A little bit of time on my hands

Ah, the life of a crafting Mama Bear has been busy! Between running after my two year old girl cub and entertaining my two month old boy cub I'm pooped! But somewhere in the thick of it all I found some time to get an order of Christmas cards created and sold. Yea!! It's been an exciting time for me.  My Etsy shop is up and running and I'm getting views but no buyers yet. My Christmas card order came from the creation of a Thank You card for a family friend. She asked for a few samples of Christmas cards and I came up with four designs

She chose two and ordered 40! Let's just say this Mama has been busy. But the cards are completed and ready for delivery. It was so fun completing an order. Well, it was fun getting an order and a large order at that. I hope to come up with some additional Christmas card ideas and also some Thanksgiving/ Thankful cards in the coming weeks. God is blessing me with little chunks of free time so I have been able to get my crafting juices flowing and also getting ideas for cards online.
My little cubs are growing so fast I don't want to miss a thing. My little boy cub is two months and already 14 pounds! My girl cub was 11.5 pounds at two months.  Its fun to see the differences in the two. I am looking forward to seeing how they interact when they get older. As this busy Mama looks forward to the coming week...pumpkin patches, work, playing with kiddos, changing diapers, and crafting. All I can muster is a quiet sigh of both gratefulness and tiredness. I am blessed with two amazing cubs and a wonderful and supportive husband-who takes the kids so I can have a little bit of quiet to get some crafting done.
Until I blog again-which I hope will become a once a week thing,
This Mama Bear is O-U-T!

Blessings
Renee

Oh, my Etsy shop name is MamaBearsBusyHands stop by an visit sometime!

Back to the Craft

WOW, I have been gone for far too long. Life has gotten fuller and my busy hands have been itching to get back into the swing of things. Our girl cub is getting more and more spirited and loving being a big sister to her brother cub. Our boy cub is growing bigger and bigger each day. Loving every moment even the tired moments. But each smile and gurgle and coo takes my breath away along with him seeing his sister and giving her huge toothless smiles. It's so hectic with two but at the same time once the rhythm of life takes over it becomes our norm.
As for crafting I actually have been pretty crafty lately! I am doing a women's bible study at my church and each week I am blessed to have some spare moments to make a little card for each of my ladies. It gives me great joy to create and to create with those who are close to my heart makes me enjoy crafting even more! Its such a privilege to have those few moments to put a card together not knowing how the receiver has been doing and to see the smile come across their face as they receive a handmade card.
I finally taken the plunge and opened an Etsy shop. Can you believe it. Well, I don't have much on yet but I'm slowly getting a stock pile of cards. Etsy is fun a little disheartening at times because you really have to market yourself to get the word out that you are there. But only time will tell. I'm excited about it and glad I've finally taken the plunge. Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out!

Here are some cards I've made during my blogging hiatus:

A Christmas card bundle. I know Christmas cards, Renee? Already? Well, I'm just keeping up with Macy's as they just put up their Christmas trees. Haha!

Just a few cards that I've put together :)
It's been fun being on "vacation" but now I've back back to crafting-crafting!

This Mama Bear is out!
Renee

I am still trying to figure out how to upload links but the name of my Etsy shop is: MamaBearsBusyHands.
If you have time to take a peek I hope you enjoy!

Blessings
Renee

Finding Time to Focus

Hello All,
How can it almost be September already?! This summer flew by. Next thing we know it will be Thanksgiving and Christmas. Life with two cubs has this Mama Bear busy, busy, busy. I knew it would be different with two but I guess you never really get it until you are actually in the moment. I am getting sleepy at random times during the day and finding that exhausted should have been my middle name. The boy cub loves to eat, sleep, and grunt. I am loving each and every moment. The girl cub is really enjoying being a big sister and is constantly trying to help and hug on her brother. It's wonderful to watch her try to comfort him when he is crying or telling us when he is waking up. We are really focusing on giving the girl cub solo time away from her brother. Which at times can be hard as he doesn't like to sleep in his bassinet as of late...well not beyond thirty or so minutes. So, if the Hubby Bear isn't home I have to take advantage of those fleeting minutes and have some one on one time with the girl cub. Even as I sit here an write this blog post the boy cub is slowly waking up and grunting all the while. Its nice to just hold him and watch a smile come across his little face and watch my girl cub give him kisses and hugs. This Mama Bear's heart is full!

As the days turn into weeks my time is being filled with diaper changes, outfit changes after blowouts, and trying to catch a few zzz's I haven't found time to get back into my crafting groove. I want to just have a few hours of uninterrupted craft time but since the girl cub doesn't nap unless she's truly exhausted-which at two years is rare for her because 'go' is her middle name- I don't see that happening this week. Last night I got about two hours of sleep. The boy cub just didn't want to sleep...I think he was gassy and his tummy was bothering him. So, I don't see myself getting my craft on today. But I will get my Pin on on Pinterest. I love that website. It's amazing and addictive. I find that I will go Pin-crazy at times and the people who follow me must wonder...does she do anything besides pin about card crafting, her kids, when she has a house, organization, or when she can have a drink. Haha. Well, I do have a very full life but when you don't have many free moments going on Pinterest is really a nice five to ten minute escape for this busy Mama Bear. I am planning on visiting a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator this weekend and comparing ideas and doing a mini swap. It should be fun to swap crafts and ideas. I am looking forward to a couple of hours of crafting with others. I'll post a couple of pictures of the things we create this weekend. :)

Until then enjoy your Wednesday and as the sign above my desk reminds me...."Someday is not a day of the week". Get your craft on! Take some time to be quiet. Pray for someone when they come to mind. Take advantage of those few quiet moments you have before the busyness of the day steals those moments away from you.

Until we meet again,
Mama Bear out!
xoxo
Renee

Here's a Happy Birthday card I made for my Granny last month.  Using my favorite color Blackberry Bliss from Stampin' Up.  Then I used the retired Embossing Folder Flower Garden. I love the folders they add a simple dimension to your cards.  The Stamps are from the Something to Say stamp set. Another simple birthday card! Fun times in craft land.

Naptime equals Mama Bear Time

 Well, our boy cub arrived on August 5th! We have been blessed with a handsome little cub. What a treasure he is to have and to hold each and every day. Our girl cub is such a wonderful big sister! She's very helpful and very protective of her little brother cub. It melts my heart to see her giving kisses and trying to hold her little brother. I thank God for our little family as it has grown from three to four. It's been two weeks of getting used to waking up at 3:30 am for feedings and diaper changes. Living off of minimal sleep because the girl cub is so busy during the day that naps are a distant memory. But today I realized she was just a bit too crabby and those listening ears were turned in the OFF position most of the day...called for one thing the dreaded nap. After a few minutes of cuddles she was off to sleep. Amazingly two cubs down for a nap and I barely know what to do with myself. So, I find myself watching my all time favorite lady Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy and blogging. Why aren't I sleeping you ask? I really couldn't tell you! I'm not sleepy...maybe its the excitement of having two cubs knocked out and a moment to myself. 

Life with two cubs is such a switch from having just one. Before all of our attention was focused on the girl cub and now with two cubs its a balancing act. Granted the boy cub is basically just eating and sleeping; and the girl cub is just as active as always. She is very curious about her brother and always looks at him and if he makes even the slightest noise she's telling me or the Hubby to check on brother cub. Each day is a blessing and I love each moment with them. Learning to parent two cubs is going to be a tremendous responsibility but we are up for the challenge! God is good and we can only continue to thank Him for our two little blessings. 

Next week I hope to get back to crafting. Gearing up for my next class mid September so I will be posting some ideas for the class. Also I am planning on getting a stock pile of cards ready for an ETSY shop. I am really excited yet nervous about getting a shop going so not only will I host classes and workshops to teach people different crafting methods but also sale cards that I've created. I also am getting ready for the holidays. Holidays? Already? Yes, only because if anyone places an order for cards I need to be good and ready! Girl Scouts honor mentions being prepared and that's my plan. Be prepared!! 

Well, dear friends I hope you have a wonderful week. May you be inspired to create sometime this week to rest and relax as you take in the final days of this beautiful summer. God bless you.

Mama Bear out,

Renee

"Patiently" Waiting

Well, we are patiently impatiently waiting for the arrive of our boy cub. He is due today but showing no signs of wanting to enter the world. Funny thing is our girl cub felt the same. She was due on a Monday and didn't arrive until Thursday-and that was with an induction on Wed night. I guess they just like it in the womb. I must admit as we impatiently patiently wait for his arrival I found some time to keep my hands busy and made six cards yesterday!! Six? You say. Yep, six. I was pretty shocked myself. The creativity just started to flow. Fun times.

The first set of cards I made are basically any occasion cards with "Just for You" stamped on them. This one uses one of my favorite stamp sets called Work of Art. I love it because its so versatile. I used stamps, washi tape, and pearls to add a little something some to this card.

The next card was my take on a card I have seen in our Stampin Up Catolog. Using the Stamp "You make me happy" from the Hello Love Stamp set- this card can also be an any occasion card. This one was really fun to make. Cutting out the items after I stamped was a different touch I haven't used before so it was fun to do something new. And I used my new favorite medium washi tape.

And lastly a "thinking of you" card. Using Stampin Up Markers and a little touch of bling with the hearts on the left side of the card! I realize I need to get more markers after I did this project because I need a few more colors added to my collection! And plus who doesn't like to color every so often!!

Well, as we await the boy cubs arrival I guess when I'm feeling crafty I should craft because I have no  idea once both he and the girl cub are home when I will find time to relax and craft on. Until I blog again. May everyone have a wonderful day!!

Mama Bear out!
xoxo Renee

Nesting and Crafting

Hi,
This week has been a whirlwind of both nesting and crafting for me! So, I felt it made sense to title this post Nesting and Crafting. With our boy cub due to arrive in the next 9 days or so my nesting/ restlessness has kicked into high gear! This week I was in the girl cubs room organizing her toy cubby and the next thing I know I am tearing the room up from top to bottom switching everything around and having my Hubby Bear move dressers into the closets to make more open space in the kids room. Three to four hours later I was one proud Mama Bear of my accomplishment in the room. Tossing out toys that were broken or missing parts, getting a collection of clothing to give to a friend of mine, and giving the room a little switch-a-roo gave my nesting buzz its fill.
My sister turned 24 this week and I actually found time to switch gears and go into crafting mode! I made a quick birthday card for her...not another hour long masterpiece but I would say I shaved off a good hour on this one. Fun times! Here's the card:

It's always nice to give a handmade card! Especially one that she really liked and actually was impressed that it wasn't store bought. Now that could just be the nice thing to express when receiving a card but I'll take it! Ha Ha.    I love the colors on this card...Blackberry Bliss as the card base with  Whisper White to stamp on, Midnight Muse and Crushed Curry for the stamping on the inside of the card. On the outside I used a cool stamp called Vivid Vases. I started out by using black ink on the stamp and then I colored in the vases different colors with Stampin' Write Markers. This is becoming a favorite technique for me. Stamping an outline then coloring in the design. It brings back memories of coloring back in the day. Don't you ever get the urge to buy a box of crayons and a coloring book?!  Oh, just the smell of opening a brand new box of crayons could bring happy tears to my eyes. Back to school shopping..when I go near the crayons and markers...well school supplies period-this Mama Bear could go hog wild!

So, I've gone a little crafting crazy and I also made two cards today! Wow, this Mama Bear is going craft crazy, right?! At the church my Mom and Granny attend they are celebrating two baptisms so I created two "idea cards" for my Granny so she can make a couple for the two men getting baptized. I realized making a masculine card is not easy. Well, not easy when the majority of my stamps are kind of girly...you know flowers, cute birds, and girly script. So, I was thinking out of the box when I put together these two cards. The Hubby Bear said they looked good so I'll share them.
Here they are:

On this card I used a lovely new card base color called Mossy Meadow and my all time favorite Baked Sugar for the inside. The stamp is actually not a Stampin Up stamp- But it was one that my Granny wanted to use on the cards so I used it. :)

This card is made with a Tangelo Twist card base and I used wash tape on the outside to add a little pizzazz to the card. The washi tape is called Watercolor Wonder. I think I may be in love with wash tape! There is so much you can do with it!! Fun times.

Well, that's all this Mama Bear has to share today. I hope everyone reading has a happy and blessed weekend! This has been a fun week for me. We'll see if the boy cub decides to arrive this coming week! I'll keep you posted.

Blessings
Mama Bear, out!!

Getting Back With the Program

Wow, I feel like I've been gone forever!! I have been so tired lately. I guess the last stage of pregnancy is hitting me hard. This baby boy cub is busy and we anticipate his arrival in the coming weeks-unles he decides to arrive early...which is fine by me!
I have not crafted in so long. My nesting has taken over in the last few weeks and I have become an organizing and cleaning machine. Needless to say after a day of cleaning and organizing this Mama Bear is exhausted! So, much for busy crafting hands after a day of cleaning like mad. I must look like a wild woman to my husband when I get going on a project. I feel like after our girl cubs birthday I settled into a rhythm of work, nest, rest. And a major joy for me...crafting has taken the back burner! What in the world? How is that possible? Pregnancy did it! And the excitement of the soon arrival of our little boy cub. But today I set aside an hour...which turned into an hour and a half of crafting a card. ONE CARD took an hour and a half. One moment I sat down and had an idea in my mind the next I looked up and realized two things one my card was pretty cool and second it took an hour and a half to make one card!! I guess that's my cue to get back into my crafting rhythm. Especially, since I am planning on doing another class toward the end of September. Like the title of this post it's time to Get With The Program.
Here's my hour and a half card...haha.

And the inside:

This one took a while because I stamped the flowers then colored them in with Stampin Up Markers and the final step was cutting the flowers out. I enjoyed making this card. I used some new Designer Series Paper that I just ordered called Gold Soiree- which I have to admit I am in love with this double sided paper. I used the stamp sets Work of Art and Bloom with Hope. These stamp sets are great and leave you open to create different cards using the same set. Oh, the possibilities.
Well, this Mama Bear is tuckered out! Hey, I just spent an hour and a half on one card! haha. I must admit it was fun crafting again. I hope to post again this week...and make another card. Maybe this one will only take an hour.
Love and Blessings
Mama Bear out!