My Mind's Eye Blog

Father's Day Gifts

Are you wracking you brain, trying to figure out the perfect Father's Day gift? Like most men, the way to my husband's heart is through his tummy.  I thought it would be fun to put together three gifts that are sure to satisfy his appetite. The wonderful new "Necessities" collection provided  fabulous tools for creating these masculine gifts. The coordinating colored sets of papers, alphabets, and embellishments made creating a breeze!

 

My husband LOVES to grill and can always use some fresh supplies. I found this great plastic pail at the dollar store and filled it with a lot of grilling goodies: an apron, lighter, marinades, bbq sauce, lighter, steak sauce, tools, etc.  

 

Supplies: Necessities - Black and Gray: 6x6 paper pad, decorative tape; Blues: monogram foiled alphabet; Reds: Tiny word/alpha stickers; Metallics: metal dots; Fun Day: twine; Misc: Black ink, red thread, pop dots.

 

For the gift tag, I trimmed a 6x6 piece of black paper to 4x6, then spelled out: "Dads Like You Are Rare" with red and silver letter stickers. I added strips of silver foil and black striped decorative tape across the center.  I finished it off with silver metal dots for an industrial look and the large "U".

 

 

Supplies: Necessities - Blues: monogram foiled alphabet, decorative tapes, enamel shapes; Reds: Stripe vellum paper, Tiny word/alpha stickers, enamel shapes and dots; Metallics: metal dots; Black and Gray: enamel shapes, 6x6 paper pad; MME Black and red decorative tape set; Fun Day: twine; Misc: Black ink, black thread, pop dots, white cardstock.

 

My husband's favorite drink is bottled root beer (a rare treat).  I decorated the front of the box with the HUGE blue foil monogram letters.  I moved them slightly off the paper, so they are "popping" off. I sewed the diagonal striped vellum to white cardstock and placed two strips of black decorate tape along the bottom.  

 

I printed the tag and cut it out in a circle, with a black mat.  I place strips of blue foil and glittered decorative tape on it, then placed letter stickers over them. For the finishing touch, I adhered enamel chevrons on the first "P" and two enamel dots on the decorate tape.

 

 

 

My husband really enjoys watching movies with our family.  I thought it would be fun to make a big "Movie Night with DAD" gift bucket.  I found the over-sized square popcorn bucket at my Dollar Store. I decorated the front with a strip of black cardstock, trimmed with silver foil tape.  

 

 

I placed black letter stickers above it to read "Movie Night With" and adhered the fabulous huge blue foiled letters. I filled it with tons of his favorite treats and had fun coming up with creative gift tags to coordinate.

 

I used a variety of colored letter stickers for the"key word".  I matted them with vellum and patterned papers from the 6x6 pads. I trimmed some of them with foil decorative tapes.  I finished it off with Blu Ray versions of his favorites: :The Complete Star Wars Saga" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

 

Supplies: Necessities - Blues: Stripe vellum paper, 6x6 paper pad, monogram foiled alphabet, decorative tapes, tiny word/alpha stickers; Reds: Stripe vellum paper, 6x6 paper pad, tiny word/alpha stickers; Metallics: decorative tape; Black and Gray: Stripe foiled vellum patterned paper, tiny word/alpha stickers; MME Black and red decorative tape set; Fun Day: twine; Misc: Black ink, black thread, white and black cardstock.

 

Snickers: You make us SNICKER

Corn Nuts: We love your CORNY JOKES!

Whoppers: You tell great WHOPPERS.

Stax Chips: You’re STACKS above the rest

Reeses Pieces: You hold the PIECES of our family TOGETHER.

Popcorn: You’re our Favorite POPS

Raisinetes: You’re the RAISIN we’re a FAMILY

Twix: You do cool TWIX

Nuts: We’re all a little NUTTY

Mounds: You’re MOUNDS of FUN!

Sugar Daddy: You’re our SUGAR DADDY

 

I hope you are inspired to make a gift from the hear for the special fathers in your life.

-Tamara

Product Spotlight | Necessities Glitter Alphabet

I am LOVING the fabulous new "MME Necessities" collection!!! The basic colors and foil/glittered elements are so versatile!  When I saw the huge 3" tall glittered monogram alphabet, I knew it would be the PERFECT title for a layout of my daughter's prom in March.

 

 

Supplies: Necessities - Black and Gray: Confetti Foiled Vellum patterned paper, 6x6 paper pad, decorative tape; Teals: Triangle paper (white B side) 3" monogram Glittered Alphas, decorative tape, tiny word/alpha stickers; Metallics: Metal dots, tiny word/alpha stickers; Misc: Teal thread, black pen, foam tape.

 

The huge and bold vertical title was the inspiration for this page (I adhered it with foam tape to make it pop off the page). I used the "Teals" and silver elements from this line to coordinate with the colors of her prom dress. 

 

For the base of my page, I used he "Confetti" silver foiled vellum paper - it just looks like a celebration!!!  

 

Then I adhered two 6x6 gray papers from the Black and Gray paper pad and sewed around them to secure the vellum to the white background.  I finished it off with rows of the wonderful foiled and glittered decorative tapes in silver and teal.

 

I placed two 4"x5 1/2" photos on the page and layered three 2"x2"close-up photos of the details.  I adhered them with foam tape to give dimension to my page.

 

Last (but certainly not least!) I placed the metallic silver dots above them to draw the eye up the page and add the the "magical" feel of the layout.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today, have a wonderful week!

 

Tamara

Balboa Park

Last November, our family went on vacation to beautiful sunny southern California.  One of our favorite places to visit is the beautiful Balboa Park in San Diego.  We LOVE strolling around the 100 year old park and gazing at the incredible and intricate Spanish-Renaissance architecture.  

 

Supplies: Now & Then - Mildred: World patterned paper, Framed patterned paper, chipboard sticker; Now and Then - Milo: Shimmer patterned paper; Follow Your Heart -Record It: 8x10 Word Art print; Pretty Things-Record It: 6x6 paper pad; Lost and Found-Record It "Antique": journal cards, decorative brads, decorative tape, word stickers; Misc: Black ink and pen, pop dots.

 

For the "Old World" look, I used a combination of the new "Now and Then" collection and the "Lost and Found - Record It" Antique line. They worked perfectly together and echoed the details of my photographs.

 

 I used a large piece of the "World" map paper for the foundation of my page. Next, I place a kraft colored 8x10 word art print over it, then layered two 6x6 papers from the "Pretty Things" Record It collection.

 

 

I layered three of the "Lost and Found - Record It" 3x4 journal cards along the left side of the page. I hand cut the elegant gold frame from paper and layered it with a chipboard frame. 

 

I placed  the delicate decorative tape along the bottom edge and inserted a large brad. I used letter stickers for the title and finished off the page with a chipboard phrase and a "record the journey and the destination" sticker and decorative brad.

 

Funny Story - I went to sew this layout and couldn't find my sewing machine cord anywhere!  Why would it disappear from my scraproom?!?!  I tore my scraproom apart and looked in the garage and all the bedrooms for hours.  I finally found it in my 15 yea old's room with all his electronic cords.  He had misplaced his PS3 cord a few weeks ago and took my sewing machine cord - thinking it was a match.  Good thing I am a great detective. :)

 

Tamara

Disney Album

Have you ever returned from a vacation with hundreds of photos?  I have, and those fabulous photos tend to sit on my digital card or hard drive - never to been seen by family members.

Supplies: Lost and Found Record It - Album Starter Kit and pocket pages;Record It-Here is Happy: Journaling Kit, 8x8 Word Art Pack, 6x6 pad, decorative tape, enamel dots; Chalk Studio II: Remember patterned paper, Word Soup patterned paper, smile patterned paper, 6x6 pad; Find Your Wings and Fly - Sky's the Limit and Up & Away - Alpha/Word stickers; Lost and Found 3 Ruby: decorative tape (gray); Misc: black pen, white letter stickers and chipboard, Mickey Mouse punches.

When I saw this new "Record It" album -  I knew it would be perfect for our 2006 vacation to Disneyland.  The "Here is Happy" Record It Journaling Kit had just the right coordinating colors and theme.  I was amazed that it has 108 cards in just one package!!

 

In fact, I cut out the back of the packaging to use as the "Here is Happy" title on my album cover - for the "Happiest Place on Earth".  I embellished it with decorative tapes and enamel dots. This album came together very easily, I loved simply sliding cards and photos into the pockets.  I even used two of the 8x10 word art prints for my pages.

 

I really liked the mixture of the various pocket page sizes and the heavy cardstock pages in the album. I used the 6x6 paper pad, a few solid pieces of paper,  and tiny alpha/letter stickers to complete the pages.

My favorite products in the Journaling Kit are the transparency cards in 3x4 and 4x6 sizes. They were so fun to layer over photos, or use on their own in a page protector.

Can you believe this album has 75 pages and 151 photos?!?!  My family has loved looking through this album and remembering our fun vacation 7 1/2 years ago.  

 

Yay - I finally got those pictures off that hard drive!! Can't wait to complete another one of these "Record It" albums!

 

Tamara

 

 

 

Layouts by Tamara

Wow - MME's latest Winter release is amazing!!! Just when I think I have seen it all - MME astounds me again with incredible new designs and innovate products. I had such a delightful time designing these layouts to display at CHA.

 

Supplies: Chalk Studio II: Remember patterned paper, Word Soup patterned paper, Shine patterned paper, 6x6 papers pad (blue and dot), tags, sticker labels, decorative brads, decorative alphabet, enamel dots, sticker icons, chipboard; Misc: Black ink, pen, and thread, white gel pen.

My first layout is"Happy Today", using the fabulous Chalk Studio II collection.  I just love the fresh yellow, pink and blue colors mixed with chalk art.  I used a fun photo with all the same bright colors (of my daughter playing at the park 9 years ago).

The background paper already had a great blue border and "today" title printed on it.  I added strips of paper and banners across the bottom of the page and matted the photo with a 6x6 polka dot paper. I accented the photo with a large label sticker, tag, chipboard, and sticker icon. Aren't the epoxy letter stickers great?  

 

 

 

Supplies: Now and Then - Milo: Shimmer patterned paper, 6x6 pad, sticky notes, enamel shapes, decorative brads, label stickers, mixed bag die cuts, enamel dots, accent stickers, journaling cards, chipboard, and decorative tape; Misc: Cream thread and black pen. 

 

My second layout was designed with the "Now and Then" Milo collection.  I used a fun photo of my 2 year old son playing in the sunshine.  The 3x4 journaling cards provided the perfect titles for my page.  I only used a 12x12 for the background paper, the rest of the papers came from the 6x6 pad.

 

I used the awesome, new wide decorative tape with the beautiful medallions for the border and anchor for my page. I LOVE the giant shiny silver ampersand and silver chipboard elements. I embellished my page with enamel arrows, enamel dots, chipboard, word stickers, brads, accent stickers, and a cool "Friday" sticky note.

 

 

 

 

Supplies: Now and Then - Izzy: Regard paper, Smart paper, Dapper patterned paper, 6x6 pad, flair pins, enamel shapes, mixed bag die-cuts, enamel dots, accent stickers, journalin cards, decorative brads, label stickers, chipboard, decorative tape; Misc: Black ink and pen, teal thread.

 

 

I can't believe how perfectly the colors of the new "Now and Then" Izzy line go with my recent family portrait.  The title: "Joy, Love, Laughter, & Smiles" captures the feelings we share as a family.  I framed the photo with a 6x6 paper and a strip of blue patterned paper.  I tucked a journaling card under the edge and used another one for the title.  I embellished it with an enamel dot and fabulous blue enamel shaped ampersand.

 

 

I created a cascade of horizontal elements under the photo with decorative tape, chipboard, stickers, and a banner paper.  I embellished it with a huge orange flair pin, silver chipboard key, brad, and enamel dot. I added a double row of stitching around the page and used it to attach three banners from the mixed bag die-cuts and the cool wide decorative tape with colored label frames.

 

Thanks so much by stopping by today, have a wonderful Thursday!

 

Tamara

 

 

First Kiss

Valentine's Day is a special time of year for me.  My husband and I met 20 years ago and fell in love right around this holiday. I thought this Cupid's Arrow collection was perfect to document the anniversary of our "First Kiss".  

 

Supplies:Cupid's Arrow: Confetti Heart patterned paper, Love Journal Cards Foiled patterned paper, Love You Foiled patterned paper, 6x6 paper pad, sticker sheet, decorative tape, chipboard hearts, enamel shapes; Misc: Black ink, pen, and thread, foam letter

 

Fun note: This photo was taken during our recent family portrait at the same location we had our engagement photos taken. Even though we have 4 kids (3 are teenagers) - I feel like my husband and I are still just a couple of crazy in love college students. 

 

I love the blue background paper - it feels like the lines are radiating from the two of us.  I matted the 5x7 Black and White photo with red paper and a black text paper from the 6x6 paper pad.

 

 I anchored the bottom of the layout with a long strip of white patterned paper and two wonderful decorative tapes. I added the title, a beautiful red and white chevron chipboard heart with fabulous FOIL, a "Love is All You Need" circle sticker, and an enamel arrow.

 

I rounded the corners of the title card and some of the papers to give it the layout a more contemporary feel. The little red heart in "True Love Always Wins" title card is also in foil.  I layered some banner stickers and a fun "Kisses" ticket under the right side of the photo.

 

I hope you have fun using this amazing "Cupid's Arrow" collection to document the relationships in your life.

 

Using 6x6 Pads on Layouts

Happy Tuesday everyone! Tamara here.

 

6x6 Pads have become on of my favorite design tools.  In fact - when I start a layout, I always reach for the 6x6 first - for a few reasons.

1. They are pre-cut to a smaller size.  Have you ever stared at a beautiful 12x12 piece of paper, afraid to cut it?  What if you cut the wrong size and now don't have the right amount for your layout?  What if you cut the striped paper the wrong direction and now it doesn't work with your layout?

 

The smaller 6x6 papers have already been cut down for you.  Since every pad comes with two of each paper, you can lay two of the same pattern next to each other to get a 6x12 strip.

 

2. Perfect for quickly matting photos.

 

3. Smaller patterns.

 

4. Bonus papers! Our 12x12 paper lines have 10 double sided papers, while the 6x6 pad has 12!  You you get Four BONUS papers that often have solid colors and fun new patterns!!!

 

Supplies: Cut & Paste - Presh: Trendy patterned paper, Treasures paper (title card), 6x6 pad, journal cards, decorative tape, enamel shapes, brad, enamel dots, label stickers, chipboard, layered sticker; Grey & Yellow Decorative tape set; Misc: Navy blue thread, black ink and pen.

 

 

Other than the background paper, I only used a 6x6 pad on this layout.  It went together remarkably quickly since I was moving around smaller pieces of paper.  It was easy to tuck, move, and layer papers.

 

I matched up the red chevron pattern and layered two halves of the paper to create the base of my page.  You hardly notice the seam.

For the solid grey strip, I trimmed a piece from the 4x6 journal card, and cut it into two pieces - tucking them under the photo and title.

 

I embellished the laout with chipboard, stickers, enamel dots, and a brad.  Aren't the giant enamel dot shaped quotes fabulous?  They really made my title pop!

It was fun to FINALLY scrapbook this photo of my son, taken almost 9 years ago. He turns 16 in a few months.  It is refreshing to use older photos and take a trip down memory lane. :)

 

 

Dear Santa

It's Christmas Eve, the stockings are hung in anticipation, hopes are high, and wishes are about to come true.

Why not make Santa's traditional plate of cookies a little more special this year with at little help from the "Mistletoe Magic" collection?  A handwritten letter to Santa is a precious keepsake of childhood.

 

For the letter, I cut down a piece of the Lined "Ledger" paper, with "Christmas Wishes" printed on the bottom to 8" x 11".  I trimmed down the top and bottom of the letter with strips of decorative tapes.

 

To create a matching envelope, I cut a piece of the red striped to 10 1/2" wide and 11" high.  I scored 1" along both sides of the paper, then 4 1/4 inches from the bottom, and 4 1/4" from that score mark leaving a 2 1/2" flap. 

I embellished the envelope with blue and white chevron paper, decorative tapes, a large Santa sticker, and holly chipboard. I layered decorative blue dot tape on the tag sticker and a "Santa" word sticker.

 

The envelope was sealed with a snowflake sticker and "Merry Christmas" chipboard.  

Merry Christmas!!

Paper Ornaments

Supplies: Mistletoe Magic: 6x6 Paper Pad; Follow Your Heart: Blue/White twine: Misc: Floral wire, beads, Crop-o-dile hole punch, small pliers.
 

There is nothing like making handmade christmas ornaments.  It is a classic tradition as well as a gift of love from the heart. 

For these double ball ornaments, I used the new Mistletoe Magic 6x6 paper pad.  The smaller prints are perfect for ornaments.  I made two different sizes; the smaller one has 2” and 3” strips, and the larger ornaments have 3” and 4” strips.  You can vary the sizes as you desire.

Wouldn’t a dozen of these strung together make a beautiful garland?  

First, I laid out my papers and decided on the patterns that I would match up for each ornament. I love the tiny chevron patterns!

For the smaller ornament:  Cut  6 – ½” x 3” strips of EACH paper – you will have 12 strips total. Cut 4 – ½” x 2” strips of EACH paper – you will have 8 strips total.

For the larger ornament:  Cut 8 -  ½” x 4” strips of each paper – you will have 16 strips total.  Cut  6 – ½” x 3” strips of EACH paper – you will have 12 strips total.

Punch a small hole in each end of the papers.  I like to stack them in order, varying the pattern every other one.  I use a Crop-O-Dile hole punch on the smallest setting.

Cut a 5”-6” piece of floral wire, twist a loop at the end for the string or ribbon.  Thread beads through the wire, then thread the top hole of the stack of 12 – 3” x ½” papers.

Take the paper strip from the BOTTOM of the stack and thread the wire through its hole.

 Then take the NEXT paper on the BOTTOM and thread the wire through.  

Follow with the rest of the paper strips until the ball is complete.  Spread the strips evenlyto close and gaps between them.

Next, place the stack of 8 small 2” x ½” strips through the wire.

Take the BOTTOM strip and thread the wire through, and repeat until the second ball is complete.  

Thread additional beads through the wire, cut off the excess wire and twist the end in a loop to hold the beads in place.  Turn the ornament upright and thread twine or ribbon through the top and hang on your tree.

I hope you give these paper ball ornaments a try. They are very simple to make and go very quickly once you get the hang of it.  Happy Holidays!

Tamara

Thankful

I love Thanksgiving, it is a wonderful time to pause and reflect upon the abundant blessings in our lives. I can't think of a greater blessing or more precious gift than my family. I used our recent family portrait for my layout. It was so kind of My Mind's Eye to design the perfect papers to coordinate with it! :) The colors of the Cut and Paste "Charm" collection match our clothes perfectly, even down to the stripes and chevron!

Supplies:Cut and Paste - Charm: Twinkle patterned paper, 6x6 pad, 4x6 journal cards, tiny word stickers, enamel shapes, label stickers, decorative buttons, brads; Cut and Paste - Presh & Adorbs: tiny words stickers; Miss Caroline: yellow twine; Misc: navy and orange thread, black ink and pen, white letter stickers

My Mind's Eye products are so easy to use! Can you believe this layout required no cutting (other than trimming off the strip with the barcode)?  I used two 4x6 journal cards and two 6x6 papers.

I accented my "Thankful" title with the fabulous orange and aqua enamel shapes.

I framed my layout with two rows of machine stitching in navy and orange thread. I used a combination of 3 different sets of "tiny word stickers" along the right side of my page.

As a final touch, I stitched the decorative button chipboard stickers to the top of the page with yellow twine.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Happy Thanksgiving!