

It is a layout honoring my Dad.  He taught me how important family is, and that being a good parent is crucial in the upbringing of my children.  He taught me about FAMILY.

He played with us, he wrestled with us, but when we needed it, he scolded us, too.  I tried to incorporate the rugged~rustic look with the fun and whimsical look to bring in all of his best traits.

The 5 kiddos on the bottom are my own 5 kids.  They are the results of some of the best things that I learned from my Dad.

 

Jana Eubank: You Are The Best Dad

Featured Collection: Lime Twist "Fly A Kite", Lush

When I saw the die cut journaling card from the Lime Twist "Fly a Kite" collection titled "10 Things I Love About You" I knew that it would be the perfect way to document my family's feelings about my husband. I wanted to add a casual feeling to my page design and decided to cut the journaling card apart into separate sections instead of leaving it whole. I attached some of the number strips with staples and left the others plain. I love the masculine touch a simple staple can add to a layout. The staples helped me decide to continue using silver as my accent color for this page. I pulled out some Lush Black Rhinestones and a few Lush brads (with silver rims) to carry the metal color around the page. The title is cut with an electronic die cut machine. I accented the first letter of the title with a length of Lime Twist Twine.

 

Suzanne Sergi: Family

I was so happy to capture this sweet photo of my children with their Father, Steven. It is from Easter, but I love how they are all so close to him. My husband is an amazing Father. He has always been so very hands on with the children, since they were babies.  Steven works almost six days a week, but is never too tired to spend time with them. I love seeing how much my children want to be with him. The Stella Rose Collection was the perfect canvas for this photo. I added some strips of vellum to soften the page. I added butterflies, because they simply make me happy. I added the premade brads from the Hattie, Happy Collection for the finishing details. For extra embellishing, I added inking to this page using the Memories stamps from Stella Rose.

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My Mind’s Eye/Simply Renee Blog swap winner is:

This is without a double the most beautiful project I have ever seen!!! Where do I draw my inspiration from?? my photos, products, scrappy friends, magazines...

Posted by: Michelle | June 22, 2011 at 09:29 PM

Misty’s Altered Clip It Up

When our fabulous guest designer, Misty Willis, sent pictures of her mini Clip It Up we were excited to see how beautiful and delicate she was able to make this fabulous (scrap) storage unit using our Stella & Rose – Hazel collection.

 

 

What’s most fun is to learn that Misty drew her inspiration for this beautiful project from fond memories of her Grandma.  Visit the Simply Renee blog to learn how the significance this project inspired Misty as she designed it.

Guess what!?  We have teamed up with Simply Renee for a fun giveaway! 

Leave a comment on our blog for a chance to WIN our Stella and Rose "Hazel" collection. Then visit the Simply Renee blog and leave a comment for a chance to WIN a Mini CIU.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?