Birthday Archives

Paper Flower Gift Topper

Brittany

September 23, 2022

Gift Wrapping with Flowers

You know me. I love gift wrap! Probably more so than the present itself. And even though my birthday is in June, it turns out plenty of people have fall birthdays, which means this paper flower gift topper will definitely come in handy. The best part is, since these flowers are paper, you can save them for plenty of birthdays and occasions for presents to come! I came up with this tissue paper flower gift topper as a fun way to add a dash of whimsy to a gift and it’s super easy. It’s based on paper poms, so if you know how to make those, you’re good to go!

Instructions

First, cut a piece of tissue paper 6″ wide and about 18″ long (depends on how large you’d like it)
Next, cut another piece of tissue paper about 2″ wide and 18″ long. This will be the center of your flower.
Now do an accordion fold up the tissue paper, about 3/4″ wide.
After the accordion folds are done, fold the accordion-folded paper in half.
Now staple the center of the fold.
Once the paper is stapled, cut a point at each end of the paper.
Next, glue the two ends of the paper together and fan out the blossom so that it spreads evenly around.
Using the template, cut out leaves from the green paper and fold down the center. Use whatever size you prefer for your flowers!
Glue the topper to the gift and glue the paper leaves underneath.

Voila! All done!

Photography by Trisha Zemp

More Inspiration

Loved this tutorial on our paper flower gift topper and need more ideas? We have plenty of gift toppers to choose from! See our popular bird gift topper here. Also check out these 3D paper flower gift toppers. Another classic is this prize ribbon gift topper. And call me premature, but prep early for the holidays with these classic paper holiday greenery gift toppers.

How to Celebrate Your 40th Birthday

Brittany

June 10, 2022

My 40th Birthday Plans

Leading up to my 40th birthday, I had lots of plans. Specifically, I wanted a big Europe trip to celebrate! But we are in up to our necks in behind-the-scenes projects here at The House that Lars Built, which means a trip to Europe just wasn’t in the cards. At least for now. Maybe in the fall? I’ll keep you all posted. There’s noting wrong with a belated birthday trip, after all!

I’m not the only one turning 40 here, though! Despite my lack of exciting birthday plans for now, all my friends are also soon-to-be or already over the hill, which means I’ve attended some great 40th birthday celebrations in the past year. I couldn’t just not share those ideas with all of you! So today I’m giving you the lowdown on all the things my friends did for their 40th birthdays, plus a few extra ideas.

How to Celebrate Your 40th Birthday

Birthday Trip

Birthday trips are a classic way to celebrate a big milestone birthday like your 40th! (hence, my hopes to make it to Europe this year). But if you can’t make it internationally and still want a weekend getaway, try something closer! It’s amazing what a quick trip to somewhere new can do. And of course it’s always better with friends or family to come along for the fun.

For your enjoyment, here are some photos from our most recent trip to Denmark (and I promise to post more once I make it back to Europe for my birthday trip)!

Karaoke

So I don’t know if you were aware, but there’s something about 40-year-olds and karaoke that is just magical. I’ve been to a handful of karaoke parties to celebrate the big 40 and I have to say that a bunch of moms singing karaoke are a different breed of unparalleled fun. What are you waiting for?! Warm up those vocal chords and get ready to sing yourself into your 40’s!

Spa Day

A birthday classic for a girls day out especially, a spa day can be the perfect, relaxing way to usher in the 40’s with some self care. Pamper yourself; you deserve it! Go for a mani/pedi, massage, the whole nine yards. We promise you won’t regret it!

Here are some spa essentials to get you going:

In-person Parties

Post COVID lockdowns, it feels that much more triumphant to have a party IN PERSON with people you love! So even though parties aren’t unique to a 40th birthday, there’s a reason we have parties for every birthday. It’s a classic way to celebrate that never really gets old!

Speaking of parties, we have some great party decorations for your to peruse in our shop! Check out our birthday suites, and all of our birthday content here!

Learn a New Skill

Your 40th birthday is such a milestone that it can be great motivation to learn a new skill or take on a new hobby you’ve been wanting to try! It’s never too late, and 40 seems like the perfect time to try. Turn it into a party and invite someone to teach you and your girlfriends how to knit, cook something fun and fancy, or even make a punch needle rug! The options are endless. What do you want to learn how to do?

Movie Night

Movies are a classic way to celebrate anything special, so why not your 40th birthday? Go out to the theater with the gals (maybe even rent it out if you’re feeling ambitious!), or take the party home and have a marathon of your favorite series! Personally, I’ll be watching Bridgerton. What are your favorites? Send the recommendations my way! I’m always game for a fun new show.

Game Night

The options are endless with this one! Just because it’s your 40th birthday doesn’t mean you can’t have a simple game night. So many categories of games. Are you more of a board game or card game person? Or do you prefer a combo of both? If you’re like Paul, you’ll be hanging around those old classic arcade games all night. Whatever gets you most excited is what you should do!

Here are some game night options to get you started:

More Inspiration

We have plenty of ideas to get you started on 40th birthday decor! It starts with our five birthday suites: animal menagerie, garden party, lemon, rainbow, and floral. Click here to see the rest of our birthday shop! Also, don’t forget to check out our past birthday blog content, like our Flower Lane birthday crowns, twisted birthday candles, or DIY birthday felt pennants.

Hopefully we gave you some good ideas to get you started planning your 40th, if you haven’t had it already. And now we need to know: what did you/are you doing to celebrate your 40th? Let us know in the comments!