A Trip Down Memory Lane: What Happened to My Mind's Eye.

If you've been scrapbooking for a while, chances are you've used a collection from My Mind's Eye at some point. Whether it was the beautiful layered designs, vintage-inspired papers, gorgeous embellishments, or those collections that seemed to coordinate perfectly, My Mind's Eye was once a favourite in many craft rooms.

Recently, I found myself wondering what happened to some of the manufacturers that shaped the scrapbooking industry over the years. It led me down a bit of a rabbit hole and inspired a new blog series where I'll be taking a closer look at some of the brands we loved, how they evolved, and what changes in the industry may have influenced their journey.

Today, we're starting with My Mind's Eye.

The story behind My Mind's Eye is actually quite inspiring because it started with one designer and a creative vision rather than a large corporation.

How My Mind's Eye Began

My Mind's Eye was founded in 1999 by designer Marcia Cornell. At the time, the scrapbooking industry was growing rapidly, and Marcia saw an opportunity to create coordinating paper crafting products that were stylish, artistic, and easy for crafters to use together.

One of the things that made My Mind's Eye stand out early was its focus on:

• Coordinated collections
• Sophisticated colour palettes
• Hand-illustrated artwork
• Layered designs
• High-quality paper products

The company's first collection was called Wild Asparagus, which quickly became popular with scrapbookers.

Lil Robots - A Popular Boys Collection 

The Golden Years of Scrapbooking

Back in the early 2000s, scrapbooking was booming.

Dedicated scrapbook stores were popping up everywhere, manufacturers were releasing new collections almost monthly, and many of us couldn't wait to get our hands on the latest papers, stickers, chipboard, and embellishments.

My Mind's Eye quickly became known for its beautiful designs and attention to detail. Collections such as Lost & Found, Stella & Rose, Follow Your Heart, On Trend, and Cut & Paste became favourites among scrapbookers, cardmakers, and paper crafters alike.

Many of these collections are still sought after today by scrapbookers, junk journal makers, and crafters who appreciate their timeless style.

So What Happened?

The interesting thing is that My Mind's Eye didn't actually disappear.

Instead, the company gradually shifted its focus away from traditional scrapbooking products and into party supplies, celebrations, stationery, and home décor.

Today, if you visit their website, you'll find party themes, decorations, tableware, invitations, gift items, and seasonal products rather than the scrapbook collections many of us remember.

This raises an interesting question:

Why would a successful scrapbook manufacturer move away from scrapbooking?

The Scrapbooking Industry Began to Change

Like many creative industries, scrapbooking has evolved over time.

Several factors likely contributed to these changes:

Digital Photography Changed Everything

Before smartphones, most photos were printed.

People filled albums with holiday photos, children's milestones, family events, and everyday memories.

Today, thousands of photos often remain on phones and social media accounts without ever being printed.

While memory keeping remains important, the way people preserve memories has changed dramatically.

The Market Became Smaller

As consumer habits changed, many scrapbook stores closed and manufacturers found themselves competing for a smaller share of the market.

Several well-loved brands disappeared altogether, while others merged, were acquired, or diversified into new areas.

Consumers Wanted More Variety

Today's crafters often enjoy multiple creative hobbies.

It's not unusual for someone to scrapbook, create junk journals, make handmade cards, experiment with mixed media, and dabble in planners all within the same month.

Manufacturers that adapted to these changing interests often found new opportunities for growth.

Why Party Products Made Sense

From a business perspective, party products offer a much larger customer base.

A scrapbook collection might appeal to a specific crafting audience, while party supplies can be purchased by parents, schools, businesses, churches, event planners, and families celebrating special occasions.

The company already had strong design expertise, paper manufacturing knowledge, and branding experience. Expanding into celebrations and party products allowed them to use those strengths in a much broader market.

Rather than disappearing, My Mind's Eye appears to have reinvented itself.

What Can We Learn From This?

One of the things I find fascinating is how creative industries continually evolve. The scrapbooking industry today looks very different from twenty years ago.

We now see more interest in:

• Junk journalling

• Mixed media

• DIY printables

• Mini albums

• Memory keeping

• Digital crafting

• Creative retreats and workshops

• Online crafting communities
  

What I Find Most Interesting

While some scrapbook manufacturers disappeared completely, My Mind's Eye chose a different path. Rather than closing its doors, the company reinvented itself and found a new audience while still building on the creative foundations that made scrapbookers fall in love with the brand in the first place."

What's Next in This Series?

This is the first post in a new "Trip Down Memory Lane" series.

Over the coming months, I'll be exploring other manufacturers and brands that helped shape our hobby, including companies that evolved, changed direction, merged with others, or disappeared altogether.

If there's a manufacturer you'd love me to investigate, let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear which brands bring back memories for you.

After all, every collection tells a story—and sometimes the manufacturers behind them have fascinating stories too.

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Good news for My Minds Eye  fans – we still have a selection of My Mind's Eye products available in the store! 💕

The best part? They're all currently in our Sale section, so you might just find yourself a crafty bargain.

Pop over and take a look. You never know what treasures you might uncover or which collection will bring back a few happy scrapbooking memories!