“The Birds” Cake Topper

Brittany

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September 18, 2017

It’s mid-September already which means we’re knee-deep in Halloween crafts and costumes! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it’s a chance to embrace all things spooky and moody and even a little bit creepy, which I love. This may be a bit surprising to many of you, but it’s not always rainbows and flowers over here! So to kick off our Halloween posts this year we have “The Birds” cake topper, inspired, of course, by Alfred Hitchcock’s famous thriller. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great “scary movie.” It is more suspenseful than anything and appropriate for all tolerance levels (I’m a bit of a wimp). Fun Fact: It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress in 2016. So yes, it’s worth a watch!

Lucky for you, these birds won’t attack you when you go in to slice the cake. However, they do make a stunning centerpiece for a Halloween party! A really simple DIY, made even easier if you have a die-cut machine. We chose to pair our birds with a red velvet cake frosted with black icing to up the creepy factor a bit. They’d also make great cupcake toppers for a party if you nestled two or three birds on top. So bookmark this for your next spooky soiree and let “The Birds” cake topper take flight!

Download “The Birds” templates and get baking!

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Creepy Printable Art Decor for Halloween

Brittany

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October 16, 2014

3

Creepy Printable Art Decor for Halloween

For our tortured artist party (see more details here), we wanted our Halloween decor to feel one part Haunted House and one part 17th century Dutch Baroque. Printable art decor was the perfect solution, as it looks extravagant but is actually really cheap! Ashley came up with the idea to print off some large scale engineering prints at the local printer (we love Printmark–old Cougar Copy–here in Provo, but Staples also works!) that run about $5 each. We simply printed them off and hung them up! You could even place them in some fancy gold frames for an extra elegant Halloween party. AND you can use them again for future Halloweens!

I love how customizable this printable art decor is. By choosing your own portraits, your party guests can really see your character come through! Maybe these portraits will inspire you to do a creepy Halloween portrait session of your own (if you’re doing a themed Halloween costume party like ours, this would be a great idea)!

Check out the full instructions and how to get the printable artwork below!

photography by Alpha Smoot
crafting by Ashley Isenhour
styling by Sarah Winward and Brittany Jepsen
art directed by Brittany Jepsen

Creepy Portrait Posters for Halloween decor

Go to Rijksmuseum and create an account.
Type “portraits” into the search bar. A “portraits” collection should pop up under the search bar. Click it.
When you find a portrait creepy enough to fit your taste, click on it. Go to the bottom right of the enlarged version and click the scissor icon. Click “download this work.”
Save your file on a flash drive and take it to your local printer and ask them for an “engineer print.” Staples or FedEx should do the trick! They offer a few sizes ranging from $2-$8.
Hang up and enjoy your creepy Halloween portraits!

Fill those walls with holiday spirit this Halloween! We have more printable art decor available in the Lars Halloween shop, as well as some invitations and costume ideas! If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy those creepy portraits, check out our paper bag portrait luminaries tutorial!

Mommy and Me Halloween Costumes

Brittany

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October 7, 2022

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Mommy and Me Halloween Costumes

It turns out we have quite a few mommy and me Halloween costumes we’ve made over the years. Here are some of my favorites:

Other Parent/Child Costumes

While these aren’t strictly mommy and me Halloween costumes, they definitely could be. Also make them into daddy and me, siblings or just whole family costumes! I love that the following costumes are all based off of books, too! What’s your child’s favorite book? Use your imagination and make your own costume based off of one of their favs.

Group Costumes

These group costumes work great for friends, family, siblings, grandparents, you name it. Do you need multiple matching costumes? Here are our favorites.

Baby/Kid Costumes

Sometimes mommy and me Halloween costumes are more accurately just baby/kid costumes with mommy tagging along. If you’re more interested in dressing up your little one than yourself this year, we’ve got you covered. Because we all know there’s nothing cuter and more hilarious than your kid dressed up as, say…Jared Leto and his head or a viking. Sometimes those costumes just stand alone.

More Inspiration

Loved this mommy and me Halloween costumes post and want more? For more costume inspiration, check out this list of our top 15 favorite costumes! Also see influential women costumes, these costumes made from everyday supplies, and these paper costumes. Short on time? Check out these three last minute Halloween costumes! Looking for a real showstopper? Don’t miss our Tortured Artists, Frida Kahlo, or Medusa costumes.

Best Cardboard Costumes

Brittany

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October 4, 2022

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Cardboard Halloween Costumes

Cardboard is one of my favorite materials to use for Halloween costumes. It’s incredibly versatile, easy to use, cheap, and most people have loads of it on hand! I know I have way too many Amazon boxes lying around. Well, this is the perfect way to recycle those old boxes and give them a new life! Here are some of the best cardboard costumes from years past.

Where the Wild Things Are

We made our beloved Where the Wild Things Are family costume just last year. This costume was, arguably, my favorite costume yet. It’s amazing! It’s the perfect family costume for many different family sizes, too–just keep adding wild things and you’re all set whether there are three or ten of you when the wild rumpus starts.

Jasper Viking Costume

This Jasper viking costume was one I will not be forgetting in a hurry. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see their two year old in full viking garb, ship included?

Campbell’s Soup Cans

Another one of my favorite cardboard costumes was our group costume from last year. Campbell’s soup cans! Not only is this one simple, it looks amazing when finished. Again, it’s great because it’s suitable for any size group.

DIY Hippie Costume

Feeling chill and wanting to channel those hippie vibes? Try this DIY Hippie Costume! It’s cute, simple and straightforward. Perfect if you don’t have a lot of time but want to look like you tried this Halloween.

Mommy and Me Sun Rainbow

Have a newborn this Halloween? You’ll probably love this Mommy and Me Sun Rainbow, especially if that little one is a little ray of sunshine like newborns tend to be. Enjoy the stage and take it to the next level with a costume to compliment it perfectly.

Picasso and Painting

I just got back from France, and while I was there I went to the Picasso museum. I learned so much! That said, this Picasso and Painting seems extra fitting! Plus, as a bonus, it’s full of color, which is a must for me.

Greenhouse Costume

The greenhouse costume featured in our easy cricut costumes post is the perfect choice if you have a cricut maker and some spare cardboard lying around!

Jimmy Fallon Costumes

I have to say, I love these Jimmy Fallon costumes. They’re a great way to use up that extra cardboard. In my opinion they’re some of the best cardboard costumes you can choose from! Oh, and speaking of Jimmy Fallon, have you read “Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada”? If so, you’ll love this costume.

Book Costumes

If you have kids, you’ll definitely want to take a look at these book costumes. They’re some of the best cardboard costumes for parents and children to wear together! Try If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, and Chrysanthemum (one of my personal favorites).

Copenhagen Row House Costume

Last, but one of the best cardboard costumes out there is this Copenhagen Row House costume. It’s ideal because it’s made almost exclusively out of cardboard! So if simple is your jam, look no further. Transport yourself (and everyone around you) to Copenhagen, while you’re at it!

More Inspiration

We hope you enjoyed this post on some of our best cardboard costumes! Interested in more cardboard content? Try these eight crafts to do with leftover cardboard. Looking for more costume ideas? Check out this list we compiled last year! Oh, and don’t forget to peruse our shop for lots of easy Halloween ideas!

Vanilla Bean Skull Cake for Halloween

Brittany

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October 9, 2014

8

This. Is. Edible! It’s a skull, but it’s a cake. It’s a skull cake! I love the vanitas still life it created for our Halloween party. It acts as decor AND deliciousness. And let me tell you, this recipe is tasty! Just add some greenery (and fruits to continue the vanitas theme), and you’ve got a gorgeous centerpiece.

Also, I had to do it:

Here’s the full dinner table for the party in all of its spooky glory. There are a number of decoration ideas and recipes. You might die (muhahah! pun shamelessly intended) with all the delicious gorgeousness.

Photography by Alpha Smoot
Floral styling by Sarah Winward
Props from Mary Lee
Cake by ME Hammond
Art directed by Brittany Jepsen

See the recipe and instructions below.

Vanilla bean skull cake

Materials:

We used a skull mold from Wilton (you can find a similar option here)
3 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 3/4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 vanilla beans
1 1/2 c. whole milk

For glaze:

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare the skull cake pan by thoroughly spraying the pan with non-stick spray and lightly flouring
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Slowly add eggs, vanilla extract, and vanilla beans
Combine dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl
Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating approximately 1/3 at a time beginning and ending with dry ingredients
Once the batter is mixed, place it in the prepared skull cake pan
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Allow cakes to cool for about 30 minutes until the cake is only slightly warm
Unmold the cakes from the skull pan
Allow cake to completely cool. Cut the tops of the cakes to be even and place the cakes back to back to create the 3D skull
Glaze cake and allow glaze to harden before serving
Voila! You have a scary skull cake!

We’ve had so much fun with the tortured artist party, and this skull cake recipe really hits the sweet (and spooky!) spot. You can view details of the tortured artist party here, as well as the full menu here. See more Halloween ideas in our Halloween archives!

Influential Women Halloween Costumes

Brittany

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September 27, 2018

8

Halloween is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited! Dressing up is one of my favorite things and, no hyperbole, I think about what I’m going to dress up as every single day of the calendar year. It’s sad but true. This year is particularly exciting since it will be Jasper’s first Halloween so you can imagine how my Mother Boy have been working overtime. Stay tuned for that big reveal next week 😉

2018 has been a year chock full of empowering women who have inspired us in so many ways. In that spirit, we picked a few of our favorite women to honor this Halloween and to channel some of their girl boss energy! Kate Spade, Serena Williams, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were our respective picks. We partnered with Cricut to make their costumes come to life using the Cricut Maker. And we’ve made it super simple for you by providing all the templates you need to cut out the basic elements ALL OUT OF PAPER! NO SEWING INVOLVED!

Get all the templates and instructions to create each girl-power costume!

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DIY Vampire teeth garland

Brittany

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October 26, 2016

4

Our building needed some sprucing up for Halloween, but with all the creating we do, the only time I have for pure unadulterated brainstorming is in the car (and ahem, shower!). The dentist I’ve been going to is up in Salt Lake City, a 45 minute drive, and since I’ve had so many cavities (finally my chocolate covered cinnamon bear intake is catching up with me) recently, that means I’ve also had lots of brainstorming time. Clearly, any trip to the dentist reminds you of your mortality and your teeth. So yes, canines were on my mind. I came up with a vampire teeth garland. Muhahaha.

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3 Flower Costumes for your Baby

halloween

Brittany

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September 21, 2016

2

Are you loving these costumes?! Ali’s triplets are too cute! Today we have three flower/plant related costumes for your little babies, like these three peas in a pod above. Check out the cuteness below! And check out the other two triplet costume posts here and here.

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Jasper or Jared, Who wore it best?

Sammy Jameson

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October 13, 2019

0

Turns out, it was JASPER who found Jared Leto’s head!

I’m sure we’re not the only ones here who anxiously await the arrival of the Met Gala yearly. This year, when Anna Wintour announced the Camp theme, we knew we were in for a show (even though honestly, it’s how I would love to dress every day of the year). But boy it was an even better show than I could have imagined. I could take hours to discuss our favorite looks, who really embodied “camp” or the costumes that just left us a little confused, but I would rather just get to the point. Jasper as Jared Leto… Camp Themed! Dun dun dun!! Who wore it best? I’m clearly biased, but can you blame me? A baby in a wig… carrying a doll with a wig…? Sorry Mr. Leto, we think we’ll call this one a win for Jasper!

If you’re not too creeped out yet, click to see more!

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DIY toilet paper roll candy garland

Brittany

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October 15, 2015

6

DIY toilet paper roll candy garland

ASTROBRIGHTS®, who I woked with on my paper plants, asked me how I would “colorize your Halloween” and I said, “with toilet paper candy garlands” of course! It’s become my belief that every party needs candy and every room needs a candy garland. It just makes the world a brighter, sweeter place! I based the concept on these candy lights that my mom used to make for our house for Christmas. I’ve been saving toilet paper rolls for over a year now (what? You don’t?!) so this was the perfect time to put them to use. It makes it so easy to cover with their vibrant color papers and a layer of cellophane. Easy squeezy!

See the full tutorial below!

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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Costumes

Brittany

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October 12, 2015

0

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Costumes

We have two more costumes from children’s illustrated books to share with you and “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie,” by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, is an absolute must!

The story goes like this: A little boy named Oliver gives a cookie to a mouse named Quinley. He starts requesting items to help his cookie-eating experience – a glass of milk, a mirror (to prevent a milk mustache), and a broom (to wipe away his hair). He takes a nap afterward, only to look at the fridge and become hungry for a cookie again.

This beloved children’s book about a hungry little mouse is fun for both kids and adults to read and if you haven’t read it yet, put it on your storytime list! I mean, what’s more darling than a mouse in overalls and cookies!? We knew this was going to make the perfect Halloween costume so we got brainstorming.

Here’s an Overview of the Costumes:

The obvious first costume from the book was the mouse. First, we need some mouse ears.

See here to make the mouse ‘s ears (here’s the template)
And to complete the mouse’s outfit: a white shirt (we used this one), overalls (we used these ones)

Once the ears and overalls came together, we added a little bit of face paint, and voila! The cutest mouse you’ve ever seen!

Next, we debated between a glass of milk and a cookie. The cookie was too cute to pass on so it was the clear winner!

To Make the Cookie Costume:

This costume wouldn’t be complete without a cookie to compliment it! We want that cookie to be on full display!

We used this white top and white leggings

Materials: Two pieces of large brown cardboard, ribbons, black or brown acrylic paint, pencil, box cutter, paintbrush, stapler

Draw a circle with your pencil according to the size of your child. We did a 2′ diameter circle.
Draw over the circle again with wavy lines so that the lines look uneven. This will make it feel more like a naturally shaped cookie.
Cut out two of these shapes.
Paint uneven, brushy circles resembling chocolate chips onto the cardboard.
Staple a ribbon from the inner side of the cardboard to the other cookie piece like a sandwich board. Repeat to the other circle.
Wear white and you’re good to go!

Though we dressed another child as the cookie, it would also be perfect for an adult or sibling.

And if that wasn’t enough, we included a cookie treat bag to complete the picture.

To Make the Cookie Treat Bag:

Materials: 2 pieces of tan felt, brown or black felt, scissors, cotton ribbing – 2′ in length, glue gun, template

Cut out two circles to form a cookie shape out of the tan felt.
Cut out about 7-10 small pieces of black or dark brown uneven circles and glue them to the tan felt.
Glue the ribbing (or sew) to one inside of the cookie and then to the opposite side.
Glue the two cookies together, leaving a gap at the top of the bag big enough for little hands to go in and out.

Donzo! You’ll have to read the full book to find out the hilarious cycle of requests the mouse has and maybe come up with even more costume ideas (ie straw, refrigerator, etc…)

Photography by Lindsay Graviet | Crafting by Ashley Isenhour | Clothes provided by Primary

Printable Halloween party invitation

Brittany

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September 30, 2014

0

For our Vanitas Halloween party (check out the full explanation of our theme here) we recruited the talented Danielle Kroll to design an invitation. We wanted something that was both beautiful yet a tad creepy and I love what she came up with. I think it really captured the feel of our event. We printed it off on an off-white card stock.

Print off your own invitation here (all blank version and partially blank version)

Illustration by Danielle Kroll
Photography by Alpha Smoot
Florals by Sarah Winward
Props by Mary Lee
Art directed by Brittany Jepsen

halloween

Creepy Portrait Posters for Halloween decor

Mommy and Me Halloween Costumes

Other Parent/Child Costumes

Group Costumes

Baby/Kid Costumes

More Inspiration

Cardboard Halloween Costumes

Where the Wild Things Are

Jasper Viking Costume

Campbell’s Soup Cans

DIY Hippie Costume

Mommy and Me Sun Rainbow

Picasso and Painting

Greenhouse Costume

Jimmy Fallon Costumes

Book Costumes

Copenhagen Row House Costume

More Inspiration

Vanilla bean skull cake

Materials:

Instructions:

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Costumes

Here’s an Overview of the Costumes:

To Make the Cookie Costume:

To Make the Cookie Treat Bag: