Mascot Bear Cards

It won’t be long before we start cheering on our favorite teams again this fall for football. If you’re a fan of sports, you’ll love this idea – mascot bear cards! Hi, I’m Maureen (A Little Mo Crafty) and I’m demonstrating a paper piecing project that is full of school spirit. Using a die set from Papertrey and the amazing CutCardStock colors, you can create any team you wish. Let’s look at how it comes together.

First, start with a selection of brown and cream papers. Depending on what color bears you want to make, you will want to cut several pieces in different shades. The browns I’ve used for these cards are: Cougar Natural 80lb., DCS Natural Twine, and DCS Vanilla Bean Brown.

Next, cut your mascot bear team colors! You’ll want to cut the coordinating letters as well, while you have the paper handy. Conveniently, all the letters in this set work for my project, but feel free to use other alpha dies you have available. I even used the U as an N for this bear!

I’m creating one for every Arizona team, so my colors are: Lessebo Sunset Orange, Basis Navy, Basis Burgundy, and Lessebo Cherry Red. Also, I’ve cut the t-shirts twice for each bear so I can swap out the trims of the shirts.

Furthermore, make cuts for your paw pads, noses and eyes. I’ve cut mine in an assortment of DCS Natural Twine, Classic Crest Solar White and Lessebo Pitch Black.

Now, dust the edges of your bear pieces with ink. Depending on the colors, I use either a brown or black for lighter papers and white for darker pieces. You can skip this step; however, it really adds to the dimension so it is worth the extra time.

From here it’s time to paper piece and glue all the cuts together. I’ve cut off the trims of the shirts and added them to the edges of the corresponding color for my teams. In addition, I recommend using a fine tip tweezer to place your pieces, like letters, eyes and collars.

Let’s discuss eyeball placement for a moment. Where you put the eyes on the bear determines the look you want your bear to have. In this example, I’ve shown 3 different widths. Ultimately, I’ve chosen to place my eyes close for maximum cuteness.

The next step is card assembly. I’ve chosen 3 different patterns to cut a smaller scallop frame as well as a coordinating larger frame to match the bear t-shirts. In addition, I’ve stamped a sentiment on Classic Crest Solar White, then mounted it on the coordinating color for each mascot bear.

As you adhere these to the front of your A2 card, consider using a small scrap piece of cardstock on the back of your mascot bear. Having this evens out the surface area, so your bear touches the background evenly.

Finally, add details to your bear as you desire! I’ve taken a white gel pen to add small highlights on the eyes and nose. Additionally, you could add freckles, fur spots and more. The only limit is imagination!

Which mascot bear is your favorite? I’m partial to the Arizona State one, of course – it’s my alma mater!

The great thing about CutCardStock is there are so many colors you can choose from that will coordinate exactly with the team you support. What will you make with this idea? Let me know in the comments – and thanks for joining me today.