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    DIY Dried Flower Turkey Gourds

    Brittany
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    DIY Dried Flower Turkey Gourds

    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

    1. Cut out a piece of cardboard that fits behind the gourd. It should be a in a semi circle.
    2. Identify the center of the cardboard and start gluing the pieces starting from the outside and to the middl of the cardboard.
    3. Try different patterns with the florals for a unique pattern.
    4. 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

    Haunted Cardboard Houses for Recycled Holiday Decor

    Brittany
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    Haunted Cardboard Houses for Recycled Holiday Decor

    This year, the holidays look a little different, but in my opinion, that gives us even more excuses to be creative! This spooky holiday decor made out of recycled items can even be re-used next year.

    Cardboard Haunted House for recycled holiday decor

    This cardboard haunted house was inspired by our DIY Gingerbread Houses from a few years ago, but you can choose to yours them big or small. Set them on your porch or mantle on All Hallow’s Eve, where they can cast a spooky glow. And—a big plus—they are a super sneaky hiding place for the candy you told your kids went missing. Your secret is safe with us!

    You probably already have most of the supplies in your recycle bin or overflowing craft closet (don’t worry…we all have one.)

    How to make your cardboard haunted house

    Materials:

    Cardboard Haunted House for recycled holiday decor

    Instructions:

    1. Start by cutting out the pieces from the template. The large pieces called “Base front”
    and “Base back” are each split onto two pieces of paper. You’ll need to cut them both
    out and then tape them together, so you have one “Base front” and one “Base back”.

    2. Place the template pieces flat on the cardboard and trace them with a pencil (you might
    want to label each piece before you cut them out).

    3. Cut out all the tracings with a box cutter or a crafting knife.

    4. All the structures are labeled, so start with #1 and glue together the front, two sides,
    and back piece. (See labeled diagram at the end of these instructions)

    5. For structure #2, start by gluing the door to the “front door structure”, then glue the
    two sides to the “front door structure”. Once that dries, glue the sides to the center of
    structure #1.

    6. Now you’re going to put the roofs on both structure #1 & #2. To bend each roof piece,
    place the cardboard against the edge of a table and gently press down with your hand
    to get a curve. Move the piece up and down on the table edge until the whole piece has
    a slight curve. Then glue the roof pieces onto the top of structures #1 & #2.

    7. Next take the pieces for structure #3, and glue together the front, sides, and back. Place
    this structure on the roof of #1, make sure it fits, and then glue #3 to the roof of #1.

    8. Now for structure #4, glue the window piece to the front piece. Then glue the sides and
    bottom to the front piece. After that dries, glue #4 to the center of structure #3.

    9. For the roof pieces of #3 & #4, repeat the same process as Step 6 to get the curved effect. Then glue the roof pieces onto the two structures.

    10. For structure #5, take 4 of the rectangle “side” pieces and glue them together with all
    the shortest edges at the bottom (these pieces are all labeled (top) on the upper edge,
    make sure that is facing up and not upside down). Then glue #5 on the right side of the
    roof on structure #1.

    11. Now for structure #6, take the two pieces called “#6 front” and “#6 back” and the last
    two side pieces and glue them together. It should look similar to structure #5, but the cuts will allow it to fit on top of structure #3.

    12. Glue structure #6 onto the roof of the #3.

    13. For the roofs of #5 #6, take 4 of the triangle roof pieces and glue all the sides together
    so it looks like a pyramid. Put glue on the top of structure #5 and then place the roof
    down onto the glue (the edges of the roof will overlap the top edges of structure #5.

    14. Repeat Step 13 for structure #6.

    15. After your house is completely dry, cover the entire house in black paint.

    16. Then take the gray paint and a smaller paint brush (if you have one) and draw details on the window, door, roofs, and wherever else you want. You can add cobwebs to the
    corners.

    17. Have fun! Your recycled holiday decor is now complete.

    Cardboard Haunted House for recycled holiday decor

    After you’ve made your haunted cardboard house, style it on your mantle, porch, or entryway table. If you want to cut some windows, try placing electric tea lights inside, which will cast eerie shadows on the wall (don’t use regular candles inside the cardboard, though.) If you’re setting up your recycled holiday decor for a Halloween Party, you could even use the houses as party favors! Fill them with candy and send your trick-or-treaters on their way.

    If you liked this project, you might also like:

    DIY Rainbow Pumpkins
    How to Decorate Pumpkins with Succulents
    Pumpkin Leaf Favors

    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 Dried Flower Pumpkins

    Brittany
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    0
    DIY Dried Flower Pumpkins

    Today we’re bringing you a DIY fall project with dried flowers, but this one is a little different than our DIY Rainbow Pumpkins we posted last month. However, both projects could be left up year-round to add a little charm and cheer to your front porch.

    I love our pumpkin projects because they involve no carving. That’s right, no scraping the inside of a pumpkin for hours until your arm gets numb. No sifting through pumpkin goop to get out the seeds for roasting. And no more planning out an elaborate design, only to accidentally cut off a huge piece of pumpkin and ruining the whole thing! I’m really making a case for a no-carving Halloween, aren’t I? Well it turns out, there are other ways to dress up pumpkins, and I’d argue they let you be even more creative than a carving set!

    Unlike our colorful painted gourds, this pumpkin DIY relies on natural adornments—preserved flowers, to be precise! You don’t need a perfectly round pumpkin for this DIY fall project with dried flowers. In fact, you could even dress up some acorn or butternut squash if that’s what you have on hand. How gorgeous would these pumpkins be as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece?

    Even though we’re using preserved flowers for this project, that doesn’t mean the colors have to be tone down. You know which blog this is, right? Bring on the brightness! Choose jewel toned flowers that hold onto their hues after drying, like dried globe amaranth or strawflowers. How perfect is the name “strawflower”?! It evokes those beautiful red berries we all know and love and the “straw” makes me think of fall harvest.

    Here are some of our favorite preserved and dried flowers from around the web!

    DIY Fall project with dried flowers and pumpkins!

    Materials:

    See above!

    Instructions:

    1. Pick out your flowers (we got ours from Terrain) and pumpkins. We went with a monochromatic scheme because…elegance!
    2. Plan your pattern.
    3. Start gluing! Use extra glue to make sure they stay on!

    That’s it!

    It’s really an easy project, but you can get super intricate with the design and style of the pumpkin. Again, how lovely would it be as a wedding centerpiece. I’m definitely showing these off ASAP!

    Yes, summer is over, and it’s taking the beautiful flowers with it, but don’t fret! This DIY will help you preserve the colorful blooms all through the fall season.

    Thank you Terrain for providing the beautiful preserved flowers! You can shop their collection here. 

    DIY Summer Flower Garland

    Brittany
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    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

    An Easy Houseplant Anyone Can Take Care Of

    Brittany
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    0
    An Easy Houseplant Anyone Can Take Care Of

    DIY Paper Begonia Maculata

    We at Lars love paper flowers and other plants. This particular paper plant is seriously so easy. Our Polka Dot Plant (Begonia Maculata) is just the plant to liven up your space! Polka dots are just wonderful, and seeing them in a PLANT is something that really tickles my fancy.

    DIY paper easy houseplant

    Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can still enjoy a little green in your home. What you need is the easiest houseplant ever. Our Begonia Maculata pattern is super cheap. The materials are probably things you already have. The look of the houseplant is chic and fresh, and the project itself is simple enough that you can do it with your kids!

    No matter your gardening ability, you can enjoy the aesthetic benefit of a cheery (but easy) paper houseplant.

    How to make your own Polka Dot Plant

    DIY paper easy houseplant

    Steps:

    1. Download the Begonia Maculata template here
    2. Cut out each leaf out of slightly varied shades of green cardstock. We cut 11 leaves for ours.
    3. Fold each leaf slight along the curve where the vein would be in a natural leaf
    4. With the white acrylic paint, add polka dots of varying sizes to the top of the leaf
    5. Cut floral wire to the lengths of stems you desire
    6. Wrap floral tape around the wire stems to add texture and make them a lighter shade of green
    7. Hold a wire stem against the wide bottom of leaf and glue down a small piece of green paper on top of the wire to hold it in place
    8. Continue to complete each leaf
    9. To arrange your leafs in a pot, hold all the stems in one hand and gently bend each stem to place the leaves at different angles and heights. Once your have achieved your desired look, use another piece of floral tape to hold your bunch together as arranged
    10. Place the entire bunch in a pot and enjoy your new plant friend!

    Other Paper Houseplants

    Perhaps you’d like to craft a whole greenhouse of houseplants! If so, you’ve come to the right place. We have a bunch of plant patterns that include the ever-trendy Monstera Obliqua (swiss cheese plant), a bright and cheery shamrock bush, some foxgloves that look quite stunning if I may say so myself, hydrangeas, and even a Japanese Maple tree!

    Click on any of the photos below to make your own paper plant palace.

    DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant DIY paper easy houseplant

    DIY flower pounding on fabric

    Brittany
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    1
    DIY flower pounding on fabric

    DIY Flower Pounding

    How to preserve flower bouquets you love

    This is such a fun craft for those homeschooling kids who are a little older, who can handle a hammer. Try identifying your flowers first to make it educational, perhaps? Arts and Crafts and Botany all in one? Or, you can just get outside and start pounding out the flowers for art! You might want to fill in the flowers a little afterwards as well, and we found that a colored pencil dipped in water worked well on the fabric that we hammered the flowers on. You’ll want to use flowers with thin leaves and petals, with vibrant colors, to get the best results. Roses, dandelions, and bright daisies all work well.

    We just love how these ended up, where the color from the flowers seeped into the canvas to look like paint. We added a little Lars oomph by embroidering on top of the pounded flowers, too! This is such an awesome way to preserve flowers too, if you are looking for a way to keep a special bouquet forever. This can work for single flowers (red roses from Valentine’s Day anyone?) or bouquets with special meaning (Mother’s Day is just around the corner!). You might even want to try the Flower Pounding technique on a wedding bouquet, to turn it into something beautiful to display in your home. Plus, then you get to keep your flowers bright and fresh forever!

    Materials:

    You can shop the materials in our Lars Amazon shop here

    Instructions:

    1. Take a large piece of cardboard, and lay it on a flat surface. Take the material you want to pound on, such as watercolor paper or white cloth, and tape the back to the cardboard.
    2. Select the flowers you want to use and arrange them on your pounding material. Ensure the flowers you pick out are vibrantly colored and have thin petals. Roses, for example, are ideal for pounding. Only use the bud of the flower, not any of the stem.
    3. Take any flowers that have stamens, pollen, etc. and strip them down to just the petals. Keep arranged in bud shapes. Add some thin leaves to your arrangement!
    4. Tape down your flowers gently with regular scotch tape.
    5. Take a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your design. Using heavier tape, such as duct tape, adhere the parchment paper to your cardboard backing.
    6. Using a mallet or a small hammer, begin pounding! It may be easier to take your soon-to-be masterpiece outside and pound on the pavement or sidewalk. Pound until your parchment paper becomes wet with pigment from the flowers. You will need to pound harder than you thought!
    7. After checking that your design is what you want it to be, carefully remove tape and flowers from the material you pounded on. Tape a piece of tape and get any excess petals and pollen from off the surface by holding the sticky side down and gently touching the sticky side to the pounded material.
    8. If you are satisfied with the spread of the flower pigment, iron it on a low heat to set the colors, pounded-side down, on the cardboard. Alternatively, you can spread some of the pigment with a small paintbrush and water before heat setting.
    9. Touch up your design with some colored pencils or watercolor pencils – Watercolor pencils are fantastic for blending colors, and if you use fabric, are better for drawing onto your design if you dip the tip of the pencil in water first.
    10. Finally, embellish however you like! Add some pretty embroidery to your fabric piece, like lazy daisy stitches or French knots, take dried flowers and glue them on, or whatever else you want to do!

     

    Here’s what it looked like before adding in most of the embroidery details.

    Embroidery tips

    Some embroidery stitches used were the following:

    • French knots
    • Lazy daisy
    • Simple line stitches

    You can find our guide to embroidery stitches here 

    Would love to see your masterpieces. Tag us with #LarsMakes of #LarsEmbroidery

    When Life Hands You Lemons care package and tablescape with Spoonflower

    Brittany
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    0
    When Life Hands You Lemons care package and tablescape with Spoonflower

    My favorite Mother’s Day inspired Spoonflower patterns

    I spent a good amount of time going through the Spoonflower Marketplace, which is thousands and thousands of independent artists and great designs. Yes, it took awhile, but I came upon some really beautiful options and had a hard time narrowing it down. I saved my favorites in this collection on their site.

    Which ones are your favorites???

    There are a lot of good ones, right?! I was going for a springy, floraly vibe that also felt refined and could be used throughout the year. Here were some alternative options I was eyeing:

    Citrus fabric tablecloth with Spoonflower

    Ultimately, I ended up going for this Multi Citrus Grove Toile by Danika Herrick. It has the right touch of deGournay with its chinoiserie feel. Plus, I always love some good citrus–it makes everything feel instantly refreshing.blue and orange table ideaCustom Home Decor Options

    Perhaps you remember when I redid my bedroom in all Spoonflower? Right–so not only can you order fabric by the yard, but you can order things for your home to be made in the fabric of your choice and it’s all sewn right here in the United States. For my bedroom it was the wallpaper, duvet, pillow cases, curtains, and this time around I ordered a tablecloth for the Party-For-Mom that I will be throwing. I paired it with this Indian print inspired marigold print by Andrea Lauren because I loved the contrast of the yellow to the blue in the main selection and decided to use them for the cloth napkins.Indian block print napkins

    Visualizing the process

    What I find useful in their new home decor option is the ability to see them on a variety of products. You can do that by selecting Home Decor in the “Also available in” section to view all of the different home decor products and then it automatically shows you how it will look.

    And the marigold:

    Because of that, I was able to visualize what it would really be like. And it was going to be GOOD!

    Pattern on pattern advice:

    Pairing a pattern on pattern can be tricky, but there are a few ways to make sure it works:

    1. Identify the colors of the palette. The first pattern I worked with has a lot going on but I drew out the main colors: blue, yellow, orange, and green.
    2. Along the same lines, draw out the colors that you’d like to highlight more. If there’s a color in the fabric that you don’t necessarily love, don’t highlight it! On the flipside, if you like a color more than another, bring that color out more.
    3. The two fabrics should be of different scale. The first pattern has a very large scale so I knew I needed to go smaller on the second.blue and orange table idea

    Citrus tablescape

    To go with our Mother’s Day party, we created a centerpiece of citrus–grapefruit, lemons, and oranges, to sit atop the tablecloth. We matched with with some yellow plates, blue bowls, and goblets to tie it in with our beautiful fabric. Plus the pretty chargers that add some depth. And a dash of flowers to keep it fresh!

    Mother’s Day Care Packages

    Because we are keeping friends and family at arm’s length right now, we have been brainstorming DIY ideas of how to share uplifting moments with our loved ones near and far. We decided to make a tote from Spoonflower’s Linen Cotton Canvas –it’s the perfect thing to fill up with goodies and send along to someone who needed a dose of joy. A handpicked, handmade gift for someone you love can be the best surprise!oranges table idea

    To match the amazing fabric, we made our gift bag lemon themed! You know, the classic, “When life gives you lemons”. With everything life is throwing at us lately, let’s just say we have been making A LOT of metaphorical lemonade. We filled our gift bag with lots of lemon themed hand soap, lotion, candles, and more. Everything our loved ones need to make this extra hand washing fun!

    When Life Hands you Lemons Care Package

    Additionally, I wanted to create a care package to send along to my mom as Mother’s Day approaches. Social distancing could have interrupted the celebration of such a special holiday, but instead it turned into something that lets us show our love for our mothers in a new way. After turning the beautiful fabric from Spoonflower into a tote (the tutorial is now available in the Lars shop!), I wanted to fill it with goodies that were fun and practical. So, candy was a must (der!), as well as hand sanitizer and other necessities. Paul and Jasper joined in as well to create a tote-turned-gift-basket for Paul’s mom too to send to her in Denmark.

    Follow these simple steps to make your own gift tote bag:

    DIY Tote bag

    (inspired by the famous Baggu tote!))

    Materials:

    Instructions:

    Step 1: Print off our tote bag template found here

    Step 2: Cut your bag pieces out of the fabric using the pattern, making sure to note which part of the fabric you want to highlight on your bag and which direction it will face when complete

    Step 3: Starting with the main bag piece — face right sides together

    Step 4: Sew the sides with a single stitch (and finish off the edges with a zag zag stitch if desired)

    Step 5: Pull the edges of the notched part of the cut fabric, on the bottom of the bag, together to form the flat bottom of the bag. Sew a single stitch straight across these edges you have pulled together

    Step 6: Turn your main bag piece right side out to prep for future steps. Now to move on to the handle straps!

    Step 7: Take one of the cut handle strap pieces and fold the long edges in a quarter of an inch. Use your fingernail to crease the canvas fabric fold well.

    Step 8: Once both long sides are creased, fold the entire strap in half so both folded edges meet

    Step 9: Pin and sew a single stitch down both long sides of the strap. This will flatten the strap and make both edges look the same.

    Step 10: Repeat steps 7-9 for the second handle strap. Next for the shoulder strap!

    Step 11: Repeat steps 7-9 for the shoulder strap — to repeat, crease in the long sides a quarter of an inch, then fold the entire strap in half so both folded edges meet. Sew a single stitch down both long edges of the shoulder strap.

    Step 12: Now you will attach all straps to the main bag piece — to do this, make sure your bag piece turned right side out

    Step 13: Position the handle straps in the center on the bag opening, on either side, facing down towards the bottom of the bag with the short edges aligned with the top opening edge of the bag. Pin them in place and sew them on.

    Step 14: Attach an end of the shoulder strap piece to both edges of the bag, with the strap facing down just like you did with the handle straps, and sew them in place.

    Step 15: All straps should now be sewn on the outside of the bag, facing downwards, so they when folded up inside the bag to face up the seam will not show. You are almost done!

    Step 16: Take your facing pieces, on both pieces, crease one long edge in a quarter of an inch.

    Step 17:  Face both pieces right side together and sew both short edges

    Step 18: Place the sewn facing pieces around the opening of the bag, over the edge of all the straps. Make sure the creased edge is facing down and the un-creased edge is aligned with the top opening edge of the bag.

    Step 19: Sew a single stitch around the top opening edge of the bag, attached the facing pieces to the bag

    Step 20: Turn the facing piece to the inside of the bag, making the straps fold upwards and the seams will all be hidden inside

    Step 21: Turn the bag back inside out for the final step – Sew around the bottom creased edge of the facing pieces to keep that inside edge from fraying.

    Step 22: Your bag is finished! Turn it back right side out to admire your work!

    Send a Mother’s Day care package

    What a wonderful way to send love when you can’t visit in person! Plus, who doesn’t love surprise presents in the mail? We think that, in lieu of a visit, sending gifts for Mother’s Day can be the next best thing! orange and yellow tableorange tablescape

    Mother's Day table ideaDIY Baggu bag templatehow to sew a baggu toteWe’d love to see your Mother’s Day party-for-ones or care packages. Tag us with #LarsLovesMamas so we can see them! 

    Discount for Lars readers

    Lars readers can get 15% off with code LARSTABLE15 for all Table Linens and Tea Towels.

    This post is sponsored by Spoonflower, who we love for their many home decor and fabric options. We love working with sponsors who allow us to create awesome new content for you!

    Personalized Name Tag Ribbons

    Brittany
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    Personalized Name Tag Ribbons

    Personalized Easter ribbons

    Personalized Ribbons with Brother

    Our collaboration with Brother highlights that we should imagine, enhance, and embellish the moments that matter, and with the P-touch Embellish ELITE, we’ve come up with an easy project that we think you’ll really enjoy! Brother helped us out with their easy-to-use ribbon and tape printers, and the P-touch Embellish ELITE was the perfect tool for this craft.

    Cutest Easter Egg cups

    We just introduced our tutorial for Pysanky Eggs and the pretty Ceramic Totem Egg Cups that our previous intern Betsy Croft created for us (now available in our shop). With help from the P-touch ELITE, the Egg Cups gained some embellishment with family names to further personalize them and provide an easy and festive way to create some name tags at the table.

    National Craft Month

    The embellishment might seem like an obvious addition, but the impact is big when creating a craft to represent your family, especially for a classic holiday like Easter. The Brother P-touch ELITE makes the process so easy for you to create individualized designs that enhance your crafting. We can’t wait to see what you create in these last few days of National Craft Month!

    This post is sponsored by P-Touch Embellish ELITE. We love our brands who allow us to create unique ideas for you! 

    Birthday Cake Topper with Brother

    Brittany
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    Birthday Cake Topper with Brother

    As you can probably tell by now, we can’t stop talking about how much we love National Craft Month. It’s the perfect time to celebrate your creativity and get to work crafting up all of the amazing things you’ve been thinking about. If you are feeling like you are in a bit of a craft funk we have teamed up with our friends at Brother to bring you a sweet yet impactful project to get you out of your slump and on your way to crafting town!

    Using the Brother P-touch ELITE we created these colorful flag cake toppers inspired by our newest line from Abby Low found in the Lars Print Shop. You may know by now that we love celebrating and since we are already celebrating craft month we figured we may as well celebrate anyone and everyone out there with a March birthday with these adorable birthday flag cake toppers.

    Birthdays are so very special and we tend to go bananas decorating and that’s part of the reason we love using the P-touch ELITE because of how easy it makes it to create personalized ribbon! Think up your birthday phrases and print them on ribbon (the P-touch Embellish ELITE prints on tape too!) so you can create the perfect phrases, specific for your birthday queen or king!  

    Here’s how you do it! 

    Directions: 

    1. Pick your color palette 
    2. Paint your skewers to the colors you have chosen. We painted three skewers of each color and used 21 skewers and six colors (the more the better in our opinion)
    3. Set aside to dry. 
    4. Paint the wood beads in the same palette, three of each color in all six colors. 
    5. Set aside to dry. 
    6. Download the Ptouch Design&Print app to your phone!
    7. Select “Create your own label”.
    8. Select “text” and add in whatever you want the ribbon to say or even a graphic!
    9. Once the text is in click “Done”.
    10.  Adjust the “Taper length” depending on how long your message is. 
    11. Scroll to the left to find “label alignment” and align your text to the right” 
    12. Once your text is in and the alignment is correct click “print” 
    13. Set your ribbon to the side and begin building your flag frame. 
    14. Attach a piece of wire around  the dried painted skewer by wrapping it around the top. 
    15. Once the wire is attached, measure the length of the wire against the length of the ribbon and cute wire accordingly. 
    16. Using the glue stick apply glue to the back of the ribbon. 
    17. At the mid point on the ribbon place the skewer there and fold the ribbon in half so the wire is in in between the two halves. 
    18. Attach a painted wood bead to the top using a hot glue gun. 
    19. Place completed flag in cake! 

    We love using the Brother P-touch ELITE it is the perfect easy-to-use ribbon and tape printer that you can use to create any and all of the exciting crafts you have planned for this Craft Month! We can’t wait to see what you create!

    The green polka-dot background is from our Lars Print Shop. Thank you @glweddingcakes for the lovely cake!

    DIY Shamrock Pom-Pom hack!

    Brittany
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    DIY Shamrock Pom-Pom hack!

    DIY Three leaf and four leaf pom hack

    We have both a three leaf and a four leaf version, depending on how lucky you aim to be. You can find the directions and supplies in our Shamrock e-book.

    Plus! Look at all these amazing green colors!

     

    You can find the Shamrock Pom Pom hack in our e-book here.

    Green yarn we love!

    We want wait to see how your Shamrock Pom-Poms turn out! Make sure to tag us with #Luckylars!

    DIY Paper Shamrock Plant

    Brittany
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    DIY Paper Shamrock Plant

    DIY Paper Shamrock plant

    You can find the materials above
    Find the shamrock template here

    Directions: 

    1. Download the Shamrock Leaf PDF or SVG
    2. Prep your paper by following the white washing instructions (steps 2-5).
    3. Cut out the shamrock leaf file with craft cutting machine. This step can be done by hand with a pair of scissors if you don’t have a machine!
    4. Cut out enough pieces to create your shamrocks. We cut out somewhere around 120 pieces to create 30-40 three-leaf clovers and a few four-leaf clovers for luck!
    5. Once your pieces are cut out fold them in half to create a crease between the two arches.
    6. Mix acrylic paint with a few drops of water to create a thinner paint.
    7. Once thinned, gently paint the leaf from the stem up and out to thin points at the middle of the leaf. Repeat this action several times until you are pleased with the appearance of the leaves.
    8. Once all leaves are painted you will begin assembling them as clovers.
    9. Cut pieces of wire 3-5 inches long, we cut ours long and cut them to adjust height when we placed them into the plant.
    10. Once your wires are cut you will take a leaf and place it at the top of the wire, while holding the leaf in place you will take the floral tape and wrap down just far enough to secure that leaf.
    11. Cut the floral tape.
    12. Repeat step 10 two more times until you have three of the leaves attached.
    13. If you would like to make a four-leaf clover just add in an addition leaf and repeat step 10 again!
    14. Once you have your clovers made you can begin to place the clovers into floral foam until its full!

    Thank you to Terrain for providing us the most magical scalloped pot, we can feel our luck increasing just being around it! Be sure to tag us with #Larsmakes so we can see how you’re catching luck this month! Stay tuned for even more ways to make this St. Patty’s Day the biggest hit yet!

    Here are some more pots we love for this project!

     

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