Holiday party season is almost upon us, and we could not be more ready for it! Sparkly dresses, fancy work parties, time spent with family and friends celebrating the end of the year? Count us in. Topping the charts of our favorite things about holiday parties are the creative backdrops we’ve been seeing popping up in our social feeds. That’s why we’ve teamed up with NBC’s Making It, a new reality DIY competition series, to bring you a holiday party photo backdrop tutorial that is sure to make jaws drop. Get ready to learn how to hand knit a super fabulous and classy backdrop decked out with colorful pom-poms and tassels!
Let’s get crafty!
Materials and Tools:
Instructions:
For our backdrop, we used a 4×7-foot retail grid, which you can find at most office supply stores.
Begin by wrapping the tail of the roving over your right hand with the working yarn tucked underneath your hand, creating a loop.
Holding the tail in your left hand, pull the working yarn through the loop with your right hand, creating a simple slipknot.
This creates the base stitch of your woven braid that you will continue to pull the working yarn through to create the rest of your stitches. Thread the working yarn through your stitch just enough to create a new loop and pull it tight with the tail.
This may seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually super fun and a task that we all fight over at the office!
Keep feeding your working yarn through and creating new loops until you have enough to cover your grid. We kept the grid handy as we worked to see how much we needed to make. You got this!
When you’ve reached a good length, cut the working yarn.
Feed the now cut working yarn through your last loop and pull it tight, creating a secure knot. Ta-da! Now on to your next yarn creation.
If you haven’t used a pom-pom maker before, oh buddy, you are in for a treat! They make making pom-poms SO easy. To begin, make sure that both pieces of the maker are together. Pull out a pair of the arms on one side and wrap yarn around both arms until you’ve filled in the half moon shape, like above. Once it’s filled, snip the yarn and close the arms.
Repeat on the other set of arms, trim the end of the yarn and close the arms of the maker.
With all the arms closed, cut down the center of each side of the arms of the maker. You’re almost done!
Cut a separate piece of yarn and make a tight double knot through the center of the maker.
To free your new fringy friend, pull open both pairs of the arms and pull apart each side of the maker. Give your pom a little haircut to turn him into the perfect fuzzball or leave him shaggy for some extra texture. After you make a few more poms, you’ll be ready to make a garland.
Using your large needle, thread a long piece of yarn through the center of the pom-pom.
Thread the needle through your other pom-poms. Make a fun assortment of garlands in varying colors and lengths for your backdrop. Next up on the yarn decor front, tassels!
We are going to show you how to make three different types of tassels. The best thing about tassels is that once you have the basics, there are millions of ways you can jazz them up. Make ‘em chunky, make ‘em long, or make them teeny, tiny — they will all look cool in your backdrop.
First tassel, or you may call it a faux-tassel. Take an entire skein of yarn and wrap a separate piece of yarn tightly around it, about three inches from the top of the skein. Trim around the bottom of the tassel, creating a fringe-tastic look, while keeping the inside of the skein intact.
To make your next type of tassel, you’ll need to grab something flat, at least two feet long. You can really use anything — a plastic lid of a storage container, a wood block, or a piece of cardboard.
Pull the yarn off of the wood, keeping it in a large oval. Double knot a piece of yarn around the top of all the pieces of yarn. Pinch together the top of the yarn and wrap it with a separate piece to create the “neck” of the tassel. Trim the bottom and you are all set. You can make so many variations of this tassel, and that’s exactly what we did for our backdrop.
You can braid or twist the bottoms of the tassels. Try ‘em all out!
Start by weaving the knitted roving in and out of the grid. This does not need to be perfect by any means; just go with the flow!
We left some big loops and empty spaces to fill in in with roving that hasn’t been knit, pom-poms, and tassels.
To attach the tassels, thread the cable tie through the center of the top and secure it to the grid.
Look at the fun texture start to come together by weaving knit and un-knit roving through the grid.
Keep on adding pops of color until you cover your entire backdrop. Now you are all set to gear up for your party!
CHEERS to your super awesome new backdrop!
If you haven’t heard yet, make sure you stop by our annual Holiday House! While you’re there, head to Santa’s Workshop, sponsored by NBC’s Making It, where you can DIY and snap pics in front of this backdrop!
Show us your holiday party photo backdrops by tagging us on Instagram using the hashtag #iamcreative and #MakingIt.
This post was paid for by NBC.
Last year, some of us celebrated the holidays apart from our families for the first time. COVID has brought with it many changes, some of them arguably positive (like increased flexibility to work from home), some difficult (such as the realization of vastly different political and social views between family and friends), and some horrible (obviously, the health implications of a global pandemic). However, for some of us, celebrating the holidays without family members isn't exclusively due to COVID. In addition to so many of us living in different areas than our families of origin, some of us simply don't have close bonds with the people we grew up around. Sometimes, this can cause loneliness.
If you're not close with your family members, the holidays can be a difficult time. This is doubly true if you don't have a close circle of friends to call upon. But make no mistake, if this sounds like your situation, you're not alone — there are thousands of other people going through the same struggles you are. We sat down with Irad Eichler, founder of Circles, a website that connects people who are sharing similar struggles, like heartbreak, grief, or loneliness. Here are some of Eichler's tips for coping — and even thriving! — during the holiday season when you're not planning on spending it with your family, for one reason or another.
The first VERY important step to having a joyous holiday season when you're going it alone is to stop believing the narrative that others' family situations are perfect, Eichler says.
"Remember people only post a moment in time, and only the moments when they look their happiest and best."
In addition to the fact that everything you see on social media is curated for the 'gram, it's also important to remember that by focusing on what others have and you lack, you risk failing to see the great things at play in your own life.
"These holiday periods can become a time of focusing on who and what we don't have, rather than who or what we do, and can cause a negative spiral into depressing and dreadful feelings of inadequacy," says Eichler.
Gratitude is the reason for the season, after all. So instead of only seeing the negative, try some gratitude journal prompts to help you focus on what's actually really wonderful about your life right now.
While it may seem like everyone has friends and family to spend time with during the holiday season, that doesn't mean no one is available for deepening a blossoming relationship or new friendship.
"Make a list of people you can or would like to connect with, and try to reach out to at least one of them," advises Eichler.
Reaching out doesn't have to mean a big plan or an hour-long conversation. Even a quick text letting a friendly coworker know you're thinking about them can go a long way toward deepening the relationship and moving it in the direction of closer friendship.
Don't have an acquaintance in mind? Then it's time to make new acquaintances. What's more in line with the Christmas spirit than attending a Meetup or event full of people eager to make new friends?
"Join groups with similar interests to yours, such as hiking, baking, or games. Push your boundaries and be brave - you might find new people who have much in common with you."
The holiday season is a great time to focus on giving back to your community, and coincidentally, acts of generosity and kindness are known to reduce loneliness and help people feel happier. One study found that knowing a few of your neighbors and doing small acts of kindness for them — such as cheering them up, listening to them, mowing their lawn, providing advice about local business recommendations and job opportunities, and chatting over the fence — was statistically correlated with feeling less lonely and having a lower risk of depression.
Helping out elderly neighbors can be a particularly gratifying way to give back.
"Notice older lonely people in your neighborhood or community who might have no family at all, and offer to help them," says Eichler. "These can become mutually meaningful connections, and help you 'adopt' a grandparent."
Finally, use the Internet for its highest and best purpose: to connect people. Whether you're using Meetup to find in-person events, digital forums for having conversations about special interests, or programs like Circle for getting support from others in your situation, the opportunities to create new connections are practically endless.
"There are many interest groups that can be found digitally, where or any person can connect with others in the same life stage, going through the same challenges, or who would like to explore the same interests," Eichler states. "Meaningful connections can be formed easily in these circumstances. The Internet enables us to find and connect to people all over the world who fit this, and to whom we can become more easily attached, as we are able to find people with the exact interests that energize us."
If you're struggling with loneliness, you're not alone. Connect with our digital community of makers and creatives here at Brit+Co by following us on IG and signing up for our newsletter!
This post has been updated.
Zach Bryan and Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia's explosive breakup is everywhere right now. From his seemingly one-sided social media posts to all the bombshell revelations she keeps dropping, it's clear this split is NOT amicable. Both parties are dropping tons of lore, info, and everything in between — including new music?! — right now, so it makes sense if you can't keep up. Luckily, I'm here to help break this breakup down for you! Here's everything you need to know about Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry's relationship...or lack thereof.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
On October 22, 2024, after some recent speculation that Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry split up, Zach took to his Instagram stories. The country star said, "Addressing something: Brianna and me have broken up with [each other] and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I'll always thank her."
He continued, noting, "I have had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things. I thought it would be beneficial for both of us to go our different ways. I am not perfect and never will be. Please respect Brianna's privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too."
To wrap it all up, he closed by apologizing to his fans. He said, "With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself."
Brianna hopped on her own Instagram stories shortly there after. She posted, "Hey guys I'm feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately, when I'm ready I'll be back and ready to talk. I love you guys so much thank you for all of your kind words. Remember you are so loved and everything's always gonna be okay 🫶"
The Brianna got on Youtube next, posting a raw, emotional video about the situation. Sitting on the floor of her bathroom, she opened up as much as she could in the moment about her breakup. She said, "I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up and I had no idea that post was going up. He didn't text me, he didn't call me. I just woke up to a bunch of texts, like, 'Are you okay?'"
Brianna, with her teary eyes and red face, explained she's been crying for "five days straight." She said, "I'm at the point where it's like, how can you give someone everything and love them so unconditionally, like through stuff that you shouldn't because you just love them and you want them... like you see the good in them?"
The internet personality said that this is all "so embarrassing" and "really, really heartbreaking." She elaborated that the couple broke up on October 21, but wanted to process on her own and "didn't want it to be public."
Much like her Instagram story, she told her audience that she'll come back when she's ready.
Well, it appears this week, Brianna decided she's ready. On Barstool Sports' BFF's Pod November 7, 2024, Brianna gave an inside look at the breakup unlike any other. Not only did she claim Zach was abusive, but she also alleged that he offered her a $12 million NDA to "not talk about the relationship."
After saying it's been the hardest year of her life, she said. "I'm still scared right now because I'm scared of him. My brain's rewired and I'm scared to make him mad and last week, I didn't want to talk about it 'cause I was scared."
Brianna then described the alleged emotional abuse. She noted that everything was cyclical and that he would build her up only to break her back down again. "There was always another excuse as to why he was treating me so poorly and why I'm crying myself to sleep every night, why he's screaming at me," she said. "And then you wake up, it's the apology, it's the 'I'm going to be better like I need you in my life,' but if you've been through this — I don't expect people to understand emotional abuse if you haven't been through it. I hope you never have to go through it but if you've been there you know what I'm talking about."
Not only does Brianna allege she was offered an NDA, but she said that other women that came before her had to sign their own agreements. She declined the offer because she didn't want to "sign away [her] experiences and what [she] went through to protect someone that hurt [her]." She also wanted to share this experience for other women who've suffered something similar.
And when it comes to the logistics of losing out on the famous lifestyle and alleged $12 million? She said, "It was never about the money — I was with the dude because I loved the dude."
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
On November 8, 2024, Zach posted on Instagram — where he clearly loves to share all his big news — that not only is his new single "High Road" out today, but that he's also ending his tour early. Read his full statement here:
After not being home for a year and a half I drove out to my mothers gravestone in the dead of night a few days back on familiar Oklahoma roads and I came to realize just like in the past, that she never would call me again
Told her I quit touring because I got accepted to get my masters in Paris next year, I told her I was back in Oklahoma, told her about all my best friends in New York and all the nights we howled with the moon, told her about the immeasurable laughter my band and me have shared these last five years, all the calluses on my finger tips, every tear shed, told her about making it on The Rolling Stone and most importantly told her about porch swinging with my beautiful sister.
I wrote the chorus for this song a month or two back and finished it when I realized I was blessed with all these things.
I figured it was about time I released it.
Thank you guys for listening to ‘This Worlds a Giant’ last night and thank you to all the people who love me; who have truly carried the weight with me.
Seems that all these Quiet Dreams have gotten much too heavy but I’m home now and I’ll hold you through the pain.
High Road is out today and I appreciate all of you"
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