Freshly Squeezed Bear Hugs

Hi there,

Would you like to “consider yourself freshly squeezed”?  This adorable bear is just the one to do it on this Freshly Squeezed Bear Hugs card.

I had so much fun creating this card.  The bear is a hugable, friendly bear balancing himself on orange and lemon slices, made from the Concord & 9th Hugs Stamp Set.
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This card comes together in a flash.  I first started with a 5.5″ x 6.5″ card base made from Neenah Solar White.  A 5″ x 6″ panel was cut from the same cardstock.  This panel is where it all comes to life.

Using the color smooshing technique, I applied a few Shimmerz Paint sprays onto the card panel.   If you are not familiar with the technique, here is a brief description on how to make it happen… it is super easy!

Starting with  Jeni B Blue Shimmerz Vibez spray, I sprayed some onto a piece of acetate.  Using the acetate as an applicator, I gently ‘smooshed’ the paint onto the panel by holding the acetate over it and pressing little sections wherever I wanted the paint applied.  Be careful not to over saturate the paper panel with paint otherwise it will warp and curl.  You don’t need much anyway with the Shimmerz spray paints.  A little goes a long way.

Next, wipe clean the acetate and spritz  Walkin’ A Tight Heliotrope Shimmerz Spritz Spray onto the acetate and then apply to the panel.  Finally, as an accent, I added little bits of Carribean Sunset Shimmerz Spritz Spray, using the same method.  (Tip – Be sure you wipe off the acetate between each color so they don’t run together into a muddled color mess.)  Then, stamp your sentiment.  There are such cute ones to choose from in this stamp set.  I just loved the “consider yourself freshly squeezed” sentiment!

As an added touch, I splattered black ink onto the panel.  I like to use McCaffery’s gloss black ink to do this.  It gives you jet black splatters and, because of the viscosity of the ink, the splatters stay round, glossy and beautiful!  Set aside to dry.

To make the elements (the bear and orange and lemon slices), I stamped them using Memento Tuxedo Black onto 110lb Neenah Solar White cardstock.  Memento Tuxedo Black is a great ink pad for coloring with Copic Markers since it plays nice with the markers without smearing or bleeding.  I colored the bear and sign with E29, E33, E99, E74 and the slices with Y13,Y15, YR04, YR09.

For a little shimmer, I added clear Wink of Stella to the slices and glossy accents to the eyes, nose and the “Bear” on his sign above his head.

After everything was dry, I rounded the corners with a Corner Chomper, and adhered double-sided tape (see supply list) to the back of the panel and stuck a white foam piece to the back.  Next, added double-sided tape to the back of the foam, wrapped some black cord around the card, unpeeled the release paper from the double-sided tape and adhered the panel to the card base.

Finally,   the bear and ‘slices’ were fussy cut.  I added foam tape to the bear and stuck him on the panel, added the slices, some with foam tape for added dimension, to the card.  Now you are all set with a charmingly friendly card your family and friends will love.

Viola!

Supply List: