Dashing through the Snow?

Juliana thought it would be so cute to have the dog pull the bunnies in her sleigh! Thus, we have 'Dashing through the 'snow' in a four-pawed open sleigh!!' Mojo looks like she's not sure what she is supposed to be doing! I love the expression on her face! Maybe we should take them outside for a quick spin around the alley!

Speaking of snow, I created this fun snow card for a special class! It showcases some of the special items from Stampin' Up!'s holiday mini catalogue, and was a lot of fun to make!! I love how the snowflakes peek out from within the windows!

I came across some pieces from a previous project, and created these fun cards! The tree is embossed with white on glossy paper. I then did the polished stone technique around the tree (dip a cotton ball in some rubbing alcohol, and drop a few drops from some water-based stamp reinkers on the cotton ball. Dab it all over the glossy paper for a unique effect. I used two colours - mellow moss and always artichoke. I love the finished card! Add some retired paper, some distressing, a bit of ribbon, and some rhinestones for a truly unique effect!

I'm off to finish a few Christmas presents, and then make cookies with my kids. We found some lovely gluten-free shortbread cookies that are easy to make and taste delicious! See you later,
Susan Bruyn

A Birthday Cake for Daddy

James had his birthday on Monday. He mentioned to his brother that he would likely not get a cake for his birthday. Juliana and I had other plans!! She took a sugar cookie mix and made it in her Easy Bake Oven! Then she made icing, decorated it, and helped me find candles to suit the occasion! She even made some beeswax candles for the occasion!

How proud she was to present a very personal cake to her daddy for his birthday! Happy Birthday James!!

We have finally had some lovely warm weather! Here is a page to suit these final remaining lazy days of summer!! I am having a garage sale tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday (Feb 20, 21, 9:30 to 4:00), here at my place with some friends. I made some of my older calendar pages into kits - this one is similar to some that will be in the sale! Email me at sbruyn@telus.net for directions.

Take care and have a great day!!

Susan Bruyn

Summer Fun

Juliana and I had some fun making cards the other day! These two are some I came up with, using the "Build A Bear" Sizzix diecut form Stampin' Up! It is so fun to create bears - I get a different one each time!

Juliana created these two bears - she was excited to use four shirts with four pants for the boy, and four shirts with four skirts for the lady. Some glitter and gems completed the ensemble!  She was able to use hers right away, and sent them to her uncle and Oma in Ontario!

Here's Juliana with Mojo.  Mojo is enjoying her new summer 'do' after a visit to the hair trimmer.  Her coat is as soft as velvet, and a beautiful shade of grey-brown!  She is a lovely dog.

The kids all love her so much! JJ loves to cuddle with her too!  Mojo has really enriched our lives!

Take care, and have a great day!

Susan Bruyn

New cards and lovely flowers

I love making cards and projects with new supplies. I had a Stampin' Up! open house in early July. Here is a sample I made from some of the new colours and sets. This set is called Studio Sketches. I used our new Colour Chart to create this card. It showed me that Blushing Bride, Perfect Plum, and Sahara Sand make a great colour combination!!

For this card, I used the new set Artistic Etchings, as well as the Medallion and Perfect Punches! I had so much fun with our Smooch Spritz and the Newsprint paper. I love the result!!

Life is good, especially when hubby walks in with a vase of flowers. While we were away, there was a bad hailstorm in our neighborhood. Several of my flowers were knocked down. My sweet husband carefully cut them all and put them in a vase for me to enjoy!!

Aren't they just gorgeous! He is so thoughtful!

Take care, have a great day, and take time to enjoy the flowers!!

Susan Bruyn

A New Teenager

I have a new teenager now! Jon- Jacob turned 13 on Sunday! He is so pleased to be in this new phase of his life! I am so proud of my young man!

When we went camping a few weeks ago, we had an extra passenger! Mojo is our newest family member! She is a three-year old Yorkie/Pom. We just love her to bits!!

Timmy's teacher got married in June, right before the end of school.   I had so much fun making a 'Build a Bear" wedding card for him and his new bride.  Inside, the card reads, "Getting married means Sharing your Toys!"  Isn't that too true!

Have a great day, and enjoy your summer!!

Susan Bruyn

"It's a Guy Thing" and Busy Kids

I taught a class a few weeks ago. I titled it "It's a Guy Thing." We practiced stencilling on cards for men. I cut images from the Sizzix Big Shot and sponged around the negative images. My son found some camoflouge duct tape, and insisted that I use it on one card. I really like how these two cards turned out.

Juliana has had fun with my sewing machine. At Easter, she took a class at the local sewing store, and made herself this lovely jacket! She worked really hard, and learned a lot about sewing.

Here's the finished jacket! Didn't she do a lovely job!

The day before Mother's day, the children took me to the local toy store, where they made some fun Lego Roses - they look a lot like tulips to me! Timmy made two, so he could give one to Oma S. It was so nice of Lego to make this opportunity possible. The kids had so much fun, and were very pleased with their pretty flowers!

Take care, and have a great day! Susan Bruyn

Happy Birthday Juliana

My Juliana turned 9 today! She is such a cheerful girl, with a lovely personality! Her favorite birthday gift was a bicycle in her favorite colour - turquoise, of course! It doesn't matter that she cannot ride it until the ice melts. It is enough that she got a new bicycle!

We had a birthday party for Juliana, and invited the neighborhood girls. When I asked Juliana what she wanted to do for an activity, she said she wanted to do a drawing with the girls. Juliana then quickly sketched and colored this tulip with special pastels totally from memory (she had done this at school with her art teacher a few weeks ago). When the girls came, she helped each of them to make this drawing for themselves! Everyone enjoyed making a special drawing to take home! I am absolutely amazed and impressed with Juliana's art and teaching skills!

Our bunny Bits has just had a litter of young. The kids are so excited and cannot wait to see the baby bunnies. They will be one week old tomorrow. Bits is special to us, and especially to Juliana! She loves her bunny Bits. This page idea was taken from the Stampin' Up! main catalogue - I changed the colors, and love how the page turned out.

My friend's daughter was selected by her school to be a torchbearer for the 2010 Olympics! We were very privileged to have Danielle and her friend Taija come to our school to do a presentation and slide show of their experience. They and their school were chosen to be torchbearers, because they make a difference in the lives of others (they do a lot for the homeless in Calgary). We got to hold the torch and get our photo taken!! It was amazing to hold a piece of history, and I was inspired to hear the stories of these amazing young ladies. My prayer is that each of us can make a difference in the lives of those around us, and that our children will see and be inspired by these young leaders as well.

Take care, all, and have a great week! Susan Bruyn

God's Love Story

I've been asked to make a mini book with some children at our church. The theme is love. When I pondered what to include in this mini book, I thought of God's love, and how the story of the Bible is really God's love story.

 

God loves each of us so much, and actively shows that love for us.  He desires for us to spend time with Him, and make a difference in the lives around us, and show His love to others.

I wanted to share my book with you.  I hope it encourages and inspires you.

Take care, and have a great day!

Susan Bruyn

Timmy Turns Eleven

Happy Birthday to you, my Timmy! My Timmy turned 11 yesterday! We had a fun party to celebrate!

We had some friends over for a sleep-over, and we all went bowling! What a hoot!! I think only one of the children had bowled before! We had so much fun, with many laughs!

Timmy's Oma made him a fun quilt for his bedroom. Notice the all-boy colors! He was delighted, and slept with it right away!

Happy Birthday, my Eleven-Year Old Timmy!!

Crystal Lace

We woke up one morning to a crystal world!

Every tree branch was painted with a brush of ice crystals! It looked like fine lace.

I couldn't resist going out to explore this frosty, lacy wonderland!

Only in winter, can we see beauty like this!

I do enjoy viewing God's creation, and enjoying the little gifts He sends,

like crystal lace and winter wonders!

Truly, God's workmanship is incredible to see!

Have a great day! Susan Bruyn