Christmas Cards

Here are some of the Christmas cards that I offered in my
Christmas Stamp a Stack class. I had much fun designing these cards,
and the ladies had much fun making them!

Susan Bruyn

Shaving Cream Sympathy

I needed to make a sympathy card for a friend - I decided to use one of my pieces of shaving cream-designed cardstock. This one used the colors Really Rust, More Mustard, and Close to Cocoa. I like how it turned out.

Have a great week.

Susan Bruyn

Card fun

I've been busy creating cards lately. The first two cards use die cuts and coordinating die-cut paper from the Holiday Collection Stampin' Kit that Stampin' Up! and Country Living is offering. The kit comes with paper, stamps, chipboard die cuts, designer papers, inks, and even the ribbon and glitter to add glitz to your card. It is easy and fun to make great projects!!

I love the delightful freedom of this card. The stamp set I used, "Flight of the Butterfly" captures the youthful innocence of butterflies in flight!

I'm having a lot of fun lately with the technique "shaving cream." I learned it a few years ago, when I first began selling Stampin' Up!, and I brought it out for a class this past week. Last night, some friends and I had some messy fun 'playing.' I came up with this card - the reinker colors we used were old olive, mellow moss, and baroque burgundy. What a pleasing combination.

I hope you have a great weekend enjoying all that life has to offer!

Susan Bruyn

The Great Pumpkin

I'm making Christmas cards for an upcoming class, and really like how this one turned out! My customer liked it too - she saw it and ordered the set "Cardinal Christmas!" I've used our lovely real red textured cardstock, and then layered that on sahara sand. I stamped the cardinal on vellum, and then colored it in with markers on the back. It gives a nice gentle look to the card, when you layer the vellum on white cardstock.

Now, on to the Great Pumpkin!! We went to a garden centre to buy some pumpkins and some straw bales. We found not one, but two huge pumpkins! Each one weighed in at over 650 pounds! The gentleman had such fun helping us pose on them with giant gourds!!

Enjoy your weekend!
Susan Bruyn

Inspired Cards

I am inspired when a card turns out well. I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like framing a card when I feel it has turned out well. This card is one such card. I've used the set "Christ is Born," as well as Baroque Motifs, and the Sizzix Top Notz die. The ribbon is the Riding Hood Red Taffeta, and there is a bit of glitter. Cardstock is Mellow Moss, Brushed Gold, and Whisper white, with mellow moss, gold, and riding hood red ink.

I had some fun with the poinsettia. I inked it in Riding Hood Red, and then wiped off the centre area and added More Mustard with the marker. I then took Bravo Burgundy and inked one edge of each petal. I took my finger and gently swiped along the bravo burgundy, which blended the colors somewhat. I really like the smudged effect - it looks quite blended.

Here's another fun card. I originally made this as a small booklet. I am going to use this card in a swap at Stampin' Up!'s Edmonton Regionals this weekend. I enjoy the whimsey of the falling leaves! The kiwi kiss ink mixed with the tangerine and chocolate really blend together well.

I was in Camrose this weekend, visiting my mother for Thanksgiving. We took her dog for a walk around the little 'lake', and found these ducks swimming among the reeds. What a peaceful, colorful scene. Take care, and have a great day!

Susan Bruyn

Fantastic Fall!

I have been really enjoying the fall foliage this autumn! We didn't have a huge frost or heavy wind for quite some time, so the fall leaf display has been spectacular!
I regularly have a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators over, for "Care & Share" night (the first Thursday of each month). I gave a challenge this month. We used a die cut leaf from the Sizzix Big Shot machine, and made a tag. My sample had a tag where I masked the leaf, and sponged around it.

Most of the ladies copied my idea, and masked the leaf. Jenn did something totally different! She wanted to use the new "Season of Friendship" stamp set from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini catalogue! I just love what Jenn came up with!!

Here are some of the other samples of what people created. I love it when we use the same basic supplies and come up with different end results. Inks used were Old Olive, Really Rust, and More Mustard. We used the new Belle Toile background stamp. The letters were the Sizzix "Naturally Serif" decorative strip die. Papers were very vanilla and chocolate chip, and we added hemp, large eyelets, and brown ribbon if desired.

Here is a great fall photo that I took along a cemetery walkway near Confederation Park, here in Calgary. Enjoy those fall colors - they won't last long!! Take care, and have a great day!
Susan Bruyn

Oh Those Snowflakes!

I got my new felt flurries from Stampin' Up! and had to use them right away! I also used snowflake dies with the Sizzix Big Shot machine. The large snowflake has been cut out of felt! I am enjoying the many different ways I can use the Big Shot with my scrapbooking!

I adhered the red felt flurries with mini glue dots. The large felt sonwflake was attached to the decorated cardstock with an ice circle rhinestone brad. I then attached the 'arms' of the snowflake with sticky strip.

I used the following sets and colors (all Stampin' Up!) - cardstock: basic black, whisper white, baja breeze, kiwi kiss, and riding hood red; - inks: kiwi kiss, baja breeze, always artichoke, and staz-on black; - sets: snow swirled, holy triptych, and priceless; sizzix dies: - snowflakes set #2, snowflake #2, go go boots, and top note (all dies are found in the holiday mini catalogue).

Now I have my wintery page and my snowflakes - I'm all ready for winter!
Take care,

Susan Bruyn

I am Thankful

Here is a special autumn page that showcases my family and my home! They truly have helped make my house a home, and they enrich my life every day!

I love getting layout inspiration from different sources. This layout concept came from the new Stampin' Up! catalogue, page 106 (Fall/Winter 08). I often look in the catalogue for ideas - even color ideas (check out the colors for Hawaii Papaya on page 169 - look familiar?). I really like our new silhouette stamp selection, and had fun using the sets Inspired by Nature and Pocket Silhouettes on this layout, as well as the Jumbo Outline and Short Order alphabets. A bit of vellum, some punches, brads, and a library clip finished the page nicely.

Tomorrow, my children have no school. We plan to take them to a Corn Maze north of Calgary. It should be lots of fun!

Until then, take care, and Happy Stamping!

Susan Bruyn

Back to School

The children returned to school yesterday! The house is so quiet without them around.

I designed this scrapbook page for my calendar class - can you guess which month it is for? Stampin' Up! has some great products, which help me create wonderful pages and projects. I enjoy teaching scrapbooking and cardmaking, and will feature more samples on this blog.

This page was created using real red, old olive, and sahara sand cardstock, with Summer Picnic designer paper. I used the Sizzix Bigz alphabet die set for the letters, and the large tag punch for the tags. Jumbo eyelets, ribbon, and a chipboard frame complete the ensemble.

Thanks for checking out my blog and my page. Have a great day! Susan Bruyn

Summer Adventures

My husband takes us to the nicest places! We had such fun exploring the Crowsnest Pass area! I'm glad we went last weekend, as I've heard it snowed this weekend - yes, snow in August! That's Alberta for you!

The kids had fun climbing the rocks at the Frank Slide. I managed to get Timmy and Juliana to pose for me on a huge rock at the highway's edge.

My family are an important part of my life! We love to have adventures together! We went for a boat ride on Cameron Lake, near Waterton. I was in the bow of the boat and took some photos by pointing the camera behind me. You never know what you will get when you do that - I love how this one turned out! That's Timmy in the front, with Jon-Jacob right behind him. You can barely see Juliana to JJ's left. My husband James is the one at the end doing all the paddling!!

Tomorrow, my children return to school!! JJ will be in Grade 6 this year, Timmy will be in Grade 4, and Juliana will enter Grade 2. Today, I am washing all their uniforms, and making sure everything is ready! Tomorrow, I get to drive them to school and take those 'first-day' photos! I have the scrapbook page all ready for the photos - I'll show you tomorrow! Susan Bruyn

Happy Birthday, Sally!

My friend Sally M, had a very special birthday, which called for a very special card! Of course, it needed to be handmade. Since I just got my new Big Shot die-cut machine from Stampin' Up! (available for sale in October), I made some special fabric flowers for the card! Sally was thrilled to get this card at her surprise birthday party!
Susan Bruyn - August 27/08

Lovely spring irises from my friend's lovely garden.

Susan