12 Days of Christmas: Rustic Holiday Decoration – Step by Step Photo Tutorial

12 Days of Christmas: Rustic Holiday Decoration – Step by Step Photo Tutorial

If anyone is looking for a rustic holiday decoration, I have just the thing for you! I did these easy jute covered balloon balls and they turned out so awesome. Below you can see my step by step process from start to finish. This idea has me thinking in all kinds of creative directions using string art to decorate for the holidays. I may have to make more! In the meantime check out my picture tutorial and follow along today.

 

First I gathered all the supplies I needed. (See photo above)
Water Balloons, Scissors, Paint brush, Mod Podge, and Jute.
I also used rubber gloves and a tupperware container that are not pictured.

 

I blew up the balloons to be mini balls, and then I added the Mod Podge to the tupperware container.

 

I proceeded to dunk the jute into the mod podge and then wrap it around the balloon using my rubber gloves for protection.

 

 

I wrapped about 20 times.

 

 

Then I used the paint brush to reinforce the mod podge to the jute.

 

I let it dry for 24 hours.

 

 

Once it was all dry, I popped the balloon and removed it from the middle of the ball.

 

 

 

The jute stayed in place!! Woohoo!! I then used a tweezer to get any extra mod podge out of the gaps and make the ball look cleaner.

 

 

 

I added an ornament hook to the ball and hung it on my tree!

 

 

Nursery Sneak Peek!

Nursery Sneak Peek!

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


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.

It’s All in the Details: Crochet Wedding Flowers

It’s All in the Details: Crochet Wedding Flowers

When planning a wedding, one of the very first things you consider is the type of wedding you want and the budget to go along with your dream. It isn’t always easy to have those two things come together seamlessly unless you have all the resources available without the concern of finances. That’s why DIY (or do-it-yourself) is a great way to cut costs and bring some of those wedding expenses down – and dreams to life – using your own creativity. Be aware – there’s a cost to that too, just not always in dollars.

It Starts With YES!

When Nate proposed, we were in Amsterdam, Netherlands on a high – figuratively not literally. (read about it here) Excited from the thrill of getting engaged on this European trip, planning a wedding in that moment was not on the forefront of our minds. We hadn’t even chosen a date for our wedding until weeks following our engagement. I am such a planner, so I needed time to organize our wedding with guests from overseas, so we decided on March 17, 2018, St. Patrick’s Day. This was the perfect day to have our Pakistani/Irish fusion wedding. I wanted the Pakistani features and Nate is Irish, so he wanted to incorporate some Irish elements into our special day.

Looking a year ahead gave us much needed time to sort out details for this fusion wedding and put finances on paper. Thankfully, our parents were able to help, but how much would this all cost?

We visited vendors which was exciting and full of promise. Yet, when we started to talk dollars and cents, we began to realize that we needed to scale down considerably on some of our “wants.”  Our budget was limited. One of the more shocking realizations was finding out that for flowers; personal flowers such as bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages along with centerpiece arrangements and other floral décor, would cost over $2000 USD. As much as I LOVE fresh flowers, spending $2000 on that one detail was out of the question.

Famous Last Words

Ideas began to formulate. I knew I wanted to incorporate elements of crochet into my wedding, and the more I considered it, the more it made sense for me to make all of the flowers. I knew it would be a lofty goal. Hand crocheting 200+ flowers for all my floral elements, as well as 200 place card meal flowers, was no easy task. But spending $2000 on bouquets and arrangement fresh flowers, which will wilt and be discarded was hard to contemplate. I could save a huge chunk of money if I did these myself. So, it was decided almost a year ahead of time, I would crochet the flowers. I had plenty of time, right?

I think I remember vaguely in the fog of my over-zealous wedding-muddled mind, Nate saying to me,

“Are you sure you want to do that? I don’t want you to get too stressed out…..” Brides and stress? Phfft…

Oh, how prophetic that conversation would be.

My flip response was something on the lines of,

“No worries, I won’t get stressed. It’s a year away. I have plenty of time.” Eye-roll please…

The Best Laid Plans…

Eleven months in advance may seem like plenty of time to take on a project like this. That is if you have NOTHING to do BUT this. I started out pretty well. I decided on using Red Heart Yarns Aunt Lydia’s Thread in the colors of my bridesmaids’ dresses for their bouquets and a throw bouquet. I would pair the groomsmen’s boutonnieres in coordinating colors. My bouquet would be shades of red and Nate would have a matching flower to mine. I could get a jump start on place card flowers once I decided on the coinciding meal. I would crochet similar coordinating flowers to use for my table centerpieces. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Puhll-eeaaazzze…I got this!

I mapped out the year. I could crochet three flowers a day which would put me on a course to finish in plenty of time for the wedding. It would give me an ample time-frame to make bouquets, plan those centerpieces, decide on any other arrangements, and color code all the seating place cards. The only thing is, I had to stay on task. One missed day meant the next day I had to make six flowers. One missed week meant making 21 flowers to catch up. Do you get my drift? Don’t even ask what it required to catch up on a lost month. There are no words…

(If you are looking for a tutorial on how to make these flowers, click here)

Fast forward to six weeks before the wedding and my fingers felt like they were falling off due to the insane flower making schedule I had going on. Every plan and deadline shot to hell. I even sliced my hand with that tiny 1mm crochet hook I was using! Haha! I remember at 2 a.m one morning, my eyes going crossed and mind delirious, thinking up curse words while miscounting my stitches, and repeating over and over that I will NEVER crochet with thread or make another flower in MY LIFE ever again. I must have asked myself a hundred times…WHY!? Why did I decide to do this?!

Honestly….This is why….

This Is What Dreams Are Made Of

I am such a detail person. It comes from my mama. And just like my mama, I believe those tiny details matter. Every single one of these details mattered to me. I would not have done it otherwise. Looking back, I know I complained, I may have even cried, but the results of all the hard work and late nights paid off. Each detail, each flower, each element came together in perfect harmony on our wedding day and it was so worth it! So, so worth it! Details, details, details….

The bouquets I designed consisted of 12-14 crochet flowers in the final assembly. I accented the burst of color using gold beads, gold tulle, gold ribbon, and gold jewels to wrap the handle of the bouquet holders I chose. I crocheted roses for my bridal bouquet and crocheted an assortment of handmade flowers for the bridesmaids and the throw bouquet. My sister-in-law/maid-of-honor and I still have the scars from the blisters burned on our hands from the hot glue! Bouquet assembly was not easy!

Each boutonniere consisted of a coordinating crocheted single flower attached to a stem and leaf. For Nate’s two younger brother’s, I created a trio of crocheted small flowers as an alternate look since they were our ushers and groomsmen! Even our little ring bearer had his own!


The wrist corsages for my mom and Nate’s Grandma were a single flower crocheted in gold thread and fastened to gold glitter elastic wrist bands.

Each centerpiece was a combination of Moroccan Lanterns alternating with floating candles on opposite tables. Small votive candles accented each table, along with the gold framed table number we added Salal Lemon Leaf and Evergreen Huckleberry for a splash of deep green on our black table cloth linens. I accented the leaves with a combination of three crochet flowers on one side and an accent flower on the opposite side of the arrangement for a splash of crochet color and balance.

For the last table detail, we added small place card holders that were tiny replicas of brass oil lamps. Each name card was paired with a tiny crochet flower detail indicating the meal choice of each guest and inserted into the place card holder. I had four meal options, and each option had a color coordinated flower that matched the meal choice of each guest. Each place card was printed with our guests’ names, and I attached a tiny flower on the end with a gold brad using a paper hole-punch. This tiny, but impressive, element was a huge hit with our guests!

 

It Doesn’t Stop There

Aside from the details that adorned our tables, we had a couple other crochet specifics that I incorporated into our wedding day. Since it was a Pakistani/Irish Fusion wedding a few live flower arrangements had elements of plants indigenous to Ireland. Bells of Ireland mixed with Fringe Cups, Burdock, Thistle, Ladies Mantle, Clover and an assortment of other greens decorated our reception room. I decided to add crochet Calla Lilies to this greenery mix! I found an amazing pattern by Happy Patty and purchased it from her Etsy Shop! I fell in love with these Irish fused greenery arrangements even more with this added detail. Bittersweet Florist was fun to work with and loved the idea of adding crochet Callas. They had never seen crochet lilies before!

It may seem like an overwhelming amount of crochet flowers and crochet elements added to the wedding day. I did not want it to look like too many crocheted components pulled together, hoping it appeared as attractive as imagined when I started on this project.  When we put it all together, it wasn’t at all over the top or too much. It was just the right amount. I even added the Henna Inspired Mandala as a table top cover in our reception area. I used it under some Huckleberry leaves to accent our seating chart table. Subtle yet lovely…a tiny splash of crochet color made it just the perfect element to add in this one spot.

It’s All in the Details

It took a lot of planning, but that’s my thing. I love planning, and details can make all the difference. Like I mentioned, I am a detail oriented person and being a bride didn’t change any of this. In fact, it amped it up! Just be careful not to get caught up in too many little things. It can suck you in!  Doing all these crochet elements made this uniquely my own. It was such a wonderful feeling that I made each of these details come to life with crochet.

In the end, each guest had a small crochet take-away aside from their wedding favor. My bridesmaids, men of honor, groomsmen, ring bearer, and family, each had their flowers to have as a keepsake from our special day. One lucky guest caught the Throw Bouquet! Even the centerpiece flowers became souvenirs for some guests. We could not ask for more! This is what every bride should feel. I accomplished this incredible feat and brought a lot of joy not only to myself but to each guest who attended our wedding. It truly mattered in showing each person who attended how special they are and how much it meant to us that they were to celebrate our love.

In the end, I crocheted 140 centerpiece flowers, 70 bouquet flowers, 19 boutonniere flowers, 3 wrist corsages, 200 place card flowers, as well as the Calla Lilies to accent the greenery arrangement, the Henna Inspired Mandala and lastly, I did make each of my girls a special wedding shawl which I will share in a separate blog. I did this work all in the months leading up to our wedding. It wasn’t easy, but it was so very special. I saved more than $1,500.00 USD by doing this myself.

Do-It-Yourself: Lovely But Not Easy

My advice for anyone planning to take on the task of DIY projects for your wedding would be to plan it out, give yourself plenty of time to tackle a project of this magnitude, know the commitment you are making because it can overwhelm you, and it is ok to get frustrated. Just don’t take on a project that consumes you to the point that you lose the joy in the reason you started this in the first place. With the right frame of mind, in the end, you will have a wedding that has the special added touches that make it your unique day with elements that are talked about for years! Always remember: This is YOUR special day do what feels right for YOU. Have fun and enjoy it all!

Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make wedding flowers:

A special thank you to the following:

Our amazing parents for supporting us and making all our dreams come true.

Our entire wedding party for helping us through this whole journey and being the best wedding party ever!!

All of our guests, you are so special to us, and we were so happy to celebrate our special day with each and every one of you!

Cook Photograph Company for the wonderful photos (See more of our wedding photos on their Facebook Page here)

Bittersweet Floral for the lovely Irish greens added to our reception hall

Nite Lights Entertainment for the AH-MAZING Music, Lighting, and Photo Booth! That was the best party I have ever been to!!

The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern for such a great venue to celebrate our wedding at! Everything was so elegant and regal.

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!! ~Nadia

 

Crochet Tutorial: Geometric Arrow Coasters

Crochet Tutorial: Geometric Arrow Coasters

Need a creative yet quick and easy gift idea for Father’s Day? These Geometric Arrow Coasters are just the project for you!! Whip this set up in an afternoon. Perfectly paired with a great mug or any beverage glasses, these coasters are a nice way to show Dad how much you care. An accent for the home and a great way help protect the tabletop.

These coasters can be made for anyone, anytime! Make these for your own home or as a gift for anyone!! Change colors to match decor. They really are a nice touch to a dinner party or table setting!


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Follow along with this video tutorial to make these coasters:

 

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**You can always contact me via Facebook if you have any problems with the pattern. I am happy to help if you have any questions along the way.
***These patterns are copyright YARNutopia © so PLEASE DO NOT COPY, SHARE, ADJUST OR RESELL MY PATTERN. I wrote and tested this pattern myself, from beginning to end. It took a lot of time and work, and I would really like to have it remain “my pattern.”
***You can sell anything you make from my patterns, please just link back to my website YARNutopia.com. Thank you!Teacher: Nadia Fuad
Video and Editing: Fuad Azmat (My Daddy)
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Pattern
:

“Designed by Nadia Fuad
You *may* sell items made from my pattern, but please reference my website YARNutopia.com.
Please do not copy, sell, and/or post this pattern and claim it as your own.

Materials:
***Click here to get the whole KIT!!***

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Buff
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Soft Navy
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Carrot
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Redwood
G6-4.25mm Crochet Hook
Yarn Needle
Scissors


Shop Red Heart, America's Favorite Yarn

You can buy any of the items in this kit. Buy all or buy one item. Check it out to see the supplies you can get online to make this project!

NOTES:

-This project uses less than 40 yards of yarn.
-Use a smaller hook to make these smaller
-Use a bigger hook to make these bigger
-Watch the FULL video tutorial for visual instructions for each row and tips on how to make this smaller and bigger.
-Weave in all the ends as you go so you don’t have to weave them all in at the very end.
-If the instructions above are confusing, please message me on Facebook, and I will answer any questions you may have. Please be specific in your questions. Thank you!!
-The measurements for these coasters are 4 inches
-Use this awesome guide to learn Graph Pattern Designs
-This pattern does not have a graph available. I just have the written instructions
-I recommend to drop the yarn in the back and not trail it under your stitches when changing color, you won’t see it under your stitches then. (See video tutorial for visual instructions)

Special stitches:
Ch(s): chain(s)
YO: Yarn Over
St(s): Stitch(es)
BLO: Back Loops Only
prev.: Previous
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: Single Crochet
SC2TOG: Single crochet decrease
HDC: Half Double Crochet

Pattern:

If you have any confusion or difficulty with reading this pattern, please watch the video tutorial to have visual instructions.

Coaster:

Ch 2
Row 1: With Blue, SC in 2nd Ch from hook, ch 1, turn. (1)

Row 2: With Blue, 3SC in 1st st, ch 1, turn. (3)

Row 3: With Blue, 2SC in 1st st, 1 SC in next st, 2 SC in last st, ch 1, turn. (5)

Row 4: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in next st, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (5)

Row 5: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, 3 SC in next st, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, Ch 1, turn. (7)

Row 6: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, 2 SC in next st, SC in next st, 2 SC in next st, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (9)

Row 7: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in next 5 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (9)

Row 8: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Carrot, SC in next st, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (9)

Row 9: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Carrot, 3 SC in next st, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (11)

Row 10: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Carrot, 2 SC in next st, SC in next st, 2 SC in next st, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (13)

Row 11: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Carrot, SC in next 5 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (13)

Row 12: With Blue, SC in 2 sts, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Carrot, 2 SC in next st, SC in next 3 st, 2 SC in next st, Change to Redwood, SC in 2 sts, Change to Blue, SC in last 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (15)
Continue to SC Down Side of Triangle Shape with Blue, and up the other side of the Triangle. (See video tutorial for visual instructions)
Fasten off, weave in all ends.

With Buff Working down the side of the triangle
Row 1: SC in 13 sts, Ch 1, turn. (13)
Row 2: SC2TOG, SC in each st until 2 sts remain, SC2TOG, ch 1, turn. (11)
Row 3-4 Repeat Row 2 until you have 7 sts left. Pull up loop and work the other side of the triangle with a new ball of yarn.

Other side of triangle:
Row 1: SC in 13 sts, Ch 1, turn. (13)
Row 2: SC2TOG, SC in each st until 2 sts remain, SC2TOG, ch 1, turn. (11)
Row 3-4 Repeat Row 2 until you have 7 sts left.
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Go back to other side and Continue to SC around entire coaster. Use Surface Crochet to outline each Triangular shape. (See video tutorial on how to do that)
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Enjoy!!
Shop Red Heart, America's Favorite Yarn

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!! ~Nadia

The yarn provided for this pattern is courtesy of Red Heart Yarns





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Crochet Tutorial: Seasonal Jar Covers

Crochet Tutorial: Seasonal Jar Covers

This is a very festive pattern that I made for Halloween. It’s the perfect project to repurpose some used jars and for the ultimate recycler, this is right up your alley. This is not just a Halloween project. It can be changed to fit any holiday or party. It’s great for gift giving too!

These jar covers can be made to fit any size jar. I show in the tutorial how to do that, as well in the written pattern. The versatility of this pattern makes it easy to adapt to any event! Fill the jars with candy, hot cocoa mix, cookie mix, tea bags, coffee, put a candle inside, hide your spare change, store pens/pencils inside, the possibilities are endless!

Jar Cozies
Follow along with this video tutorial to learn how to make these Jar Cozies:Pattern:

Designed by Nadia Fuad
Questions? Leave a comment!
You may sell items made from my pattern, but please reference my name and Etsy Shop (YARNutopia).
Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own.

Materials:
Red Heart Super Saver Scraps in any color of your choice (I used Bright orange)
Size H-5.00mm crochet hook
Black Felt
Tacky Glue or Fabric Glue
Yarn Needle
Scissors

NOTES:
-Work in continuous rounds
-View video to show how to cut out felt and glue to Jar Cover

Ch: chain
St: Stitch
Sl st: slip stitch
HDC: Half Double Crochet
BLO: Back Loop Only

with Orange, Ch 2
Rnd 1: HDC 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Rnd 2: HDC 2 in each st around (12)
Rnd 3: (HDC 2 in next st, HDC in next st) 6 times (18)
Rnd 4: (HDC 2 in next st, HDC in next 2 sts) 6 times (24)
(If your jar cozy is large enough to fit the circumference of the whole bottom of your jar, skip to Rnd 7)
Rnd 5: (HDC 2 in next st, HDC in next 3 sts) 6 times (30)
(If your jar cozy is large enough to fit the circumference of the whole bottom of your jar, skip to Rnd 7)
Rnd 6: (HDC 2 in next st, HDC in next 4 sts) 6 times (36)
Rnd 7: In the BLO, HDC in each st around.
Rnd 8-20
: HDC in each st around
(If your jar is shorter, fasten off at the length that you are satisfied with)
Fasten off, weave in ends.Enjoy!!***You can always contact me if you have any problems with the pattern. I am happy to help if you have any questions along the way.***These patterns are copyright YARNutopia © so PLEASE DO NOT COPY, SHARE, ADJUST OR RESELL MY PATTERN. I wrote and tested this pattern myself, from beginning to end. It took a lot of time and work, and I would really like to have it remain “my pattern.”***You can sell anything you make from my patterns, please just link back to my website YARNutopia.com. Thank you!

Teacher: Nadia Fuad
Video and Editing: Fuad Azmat (My Daddy)

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Shop Here

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Enjoy this video and subscribe to my channel on YouTube for more tutorials on how to crochet!
Leave a comment, and share with your friends!

Pumpkin Patch
~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!! ~Nadia