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    DIY Doily Honeycomb Decorations

    Brittany
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    DIY Doily Honeycomb Decorations

    DIY Paper Doily Honeycomb Decorations

    You might recall that we made these custom Honeycomb Christmas decorations from templates that we designed, but we wanted it to be a bit easier. Turns out, doilies are great because the shape is created for you and all you have to do is cut them down the middle and assemble. Plus, the doilies create that beautiful lace effect.

    The More You Know

    I had to do a bit of digging to find out more about what a doily is and why we have them. Turns out, the term doily came from the last name “Doily”, a London firm of linen merchants who made fringed napkins in the 1700’s. Then, from 1711, a doily was a small  ornamental napkin used at dessert. THEN, they were placed on the backs of chairs to protect them from the oil that men used on their hair. Nowadays, some people use them to protect surfaces of tables from decorative objects.

    Ok, so now that we know the history of doilies, let’s get to learning how to make these honeycomb decorations. I’m thinking they would be lovely to give as a Valentine or adorn a branch tree (you know we love a decorative tree!) or taking the place of a wreath.

    Here’s how to make it!

    DIY Honeycomb Valentine ornament

    Materials:

    • See above for where to get the doilies
    • Glue gun
    • Scissors or paper cutter

    Instructions: 

    1. Measure a line down the middle of the doily to create an axis of symmetry
    2. Cut doilies in half. If your doilies are heart-shaped and have different colors on each side (ours are white on the back) keep the right-sided halves separated from the left-sided ones. You will alternate gluing left and right sides of the heart.
    3. Glue a line down the middle of one half-doily (starting at the axis and moving to the edge.
    4. Place another doily on top. For heart-shaped doilies or ones with different colors on each side, glue the same colors together. The contrasting color/blank side will now be facing up.
    5. Glue two lines down the sides of the doily on the top of the stack.
    6. Place another doily on top, again gluing the same colors together.
    7. Carefully separate the layers where glue may have escaped to lower layers through the holes in the doily.
    8. Repeat steps 4-8 until the stack is tall enough to open up and wrap back around so that the first and last layers meet. This will be about 50 layers or 25 whole doilies.
    9. While pressing down the layers of doilies, glue a line down the spine of the stack and even it out with the warm tip of the glue gun. Make sure that all the layers are adhered together with this glue.
    10. Glue a loop of ribbon to the top of the spine.
    11. Fan open the ornament, carefully separating any layers that may still be stuck together, and glue the first and last layers together. You’re finished!

    Would love to see how you put them to use. What will you do with them? Tag us when you make yours with #LarsLovesLove #LarsMakes.

    Like these? You’ll also love these:

    Honeycomb Ornaments
    Lunch sack honeycomb decorations
    Printable honeycomb cards

    DIY Sparklers For New Year’s Eve

    Brittany
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    0
    DIY Sparklers For New Year’s Eve

    We’ve been busy sharing our favorite DIYs for a fun New Year’s Eve celebration, including paper crowns, 2021 glasses, and more from the Lars archives. Today we’re delving into a really fun project to add to these—some DIY sparklers!

    Maybe you’re not a fan of actual fireworks, or the thought of going outside in the chilly night air on New Year’s Eve is not appealing. Either way, this craft is for you. These sparklers require no fire, no lighters, no matches…nothing. Which makes it perfect for the whole family to enjoy, even your youngest kiddos!

    DIY Sparklers for New Year's Eve

    All you need to make your own DIY sparklers is some colorful cellophane and some wooden dowels. And like many of our projects, this one is reusable.

    DIY Sparklers

    Materials:

    Wooden dowels

    Cellophane: We used gold, but also love this iridescent option and this colorful set. You can also use ribbon or tissue paper.

    Scissors

    Hot Glue Gun

    Instructions:

    1. Cut three 12 inch by 5 inch strips of cellophane.

    2. Create a fringe effect with each strip by cutting parallel lines down the full strip, making sure never to cut all the way to the edge of your material.

    3. Once all 3 strips are fringed, take your dowel and begin gluing one strip on to the top of the dowel.. Starting on one side and twisting it around the skewer, adding a dab of glue when needed to keep it in place.

    5. Do that for each strand creating 3 tiered layers at the top of the skewer.

    6. Add 1 thin piece of cellophane around the bottom of the 3 tiers to add the finish touch!

    This projects also makes for great cake toppers! Or use them for your New Year’s Eve party centerpieces, drink stirrers, tablescape and more.

    New Year's Eve Cake Topper

    For more creative New Year’s ideas, check out our New Year’s Eve archives.

    Printable New Year’s Glasses

    Brittany
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    0
    Printable New Year’s Glasses

    This project pairs perfectly with our New Year’s Printable Crown. And just like that last project, this one is printable (though not reusable…unless you invent time travel or take a Sharpie and cross out the 1 at the end, I guess). These glasses are classic for any New Year’s Eve party and they work for even the biggest party-poopers who don’t want to get all glammed up for a photobooth.

    Did you know that New Year’s Eve Glasses have been around for 30 years? They were first popular because the numbers of the different years matched up perfectly with holes for the eyes. However, after 2009 ended, so did the era of New Year’s glasses with double zeros in the middle. Not to worry, though! Most places have found a creative workaround.

    We have three types of glasses: The folk, The Flower, The Cloud. You can select your favorite and go for it!

    The Flower

    Just a dash of floral, of course!

    The Cloud

    Cloud eyes with a rainbow nose bridge!

    The Folk

    These ones are my favorite! Love how wild they are!

    Printable New Year’s Glasses

    Materials

    Instructions

    1. Print off the templates
    2. Cut around the templates (it’s easier to cut out the inside of the glasses with a craft knife as opposed to scissors
    3. Attach the sides of the glasses with glue or tape

    Need some more New Year’s Eve ideas? Check out our archive here.

    New Year’s Star Crown
    New Year’s Invitations
    New Year’s Resolutions

    Printable New Year’s Crowns

    Brittany
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    Printable New Year’s Crowns

    NYE Party Accessories

    We’ve made New Year’s printable crowns in years past, and this year our crown is inspired by our wrapping paper. We’ve done a few in the past (see here and here) and they’re always a crowd favorite, so we thought we’d add to the group and fill it with all the craziness that this year has been–lots of patterns and colors, of course!

    Like every other holiday this year, New Year’s Eve is bound to look a little different. But you still deserve to get a little glitzed up, even if you’re lounging in sweats as you watch the ball drop (wait…has that been canceled?).

    Of course, the older I get (and the more kids I have), the more New Year’s Eve becomes just another night in, and I don’t usually make it to midnight. Still, I think 2021 needs a nice big welcome from humanity so we don’t get a repeat of this year…

    Printable New Year’s Eve Crowns

    These crowns are a cinch to put together. You could even leave out the paper and let everyone make their own! Could be part of the night!

    Materials

    Instructions

    1. There are 8 patterns in the PDF (here). Use two patterns per crown (or print off more to put the same pattern together. We recommend printing onto cardstock! Keeps them sturdy and reuseable! We designed them on 11×17″ paper so they could be big! If you don’t have that size for your home printer, we used our local print shop.
    2. Tape the two pieces from the inside and glue on the outside so you don’t see the seam.
    3. The tab is meant to be adjustable to the size of the head. Cut a slit where the head fits comfortably.
    4. Glue on poms for maximum effect.

    We’d love to see your crowns in action. Tag us with #LarsMakes or #HolidaysWithLars so we can see them!

    Other NYE Projects

    If you liked this project, you’ll love these ones:

    Galaxy paper crown tutorial is here (it’s got that vintage look we all love)
    Printable NYE crowns
    NYE party invitations
    DIY Star Crown

    Printable Cookie Box with Arlo’s Cookies

    Brittany
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    2
    Printable Cookie Box with Arlo’s Cookies

    These Christmas cookies might (might!) be too pretty to eat! I mean, can you even tell that they’re cookies?! Arlo’s Cookies is the BEST! She has an awesome holiday workshop happening right now. You can also find her Guide to Mixing Colors here. If I wasn’t such an inept baker, I’d be right there with you!

    We did a adorable Valentine’s Gift Box collaboration with Arlo’s back in February (doesn’t that seem like years ago?!).

    This year we are making a set of cookies inspired by our DIY mid-century nativity. We’re even launching a printable gift box to match the cookies which folds into a house shape. You can safely deliver these to your neighbor’s porches and spread some Christmas cheer!

    Printable Christmas Nativity Cookie Box

    This cookie box is awaiting to be made. Here’s how to do it!

    Materials:

    See above (the printable you can find here)

    Instructions:

    1. Cut out the template
    2. Cut in between the two pitched lines at the top of the house (see second photo on right. There’s a solid line indicating where that is).
    3. Start scoring all the dotted lines.
    4. Once the lines are scored, fold back all the lines.
    5. Start gluing the tabs to the walls.
    6. You can either glue the tops of the pitched gables in place or secure with a light double sided stick tape so that it can be opened by the receiver.

    Optional: Use a hole punch at the top for the tabs and secure with a ribbon!

    Head on over to our Shop to see more cute printables and templates!

    If you liked this project, you might like the following

    Make your own Holiday Nesting Dolls
    DIY Bottlebrush Christmas Trees
    Printable Santa Lucia crown

    This project was done in collaboration with Arlo’s Cookies,

    DIY Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tablescape

    Brittany
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    4
    DIY Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tablescape

    We’ve loved using Anagram for other balloon projects, like our DIY Jingle Bell Balloons for Christmas, and more recently, our Halloween Ghost Installation. 

    Balloon projects are awesome because they don’t require a ton of skill (although they can be time-consuming depending on how big you go) but they always look impressive and joyful! They’re one of those projects that are hard to mess up. I am very excited to share this balloon installation because it has just as much impact, but needs significantly less time than our past balloon projects!

    The theme for this project is…(drumroll please)…The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! If you’ve been a Lars reader for a while, you might recognize this project from four years ago. I love using the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a theme for Thanksgiving day parties. It’s so fun and makes for a clever twist on the normal turkeys and leaves everywhere this time of year. I am all for traditions, but this might be the perfect year to replace your mom’s ancient fall tablecloth with this unique theme (though I love that too!)

    Bring The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade To Your Own Feast

    As soon as the realization hit me that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will not be the same this year, I immediately knew this was the year this project needed to be revamped. We still don’t know all the details for the actual parade, but like everything else this in 2020, it’s sure to be different. We do know that nobody will be watching the parade in person, including New Yorkers, but for most of us that doesn’t change that we can watch the parade on TV. Luckily my panicked googling confirmed at least that much. 

    My one consolation is that I can bring the parade to my very own Thanksgiving party this year! We partnered with Anagram to make this Thanksgiving theme bigger and better than ever. This year, create an entire balloon installation with the directions below. We even included printable versions of the cityscape to make your decorating as simple as possible, without sacrificing the wow factor.

    How To Make Your Own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tablescape

    Materials:

    Instructions:
    1. Figure out how long your table is and how much you want to fill of it with cityscape. One copy of our printable cityscape should fill about 3’.
    2. Cut out the buildings and attach them to foam core.
    3. Cut out the buildings with a craft knife.
    4. Use glasses to prop up the city scape (or make your own stands by creating a wing attached to each one)
    5. Blow up your balloons with a pump and seal shut. 
    6. Attach them to a balloon stick and then attach to the backs of the city scape with tape
    7. Set your table! We included these printable taxi cab place cards to complete the look.

    For our table, we used plates from Knot and Bow, cups from Knot and Bow, napkins from Oh Happy Day. 

    Creating this wonderful balloon centerpiece for your Thanksgiving holiday will bring some much-needed cheer. Plus, like all our balloon projects, you can reuse them every year! This balloon installation would go wonderfully with our Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Printables.

    This post is sponsored by Anagram. We love our sponsors who allow us to create beautiful original content!

     

    Virtual Workshop + Giveaway With Hello!Lucky

    Brittany
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    Virtual Workshop + Giveaway With Hello!Lucky

    Since our big move, all of our schedules have been thrown off a little. It doesn’t help that I am still losing everything (thanks pregnancy brain!) Jasper has been the most affected by the move though. It’s a big change for my little boo! It has helped to get back our sense of normalcy by taking any chance I can to spend some time with Jasper, doing something he is familiar with.

    One of Jasper’s favorite activities is reading and, of course, that makes me so happy. Recently I shared “What Children’s Books I am Reading to my Toddler Right Now” and I am happy to share our latest find with you today! It is the perfect addition to your kid’s book collection just in time for Thanksgiving.

    My friends at Hello!Lucky – a women-owned and fun shop in San Francisco – offer the most amazing letterpress cards, stationery, and more recently, children’s books! I have read many of them with Jasper and he LOVES them.

    With their bold style and side-splitting humor, Hello!Lucky is excited to introduce their latest picture book that’s all about gratitude. Thanks A Ton! 

    Thanks a Ton! Is a pun-derful picture book celebrating gratitude! Offering tons of ideas for how to say “thanks” when words just aren’t enough. Written and illustrated by Eunice and Sabrina Moyle from Hello!Lucky. Eunice and Sabrina have created over 15 children’s books selling more than 1 million copies. Their books support children’s social and emotional development, and let them (and their parents) know that they are amazing exactly as they are. Their titles include My Mom is Magical! (my personal favorite ;), a book celebrating moms,  Kindness Rules!, a book about kindness, Thanks a Ton!, a book about gratitude, and I Believe in You, a book about unconditional love. A full list of their amazing books can be found here.

    And! Hello!Lucky will donate $5 for every copy of Thanks a Ton! purchased on raredevice.com to Love For Our Elders, a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring joy into the lives of the elderly and you guessed it, writing letters to them is one of those ways!

    Enter to Win a Copy of Our Picture Hope Coloring Book + A Copy of Thanks A Ton!

    We are jumping on board with Hello!Lucky in the name of gratitude and hope this season. So, we are excited to announce we now offer hardcopies of our Picture Hope Coloring Book!

    Picture Hope: The Social Distancing Coloring Book, is a compilation of coloring pages designed by 64 of your favorite artists from around the world. It is meant to lift spirits and calm anxious minds with its bold message of hope. Each artist has contributed a drawing of what hope means to them along with a few of their own words. The pages are designed for all skill levels and ages, kids and adults. It’s a perfect activity for staying at home and practicing mindfulness and meditation while filling in your hope through color. The profits of the book go to seasonal charities, which are announced here. Through downloads of Picture Hope, over $8000 has already donated!

    The idea is that the artists provide the blank canvas and YOU add the hope through color. And you know what? It works! I can’t even tell you the goose bumps I got while I was working on it! COVID-19 has indeed changed so much of our routine, yet in the confusion and uncertainty we’ve also witnessed countless moments of compassion and the strength of the human spirit.

    I’ve spent my career developing The House That Lars Built, whose mission is to encourage people to make things with their hands. We believe that the act of making has the power to heal and improve your well-being. The goal of this book is the same and it’s needed now more than ever. Coloring is a simple yet profound act that allows for meditation and mindfulness and this coloring book is even more profound because of the many voices of support behind it.

    A new version of Picture Hope is available now!

    Up until now, Picture Hope has only been available for download to be printed at home. We have been working hard (read: months!) to create this physical copy, so that you can order it totally ready to color! This version is also ideal to gift to others this season. Click here to order your hardcopy of Picture Hope!

    This high-quality coloring book includes varying levels of intricacy keeping you inspired to color! There are plenty of beautiful motifs to choose from: including botanicals, flowers, animals, cities, people, decorative, quotes. We designed this book for every skill level and age to enjoy! Each page is it’s own unique art piece from one of the 64 contributing artists. 

    For the next month, ALL proceeds from the Picture Hope Coloring Book go to the nonprofit Love For Our Elders. This comforting nonprofit fights loneliness with love in senior communities and has spread to over 70 countries, all 50 states, and hundreds of schools. Keep reading for more info about the impact of this nonprofit! 

    How to Enter Our Giveaway

    Enter to win your own copy of Picture Hope + Hello!Lucky’s best-selling latest picture book, Thanks A Ton!

    To enter, head to our Instagram post here to let us know what you’re grateful for in the comments below, and join the virtual THANKS A TON launch event on November 14th. The winner will be announced live. Click here to RSVP for the virtual event!

    Write Gratitude Letters With Us At Our Virtual Party With Hello!Lucky

    I (Brittany!) will be hosting this event along with Eunice & Sabrina Moyle founders of Hello!Lucky, Jacob Cramer founder of Love For Our Elders, and Giselle Gyalzen owner of Rare Device.

    Letters are especially wonderful during times when physical barriers are keeping us apart. A hand-written and a handmade card is a thoughtful, personal expression of care and kindness and can keep us connected to those we love, and to help everyone feel like they matter. During this event we want to share ways your family can help more people receive hand-written letters and cards during the Thanksgiving season.

    Our virtual event will take place on Saturday November 14th at 11 am PST. During this event you will have access to these exclusive free printables created by Hello!Lucky and The House That Lars Built – including printable gratitude cards and a template for a fun DIY card! Download the free printables here and print them out to get ready for the event!

    What will happen during the virtual event?

    I will be leading a DIY craft tutorial that your whole family can recreate this Thanksgiving season. Plus I will share some of my top tips for holiday card making!

    During this event you will also learn more about Love For Our Elders, the charity that proceeds from Picture Hope and Thanks a Ton! will be donated to. The founder of this nonprofit, Jacob Kramer, will be joining the event to share stories of the people your gratitude letters and donations can affect. He will also share tips on how your family can write to people who need it this season!

    There will also be a live reading of Thanks a Ton! so this is a virtual event the entire family can log on for. RSVP here and make it a family activity.

    At this time we will also announce the winner of our giveaway! (Details above.) 

    RSVP here for a creative afternoon full of conversation and crafts on Saturday November 14th at 11 am PST.  All ages welcome! 

     

    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    Brittany
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    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    Part of why I enjoy birthdays so much is because they’re an opportunity to do what you really want to do. If that means skydiving, go for it! It’s your birthday. If that means staying inside and watching The Holiday, 10 Things I Hate About You, or Roman Holiday on repeat, go for it! If that means eating a decadent cake that is not diet-friendly, by all means, go for it! Diets and I are have never been friendly anyways… 

    At the moment, a huge bash might have to wait. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate!! Now more than ever we all deserve a chance to party. These printable birthday suites are the perfect solution when you want fun decoration without too much fuss. Since releasing our original printable birthday party decor, we have been dreaming up even more unique themes. Whether you are planning your own party, a dinner for your quarantine buddy, or baby’s first birthday, pick out the perfect printable suite below!

    Rainbow Birthday Party

    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    Of course we started with a rainbow theme, and this one works for all ages! This rainbow birthday theme can go as many directions as there are colors in the rainbow. Planning for your miracle child? Plan a rainbow baby party! Your mom is turning 50? Ditch the dark “over the hill” cards and plan an “over the rainbow” party instead! We can

    This Rainbow Party Decor Suite includes an invitation, bracelets for party favors, a birthday crown, and more! Check out the full printable suite here.

    Lemon Birthday Party

    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    The fun colors of the birthday suite printables make for the perfect theme, whether your birthday feels sweet or sour! The rest of the decor comes easily once you’ve got a theme down! In fact, we have a few other DIY projects from days past that would be darling with the birthday suite. This lemon wreath is one that stands out in my mind. Or, plop some freshly sliced citrus in the middle of the table for a citrusy centerpiece like we did here! And the colors of our original balloon kit have the perfect fruity feel!

    This Lemon Party Decor Suite includes a banner, straw toppers, party hats, and more! Check out the full printable suite here.

    Garden Party Decor

    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    Another thing that comes much easier when your party has a theme is planning the menu. Thanks, theme! When paired with this printable garden party decor, fruity desserts are always a hit. I went through a popsicle phase a few years back and wrote about three I loved: lemon creme, pineapple pink lemonade, and berry lemonade! These are perfect for when you want a treat but don’t want to turn the oven on. Who said every birthday party HAS to have a cake? 

    We designed these themed set for a dreamy summer outdoor party (it doesn’t even have to be a birthday party, an excuse for a party is good excuse.) However, as we head into winter I am starting to daydream up an indoor garden party. Hear me out — paper flower garlands and greenery turning the living room into a summery dream. Sounds like just the thing for seasonal depression, right??

    This Garden Party Decor Suite includes an invitation, name tags, cake toppers, and more! Check out the full printable suite here.

    Animal Menagerie Party

    Printable Birthday Party Decor

    This is our most classic birthday set, a colorful circus of animals! I cannot wait to use this one for a first birthday party for baby boy #2. For this party we also added some DIY felt pennants that can be customized for the birthday kid. Pssst, level up your party EVEN MORE with a simple balloon installation kit.

    This Animal Menagerie Party Decor Suite includes party hats, bunting, an invitation, and more! Check out the full printable suite here.

    Whether or not you love your birthdays, make this one special! Take time to decorate extravagantly (and easily) with a little help from your friend, Lars. Then do exactly what you want to do. Go to the grocery store and just buy snacks and flowers. Dance obnoxiously to Motown classics. Dress up in a formal gown and don’t bother styling your hair. Plan a fabulous meal for yourself and make someone else cook it/buy it. Eat ice cream straight out of the carton. I won’t tell. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

    Head to our Shop for even more printable birthday party decor and gift ideas! And you can find all of our Birthday DIY projects here. 

    DIY Classic Halloween Face Masks

    Brittany
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    0
    DIY Classic Halloween Face Masks

    Easy DIY Halloween Face Masks

    Even if you’re putting on a costume to hang out at home and watch the Sanderson sisters’ hijinks, our DIY Halloween Face Masks Tutorial will scratch that creative itch. And, as everyone knows, I don’t believe costumes are just for one night in October. Where’s the fun in that? Yep, you can reuse these masks for playtime, too (or for wearing when you leave your house for the first time in months to take out the trash and you don’t want your neighbors to see you…).

    One note: I already LOVED Portland Garment Factory’s plain cotton face masks, because I’ve found them to be the best shape for breathability–you don’t suck the fabric in and out! So, working with them on this project was really a practical choice. And a bonus that you can have so much fun with them!

    How to Make DIY Halloween Face Masks

    You will need:

    • Scissors
    • Face paint for the areas around the eyes
    • Sewing machine + thread to match the mask fabric
    • OR plain cotton face masks (again, we used the Artst set from Portland Garment Factory)
    • Iron + ironing board

    Classic Halloween Face Masks

    We chose some classic Halloween costume ideas to show just how easy to is to transform the iconic into a practical face mask/costume. You can choose from a jack-o-lantern, mummy, a Day of the Dead skeleton. 

    Jack-O-Lantern Mask

    Materials
    Instructions:
    1. Sew your orange face mask
    2. Trace your template onto the mask
    3. You can see that I first was going to embroidery it, but I decided to paint it (easier and faster!). However you’d like to do it!
    4. Sew or glue the ric rac into the face mask (don’t you love how it mimics the mouth?!?!)

    Mummy

    This DIY Mummy costume requires no toilet paper, so don’t worry about making a dent in your 2020 stash. 

    Materials
    • Plain muslin mask (from Portland Factory’s Artist pack)
    • Cheese cloth
    • Muslin fabric
    • Quarter inch cotton lace
    • Stretchy white netting
    • Gold and tan ribbon
    • Earl Grey Tea
    • Hot glue
    • Pins
    • Gold Thread
    • Metallic Gold Thread
    Instructions
      1. Cut muslin fabric into a 8 by 8 inch square.
      2. Tear strips of muslin fabric into varying strips of ½ inch to 1 inch.
      3. Cut sections of cheese cloth into similar sized strips
      4. Fill a bowl with hot water and brew four tea bags.
      5. Submerge the strips of fabric in the tea, dying them until desired color is reached.
      6. Remove strips and rinse, the color will lighten slightly after rinsed and dried.
      7. Leave strips to dry, you can speed the process with a hairdryer and straightener on a low setting.
      8. Trim along the long edge of the gold ribbon and fray the edge. Cut into similar length sections.
      9. Cut the stretchy netting into three strips and form into a thin braid.
      10. Layer the fabric strips and ribbons in a criss-cross pattern across the mask. Use the pins to keep them in place.
      11. Trim excess fabric around the mask.
      12. Layer by layer hot glue each strip onto the mask and on to each other.
      13. Lightly hot glue the braid along the bottom of the mask.
      14. Sketch a scarab beetle onto a 1 by 1 inch piece of muslin fabric.
      15. Using the gold thread embroider along the pattern. Use metallic thread as an accent.
      16. Hot glue four strips to the back of the mask to serve as ties for the mask.

    Ok, this picture I just thought was funny. I’m about 7 months pregnant and clearly my dresses aren’t wrapping around right now.

    Need More Ideas?

    Need some more Halloween costume ideas? Well you’ve come to the right place! Check out our Halloween archive for tons of DIY costume, party, and decor ideas. 

    How to win this year’s Halloween costume contest
    7 Artsy and Iconic Halloween Costume Ideas
    Our Favorite Face Masks

    6 Ways to Celebrate Halloween while Social Distancing

    Brittany
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    1
    6 Ways to Celebrate Halloween while Social Distancing

    Have you heard about the Ohio dad who invented a candy chute for a contactless way to get candy right into kid’s trick or treating buckets this year? I love it! Since then I’ve heard talk of slingshots, catapults, and some even crazier ideas on how to make trick or treating happen this October. Not gonna lie, my wheels have been turning too. We have made it this long adjusting our daily lives for this virus, and now as we are about to hit all the major holidays I can’t help but wonder how many traditions will need to be thrown out the window this year. Of course I am willing to do whatever is needed, and there are much bigger things to worry about. But I am grateful for the joy and hope that the holidays bring every year, and I am determined to not miss out on at least that part of the celebrations!

    One major thing I am looking forward to is, this year, the holidays will be more about family time than ever! No extravagant parties needed, I am looking forward to making the next few months just as exciting and fun with just my own household! My “quarantine crew” and I can still party hard. And at the very least, more leftover candy for me this year 😉

    If you’re hoping to make this Halloween something special, we’ve put together some amazing ideas you can throw together with your family. And even friends with some proper social distancing! All you need to get started is a printer and some scissors.

    How to celebrate Halloween while social distancing this year

    1. Throw a socially-distant Halloween party

    We’ve all missed out on lots of family and friend get-togethers this year. (Cross your fingers we’ll be back to normal by next Halloween!) Luckily, weather permitting, you can still have a fun outdoor Halloween Party if you’re creative (and we’re betting you definitely are if you’re reading this blog!) Even if you are sticking with just your immediate family members this year, go all out! Slip an invite under everyone’s door see whose costume impresses even your teenager. Halloween while social distancing can still be as festive as ever.

    Print off our ghoulish Halloween Invitations and customize them so everyone knows the lowdown (masks a must!) Decorate your trees with our fall garland (or maybe your trees are cloaked in fall colors already and don’t need any decoration). Add some twinkle lights to the trees and bushes for a bit of warmth.

    2. Eat a spooky (but tasty!) Halloween feast with family

    Remember our Halloween Feast? You can throw one with your immediate family. Use our Halloween Menu Printable to get started. These printable placecards can make each setting special, and complete it with that family member’s favorite candy!

    3. Put on a Halloween Parade

    Need a fun way to celebrate Halloween with your friends, but don’t want to get too close? How about a Halloween Parade in the neighborhood? Use any of our free costume ideas, including these easy iron-ons you can combine with items you probably have sitting around the house. I’d argue that the best part about Halloween right now is you can do it all while wearing a mask 😉

    4. Host a Halloween movie night

    Don’t have the energy or time for a party? Plan for a night in with your family, but make it memorable. If you’re getting tired of rewatching Hocus Pocus every year (if that’s possible) this could be a fun time to pull out a classic scary movie. The Birds, anyone? Eat out of our Halloween Candy Gift Boxes (you can fill them with popcorn, too!) After all, this is the year to trick or treat yo’self!

    5. Incorporate costumes into your at home learning

    For most of us this school year has become a modge-podge of online classes and homeschooling. If you’re already losing your motivation to keep at home learning going, don’t worry. If you don’t know what you’ll do when cold weather means you can’t keep ushering the kids outside for “nature class” – now is the perfect time to mix it up! One of my favorite ways to make learning super memorable is to have students dress up as the famous people they are studying!

    This happens in our Great Artists! kid’s course a bunch. Some of the daily activities include recreating famous art pieces in person, not just on paper! We also did this when we dresses up as famous artists themselves for Halloween one year. Mix Halloween traditions in with your at-home learning by challenging your kids to dress up as someone they are learning about. Print off these placemats, make a yummy Halloween themed meal, and see what figure from history shows up to the breakfast table!

    Plus for your younger children, they can join in on the fun too by dressing up as their favorite picture books! See what I mean here and here.

    6. Hold a Halloween porch decorating contest

    There’s nothing wrong with a little contest! In fact, since most sporting events got cancelled, I think we need a dose of healthy competition in our lives. You know we love to deck out our porches come Halloween. Use one of our printable designs to elevate your porch above the rest. 

    If you’re not sure how you will celebrate Halloween while social distancing this year, don’t be too hard on yourself! Everything about 2020 has been different than we thought it would. However, taking part in beloved traditions like celebrating Halloween can help!

    Click here to check out all of our printable Halloween resources, including the full Halloween Party Suite for a discounted price!

     

    DIY Summer Flower Garland

    Brittany
    -
    1
    DIY Summer Flower Garland

    Collaboration leads to inspiration

    The inspiration for this particular garland came from two places: our wrapping paper products designed for Alexis Mattox Design, and a collab we did Chatbooks! The floral patterns we did with AMD were just so fun and punchy that we had to make a garland inspired by the wrapping paper. Chatbooks used some of those same wrapping paper designs as covers for their books. After seeing that, it occurred to me that I wanted to see these colors and flowers everywhere. Cue the crafting!

    This DIY Summer Flower Garland is the perfect decoration for all your summer soirees. And is pretty enough to keep up all year long! You’ll be happy to hear that the materials were pretty cheap too. It’s made with crepe paper and cardstock, and is totally customizable. You can change the colors by simply using a different color paper. If you do play with a new color scheme, send me pictures!! Color is my favorite.

    Where to put your paper flower garland

    The fun part about a garland is that it can go anywhere. Wreaths go on the front door, flower vases on tables, but garlands? They do it all. In our Flower & Leaf Garden E-Book, we put garlands over the backs of chairs, as table runners, wound around a staircase handle, hung over doorways, or delicately draped on walls. If you’re planning a wedding, think of how fun it would be to make a DIY Summer Flower Garland with friends! It would be beautiful hung over a trellis or fireplace or as a photo-wall backdrop.

    This project is great to work on with friends or alone! Heck, you could probably collab with a friend from afar! Mail each other your pieces to create one big DIY Summer Flower Garland!  If crafting is your cathartic alone time, this garland is perfect for you. Spread out over a few days, and soak up that creative time. Summer days are meant for crafting, am I right?

    More paper garlands for every season

    You can download the templates for each of these garlands (and more!) individually here or all of them together for a discount!

    DIY Summer Flower Garland

    Materials:
    • Crepe paper in green, cornflower blue, orange, white, and yellow
    • Cardstock in blue, pink, yellow, and white
    • Acrylic paint in coral, yellow, and blue
    • Wire flower stamens in red
    • 22 gauge cloth covered floral wire in 18″ lengths
    • Spool of 24 gauge florist wire
    • Hot glue gun
    • scissors
    • Templates
    Instructions:

    Full instructions can be found here!

    Once you’ve created all the individual flowers, begin to hot glue the elements onto the green floral wire. Mix in plenty of green crepe paper leaves. We made our garland about 6 feet long.

    DIY summer flower garland

    Photography by Anna Killian | Crafting by Ashley Isenhour and Rebecca Hansen

    Dyed Watermelon Blanket for National Picnic Month

    Brittany
    -
    9
    Dyed Watermelon Blanket for National Picnic Month

    DIY dyed watermelon blanket for National Picnic Month from The House that Lars Built

    National Picnic Month + Watermelon Day

    August is National Picnic Month, and Watermelon day happens to be in August too! August 3rd is the day to whip out those blankets, slice up some fruit, and head outdoors. Having an adorable (and on-theme) picnic blanket is the cherry-on-top for the perfect picnic.

    This fabric stated out as a tablecloth that we turned into a cozy picnic blanket! If you’re reminded of the Harry Styles video, just know this was our idea first 😉 It was planned with friends and family in mind, all having a good time out in the summer sun.

    This DIY watermelon picnic blanket is also the perfect size for social-distancing. Picnicking is one of the few acceptable social activities in big cities, and the perimeter of the blanket is a subtle reminder to stay 6 feet apart even while getting closer together. Just add some delicious food (like this watermelon limeade), outdoor games, and fun activities and you’re set!

    Watermelon Sugar High

    If you just can’t get enough of all things watermelon sugar, let me point you in the right direction. Obviously, there’s the song of the summer by Harry Styles for all you fangirls. We have a super cute tutorial on watermelon friendship bracelets, and I am hoping to cover my arms in them like sleeves. Feel free to send me one! If you love the idea of a picnic but hate the “outside” part, try this watermelon tablecloth instead. This one is all paper, and easy enough that you could make it a family craft. If you’re still not satisfied, check out this roundup post with a bunch of cute watermelon ideas! We’ve got everything from doormats to lemonade.

    DIY WATERMELON PICNIC BLANKET TUTORIAL:

    watermelon-picnic-blanket-11See how to make the DIY watermelon picnic blanket below! 

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