How to: Create Decor Using Mod Podge

October 4, 2022 By Nadia Fuad in Crafts, Uncategorized Tags: 1 hour craft, boho, boho home, Crafts, crafty, decor, decoration, decoupage, diy, dollar tree, easy, fashion, halloween, holiday, home, home decor, how to, inexpensive, inspo, mod podge, one hour, pintrest, pintrest inspired, pumpkin, teach, tutorial, yarn, yarnutopia, you can do it 2 Comments

Hi Yarnutopians!

I hope your month is off to a great start! I love this time of year and all the festivities it brings.

October in Wisconsin has such a wonderful feel to it. The days start to get a bit shorter, colors start to change, and there is a crispness in the air that you feel when those temperatures begin to drop.

This month also brings “spooky season” upon us. If you are like me, you love this month because of Halloween. I love to decorate my home with all the fun and fantastic decor of the season. That is a breeze when you use Mod Podge to add some festive details to your plain items. Below, follow along with us as we demonstrate in photos how to take an ordinary tray that we purchased from the Dollar Tree and change it into a lovely decorative item for the season in a few simple steps! Let’s get started using Mod Podge to decoupage this tray!

Supplies needed:

Tray
Mod Podge (we used satin finish found here)
Scissor
Decorative Napkin
Paint brush or sponge
Paper towels

We start out with a simple plain tray we bought at the local Dollar Tree. This one is a brass-looking plastic tray approximately 14″ x 7″ (outside dimension).

Here we apply the Mod Podge generously to the inside of the tray that we plan to add our detail.

Be sure to cover the area completely with a thick layer of your Mod Podge. It doesn’t matter if it looks messy! It will dry clear and you can clean up the edges later!

On our tray we are going to use the artwork from this napkin we also found at our Dollar Tree. We loved the color combination and how festive it looked!

We opened the napkin and separated the two layers. We only used the layer that has the artwork. We carefully cut the napkin to fit the INNER dimension of our tray. This piece of the napkin will fit perfectly in the bottom of our piece.

Once you have your napkin cut and ready to place, you must carefully place it in the center of the tray using great care to not have to move it around to get best placement. The napkin is very thin and can tear so be CAREFUL! Trust me, it’s worth it!

Once you have your napkin art carefully placed and centered, you can begin to gently apply a layer of Mod Podge over the top of the napkin.

Be generous with your Mod Podge as to create a nice layer over the top of the napkin. This WILL dry clear and give a nice finish to your final piece. Once you have applied a nice layer of Mod Podge, use a flat item to smooth the surface to eliminate any bubbling or rippling. We used a lid from a plastic jar. We glided it gently over the napkin’s surface.

Once the surface was smooth (there will be a few wrinkles but this will give a cool weathered look), be sure to take a paper towel and clean up any excess Mod Podge around the napkin. We also used a sharp knife to gently remove any excess fibers or messy edges.

Once the item is to your liking, let dry overnight.

The napkin no longer looks like a NAPKIN! Instead as you see in the photo, it looks as if it is part of this tray or painted on! The photo doesn’t do this justice! It is just lovely!

Once you have your tray finished and dried, you can use it to decorate your home for the season! This is perfect for any time of the year!

So now you know just how easy it can be to transform a simple item into a decorative piece fitting for any holiday! AND on a budget! Minus the Mod Podge, this project cost $2.50! You can’t beat that! Make yours today and be sure to tag us in your posts! We can’t wait to see what you create!
Until next time!

Happy Hooking & More!

Fuad, Shannon, & Nadia

This post contains affiliate links, which I may be compensated for when you make a purchase. That means if you click on any link and buy from the linked websites, I will receive a small percentage of the value of your order. The amount you pay is not changed. Thank you for all your support in clicking the links in my blog!! You all are so amazing!!

St. Jude’s & Dollar General Holiday Decorating Challenge Collab

December 9, 2019 By Nadia Fuad in Blog Posts, Crafts, home decor Tags: basic, budget, christmas, christmas craft, crafting, Crafts, dollar, free pattern, general, handmade, holiday, holiday challenge, holiday craft, holidays on a budget, hospital, how to, how to crochet, learn, pattern, shopping challenge, st. judes hospital, stitch, teach, video, video tutorial, yarn, yarnie, yarnutopia Leave a comment

I was approached by St. Jude’s Hospital, and was invited to participate in a collab with The Dollar General for a Holiday Decorating Challenge. I was thrilled to be involved in such a unique activity that benefits such a great cause!

Giving Back this Holiday

As many of you know, St. Jude’s Hospital is forefront in treating childhood cancer, and you can help by heading to a Dollar General store this season and support the Thanks and Giving Campaign each time you shop and make a donation at the checkout! Below, you will see the challenge that was presented and find out how we met this task! It was a lot of creative fun!

The challenge we were given: Create a holiday table-scape, entry way, mantle, or DIY holiday craft on a $25.00(usd) budget and all purchases must be made at a Dollar General store.

BRING. IT. ON!

I love a test like this, and I love doing home décor DIY on a shoestring! So, this invitation was met with a lot of excitement to see what we could come up with.

Let’s get it started

I solicited the help of my mom to create some fantastic ideas that anyone can make for their home this holiday. We put together two different ensembles. One table centerpiece and one buffet tabletop arrangement. I share with you a few photos of the supplies and steps taken to assemble these decorations. I spent around $20.00 on each arrangement using the same items in each – plus or minus a piece or two that I purchased and added to embellish each specific arrangement.

This shows the versatility of my purchases that you are able to use them in years to come. By adding a few different details, you can create a completely new look!! My only other additions were things I found in nature such as sticks, branches, or greenery from our pine tree and no additional cost was added by these additions. I also used four small votive glasses to hold the mini candles in that I already had in my own cupboard.

Our first holiday-scape: A table centerpiece

Let’s see how this all came together! First the photos below were a series of my purchases. There are several Dollar General Stores near where my parents live in Rural Wisconsin. I also have one Dollar General Store near me. We collaborated purchases from three different Dollar General Stores. Most of the stores have identical inventory, but we did find a few fun new inventory in each as well. So, if you have more than one Dollar General near you, check them all out for variety, and don’t forget to donate to St. Jude’s Hospital at each checkout. Here are the supplies purchased and worked with to make our decorations:

When I made my purchases, I did so with a variety of possibilities in mind. However, after my arrangements were created, some of my purchases were NOT used and I did NOT include these in my final budget.

Once I had all my items purchased, I began to put pieces together to build a nice table-scape. I started with creating some height for my piece, by taking my purchased poster board and made tall cones. I used gold spray paint to prime the trees and some green tissue paper to create some texture. These original conical trees I kept green for my first centerpiece.

I created height and length to my table using the cone trees and sticks as well as adding some flameless candlelight to create some warm ambiance. This beautiful arrangement really brings a holiday tabletop to life! It is so inviting!

Here is the breakdown on cost for this table centerpiece:

The cone shaped trees:
$1.50 for poster board
$3.00 for metallic paint
$1.00 for tissue paper
$1.00 for star ornaments

Centerpiece props included
$2.00 two sets of 2 tealights @ $1 each
$2.00 two candle rings @ $1 each
$1.00 modgepodge for paper mache
$3.00 green/white garland
$5.00 faerie lights
$1.00 pine cones

Things I had already:
Sticks
Clear votive cups (4)

Total: $20.50

Our Second Arrangement: A holiday tabletop-scape

I used my homemade “trees” and I later used my gold spray paint to cover the green tissue paper and to add more metallic gold to my second arrangement. I added some jewel embellishments to turn my green trees into beautiful jeweled gold trees. I was so happy with this result. In this second arrangement we cut some pine boughs from our outdoor pine tree and built the arrangement with this beautiful greenery that cost us nothing!

I also took an old empty salsa jar to make a vase! Way to re-purpose! I also added some red elastic string to add some shiny detail. I again used my spray paint to paint a fun branch I used to bring a focal point to my arrangement. I love how this turned out!

Below you can view the finished ensemble

Here is the price breakdown on arrangement #2:

The tablescape on the buffet:
$1.50 Poster board for cones
$3.00 Metallic Gold Paint
$1.00 Star Ornaments
$1.00 Tissue Paper to create texture
$2.00 Pearl details for tree @ $1 per pack
$2.00 Crystal Jewel details for tree @ $1 per pack

$1.00 for elastic red string – I used one spool
$5.00 one strand of faerie lights
$2.00 two sets of two tealights for $1.00 each
$3.00 box of red ornaments
$1.00 box of pinecones

Things I had to build arrangement
Pine branches for greenery
Sticks – spray painted gold
votive cups (4)

Total: $22.50

As you can see demonstrated by the above, you can create a lovely holiday decoration on a budget and make a striking statement without a major investment. There was even room in our budget for more if I wanted to expand or add any additional items to embellish these beautiful decorations.

I want to thank St. Jude’s hospital and Dollar General for the opportunity to be included in this activity. I had so much fun participating and doing this for such a good cause. This holiday please support important causes. Give back and give thanks at this time of the year and always.

Nursery Sneak Peek!

April 24, 2019 By Nadia Fuad in baby, Blog Posts, home decor Tags: amazon, art, babies, baby, bed, bedding, bedroom, black white, black white gray, blue, boho, boho baby, boho nursery, child, children, colorful, Crafts, crafty, crib, crochet, crocheted, crocheting, decor, decorate, decoration, decorator, gray, hobby lobby, infant, interior, interior decorating, kid, kids, nursery, ottoman, paint, pinterest, pinterest inspired, sleep, sleeping, wall art, wall hanging, wayfair, yarnutopia 14 Comments

Here’s a look at our baby’s nursery!! We’re expecting his arrival in June 2019 and here’s his new room! It’s a work-in-progress, but this is how far we’ve gotten on his “crib” so far!!

We have a lot of decorations from Hobby Lobby as well as Wayfair and Amazon!

The sign “Welcome to my Crib” can be found here from Hobby Lobby

The Chevron Basket can be found here from Hobby Lobby

The Furry Rug can be found here from Amazon

The shelf holding the books can be found here from Hobby Lobby

The Cloud Hanging Rack can be found here from Hobby Lobby

The Sheep Ottoman can be found here from Target

The arrow wall hanging was found at Hobby Lobby, however, I am unable to share a link to that piece.

The dresser, changing table, and crib came as a set from Wayfair and it can be found here.

My New Craft Room

October 9, 2017 By Nadia Fuad in Blog Posts Tags: arts and crafts, basic, beginner, bought a house, boxes, build, built, color, colorful, colors, craft room, craft room diy, Crafts, crochet, crocheted, crocheting, decor, decoration, decorative, diy, exciting, exercise, fashion, fashion blogger, fashionable, filmings, free crochet pattern, free pattern, handmade, home, house, how to, how to crochet, idea, ideas, in home, interior, learn, new, new home, organization, organizer, organizing, paint, pattern, primer, red heart yarns, redo, remodel, room, room diy, sanctuary, stitch, storage, studio, teach, tutorial, unpacking, update, video, wall, wall unit, work, work area, yarn, yarn storage, yarnie, yarnutopia 28 Comments

When Nate and I bought our house this past July, one of the bedrooms was in pretty rough shape. It had a behemoth wall cabinet built around a bed that fit into the center. I remember Nate’s dad remarking that it looked like the drawers in a wall at a morgue, and my first thought was this thing had to go!

Behind the bed was exposed wall and mortar. We even discovered a small hole where we could see light from outside! We found little critter poo in the area behind where the previous owner had their bed. I had total heebie-jeebies following that discovery! The first step was to ensure that there were no openings to the outside where critters can enter, so my dad filled the cracks and holes both inside and out. That went a LONG way to giving me peace of mind!

Where to start?

The room was poorly painted in a funky celery green color that was dirtied with age, with patches of the former paint peeking through. Our first inclination was to tear everything out and gut that insanely HUGE cabinet. After careful consideration, we decided to repair everything, repaint the room a soft gray with white accents, and try to work with the massive shelving (that was actually very well constructed). The previous owner had built the cabinet by hand out of solid oak, so the quality and construction was excellent. We all felt it would be a shame to completely destroy it. But what to do??!

The idea of facing this DIY project was a bit daunting, yet, when we started to disassemble and remove the drawers my mom came up with the idea of using this as a yarn storage wall! That had me shifting into 5th gear with an excited, “YES, PLEASE!” So, Nate, myself, my mom, and dad reinvented this wall unit into a yarn storage and turned the bedroom into my new studio/craft-room! It’s a night and day difference, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

A little hard work never hurt anyone. It can however make me scream.

We started with the carpets. We rented a Rug Doctor and shampooed the carpets several times over. Once the floors dried, my dad removed the remaining drawers and hardware, leaving empty openings in their place. He measured and cut the wood for each “shelf” that needed a bottom. Then, we inserted each shelf into its cubicle and secured them with nails. We had 23 to reconstruct. I left two of the bottom drawers intact for notions, crochet hooks, and other supplies.

We decided then to paint the room. Since this room eventually will be my filming studio, I could only choose from white, cream, or gray paint so the lighting didn’t cast a strange color on my videos. So, I chose the soft gray with white trim. What should have been a simple paint job, was a disaster. One, we had to wash years of grime off the existing walls. Two, it took more than 3 coats of the light gray to cover the green color beneath. Three, I stepped off the ladder and the can of gray paint tipped over spilling and splashing paint EVERYWHERE all over the carpet! I screamed!! What a mess to clean up!! It took two full days to finish painting this small room. I still have a bit of trim to fix, paint, and replace, but overall it looks 100 times better than it did!

The Fun Part

Now the task of filling those compartments of my wall unit was next. My mom and I unpacked boxes upon boxes of yarn and began organizing them into colors. That took hours and hours! I think I went up and down the step ladder a hundred times that day. My legs were burning by the end! But what a difference it made! It transformed from being this massive thing with cold, empty caverns, into a wonderful warm, colorful work of art (haha!). My excitement just grew by leaps and bounds!

My dad and Nate repaired the back wall and constructed the table where I will be filming. They custom built the table for me to work and do my tutorials. They also added lighting fixtures to illuminate my work area. Once that was complete, my mom and I began to add personal touches to the room. The first thing to be hung on the wall was my Silver Play Button I was awarded from YouTube for surpassing 100,000 subscribers. One of the last pieces to be done was changing the ceiling fan into a hanging light fixture. We also accented with a black room darkening curtain so we can eliminate light coming through the window while filming. Soon the room began to truly come to life.

Finishing touches

Over the course of the past few weeks, I added a big comfy chair and additional artwork to the room. Most of the items are second hand or gifts that add to that personal charm to make this space my own. It is one of the coziest and happiest places in our new home. It is the perfect place for me to spend most of my time!

I am still transitioning between homes as I still live with my parents until our wedding. In 5 months, I will be getting married and will be moving ALL my yarn to our home permanently and those shelves will be full! YARNutopia will have a new home with a new beginning! I am excited to make these changes not just in my personal life, but in the life of our online community! Lots of exciting things to come and I am so happy to share this journey with all of you!

We still have to add some finishing touches. I will be keep you updated on more changes to come as well as posting about the day we film our first tutorial in my NEW studio!! Thank you for joining me and sharing this adventure!

Let me know stories of your own home DIY projects! Have you remodeled a room? Share in the comments section!

My dad will continue to be the videographer, editor, and photographer for our videos.
Support YARNutopia today so we can continue to bring you clear, quality crochet tutorials even after I move into my new home!
There will be an added expense of more travel and hopefully this won’t deter our ability to provide consistent videos on a weekly basis.

Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2016 By Nadia Fuad in Crochet Pattern, Crochet Projects, Video Tutorial Tags: animal, animalistic, basic, beast, beastmode, beasty, beauty and the beast, beauty and the beast costume, beauty and the beast crochet, beginner, belle, boots, castle, character, chevron, costume, costume idea, costumes, craft, Crafts, crafty, crochet, crochet tutorial, crocheted, crocheting, design, designer, diy, dress, dress up, dressy, fairy, fairytale, fashion, fashion blogger, flower, free crochet pattern, free pattern, fur, granny square, half circle, halloween, halloween costume, handmade, how to, how to crochet, idea, learn, lion, lion brand, lion brand yarnds, lion brand yarns, mini skirt, once upon a time, panels, pattern, play, pretend, prince, princes, princess, runway, skirt, skirts, stitch, tale, teach, tutorial, video, video tutorial, viral, werewolf, wolf, yarn, yarnie, yarns, yarnutopia 8 Comments

This blog is compiled to show the costumes I made for Nate and myself. You can find them all in one place rather than navigating through my blog to find each individual pattern. Here, I have them all in one spot for your convenience. You can click the links in the paragraphs before the photos or you can simply click the photos to view the video tutorials and written patterns for each individual piece for these costumes.

We start with the Beast Hat. It’s perfect not only for a costume (although, I will warn you, it is very warm, and won’t last long in a crowd of people), but also for cold days! It’s an easily adaptable and versatile pattern by changing colors and embellishments to make any animal-istic creature that you fancy!

Second, you will find the Beast Gloves here. With some simple modifications, you can take these very scary beast gloves and turn them into an easy pair of hand-warmers, just by omitting the finger portion of the pattern. These were made to enhance the crochet costume. Have fun with it!

Next up, by making a very simple chain, I was able to create this embroidery embellishment detail that I sewed onto the costume jacket. I first traced out the design in a chalk pencil, chained the length needed for each scroll design and sewed it on using a yarn needle. I added some lace and just pinned it inside the sleeves and on the collar.

Lastly, I made these simple foot coverings. These are a very basic flat panel using double crochet with an ankle cuff that wraps around the bottom of the leg. Once complete, I sewed fur through the stitches to give it a paw-like look that can be worn over shoes. (These do not have a written pattern or a video tutorial)

For the Princess costume, I created the shirt here. This is one of two pieces for the dress ensemble. I added tulle and embellished the outfit with medium sized flower roses that I used in my Floral Dream Crown tutorial.

The Princess Costume Skirt was the second piece I crocheted for this ensemble. As you will see in the pattern, you can make this as big or as small as you want it to be. This can modified to be made in a variety of princess dresses by changing colors or adding different embellishments.

Lastly, I added the Enchanted Rose Cape that can be found here as a finishing touch to this princess costume. This cape can also be modified into a poncho or a bridal cape.