Happy New Year!

Another year, another attempt to actually use this platform...  Can I do it?  Ready, set...

I wish I could remember where I first saw this bear from the Essentials by Ellen All Inside set by Julie Ebersole, but it was on someone's blog somewhere, at some point.  And clearly it stayed in my consciousness, because at some point, I just had to have it.  And all the accessories, of course.  I don't often turn to "cute" for my card-making, but I just can't resist this bear, and I knew it would be perfect for my holiday cards.

One of the key features about this bear is that it can hold things.  The matching die cuts out around the arms so you can slip in an object.  I made several test bears to practice cutting and stamping.

To go with the holiday/winter/warmth theme, I added some presents, including one proudly toppled over by the cat (my cat), and decided to give the bear a coffee cup to hold (like me, who likes nothing more than a warm beverage at all times of the year).  The Bear Ware sets don't include a coffee cup (hint:  Ellen, Julie, I know you'll never see this, but so many more bear accessories needed.  I'll send you a list...), so I used this one from Endless Creations.

I stamped all of the presents, masked one of them, and stamped the cat.

Then I masked the presents and the cat, and sponged on some Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide.

I stamped and colored the coffee cups, and fussy cut each one.  I didn't want the bear to be cold, so I die cut a scarf from the Bear Ware 2 set.  

The bears, of course, needed rosy cheeks...

Before the final assembly, I colored the presents and the kitty (to resemble my cat, Bunny), and stamped the cobbled together sentiment from Flora & Fauna's Holiday Word Party set.

I even used some of the leftover bears to create another card.

I look forward to using this bear often, and sharing my adventures in card-making with (all two of) you over the coming year.