The Bryan Family Sampler: Christmas Creations

This gives you a fuzzy idea of our Christmas card this year...

Due to my lack of planning and a tight schedule it's not quite what I had anticipated but it works :)

I did my first head swap in photoshop on Ben and Honey

When all was said and done, I ended up buying about 20 of these amaryllis kits.

I hope they're not like fruitcake and people smile and say "thank you" while inwardly they are thinking

"This will go straight to the garbage!"

I love them because of their huge, bright blooms in the dead of winter...so cheery!

I made a little tag trying to express that sentiment and then tied them up with baker's twine.

Most of them were teacher gifts...

...Ben alone has 11 teachers :)

This isn't Christmas, but it's something I did the other day and I love how they turned out...

The secretary in the primary and I got together and made around 70 of these little chocolate scriptures as part of the kids' birthday presents for the coming year.

Every year as my neighbor gift, I make an ornament.

This year, in November, I was scouring Pinterest and found several beautiful hand painted spoons. I knew I couldn't duplicate the art but I loved the idea of spoons!

My mom helped me deplete the local thrift store of their supply and she willingly shared her camping utensil box with me. All together, we ended up with over 80 spoons.

I toyed with different ideas, mainly vinyl cut with my silhouette but finally landed on mod podging free, vintage pictures from online.

First, I painted the spoon white and let it dry. Then, I mod podged the picture and let that dry. Next, I bent the handle back...some were super easy and others not so much. Only one was broken in the process :) Then I put glue all around the edge of the spoon and sprinkled epsom salt on. It gave it a fun sparkly, snowy look. Finally, I glued a bow on and a ribbon with which to hang them.

Here they are taking turns drying the hanging ribbon on my dowel.

I stamped plain index cards and cut a slit in them to put the spoon through and put them in cellophane bags. I love how they turned out...definitely one of my favorite ornaments I've made.

Here is my earliest batch all ready to be taken to an ornament exchange I participate in every year.

It is always so fun to see what everyone ends up making.

My other favorite creation this year was a mini quilt.

Thankfully it came together quickly since I was late getting started on it.

I love the colors and prints on the fabrics!

They make me think of a nordic Christmas :)

I had the intention of straight line quilting it but very quickly ended up realizing that is a skill I need to work on...didn't look to great :( So I unpicked, because what would a sewing project be without a little unpicking :) and ended up with something else...