November DT reveal!

Our November Design Team reveal is a Manufacturer feature. My Mind's Eye is one of the Design Team's most favorite lines of paper and embellishments! Good for boy pages, girl pages and holiday pages... My Mind's Eye has paper perfect for any layout! We hope you love what we came up with, and are inspired to work with some My Mind's Eye yourself. Thanks for taking a look.

Trish

Trish's page is a true example of girlie FUN! I love the super design, the way she used the die cut and the cool stitching! Trish used the My Mind's Eye Dreamy 2 - Delightful line for her page. Awesome job Trish!

Kary
Kary's 2 page layout is such an awesome BOY page... LOVE the fun color combination with a touch of black, the awesome title and the pictures that really tell a story! Kary used the My Mind's Eye Dreamy 2 - Brilliant line of papers for her layout. Super project Kary!

Dana

I just love these pictures of my two daughters first thing one Christmas morning... really shows the JOY they felt right at that moment! I used the My Mind's Eye Be Merry line of papers for my layout. I love the colors of this paper, the fun patterns and the die cuts too!

Debbie
Speaking of JOY, these pictures of Debbie's son are so happy! Love the look of triumph on his face, and I love the way the simple lines of her layouts really highlight the photos! The circles and the paper layering are awesome too. Debbie used the My Mind's Eye Dreamy 2 - Brilliant papers for her page and the colors are just perfect for her page! Cool 2 page layout Debbie!

Morag

Morag used her My Mind's Eye line of paper to make a Halloween layout, love how her non-themed papers highlight the theme of her pictures. And, love how the simple design of her page really make the pictures stand out. I also really enjoy how Morag mixed up the My Mind's Eye Dreamy 2 paper lines for her page. Beautiful layout Morag!

Thanks so much for taking a look at our November DT reveal, see you next month!

~ Dana

Sweet Gifts on a Shoestring Budget!

The holiday season is approaching!

Time to make those lists and check them twice!

There are lots of people to remember, huh? and given the economy, funds are probably tight.

You might think about scaling back... or you might get inventive!

Looking around my scraproom I found I have lots of things that I could repurpose for making cost friendly gifts! -

That plastic packaging that my favorite embellishments come is the first thing I thought of; I have a ton and I know you do too! These have a variety of repurposing possibilities.

In this project I used the packaging from Bo Bunny Stick em Up embellishments and MME's Be Merry collection (http://www.allyscraps.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=My+Minds+Eye+Be+Merry&Search.x=33&Search.y=19) to make a treat container.



It makes a cute, simple and yet sweet gift to remember coworkers and neighbors! (maybe even your postman/woman or your children's classmates!)

I also used similiar packaging from Chatterbox's Artsy-licious embellishments to make an ornament for the tree. (and I only used scraps on this one!)

These are perfect for Grandparents, or any other member of your family!

The next thing I remembered is that I have a stash of old holiday cards! I cannot bear to throw them away, but do I really need to save them? probably not... These old holiday cards are the perfect source of inspiration and Christmas card embellishments! -

On the card below, I cut the Santa out of an old Christmas card and combined it with some scraps for a cute, cheap Christmas card that I can send to a friend or attach to a gift!

So, while times may be tough this holiday season, there is no reason to cross anyone off your list! You have a wealth of gift possibilities, that some might consider trash, right in your scraproom! With a little imagination you can give simple gifts that are full of thought and love... and not break your budget! (afterall, it is most important to remember it is the thought that really counts during the holidays, not the size of the gift!)...

Have fun creating

xoxo

Trish

All the Latest from the Store & Special Offer

We just added the cutest line of Christmas papers from K & Company, we also have new Bo Bunny Kits, these make great gifts! I have had several requests for acrylic albums so check out the new ones from Clear Scraps. There have also been quite a few 12x12 albums added.

While you are here be sure to check out the newest Sassafras Lass.



and a really cute line from Die Cuts With a View. We have also added additional colors of Stickles , these are great for altered and Christmas projects.



Place an order of $40.00 or more before shipping and recieve this awesome Sled and Reindeer kit free! There is no product code to enter, we will include it with your order. This offer expires Saturday November 22nd.

As always, priority shipping within the US is only $4.95.

Have a great day.

Cathy

Don't forget to check out the message board.

Get creative with your matching embellishments!

Do you ever have find yourself wanting to use embellishments that go with a particular paper line, but not sure how to make them fit into your page design? Don't be afraid to modify or customize those journaling cards, chipboard pieces, transparencies and other coordinating embellishments to fit your needs!

For my page "the little things" featuring the gorgeous Fancy Pants Daily Grind line, I really wanted to take advantage of the great variety of coordinated embellishments available in the line! But I customized some of the items to make them work better with my overall design plan.



The "little things" quote on the strips paper was a perfect fit for the page, and even gave me the inspiration for my title.



But the wavy shape of it - while very cool - didn't fit my plan for the overall page design. Problem solved: I cut out the quote strip, following the "wave" shape, and then cut it apart word by word to adhere onto the large circle highlighting the focal point photo. Not only does it work better with the page design, but it also ties into the other journaling on the page, which I did with journaling strips.

Next, I turned to the great journaling cards sheet.



How cool is it to get these TWELVE great journaling cards for the same price as a piece of paper?? And like all the paper in this line, the sheet is double-sided and has a great pattern on the back, too! I loved the "these are the moments" card and it was perfect, as-is, to tuck under the corner of my main paper/photo block. But I wanted to give it a little bit more "oomph", and at the same time, add some interest and dimension to the page. So I found that cute little chipboard circle with the heart among the load of chipboard embellies included in the Daily Grind Chipboard Shapes pack:



I placed it over the circle "flower" on the card and let it hang off the edge a bit - it looks like it was made to go there!

Finally, I really liked the card on the journaling sheet with the brackets and the combined dots and grid pattern, and wanted to incorporate it into my title. But rather than use it as-is, I used my circle cutter to cut a circle shape from it, and layered it behind the paper block and title work. I think this provided a better balance to the other circles on the page, and kept the top of the design from feeling too "heavy".

So don't be afraid to get creative with those coordinated embellishments! Use them however you see fit!

- Debbie

A fun little technique for you to try

on your next card or layout--

Every girl loves flowers, and I'm going to show you a really fun way too make 3 dimensional flowers for your pages.

You're going to need:

Circle hole punches of various sizes (I used three for my flowers)
edge distressor
ink
2-sided patterned paper (I used three different patterns from Sassafrass Lass)
buttons or brads for the flower centers
A thin stick (I used the end of a watercolor paintbrush)

Sassafrass Lass has the cutest line called Woodland Whimsy. I used three different papers for my flowers from this line, and another for the flower stems and leaves.



Cut three different sized circles from your patterned paper--For larger flowers, you would want to use a bigger circle punch, or hand cut circles from your paper.


Using your edge distressor, work your way around the circle making the edges rough. After all three circles are done, ink the edges with the ink pad.




After you've distressed and inked the circles, take the end of the paintbrush and place it in the middle of the circle. Wrap the circle around the stick so that it looks like this:



Unwrap the balls of crumpled paper and layer them on top of one another--add a brad or button to the center, and you now have a lovely 3-Dimensional flower to add to your layouts or cards!!



I used this technique for my layout, "My Sassy Girls"--






Happy Scrapping!!!

~~Kary

Seasonal Challenge

Has fall arrived with you?

It certainly has here! The trees are covered with golden leaves and I want nothing more than to snuggle in warm and cosy at home.

This week I've set a challenge - Scrap the Season. Create a layout that reflects the season's colours or something warm and cosy. You could create a layout about the season itself, may be what you like about the fall, or perhaps a Halloween layout. There are gorgeous papers from Prima, My Mind's Eye and K&CO perfect for the season in the store now. There's a whole section for the Fall here.

So the challenge is simple, create a layout using fall colours OR about halloween. Include something 'fuzzy' or cosy on your layout like velvet, flock or fabric.


We had fun this Halloween at a local Children's farm. I love my DD's stripey legs!

These are the gorgeous papers from Prima. They are gorgeous on both sides - I wish I had bought 2 of each. I adore the cute little owls.

I hand cut the moon from a couple of circles and 'stamped' the background with acrylic paint and buble wrap. A little glitter on top for a little sparkle.



The glitter chipboard is from My Mind's Eye - they are just so sparkly in real life and the glitter stays stuck!



So why not join in on the challenge. More details can be found here on the forum. Just upload to the gallery and link on the chat thread to be entered into the monthly prize draw for a Gift Certificate!

Enjoy the season and wrap up warm!

Morag x

Latest from the store - Sassafras, October Afternoon, Basic Grey

We've had a stack of the latest products from some of your favourite manufacturers!

We have 5 new lines from Sassafras Lass - Life at the Pole, Woodland, So Fawned of You, Hog Heaven, Happy Place. These beautiful, cheerful collections are so much fun and will work beautifully in all sorts of pages and projects. Check them all out here.



In the mood for Christmas? Look no further than Wassail from Basic Grey. Rich colours and elegant patterns will add that elegance to all your Winter projects.



October Afternoon are truly one of my favourite manufacturers. Their cardstock weight papers are always a joy to work with. You'll find Good Cheer, Night Light and the hugely popular Weathervane in the store.


There are gorgeous clear stamps to compliment the ranges too. These fabulous stamps create beautiful images time after time. So don't hang around , I'm sure they'll be snapped up in a flash!



Happy Scrapping!

Morag x