spring Archives

Easter Crafts

Brittany

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March 15, 2023

Our Favorite Easter Crafts

We have so many Easter crafts that we’re just thrilled to share with you this year. Many of them are brand new, too! Need a new Easter Basket? We’re here for you. How about a fresh spring wreath? We’ve also got you covered in that department. Without further ado, here’s the list of our favorite Easter crafts!

Wreaths

I love a good wreath. And spring wreaths are some of my favorites! They’re a must have when talking about Easter crafts. This year we have a brand new Palm Leaf Wreath you’re sure to love. It’s delicate, colorful, and festive. Just the thing to celebrate Palm Sunday, Easter and spring all in one go! If you’re feeling more into eggs, try our ever popular Easter egg wreath, or this sweet Honeycomb Easter wreath. Both are lovely and sure to put a little spring in your step. Also, you can’t go wrong with a simple floral theme. This Daffodil Wreath is very appropriate for the season, as is this Lemon Wreath!

Easter Baskets

You can’t have Easter crafts without Easter baskets! And we have a brand new one for you to try this year. It’s our DIY Easter Basket, and the best part is that it doesn’t require any sewing. Another clever no-sew Easter basket is this Paper Easter basket. Just download, print, cut and assemble, it’s that easy! If you want to sew an adorable bag that doubles as an Easter basket and will be around for years to come, try this carrot shoulder bag! The bonus is it packs up easily and is equally cute.

If you’re looking for inspiration on what to fill your basket with, look no further than this Easter Basket choose your own adventure. We help guide you through the steps to picking your perfect Easter basket, along with everything to put inside it, like this Paper carrot treat box, carrot surprise balls, or this DIY stuffed bunny. You can also make some of these Danish Easter letters to tuck inside.

Easter Egg ideas

As it so happens, we have a lot of Easter crafts that have to do with eggs. Are you really that surprised? I mean, what’s Easter without at least one little nod to an egg or two. Just yesterday, we release the most lovely nesting Easter eggs! We love the little twist on original nesting dolls. Also try these Easter egg columns, which are a lovely way to decorate your home this Easter. Don’t forget about these Honeycomb Easter eggs, either! Make them into a wreath or decorate with the individual eggs. Either way they’re lovely!

Another fun variation on decorating Easter eggs are these dried flowers on Easter eggs, as well as our Pysanky Easter eggs (here’s the E-book of the Pysanky eggs, the profits of which will be donated to the Ukrainian relief effort). If you’re into more decorating, try our DIY pom pom Easter eggs! Or if you’re having a party, you’ll definitely want to take a look at our Easter egg name tags, Easter egg cupcake toppers, and Easter egg runner.

Felted Easter Eggs

New this year is a tutorial from Jessica Peterson all about felted Easter eggs. They’re a new classic! All the supplies are listed here!

For Kids

If you have kids, you’ll love these Easter-themed toys, accessories, and activities. First stop: these fun bunny party hats. Having a new baby this spring? You won’t want to miss these adorable DIY Baby bonnets! Or these Easter bunny twist ties.

Need a craft to do with your kids to keep them busy and happy? You’ll love these Easter Egg coloring pages, the profits of which will be donated to the Ukrainian relief effort. Then there’s our DIY stuffed bunny, which is a sweet little Easter toy. Plop it in your child’s Easter basket and you’re all set!

Easter printables

A great way to get crafty is with some printables, and we’ve got some great ones!

These Easter egg coloring pages featuring pysanky are great for older kids.

Along with our chick and bunny paper dolls and matching color pages.

Paper crowns

One thing is for sure, if I had a little girl, I’d be making a paper crown floral crown.

And we’ve got a few to choose from! These pretty blue, red, pink, and white flower crowns.

This printable spring crown.

And another handmade paper flower crown perfect for spring.

Easter paper flowers

While we’re on the topic of paper flowers, these Easter lilies are a favorite of mine. I think I’m going to try and make them again this year.

Easter Egg Column People

A new favorite of mine are these adorable Easter column people. I think they’d make a great tablescape!

Paper Flower Garland

Brittany

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July 25, 2022

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Flowers Forever

Flowers can/should never go out of season, right?! Well, that’s my personal motto anyway. I came up with this paper flower garland tutorial and loved how it turned out. And you may not have noticed, but the technique is pretty much a riff off of a paper fan, so it’s easy! It’d be perfect for a birthday or garden party. I love having a supply of garlands on hand just in case I need to throw a party or shower someone with love for a day. It seems to happen more often than I expect.

How to Make a Paper Flower Garland

Making the Flowers

First, do a 3/4″ accordion fold with an 8.5×11″ piece of paper. Cut off any excess paper.
Next, fold the folded paper in half (use this fan tutorial to see how it’s done), then staple the mid point of the folded paper.
To form the petal design, cut the edges of the paper so that it forms a fun design (kind of like making a paper snowflake).
Repeat steps 1-4 to create a second one, then glue them together to form a circle.

Adding the Flower Centers

Cut 1 1/2″ circles for the center of the flowers. You’ll need three per flower.
Paint a fun design onto the circles if desired for the center of the flower.
Glue the front circles onto your flowers, but leave the back circle off for now.
In the circles you haven’t attached yet, use your hole punch to punch two holes about 1/4″ apart in the center of your circle.

Making the Leaves

First, cut out your leaves using a Cricut maker or scissors, if you don’t have a Cricut maker (template here).
Now paint a fun design on them as shown.
After you’re happy with your design, cut two holes about 1/4″ apart in the center of the leaf with a hole punch.

Assembling your Garland

First, thread the string through the two holes in one of the leaves and pull the extra through.
Now thread the string through the two holes in one of the circles. Keep alternating, threading leaf, then circle, then leaf, until the whole garland is threaded through the string.
Once all the circles and leaves are in place on the string, go ahead and hot glue the flowers to the circles, so the circles you already glued on are facing towards the front.
Now all that’s left to do is pick somewhere to hang up your finished paper flower garland and you’re done!

Styling your garland

This is one of my all time favorite paper flower garlands. One of my favorite things about garlands, in general, is how versatile they are. Make them as short or long as you like, and hang them pretty much anywhere. My favorite places are around doorways or entryways, relaxed and drapey against a wall or over a table, on a mantlepiece, along bannisters, and so much more.

Enjoy! And drop any questions or comments below!

Photography by Trisha Zemp

More Inspiration

Loved this paper flower garland and want more where that came from? Try this lovely summer flower garland, our tea stained flower garland, or this eucalyptus garland if you’re feeling a little more leafy. Want more flower content? You won’t want to miss this compilation of all our paper flower tutorials, or our learn to draw: flowers course.

Cyanotype Sun Prints

Brittany

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May 26, 2022

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What is a Cyanotype?

Ever seen those iconic blue and white photographs and wondered how they were made? If cyanotypes are new to you, here’s a little background. Did you know that cyanotypes are where architects and engineers picked up the term “blueprint”? They are literal blue prints! That’s because of the traditional blue and white color of an exposed cyanotype. A cyanotype is a photo process where specially treated paper reacts to UV light (the sun’s rays) and exposes the paper. Specifically, our method involves placing foliage on cyanotype paper that turns blue when exposed to the sun, leaving beautiful white shapes of foliage behind.

Pressed Flowers

Remember this post on how to press flowers in three methods? Cyanotypes are a perfect way to repurpose your beautiful pressed flowers again and again! We love the delicate designs the pressed flowers make in a cyanotype.

In our cyanotype method, we use a simple sheet of clear acrylic to make our design first, then set it on top of the cyanotype paper. That way your design is set in place and you won’t damage your precious cyanotype paper trying to get the glue dots off.

How to Make Your Own Cyanotype Sun Prints

First, create your pattern by arranging pressed flowers on one side of the acrylic. Make sure the design fits. Secure the flowers with glue dots (this is helpful to keep your design in place, especially if there is wind).
Next, lay the cyanotype paper flat on the ground in a spot that gets direct sunlight.
Now, position the acrylic on the cyanotype paper and set it in place.
Leave in the sun for about 20 minutes, or until the design has set. Our paper was quicker than 20 minutes (closer to 5 or 10), but the time varies depending on the specific brand of paper you use.
Last step is to rinse the cyanotype paper with water, and let it fully dry on a clean surface. Done!

If you’d like, you can frame your beautiful print or leave it on its own, whichever you prefer. Add it to your collection of art and put it somewhere that makes you happy!

More Inspiration

Loved this tutorial on cyanotype sun prints? Remember to check out our post on how to press flowers in three methods! Also see this post, where we compiled all our paper flower tutorials all in one place.

Casetify Inspired Fabric Projects

Brittany

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May 23, 2022

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Funky Town Fabric Projects

The best thing about the projects we picked to feature our funky town fabrics is that they are all so simple. Seriously. If you consider yourself a beginner, you don’t need to feel intimidated by any of these projects. Just follow along with us to learn how to make these easy staples to add to your wardrobe and home!

Tip#1: before starting any of your projects, make sure you’ve pre-washed your fabric first!

Tip#2: when cutting out square or rectangle pieces, it’s much easier to be precise when you use a cutting mat, rotary cutter, and clear gridded ruler.

Bandana/Kerchief

Simplest of our Casetify inspired fabric projects, this bandana is the perfect accessory to your outfit. If you’re lacking a little color, the bandana will give you that pop you were looking for! For ours, we chose the small marbled and lilac checkers fabrics.

Here’s how to make your own:

How to Make a Bandana/Kerchief

Prepping the Fabric

First, order your favorite fabric from our new Funky Town collection! For fabric type, we’d recommend cotton poplin, as it’s soft, light and breathable. Remember to prewash!
Next, for each bandana, cut out a square that’s 23″x 23″, or adjust the size as necessary for your neck size (smaller bandanas can be as small as 17″ or 18″, and larger closer to 28″ square).

Sewing the Mitered Corners

Now you’re ready to sew the mitered corners. This is the neat diagonal finish to the corners that eliminates some of the bulk caused by traditional hemming. It looks neat and is easy to do!

First, fold over and press each edge by a 1/4″, then a second time to cover the raw edge.
Next, unfold the second fold and measure double the width of the hem from the edge of the fabric down. Mark the spot on each side of the corner with a fabric marker, then connect the two sides with a line across.
Now fold the corner on itself with right sides together, pin, and sew along the line you drew.
Last, clip the excess fabric, press open and flip the corner to the right side to reveal your finished corner.
Repeat steps 2-4 for the remaining corners.

Finishing Touches

To finish up, simply topstitch along the edge of the folded over sides to complete your hems. Press so it’s nice and flat.
Done! Lay it out and admire.

Simple Throw Pillow

Our next Casetify inspired fabric project is a simple throw pillow. This is the simplest technique to make a throw pillow. No piping or zippers, so there’s not much to be intimidated by. The great thing is it looks lovely when done and takes less than an hour to finish! For ours, we used the retro rainbow stripe in cypress cotton canvas.

Prepping your Fabric

Once your fabric is prewashed and ironed, lay it out and cut out two squares that are 19″x19″. These are the dimensions you’ll need for a standard 20″x20″ throw pillow.
Now lay the two pieces out on top of each other with right sides together.
Next, fold over and press both sides of one edge of each fabric square over to the wrong side by 1/2″.
Pin the three sides you did not press down to prep for sewing.

Sewing the Pillow

Now that your pillow pieces are pinned, sew around the three un-pressed edges. Backstitch at beginning and end.
Clip corners and flip your pillow to the right side.
Next, stuff the pillow insert into the pillow cover you just made and sew up the opening close to the edge. Make sure the pressed edge you created is tucked neatly inside.
Done!

Tote Bag

The tote bag is a bit more advanced than the other two Casetify inspired fabric projects, but we promise you can do it! For this one we used the large retro rainbow marble in cypress cotton canvas, with golden accent handles and strap.

Print off our tote bag template found here.
Cut your bag pieces out of the fabric using the bag template. Note which part of the fabric you want to highlight on your bag and which direction it will face when complete.

Main Bag Piece

With right sides together, sew the front and back of the main bag pieces together at the side seams. Use a single stitch and then finish off with a zig zag to prevent fraying.
Next, pull the edges of the notched part of the cut fabric together (the two bottom corners) to form the flat bottom of the bag. Use a straight stitch, trim the excess down to 1/4″, then finish the edge with a zig zag.
Now turn your main bag piece right side out to prep for future steps. Now to move on to the handle straps!

Handle Straps

First, hem under each long edge by 1/4″. Then fold both of the handle straps in half so the folded edges meet.
Next, pin and sew a single stitch down both long sides of each strap.

Shoulder Strap

For the shoulder strap, fold the shoulder strap piece in half with wrong sides together lengthwise.
Next, unfold, then fold each side into the center seam, pressing as you go.
Now you can fold the strap back along the center crease you made. Make sure the two folded edges line up evenly.
Lastly, pin and sew a single stitch down both long sides of each strap.

Attaching the Straps

Now to attach the straps to the main bag piece. For this, make sure your bag piece is turned right side out.

First, position the handle straps in the center of the bag opening on each side. Align the raw edges with the top opening of the bag. Pin, then sew in place with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Now attach the ends of the shoulder strap piece to both side seams of the bag. Position them the same way you did with the handle straps and sew in place.

Finishing Touches

Now it’s time for the facing. For this, take both facing pieces with right sides together and sew along both short edges by 1/4″. You should now have a tube that’s the same size as the opening of your bag. If it’s too big, make the seam allowance larger to adjust.
Next, fold one edge under (wrong sides together) by 1/4″ and press.
Now, with right sides together, align the raw edge of the facing tube around the opening of the bag.
Next, sew a single stitch around the top opening edge of the bag, with a 1/2″ seam allowance.
To finish up, turn the facing to the inside of the bag, press, and pin in place. Make sure the sewn edge of the facing/bag is creased neatly along the top edge of the bag. It shouldn’t show on the outside.
Last, edge stitch along the creased edge of the facing to hold it in place.
Done!

Styling Your Funky Town Projects

You can have a lot of fun styling your Funky Town Casetify inspired fabric projects! The great thing about these fabrics is that they can be mixed and matched in so many different ways. Try a marbled with a checkered, like we did, or add a solid pop of color to a busy pattern as an accent. The options are endless.

We’re excited to see what you make! Let us know in the comments!

More Inspiration

Loved these simple Casetify inspired fabric projects? Check out the first post in our sewing basics series, how to thread a sewing machine! You’ll probably also love these other easy sewing projects. Try our Mother’s Day apron or our Easter outfits (not limited to use on Mother’s Day or Easter). If you want more home decor sewing projects, try our shaped throw pillows or quilted shower curtain.

BLOOM Inspired Style

Brittany

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May 18, 2022

2

BLOOM Lifestyle Photos

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the BLOOM lifestyle shoot:

We had to work in a quilted jacket somehow. I’m in love with this one!

The floral embroidery on that blue dress is just exquisite! I knew we needed it as soon as I saw it.

I’m loving the retro vibes of this shot.

Don’t you just love those pink pom poms paired with the pink phone?

Those tiny purple and blue flowers? Are you kidding me?! So gorgeous.

Secret garden fabric paired with secret garden phone case? A match made in heaven, especially with that lovely gold bracelet.

BLOOM Inspired Style

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Don’t you just love the idea of a wardrobe refresh to match your new phone case? Here are all the beautiful blouses and dresses we used:

And here are the BLOOM inspired accessories:

More Inspiration

Make sure to check out this post featuring our newest Casetify collection! And if you haven’t seen it yet, head over to our Casetify honest review to see how these phone cases have held up for team Lars! Also, check out our first Casetify collection here. Love our phone case designs? You’ll probably be interested in our Casetify inspired crafts, like these nesting Easter eggs, or our painted mini pumpkins.

Retro Florals Backdrop

Brittany

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May 16, 2022

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Floral Backdrops from the Archives

We love our floral backdrops! This isn’t the first time we’ve dabbled in a floral backdrop. Remember our peonies, hibiscus/tropical leaves, daisies, tulips and poppies? Well, we though it was high time to revisit backdrops, this time in the form of my favorite phone case of all time: Retro Florals!

Retro Florals Backdrop

The best thing about this backdrop, besides being absolutely adorable, is that it’s incredibly quick and easy. It’s the perfect backdrop for a spring birthday, baby or bridal shower, or just because you’re in need of some extra color. Just grab your cricut maker (or a pair of scissors), some paper and something to stick it to the wall and you’re all set!

How to Make a Retro Florals Backdrop

First, download the Retro Florals Backdrop template found here.
Next, upload your template into the cricut design space. If you don’t have a cricut maker, you can just print the template out and use scissors to cut them out.
Now all you have to do is get cutting! Cut out as many as you need to fill your wall, in a variety of colors. If you’re stumped on colors, you can use our photos (and phone case!) as a guide.
To stick them to the wall, use either tape that won’t remove the paint or poster putty. Tip: We would recommend putting the design on the wall as you go. That way you can keep track of what colors you need to cut out next.
When you’re happy with the amount of retro florals you’ve added to your wall, you can stand back and admire. You’re done!

Casetify-Inspired Fabrics

The fun doesn’t stop with this backdrop. You may have noticed the dress we made out of custom retro florals fabric! Well, we have a whole host of other fabrics for you to choose from that are largely inspired by our Casetify collections. Click here to peruse the options!

More Inspiration

Need more colorful crafts to fill your home this spring? You’ll probably love our new papier-mâché vase! Interested in more paper flower projects? Head to this post, where we’ve compiled all of our paper flower tutorials. Wanting to start a garden of real flowers this year? Head over to Lars’ Gardening Essentials for some tips!

Lars’ Gardening Essentials

Brittany

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May 13, 2022

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Lars and Gardens

If you’ve been following along for a while now, you’ll know I love gardens. I mean, anything that’s compatible with flowers is a big yes for me. Years ago, I described my dream gardens in this post. It’s a great place to start if you need a little help deciding on what types of plants to fill your garden with.

Tips for Beginners (or anyone, really!)

Speaking of tips on growing a garden, if you need some, see this post on how to grow a garden even when you think you can’t. I wouldn’t consider myself a pro, but you can see what I did to the front yard garden of our little rental (serious nostalgia here! I love our new house, but that little rental will always have a special place in my heart. And the garden turned out so lovely)!

Another post that can steer you in the right direction if you’re in need of a little garden inspiration is this post on how to plant a rainbow container garden. I go through plants of every color of the rainbow! It’s a lovely and easy way to add some color to your garden.

Oh, and if you need a few more gardening tips, as well as basic tools? See this post! It’s amazing how helpful a few basic tools can be in creating your dream garden. And speaking of tools and other essentials, you won’t want to miss this garden apron tutorial.

Other Garden Inspiration

Interested in our other garden content? You might want to check out this garden transformation we did with Troy Bilt! Honestly, the before photos are unrecognizable. Also see this post, where we compiled the inspiration for our new house! And last year, we did a roundup of planters and pots for you to peruse. And don’t forget our shop! Inspire yourself with floral and garden-centric art like this or this.

Lars’ Gardening Essentials

And for your convenience, here are some other Lars’ gardening essentials. From gloves to planters, you’ll be set for spring with a variety of tools. Whether you’ve got a pumpkin patch in your backyard, a few pots on your front porch, or some herbs on your windowsill, there’s something for every gardener (or wannabe) out there!

All Our Paper Flower Tutorials

Brittany

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May 11, 2022

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Blooms for Bouquets

There are so many things you can do with paper flowers, but you need to make them first! Mix and match these flowers for bouquets or let them stand alone. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

Find paper flower tutorials here: Sunflowers, Parrot Tulips, Peonies, Poppies, Morning Glory, Hydrangeas, Eden Rose, Daffodil, Paper Flower Bells, and Narcissus.

Lots of flowers have stamens, and here you can make your own floral stamens for paper flowers.

Bouquets

I’m a big fan of paper wedding bouquets because they are long-lasting reminders of your big day. There’s no wilting here! I have loved making paper flower tutorials for all these bouquets.

Find tutorials here: Spring Wedding Bouquet, White Peony Bouquet, Royal Wedding Inspired Bouquet, and Cinco de Mayo Inspired Bouquet.

Paper Flower Accessories

Flowers add delicacy and magic to your fanciest events, but I’m all for wearing them in between big parties, too! These paper flower crowns and this corsage will have you searching for events because they’re so fun to wear! You can find paper flower tutorials for the accessories below.

Find tutorials here: Shamrock Flowe r Crown, Paper Flower Bridal Hairpiece, Flower Girl Crown, Spring Paper Flower Crown, Paper Flower Corsage, Paper Flower Graduation Tassel, and Paper Poppy Pin.

Home Decor Flowers

Wreaths

When I started adding paper flower wreaths to my doors, I made a huge discovery. Coming home to something beautiful makes a big difference! So add paper flower wreaths to your doors and start feeling OVERJOYED when you get to your home. I promise, it works for me!

Wreath tutorials here: Daffodil Wreath, Lemon and Blossom Wreath, Wallpaper Floral Wreath, Rainbow Flower Wreath, Paper Poinsettia Wreath, Palm Leaf Wreath and Pink Paper Blossom Wreath.

Chandeliers and Mobiles

I absolutely love what chandeliers and mobiles do to fill the empty space in a room. And come on, they look adorable. So do yourself a favor and hang one over your new baby’s crib! It will surely give you and baby some much needed delight amidst the lack of sleep.

Mobile tutorials here: Paper Maidenhair Fern Mobile, Paper Flower Chandelier, Scandinavian Paper Mobile and Midsummer Dala Horse Mobile.

Centerpieces

Another way I love to incorporate flowers is through centerpieces. Because isn’t having company over the perfect excuse to make something with paper flowers?

Centerpiece tutorials here: Paper Flower Branch Candelabra, Spring Tulip Centerpiece, Rainbow Paper Flower Tablescape

Potted Paper Flowers

I love me a good potted paper plant. These little beauties are the perfect addition to any room, so what are you waiting for?

Find tutorials here: Paper Orchids, Paper Foxgloves, Easter Lily, Christmas Cactus, Medinilla Plant, Pansies, Hollyhocks, Paper Flower Bells and more Paper House Plants.

Parties!

Cakes

Another impeccable excuse to incorporate some flowers, do yourself (and your guests) a favor! If I had to guess, I’d say these flower-centric party decorations will do the trick perfectly.

Cake topper tutorials here: Floral Number Birthday Cake Topper, Paper Flower and Kumquat Cake Decoration, Midsummer Pole Cake Topper and 3D Paper Flower Gift Toppers.

Backdrops

Backdrop tutorials here: Crepe Paper Peony Backdrop, Tropical Leaf and Hibiscus Backdrop, Paper Daisy Backdrop, Paper Tulip Backdrop and Paper Poppy Backdrop.

Garlands

Isn’t spring the perfect time for a floral garland? Well, for your convenience, we have some lovely options that transition right into summer, too!

Garland tutorials here: Paper Flower Garland and Summer Flower Garland.

And don’t forget this Daisy Party Hat tutorial!

Holiday

Holidays are the perfect time to get making a few flower-centric decorations. To help you out, here are our favorites:

Valentines Day

Wear this Valentine Flower Wreath on your head or decorate your door with it. Either way, you’ll be feeling festive and ready for the spring blooms that will pop up not too long after Valentines Day with this wreath!

Halloween

Chrysanthemum Mom and Kid Costume

Hannukah

Paper Flower Menorah

Christmas

This Christmas you can make holly large or small, as well as these really exciting poinsettia blooms.

Poinsettia, Crepe Paper Holly, Giant Paper Holly Decoration and Amaryllis.

More From Our Shop!

Find more floral Lars materials on our shop. Here’s our Flowers Coloring Book, this sticker sheet, a whole collection of floral art prints, and more!

Our Learn To Draw Flowers Course

And don’t forget about our learn to draw flowers course! It’s the perfect companion piece to all these paper flower tutorials. And the great thing is, if you don’t have all the materials handy to make the tutorials right now, you can learn to draw them first! By the time your materials come in the mail, you’ll be a pro at drawing flowers and will be all ready to start making them.

Papier-mâché Vase

Brittany

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May 9, 2022

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How to make a papier-mâché vase

Corrie Beth has been making the most amazing papier-mâché projects for years. We are honestly some of her biggest fans. Her creations are so gorgeous, we wanted to try our hand at making our own! Lucky for us, papier-mâché is one of the most versatile materials around. It can be transformed into almost anything, if you’re creative enough to think up how. We love how much a simple vase can add to your home decor. It’s simple and so effective.

Here’s how to make your own:

Prepping your cardboard

Get out your cardboard and scissors! Here’s what to do:

First you’ll want to download, print and cut out the papier-mâché vase template found here.
With your templates ready to go, you can now trace and cut out the shapes provided. You’ll also need to cut out two additional rectangles in the following dimensions: 21.75″ x 4.5″ and 2″ x 10″. Tip: It’s helpful to cut out the rectangle pieces so the cardboard fluting (the bumpy middle section) is parallel to the short width. This makes shaping the rectangles much easier.
You should now have five shapes cut out: three “c” shapes, and two rectangles (one small and one large).

Constructing your understructure

First, gently shape each piece.
For the “c” shapes, bring the two edges together so they form a subtle cone shape. Secure with hot glue.
Next, for the rectangles, bring the short edges together to make cylinders. Secure with hot glue. Note: For each piece, shape as you go by bending every centimeter or so in the desired direction.
Now hot glue the individual pieces together, using the diagram in the template as a reference.
Once everything is glued and the glue is cool, cover the entire thing in a layer of masking tape. This will make the surface nicer when you start to attach the papier-mâché.

Making the paste

To make your paste, add 1 part flour to 2 parts water. Stir with a spoon and try to get out as many lumps as possible.
Next, heat mixture for 40 seconds in the microwave, then stir again.
Repeat the process a couple more times until the paste has thickened a bit. It should still be fairly runny and smooth when you’re done. If it’s thickened into a lumpy mess, you’ve heated it too much.

Applying the papier-mâché

For the papier-mâché, tear up some newspaper or newsprint into narrow strips. I would recommend tearing up all the paper ahead of time so you don’t have to tear it with sticky hands.
Next, fully coat each strip in the paste, then start applying them to the cardboard structure. Continue until the entire vase is coated thoroughly.
Note: It works best if you apply the strips in a random formation, criss-crossing as you go. This helps them hold better when dry.
Last, let your papier-mâché dry out completely for a few days!

Decorating your vase

To decorate, simply paint your vase with acrylic paint. If you’d like, use our photos as a reference to paint it like we did! We drew out the design in pencil, then painted it in, but do whatever method you’d like. You can also skip the pencil if you’d rather.

Styling your vase

This papier-mâché vase pairs perfectly with many of our paper flowers! Make a bouquet and put it on your mantlepiece, kitchen table, or desk. I love that it stays bright and beautiful for months–you don’t have to worry about paper flowers dying, or the vase tipping over and water spilling out. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make five more.

What are you going to do with your vase? Let us know in the comments!

More Inspiration

Here are some paper flowers to go with your lovely new vase: Poppies, peonies, and posies, summer paper wedding bouquet, paper flower bouquet. We also have our new paper orchids and sunflowers!

Looking for more easy DIY crafts this spring? Try these other papier-mâché projects! Oversized paper mache flower, family costume reveal, and paper mache pineapple tray.

Inspired by Cinco de Mayo

Brittany

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May 5, 2022

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Nadia Aguilar Cates

Last year I talked to my friend Nadia Aguilar Cates about Cinco de Mayo and some of her plans to celebrate it. She explained that “Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the battle of Puebla. It’s not Mexico’s Independence Day but a common celebration in the United States.” –Nadia Aguilar Cates, @Casa_Palomi

Last year Nadia and I worked together to make a COVID-safe drive-by Cinco de Mayo party. This party was complete with cardboard mariachi instruments for kids and a giant papel picado backdrop. If you missed it last year, it’s not too late to get ready for this year’s festivities!

We also interviewed Nadia last Fall. Everything she does to preserve and celebrate her Mexican heritage is so inspiring. Check out her interview here! Oh and definitely keep an eye on Ella Rises, the organization Nadia created to empower Latina youth.

History of Cinco de Mayo

As Nadia said, Cinco de Mayo commemorates an important Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862 in the city of Puebla. The battle, in which the Mexican army defeated French troops, marked a turning tide in the fight for Mexican sovereignty. It also signaled Mexico’s strength to the rest of the world, which tended to underestimate their power.

Because The House that Lars Built is located in the United States, where anti-Mexican racism is still a pervasive problem, we’re using Cinco de Mayo to reflect on the importance of listening to and celebrating Indigenous and Mexican stories. In true Lars fashion, this means I’m highlighting some of my favorite Mexican artists and designers!

Lars Loves Mexican Artists

Frida Kahlo

Where would we be without our Queen, Frida Kahlo? She’s probably one of the best-known Mexican artists, and for good reason! Her work explores her Mexican Indigenous heritage in bright colors and with psychologically rich symbolism.

If you’re looking for more Frida in your life, check out our Great Artists course for kids, which will teach your little one (and you) more about Frida’s work. You can also look at these DIY projects inspired by Frida and this roundup of Frida Kahlo-inspired decor.

Luis Barragán

Luis Barragán was an incredible Mexican architect and designer, whose geometric buildings are breathtakingly colorful. His iconic San Cristobal Stables was one of the most memorable parts of my trip to Mexico City a few years ago.

Michelle Franzoni Thorley

Michelle Franzoni Thorley is a local-to-me painter and family historian whose work explores her Mexican heritage and the power of knowing about our ancestors. She also is an anti-racism educator and all-around powerful human being. So make sure you follow her on Instagram @florafamiliar!

A painting of women in mountains, a desert, and a cemetery holding onto a red ribbon that connects them. — Ancestresses by Michelle Franzoni Thorley

Cinco de Mayo in the Archives

Paper Fan Garland

Along with last year’s drive by party, I wanted to share more Cinco de Mayo inspiration from years gone by. One of my earliest projects was this paper fan garland decoration.

Honeycomb fruit

Another early project was this collection of DIY honeycomb fruit ornaments.

Cinco de Mayo Bouquet

I was also inspired by vibrant Mexican design when I made this Cinco de Mayo paper wedding bouquet! You don’t have to be a bride to make this, though! Putting together this bouquet would be such a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo while simultaneously gearing up for Summer blooms.

Fiesta

If you’re looking for full-on Cinco de Mayo party inspiration, look no further than the fiesta I threw a few years ago! You can find great decor, lots of delicious recipes, and links to tableware that will make your party a true fiesta!

Mexico City Travel Guide

Maybe I’m getting carried away, but I also want to share my travel guide from Mexico City. In 2018 I went to Mexico City and it was absolutely dreamy. In my Mexico City guide you can find my favorite places to go and things to see, as well as (perhaps most importantly?) where to eat. I can’t wait until I can go back and experience even more of Mexico City, because it’s truly a magical (and huge!) place, with so much to do and see.

I came home from Mexico City feeling so inspired by the color and design that I put together a roundup of fashion and design that reminded me of my trip! I’m itching to go back, but looking through these travel-inspired objects is satisfying a bit of my wanderlust…for now!

Viva México!

More Inspiration

Looking for Cinco de Mayo decorations, or just some spring decor to freshen up your home? Look no further than our shop for the templates to get you going! Try the Cinco de Mayo bouquet template and e-book to make it a lovely centerpiece. Also, here’s the template for those Cinco de Mayo streamers we mentioned. You’ll probably also love this paper flower garland or this boutonniere! You may want to check out this house plants e-book as well, along with our flower and leaf garland e-book.

Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

Brittany

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May 2, 2022

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Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

For our Mother’s Day breakfast in bed, we decided to go with something classic and gave it a little twist to make it extra cute for mom. This Mother’s Day breakfast in bed is so simple, but so adorable. Think edible arrangement in bed. Here’s how to recreate it:

Tray

To make your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed extra comfy for mom, you’ll want one of these handy trays. We went with a simple white Amazon edition. It was perfect with the colorful fruit and other components, like our retro floral fabric we turned into a bedspread!

Dishes

A vase and plate or bowl make a lovely addition to your breakfast in bed arrangement. We chose a simple white vase and pink plate we had on hand, but you can also see this post for many more options that would be beautiful as well!

Napkins

We chose our DIY napkins using natural ingredients for this breakfast in bed. We loved the bold colors in contrast with the fruit and that retro floral bedspread.

Flower fruit

The real stars (or flowers) of the show were the cookie cutters, which we used to cut out various types of fruit into flowers and arranged them. This part is fun–get creative and make your own edible arrangement for mom. Here’s how you can recreate these edible arrangements:

First, cut out wide, flat slices of fruit (wide enough for various sizes of the flower cookie cutters to fit on).
Cut out various sizes of the cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and pineapple. We found that the watermelon and pineapple worked best for the larger cookie cutters, while the honeydew and cantaloupe were ideal for the smaller ones.
Next, cut a length of 18 gauge wire that’s slightly longer than a straw. Slide it through the straw and stick a large fruit flower onto the tip. The flower should sit nicely on top of the straw now.
Cut a small piece of wire and use to attach a smaller flower onto the center of the big flower.
Make as many as you’d like for the arrangement!

Other food ideas

We went with a very fruit-centric breakfast with edible arrangements, grapes and strawberries (these didn’t work with the cookie cutters but are nonetheless delicious). But we also included some delicious cherry turnovers so mom could indulge. Get creative and add anything to your breakfast you think your mother would like!

What are you going to do for your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed? Let us know in the comments!

Shaped Throw Pillows

Brittany

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May 1, 2022

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Why Throw Pillows?

We recently got this awesome blue velvet couch. The thing is, though, it’s big, bold, and really needed something to help it fit in better with the ambience in our studio. It didn’t take us long to discover the perfect answer to our conundrum: an assortment of uniquely-shaped, vibrant throw pillows, designed by the very studio in which they would find their new home. That’s why the opportunity to use our brand-new, beautiful Fiskars scissors to make these shaped throw pillows for our couch was a dream come true. We designed not just the pillows inspired by the scissors, but the scissors themselves.

Custom Fiskars Scissors

Now, let me talk about these scissors for a minute. Yes, you heard me right–we are thrilled to partner up with Fiskars to release our new very own scissors! I was particularly excited (like serious, drop-dead excitement) because I have a total obsession with scissors if you haven’t seen it by now. I’ve been collecting them for years and years. I have scissors for all kinds of things–trimming, fabric, paper, kids, antique, you name it. In fact, Craft the Rainbow, my paper craft book, has a little game where you can guess the amount of scissors in it. Go ahead and try it…there are a lot 😉

These Fiskars scissors are absolutely and exquisitely beautiful, not to mention being the perfect blend of practical and art-object, with those graceful handle curves in sharp contrast to that smooth, functional blade. You can imagine my joy, then, when Fiskars told us we’d be able to customize not only the handles, but the blades as well.

As you might guess, these puppies are phenomenal. The pattern is perfect, exactly what we had envisioned, and the combination of patterned, floral handles and colored blade?! I can’t even. They are truly spectacular; a work of art. I can’t wait for you to see them in person.

The Inspiration Behind Our Throw Pillows

Well, we put our customized Fiskars scissors to good use making their debut project: our shaped throw pillows. In fact, we really couldn’t have done it without them! You see, we used the floral design we had printed on the scissors as inspiration for our pillow designs. So not only did we use the scissors to cut out the fabric, but we used the scissors as a reference as we crafted our pillow designs, as well.

The pillows designs we settled on were: a flower, leaves, a fun two-tone circle, and a magnificent yellow squiggle. The combination of pink, orange, green and brown against our blue velvet beauty of a couch was almost too good to be true. If you need me, I’ll be in the studio–I’m going to be sitting on that couch forever, buried among those shaped throw pillows.

How to Make a DIY Shaped Throw Pillow

And now, we’re going to show you how to make your very own DIY shaped throw pillow! As a note, we’ll be presenting you with a tutorial of that iconic yellow squiggle pillow, but you can apply the steps of the tutorial to any shape you want to add to your own throw pillow collection. (We would highly recommend using our Fiskars scissors floral pattern as a reference, like we did–there are some awesome potential throw pillows in there, waiting to be made).

So you’re aware, this project is ideal for someone who has previous sewing experience. It’s fairly simple, but we won’t be going through the basics of sewing here. In other words, you may be a bit lost if this is your first time touching a sewing machine.

Materials

For this project, you’ll need:

Our custom Fiskars scissors
1 yard yellow fabric (we bought ours from Harmony, a local fabric shop)
Yellow thread
Pillow stuffing
Tracing or butcher paper
Pencil
Sewing machine
Pins

Preparing Your Pattern

Using our yellow pillow as a reference, trace (with a pencil) the shape of the throw pillow onto the butcher paper. Make it a few inches larger than the finished pillow appears, to account for the fullness of the batting and seam allowances (Our pillow is roughly 3 ½ feet long).
Once you’re happy with the shape you have, go ahead and cut it out.

Prepping Your Fabric

Iron or steam out the wrinkles in your fabric.
Lay your fabric out flat, folded in half lengthwise (aka hot dog style). Make sure to smooth out all bumps and wrinkles so the fabric lies nice and flat.
When you’re done with that, you can take your freshly-prepared pattern and pin it onto your fabric, close to the edge if you want to conserve more fabric.
Now, cut out your fabric along the edge of the pattern, using our custom Fiskars scissors.
After the fabric is cut, you can remove the pattern.
Now, with the wrong sides together, pin around the edges of your fabric to secure the two pieces in place.

Sewing Your Throw Pillow

Prep your sewing machine, then sew around the perimeter of your fabric shape, leaving a 3 or 4 inch opening on one side. You’ll use this to turn the throw pillow right side out, so make sure you don’t get carried away and sew the opening closed! Backstitch at both ends. Note: it helps to have the opening on a straighter edge of the shape–this will make it easier to sew closed.
Now that your throw pillow is sewn, you can turn it right side out.
Press the seam allowance of the opening under, so the raw edges will be hidden once it’s sewn.
The next step is to stuff your throw pillow with batting. You’ll see it start to take shape! Stuff it as full as you like, noting that if you stuff it very full, you’ll need to hand-sew it closed, rather than using a machine like in this tutorial.
Once your pillow is as full as you’d like it, you can go ahead and sew it closed.
Voilà! Your shaped throw pillow is done!

How to Style Your Shaped Throw Pillows

These shaped throw pillows are such a playful, unique accent piece for any room. Put them on your couch, bed, window seat, or chair and you’ve just added an instant touch of personality to your home. I love that you can pair the colors with other home decor, like posters, paintings or other wall art, furniture, or even plant pots. Shaped throw pillows do a lot to help tie disparate elements together in a room. The bonus is, they’re cozy, too! Use them as a foot rest or snuggle into them while watching a movie and you’re all set.

We can’t wait to see what you do with your own shaped throw pillows! And we want to know: what do you think of our new, custom Fiskars scissors?!

More Inspiration

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to make your own DIY shaped throw pillow. If you did (and we have a feeling that might be the case), you’ll probably love these other DIY sewing projects. The bonus is, you can use our customized Fiskars scissors for them, too! Quilted Shower Curtain, Celtic Knot Pillow, DIY Headboard, and Paper Snowflakes.