My Mind's Eye Blog

Project Life with Shelly

By now, everyone stopping by has probably heard of Project Life, right? It’s a simplified approach to scrapbooking created by Becky Higgins .

I have been happily dedicated to documenting my everyday family memories this way since 2009. I am very passionate about this approach of recording. It is a great way to document without feeling overwhelmed.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love cutting pretty papers to create traditional layouts. However, this approach has calmed my nerves of never feeling caught up or simply feeling like I have forgotten something.

I am able to pull a layout together in no time about the camping trip we took this past summer, or pull pictures together in no time at all about the little things my son did at the age of 1½, all because it was already written down in my family album of Project Life.

What I truly love about this system is that you can make it whatever you want. I love that you can be as simple as you want or go crazy with creativity.

Today starts a new series where I give you a look into my album and how I use the amazing products that My Mind’s Eye creates for our traditional scrapbook pages in my Project Life album.

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:accessory pad,6x6 paper pad,Tag patterned paper,enamel dots,sticker sheet:Decorative Tapes Collection:Navy and Green, Red and Turquoise;Misc:Becky Higgins’ Project Life divided page protectors, Date Stamp, Black StazOn Ink, Zig colored markers

Okay. Confession time, I can’t be the only one who hasn’t documented their Holiday season celebrations, right?

Now that we are in the aftermath of the crazy holiday storm, I look back at all of the pictures and remember all those memories that happened during the holidays.

I became a little overwhelmed. It is easy to do when you have hundreds of photos staring back at you.. I took a deep breath and began to pick out my very favorite pictures. The ones that tell the story the best.

I can be pretty brutal. Our holiday festivities were in full gear that week prior to Christmas, so I started there.

I pulled those pictures aside and went to town with the Winter Wonderland Collection.

The Winter Wonderland accessories pad is the perfect complement to this approach to document your holiday season.

I was pretty excited when I flipped through the pad and saw this  “to-from” tag. The light bulb went off in my head, and I used it as the title card of my layout.

I mounted it  (with decorative tape)  on the red strip patterned paper that is in the accessories pad too.

I trimmed another tag from that same sheet and mounted that on the red woodgrain paper from the 6x6 paper pad.

The “Tag” paper was next on my "must cut" list. I trimmed down each of the 3x4 cards from the top of that sheet.

One I used here and the others will be used for the week of Christmas. 

The card on the right side of my layout was trimmed down from one of the sheets in the accessories pad. I love that it had the top border built right in.

Then I trimmed a sheet of the diagonal stripe from the 6x6 paper pad down to 4x6 and added small shots of Rexy the Elf and his silly little antics from that week, attaching them with some of the new decorative tapes.

With this week being so picture heavy. I didn’t have a lot of room to journal. The pictures for the last two days of this week were pretty self explanatory. The scaled down cards from the 6x6 paper pad and the “Happy Day” tab from the sticker sheet fit perfectly over my pictures to document those memories.

Now,thankfully, I have the week leading up to Christmas madness documented.From my daughter wrapping gifts for the giving tree to my son’s Christmas party. From opening the first Christmas gifts of the year to a neighborhood Christmas get-together, and decorating cookies with Grandma...these memories are documented.

The first part of the holidays have been documented and recorded without any stress.

Even if you aren't doing Project Life, this is a great way to get those holiday memories recorded without feeling overwhelmed. It also helps you to use up all of those pretty holiday papers and embellishments that we all have in our supply stash. 

Have a wonderful Monday!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you! Danni here to share some Christmas as we celebrate the holidays with our loved ones near and far.


Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Snowmen patterned paper,chipboard stickers,decorative tape;Misc: Papertrey Ink scallop die, pom poms, machine stitching

I absolutely love this decorative tape and could use it on everything!  I love how quickly you can add an accent to you card that will not be adding to the shipping costs.

When creating cards for Christmas, you have to take into consideration the shipping costs and these tapes are perfect for adding patterns and colors without the bulk.



Supplies: Winter Wonderland-:Christmas Trees patterned paper,Tags patterned paper,Flakes and Presents patterned paper,decorative tape;Misc:Martha Stewart heart punch, machine stitching

This is a flat/mailable card using the designer tape again and little heart punches for the embellishments.  The little embellies pack a big punch while still allowing them to be mailed to your recipients.


Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Flakes patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,6 x 6 pad,chipboard embellishments,decorative tape;Misc:Papertrey Ink snowflake die, Martha Stewart glitter and punch, pom poms, machine stitching

I love how this card pops because of the layers.   We had a snowy, stormy day here and I can't get the glitter to pop in the pictures but paired with the chipboard embellishments, this card really shines.  I am excited to see the reaction from my recipient as it is almost as shiny as she is.

We hope you have the most amazing Christmas celebration with your friends and loved ones!  Thank you for making all of us at MME part of your day every day and celebration with your loved ones.  Merry, Merry Christmas!

Altered Christmas Can by Tamara

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is drawing family names for a gift exchange.  We usually just scribble names on scraps of paper, then draw them out of a bowl.

I thought it would be fun to make a special can with personalized name tags.  I know this will become a treasured Christmas keepsake that we use every year.

I used an empty Piroutte cookie can from Walmart (left over from cookies we dipped in hot chocolate, yum!).

I found some green spray paint in my garage and painted the lid.  Then I covered the metal can with these festive papers from the Winter Wonderland collection.  

I used double stick tape and the heavy duty red scrapbook tape (for the seam in the back). The present sticker border was perfect for our "Gift Exchange" can.  I embellished the can with chipboard stickers, enamel dots, a sticker, and twine.

For the name tags, I printed the names in red ink on the light blue "At Home" patterned paper and stitched around them.  Then Iayered the patterned Christmas papers and added decorative brads and present chipboard pieces.

Merry Christmas!

Supplies: Winter Wonderland: Christmas Trees patterned paper, In the Neighborhood patterned paper, Flakes patterned paper, Polka Dots patterned paper, At Home patterned paper, Stripes patterned paper, Presents patterned paper, brads, stickers chipboard, twine, enamel dots;Misc: metal can, black ink, red thread, double stick tape, red scrapbooking tape

A Heritage Christmas Layout with Tina

Hi!  Tina here today with a heritage Christmas layout, featuring, me!  :)  I think I was probably 4 or so in this picture and it's a great memory of Christmas past. 

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Christmas Trees patterned paper,Tags patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,decorative brads,decorative buttons,decorative tape,sticker accessory sheet,chipboard elements,enamel dots;Misc:cardstock,adhesive,spray mist,sewing machine and thread,die cut machine,American Crafts Thickers

One of my favorite techniques when scrapping heritage or older photos is to change the photo to black and white (if it isn't already so), and add lots of fun color to your layout.  The black and white always looks great with any color patterned paper you choose and really makes the photo POP.

Another one of my favorite techniques to add color to a layout is to spray your background with a spray mist.  I didn't want a completely white background for my page, and adding a strip of patterned paper to the top was too much color, so, I masked off the top edge of my paper and sprayed it with spray mist.  This is a great way to add a little color, but not too much.

I enjoyed sharing a family memory with you. We hope you will share your holiday memory layouts on our Facebook page!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Tis the Season by Jana

Every year my kids sleep out under the Christmas tree on December 23rd. It's a fun night of movies, giggles, popcorn, and treats.

I chose to use blue tones for the majority of this page because it conveys the calm, cozy, nighttime feel of this memory.

But too much blue can feel dusty and dark, so I added accents of bright, cheery papers.

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:In the Neighborhood patterned paper, At Home patterned paper, Stripes patterned paper, Polka Dots patterned paper, Flakes patterned paper, Tags patterned paper, Christmas Trees patterned paper, 6 x 6 paper pad, 12 x 12 chipboard accessories, stickers, buttons, enamel dots, decorative tape, twine, 4 x 6 mat stack;Misc:cardstock (blue, green, red, yellow), die cutting machine, word art (Lettering Delights), tree art (SVG Cuts), needle & brown embroidery floss, foam Squares, adhesives, trimmer, scissors

I used my die cutting machine to create the folded Christmas tree.

The Winter Wonderland buttons make the perfect ornaments! I stitched each one on, tying knots in a few of them for a different texture. The smaller scale print of the 6 x 6 paper pad worked perfectly to create the Christmas tree skirt.

The chipboard presents fit perfectly with my tree. I added a few enamel dots to each gift for a touch of sparkle. Finally, I tucked a journal spot from the 4 x 6 accessories pad behind the left side.

I used the chipboard snowflakes to balance the scale of the tree from the other page and accented the center of each one with more Winter Wonderland buttons.

I matted the phrase sticker on green cardstock and then added a few more enamel dots as shiny "nailheads."

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Introducing our December Guest Designer!

Please help us in welcoming Naomi Atkins as our December guest designer. We love Naomi's whimsical and elegant layouts. They always have the perfect amount of "shabby chic" and her photography is amazingly beautiful.

Hello! My name is Naomi Atkins, and I'm so happy to be the guest designer this month for MME! MME has been one of my favorite companies since I fell in love with the first line ever, all the way back to the Wild Asparagus!!! The first time I saw the paper, it was a very new type for scrapbooking paper and I was hooked.

I am a wife to my wonderful husband of ten years, Jonathan, and my five beautiful kids, Katlyn, Elise, Everett, Weston and Camille. I am a photographer and co-owner of Inspired and Enchanted Photography.. it is a second career for me, I spent the eight previous years as a adjunct legal research and writing professor a local college :)

I have never looked back.. I simply love photography and scrapbooking. I currently design for Crate Paper, Gossamer Blue and Freckled Fawn. My first ever scrapbooking layout to be published was the cover of Scrapbook Trends (September)! That was a little bit crazy, but wonderful!

Our website/blog is www.inspiredandenchantedphotography.com and our facebook page is Inspired and Enchanted Photography where we have a TON of our latest work :) We really love vintage, styled photography and we have such a great time doing it!

 

Q: What did you have the most fun working with?

A: I had the most fun working with the patterned papers and the chipboard sheets. I LOVE playing with all of the beautiful things that go with the paper collections! I am really loving all of the washi tape as well!

Q: What is your favorite MME line of all time and why? 

A:My favorite line is very hard to pick! I love them all! I seriously have never not liked anything MME has come out with! I really love the lost and found lines. I love the rich, bold hues, as well as the glitter!! I also like the nice thick paper/textures the lines have :)

 

Merry Christmas layout

Supplies:Winter Wonderland: Snowmen patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,Tags patterned paper,chipboard elements,decorative brads,decorative buttons,enamel dots,layered stickers,twine;Misc:American Crafts cardstock;doily,adhesives;Photography:Inspired and Enchanted Photography. 

Tip from Naomi: I strung the twine through all of the specialty buttons.Then I stitched around the patterned papers like a frame. As a final touch I added the enamel dots to the hand cut border at the bottom.

 

First Kiss layout

Supplies:Lost and Found 3-Ruby:Red Floral patterned paper,Collage Strip patterned paper,Medallion patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,decorative chipboard,decorative brads,decorative buttons,stamps;Misc:Zing
embossing powder (white),machine stitching;Photography:Inspired and Enchanted Photography

Tip from Naomi:This layout was fun because I stamped and embossed all of the doilies at random places on a dark piece of cardstock. I then cut it out into a heart shape, and layered embellishments all around it.

 

Aren't these layouts so beautiful? We love what Naomi came up with and can't wait to share three more layouts with you tomorrow.

Make sure to stop by again then!

Hanukkah Guest Post - Stacy Cohen

Welcome back to our Hanukkah celebration, MME fans! We are so glad you are back today because we know you won't want to miss today's guest designer.

Meet Stacy Cohen!

I live in Los Angeles, California with my loving husband, our two wonderful little daughters, and two cute kitties.  My girls are the inspiration for all my creative projects . . . I call them my little ‘muses’.  I started scrapbooking in September of 2004 and I have been hooked ever since.  Scrapbooking is my hobby, passion and creative outlet.  I always say, “It’s cheaper than therapy!” 

I’m a very slow scrapper, often spending several nights on one layout.  I love to fuss over all the little details and get everything just right.  I would define my scrapping style as romantic with a touch of shabby chic, though I love to change it up from time to time and play around with different scrapping styles.  My work has been published in Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks Etc., Scrapbook Trends, Memory Makers, Somerset Memories, Cards, Simply Handmade, Scrapbook Inspirations, and Scrapbooking m.m.  I have been a Creating Keepsakes Magazine Dream Team member since 2011.  You can visit my blog HERE.

 

Hi everyone!  Stacy Cohen here.  I’m thrilled to be a guest on the MME blog today!!

Hanukkah is in full swing, and my family has been celebrating all week. We follow the tradition of opening at least one present every night during the eight nights of Hanukkah.  That translates into a lot of gift shopping! My daughters are very easy to shop for, but my husband . . . not so much.

Luckily, we started a fun tradition a few years ago.  Rather than get each other big gifts, my husband and I buy eight small Hanukkah gifts for each other - - but the rule is that ALL eight gifts have to be purchased at the 99 Cents Only Store (our local “dollar store”).

The past 99 Cents Only Store gifts have run the gamut from practical and personal to downright hilarious. I’ve received items like scrapbooking embellishments, a picture frame, a jar of green olives, and a tube of toothpaste (not my regular brand, unfortunately).  I’ve given my husband gifts such as tools, a flashlight, superhero tattoos, car freshener (his car really needs it), and socks (he actually loves those socks).  One thing is for sure: our 99 Cents Only Store gift exchange always results in lots of laughter in our house!

Of course, a very special part of our Hanukkah celebration is lighting the menorah.  I created a layout showcasing candle-lighting pictures from last Hanukkah.  I used the stunning Lost & Found 3 - Oliver collection.  The gorgeous blues and golds are absolutely perfect for Hanukkah photos.


Supplies:Lost & Found 3 -Oliver:patterned paper,chipboard elements,enamel dots,decorative buttons, decorative brads.

I created the rays using a mix of the lovely Oliver patterned papers, then I cut out Jewish stars and raised them with pop dots.


Our Hanukkah celebration wouldn’t be complete without some lively rounds of dreidel. 

It’s basically a spinning top game where the participants play to win “gelt” (chocolate coins). As you can see in this layout, when we don’t have enough gelt on hand, we simply substitute Hershey’s kisses. 

I used the doily stickers to represent the round-and-round spinning motion of the dreidel.

Supplies: Lost & Found 3 - Oliver: patterned paper, stickers (doilies), enamel dots, decorative buttons, decorative brads, adornements (lace).

I also had the pleasure of the playing with the beautiful Winter Wonderland collection.  This collection isn’t just for Christmas!  I used the papers to make this Hanukkah card.


Supplies: Winter Wonderland: patterned paper and twine, Lost & Found 3 - Oliver: enamel dots and decorative buttons.

Thank you, MME, for letting me play with your gorgeous products!  And thank you for letting me share my Hanukkah traditions.

I hope you all have a very happy and healthy holiday season!!

*****

How amazing is that Stacy Cohen? I have to tell you that we are absolutely blown away by these projects and we just know you are too. That girl can SCRAP, can she not? She went above and beyond with this post and we couldn't be happier!

Thank you so very much Stacy!

See all of you tomorrow! Hope you enjoyed our Hanukkah mini-series!

'Tis the Season...Gift Wrapping with MME

Happy Tuesday MME fans! As Christmas creeps closer and closer, we thought it was time to share some gift wrapping ideas! Enjoy and make sure to share your MME gift wrapping ideas with us too!

Shelly is here to share her simply beautiful gift ideas with us.

Good morning everyone! This is Shelly and I have some fun gift ideas to share with you!

I just love the fun bright colors of the Winter Wonderland collection. When I first saw this collection, my first thought was that I could really have fun with wrapping gifts, and when I got my chance to showcase some of my ideas, I jumped at the chance.

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Tags patterned paper,Stripes patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,twine,chipboard,stamps;Misc:marker,ink,pop dots

I kept things very simple and easy to do. We all have lots to do this time of the year, and plenty of gifts to wrap, I am sure!

For my first gift, I decided to mix things up. For the larger box, I simply used normal wrapping paper.

For the smaller box,I went for it and got a little more creative!

I wrapped the smaller box with a left over kraft bag from all my shopping. I cut a 2-inch strip of pattern paper and wrapped it around the box.

Just an FYI, but the 12x12 paper is perfect for a DVD case! Then, I twisted the twine around and tied a bow. My daughter topped it off with a name tag that was cut from the “Tags” patter paper. Perfect!

My kids and I had created these same hearts for Valentine’s earlier this year. Not only are they perfect for fun little treats, but great for gift cards too.

I cut a large heart from a paper bag.  My daughter picked out her favorite stamps, and started stamping away.

Next I stitched up half of the heart.

Then, we filled the heart with the goodies. We add a little more fun with some star and snowflake punched shapes. Anything to create a little mess on the teacher’s desk, right? Then, I stitched up the rest of the heart, punched a hole, and tied some twine through it.

We started off with boxes, moved on to gift cards, and now we have gift bags.

I started off with a simple kraft lunch bag. I used the 6x6 pad, cutting a 5.5x4-inch piece to fold over the top of the bag.

Next I punched two holes, wrapped a piece of twine, and tied a bow.

Using the same “Tag” patterned paper as used on the box, I typed up a “to” & “from” before having my son sign his name.

Depending on what you are putting into the bag, I cut a rectangular shaped chipboard piece the size of the bottom to keep the bag sturdy.

I have lots more ideas in my head that also include the accessories pad and decorative tapes, but I have lots more shopping to do before I can get there, but this is a pretty good start!

Happy Holidays!

Nontraditional Advent Calendar by Monika

Not to add any more pressure to your already hectic day, but did you know that there are only 21 days until Christmas? EEEK!

I'm Monika and I'm a Mom to a 21-year son [EEEK again} who lives in another state. While we will be using the advent calendar we've used for years and years here at home for our younger girls, I began to wonder how I could send some advent calendar tradition through the mail for Zach as he is away from home during the holidays.

Even though he's 11 and 13 years older than his sisters, when he was still at home, he did not want to be left out and eagerly waited for his privilege to open the advent calendar doors. 

Okay, so it's not a traditional advent calendar, but my hopes are that Zach and his girlfriend hav as much fun and anticipation in looking forward to the days they get to open another little goodie bag as when he was younger. 

Let's take a look at some of the details where I've not only stamped on the canvas bags, I've also embellished them with layered stickers,decorative tape, and faceted gemstones. I even used some of the decorative tape to form a pennant embellishment.

Supplies:  Winter Wonderland:decorative tape,layered stickers;All is Bright: stamps,faceted gems;Misc.: ink, canvas bags

Who wouldn't adore receiving this gift tin full of already embellished gift tags and fun package of twine to wrap gifts? Zach won't be at all thrilled, but his girlfriend will!!

Supplies:Indie Chic-Ginger :"Relax" and Nutmeg "Memories" twine;Winter Wonderland:decorative tape;All is Bright:decorative tape;Misc.: shipping tags, hinged metal tin

Don't forget there are such cute tags included in the Winter Wonderland 4x6 Designer Accessory Pad. In addition to using more decorative tape to give some colorful flair to the kraft bag, I've added a tag as a bag topper and used another tag from the pad, as well as some stamps, to decorate another gift tag for the toboggan.

And how about using a whole sheet from the pad as a tag and add a few layered stickers that coordinate with your chosen design to call it done. After adding a chipboard element to a metal-rimmed tag, tie a length of twine around the candle for mini-cuteness. 

Supplies:Winter Wonderland:4x6 designer accessories pad,acrylic stamps,twine,layered Stickers;All is Bright:decorative tape,chipboard,4x6 designer accessories pad,acrylic stamps;Misc:kraft bag,metal-rimmed tag

May your holidays be lovely and beautiful and full of joyful memories!

Pinspiration Friday

Happy Friday! We are so glad you stopped by today, it's Pinspiration Friday! Every day, we scour the Internet for inspiring MME projects. We find your work on your blogs, through our FB page,and in online galleries. We pin the ones that inspire us most!

Then once a month we challenge our designers to use one of your creations as inspiration for a layout or card.

This month Jana and Shelly are joining us. Here's what they came up with. Enjoy and have a lovely, creative weekend!

Inspiration Piece: Tonya Dirk

Jana's version:

Supplies: Winter Wonderland:Tags patterned paper,In the Neighborhood patterned paper,Flakes patterned paper,Presents patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,12x12 chipboard accessories,stickers,decorative brads,buttons,twine,stamps;Misc:cardstock,silhouette,Kerri Bradford word art,Cuttlebug,Poinsettia Quilling die,stamping ink,copics,paper piercer,needle and floss,adhesives,journaling pen

Jana says:For my Pinterest lift I was inspired by the oh-so-talented, Tonya Dirk, and her page titled "A Love Like No Other".

The thing that first caught my eye about Tonya's page was that adorable banner flanked with two flowers across the top. Also, I was really inspired by how Tonya used a sheet of 6 x 6 patterned paper to anchor the two smaller photos underneath.

I used the happy and bright Winter Wonderland collection for my page. To replicate the wood planked paper in the background of Tonya's page, I stacked together several strips of the blue patterned papers from the collection. 

Lately I am really love using tone-on-tone pattern papers to create visual background textures on my pages and so this was right up my alley! For the banner across the top of the page, I used the trees from the Winter Wonderland stamps. I cut the trees out after stamping them omitting the trunk and star.

Next, I flipped them over and "strung" them together with the awesome tri-colored twine from the Winter Wonderland collection. It worked out perfectly! For the poinsettia flowers flanking my banner I used a quilling die by Cuttlebug. The script word across the top of the banner was cut on my Silhouette Cameo using Kerri Bradford artwork.

Like Tonya, I anchored two smaller photos on a sheet of 6 x 6 patterned paper. Next, I cut out several elements from the Tags paper and added them around my photos. I added a chipboard house on the right and a stamped snowman to the left. The journal block is accented with more stamping, a sticker, and a decorative brad.

Thank you, Tonya, for inspiring me to try something new on this page! Be sure to check out the My Mind's Eye Pinterest page for more project ideas from our amazing fans!

Inspiration Piece:Betsy Veldman

Shelly's take:

Supplies:The Sweetest Thing:'Smile'Bouquet patterned paper,'Everyday'crocheted doilies,'Together'Round patterned paper,Tangerine stickers,Tangerine 6x6 paper pad,'Hello'decorative buttons,'Sunshine' decorative brads,'Fabulous'label stickers;Misc:string,pop dots

Shelly says:I absolutely love being part of Pinspiration! There is nothing like surfing Pinterest and finding amazing inspiration all around you. Today, I fell in love with Betsy Veldman’s beautiful card. What is not to love with those doilies and butterflies? I immediately thought it would be the perfect “sketch” for my next layout. I had these pictures of my daughter’s first year printed out just waiting for the perfect inspiration piece to come along, and Betsy’s card was just that!

 This layout is the “closer” for my daughter’s first year album. I printed out photo strips of each monthly birthday starting with her birth and ending with a 6x4 shot at her one year mark. Because I wanted to keep the photo strips on the top in a sequence, I altered the “sketch” so that there was more space on the top half of the layout leaving just enough room to place my doilies, butterflies, and the vertical picture. I loved the notched ribbon coming off the card that Betsy used to divide her top and bottom sections, so I mimicked that look with a strip of pattern paper. I trimmed down the page to 11x11 and matted it on another sheet of paper so that I could give it a faux look of coming off the page.

Next up was to play with the doilies. I decided I wanted to use the same doily sticker that Betsy used, along with a crocheted doily. After trimming the crocheted doily, I put a little Glossy Accents on my finger and tapped the edge of it in the glue to make sure that it wouldn’t unravel after pushing it around my page.  Once it was dry, I placed it on my layout and embellished the doilies with butterflies, brads, and a button. The “Wonderful” diecut was just to perfect for the title of the page.

I wanted to add a little something extra to the top portion of the page. After glancing up at the same Tangerine sticker sheet that contained the doily and butterfly stickers, I decided to get the most out of that sheet and carried the woodgrain to the top of the page with the photo corners. The ticket was the perfect little filler to add to that little space at the top right. I finished it off with a brad and a couple of buttons.

Thank you so much Betsy for sharing your creativity with us! As you can see, it was just what I needed to complete this page.