Replenishing the Rescues

Hello there, Horace here to sort the ever growing box of cards we've made for charity. The box is in danger of spilling over there are so many cards in it, so I thought I'd be 'paw'ductive and get them parcelled for our favourite charities.


Of course, being bears we would support Bear Rescue, but there doesn't seem to be any such charity here in the U.K. We decided instead to support animal rescue charities, by sending them our paw made cards to sell at their fund raising events or in their shops.

I thought I'd have a count up of exactly how many cards we had to send, as we'd been card making mad since we sent the last donations off. I asked Podgy to help me up onto the sofa and hand me the cards, I think I'm somewhere behind the mountainous pile he passed me.


Being quite organised and methodical, I decided the 'throw them all at Horace and guess how many' approach was not the best, so I sorted them into neat little piles of ten and began the count.........


Goodness, even with saving a small pile for a birthday present later in the year, and stockpiling a few for our needs, I still counted 120 cards, almost all were pawmade by us, but we must also give credit to our friend Florence, who generously donated some of her own cards.

We've divided them up between Labrador Rescue Scotland, German Shepherd Rescue Scotland (our good friend Mrs. Sweetie supports both of these charities and has donated generous amounts of card making goodies for us to use in our charity cards) and lastly we sorted a pile for our nearby animal rescue centre, Suffolk Animal Rescue.

Now we just need to nominate a bear to go to the local post office to send the cards to their destinations. I can't go, I just looked in my wallet and my credit card was missing, no idea where that may be.......

TTFN ( time to find newcreditcard)

With love from the bears 🐻

Make it Vintage with Podgy

Hello there, my turn to blog, I found yet another great challenge at the Scrapology blog Scrapology june challenge
This challenge was crying out for our new bear stamp, and as the challenge close date is very near I had to hurry up and make something fitting. Rather than make yet another tag I thought I'd try a card for a change.
Here's my finished result




I used a light brown square card and gave it an aged look with my distress inks, scattered straw over all of the card base and walnut stain around the edges. I applied the ink with my cut n dry foam, which is very handy for inking. It also inks your paws as you play but never mind, it's all part of the furry fun.




Next I chose some vintage looking patterned paper, this was a scrap leftover from another project but I think it was Papermania paper. I cut across what would be the top and bottom of the paper using a Victorian blade in my Fiskars trimmer (us bears have all the best gadgets you know!)




Next I stamped up a suitable sentiment, remembering to apply even pressure to achieve a well stamped image. I find sitting on the stamping block is very effective!!




Now to add a little extra em'bear'lishment, I chose Prima flowers, very vintage looking in my humble bear opinion.




I got one of the other bears to photograph me with the card, as proof that it's mine, I don't want any of them trying to claim the credit!




Ttfn (time to find nibbles)
With love from the bears 🐻

A textured tale of woe

Hello there, Podgy here with my latest ex'bear'iment

We bought some texture paste from Papermaze and I drew the lucky straw for first play with it




Along with the texture paste we bought a mask, as these are great to use for applying the paste in interesting shapes.



I chose some dark blue 12x12 card stock, as I wanted to experiment on as wide an area as possible. I then cut a smaller piece of card as a guide to show me where the middle of the page was, and to mask an area where I didn't want the paste to stick.


I then chose where my first 'splodgings' would be and placed my mask as so



I borrowed Horace's credit card, he won't notice, he rarely opens his wallet!! It was a bit big to scoop the paste with so I cut it in half ( any suggestions on how to stick it back together will be gratefully received, just on the off chance Horace decides to dust the cobwebs off his wallet this decade.)


I then began to apply the paste, thickly, to emulate the thickness of a brick. Well, maybe not quite that thick, I am prone to a little exaggeration occasionally.


Once applied I turned the card around, re applied the mask in the bottom corner, and splodged to my furry little heart's content.


To produce this.


Now we don't own a heat gun, having given it away in a bear tantrum when we decided we could no longer craft, so I needed to wait for the paste to dry. This was the ideal opportunity to read the latest Craft Stamper magazine, one of my favourite reads.



I poohtled back to the craft desk, and decided the paste looked too white, so sprayed some glimmer mists all over it.


Again, not having a heat gun I had to wait.... Goodness this is like watching paint dry!,



I haven't decided what to do with my arty splodges yet, in fact, I haven't even decided if it's all a bit of a pasty mess. I think I preferred it sans mist!!

Maybe I'll start again. Still, at least I was the first bear to play with it.

Anyone know how to remove crusty paste from my paws? Not to mention shimmery glimmery mist from my fur?

With love from the bears 🐻

WOYWW - cards and other experiments

It's Wednesday already!! This week has flown by. That means another pic for http://stamping-ground.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/whats-on-your-workdesk-wednesday-163.html. So let's see what's on our crafty desk this week...




A couple of projects. Standing up to the rear of the picture is another finished page of the art journal. Now we're not too sure about this page, but as it's adhered to the back of another finished page it will stay. Maybe we will work on it more, or maybe we'll decide we like it more than we think.
We have 3 finished cards, courtesy of Horace, who may be posting a brag, er, I mean a blog about them sometime. Two of the cards will be added to the charity donations box, and the larger card will become a note let for a paw-pal we will be writing to later in the week.
To the right of the picture is a scroll image, this is from a wooden scroll stamp we have, we wanted to see what it looked like stamped up in distress inks. We haven't decided what to do with these yet, but they will either be used on a card or for another page in the art journal.
We're a bit worried, the desk is getting neater by the week!!
With love from the bears 🐻

Simonsaysstampchallenge - Pooh's turn

http://www.simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

woo hoo, I found my own challenge, and quickly gathered stash with which to complete it, before Podgy hogged the craft stash again.

I had to sneak a few bits into the lounge, as the rest of the bears were snoring in the 'bear'droom.




This challenge calls for a tag or ATC, well I think as I've sneaked both out I may as well decorate both.




I took my two favourite distress inks from the drawer, these work really well on vintage projects



Next, as the challenge called for use of Tim Holtz products, I cut the umbrella man Sizzix alterations die. Although actually I had already fulfilled the Tim Holtz requirement by using the distress inks, do I get double points then? ;)


I gathered together some suitable vintage type stash; a poster of a map that we bought while on the Norfolk Broads boat train tour last year, and some vintage looking words that were lounging unused in the stash box.


To save making a mess of the lap tray I'm working on, I thought I'd use an old magazine as a base. This way I have lots of pages to mess up, without using scrap paper.


I distressed my umbrella man and tag and ATC


Using some foam


And layered up the inks


Then I ripped the poster map


And covered the ATC


And tag






The tag and ATC were then distressed again, to lend a more aged look to the project



Like so


I chose a Carte Postal stamp, inked it with Stazon ink ( great for stamping over distressed or otherwise decorated projects) and stamped directly over the vintage map


To produce this effect


Then i glued the back of the umbrella men



And glued him to the tag and ATC


Then, in an act of extreme cruelty, I CHOPPED the legs off the umbrella man, you should have heard his screams!!!



I chose two sentiments and added to the finished project


My finished tag



My finished ATC


ATC close up


And tag close up


What a great challenge. I can see why Podgy raved about his blog challenge find now.

My only worry was that all the crafting made me extremely hungry. While waiting for a human to bring chips, I made myself some buttery bread



Mmmm


Ahh, the human returned with chips



Bon appetite.


With love from the bears 🐻