My Mind's Eye Blog

MME+Teacher Appreciation Week with Jana

Happy Tuesday everyone! This is Jana and I'm here to share a creative and unique Teacher Appreciation Week gift idea with you!

I've researched online and have asked teachers I know what kinds of gifts they love to receive from their students and they all seem to say the same thing ... GIFT CARDS! But giving a gift card to someone can feel "last-minute" and impersonal. So why not package the gift card with a personal touch? Like this sweet school bus shaped gift box.

Supplies:Boy Crazy:Seeing Stars Paper, Plaid Paper, Point the Way Paper, Stitched Paper, 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Felt Stickers, Enamel Dots, Decorative Buttons;Find Your Wings and Fly -Sky's the Limit: Alpha/Word Stickers ;Kraft FunDay: "Happy Days" (Brights) Twine

I used the Boy Crazy collection along with my electronic cutting machine and an ice cream truck cut file by SVGCuts.com to create this fun box. The characters from the felt stickers make perfect passengers! And the Decorative Buttons are the perfect accents! I even created a flip-out stop sign for the side of the bus to keep the boarding riders safe and sound. Letter stickers from the Find Your Wings and Fly Collection  label the bus with the teacher's name.

 

When the back of the box is opened a few handfuls of the teacher's favorite candy come spilling out along with a library card pocket containing a gift card to her favorite restaurant.

 

The library pocket and apple were also cut with my electronic die cut machine. I gave the apple a little texture with an embossing folder. Another button from the Boy Crazy collection and some twine from the Kraft FunDay collection add some fun (and a little visual interest) to the pocket. The candies get dressed up patterned paper bands using the Boy Crazy 6 x 6 papers!

 

The mini banner pieces from the Boy Crazy Decorative Buttons adorn the other side of the bus, and the Enamel Dots make the most perfect lights and wheel accents!

 

It's a colorful and fun way to let your child's teacher know how much you appreciate them! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Project Life with Shelly- May Edition

Hello everyone! This is Shelly back this month with another installment of Project Life inspiration. Today, I am showing you how to document those holidays with ease using those pocket pages. Once I had the new Kate & Co Oxford Lane Collection in my hands, it just screamed St. Patrick’s Day to me! Those rich colors of green and yellow along with the lovely navy had me pulling out a few of my pictures from our St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. 


Supplies:Kate and Co-Oxford Lane:Bold Paper, Enjoy Paper, Sticker Accessory Sheet, 6x6 Designer Cardstock Paper pad. Kate & Co. – Cambridge Court: Chipboard Elements, Sticker Accessory Sheet. Other: Becky Higgins Design G page protectors, Becky Higgins White Grind cards, We R Memory Keepers corner chomper, Typewriter

I kept things pretty simple with a few pictures of our day along with scans of my daughter’s signs she left around the house just in case a Leprechaun came to visit us on St. Patrick’s Day. I also included two 3x4 grid cards that had finger art from both of my kids.

So here is how I started it all off…

I started out by setting my pictures over the pockets. That way, I could see where I could put all the pretty stuff. I cut apart the journaling cards from Oxford Lane’s 'Enjoy' patterned paper. I really loved the “Smile” card, so I used that card as my jumping off point.

I wanted to use a 4x6 pocket for the journaling and one for the title card. My plan was to use the diagonal strip for journaling. I wanted to draw the same yellow gingham pattern from the “smile” card to the other side, so I cut a 1-inch strip of the same pattern from the 6x6 paper pad to go on the bottom of the journaling card.

After getting those pieces in place, I realized my page needed a little something else. I added a pop of pink to compliment all of my daughter’s pink she wore. I love how the Cambridge Court Collection’s pink worked perfectly to add that extra pop to pull it all together.

I followed my plan of adding the journaling on diagonal stripes of the B-side from Oxford Lane’s Bold paper. I actually had an incident with a tin can and my thumb. Holding a pen and writing is a challenge for me right now, so I opted for an alternative. I decided to dust off my typewriter that my mom gave me.

I attached the 4x6 card to a sheet of paper, aligned it, and typed away. It is a little messy, but I kind of like the quirkiness. I also added the “Oh So Cute” tab from the Cambridge Court Collection to add that extra pop of pink.

To bring in the pink on the other side, I added the small “fun” circle sticker to the camera. It fit nice and neatly inside the lens.

Keeping with the simple theme, I finished my title card off with one of the speech bubbles from the sticker sheet. Can I say how excited I was when I first saw these on the sticker sheets? They are just perfect for titles, small journaling blurbs, or even fun quotes. I see lots of use coming from these babies!

So have you scrapbooked lately using pocket pages? I would love to see what you have been up to! If you haven’t tried it yet, you should give it a try. I love how easy documenting our family memories are using all of the different pocket pages that are available, yet you can still let your creative side play.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Spring Color Inspiration

Happy Friday! Today we have some fresh, colorful, spring-y inspiration to share with you.

I sent this inspiration piece to three of our MME designers and asked them to create layouts based on something in the photo.

I think you'll love what they came up with!

Source

 

 

Tina Walker

Supplies:Collectable:Unforgettable:'You Are' Charmed paper,'You Are' chipboard,'Today' pins,'Happiness' decorative brads,decorative tape;Collectable-Memorable:'Note' Details paper,'Journey' Journal paper,'Journey' decorative brads;Collectable-Notable:'Wonder' Lovely paper;Collectable-Remarkable:'Authentic' tiny word stickers;Misc:Wood:  Studio Calico,Clothespin: American Crafts,Corner Chomper:  WRMK,'Cardstock:  Office Supply,Spray Mist:  Adirondack, Tattered Angels,Die Cut Machine:  Silhouette Cameo,Adhesive:  Tombow (tape runner), Glossy Accents (Ranger)

Tina says: I love color inspiration challenges.  I love searching through my stash looking for just the perfect colors and design elements for a color inspiration challenge.  For my layout, I used product from all four Collectable ranges to complete my assignment.

Besides using the colors in the color inspiration photo(s), I also used design elements from the color inspiration photos: 
1.  Diagonal design from the dress,
2.  Round/Flower shaped elements from the cake and necklace, and
3.  Stacking/Layering from the green dishes.

To create the diagonal design, I started with a diagonal background patterned paper. (Super easy, huh?)  Next, I digitally cut a diagonal shape and layered all 3 colors behind the shape for a fun and interesting element. 

I used a large, oversized flower shape brad for my Round/Flower shape design element.  I couldn't find the perfect brad shape and colors, so I actually mixed 2 different brads from 2 separate Collectable collections to make my finished brad.

Lastly, I layered patterned paper, embellishments, and my title to finish my layout.

Tip:  I didn't want to repeat the same yellow patterned paper behind my die cut title, so I cut a section from the Tiny Word sticker sheet.  The color was exactly what I was looking for, so I sprayed a different shade of yellow and white mist to change the color of the stickers.  Perfect way to stretch my stash, yet still follow the Color Inspiration challenge.

 

Jana Eubank

Supplies:Kate & Co-Cambridge Court: Stripes Paper, Mini Flowers Paper, Lovely Day Paper, 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Chipboard Elements, Sticker Accessory Sheet, Decorative Stamps, Decorative Tape, Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots

 

Jana says:For my layout I was inspired to use the Stripes Paper. The diagonal pattern made the perfect base of my page because of the diagonal lines in the pattern of the dress. The yellow beaded necklace inspired the paper choice behind my favorite photo (the polka dots on the top left).

I decided to incorporate floral prints and a couple of floral accents on my page, because of the flowers on the hat and cake. The chipboard shape even reminds me of the shape of the flowers on top of the pink hat.

Finally, I loved the texture the netting added to the hat in the photo and decided to use that as inspiration to add machine stitched details to my page.

 

Tonya Dirk

Supplies: Collectable-Memorable: "Hello" Decorative Stamps, "Perfect" Die Cut Chipboard, "Hello" Decorative Pins, "I'm With…" Decorative Stickers

Find Your Wings-Up and Away: 6x6 Designer Pad, Krafty Floral Paper, Layered Stickers, Alpha & Word Stickers

The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine: Wonderful Dandy Paper, "Hello" Decorative Brads

The Sweetest Thing-Bluebell: "Smile" Enamel Dots

The Sweetest Thing-Lavendar: "Cutie Pie" Decorative Buttons

Other: DMC Floss, Scor Tape, Martha Stewart Glitter

Tonya says: Wow! Did I love this color inspiration piece! The colors are right up my alley. As soon as I saw the inspiration photo I knew exactly which photo I was going to center my layout around. Could the color of my daughter's shirt be any more perfect?!

In order to achieve this color palette I pulled product from three different lines: Collectable-Memorable, The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine, and Find Your Wings-Up and Away. These all help to not only fulfill the color scheme but also the feminine and frilly feel of the inspiration photos!

 

Aren't these three layouts gorgeous?

What about you? Are you feeling ready to scrap? Are you inspired by today's color inspiration piece? If so, we'd love to see what you come up with. Share your layouts on our Facebook wall or here in the comments.

TGIF!

April Kit Spotlight- JBS Mercantile (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Good morning MME fans! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Thursday! Today we are bringing you April's Kit Club spotlight...

JBS MERCANTILE!

Jenni Bowlin Studio - Building Blocks for Creative Storytelling

Jenni is the creative force behind the company. Jared is the motivator and "mechanic" who keeps everything running smoothly. Together, with a talented and enthusiastic staff, we make up Jenni Bowlin Studio - a boutique company with BIG ideas! Vintage can be found in everything we do. From paper to embellishments, you're sure to find hints of old feedsake fabric or antique typography, but with a modern twist. We call it "Fresh Vintage" - a style uniquely ours.

This month you will see LOTS of MME in Jenni's kits.

The Historian Add On Kit contains 1 MME paper, MME enamel dots, 3 MME journaling cards, 1 MME title card, MME label stickers

May Historian Kit

 

Here are some gorgeous layouts from the JBS Mercantile Design Team:

 Amanda Jones

 

Betsy Sammarco

 

Doris Sander

 

Lisa Dickinson

 

And now here's what you are waiting for. TWO WAYS TO WIN!

1. Leave a comment on this post. Two people will be chosen. One will win the Historian add-on (seen above) and one will win the May Papercrafting Kit.Contest ends May 17.

 

2. Go to the Mercantile message board to win the papercrafting kit and a $25 gift certificate. This conest ends May 17. To win you will need to enter a special challenge!

Good Luck!!!

And make sure to like JBS on Facebook. And tell them we sent you! You can also see amazing designer inspiration on their blog.

See you tomorrow!

May Day Challenge!

Hi there, Monika here sharing a post with Tamara today. We are sharing the first May challenge with you.

The challenge is...MAY DAY!.

 Scrapbook May Day. You can interpret it however you would like as long as we can tell it fits the theme.

As for my project...you guessed it, it is a mini album. I decided to create a quick and easy project to share with my daughters at breakfast what we will be doing after school pick-up today.

Materials Used | My Girl Collection: Genuine, Playful, Chevron, Fancy Free patterned cardstock, Chipboard Elements, Layered Stickers, Enamel Dots, Decorative Buttons, Decorative Brad; Indie Chic: Nutmeg Memories Twine; Collectable: Unforgettable Today Decorative Stamps; Noteable: Silly Cheery Paper; Red and Turquoise Decorative Tape Set

Hoping that this will be a very fine May Day indeed.

What made this mini album move along so quickly for me was that I allowed the chipboard pieces from the My Girl collection to dictate what our day's agenda would be. Here, take a look to see what I mean. Oh, and you may notice that my "binding" for this mini album is simply an assortment of decorative tapes to adhere the pages to one another.

Simply simple and simply charming!

Here are highlights from a few of my favorite features

• created a pinwheel and used a decorative brad for the center attachment
• added decorative buttons and enamel dots to my chipboard elements
• border punched and stitched on the cover allowing my bicycle chipboard elements and twine to peek from underneath
• at the last minute, I added in a shipping tag and adhered it on both sides with more decorative tape and was able to pop on a larger chipboard element
• love to decorate the inside cover as well...this time with layered chipboard elements

Be sure to visit with me on my blog on May 2nd when I'll share photos of our May Day adventures all inserted into our mini album. Keeping my fingers crossed for a sunshiney day!

And here's how Tamara interpreted the May Day challenge!

Supplies:Find Your Wings and Fly - Sky's the Limit: Tiled patterned paper, Look patterned paper, 6x6 papers, brad, stickers, alpa and word stickers, chipboard:Collectable - Unforgettable label stickers; Grey decorative tape; Misc: Grey chipboard, grey thread, black ink and pen.

Hey guys. Tamara here. I  interpreted this challenge as using "May" in my title.

I love this portrait of our family taken last fall.  We are all united, in a big hug.  It is the perfect symbol of our family unity.  The title says it all: "Come What May, We Are a Family".  No matter what challenges lie ahead, we will be okay and rise above it all because of the strength and love we share together.  We are also excited about the future and the endless possibilities it holds.

The new Find Your Wings and Fly - Sky's the Limit collection by Rhonna Farrer seems like it was made to go with this picture.  The aqua, gray, yellow, and coral color scheme coordinated beautifully.  The positive captions: "Have no Fear", "The possibilities are endless", "the best is yet to come", "no limits" - were perfect!

For the title, I used the blue chevron chipboard pieces to draw your eye to across the page.  I LOVE using the new Alpha letter stickers.  I layered 6x6 papers to frame the photo.

I clustered chipboard elements and word stickers to accent to bottom of the photo. I used the fabulous chevron border sticker and grey decorative tape for the foundation of my layout.

Okay. Now for the Challenge Rules. Same as always. :)

Here are 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 project. :) It must fit the theme.

3. The project must be created new for this challenge. You may only submit one project.

4. Upload the project to the InLinkz link tool at the end of this post by the end of the day on Tuesday, May 14.

5. A random winner will be chosen and announced with the second May challenge on May 15. The prize is any MME collection- the choice is yours.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!
Happy May Day!

National Honesty Day with Tina and Tamara

Did you know that today is National Honesty Day? It is! Who knew???

We thought it would be interesting to scrapbook this holiday and Tina and Tamara are here to share their thoughts with you. I think you will find this post interesting. Tina chose to take a more serious route while Tamara interpreted this day in a silly way.

What does National Honesty Day mean to you? If you make a project celebrating today, please make sure to share it. We'd love to see!

Supplies:Collectable-Unforgettable:'You Are' Charm Paper, 'Today' Remember Paper,'First' Fresh Paper,'Story' Journal Paper,6x6 pad, 'Happiness' Decorative Buttons,'Today' Pins,'You Are' Chipboard Shapes,'Story' Layered Stickers, Decorative Tape;Misc:Metal Clip:  Tim Holtz,Washi Tape: Love My Tapes, Twine:  True Hemp,Doily:  Knot & Bow,Envelope:  Tim Holtz,Deli Paper: WebRestaurant Supply,Adhesive:  Tombow,Die Cut Machine:  Cameo,Vintage Typewriter,Staples:  Tim Holtz

Hi!  Tina here today with some thoughts about honesty. 

What is honesty?  Webster's defines honesty as being upright and fair.  Of being sincere and frank.  Being free from deceit or fraud.  But what does it really mean to be honest?

 The word honesty is often overused.  We often talk about being honest with each other.  With our families and friends.  With our co-workers and employers.  But what about being honest with ourselves?  Being honest with you.  This is really tough.  It is hard to be honest with yourself about your own faults and weaknesses.  I want to share my faults and weaknesses with y'all today.

I am impatient.
I am happy being alone.
I daydream of faraway places.
I over-analyze.
I am a control freak.
I am a creature of habit.
I am quiet when I shouldn’t be.
I debate, just to argue the other side.
I would rather ‘blend into the background’ than stand in the foreground.
I want things to go ‘my way’, always.
I prefer my dogs over most humans.
I am impulsive.
I do not believe in forever.
I am restless.
I am unemotional and detached.

This seems like a short list, but literally took me an hour to actual put into words.  I would type the words, then hit the delete button.  That isn't me, or is it?  As hard as these thoughts and feelings were to put into words, this may be one of my favorite layout EVER.  This is a layout I hope is kept through the years.  A layout I hope is read and understood.  A layout that reflects the REAL me.

Get the courage to write about your faults and weaknesses.  You might be surprised.

Supplies:Collectable-Memorable: Cordial patterned paper, Flawless patterned paper, 6x6 pad (stripe), brads, layered sticker, tiny word stickers, enamel dots;Collectable-Unforgettable: Delight patterned paper, Fresh patterned paper; Find Your Wings and Fly-Up and Away: Alpha and Word stickers: Misc: Brown ink, pen, and thread, glittered letter stickers.

Hello everyone. Tamara here! Today, I am being HONEST about how much I LOVE CUPCAKES!  A few years ago, I tasted my first gourmet cupcake at the Sweet Tooth Fairy, a local gourmet cupcake bakery (winner of Cupcake Wars).  I never knew such happiness could come from biting into a delectable little bit of baked goodness.  The frosting was heavenly, I could have just eaten it on its own.  I dreamt of someday creating my own little bit of heaven.

After some research and experimentation, I learned how to create these culinary delights for my daughters' birthdays and family parties.  

One of my favorite things about making cupcakes is sharing them with the ones I love.  They always put a smile on your face and somehow make the day brighter.

I had fun creating a layout with some photos of the cupcakes we've made: Key Lime Pie, German Chocolate Cake, Blackberry White Chocolate, Red Velvet, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, and Almond Joy.

The Collectable Memorable line worked beautifully with these photos of my cupcakes.I wanted the color palette to be cheerful and bright, reflecting the honest to goodness happiness these cupcakes bring.

I created the title with the Collectable Memorable tiny word stickers, a layered "Happiness" banner sticker, glittered letters, and the new letter stickers from the "Find Your Wings" line (I am lovin' these!).  I used the striped paper from the 6x6 pad because it had a smaller pattern that fit well with the title. I rounded the corners to match the journal card.

I trimmed the journal card to fit with the 3" photos and added word stickers.  I inserted 3 epoxy brads along the right edge, echoing the row of 3 cupcakes on the photo. I created a border of colorful enamel dots along the left of the page.

Mini Albums with Monika - 49 lists

To celebrate the last year I'll ever have in my 40's, insert a very long sigh, I decided to share a bit of who I am, How I feel, what I think and what makes me, me, with my future generations. I doubt that my children will find this very interesting right now, but in years to come, I'm hoping that it will help them to understand who their Mommy was during her 49th year of life. I would love to have had a chance to know how my Mom felt at 49. And most certainly my Oma since she lived all the way in Germany.


Hi all, Monika here with the April edition of Mini Albums with Monika. My theme of 49 lists this month works out just perfectly for me. There are 52 weeks in a year which means I'll be reminded to create a list at least once a week. I'm not quite sure what to title my mini album though and once I decide, I'll proceed with decorating my cover. Any ideas?

I've already journaled 5 list topics...want to take a peek? This type page is a lovely way to hide a more private note.

My journaling card already had the numbers and all I had to do was add the places I've called home in my 49 years. It's hard for me to believe that I've lived 15 years in one place...longest streak ever for me. After removing the book pages, use a variety of Decorative Tapes to cover the spine area and add a few more strips to the back cover as well. See how I've utilized my tapes to signify the number 49 below?

And I just had to include a page from the original book I recycled. Using the library card from the  xxx collection, I created a pocket and added a decorative brad.

One list at a time from now until my next birthday, which will be the big Five-Oh!

Rather than just trimming your paper to the exact size, add a variety of page styles to your mini album project. Knowing that I would be more apt to list each week if my album pages were already trimmed and semi-embellished, I created nearly all my pages at one time. I purposely left room in my album to add additional pages using the new collections as they are released.


I created a Pinterest board a while back and added possible listing ideas as I found them. As I was trimming and creating my pages, I was so happy to find that many of the die cut titles and journaling spots were perfect jumping off points for my listing all on their own.


Here's one to show you how I've semi-embellished a page, inserted a note about a possible list topic and it's all ready for me to journal my thoughts.


By repurposing an old book cover and removing the pages inside, I've created a "new" book with colorful pages and embellishments using a variety of collections from My Mind's Eye.

Download your tutorial with tips and suggestions here.

Materials Used | Collectable: 6x6 Paper Pad, Decorative Stamps, Layered Stickers, Decorative Tape, Tiny Word Stickers, Label Stickers, Memorable, Notable "Memo", "Love This", 

Unforgettable: Die Cut Chipboard Stickers, Decorative Brads "Today", "You Are", "Happiness"  

My Girl: Decorative Stamps, Layered Stickers

Decorative Tape: Yellow + Gray, Green + Navy, Red + Turquoise

Miscellaneous: adhesive, Sharpie, Vellum, upcycled book, book binder rings, my Mom's old Singer sewing machine

Until next month,


Note from Stephanie: Monika will be sending me updates here and there on this project and I'll be sharing them here on the blog. This project is too awesome to only share one time!

Mixed Media with Karen- April Edition

Hi everyone!

This is Karen and I am back with another Mixed Media with Karen. This month, I wanted to try something different so I decided I would use the papers in the Collectable line to create a paper mosaic.

The first thing I did was to pull out two templates. One for drawing clouds and one that had a bird on a branch. I used a pencil to draw them onto my page and create my scene.


I then pulled out every paper that had a shade of blue and a few grays. I cut them all up into little pieces and grouped them by paper so I would know to use a variety. I patiently started gluing them down:


Maybe you can see from the photo, but I just covered my cloud with glue and stuck the papers down. This meant I didn't have to glue the tiny sheets (which would have been no fun for me.) I layered and varied colors haphazardly to make it not look perfect in any way. This is best to do while listening to fun music, a great book on tape or some TV you don't actually need to watch because it takes a long, long time. It's not boring or hard, but it is time consuming. (At least, it was for me.) Here are all three clouds covered with paper:


I then picked pink papers for the bird, brown ones for the branch and green ones for the leaves. Here's a side photo I snapped. It was pretty late at night by then hence the lower quality of the photo.

and once all the paper was glued down, I just had fun. I painted the background with a light blue wash, traced around the clouds with a pen, added some shading to the cloud in the back, etc. I then added my words, of course, because without words, it's never finished for me. And here's what I ended up with:

It says: It is all going to be ok. You can rest awhile.

Here's a little close up of the clouds:


and of the bird on the branch


If you haven't played with paper just for fun or made a mosaic in a while, I urge you to tear some paper and just have fun with it. The last time I remember doing this was in middle school and I forgot how much fun this simple activity can be. Was there something you really loved as a child that you haven't done for a while. This is the very best moment to try it again. I promise you will not regret it!

As always, thank you for letting me share my art. See you back here next month!

Creative Stamping

Good morning, MME fans! Today Danni and Suzanne are here to share some new and fresh stamping ideas with you. Enjoy!

★★★★★

Hello!  Danni here with you today to share three cards, using three different stamping techniques and one stamp set.  I have included a tutorial for the masking technique on my "Admit One" card. 

Supplies:Collectable: 6 x 6 Collectable paper pad, Collectable "Hello" Decorative stamps, Collectable Wonder decorative brads, Collectable chipboard shapes, Collectable "Firsts" enamel dots;MISC:  machine stitching, Bazzill card stock, Papertrey ink

I absolutely adore the butterflies in the Collectable "Hello" stamp set and wanted to have them as a focal on one of the cards. 

On my second card, "Heart You", I decided to focus on the trendy "stamping tilt" that is so popular right now. 

Supplies:Collectable:6 x 6 Collectable paper pad, Collectable "Hello" Decorative stamps, Collectable chipboard shapes, Collectable "Cute" enamel dots; MISC: Bazzill card stock,, Jenni Bowlin ink, Papertrey Ink

I thought it would be fun to have a monochromatic sentiment and embellish with color, from the Collectable "Love This" chipboard.

On my last card, "Hello", I wanted to play with the gorgeous doily and embossing.

Supplies:Six by Six 2:"A Mother's Love" Paper Pad, Collectable: "Hello" decorative stamps, Collectable chipboard shapes, Collectable "Cute" enamel dots, Collectable "Wonder" Decorative brads;MISC:  Bazzill card stock, Papertrey ink, embossing powders, machine stitching

I chose to use the Six by Six 2 "A Mother's Love" pad of paper.  I love every single pattern in this pad and the grey woodgrain was perfect to stamp.emboss my doilies.

These stamps are gorgeous and so much fun to play with.  I hope if you ink yours up, you'll link us up in the comments section!

★★★★★

Good morning everyone! This is Suzanne and I'm so excited to share my new creation with you!

Supplies:Collectable: 'Silly' Decorative Stamps,'Hello' Decorative Stamps, 'Beautiful' Decorative Stamps,'Today' Decorative Stamps,'Perfect' Tiny Word Stickers,'Journey' Decorative Brads,'Today' Moment Paper,'Today' Remember Paper,'You Are' Charm Paper,' Firsts' New Paper;Misc:Canvas,Acrylic Paint,Tissue Paper,Stazon Ink,Mod Podge,Faber Castel Gelatos,Vellum

I love creating small home decor items, especially using canvas as my background. This time I wanted to create a mixed media sort of piece to display in my work space. I pulled  bits & pieces from the Collectable collection, and laid out several stamps in front of me. I decided to also get a bit artsy on this project, and pulled in the Faber Castel gelatos on this project, too. 

I first used the Story Card as the main embellishment on this canvas. I added stamping detail using two different stamps. You can see the numbers, and the ruler inked. The card looked great alone, but love the custom card I created in the end with simple inking.  

I stitched across the top of the card, and added a tiny word sticker underneath.. Now, one thing I did learn after playing with this canvas was that stamping directly onto it, is not quite as easy as it seems. I learned that you need to stamp the image onto tissue paper, and then with the proper adhesive add it onto the canvas.

I will admit...it took many errors before I realized I was missing a step! I added the chevron image to the top and bottom of the canvas. One last detail was that I also stamped the sentiment in the lower right hand corner. All of these images were stamped with Stazon, and onto tissue paper.

The final details is the punched flower, and the butterflies onto the tag. Again these butterflies are all ink, and I cut around them to add to the canvas. My last attempt was using the gelatos to add more texture. This was my first attempt at a mixed media project, and with more practice I cannot wait to see the possibilities!

A little stamps, and some paint can combine to make a unique piece of art you will treasure!

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout-Finding Inspiration in a Single Page Sketch

Hello everyone! This is Shelly back with another behind the scenes look at the makings of a double page layout. This go around, I took on the challenge of turning a single page sketch into a double page. Earlier this month, the MME Team was invited to play along with Becky Fleck’s Page Maps Team. The sketch I was challenged to use was a single page 12x12.


This is what I originally came up with…



Now, I am a fan of any and all sketches. They are just so versatile and easy to make them your own. Even when I am looking at a single page sketch, I always see a few variations of making it into a double page layout. You can “stretch a sketch”, “mirror a sketch”, or even just make the single sketch one side of your double layout. The first time I saw this sketch, I immediately thought to “blow up” the sketch. I wanted to use the same arrangement for the pictures, but just make everything bigger to fill both sides of my page. To do this all I had to do was enlarge the size of the pictures.



This was my take on Becky Fleck’s Page Map to make it into a double page. I did add one additional square photo into the mix. Once I chose the pictures for this page, I had one extra picture that I wanted to include. No problem, I just added it!

And this is how it all ended up…

Supplies:Collectable-Notable: 'Love This' title,'Memo'Document patterned paper;Collectable-Memorable:'Note'Details patterned paper;'Journey'Journal paper;Collectable-Unforgettable: ‘Story’ Tale Paper, ‘You Are’ Pleasant Paper, ‘You Are’ Charm Paper, ‘Today’ Remember Paper;Misc: American Crafts Thickers, Silhouette, Prima Chalk Ink, Date Stamp, EK Success circle punch, Stampin’ Up ticket corner punch, pop dots

I was still able to keep the integrity of the original sketch, but still make it my own as a double page. I still did the three main blocks of pattern paper with a corresponding embellishment cluster to substitute for the smaller squares that are paired with each of the pattern squares.

I initially had only the diecuts/journal card on each of the squares. I wanted a little something more to add a little more visual interest. I had just shuffled through my papers, and the hexagon pattern from Unforgettable ‘You Are’ Charm paper was still fresh in my head.

For a split second, I considered cutting those tiny little hexies out. Then reality hit me, yeah right! So, I grabbed my circle punch and began to punch away. I got lots of different patterns with just one piece of paper. Perfect AND easy.

For the journaling, I kept it simple and easy too. I used one of my journaling cards that I had precut from all of those lovely journal card papers. If you haven’t cut up a sheet (or four) of those yet, just go ahead and do it! I keep them all stacked up nice and neat right next to me. Easy to grab when I am in the middle of a page. 

So here ends another post of double inspiration. Hopefully the next time you see a single sketch, you might be inspired to make it your own double page layout. Thanks for stopping by!