It's been too long!

It's been too long and I hope to be back soon. We've gone through a rough five years.  I miss posting but I'm enjoying keeping up with the amazing creations and new styles. What an inspiring craft!

Barbara Anderson Capps 

Scene with Make It Crafty Images

Back in April I was asked to make a birthday card for a teenager who loves horses.  This young lady has long blonde hair so that made me think immediately of my favorite images from Make It Crafty. I love coloring the flowing hair like Sweet Stephanie's. I also found the Exquisite Unicorn worked well as Stephanie's horse. To complete the scene the Crooked Picket Fence was perfect.

After merging the images in Photoshop I colored the scene with Copics. To keep the layers flat the Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles fit the scene and made a nice frame.  The card itself is aqua cardstock and the background layer was actually a scrap of designer paper I had in my stash.

The red flowers and leaves are from a stem of silk flowers.  I removed the plastic centers and replaced them with pearl brads from the bridal department at Michaels.  The small ivory roses are Prima.

I was pleased with how it all came together and I understand the young lady liked her birthday card, too.

Project Parts:

Images:  Make It Crafty

Paper:  Cardstock and designer paper scraps

Tools:  Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles, Copic markers, Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine

Embellishments: Silk Flowers, pearl brads, Prima roses.

Thanks for stopping by today. I've come down with a nasty summer cold so I'm not creating much. But I think I still have another card or two to post later.  I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the weekend.

My Return to Blogging --- Again!

I know I have said this before --- I'm back again.  Well, here I go --- again! A week after my last post I had emergency gall bladder surgery which kept me out of my studio for awhile. Then some family issues took my energy elsewhere. My ever-expanding list of things to do includes getting back to one of my favorite activities --- cardmaking --- and blogging about it. As always, I follow many very talented crafters out there, and that list continues to grow, keeping me inspired and motivated. So, hopefully, I can get caught up and get going again!

The card I'm showing today is one I made back in April, but hadn't posted yet. It was a farewell card for a friend who was leaving the shop we worked in (I've since left, too.)

I am so hooked on the beautiful new Spellbinders dies! As much as I love the CAS layouts, I just can't help but flourish them up.  With these gorgeous dies I can have my flourishes but with far less work. Sort of a CAS technique. The die set I used here is Radiant Rectangles.

I still love coloring with my Copics and have taken up CAS in some of my stamp images. Especially on a card like this one, a simple design surrounded by ornate die cuts, created a balance I was pleased with. These images are from Our Daily Bread Designs.  The Bee Balm Flower and Hummingbird are simply colored with Copics. (I'll try to get back into the habit of keeping track of which colors I use.) ODBD also has a die for the hummingbird making it so easy to cut it out!

Scattered on the scrolls are tiny clear rhinestones.  The cardstocks are red Bazzill and simple Georgia Pacific white #110.  And that's all there is to it! My version of CAS. 

Project Parts:

Images:  Our Daily Bread Designs

Paper:  Bazzill and Georgia Pacific

Tools:  Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles, clear rhinestones, Copic markers, Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine

Thank you for stopping by today. As long as health, home, and family issues stay in check, I plan to be back more regularly!

Graduation Day for a Cool Guy!

Celebrating Graduation with his Mustang

A friend of mine asked for two graduation cards for high school grads.  This is the first of the two.  The young man loves his red Mustang so the card just had to pay tribute to the 'Stang, too!  The images are all colored with Copics...lots of red.  Below I will reveal the secret to this image.  The photo doesn't show it well, but the card base is a shiny black... almost like black patent leather. I used Spellbinders Wacky Squares for the pieces on the front, one in red glitter paper and the other silver metallic embossed with the Cuttlebug diamond plate embossing folder.

Close up of car after coloring from sketch

Sketch made with PhotoShop from a photo

I didn't have rubber or digital stamps of a Mustang and to take the time to draw one would take till his college graduation, so I went surfing for a photo I could turn into a sketch.  I've used this technique before with PhotoShop.  The photocopy effect will take it to a pencil drawing, then I erase all but the essential lines to keep the basic form.  Then I start to color. 

Happy Grad!

This happy grad image is from Kenny K and was a perfect reflection of this happy occasion in a young person's life! 

Inside of card...Headed for the Future!

Inside I used another Kenny K digital image to top off the whole theme of the card.  The young man hasn't seen the card yet, but I hope he likes it!  I made it 5 x 7 so it can slip into a frame, if he chooses.

Thanks again for stopping by!  It's been a busy week, but I do have a couple more cards to post soon.

Happy Graduation to your special high school and college grads! May they all find much success in the future for themselves as well as their communities.

Project Parts: 

Image: Kenny K 

Paper: Shiny, glitter and metallic papers from my stash.

Tools:  Spellbinders Wacky Squares dies, Copic Sketch markers, Cuttlebug Diamond Plate embossing folder. 

Aurora Wings Peacock Masquerade

Maybe I wasn't blogging the past year, but I was reading favorite blogs and discovering new favorites.  One of my new favorite digital stamp designers is Aurora Wings.  I love the fantasy, details and romance of these images. It just so happened that a friend of mine wanted a card made for someone who loves peacocks, masks, and the peacock's blue color.  I found the perfect image, Peacock Masquerade, and went crazy finding all kinds of embellishments.  I actually bought more than I could possibly use on one card, so I see more peacocks in my future creations!

Detail of the Mask

Inside of card

This was a fun card to do. I love the image and the colors.  The black glitter paper added drama and I love the Spellbinders die. I went a little crazy with the glitter and embellishments, but I am happy with the results. So was my friend!

Project Parts:

Image: Aurora Wings Peacock Masquerade

Paper: Jewel colors from DCWV, black glitter paper by Best Occasions

Glitter: Art Accents Bluebird, Martha Stewart White Gold, Oriental Trading Co. Turquoise

Embellishments:  Spare Parts by The Paper Studio satin medallions and swirls; Hobby Lobby Peacock feather

Tools:  Spellbinders Majestic Labels 25.

Thank you for coming back to visit my blog.  It's good to be back!

My Return to Blogging --- Again!

Last year I tried to return to card making and blogging not long after my mother passed away. In fact I had made a couple of attempts to get back to some of my favorite activities.  The depth of grief was unanticipated, as was the lack of awareness of the passing of time.  Needless to say, Mr. Mojo could not survive in such a desolate environment, to he disappeared completely. As they say, life does go on, and some very fabulous things have been going on during the past year.  So, Mr. Mojo, the door is once again open and you are most welcome and needed!

If you follow me on Facebook you probably know that I became a first-time grandmother on July 16, 2013.

Adam Scott is now 9 months old and absolutely rocks my world! He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which sits on the site of the old Clarkson Hospital where I was born a loooooonnnng time ago! That was very cool for me. This week Adam and his parents moved to the Washington, DC area where Scott will carry out his last Navy deployment before he retires in December 2016. It is so hard to think of them 1100 miles away instead of only 400. But with Skype and as many visits as I can muster I will be able to watch Adam grow.  He is delightfully funny and a very happy baby.  So, for this post I am going to shamelessly post a timeline of photos of the little angel that has brought so much joy to my life this past year.

Adam Scott at 14 days old -- he actually slept through the whole photo shoot!

My first visit with Adam

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

Five Months Old

Six Months Old

Seven Months Old

Eight Months Old

Nine Months Old

Happy Family  

My Favorite Photo.  Eight months old

 Needless to say, I am very proud of my little man! I got a new camera in September so I have LOTS more photos.  Those will be posted in the near future on one of my other blogs, which I will link in later.

This is, after all, my blog dedicated to my cards and paper crafts, so the next post will be of one of my latest creations.  I've been blurking in the background, looking at my favorite blogs and keeping up with my friends. You are all amazing as always and definitely my greatest inspiration.  I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Thank you for stopping by today and I will see you again soon!

  

Now that Google Reader is going away, you can follow my blog on Bloglovin'  Thank you for visiting Made For Keeps!

DP2 Challenge #190 --- Bright Colors

It's been quite awhile since I posted a card for the DP2 Challenge so I'm happy to be back with this cheerful image of Mummu's Roses.  I had made this a couple of weeks ago with no specific purpose in mind, except just to get my mojo back.  It would make a nice birthday or Mother's Day card.

My usual practice of taking photos with natural light doesn't work well when it's late in the day and the light coming in through the window is so low my shadow is cast on the lower right corner.  But the large flower is a bright pink and the assorted roses are shades of pink to rich red.  The paper is from the Prima Madeline Collection with has lovely old-fashioned patterns in cheerful colors. 

Mummu is colored with Copics and surrounded by swirls of rhinestones.  

Thank you for stopping by today.  There is still time to post in this week's challenge, so color up one of your favorite Mo Manning images and join in with all the other talented paper crafters.

Vintage Mother's Day Card

In my last post I vowed to get busy again..... and I did, but not so much with cards as I had hoped.  I actually went to work parttime at a lovely boutique here in Branson.  Three days a week, on my feet for eight hours, took more out of me that I was prepared for.  And I still struggle with the loss of my mom.  Nothing in my life has been so hard.  The support from online and real life continues to remind me how blessed I am.

When Mother's Day came along I was missing Mom so much.  I knew she would want me to keep busy and to celebrate the day in her memory and with our dear friend, Norma, my "other mother".  So this card was for Norma.

I wanted something with lots of flowers and a vintage feel.

A variety of one-of-a-kind flowers blended better than I imagined they would.

The image is from my collection I've acquired from many sources over the years.

I found the poem on the web and it was just perfect to express  how I feel about  "Mama Norma"
Last week I made a few other cards which I will be posting in the coming days.  Thank you for coming back and taking a look at my new creations.  I just hope I haven't lost my touch.  Despite my absence from my own blog, I have been visiting all of my favorite bloggers and you all continue to inspire me.  Thank you for that!

Amidst the Sorrow Comes a Time to Get Busy Again

The year 2012 is past, and hopefully the challenges that came with it.  My neck injury from the April car accident is better and the case is now in the hands of the attorney.  The pain persists at times and I guess will for awhile yet.  I had gotten back to my favorite thing, Copic coloring and cardmaking but then came the worst day of my life........

When Mom passed away on January 9 our world stopped. It's been five weeks already, yet it's been only five weeks.  Perception of time has a way of getting all twisted; it seems like her passing was so long ago, yet the memories and even the scent of her are still so fresh.  The suddenness of it, the urgency of trying to revive her with CPR, and the finality of the EMTs picking up their gear tears at my heart every minute.  The sorrow and depression has been so deep I haven't been able to put my mind to work on anything else.  There's much to do but so little energy.  Knowing my mom, she would be diving head first into her favorite activities or redecorating the house.  I'm not much like Mom that way, though I have begun the huge tasks of going through her craft room and photos --- we are alike that way.  

I know Mom would be disappointed if I didn't get busy with the cards again.  She always expressed how proud she was of my creativity and talents.  So, getting back to my passions seems the right thing to do.... and more joyful than cleaning or packing away her clothes (I just can't do that yet.)

Last summer I started combining my Copic coloring with photography when I created a sketch from a photo then colored that sketch with Copics.  Mom was so enthusiastic about this and she came up with a new name for this project.... OMG! It's Me! because when the subjects looked at these portraits on their cards, their first response was "Oh my gosh, it's me!"  The last one I did before Mom passed was her favorite. It is a portrait of a dear friend, Harold, hidden behind a Santa face.

Using my Cricut I created the beard and hat, then did some tricky positioning to make sure Harold's eyes and nose were partially revealed.  

Harold's daughter, Ginger, is also our friend and I wanted to see how quickly they would recognize the man behind the beard.  Neither of them knew I was making this for them for Christmas.  They, and all the friends around us, instantly recognized Harold in the card..... Whew!

Inside the card was this matted frame-ready portrait.  (I really need to stop taking photos with artificial light!)

The photo I used was taken by a mutual friend on Harold's 90th birthday last year.  What a good looking man!  

The previous cards with this technique are"

So, Mom, this post is for you.  I am going to get busy again.  Every portrait and every card will have a piece of you in them because my talent came from you!

On the Loss of My Mother

My wonderful mother/best friend passed away suddenly on January 9.  It is still so hard to grasp the reality of it and the ups and downs of the emotions makes it feel as though time has stood still.  We have had so much love and support from friends and neighbors.  The generosity is beyond belief!

I've had my sister and one of my brothers with his wife here for the past few days.  My son and daughter-in-law are also here and my God-Mother just arrived last night.  And so many friends via email and Facebook have provided even more comfort.  I have already heard from so many of you and my family and I appreciate the thoughts and prayers very much.

I woke very early this morning with the urge to write so over the next few days, weeks, or however long it takes I need to record this incredibly sad, yet spiritually rich time of my life.  

Rest In Peace, Mom.  I love you and miss you.

ODBD His Gift --- Twice

One of the loveliest spots of color this time of year is the red poinsettia.  I like the white ones, too, but the red is my favorite.  When I saw the gorgeous "His Gift" set at Our Daily Bread Designs, it quickly became my favorite poinsettia stamp and I just had to have it for this year's card collection. 

I used this set for two commissioned cards but couldn't decide which one to use in this post.  So, I am showing both of them.  The cards are nearly alike, but like all handmade cards should be, there are some differences.

His Gift #1 --- This one stays true to vintage with an off-white doily and ivory pearl swirls. 

His Gift #2 --- I ran out of off-white doilies so this one is white and the pearl swirls are white and placed differently than the first card.

The verse inside both cards is part of the set. 

The coloring is done with my favorite Copic reds, golds and pine tree green.

Here's the question to ponder for this post:

As the Christmas season approaches, what song is it that you just can't wait to hear?

For me that would be "O Holy Night"

Have a wonderful weekend!