DIY New Year’s Crafts

Brittany

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December 28, 2021

New Year’s Tablescape

This year, we have a brand new New Year’s tablescape that we released just last week! It’s the perfect solution if you’re wanting a way to feel like you’re in New York City for the Ball Drop. We instantly fell in love with this DIY New Year’s craft. We’re so excited about it–fresh, fun, and new, it’s just the thing to bring in the new year with a bang. The best part about it is it’s printable, so if you’re short on time it’s a great solution for a smashing party that (unbeknownst to your guests) takes only a minute to complete! Here’s the full lowdown on our New Year’s tablescape.

New Year’s Crowns

Next on our list of DIY New Year’s crafts is New Year’s crowns. You can’t properly welcome in the new year without a festive crown to help you fit the part! You can tell we love crowns here at The House that Lars Built because we have more than a few options for you to choose from. Each is unique and perfect for whatever style of New Year’s party you’ll most likely be attending (or hosting).

Wrapping Paper-Inspired New Year’s Crown

We love this fun, printable paper crown that was inspired by our very own wrapping paper. It’s bright, cheery, and just the thing to combat the freezing cold January that will be here before we know it. You can find the full feature of our wrapping paper inspired crown here. The best part about it is all you have to do is print, cut and glue, and it’s ready to go!

Skyscape Crown

Another more subdued version of a printable paper crown is this lovely, black-and-white skyscape crown. If you’re feeling a little more mysterious, this crown may be for you! Dreamy and reminiscent of the night sky, it’s the perfect crown to give you that extra touch of class and elegance this New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve Star Crown

Also on our list of DIY New Year’s crafts is this dazzling New Year’s Eve star crown. This crown is more than a printable, so if you’re looking for a fun DIY activity, this fits the bill perfectly! It’s easy and quick, so you don’t have to stress if you have more than a few of these to make for a party, by the way. Everything you need to know is included in our tutorial.

New Year’s Tabletop and Art Deco Crowns

If you’re hosting a party this year for New Year’s, this next DIY tabletop idea is for you. Complete with decorations and crowns that match, we love this fun New Year’s tabletop’s Art Deco vibe! The electric citron, gradient blues and pale pinks help invite that nostalgia right in. You can visit the full post here to learn more about how to recreate this stunning New Year’s tablescape, decorations and matching crowns.

DIY Sparklers for New Year’s Eve

Fireworks are a classic element of celebrating the new year. But sometimes it’s not always ideal to light a real, burning sparkler in the middle of your kitchen. That’s why these DIY paper sparklers are the perfect solution! They still add that sparkling pop of gold, but the bonus is you can be inside, and they can be styled in a myriad of ways. Use them as a cake topper, give them to your kids to play with, or use them as an element of your New Year’s tablescape, these sparklers practically do it all. And they do it without burning anyone or anything–a definite plus. Click here to see how to make your own DIY sparklers!

Printable New Year’s Eve Invitation

Okay, we’re obsessed with this New Year’s Eve party invitation! It just so happens to pair perfectly with that skyscape crown we mentioned just a bit ago. When you’re throwing a party, it does help set the mood when the invitations give the guests a sneak peak at what lies ahead! So, take our advice and pair these sweet, classy little invitations with the lovely skyscape crown. You won’t regret it. Here’s more info on these easy, printable New Year’s Eve invitations!

DIY Chinese New Year Ox

We couldn’t end this list without a nod to Chinese New Year! This DIY Ox is the perfect thing to celebrate with. We know Chinese New Year is a bit later than January first (It starts on February first, this year, to be exact), but hopefully this will get you thinking ahead. The fun doesn’t have to end with your New Year’s Eve celebration, you can have round two in just a month! Here’s the link to our tutorial on how to make your own DIY Ox for Chinese New Year.

We would love to know: what are you doing New Year’s Eve?

New Year’s Eve Tablescape

Brittany

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December 21, 2021

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Bringing the New York City Ball Drop to You

The inspiration for our New Year’s Eve tablescape theme was, naturally, the iconic New York City Ball Drop! It just seemed like the perfect theme for our New Year’s tablescape. I mean, who doesn’t love that Ball Drop? The problem is, not all of us can travel to New York City to watch it in person. That’s why we wanted to bring the New York City ball drop to you through this nostalgic, bite-sized rendition.

Our New Year’s Eve Tablescape

We’re thrilled with the way our New Year’s Eve tablescape turned out! There’s something about those vibrant colors against the bold white and blacks of the buildings that’s so joyful, hopeful and indicative of the wonder to come in the new year. And we all need a little hope, don’t we? This tablescape is the perfect way to celebrate fresh starts, anticipate the good to come, and enjoy the warmth of loving relationships.

Centerpiece

For the centerpiece of our New Year’s Eve tablescape, we decided to go with a show-stopping printable cityscape, complete with the Ball Drop. Our designer, Garet, is to thank for the amazing cityscape design. Those vivid colors contrasted with the stark, New York cityscape was a bold choice, and one that had a dazzling effect when paired with that sparkling ball. You can find the template for our cityscape centerpiece here! We also added a little flair with our 2022 signage–that shimmering glitter paper was the perfect thing to highlight 2022. Numbers glinting in the light, they added just the touch of pizazz we wanted.

Making this amazing New Year’s Eve tablescape centerpiece is simple. Here’s how:

How to make the centerpiece

Download our centerpiece printable found here.
Once you’ve downloaded the printable, go ahead and print it off.
Now, cut out the pieces.
Using a hot glue gun, mount the paper pieces onto foam core (cut out the foam core with a craft knife) so they’re a little more sturdy.
The last step is to attach a small triangle as a support to the back of each building.

Tablecloth

We wanted our tablecloth to help you feel as if you were in the city with this New Year’s Eve tablescape, so we decided to go with a simple, black and white windowpane print (something like this should do the trick). The grid of the tablecloth paired perfectly with the striking colors and bold brushstrokes of the tablescape. We loved that this tablecloth was minimal, yet distinct, hinting at a city-like grid of streets that stretch in every direction.

Plates, Cups, Napkins, and Flatware

Our plates, cups, napkins and flatware added another bright pop of color to our New Year’s Eve tablescape. We went with a variety of colors: pink, yellow, green and salmon for the forks, vivid, royal blue for the plates, and confetti-speckled salmon napkins (you may have to go with plain salmon if you can’t find patterned ones you’re happy with–we had a hard time finding them for you). To top it off, we added silver paper cups. Can you say fun?! The reflection of all the colors in the tablescape against those shiny cups tied in the sparkling ball perfectly and made it feel like the warm celebration we were all craving.

Place Cards

Yet again, we had to repurpose our mini taxi place cards in our New Year’s Eve tablescape. You may recognize them from our Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tablescape last year, and in 2017. These cute little cars are the perfect way to really solidify the feeling that you’re in New York City for the big event. What feels more like New York than those mustard yellow taxis, honking as they whiz by? Your New Year’s Eve tablescape won’t truly be complete without them.

How to make the New Year’s ball

For the iconic Ball Drop element of our New Year’s Eve tablescape, you’ll just need a few simple things: (see our materials list above for reference) a 3 inch diameter styrofoam ball, a 1 inch diameter styrofoam ball, a metal pole (or painted wooden dowel), Mod Podge, hot glue, fake craft jewels, gold glitter, and silver glitter.

Preparing the balls

First, apply a coat of Mod Podge to the larger styrofoam ball. Then, roll the ball in gold glitter, coating it thoroughly. Work quickly so the Mod Podge doesn’t dry before you apply the glitter!
Next, do the same thing with the smaller styrofoam ball, this time using silver glitter.

Attaching the balls and pole

Now, take the metal pole and gently skewer the large ball through the middle so it can slide up and down.
Your next step is to attach the small ball. Dab some hot glue on one side of the ball, then stick the pole into the ball on top of the hot glue, about 1/4 inch to secure.

Finishing touches

Lastly, add a little extra sparkle to that ball. Apply a dab of hot glue to the craft jewels and cover the larger ball in jewels.
Done!

How to Style Your New Year’s Eve tablescape

The great thing about this New Year’s Eve tablescape is that it can double as a New Year’s decoration for your mantlepiece, shelf, or anywhere else you want to put it, for that matter! You can even hang it, rather than setting it on a surface. I never feel like there are enough New Year’s decorations out there, so this is a spectacular one to add to your repertoire. And the nice thing is, you can always repurpose it for years to come, because it packs away pretty easily.

We would love to hear: what are you doing New Year’s Eve? And please, show us what you do with your New Year’s Eve tablescapes!

More Inspiration

If you loved learning how to make your own New Year’s Eve tablescape, you’ll most likely have fun with these other holiday-themed tablescapes. Our Christmas tablescape is a classic and is the perfect addition to your holiday table. Then there’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tablescape, which will take you back to New York in an instant. And while you’re perusing Thanksgiving ideas, don’t forget about our fun Thanksgiving Table Decor options! If you’re excited about those warmer months, check out our When Life Hands You Lemons tablescape. You’ll probably also love our Easter Egg Runner Tablescape.

Christmas Tablescape

Brittany

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December 15, 2021

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Christmas in the Studio

We spend pretty much all of our time in the studio here at The House that Lars Built. That means we certainly draw a lot of inspiration from each other, here on the team, as well as the many lovely bits of potential on the walls, floor, ceiling, etc. If it’s in the studio, you can bet we’ve probably mused about all the things we can use it for. So we got to thinking, if we’re in the studio so much, why not make a studio Christmas tablescape that highlights the things we love about our studio?!

Tablescape Inspiration

This Christmas tablescape’s inspiration came straight from the heart of Lars, triggered by our collaboration with the one and only Spoonflower. We knew we wanted it to feel festive and bright, so naturally, we picked a lovely checkerboard pattern of reds, pinks, and oranges to pair with the light, bubblegum pink of the studio floor. From there, we brought in a smorgasbord of golds and greens for the centerpiece and flatware. We topped it off with a backdrop featuring our charming poinsettias, greenery, and a smattering of what we’ve been working on in the studio! You can’t get more Lars than that.

How to Recreate Our Christmas Tablescape

You may be wondering, how can I recreate this Christmas tablescape? Step right this way. What I love about this tablescape is that it’s so magical, yet feels so real and down to earth at the same time. The best part is, it’s simple and totally doable to recreate!

Here’s how to recreate your own Team Lars Christmas Tablescape:

The Tablecloth and Napkins

As I always say, the tablecloth and napkins are the key to creating a successful tablescape. They draw you in and set the tone for the entire occasion. That means it’s imperative that you be happy with them, first and foremost! Well, to say we were happy with our tablecloth and napkins would be an understatement. Spoonflower blew us away! The bright colors, together with the fun, checkerboard pattern were just the things we needed to get the inspiration flowing for the rest of the tablescape.

We found our tablecloth and napkin fabric pattern here, along with other options we were considering. We went through a lot of options, and it was so hard to settle on just one. Feel free to peruse the options; Spoonflower has so many great ones.

As a note, we had some fun with our napkin folding for this tablescape. If you haven’t seen our full napkin-folding post, check it out here! It’s amazing what a fancily-folded napkin will do. We used the simple accordion fold for these napkins.

The Flatware, Glasses, and Plates

Target was our go-to for flatware, glasses and plates. We chose a classic gold for the flatware, glasses flecked with gold, and a dark cyan for the plates. The contrast between the dark, cool, cyan and the brighter reds, pinks, and oranges of the Spoonflower tablecloth and napkins was striking and eye-catching.

Tablescape Centerpiece and Decorations

For our Christmas tablescape centerpiece, we wanted something that felt Christmasy and would contrast nicely with the tablecloth and napkins. We decided to go with our tried-and-true crepe paper bottlebrush trees in various green shades. Then we added in some sparkling, gold accents and confetti. For the mantlepiece behind, we gathered pine boughs and some of our lovely paper poinsettias. Those elements, paired with some other inspiration we picked up around the studio fit amazingly with the rest of the tablescape.

Oh, and did I mention the pink floor?! It was one of those moments where I knew we’d made the right decision on that pink epoxy flooring, as tricky as it was. Naturally, not everyone has a pink epoxy floor for their tablescape, but that’s okay! Luckily, a rug like this, this or this can help complete the look in a similar way. Just try to pick something that won’t detract from that amazing Spoonflower tablecloth or napkins.

Shop the look

Here are just a few of the options we were considering. There are so many beautiful ones, we would love to see what you choose!

More Inspiration

Loved this post on our Lars Christmas Tablescape? Looking for more tablescape ideas? Here are some great ones you’ll probably love (bonus: many of them feature some lovely Spoonflower fabrics!). Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tablescape, When Life Hands You Lemons Tablescape and Care Package, and Thanksgiving Table Decor.

Thanksgiving Table Decor

Brittany

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November 24, 2021

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Thanksgiving Table Decor

To make the magic happen, we needed some help. Luckily for us, we partnered with Spoonflower to make the Thanksgiving table decor ideas happen, and I have to say, they delivered. So, here we go: here’s one table in two different tablescape ideas.

one table two ways

Larsgiving Table Decor

Our first Tablescape rendition is vivid, full of color, and just the thing to brighten up a brown, Utah November. Introducing our classic Larsgiving tablescape! Featuring gold silverware, dusty pink plates, and a magnificent fruit smorgasbord of color, this tablescape is a showstopper. But what really makes the tablescape is the essential addition of the Spoonflower tablecloth and napkins. Combine the warm, cozy colors and geometric pattern with the sprawling, fruit centerpiece and the result is vivid, eye-catching, and just so fun. gold silverware

And the bonus is that Spoonflower not only has an endless amount of patterns to choose from, but you can apply those patterns on a myriad of products like napkins, tablecloths, table runners and more.

The centerpiece

For our fruit harvest, I used a combination of papaya, dragon fruit, lemons, asian pears, yellow squash, and loquats. These may not be available at your average grocery store. I went to our local Rancho Markets, but you should also be able to find them at a Mexican market in your area. Some specialty grocery stores may also carry them. Bonus–it’s also cheaper! papaya on the table

I wanted it to feel harvesty, colorful, and a bit tropical to go with the pink of the tablecloth. I love how it turned out! Thanksgiving table decor

Dinnerware

Target was our go-to for dinnerware. We found most of our plates, silverware, and cups there! Listed below are the links to the items we used:

Gold Silverware
Brown plates

Spoonflower tablecloth

I spent HOURS searching for the right tablecloth for this. Literally, so many hours. And I found SO many great options. I saved them all in this collection here. I chose one from Miamaria, a Norwegian designer as it turns out. She does really great color combinations in awesome geometrics. Thanksgiving harvest fruits

Spoonflower napkins

Last but not least, let’s talk about our napkins! This was such a fun project and I really love how it turned out. I knew I wanted them to be colorblock to go with the geometric pattern of the tablecloth, so I went to Spoonflower once again because they have some great solid options. In fact, the designer made a collection of solids based on the tablecloth, so I picked out one yard of each color. You can pretty much find a solid in every color of your choice. You can find our color choices here. Here are the steps to making your own colorblock napkins.

DIY Colorblock napkins

The first step is to pick out the two colors you’ll be using for your napkin.
Then, cut out one rectangle of each fabric. The total dimensions of the napkins are 12”x14”, which means each half will be 6”x14”. Important note: don’t forget to take into account the seam allowances and hems! With seam allowances and hems being ½”, cut out two pieces that are 8”x16” (1” all the way around each piece).
Now you’re ready to sew the pieces together! With right sides together, sew the pieces together, lengthwise, using a 1” seam allowance.
Iron out the two pieces along the sewn line, flattening the two sides of the seam apart.
Now fold each side of the center seam under, reversed, into the center seam line. Press and secure with a straight stitch. Make sure you don’t sew the top portion of your fabric! You don’t want this showing through to the front of the napkin.
Now you’re ready to do the corners and hems. We used a special technique here, so the corners are especially precise. See our tutorial here! The only difference with this rendition of our napkins is that we used a straight stitch all the way around the outside hem, rather than a zig zag.
The last step is to simply fold your napkin in thirds, so the colorblock is revealed in its full glory. The napkin should be divided equally in half between the two colors.

That’s a wrap for our first Thanksgiving table decor idea. Happy Larsgiving!

My personal Thanksgiving table decor

My personal Thanksgiving tablescape was a whole different game. I wanted to go with something a bit more elegant and bright, but a little more subtle than our Larsgiving tablescape. For my tablescape, I decided to go with a gold and yellow theme, and white accents to brighten things up, but also something a little different than what you normally see. The effect was elegant, sophisticated, festive, and cheery. I was thrilled with the result!

Here’s what you can do to recreate my personal Thanksgiving tablescape. yellow and neutral fruits and veggies

The centerpiece

My centerpiece consisted of a lovely combination of traditional yellow, golden, and brown Thanksgiving fruits and vegetables. The effect was a soft, magical glow of cozy warmth! To get the effect, try a combination of onions (white or yellow, with the brown outer layers still hanging on), spaghetti squash, cantaloupe, honeydew, asian pears, and yellow squash.

Dinnerware

As with our Larsgiving tablescape, Target was our go-to for dinnerware. We found most of our plates, silverware, and cups there! Listed below are the links to the items we used:

Gold silverware
White plates (similar)

Spoonflower tablecloth

Again, in all my searching, I arrived at this lovely fall-inspired pattern by Danika Herrick. You can find it here along with the rest of the Thanksgiving fabrics I saved here. Follow the link to find the exact tablecloth, as well as some other options that were in the running. We chose a beautiful white and gold option that intertwined beautifully with the fruit, dinnerware, and napkins. The effect was breathtaking! fall tablecloth

Spoonflower napkins

I paired the fall-inspired tablecloth with this golden stripe by Holli Zollinger. No sewing this time, so if you don’t consider yourself a pro at sewing, these napkins are for you! You can pretty much turn any fabric into a napkin (or table runner, tablecloth etc). Adding a touch of class and elegance to the party, I knew these subtly-striped, golden napkins would be the perfect way to complete my personal Thanksgiving tablescape.

And voilà! There you have it, two jaw-dropping table decor ideas to spice up your Thanksgiving. Would love to hear what you’re doing for Thanksgiving! foraged leaf on napkin

Shop the look:

More Inspiration

Fell in love with these Thanksgiving tablescapes? Us, too. Don’t worry, the fun doesn’t have to be over yet! Here are some more amazing projects featuring Spoonflower fabrics, wallpaper, and more. Lemons care package and tablescape with Spoonflower, DIY Spoonflower picnic blanket tote, and Our office makeover with Spoonflower.

That’s a wrap for our first tablescape. Happy Larsgiving!

4 Ways to Make Succulent Pumpkins

Brittany

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October 26, 2021

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1. A Pumpkin Family with Succulents and Squash

In the spirit of my Halloween decorating philosophy (classic harvest season decorations are always a win!), I will be providing you a few tutorials on how to create a lovely Halloween. First up, a DIY pumpkin family. Are you dying from cuteness overload yet? I nearly did as we shot this. It’s too much. I teamed up with the succulent expert Cassidy Tuttle of Succulents and Sunshine (a blog all about succulents. She even has an ebook!) and illustrator of the most adorable faces, Michelle Christensen of My Little Belleville to bring you the world’s cutest pumpkin family. Succulents as hair and a painted face. I die. AND, Michelle made you some templates so you can recreate her faces. You can find them in our Halloween shop here. Score!

Materials:

Light-colored pumpkins (I found that white works the best)
Acrylic paints (black and red and white are all you really need)
Fine paintbrush
Carving knife
Pumpkin faces PDF template (download here)
Pencil
A variety of succulents
Rocks for succulents

Instructions:

Carve out the top. You won’t need it so feel free to discard.
Scoop out the seeds.
You can trace the faces onto the pumpkin by positioning the template where you want the face and then pressing hard with a pen or pencil.

OR 4. You can use pins or toothpicks to transfer the image onto the pumpkin.

OR 5. Use the template as a stencil and cut it out and paint over it with your brush.

6. Paint in the lines with your acrylic paints.

7. Die of cuteness overload.

8. Put some rocks into the pumpkin and insert your succulents. Try a few in the head or just one larger succulent.

I mean…

Greenery AND pumpkins? I love it. Look at how adorable and colorful this pumpkin family is! You could also make this DIY pumpkin family resemble your own family! How cute would that be?

Photography by Cassidy Tuttle of Succulents and Sunshine

Illustration by Michelle Christensen of My Little Belleville (check out her adorable shop!)

Assistant: Audrey Ellsworth

Art direction and crafting: moi

2. Succulents and flowers on pumpkins and squash

I also thought it’d be fun to add some succulents onto some pumpkins as if they were flower petals or a mandala. Super easy yet lovely. We’ve been thinking about many ways to decorate pumpkins with succulents, and this one is fun for all ages!

Materials:

Pumpkins (light-colored work best)
Succulents in various shades
Glue gun

Instructions:

Break off the succulents carefully at the very base of where they meet the trunk.
Apply hot glue onto the pumpkin and then apply the succulent. I found that when you applied it onto the succulent, it’s more prone to fall off.

DONZO.

You know that I’m more comfortable working with paper and fabric than succulents! But I do love greenery, and these tutorials are a great way to work with plants, even if you’re not an experienced gardener. This tutorial is especially perfect if you have succulents around the house that are falling apart. Don’t let those beauties go to waste! Use the leaves to decorate a pumpkin!

Photography by Cassidy Tuttle of Succulents and Sunshine

3. DIY Words made from Succulents Pumpkins

Here’s the third of four projects that Cassidy and I collaborated on. She made these adorable pumpkins spelling the words “BOO” written in succulents.

This DIY is pretty easy, and it doesn’t require many materials! We stacked the pumpkins in this tutorial, but you can always place them next to each other to spell out whatever phrase your Halloween decor calls for. Gah! Stacking pumpkins is harder than it looks!

Materials:

Succulent Cuttings
Pumpkins (live or fake!)
Hot glue or floral glue
Toothpicks
Permanent marker

Instructions:

If you’re opting to stack your pumpkins, I applaud you! The first step is to stack the pumpkins how you want them displayed
Use a permanent marker to trace the letters on your pumpkins (we decided “BOO” was a cute and easy phrase!)
Attach the succulent cuttings to the pumpkins with hot glue, floral glue, or toothpicks. Cassidy decided that toothpicks work best for larger succulent cuttings. According to Cassidy, floral glue also works very well when working with succulents!
If you decide to use the toothpick method, stick the toothpick into the pumpkin, leaving about 1/2″ sticking out. Then take your succulent cutting and stick it on the toothpick. Voila!

Get the full scoop on how to do it and pictures of the process on her blog, Succulents and Sunshine. Let me know in the comments what you chose for your phrase and how your own succulent worded pumpkins turned out!

These worded succulent pumpkins will surely turn heads of passersby. And as if these worded pumpkins are not cute enough…

BAM! Dogs make everything 15 times cuter.

4. DIY Succulent Monogram Pumpkin

These succulent monogram pumpkins are the final project in my collab with Cassidy of Succulents and Sunshine. This was my first time working with succulents and I have to say that I love the little fellers. They’re so perky and sweet. But leave it to me to find a way to kill a couple suckers. Gah! That’s why I work with paper flowers.

Cassidy made this monogram succulent pumpkin. Luckily, it’s not too difficult to make your own! Trust me, even if you’re not great with plants, it’s still such a fun tutorial and offers a twist on classic Halloween decor. If you’re looking for an easy way to amp up your holiday decorations, this is it!

Materials:

Succulent Cuttings
A pumpkin (live or fake!)
Hot glue gun or floral glue
Marker (for tracing initials on the pumpkin)

Instructions:

Use the marker to draw an outline of your letter on the pumpkin
Glue small succulents onto the marker line
Cover the rest of the pumpkin with succulents of your choice!

Pretty simple, right? Head on over to Cassidy’s blog to check out the full instructions with pictures of the process. She even suggests which succulents to use for placing your pumpkin outdoors in freezing temperatures!

Succulent Pumpkin Variations

If you’re not that great at handling live plants, you could use fake succulents and a fake pumpkin to save it for future holidays. If you love succulents AND flowers, check out some of our paper flower tutorials here and here (with many more tutorials throughout the Lars archives!) to position flowers between your succulents. Place your succulent monogram pumpkins on your doorstep or inside your home for a stylish, succulent-filled Halloween!

Need more Halloween pumpkin inspiration? Take a look at a Lars favorite, these DIY Rainbow Pumpkins! Add more pumpkins to your monogram succulent decor with a DIY Rainbow Pumpkin Arch. Use your pumpkins to decorate for a Halloween dinner party, or display them to get into the Halloween spirit!

Crafting with Amanda Seyfried Interview!

Brittany

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October 20, 2021

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Crafting with Amanda Seyfried

Amanda has been a long-time Lars reader and she’s even made a few projects that she’s posted about on her Instagram in the past. Because of that, I thought she might be interested in participating in our Craft Along, but never did I think she’d respond so enthusiastically and so quickly. You can read below how it happened!

Here’s the full transcript of our Amanda Seyfried interview. I particularly loved hearing about how crafting is such a big part of her identity. She’s a true maker!

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A post shared by The House that Lars Built-DIY (@houselarsbuilt)

Amanda Seyfried Interview

Brittany: Amanda, are you in your craft room?

Amanda: Yeah, when i’m in LA which is not where i live, it’s like my heaven–this is my view!

B: You are a legit crafter! Let’s start there.

A: I am! If only I got paid to do it!

B: Uhhh–I’m pretty sure someone would love to [pay for] that.

B: It’s technically a hobby, but it’s how I’m happiest–-creating things!

Craft Along for Charity

B: Okay, I really want to get into that. I’m gonna do some prefaces first. So first of all, I got really excited about your craft room so I think that’s why I jumped in! Welcome to our live, everybody! We are here with Amanda Seyfried because we’ve got some really fun things that we’re working on today! So, we are here to paint a nativity set. We’re painting an angel and it’s gonna be super fun, but we’re also raising funds for Nest!

Nest is a non-profit that supports hand workers in the global economy. So, specifically for this we’re trying to raise $2,500 to support Makers United which gives resources to makers in the US and also, more specifically to refugees who have come to America from Afghanistan and other makers in the US. It’s a super important cause and that’s why I was like “you know, we have to reach out to somebody who loves crafting.” I know you’re super involved with causes that you’re very passionate about, so to me it was like a no-brainer. When you actually said yes, I was like, “What’s going on!?”

There [are] three ways to raise money for [Nest]. 1) One is buying the e-book which tells you how to do this nativity set, then 2) straight up donations which we have a link for in our bio, and then 3) at the end we’re gonna auction off this nativity set! So, Amanda is joining us, but so are seven other people who are also really awesome at what they do, [and they’ll make more of the figurines].

A: Thanks for letting me join in on this! … I didn’t know about the craft along! What better way to raise funds for this kind of thing than to get people together and do the same thing, especially these days! You’re a genius and I really appreciate what you do in general. I’ve been following you for a while and I bought your book a while back and then you sent me another one! … It’s nice to meet you!

B: So we’re going to get started! We’re painting this angel. … I have to say, I craft for a living but crafting in public terrifies me!

A: It’s terrifying! Anything can happen! It’s super public!

B: Who knows what this is actually going to be! I’m probably going to be paying more attention to you than anything else. … I’m very slow so I have a feeling I might get the hair done and that’s it.

A: Also I’m really chatty

B: So I’m having a hard time actually painting ’cause I just want to ask you a question! I guess what I’m most excited about is–-I don’t know, have you ever talked about crafting, this part of what you do, and your hobbies?

A: You know, every time I have an interview or I’m doing a press junket for a movie, I think my favorite part is when they ask me things that have nothing to do with the project. Because you know, once you get me going I can just… go anywhere! … I have my hands in so many different crafts and fiber arts and stuff like that. So it’s it’s really fun to talk about, which is why I said yes so fast! I was like “Oh, the other love of my life which is making!” And I am a maker! I just, you know, have my first job which is acting, and then this … feels like my second job. I just have less time [now], you know, with kids.

Amanda the Maker

B: What do you make?

A: Right now I do a lot of embroidery. I make hats–I mean, I used to make hats; I don’t make hats anymore. Right now I’m making a scarf… I love crocheting. I like to [knit] sweaters [and] socks when I can really focus… I like to… fix things and I just got into [mending]. I can’t read Japanese, but I just got… a new [Japanese] mending book.

B:They have the best craft books.

A: Yeah! I like to… make flowers paper flowers. I made [some] paper flowers 10 years ago and they’re still beautiful! Oh also, you know what I do big time? I have one of those those cutters. The Cricut ones.

B: You have a Cricut machine! Haha I love this this! This is so fun! Did you make plants?

Paper plants by Amanda Seyfried

A: I made so many of them and I gave them to so many people! There’s one up there, too!

B: We just made some beautiful hollyhocks. Well, I didn’t make them. We have a crafter, Gwen, who made these ones. I mean, she’s incredible. Let’s be honest. Like, right now I have a new baby and I’m trying to keep a business going, [so I’m not crafting much right now]

A: I don’t know how you do it.

B: I don’t know how you do it! But I think it’s awesome that you prioritize your time to make things! … I have to show you this. This is a new tutorial that we just made I don’t know if you can see it it’s pretty incredible. [You can see the paper flower hollyhock tutorial here]

paper hollyhocks on a bathroom counter among ceramic odds and ends with a mirror and red floral wallpaper in the background.

A: It looks real! It’s so substantial!

B: It’s pretty fun. We have a new tutorial about how to make hollyhocks on the blog.

A: Do I need my Cricut?

B: No, this one is made out of crepe paper but … it’s super easy [with] simple shapes. It’s super easy to do.

A: Is there a lot of glue or wiring?

B: Wiring, yeah, with the leaves. And glue. …It looks kind of intricate, but it’s really simple to do.

A: …When they look real, I swear! I mean, I hate spending money on things that I think I can make. And I think I can make everything! It’s so hard but then you see something–

B: You never make it!

A: And then … you don’t have time to make it. …I bought these huge flowers … and I felt really guilty doing it, but then I was also supporting somebody who spent hours and hours and hours of their time creating these beautiful things.

B: That’s the trade-off. Because it’s like, you can either support an artist making it or you can like pretend like “I will add that to my priority list!” and I rarely do that these days.

A: Yeah it’s so funny, when I was pregnant with my son I just had my daughter so it was a lot easier when she was two I made because of the pandemic I was able to release it and make so many things I finished a really heavy sweater I did a giant granny square blanket I started making a rug which i still haven’t finished, hand quilting, all that stuff POOF my time gone.

B: I hear you.

A: How old’s your baby

B: Almost 9 months

A: It’s so fast and so slow. Who helps you–i mean who’s helping you?

B: Well, I have a team of makers. Jane is here helping me today–she’s our photographer and video person and she knows how to make lovely things too and then there’s Hailey who, shout out, did my amazing nails.

A: Oh SHE does them, wow.

B: And Gwen’s our maker who made so many amazing things that’s what we do we make things. Garet is the one who dreamed up this Craft Along!

A: I’d love to be a part of your meetings like what are we gonna make next.

B: Okay you’re invited.

A: Thanks

B: Our brainstorm meetings are on Friday so schedule it in.

A: Amazing. One day, if I have time, I swear that’s what I would do.

B: How about, okay, I have an idea for you crafts…maybe something inspired by your films…like Mamma Mia…maybe something Greek.

A: That’s, I mean, that would take some fabric to sew together or something like a crown. I love your crowns.

B: Okay that’s fun–I like where we’re going with this crown inspired book. I feel like you could do color palettes inspired by Greece…I don’t know I think I think there’s something there…

Colors

A: I’m obsessed with color palettes

B: Oh thanks! What’s your favorite right now?

A: Like a dusty rose and like, what’s the blue called…periwinkle

B: I’m into like periwinkle–it’s having a moment right now.

A: Peach is having a moment for me. I thought i would never like peach

B: I just painted my closet peach. Jackie O always painted her bathrooms like a pinkie peach because she thought it reflected well on her skin, so I did that too.

A: Really good idea. Everything in my house is gray all the walls are like gray or white. I love your aesthetic. I look at it. I love the website I love everything you do. It’s so colorful, but then I was looking to your stories and the things that you post from other people just for inspiration or whatever. You have a really good eye I don’t know if you have but if you ever make an interior design book.

B: That would be a dream.

A: What are these right here [points to the top of the angel]

B: Those are little clips, little hair clips.

A: What color are they?

B: They’re like a light blue, one might say a periwinkle 😉

A: Is it number 12

B: I think so. Jane didn’t put numbers on mine so I don’t know which one it is.

A: You are giving a set away?

B: We’re giving away two sets because we’re giving one set away that our guest crafters are painting, like yourself, and the one that Team Lars paints.

A: right right right

B: So we’ll be giving away 2. We’ll auction them off at the end of this craft along. Just a reminder for those just joining that we are raising funds for Nest today. We have a link in our bio to donate directly to Nest. Additionally, the profits from this ebook, which are also linked on our bio or the housethatlarsbuilt.com.

B: What types of crafts did you do growing up?

A: Yeah I did I did crafts growing up creating stages and then being all the characters in the play in my imagination. I grew up designing like I went through a phase where I color coded everything in my room so around my bed was blue with like a bowl of blue candies or whatever blue things I had.

I’ve suffered from some OCD so I think I think it’s really served me well in some ways as a creative but I mean obviously it’s a struggle as well but it’s it’s interesting the way I wanted to curate everything in a very specific way which is funny why I don’t know why I didn’t become an interior designer. I realized I wouldn’t be good at it as an adult. I didn’t learn to crochet or knit until I was 18 but I made costumes. I don’t know I couldn’t stop creating things because I felt like I needed something to do. I needed something to start and finish.

I loved the question about podcasts.

Podcasts for crafting

B: Yes–what do you listen to while you make or watch or are you in silence?

A: No, no silence never. You know it’s funny I put on Hercules for my daughter today and I’m like I cannot watch Hercules for the 17 thousandth time so I started watching the second episode of the Morning Show and I was very disappointed when it’s like and it was only one episode. I love podcasts I just finished In Your Own Backyard thrillers or friends that I know everyone has podcast these days. I used to listen to Dan Savage, but right now i’m listening to an English thriller on Audible. What about you?

B: I’m I’m a big Netflix and crafter type of person

A: You can’t do subtitles that way.

B: It has to be something light and maybe I’ve already seen. Maybe The Office for the 11th time

TV shows for crafting

A: Have you seen offspring?

B: No what’s that

A: It’s my favorite show. It’s an Australian show about an obstetrician and I’m obsessed. It’s the best comedy. It’s really funny yeah it’s a little sad but it’s really funny as long

B: As long as it’s mostly funny. I have a thing where, especially during the pandemic, I can only do comedies or rom coms.

A: I totally get it. There’s nothing like a good comedy like The Office to go back to especially the English Office.

B: True.

A: I feel like can always recalibrate.

The Dropout Movie with Amanda Seyfried

B: Talk with me about what you’re working on right now. Are you in LA for something special?

A: Yeah I’ve been here for a while I’m going back soon thank God because there was an earthquake in the night and I just about lost my mind because I was at work. I am working full time right now on a true-crime show right now and it’s it’s actually in the news right now because I play Elizabeth Holmes and her trial is is in session so…

B: I’m obsessed with this case–I’ve listened to every podcast about it.

A: Yeah, and the new one’s out.

B: I’m losing my mind right now.

A: Producing the show with Rebecca Jarvis and Victoria are not on set because they’re working obviously, but it’s called “The Drop-Out” so it’s intense I will say it’s intense I need a break after this. It’s also intense because I’m an actor so compassion and relating to the character is my job and so it’s it’s really tricky, but it’s a show I think you’re going to love it. I don’t even know what I’m going to say when I’m doing press for it next year it’s just it’s a lot you know.

Motherhood and Acting

B: So do you feel like it’s a part of your job to like live in that moment of empathy. The whole time you’re doing it or you like oh no I need to go home and like do something else?

A: More recently I’ve I felt like I just need to just take off that whatever you know whatever I’m doing spiritually I don’t know I don’t know how else to describe what’s happening it’s like an energy thing it’s like I’m at work and I’m embodying her and on the weekends sometimes it’s like go to Disneyland or something different immerse myself in what my kids are doing and watch movies at night and do anything, but I also have really short weekend so if I finish at 3 a.m. Saturday morning and then I go back at 5:30 a.m. on Monday so I have to I have to know my lines so I have to look at them and it’s impossible to get away from it so that’s it’s a struggle if that’s always a struggle now that I have two kids especially.

B: Are they there with you right now.

A: Yeah I don’t go anywhere without them.

B: Oh wow.

A: Really my husband’s going to be going to work and we’re staying here. But if I were going to Georgia and work the kids are probably yeah it can’t be like that I can’t go I just can’t–Life’s too Short.

B: Are you super hands-on?

A: Yeah, I mean I we’ve never had a nanny. It’s just my mom, but my mom lives with us. It’s not like I’ve never had a nanny. My mom is our nanny. I could never be the parent I am if I did not have my mom or someone full time. Not enough people talk about the help you need being a mom and being a parent.

Working mothers

B: I do. I don’t know how anybody has multiple children. Now I’m gonna speak directly to women–I don’t know how women get things done. Mothers tend to take the caretaker role more often then men. I don’t know how people do it, but right now we don’t have anyone to help so we’re trying to evenly split it.

A: We all need help. It’s like, I don’t know how it’s not more [addressed]. Maternal health in general especially right after you have a baby. It’s so weird our country so slow to help. It’s like we are creating the children and birthing these children and it’s like it’s a lot to being a new parent and it’s a lot to be a new mother physically, emotionally hormones and not to leave out fathers to me it’s just it’s a lot it’s heartbreakingly beautiful and also just intense and we don’t. I mean guys not having you know paid leave after having kids that should be something I mean we should have more paid leave for mothers.

B: Did you take time off after your children?

Maternity Leave after Mamma Mia 2

A: Yeah I mean I was lucky they dropped Mamma Mia 2 in my lap when I came two days after I came home from the hospital with my daughter and I cried hysterically not just because i was having a hard time breastfeeding but also because the idea of leaving my kid or at least getting into the headspace of going overseas and in four months from then it was just it was too much to handle we made it work and my mom and husband and they were amazing. I had 4 months off after her and then I had him in the pandemic so I mean I didn’t work until June and I had him on September.

B: So did you have to birth with the mask on?

A: I didn’t, thank God. Did you they let you take it off?

Swapping birth stories

B: I’m sure they wouldn’t have said anything but I did leave it on the whole time.

A: Did you get an epidural?

B: Yes.

A: Did you get it in time?

B: Yes

A: Oh good

B: I had a not a great experience the first time around so the second time we just took all precautions.

A: Wait, so you got the epidural when you were still kind of okay?

B: Yeah

A: That is the trick

B: Oh yeah, well the plan was to go to a birth center and be in a bathtub and that didn’t quite go as planned.

A: I get it listen we all have our ideal settings the, the calmer the better mine was the birth center in a hospital, but it’s also because I know my midwife really well. She’s a friend of mine it was fine, but I didn’t have a great experience with the epidural fine and and I was yeah I was not wearing a mask by the end but tested, of course, they test you right when you get in there.

B: Yeah, same thing.

December birthdays

A: You have a December Baby, right?

B: Yeah

A: December what?

B: 21st.

A: I have a December birthday. Mine’s the 3rd. Right before Christmas. You have a Nativity baby.

B: Secretly this is all for him. Ha!

A: Right, I get it. I totally get it. So your husband’s with him right now?

B: Yeah he took them on a walk right now because I have 3 year old too. How old is your oldest?

A: 4 1/2 in school. She’s in school. I mean, not today obviously, but she’s in school and and she’s busy, thank God.

Painting Check-in

B: How is yours [nativity figure] looking? Let’s do a check-in. I’m a little distracted.

A: You went red and I went white first

B: I know. I’m worried about the details to be honest, but yours is looking great it looks perfect.

A: I should’ve done the red first, you’re right. I should’ve done the red first.

B: Um wait no… is there a better way…no wait yours is probably better because then you can go…I’m gonna have to put tons of white layers on top of each other to cover up my red mistakes so I think you’re…

A: Not having it perfect.

B: Oh yeah.

A: I’m a perfectionist which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to teach your kids how to do what you do.

B: I’m sure they say they love that attention to detail.

A: Maybe

B: Oh! I just looked at the time we only have two minutes .

Side Projects with Amanda Seyfried

A: Oh no oh God okay I was trying to give a little bit of a buffer so I can run downstairs before my meeting. My girlfriends and I are creating a company–more on that in years from now–it’s for play houses. They’re on the East Coast and we always have our standing Sunday meetings otherwise I go to work, but I can spare i can spare like 10 min it’s what happens, i talk…

B: Well, maybe we should wrap up but thank you thank you so much. I should tell everybody from the moment I sent my dm “hey would you be interested in doing this” she wrote back “yes yes yes yes yes” and i was like–“I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Thank you for your generosity and coming to paint with me for this nativity set that we will be auctioning off at the end to raise money for Nest and this e-book with the instructions which tells you where to get the pieces, where to get the colors.

I could have talked to you forever! My goal was to learn way more about what making means to you and what you do and I got to learn a little bit about it so that was a real treat for me so thank you.

Makers for Life

A: Thanks. I think in general I love connecting to makers and moms so it’s like I this is easy for me and I’m so glad that I could do it with you and be a part of this whole thing. I think it’s great we both are trying to make a change.

I’m gonna finish this when the kids are in bed.

B: I know it’s going to take some work so no pressure!

A: Oh i’m finishing it it’s going to be an Amanda Seyfried original except I’m going by the instructions.

B: OK sounds fair sounds fair. But i have a feeling you would do pretty well without them too so I’m not nervous at all.

A: I’ll go downstairs and get them

B: Okay, well, take any artistic liberties you want and make sure you sign the bottom!

A: For sure. If you ever need me again you know how to reach me. Thanks everybody for coming in and you know and thank you for donating to Nest and have fun.

B: You have fun with your standing meeting. Can’t wait to see it in many years from now.

A: It’s my girlfriends from home we grew up together and it was like you know what I like designing things and we all have kids you’re going to do this your it’s one of those things that just happens over time you let’s spend more time together and do it for a good reason thank you thank you!

B: Thank you for spending the time with me

A: And I’ll send this back as soon as I’m done.

B: Hooray!

More chats for our Lars Craft Along

If you liked this Amanda Seyfried interview, you might enjoy watching the other Live interviews I’m doing over on Instagram like with Mary Engelbreit, Sabrina Soto, Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess, Tracy Reese and more on the way

Donate to Nest Here

Painted Mini Pumpkins

Brittany

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October 13, 2021

3

Painted Mini Pumpkins

I love the look of all of our mini painted pumpkins this year, especially as a cohesive look. In fact, the more the better! We based them off of our new Casetify collection because they are definitely worth replicating! The checkerboard is such a fun and easy pattern to paint as is the colorblock and squiggles. The florals take a bit more work but they are *chef’s kiss.* Do you have a fave? I’m leaning towards the folk floral, but then again, that’s also my favorite case so there’s a theme there.

How to paint mini pumpkins

We started out with white pumpkins so that it would be easier to see the pattern. Orange works too, but you need more layers of paint to see the design. It’s also easier if you choose pumpkins with longer stems. I know that because we couldn’t find any and it was tricky! It’s nice to be able to hold onto something sturdy.

Materials

white mini pumpkins (you should be able to get these at most grocery stores this time of year!)
acrylic or house paint (see colors below!)
paintbrushes
UV sealant (optional–keeps the paint looking nice longer)

How to paint a checkerboard pattern on a pumpkin

To create the checkerboard pattern on a pumpkin you will need to do the following:

Paint your whole pumpkin in the lighter of the two colors you plan to use. Let it dry,
With a thin marker, draw lines down each of the mini pumpkin’s natural grooves. The lines won’t be perfectly measured, but they will be a lot easier to paint this way!
Draw even horizontal stripes around the mini pumpkin.
Fill in every other box with the darker paint! Make sure you cover up the marker lines.
We added in thicker accent stripes to mimic our cases just for fun
Add on your UV sealant if desired.

How to make the quilted folk floral mini pumpkin

Use your permanent marker to draw out a grid pattern on your mini pumpkin, similarly to how you did with the above checkerboard technique. We made ours two grooves thick so that the “quilt squares” were bigger.
Paint in the colors of your squares. Wait until dry.
Use the end of a pencil or large paintbrush to create a ring of the petals inside the squares.
Paint contrasting circles onto each square in the center of the petals.
Use UV sealant if desired to seal the paint.

How to make wavy line painted mini pumpkin

How to make the simple floral painted mini pumpkin

Paint the whole mini pumpkin in a solid background color.
Follow the flower instructions from the quilted pumpkin, but without the squares–just place them around your pumpkin randomly!
Use UV sealant if desired to seal the paint.

How to make large floral painted mini pumpkin

These are one of my favorites! I love the decorative element it brings.

With your permanent marker, draw lines down the mini pumpkin’s natural segments, dividing it into even sections.
Draw out your design in each section. Our design includes an abstract flower at the top (yellow), a tall, symmetrical flower taking up most of the pumpkin’s body (in shades of red and pink with a green stem and leaves), and two abstract flowers at the bottom (yellow).
Using the background color, paint in most of the pumpkin’s background. Avoid painting over your sketch of the flowers, but if you cross the marker lines a little bit, you should be okay. You just want to leave enough of your drawing so that you can see where to paint your flower.
With your yellow, pink, red, and green paints, paint in the rest of your floral design.
Use UV sealant if desired to seal the paint.

How to make the wavy lined painted mini pumpkin

Paint the whole mini pumpkin in a solid background color.
With an accent color, paint the outline of a wavy, squiggly design down the mini pumpkin’s side.
Fill in your wavy shape with the same accent color.
Use UV sealant if desired to seal the paint.

How to make the delicate floral painted mini pumpkin

This one is such a pretty showstopper, and it’s way easier than it looks! You’ll use a fine tipped paintbrush instead of a foam paintbrush. Just make sure to clean it between colors!

If desired, paint the whole mini pumpkin a solid background color. I opted not to, instead showing off the pretty white pumpkin color, but you do you!
With green paint, paint little curved lines as flower stems and wavy green leaves coming off the bottom of them. Distribute these around the pumpkin randomly.
Top the flower stems with white or light pink flowers with red centers.
Paint abstract yellow flowers around the pumpkin’s surface.
Fill in empty space with mini periwinkle, pink, red, and orange flowers. For these, just make a few small brushstrokes. Paint a tiny green stem underneath or a white dot in the middle for a different style.
Use UV sealant if desired to seal the paint.

Marbling technique didn’t work this time

We tried doing a marbling technique as inspired by our Casetify marbled case, but it just wasn’t working out. I’ll be sharing the failed version over on Instagram (hahahaha!). If you have a marbling technique that has worked for you in the past, let us know!

You can shop our The House That Lars Built for Casetify Collection here

We would love to see how you’re painting your mini pumpkins this year. Tag us with #LarsHalloween or #LarsMakes so we can see them!

If you liked these painted pumpkins you might also like these ones:

Rainbow painted pumpkins
Pastel painted face pumpkins
DIY rainbow pumpkin arch
Pumpkin favor with leaf template

DIY Dried Flower Turkey Gourds

Brittany

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October 5, 2021

1

DIY Dried Flower Turkey Gourds

We have a really simple but beautiful DIY for you today—dried floral arrangements for your Thanksgiving Dinner. These are reminiscent of our gorgeous dried flower pumpkin DIY from a few weeks back, and just like that project, you can re-use these in the years to come! Once again, we used the beautiful preserved flower choices from Terrain and they were perfect!

Unlike fresh flower arrangements (which we also love, naturally), these dried floral turkey gourds don’t need water to keep them looking great. This arrangement also isn’t specific to Halloween or Thanksgiving—you can keep it up all through autumn (and maybe winter too, if you’re already dreading the cold months and need something to remind you of slightly warmer days).

Dried Flowers

Did you know people used to think dried flowers represented bad luck? The tradition goes that dried flowers no longer have a “soul,” or “chi,” so they bring bad luck to your home. While we don’t quite follow this line of thinking, make sure to keep your dried flowers in a dry, temperature-controlled place to keep them from accumulating mold, mildew, or dust.

Where to Display Them

We like to put our dried flower arrangements as the table centerpiece, but how amazing would they look on a mantle? You could even put them in a windowsill so your neighbors can enjoy the autumn bounty.

Making the Dried Floral Turkey Gourds

Materials

Dried flowers (see above for exact links!)
gourds
glue gun
cardboard
spray paint

Instructions

Cut out a piece of cardboard that fits behind the gourd. It should be a in a semi circle.
Identify the center of the cardboard and start gluing the pieces starting from the outside and to the middl of the cardboard.
Try different patterns with the florals for a unique pattern.
For more depth and fullness, try different layers of cardboard in front of the other.

To display

Pin the cardboard into the back of the gourd. To separate out sprays with different layers, try using a sponge in between each layer.
If it’s a centerpiece, make sure you glue the back of the cardboard too.

Let us know if you make them by tagging us with #LarsMakes or #LarsGivesThanks

If you liked this project, I have a feeling that you’ll also like the following:

DIY succulent monogram pumpkins
Friendsgiving Tablescape
Origami Cornucopia

Easy Halloween Ideas From Our Shop

Brittany

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September 15, 2021

0

My ideal Halloween is playfully spooky, crafty, and (above all) easy, and there’s no such thing as too many easy Halloween ideas. If you’re looking for a fun, simple way to celebrate the season without turning your home into a Spirit Halloween storefront, read on for easy Halloween ideas!

Easy Halloween Decorations

This Haunted House makes a perfect Halloween centerpiece and conversation starter. You’ll make it from recycled cardboard boxes, which is a win for Planet Earth, and it’s beautiful enough to come back year after year, which is a win for you! Check out our blog post on it here.

If you love the spooky aspect of Halloween, check out this Vampire Teeth Garland. It’s creepy without being too macabre, and oh so easy.

Another slightly spooky and impeccably easy decor idea is this wooden transfer plaque template! I’m all for riding the line between pretty and creepy at Halloween, and these really fit the bill. Find the tutorial here.

This painted pumpkin face template makes for such a fun, easy DIY! Give your porch some whimsy this Halloween by painting these sweet characters on your pumpkins. Read the tutorial here and get painting!

How many times can you say “pretty paper pumpkin project?” Whatever your answer, you should check out this template for rainbow paper pumpkins, along with this tutorial blog post. These make a beautiful, refined, seasonal table setting, they’ll look great for all of Autumn, not jus Halloween. A Thanksgiving comeback, anyone?

If you’re in a pinch and looking for quick decorations, don’t forget this post about last minute Halloween decor!

Easy Halloween Costume Ideas

There’s something to be said for a super intricate, detailed costume for sure. But even if you don’t have the time and energy to become a perfectly accurate storm trooper, dressing up doesn’t have to be out of your reach. Lots of our costume templates just require some simple clothing, some paper, and a prop or two. No professional costuming degree necessary!

Our Ruth Bader Ginsberg collar is maybe our simplest costume for adults. Just cut it out (a cricut or other cutting machine is helpful here), put it over a dark dress, and pull your hair back. Voilà! You’re ready to advocate for your sisters.

If you’ve been a Lars reader for more than about a minute you’ll know that I love flowers. So of course I wanted to dress up as a bouquet! Ha! Practice making some paper flowers for this Sweet Pea Paper Flower Bouquet costume (and read the tutorial here).

Group costumes are always so fun, so pair your bouquet costume with greenhouse garb for a friend! This greenhouse costume uses cardboard and iron-on flowers, and is sure to turn heads. You can find the tutorial here.

Another cute Halloween costume for a pair of friends would be our beehive and picnic costumes. Both use an iron-on technique to make easy halloween costumes that are as cute as a bug. Find the tutorials here.

This constellation costume with iron-on stars is absolutely dazzling. Honestly, you might as well break it out all year round because it’s that beautiful.

For a subtle Halloween look, just print off our Pumpkin Crown and wear warm autumn tones.

Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids

One of our most glamorous costumes with templates in the shop is our sun, cloud and rainbow set. This makes a great baby and mom costume, because you can add sun rays to a baby bonnet. I love how our model matched the baby’s outfit to her sling! With this costume you can invest as much or as little as you want. Just want the Sun and Rainbow headpiece? No problem. What about the Cloud Bag and Cloud Earrings? Done. Just want a sunny baby bonnet pattern? Your wish is our command. Make the costume just how you like it with this tutorial.

This Giving Tree costume is another easy Halloween idea that you could make in a flash. And who doesn’t want to reference a classic children’s book in their costume? Find the tutorial here.

If you have a gaggle of children to costume, consider our Three Blind Mice baby costume pattern or our Crayon Hat template. Both are simple to put together and oh so sweet.

Halloween Party Supplies

Even though gathering in big groups for Halloween parties is starting to look less and less likely (again 😔), you can still throw a Halloween party for your family, roommates, or pod! This Halloween Party Suite includes printable invitations, placemats, party tags, and place cards. Talk about easy Halloween ideas!

And for a party favor, try these printable poppers or printable Halloween candy gift boxes.

These Halloween coupons make a fun halloween activity for your family. They’re a great way for parents to get their kids to relinquish some candy in return for fun activities.

These illustrated Halloween cards are another great party favor because you can attach them to treat bags, trade them, send them as cards, or just hang them up.

If your party is more freaky than funky, you might like this elegant invitation and Halloween dinner menu.

Party Food

Real talk here: what’s a party without cake? Use these printables and templates to make your Halloween cake extra fancy. The Spooky Town printable cake topper set is quaint and just a bit creepy, while this Black Birds cake topper is decidedly Hitchcock-approved. Red velvet cake makes it even more dramatic!

If your fall party isn’t so Halloween-specific (or even if it is!) this Fall Leaf cake topper will add elegance and fun to the celebration.

Looking for more cards, costumes, and decor? Search for Halloween on our blog! You’ll be blown away by the years of great, easy Halloween ideas and DIYs. If you’re interested in many of these ideas (who wouldn’t be!?), you can check out our E-Book, The Halloween that Lars Made. It’s a one-stop shop for easy Halloween ideas, DIYs, and projects.

How to Style Indoor Plants

Brittany

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September 10, 2021

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How to style indoor plants

A lot of people want to transform their spaces into dreamy urban jungles, but don’t know how to style indoor plants. This can mean that their green spaces turn grey, end up looking cluttered, or gathering dust.

Knowing how to style indoor plants can make a huge difference and give your plants all the impact they deserve. Here are my best plant styling tips!

Gauge your own commitment

Look. Your plant dreams won’t come true if you don’t choose plants that you can keep alive. Maybe you’re a big fan of ferns, but you live in a dry climate and don’t have it in you to water and spray a plant every day. 🙋🏼‍♀️ I know it hurts, but you might need to hold off on living with some higher-demand plants until you’re a more experienced plant parent. Know yourself and get plants that you can keep alive, because no matter how well-styled your plant kingdom is, it won’t look good if it’s dead.

Here are some of my favorite plants, and you can check out their care requirements to make sure that you’re signing up for something you can handle.

Light

Make sure that your plants have the correct amount of light for the species. Some thrive in the shade, some need bright light, and many plants do their best somewhere in between. You need to consider your space and the light before you even buy plants if you want a healthy indoor plantscape.

And of course, paper plants won’t die no matter what light you put them in, but remember that they might fade in bright light.

Temperature

Unfortunately, lots of plant parents fail to consider a space’s temperature and are confounded when their plants keep dying. If you live somewhere with cold winters, avoid putting sensitive plants near drafty areas like doors or right by a window, especially when temperatures drop. And if your living space tends to be really hot and sunny, make sure that you don’t have sensitive, cool-loving plants in places where they’ll scorch and die. Again, if you’re working with paper plants, this isn’t an issue.

Water/Humidity

Some plants, like ferns and other tropicals, need more water and humidity than others (like succulents and cacti). If you have a plant that needs to be cared for and watered often, put it somewhere easily accessible so that watering doesn’t become a hassle.

If your bathroom has enough light, consider styling it with some humidity-loving plants. All the steam from your showers will make them thrive.

Scale

When you’re designing your planty spaces, you don’t want to just have a lot of little plants scattered around. Choose one or two larger plants (indoor trees are great here!) and make these a focal point.

While big houseplants can be expensive, you can try making your own with paper (we have some great tutorials on the blog!) or check out our next tip for height help.

Height

In an arrangement of plants, you want the tallest ones to be at the back. Think of them like a choir, with the tallest singers standing at the back. You can also give some plants a boost to add more height and give the illusion of larger plants. Try using shelves, bricks, blocks, an overturned flower pot, stacks of decorative books, and more to add some height to your plantscape.

Color

Indoor plants come in all kids of colors, not just green! Consider the colors and lighting in your space before you buy or make plants. If you plan it right, you can get beautiful, dramatic, intentional looks by curating your plant colors. Imagine a room with all deep purple foliage! So regal, right??

Paper Plants

Like I’ve mentioned, I love paper plants for their ease and also because they’re a super fun craft! You can check out this paper plant video, these favorite tutorials, and these templates and ebooks from our shop. And don’t forget the flowers!

Once you’ve become a full-fledged plant parent, you might want to treat yourself with this Plant Lady print by Libby VanderPloeg from our shop.

What are your favorite plant tips? Let me know!

Nativity Craft Along

Brittany

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September 8, 2021

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Christmas is a perfect time to join up with our community and do something fun together, so we dreamed up a craft along. After all, there’s no better time to get out your glue and paints than during the holidays! And what’s more classic and meaningful than a handmade gift? I definitely don’t know of anything.

Well, as the Lars team continued scheming and dreaming, our craft along plans got better and better, and now we’re SO EXCITED to make this Mid-Century Heirloom nativity craft along with you!

We’ve teamed up with a few celebrities and crafting heroes, and to be quite honest, I’m already starstruck. Like, let’s just say that I’m going to meet my childhood hero and that we’ll be wearing pink on Wednesdays from here on out. We’ll be releasing our star crafters through our mailing list (sign up here!), but I’d also love to hear your guesses in the comments. 😉

You’ll also be able to meet our star crafters through weekly Instagram Live events, where we’ll be working on a character from the nativity every week.

So what’s a craft along?

A craft along is a way of building community with your fellow crafters while all working on the same (or a similar) project. Our nativity craft along is a perfect opportunity to get ready for Christmas (because we all know that it sneaks up on us every year) and get to know your Lars community a bit better. We’ll all be making a midcentury heirloom nativity together, and it’s going to be so lovely! Even though summer’s still on its way out, we wanted to jump into our handmade holiday plans early because this is a project that you’ll want to begin waay in advance. Get a head start on your handmade holidays and join in the fun with this nativity craft along!

Crafting with a cause

As I’ve mentioned in these two essays, I recently partnered with Nest and I’m now part of their advisory board. I really believe in Nest’s mission to support woman makers in the global economy, and I’m so grateful to be part of their amazing work. We’ve set the very exciting goal to raise $50,000 for Nest through this nativity craft along, and we’re doing it in three ways:

Ebook sales: for each ebook sold, we’re donating $5 (with an option for you to donate even more at checkout).
Donations: we’ll collect donations during Instagram Live events with our famous crafters (think a 21st century twist on a classic fundraising telethon). During these Instagram Live events you’ll get to know some of your favorite crafty celebrities a bit better, and you can work on your heirloom nativity alongside them and me! Doesn’t that sound dreamy? You can donate to Nest over here!
Auction: After all these Instagram Live crafting sessions we’ll auction off our two completed midcentury nativities! There will be one made by me and one made by our favorite crafting celebs, and all the money we raise by auctioning them will go to Nest. So even if you’re not a big fan of crafting, you can get your own gorgeous heirloom midcentury nativity (and it just might come with some star power).

However you do it, your participation in this nativity craft along will help us reach our fundraising goal and help Nest support woman artisans all over the world.

Make Your Own Heirloom Nativity!

Years ago when we first released our Midcentury Nativity project, we used a combination of vintage, found, and purchased wooden pieces. While I love the way our old set looks, it’s impossible to replicate exactly. That can be so frustrating! So this year we’ve worked hard to come up with an excellent set of wooden pieces that you can buy to make your nativity match with ours. If you buy these materials, your pieces will also align just right with the templates we made in our ebook! Convenience and unity for the win!

You can find all the materials we used over in the e-book including the specific wood pieces for the right combinations.

Here are the colors we are using for the set:

To get templates and tips you can download our ebook!

Follow Along

The best way to stay on top of all our craft along content by following us on Instagram and subscribing to the newsletter. Now enter the giveaway, order your materials, and let’s get crafting!

Looking for more nativity projects? If you love this, you’ll also love our DIY nativity puppets, this clothespin nativity, and this nesting doll DIY.

A Lars Girl’s Back to School Guide

Brittany

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August 24, 2021

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I put together a back to school themed roundup of my favorite school supplies and dorm essentials, so if I can’t start a new semester in a few weeks at least I can shop as if I were!

Lars-Approved School Supplies

If you look at them the right way, school supplies are the educational version of craft supplies. At least I get excited about them as if they were. Here are my current favorites!

I also put together a list of my current favorite laptop covers and stickers, which you can see here. Another great addition to your back to school supply list is this DIY beeswax wrap and this reusable lunch sack.

My friend Michele Brummer Everett designed these back to school stickers, and they’d be the perfect addition to your water bottle, notebook, or laptop.

Dorm Room Design

In the college town where I live, the end of August means lots of new students being dropped off at dorms for their first-ever foray into living outside their parents’ house. That means that there are LOTS of fresh-faced students moving into drab, depressing dorm rooms and shabby apartments. Check out this post full of rental-friendly interior design hacks to level up your space. And here are my favorite additions to any student housing situation:

If you’re looking for more dorm inspiration, check it out here and here.

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