Toptastic crafting

Hello, Pooh here today to show you how to turn your stash into lovely cards.

First, take your box of previously made toppers, or shop bought toppers, whatever is in your box




Have a good look through



And choose some variations of a theme, maybe all of one colour, or flowery toppers.

Then choose some pre scored cards of differing sizes, to match your toppers


Your Cuttlebug could come in handy for cutting patterned paper into various shapes to form the base of your cards.





As I chose to use square cards, I decided to cut my patterned paper into squares to match. Here's one of the papers and toppers I chose to use



Fold the patterned paper into 4, and place onto your chosen die, I used Sizzix framelits square set.








Roll the paper and die through your Cuttlebug, you may need to roll it through more than once with the paper being folded so many times, this will depend on the thickness of your chosen paper.


I cut squares from several different papers, all from the same paper stack, to match my flowered toppers.


Next, glue the back of your cut squares, and adhere to the card, spacing them evenly for a more pawfessional look. Be careful to not get glue on your paws, sticky paws are not good!




Now take a 3d glue dot or sticker and place in the middle of the back of your topper. Place the topper in the middle of your squares, and there you have a lovely card, or two, or more, depending on how crafty you're feeling.





With love from the bears 🐻

Daft Dinners.....

.....Or something to cheer up a dreary day; we've all heard of a rainy day box, well this is a rainy day dinner, to cheer up a Bank Holiday weekend of rain, a little rain, and a bit more rain. I don't think it stopped all weekend.

Consequently we were stuck indoors looking out on a wet and miserable looking landscape







Bears really don't like to venture out in wet weather, it makes our fur far too soggy! We decided we needed something cheery to brighten our weekend, and what better than food, funny food....

First we made a cheesy potato pie,




it's really just your basic mashed potato with a little (or a lot if you're that way inclined) of cheese mashed into it. Add some grated cheese to the top




and bake in a preheated oven, 210c, along with a tray of sausages, for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how well done you like your meat. Pork has to be cooked through for humans,




and contrary to popular misconception, bears like their meat very well done, not rare! Of course, make sure before and after handling food to wash your paws.




If you like warm plates, don't forget to put them in the oven at the same time as your food, cold plates make your food cool quicker.




As the sausages and cheesy pie are cooking, forage in the fridge for the other ingredients, you will need two cherry tomatoes per serving, and one mushroom, or anything else that could resemble a nose (we usually use cheese triangles but Horace had eaten them all in a fit of cheese bingeing last weekend!

You will also need a tin of beans,


Add the beans to a pan




and warm through just as your pie and sausages are reaching the final stages of cooking.




Oooh steamy, a free sauna at the same time as you warm the beans!!

When the pie and sausages are cooked, remove from the oven. NB (note to bears) you MUST wear oven gloves for this or you will singe your fur!




Now to assemble your smiley face dinner

First dish up the cheesy mash in a circular pattern, then add a sausage for a mouth, two tomatoes for eyes, and the mushroom for a nose, next, take your pan of beans off the heat and add them to the top of your 'face' to create hair




Now comes the best bit - eat eat eat.




mmmm, cheesy pie faces, cheery, and perfect for weather that's dreary.

With love from the bears 🐻

Fab Flowers

Evening all. Horace here to show you how to make fab paper flowers from your cardstock. I found this handy tutorial while perusing blogs

http://bearpuffsadventures.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/how-to-make-cute-paper-flowers.html

It's so easy to follow, and helps use up all those pieces of cardstock you keep in the hope they'll come in handy one day. Of course, making your own flowers saves a fortune compared to shop prices for blooms.

The first step is to choose some card, you need enough in one colour to cut three squares, one 4x4" one 3x3" and one 2x2"










Fold each square of card twice, into a triangular shape.



Now take some scissors, and cut in an oval fashion across the shortest straight line of the card, unfold your cut card to reveal this



Repeat for the two remaining triangles, then punch a small hole into the middle of the petal




Choose a coordinating brad from your stash, ours are in small baggies sorted by colour - we're very organised bears!


Add the chosen brad to the middle of your smallest petal, then layer the other petals underneath the smallest, making sure to feed the brad through every layer. Your flower should now look like this


Next, mist each layer of your flower with water, until it's quite wet, but not dripping. Scrunch up each individual petal of the flower as you wet the layers.


Once every petal is scrunched up, carefully uncurl them, and leave to dry. Then you can sit back and admire your creation. How pretty.


With love from the bears 🐻

Wilbear's luscious lemon cakes

Hello there, today was one of those days where I felt the urge to bake something zingy, so what better than lemon cupcakes? We love anything spongey but don't often bake anything with lemons -unless you count lemon curd - but lemon sponge is a rarity, as chocolate and hunny come way before lemon on our list of likes.

This is a really simple recipe for both bears and humans to bake, using minimal ingredients, and if you possess a food processor it means no achy paws from beating ingredients together. I found the recipe while 'paw'rusing my Craftseller magazine.

For the cupcakes you'll need

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1/2 large lemon, finely grated, zest only
2 eggs
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder




For the lemon icing you'll need

75g butter, softened
175g icing sugar, sifted
1/2 large lemon, finely grated, zest only
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pre heat the oven to 180c/ gas 4. Line a 12 hole fairy cake tin with paper cases.


In a large bowl, whisk the butter until fluffy and smooth. Whisk in the sugar and lemon zest until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture gradually. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture

OR


If you have a food processor, ignore the previous instruction and chuck the above in and blend together.




Divide the mix between the paper cases, if you're particularly greedy like us, you'll heap the mix in and end up with 9 cakes rather than the 12 stated in the recipe!!




Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on your individual oven.

NOTE, lemony batter MUST be licked off the spoon when you have finished dividing the cake mix between the cases, mmm mmm!!!

Remove cakes from the oven once they are risen and golden brown, and place on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.




To make the butter icing

Cream the butter in a food processor until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and lemon zest and beat into the butter.

Add the lemon juice bit by bit until the icing is softened to a spreadable consistency.

Spread the icing over the cupcakes. Decorate with lemon and orange sweeties if you have them.





Eat, eat and eat again.

Then for the worst bit of baking, clearing up, ah well, the cakes were deeeelicious.




With love from the bears 🐻

Paw made by Podgy

Hello there, Podgy the Panda here. I often find I have itchy paws, and need to be occupied in some way. One of my favourite ways to relieve 'bear'dom is to paw-make cards for charity ( animal charities are my favourite cause.)





First, I sort through my previously cut toppers. I always cut these on a separate occasion to the actual card construction, as I then have a handy stash of ready to go toppers and embellishments, this saves time and means my paws get a rest between card making stages!!

Once I've chosen my card toppers





I choose some tools to help with my card making

My Cuttlebug is a much used tool





Along with my Spellbinders Nestabilities dies




Circles and scalloped circles this time. Nestabilities and other popular makes of dies can make fab frames, which can be raised up from the card blank with 3d pads or glue dots, adding an extra zing (bear buzz word) to your finished product.

Us bears subscribe to Making Cards magazine, we don't get much 'paw'ket money, and this mag comes with free papers, leaving spare cash for our hunny habit!

I cut lots of frames





way more than I need, but I do like to have a choice of sizes and shapes when I assemble my creations.





The free papers in the magazine usually come with some embellishments that match, meaning I don't get a headache trying to co ordinate my efforts.

Once I have my frames and embellishments ready I start to create my card, here are a few made earlier













I'll add these to my donations box, ready to send to various animal charities, and maybe I'll keep one to send to a bear girlfriend if I find one?

Time to forage for a snack or two, card making makes for a very hungry bear!!

With love from the bears ��