Site Title

Table Runner

August 23, 2012

I love going on Good Things Utah because it challenges me to think outside the box. I’ve been trying to come up with a fun, different table centerpiece that is still simple and not too busy. Then, I saw a gorgeous lace doily table runner and thought that I could recreate a similar look and feel that was a little more colorful and lively using paper.

With the onset of fall quickly approaching, I thought the colors of The Sweetest Thing – Tangerine would be perfect. I love the orangey goodness of the tangerine color mixed with yellows, blues, pinks and a punch of red.

I made three different flower patterns in three different sizes and picked 8 patterned papers from The Sweetest Thing – Tangerine collection. Then I sat down and watched a TV show with Bryan (a rare thing) and cut away. I used 35 flowers on my runner.

I laid out the big ones and mixed in a few smaller flowers to create the bottom layer. Then I added small flowers to the center along with buttons, brads and crochet flowers (also from Tangerine) for dimension. I left the center portion flat (see photo 3) to allow room for a centerpiece.

Left Side:

Right Side:

Flat Center:

Detail shots:

I think this would be so cute on a dessert table running beneath a bunch of pedestals and stands.

If you would like to create your own, simply download these instructions (patterns included), pull your My Mind’s Eye stash and have a great time!

Instructions: Download 2012_08_23_MME_Table Runner

When the segment from today’s show is available, I will add it here so those of you who didn’t have a chance to watch it live, can see it:

(to see previous projects, visit my blog at www.amberpacker.com)

Have a spectacular Thursday! Happy Creating!
Jewelry Tray – GTU

July 26, 2012
I have been trying to find an antique jewelry tray for in our bathroom for a while. I haven’t been able to find one of these antique beauties that I feel like I can afford. Darn budgets!

The other day I realized that I could make my own – and personalize it! It was really very simple and as you can see, turned out so fun. Perfect for your bath, a teenage girls, guest bath or teenage boys (with modification of course).

On my crafting mission, I went to my local craft store (which happens to be Hobby Lobby) to pick up the right frame. You can pick up a frame from any craft OR thrift store or use a frame you already have (better on the budget)!

You’ll need to make sure you have the following before starting:
- My Mind’s Eye: The Sweetest Thing – Honey scrapbook paper and embellishments
- 8 x 10 frame with edges that go up (to keep the “stuff” in)
- 4 – drawer pulls (wood or metal) and paint if you use wood and want them to be the same color as the frame
- Sewing Machine, adhesive, hot glue gun, etc.
I was worried that the size of the frame would be too small because I was envisioning a longer, skinnier rectangle tray, but I think it’s perfect!

I’m demonstrating this fun project on Good Things Utah today (ABC 4 from 10 – 11:00 am). If you are not able to watch it live, I will post the segment here when it is available.

As usual, I have included instructions for you to download so you can

create your own personalized jewelry tray.

Download 2012_07_26_MME_Jewelry Tray

Enjoy!
I know you’ve heard this before…

July 25, 2012

but I really want to blog. I just finished typing and scheduling the my blog posts for tomorrow’s Good Things Utah segment and made a startling realization – of the 9 blog posts this month, 7 have been for my Good Things Utah segments. WOW!

After turning the reigns of the My Mind’s Eye blog to the talented Stephanie Howell, I think I suffered from burn out. Somehow, in running the MME blog, I had lost myself. Lately, I find myself thinking: “I need to blog about that” and so I think I will!

Let me share a little of what has happened since I was last on GTU. Since summer is out, I had the boys with me at the studio that day and we ran a few errands on our way home. Bryan and I were going planning on going to the temple that afternoon. I ran one more errand, Bryan’s meeting went a little longer than planned. And at ___ we were still home. I was in the front yard quickly watering the new plants we had before we left when I noticed smoke. I called Bryan (I know – lazy) and said that I didn’t think we should go anywhere with the smoke in the air. We drove up to the top of our subdivision and watched as the fire went up the mountain in about 5 minutes.

About an hour later, we were on our way to stay with family – we had been evacuated!

(my house is the rambler on the right with the plane right above it)

We were one of the lucky families that were able to go home the next day and our home was safe. There were 6 other families could not say that. The fire came to within 4 blocks on both the south and west of our home. It’s amazing to drive up the main road just to the west of us and look to the north from the top. You can see a line of homes 4 blocks long that had the fire stop at their backyards. It was a miracle more homes were not lost.

A mere SIX days later, my sweet Grandma passed away. I am so lucky to have had her in my life. To do her justice, I’m going to create a post just for her.

I have created a Hobby Lobby Ad, three layouts for Shyloh (a page for all seasons) and worked on new products you will love in the next few months when you get to see them (wink).

Our family has had a couple of scout camps (for Neal), moved 18 cubic yards of dirt into flower beds, planted all our trees and shrubs and we are currently getting ready for a fun party at our house on Monday!

I am finally ready to start decorating the house and am excited to share that progress and my dreams for the house with YOU! I hope you are ready to go – because I am!

I want you to know that I know how incredible blessed I am to have the family that I have. We are blessed to be in the neighborhood we are in. Things are not always perfect, but they are

perfectly imperfect and I like it! Hugs,
Chinese Lanterns–MME Style

June 29, 2012
Maybe it’s not having a patio in the backyard or the fact that our patio table rotted over the winter and we “donated” it to the neighborhood clean up instead of bringing it to the house when we moved. Or the fact that the only way I can leisurely enjoy an evening meal out doors is on folding chairs with paper plates in laps. But, I have been dreaming of romantic summer night dinners with Chinese lanterns hanging from a pergola.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to decorate some rice paper Chinese lanterns with the My Mind’s Eye Indie Chic collections. The papers are fabulously relaxed summer papers with a cool “Moroccan” summer feel to them. And, they are perfect for patio décor.

Back up a bit… while talking with my Sister-in-law a couple of weeks ago to find out what I could do to help her get ready for my niece’s upcoming Baptism, I asked her if I could do a trial run to add to the decorations she already had planned. I knew the Miss Caroline – Dolled Up collection would match her color scheme perfectly. My niece was thrilled with the lanterns and even asked if she got to keep them and, of course, she did!

Here is how they turned out:

I tied some shimmery bridal “fabric” around the center, clustered the flowers around and added some Teresa Collins “bling” to make them even more feminine. (My sister-in-law bought the gorgeous fabric to drape behind them. The whole food table was gorgeous!)

It was great to have a trial run to learn from and tweak slightly. Here’s how the Indie Chic lanterns turned out. Aren’t they beautiful? (I just love this collection)

I mixed up the lanterns for today’s show just a bit.
- I decided these lanterns didn’t need the bling (shocking, I know *wink*). Instead of dangling the crystals from the bottom, I cut the shimmery “bridal” fabric and tied it to the bar a the bottom.
- Instead of clustering the flowers in the center, I swept them across the lanterns in a gorgeous diagonal line. I made sure one of the lanterns was angled a different way.
- I also tied the lanterns together in a lantern “bouquet” and dangled them from the chandelier over my kitchen table. There are so many cute ways you can display these lanterns (on a curtain rod (like we did for the Baptism, from a chandelier, an outdoor pergola, tree or from the ceiling in a bedroom – use your imagination).
- Indie Chic has gorgeous buttons, chipboard and brads. They make fabulous centers to the flowers, so I mixed them up in the centers of the flowers and used the flower centers as “buds” on the lanterns.
As always, I’ve created instructions for you. You can download them here: Download 2012_06_29_MME_Chinese Lanterns

I’ll upload the segment here when it is available.

I had such a fun time creating these. I have another niece that wants me to make some for her in the future and I look forward to making them for her.

Have a fabulous day!
GTU – “Sew” Cute!

May 16, 2012

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!

p.s. I’m thinking of trying my hand at some curtains for our bedroom in one of the next segments. I guess we’ll see how brave I am…
Mother’s Treasure Chest

April 11, 2012

Every mother knows what her treasure is. The problem is can you find the notes and gifts from them? The perfect gift for the mother in your life? A treasure chest for the precious gifts from her treasures. Whether you make this box for your self or a special mother in your life, it will be a source of joy for many years to come.

Miss Caroline (Dolled up) and her spectacular embellishments made this project quick, easy and, most of all, beautiful!

I am demonstrating this treasure box on Good Things Utah today (locally from 10 – 11am on ABC4). Don’t despair if you aren’t local! I’ll upload the segment as soon as it is available here:

I have included a .pdf of the instructions so you can make this project, too!

Happy Wednesday!
Hope’s Journey by Stephanie Worlton

April 2, 2012

I love to read. Once I get sucked into a book, I can’t do anything else and will read and read until I’m finished. I am too excited to see what happens next to actually sleep!

A few months ago, I joined a book club. It’s been fun to read the same book as my new friends and join in a discussion on the book. I love seeing how the same book can affect each of us differently.

When I found out that one of the ladies in my book club had written a book, I suggested to my friend, Tamara, that we should read Stephanie’s book for the club and she said they had already discussed it.

When Stephanie asked me to participate in her Spring Blog Tour, I jumped at the chance. I knew that the book was based on her personal experiences. I am learning what an amazing person she is now and was excited to see how the experiences she had in her youth have shaped her into the woman she is now.

The book is called Hope’s Journey (isn’t that a gorgeous cover?).

From the book: Sydney is a straight-A student heading to college on a scholarship, and Alex is a quiet jock preparing to serve an LDS mission. But their dreams are shattered on the eve of their high school graduation when they find out that Sydney is pregnant. Separated, they must both trust in God as they search for the worth they once found in each other.

My thoughts: I found myself with tears rolling down my cheeks as I finished reading this book. I marveled at Sydney and her strength as she made a very hard decision. I was proud of her for her strength and that she took the journey to find out who she is. I wished she would have known that before she made her decision trying to keep the companionship of a boy.

I was glad Stephanie included Alex’s perspective. His heartache and pain and the path he took in making his decision. I loved it when he saw her strength and ability to put her feelings aside for the love she had for her child.

I also thought of the young teen or unwed mothers that have touched my life. Two beautiful girls who were the unselfish vessels that brought my niece and nephew to our family, and two of my relatives who have chosen to raise their children. Those children are a blessing in my family.

Most of all, I loved Stephanie’s reason for writing the book – her desire that every young woman (and young man) will know who they are (a child of God) and have the strength to have their self-worth be independent of what others think.

I believe that our Father in Heaven loves each of us. He knows us by name. He knows of our trials and temptations. Each of us has trials. Some trials are more visible than others. I believe that if we will come unto Him, we will be strengthened through them and will be grateful for the lessons learned through the journey.

My trials aren’t outwardly visible but I rely on the Lord daily for His strength.

I would definitely recommend this book! Stephanie is giving away a signed copy. You can enter to win HERE. Be sure to visit Stephanie’s blog to learn about the fun giveaways she has in conjunction with the Spring Blog Tour. You’ll be glad you read this book!
Easter Baskets

March 22, 2012

Good morning! I hope you are having a fabulous Thursday!

This morning I am demonstrating how to make these handmade Easter baskets on Good Things Utah. Every once in a while the producers of the show will ask me to create something special. This is one of those times.

When they first asked me to create an Easter basket, I had so many different ideas run through my mind. I sketched a few ideas and began to create. Like most things I do, the project took on a life of its own and I enjoyed a few unexpected twists. When I was done, I had created two baskets – each with a style of their own.

The first basket I created using Miss Caroline – Dilly Dally. The grays, blues and reds add an unexpected pop of color for Easter. I chose to weave the paper together to create the look of a traditional basket. The red checked handle adds to the feel of a weaved basket. I thought this basked would be a fun one for boys, so I thought a red ribbon would be a great finishing touch!

The second basket is created using the soft, gorgeous pastels of Miss Caroline – Fiddlesticks. For this basket, I wanted to accentuate the femininity of the colors, so I added a frilly border using a scallop border punch. The yellow twine added an earthy touch and the buttons look like they are holding the handle on the basket.

On both baskets, I added ruffled trim along the top of the opening to add the look of grass without the mess.

These baskets went together surprisingly fast! I used Tombow Mono Adhesive to quickly adhere the paper to the paper mache hat box which was the “base” for this project. Tombow Mono Adhesive is my favorite liquid adhesive because it is strong and it dries fast!

As always, I have included step-by-step instructions so that you can create your own!

For those of you who are unable to watch the segment live, I’ll upload it here:

Do your projects take on a life of their own too? I hope your day is wonderful and that you have a little time spend creating!

Hugs,

p.s. I have so much to share with you. Let’s just say: the times, they are a changin’!
Layers of Ruffles Lamp

March 2, 2012

While working on the jewelry box for last month’s Good Things Utah, I had an epiphany. As I was looking a the layers of ruffles on the sides of the box, I thought to myself what a cute lampshade that would be.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was totally do-able. At first I was worried about the heat from the light bulb. LED lights don’t get hot, so the paper won’t be a fire hazard. If you are careful, you can use an incandescent (regular) bulb, as long as the lamp shade is far enough away from the bulb, it won’t get hot either. Test it out and see what you feel comfortable with. Personally, I would use the LED bulb. You will need to be careful, but if you are, you can have a beautiful, hand-made, one-of-a-kind ruffled lamp within an hour or two.

Since my Young Women group and the other leaders in my area came to watch the show, I wanted to make the project something that they would like. So, I pulled out the new Miss Caroline – Dolled up collection. The combination of pinks, grays, blues, yellows and whites are the perfect mixture of soft and bright that teenagers (and preteens and grown up women) LOVE.

I used one 6 x 6 pad to create my lamp shade. Depending upon the size of your shade, you may need more than one pad. I like to use the pads because the patterns are made smaller and you can see more when you punch the holes

This was a fun and easy project that makes a big impact.

As usual, I have created project instructions for you to download so that you can make this project for yourself.

Download 2012_03_02_MME_Lamp

When the segment is uploaded, I will add the video here:

I hope you enjoy this project as much as I do!

I also realized I am woefully behind on my posting. I’ll have to do some catching up! So much has been going on.
Jewelry Box

February 16, 2012

The Follow Your Heart collection designed by Rhonna Farrer for My Mind’s Eye is so soft and beautifully romantic that all the beautiful embellishments are like jewelry for your scrapbook pages and projects. I guess that’s why when I saw this cute, plain jewelry box on clearance at Target I thought of Follow Your Heart.

Many of you know of my love for mod podge and wood. When I want to really be creative, I turn to projects like that. For some reason, I chose to use double stick tape for this project. I guess I thought that mod podge is permanent and if I ever wanted to change up the colors in my room that I may want to change the jewelry box.

I would suggest that if you are creating this for a younger girl that you use mod podge. Isn’t it fun to have choices! *wink*

I used the Follow Your Heart – Be Happy color scheme. The soft colors blend so well together that you can really play with mixing patterns.

If you can’t get to a jewelry box from Target, you can pick up one from a thrift store. Most craft stores have paper mache or raw wood boxes. That’s another good place to check.

I had a lot of fun with this project. You will too. After you get the papers on the box, play around all the fun embellishments. Remember – you are adding jewelry to your jewelry box!

What a great time I had on Good Things Utah today. As usual, I have included instructions which you can download here: Download 2012_02_16_MME_Jewelry Box

When the video is ready to go, I’ll add it here.

Have a happy time creating!

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