My Mind's Eye Blog

Teacher Gifts With Danni+Tamara!

It's that time of year again...the time when we say goodbye to our children's beloved teachers and hello to summertime.

Today Danni and Tamara are sharing some great end of the year gift ideas using MME products.

Card Set by Danni

Supplies:Indie Chic-Saffron:6 x 6 paper pad,garland, decorative buttons, layered chipboard stickers;Misc: pom pom trim, Papertrey Ink flip flop dies and clear card box, Martha Stewart doily, Cameo (monogram)

Danni says:

I was really excited to have the opportunity to create for this blog post because my hubby is an administrator to four schools and we love to give gifts to the teachers.  We create teacher appreciation gifts in early May for all the teachers.

 

I also like to create for my kids’ teachers at the end of the year.This year I decided to create boxed monogram notecard sets and a card for each of their teachers.  I chose to use the Indie Chic Saffron line because all of their teachers this year love pinks, greys and oranges.

To decorate the box, I wrapped a piece of Indie Chic Saffron Girl patterned paper around the box and embellished with the gorgeous Indie Chic embellies.

Danni-these are simply stunning. What teacher wouldn't love these?

Supplies+Sentimental Notes by Tamara

Supplies: On the Bright Side:Multi Chevron patterned paper,Stitched patterned paper,Floral patterned paper,White Wood patterned paper,Blue Wood patterned paper, Red Wood patterned paper,accessory sheet;Miss Caroline-Dilly Dally:brads,twine,3D stickers;Indie Chic:decorative tapes,chipboard,twine,brads;On the Sunny Side:brads;Misc-black ink \

Tamara says:

The school year is coming to a close and it's time to start thinking about teacher gifts.  Instead of the usual chocolates or candles, why not give them some supplies that will be helpful in their classroom, with sentimental notes?

I took at trip to my local dollar store and found this adorable little red pail and tons of fun supplies to fill it.

PUSH PINS: Thanks for helping me “STICK” with it this year.

STAPLES: Thank you for teaching me the “STAPLES” of life.

GUM: If I had a choice, I’d “CHEWS” you for a teacher!

ERASER: You’ve given me memories that can’t be “ERASED”.

PENS: You have “WRITTEN” on my heart.

PAPER CLIPS: Our hearts will always be “LINKED” together.

TAPE: You’re so patient, even when things get “STICKY”.

MINTS: You were “MINT” to be my teacher.

HIGHLIGHTER: You’ve been the “HIGHLIGHT” of my year.

PENCILS: You have “SHARPENED” my mind.

GLUE: You’re the “GLUE” that holds our class together.

POST-IT NOTES: Take “NOTE”, you’re the best!

Oh my goodness Tamara this is so creative and (especially as a former teacher) I LOVE how much time and thought you put into this gift idea.

For all of you who love Tamara's gift idea as much as I do,

you can download the PDF HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, friends of MME! Have a wonderful weekend!

Bonus Sketch Layout from Tina

Today Tina is sharing a bonus layout using the May sketch.

Here's the May layout sketch again:

And here's Tina's out of this world take on it:

Supplies: Indie Chic-Saffron:Silk patterned paper,Posy patterned paper,Daisy patterned paper,Lattice patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,Free Spirit die cut frame,decorative brads,label stickers,decorative stickers,chipboard stickers;Misc:staples,Martha Stewart punches,Lily Bee alphas,sewing machine and thread,adhesive,pen

Tina says:

When creating a layout or card with a sketch, I really love to mix things up.  I rarely stick exactly to a sketch.  I will usually pick one or two elements of the sketch and go from there.

To start, I flipped the sketch on its side.  I only used one photo, and I replaced the other photo placement with strips of patterned paper.  I clustered 3 of the fabulous die cut flowers in the bottom right corner and layered two chipboard flags on the upper left corner. 

I moved my title to the bottom of my page.  I really loved mixing several of the Indie Chic Saffron papers for this layout and love how they all look coordinate so well together.

We love it too, Tina! Thanks for sharing your layout with us today!

 

Clustering Elements

Welcome! Today we are talking about a skill that is sometimes hard to master...clustering elements.

It's hard to know what is too little, what is too much,and what is juuuuuuuuuust right. But we have some gorgeous examples from two designers today.

Don't you fear...Karen and Tina are here to show you how to pull off this technique with style.

First up is this vibrant,happy,and fun layout by Tina:

Supplies:On the Sunny Side:In Bloom patterned paper,Happy Go Lucky patterned paper,Parade patterned paper,Flutter patterned paper,brads,layered stickers,die cut banners,chipboard elements;Misc:doily,October Afternoon alphas,Jenni Bowlin acrylic paint,adhesive

Tina says:

Clustering is a easy, fun way to add visual interest to your layout.  When clustering, using coordinated embellishments makes it super easy.  I like to cluster in odd numbers, such as three. 

As you can see from my layout, the houses and brad banners are clustered together in threes.  Using similar design elements, such as circles, squares or layers, you can also achieve a clustering effect.  For example. I've punched 2 circles from the 'On the Sunny Side' collection, and added a circular chipboard element to create a circle cluster.


You can also cluster photos, patterned paper, or embellishments by arranging them on one side of the paper.  Clustering them in this manner creates a linear feel.  By clustering elements on your layout/card, you connect all parts of the layout or card to create a cohesive project.

 

And next we have an adorable layout by Karen:

Supplies:On the Sunny Side:Flutter patterned paper,Parade patterned paper,Simple Stripe patterned paper,Play Date patterned paper,brads,12x12 chipboard,layered stickers,accessories sheet;Follow Your Heart:be happy rhinestones;Lush:alphabet stickers

Karen says:

I love to cluster small and medium-sized items on my layouts. I also love creating my own borders so I have edges I can tuck things under.

I tend to cluster on three edges of the page. I feel like this draws your eyes back into the layout so they don't wander off. I also love to cluster around my photo. Little bits of punched paper here and there makes the layout more fun so you notice more details each time you look.

Now they make it look easy don't they? Wow!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, we hope your day is beautiful and blessed!

May sketches!

It's sketch time again! Thanks to Anam Stubbington for providing us with these wonderful sketches!

Remember I mentioned that sketches will NOT be for a challenge every month? Well this month is one of the months they are not a challenge. These are just for fun this month! But of course we would LOVE to see what you make!

If you make a layout or card using this month's sketches, link them in the comments section. We are always looking for inspirational projects to pin and feature in our "I Spy With MME" posts!

 

 

Layout by Jana Eubank:

Supplies:Indie Chic-Citron:Tangerine patterned paper,Forest patterned paper,Festive patterned paper,6x6 paper pad,brads,journal card,decorative stickers,label stickers;Lost and Found Two-Breeze:Wallpaper patterned paper;12 Days of Christmas:12 days rhinestones;Misc:letter stickers,inks,pen,trimmer and scissors,adhesives

Jana says:

Last year we went on a road trip through the Four Corners region. One of our stops was the beautiful Monument Valley. I don't have a panoramic setting on my camera, but I tried to capture the vista by taking three pictures in a row.

This sketch was wonderful for scrapping my photo experiment! The colors of the Indie Chic Citron collection complimented the colors of the red rock formations in my photos perfectly.

Layout by Tamara Jensen:

Supplies:On the Bright Side-One: Multi Chevron patterned paper, Polka patterned paper, White Wood patterned paper, Red Wood patterned paper, accessory sheet;Miss Caroline -Dilly Dally:stickers,brads,twine,Tickets patterned paper;Nostalgia:chipboard stickers;Misc:black ink pad,pen,machine thread 

Tamara used banners and tickets for a fun version of the scallop border!

Card by Danni Reid:
 

Supplies: Nostalgia:Diamond patterned paper,Scallop patterned paper,Chevron patterned paper,Vintage patterned paper,layered stickers,decorative brads;Misc:Martha Stewart heart punch,Bazzill beetle black cardstock

Danni says:

I absolutely fell in love with the floral/sentiment block in this sketch and wanted that block to be the focal on my card. 

Instead of creating flowers I really wanted to create half-pie charts with the gorgeous papers from the Nostalgia line and accentuate them with a fun 3-D sentiment.  The Nostalgia line has such an amazing vintage feel, I am in love.

This sketch is so fun and versatile and I have so many ideas for it, so don’t be surprised to see it again soon.

 

Hope you enjoyed today's inspiration, have a lovely Tuesday!

Banners with Anam

Banners are a trend that is still going strong. From home decor to layouts to cards...banners are appearing all over the place.

Today Anam shares a couple of ways you can incorporate this trend using our products.

Banner Desk Display:

Anam says:I cut a paper strip 12” by 2” and folded it into 2 ¼ “ widths. I adhered the overlap behind the large diecut.

I then covered the two wooden banners with the paper. Next I added the paper strip between the two.

I adhered the paper folded sections together to make it more like a book as that helps it stand on its own.  I added relevant diecuts and chipboard pieces to the cover.

I cut two photos 1.5 x 1.75” and added them to the middle pages as this is what will be visible when it is displayed open on a desk.

I then outlined it with the black pen to make it more masculine.

I left the last page blank as Fay and Lily want to put their own message on it for their daddy and Lily has a tendency to scrawl over everything.

Banner Card (bonus with leftover scraps from die cut sheet):

Thanks so much for sharing Anam!

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

Our New Stamps in Action!

Happy Friday to all of you! This is Anam and I'm here to share some inventive ways to use the new MME Indie Chic stamps!

First Disco

Supplies: Indie Chic Ginger stamps;white cardstock, Banded Ink and Paper Clay and Ranger Shrink Plastic,chalks,Stazon ink

Stamping doesn’t have to be restricted to paper. I used my stamps on air-drying paper clay and shrink plastic to make embellishments.  Make sure you follow the instructions on your products otherwise you might set them on fire!

I went with the rainbow glitter colours and used my banded inkpad to make the rainbow effect.

Making Family History

Supplies: Indie Chic -Nutmeg ‘Hanging out’ Stamps, Nutmeg ‘History’ Medallions (reverse) Paper, Nutmeg ‘Memories’ Rose Patch Paper, Nutmeg ‘Boy’ Checker Patch Paper, along with the Nutmeg layered Cardstock stickers, the Lazer Cut Wooden Title and the trim stickers.  I added Ranger Shrink Plastic and used Stazon ink on the Shrink Plastic. I also used a Martha Stewart edge punch.

Stamping doesn’t have to be restricted to paper. I used my stamps on Ranger Shrink Plastic to make embellishments.

You can alternate the final effect of the shrink plastic depending which way up you put the final embellishment.  I also toned down the wooden title with some brown ink to make it match better.

I wrote on the shrink plastic frame i made with the stamp border with a sharpie before i shrunk it in the oven to make my own little journal block.

Remember that the shrink plastic wont shrink perfectly so allow yourself some tolerance on the final outcome (like my wobbly journal spot).

Hope you've enjoyed my projects today. Have a wonderful weekend!

Brad Challenge Winner!!!

Mary Pat Siehl

congratulations! please email your address and collection choice to stephanie(AT)mymindseye(DOT)com

May Challenge #2-Masculine/Feminine Products

Goodness gracious how is it already mid-May? Time flies when you are creating beautiful things, doesn't it? :)

It's time for our second May challenge. Note: look for the winner of the "unique brads" challenge later today!

Our second challenge for this month is all about mixing it up.

Many times we hear that our color schemes are gender specific. Clearly when you see a product called "girl brads" it seems that this product would only be for girls. But we beg to differ!

The challenge is simple: use "masculine" colors or embellishments on a girl page, or use "feminine" colors and accents on a boy page.

Here are a few examples from our designers.

Anam used "boyish" patterns and colors to create this girlie layout of her daughters:

Supplies: Indie Chic Nutmeg-border stickers,chipboard die cuts,6x6 paper pads

Anam says: Add some girlie touches with punches – I used a lacey edge punch for the Photo matt and Jewels also can give a more feminine touch to a layout.

Next is a card from Danni. Danni used floral paper and "girl brads" to make a golf card for her dad.

Supplies-Indie Chic: Peony patterned paper,What a Day patterned paper,Girl decorative brads,decorative buttons;Misc-pacifico and another typewriter fonts,papertrey ink script alpha dies

Danni says:I wanted to create a father’s day card using the fun MME Citron line.  We are giving my fil a golf gift certificate and wanted a card to go with it, this was the perfect challenge to create one for such a special day.

One more layout from Anam! She used darker colors from the Nostalgia collection for this feminine layout.

Supplies: Nostalgia -Classic and Diamond patterned paper,chipboard accents,layered cardstock stickers,die cuts;Misc-doily punch,alphas

Anam says:any layout can be made more feminine with a heart.  The addition of punched edges can also lean a design towards a more girlie style. I used a doily edge punch for the trim which I folded to give it more definition and then added some adhesive jewels. I also took single parts of the chipboard titles and the layered stickers to make more sense of the clustered parts.

 

So there you have it! Do you accept the challenge?

I'll remind you of the rules:

1. You can submit a layout,card,album,altered item,etc.

2. The project must consist of mainly MME. It must "look" like a MME layout. :)

3. The project must be created new for this challenge.

4.Upload the layout to the comments by the end of the day on May 31. I have enabled InLinkz on this challenge so you can see all the entries.

5. A random winner will be chosen and announced with the first June challenge on June 1. The prize is any MME collection- the choice is yours.

Can't wait to see what you create...have FUN!!!

 

 

“Sew” Cute!

I’ve been waiting for today’s Good Things Utah segment for a few months.  Ever since the first time I saw the prototypes for the new See Me Sew fabric bags I’ve been anxiously awaiting their arrival.  These darling kits have been shipping for the last couple of weeks and are waiting to find their way to your home!

There are three bag styles: Ruffled, Tote and Messenger.  Each style has three different and equally beautiful color schemes.  The patterns even come from some of my personal favorite collections: Lush, So Sophie and, of course, My Mind’s Eye’s famous polka dots and plaids.

Seasoned and novice sewers will love the ease of these all-in-one kits.  When you open the package, you’ll find a flower embellishment kit ready to stack together and sew the button on and a fabric panel pre-printed and ready to go.  No pattern needed – simply cut out each piece along the border of the printed piece.  There are step-by-step instructions printed on the inside of the box and a video for each bag style available on our website (http://www.mymindseye.com/SMS/SeeMeSew.asp)

Since I am unable to actually sew on the program today, I thought it would be fun to demonstrate a few fun techniques you’ll find helpful when creating your bags.  Like how to create the flower embellishments, what some of the basic terms used mean (for us beginners) and my Mother-in-law’s “no frustration” gathering technique using Pearl Embroidery Thread.

Look for today’s segment here as soon as it is available.

I am by no means an expert seamstress, but I can sew a straight stitch and follow instructions.  Guess what?  Turns out that’s all the expertise you’ll need to sew these darling bags!

Happy Sewing!

Layle Part Two!

Today we are sharing two more awesome projects by Layle . Again...thank you so much Layle, we are so happy with what you created. Thanks for making MME look so good! :)

Just Hanging Out layout:

Supplies - Indie Chic:Hanging Out stamps,Boy brads,Nutmeg 6x6 paper pad,Memories layered chipboard,Family buttons and Zig Zag patterned paper, Hanging Out label stickers

Layle says:

I love the textured paper in the Indie Chic line.  That, combined with the yellows and blues reminded me of our family's recent trip to Mexico for Spring Break, so it was the perfect line to break out and get started scrapbooking pictures from our trip!

I got the idea for creating the flower from paint chip samples from Home Depot - the samples were in the shape of the petals of the flower on my layout.  I 'borrowed' a few of the samples (hey, that's what they're there for, right?!) and used them as templates to trace then cut out on the patterned papers.

Today and Every Day layout:

Supplies -Follow Your Heart:Be Amazing stamps, Be the Best patterned paper,Be Happy stamps,Honey Blue patterned paper,Be Happy chipboard,Be Amazing rhinestones;Miss Caroline:Lucky brads

Layle says:

This layout came together so quickly and easily for me!  I loved this paper when I saw it and knew I wanted to use it.  Also loved the hexagons in the Honey Blue paper, so I cut several of them out, added pop dots to a few to give them a bit of extra dimension, layered them above and below the photo and called it good :)

Thanks for stopping by today- see you guys tomorrow!