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    Floral-inspired swimwear with Limericki

    Brittany
    -
    0
    Floral-inspired swimwear with Limericki

    Floral-inspired swimsuit with Lime Ricki

    When we first discussed a partnership together, the team at Lime Ricki came with a mood board and I knew it would be love from that moment. They wanted a collection inspired by Scandinavian florals–we knew just what to do.

    I immediately began thinking about the florals I was inspired by when I lived in Denmark: wild flowers, daisies, meadows. I wanted to bring them together in celebratory prints in colors that reminded me of my time there.

    At the same time, you know we love a good patchwork moment and pairing of prints so we wanted to try that out on swimsuits. We took the shape of the patterns and together with the Lime Ricki team, figured out how to highlight a mix of patterns while also creating a shape that was flattering.

    Our 4 patterned floral collection

    We created 4 patterns for the collection and each one is named after a famous flower-loving Dane. Let me tell you about them. And let me also include a pronunciation guide because not everyone on the team has wrapped their brain around it yet (ha!).

    Margrethe: [Mar-great-uh]

    Our sweet daisy print is named after the current Queen of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II. Her name actually means daisy and so this is our ode to her. Also fun fact: Did you know that there is a route in Denmark that is 3600km long and takes you to the most beautiful parts of Denmark? It’s called the Margrethe route and the signs have a big daisy on it!

    Blixen:

    Blixen is our moody wildflower print and is named after author Karen Blixen, who famously wrote Out of Africa. Every time I go back to Denmark I visit her beautiful home on the east shore of Sjaelland. She was a huge flower lover and kept a gorgeous wild garden that is still maintained today. One of her hobbies was to create impeccable arrangements from these flowers.

    Tage: [tay-uh]

    I wrote about my love of floral artist and sculptor, Tage Andersen, years ago here on Lars. Think of Claude Monet transplanted in modern times though the wardrobe stays the same. His shop in downtown Copenhagen is other worldly. He also transformed a Swedish country palace into a remarkable farm and home with his handmade sculptors and gardens. Visiting Gunillaberg changed my life. He is a famous floral artist to the queen. We named our gingham after him for his refined eye.

    Claus [not like Santa, but like clow-s]:

    Claus Dalby is probably Denmark’s most famous gardener. He has a charming youtube channel where he teaches how to recreate his famous tulip container gardens and other marvelous gardening tips. Our yellow oversized floral print is named after him because of his exuberant use of the floral form in his Aarhus gardens.

    New suits to the collection

    We introduced a couple of new shapes to the collection including a rash guard and a dress that has a suit underneath) as well as this one piece inspired by a patchwork quilt. It’s perfect. In fact, on a personal trip to France for my 40th in September, Jane and I did a quick shoot at the calanques in Provence and our model loved this one the most. She said the fit was perfect. I’ll take it!

    Why we partnered with Lime Ricki

    There were many reasons why we decided to partner with Lime Ricki aside from our shared love of color and fun. I wanted to name a few incase you’re new to their brand.

    The fit

    You know when you just want to swim and be active and you don’t want your boobs hanging out? It is seriously so hard! I don’t want it to be a factor! These suits are designed to keep you comfortable and flattering without having to adjust anything all day. There is a suit for every comfort level and every shape. And they don’t skimp out on details–it’s lined where it needs to be lined and cupped where it needs to be cupped.

    Speaking of!

    Inclusivity.

    There is no right size here–it’s for everyone. They have sizes from XXS to 4X. Period.

    All-women owned and run

    In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m proud to associate with a fellow all women run company. It’s run by Nicole, Jennifer, and Colette. Their bio is insane (read about them here), but just know that they have traveled the world and know how to do it right! We’ve had a wonderful experience with these kind, smart, compassionate women. I wish you could know them in person–they are the best part of their company!

    Local

    Lime Ricki is based here in Utah and they have two stores, one here in Provo and the other in Salt Lake. We even get to do their window displays for the launch so please check it out!

    They make their suits in Mexico City and in Los Angeles at responsible companies. I love that they do their homework!

    Where to find Lime Ricki

    Anywhoo, I could go on and on and on, but please know, Lime Ricki is the real deal–everything you could want in a company–thoughtful, responsible, fun, adventurous, looking out for the customer.

    I’m worried it might sell out before you get one, so I’d recommend jumping on the train now! Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever!

    Here’s where to shop the collection! 

    Pantone color of the year

    Brittany
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    0
    Pantone color of the year

    Pantone color of the year: Viva Magenta!

    The Pantone Color Institute announced their color of the year at Art Basel in Miami in December. I had the privilege to attend the reveal at Artechouse and it was a beautiful homage to the vibrant color of the year. In fact, if you’d like to see the reveal for yourself, you can view it here.

    Everyone awaited the big reveal as we listened to the Leatrice Eisman’s, head of Pantone, thoughts about the importance of color–something you know I’m fully in support of. Once the color was announced we explored the Artechouse galleries, which celebrated the color. viva magenta

    Now, how do I factor into all of this?

    Spoonflower x Pantone Color of the Year

    A couple of weeks prior to the event we were invited to collaborate with Spoonflower, one of our favorite, long-time partners, to create a pattern inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year. Even though it was our busiest time of the year and the turnaround was CRAZY tight, I had to say yes. I mean, what choice did I have?! When it comes to color, I say YES!

    Here’s the thing, they didn’t tell us what the color was!

    Pantone Color of the Year

    Keeping Pantone’s Color of the Year on the down low

    They gave us color codes to work with, I’m guessing so that it wasn’t easy to track down and figure out if it came into the wrong hands. It was all so covert.

    We translated all of the codes into colors and here’s what we had to work with:

    In fact, our turnaround was so tight that I was trying to deduce all the colors at stoplights on my way home and it was VERY tricky to do it on a phone let me tell you.

    Our assignment was to interpret Pantone’s ethos that speaks to the following:

    • Bravery to break boundaries
    • Fearless optimism
    • An endless new ecosystem emerging in the world
    • Pantone’s pillars this year are Art + Design and Science + Tech

    So, of course, we created a pattern inspired by beautiful bold blooms and went to town incorporating their colors.

    Here’s a screenshot of some of the combos we were playing around with, again, not knowing which was the actual color.

    Viva Magenta

    We gave Spoonflower a ton of options to work with and didn’t know exactly what they were going to use them for but they requested on that was large in repeat and one that was smaller and more suitable to dinnerware.

    When I arrived at the event in Miami, I couldn’t wait to see how they had used the selected patterns. I had somewhat of a hunch of what it might be, just because Magenta was such a knockout out of bunch, but, of course, I didn’t know for sure.

    After Viva Magenta was in fact announced (yay!), they led me up to gallery where they had installed our wallpaper in the color, which you can see behind me here. I hadn’t yet seen it so I was getting the big reveal at this precise moment.

    And voila! There she is! Ha!

    And, of course, we had to have some fun in front of it!

    Spoonflower artists

    I was one of 6 artists invited to participate and everyone did such an amazing job! Some had very specific themes to work with, like

    Jeanetta Gonzalez, who I met years ago at Alt Summit. Hi Jeanetta!
    Elishka Jepson of Robyrider who is a legit rocket scientist by day and pattern designer at night. She created a design inspired by STEM. So amazing.
    Cecilia Mok, who is based in Sydney, Australia and wasn’t able to come. We missed you!
    Virginia Odeon
    Judy Quintero of Shop Cabin

    You can read more about the artists here on the Spoonflower blog.

    Pantone Color of the Year

    And here’s the artists with the Spoonflower team, who I love. They’re all just the best. Truly.

    Pantone Color of the Year

    Here are everyone’s designs in Viva Magenta through Spoonflower.

    Viva magenta wallpaper and more

    Here’s our pattern into wallpaper, throw pillows, and more! You can find the full collection here.

    pantone color of the year

    Thank you to Spoonflower and Pantone for the wonderful opportunity! Consider me your biggest fan!

    You can shop our Pantone Color of the Year collection on Spoonflower here.

    Photo credits: For the pillow stack image: Alex Craig  |  All event images: Katherine Jones  |  iphone photos by Brittany Jepsen

    Interns: Where Are They Now? with Lindsey Deschamps

    Brittany
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    0
    Interns: Where Are They Now? with Lindsey Deschamps

    Who is Lindsey Deschamps?

    Lindsey Deschamps is an artist & illustrator based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She creates cheeky art, stationery, and accessories for people who like an artful aesthetic, but with a little bit of offbeat humor thrown in there. Inspired by food, flowers, weird vintage tchotchkes, and all the other little things that bring her joy, she loves to create products & illustrations that make people smile.

    What did you dream of becoming when you were younger?

    When asked as a young kid, I always told people I wanted to work at an ice cream shop so that when people asked me, “Lindsey, how’d you get so buff?” I could say (with a proud, smug face) “Scoopin’ ice cream 😏”(Just my right arm though I guess…? haha) And for the unlimited access to ice cream samples, of course.

    When I got a little older, I considered journalism, but once I started taking art classes in high school, I knew I wanted to do something visually creative. It was around that time too that I realized my ultimate goal was running my own business. Now, I sell ice cream art & products in my shop, so I guess you could say I’ve come full circle? 🙂

    Lindsey Deschamps flowers

    How did you originally hear about The House that Lars Built and the internship you did with us?

    While I was studying graphic design at BYU, I kept seeing more and more of my classmates’ cool projects on Instagram that they were doing at their Lars internships. So as soon as I had some free time in my schedule, I knew I wanted to apply!

    What was your internship focus/how long did you intern with us?

    I did a graphic design internship August – December 2017.

    What was your favorite part of the internship?

    I loved being around a bunch of creative people all the time who loved color, art, and craft as much as I did! It was also really fun to see how Brittany’s ideas went from idea to execution and everything behind the scenes.

    Lindsey Deschamps strawberry

    How was the internship influential in your creative journey to where you are now?

    At my Lars internship, I got a crash course in creating high quality designs on a tight schedule and receiving real-world feedback, which helped me learn how to design more quickly & efficiently. This has helped me soo much in jobs & gigs I’ve had since, I can’t even tell you! Most importantly, being around Brittany’s artful influence was really foundational for me as a young designer. Watching her & the Lars team style photos, edit things down, curate art, etc. helped me learn how to discern my own tastes and what I like & don’t like for my own art style.

    What is one accomplishment in your creative life that you are proud of and why?

    Opening my online shop, designing my own products, and selling at my first in-person art market. These three are lumped together for me as a huge milestone that I’ve been working on for years, and finally reached this summer! I’ve known for about ten years now that I want to run my own creative business doing something that makes people happy, and after trying 3-4 different businesses over the years, it feels amazing to have finally found the one that I LOVE doing and feels like the right step moving forward.

    What are some goals you have moving forward?

    My biggest goal right now is to grow my online shop and product line to a point where I can leave my day job as a motion graphic designer and focus on my business full-time. (Fingers crossed. Don’t tell my boss. Jk he probably already knows cause this is pretty much all I can think about 24/7.) It’ll probably take a few years, but I’m slowly getting there step by step which feels great. Also I’d love to sell at more local in-person markets soon! Talkin’ to all the people is so fun. 

    Lindsey Deschamps I have no idea what I'm doing

    Any fun things coming up in the near future? 

    Yes! Right now, I’m working on a fun new collection of stickers, tees, and Christmas ornaments called Foodie Friends – and everyone’s invited to vote on their favorite designs! Starting on September 19th, I’ll be posting a different ‘foodie friend’ illustration (person wearing a food costume haha) every day for 30 days. Then each week, everyone gets to vote on their favorite ‘contestants,’ and the winners will be available as shirts and Christmas ornaments in my shop in early November. Follow along on Instagram or Tiktok @lindseydaystudio to join in and vote!

    What advice would you give to someone trying to decide if a creative internship is for them? 

    If you want to get real-world experience in a fun, art-focused, colorful business, you’ll love interning at Lars! Whether you want to work as a creative professional or not, but especially if a creative career is your goal, interning at Lars is a great way to meet people and be inspired.

    Where can we find your work?

    You can find Lindsey Deschamps’ work at @lindseydaystudio on Instagram and Tiktok, and her website, www.lindseydaystudio.com

    More Inspiration

    Loved this former intern interview with Lindsey Deschamps? You might also be interested in our Becoming Series, where we interview female creatives about their process of becoming who they are.

    Are you scared of color?

    Brittany
    -
    1
    Are you scared of color?

    Do you love color? But also terrified of it?!

    As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved color. I even remember sitting around a campfire circle my first week of college sharing the cockles of our hearts with some new friends. What did I share? “I love color, no like you don’t understand, I really love color”. Ha! I guess I had an inkling even then!

    But growing up I didn’t know what color meant to me nor how it could be a part of my life. I mean, how could I? I was still experimenting. Really wish I could find some high school photos to illustrate this story, but here we are:

    Brittany Jepsen on her bed sewing a dress in a colorful room

    Fail: Painting my high school bedroom

    Once, in high school, I really wanted to paint my all-white room. Sound familiar? I had my great grandmother’s antique wood bedroom set that’s very lovely, just dark and rather Victorian looking. There wasn’t too much in there that indicated my personality. My mom was really into periwinkle at the time and I thought it would be a good choice for the walls. I remember nothing about the process of selecting the color or putting it on but on it went and the more it went the more TERRIFIED I got. I couldn’t imagine being surrounded by it all the time.

    We didn’t get too much farther when called it the whole thing off. I was Color Scared! Surely, I would suffocate in all that color! An unfinished painted periwinkle room was left for the rest of my high school experience–didn’t bother to change it back.

    Brittany holding colorful paper in a rainbow dress.

    Color Scared Diagnosis

    In hind sight, the Color Scare Diagnosis was because of the unknown. I didn’t know what it was going to look like in the end and I certainly had no idea what it was going to look like with posters or artwork on the walls. It would have been THE BOMB (in true 90s high school fashion).

    Fast forward about ten years to I’m living in Washington, DC in a small house with 3 roommates after graduating college. My roommate really wanted to paint our kitchen a dark green. I had never done anything so drastic and was SURE that dark green was NOT a good choice. It was going to be too dark and blegh! I had been living in college apartments where we couldn’t do anything to the apartment besides sticky tack and posters and colorful duvet covers. She did one coat of paint and I just about lost it. I was…

    COLOR SCARED!

    But then she put up a poster in lovely reds and yellows and blacks and all of a sudden it looked…well, lovely! She had the foresight (and maybe the experience) to know that it was going to work out.

    Living in a rental with color–don’t be scared!

    Many many years later, when Paul and I were living in our rental apartment together, I said “to heck with it all!” I’m not waiting to own a house before I make this my home. I had no idea how long it would be before we owned a house, but life can’t wait just because of contracts. SO, I cleared it with our landlord and we put up floral wallpaper, pinks walls, and painted murals (remember?! You can see it all here).

    learning to use color in your rental apartment

    Jasper and I have been reading a lot of Aesop’s Fables lately so, the moral of this color-scared story is:

    1. Do not wait to live life for that “one day” when all your conditions are perfect. Warning: conditions will never be perfect!
    2. When in doubt, keep on going! You won’t know what a room will look like if you don’t finish it (but I do have some stories of when you need to stop–ha! Did that just negate that point?!)
    3. The more you experiment, the more comfortable and confident you will become. And paint is one of the cheapest ways to experiment! $40 is worth the risk to see if your life will change (and yes, I contest that color can change your life!).

    Tell me. Do you love color? But also terrified of it? Don’t know how to use it? Tell me everything! 

    A shift here at Lars

    Brittany
    -
    15
    A shift here at Lars

    Color has been disappearing from the world

    The topic stems from a post that a number of readers sent to me a few weeks ago. It talks about a study (I can’t seem to identify the research group they referred to) that indicates that color is disappearing from the world, notably with cars and interior trends.

    It didn’t take a formal study to reveal this to me. The colors I had to choose from for my car were white, black, or grey! “Ummm, do you have like a cornflower yellow, please? No?” And where did all the red cars from the 90s go?! Come back!

    Reader comments

    I made a one slide story about it with a quick note and then moved on with my day. But the comments started rolling in.

    Here’s one:

    style advice

    81% of the people who responded said that they felt similarly. 

    Did you catch that?! 

    Wearing things that make you happy

    81% said that they didn’t feel comfortable wearing things that made them happy! The clothes just sit there in the closet! As a hardly-famous Instagram influencer, I occasionally get stopped by people out and about to say hello (and I love it! Talk about a self-esteem booster for this still-looking-pregnant, 40 year old mom of 2!) and I’ve been privy to the things of their hearts. It’s a message that I keep hearing over and over. It usually goes something like this: “I’m 65 now and I’m finally wearing the colors that I love to wear and I thought you’d appreciate hearing this!”

    Here’s what goes through my head when I hear something like this:

      1. Absolutely I do want to hear this! Thanks for confiding in me! 
      2. You go girl! 
      3. What took so long?!?!?!

    But seriously! WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR???? 

    A new way of living with color

    While Lars will not become a destination for style and fashion anytime soon, we DO intend to introduce a new way of being comfortable living with color and the things that are inside your heart. A guide of sorts. 

    And guess what? I don’t even care if you don’t love color! You don’t have to! If all-neutrals are the colors written on your heart, embrace it! As long as the choice is intentional, deliberate, and not determined by what you think you should be doing. That’s no way to live!

    Everyone has a visual identity

    And guess what else? EVERYONE has a visual identity whether they know it or not. It may sound superficial to certain people, but I contest that this visual identity is as important as the other parts of your identity. It’s what makes you you. Every object, color, pattern, line, furniture, decorative object can speak to your soul. Have you felt that before? When you stumble on an object and it SPEAKS to your soul? Surrounding yourself with those visuals, from a beautiful dress to a funky candlestick, can fill your soul just as much as beautiful written prose. 

    Here are some responses from our newsletter that went out this week. If you’re interested in reading more about living in color or lack of color, I wrote this post here about using beige as a default color.

     

    New mission statement

    Until now our mission has been to encourage people to make things with their hands. While we’re workshopping a new mission statement, here are some statements I’m thinking about (feel free to send in your own!):

    • Get outside your comfort zone and make the life you’ve always wanted
    • Embracing color 
    • A vibrant life is a heart fulfilled
    • Tapping into the colors of your heart 
    • Identifying the colors of your heart and making them happen
    • Making color come to life
    • Color is a lifestyle
    • Deliberately filling time with beautiful things

    The Lars Lifestyle

    In our meeting, Jenny on our team mentioned that Lars is more of a lifestyle than a series of craft projects. It’s true! We absolutely want to provide all the beautiful projects we can, but there’s more to it than that. We want to provide you with tools for living your BEST visual life. Because, once again, the things we surround ourselves with influence what we think about and the things we think about become the things written on our hearts. It’s a trickle down affair! 

    ANYWHOO, this is a blog post, not a novel, so I’ll stop there for now, but just know that there’s more of this in store. We are being guided by your comments and input so feel free to respond to this post (it comes directly to me!) and give me your thoughts. We will continue to incorporate it into our messaging. 

    I can’t wait to hear from you! 

    Read more

    I’ve touched on some of these topics in the past. Here are a couple:

    Neutral vs. default colors
    Our published journal about living with color 

    Fall 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Brittany
    -
    0
    Fall 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Winter 2022 Creative Internships at The House That Lars Built

    The House That Lars Built is a creative design studio and website focused on artful living through beautifully produced, original content. Our goal is to help empower its readers recognize and fill your life with beauty while also providing skills that you can take with you to your next job! We create daily blog content, content for other brands, products, a YouTube channel, and are constantly seeking new ways to create an artful living. We are looking for interns in the following categories:

    1. Illustration
    2. Graphic Design/Marketing (3 different positions: Pinterest, Newsletter, Instagram)
    3. Shopping
    4. Crafting
    5. Business
    6. Content Writing
    7. E-commerce (product development and Shopify)
    8. Sewing/Embroidery 
    9. Marketing
    10. Art Curation
    11. Creative Director assistant

    Click here for in-depth descriptions of what each internship includes!

    What’s in it for you?

    Here at The House That Lars Built, we are passionate about internships! Brittany herself has completed many internships all around the world, and her experiences are what set her up to turn what started as a graduate project into a full-time growing business.

    Things like our top 7 tips for nailing your internship will help you stand out in your field. An internship can (and should) be the gateway to the rest of your creative career. Whether or not your personal brand or your future plans align perfectly with the Lars Brand, your experience writing, designing, or illustrating for an existing brand will build your skills, portfolio, and resume.

    As an ever-evolving company, while working with The House That Lars Built you will have hands-on opportunities to adjust what you have studied in a new market and changing economy. Working with a small team will allow everything you do during your internship to be seen, and your impact will be felt and noticed. You will have opportunities to utilize the skills you already have and improve in new areas.

    Many of these internships listed above have a long legacy here are the House that Lars Built! Lars Alumni are part of a creative, passionate, and inspired community working to make the world more colorful! As a part of the Lars team, you will instantly have networking opportunities at your fingertips that can be vital to your career in a creative field.

    In addition to our long standing internships, we are so excited to have some brand new focuses available! More specific internships such as art curation, newsletter marketing, and e-commerce were created to help you narrow down which direction you want to go in your long-term career. Click here to read more about what these new internships include.

    Details on all internships

    Interns will specialize in their respective category but all are expected to participate in the following:

    • Assisting on photo shoots
    • Helping with the general maintenance of the studio
    • Running errands and complete shipping tasks
    • Writing and brainstorming activities
    • participating in training meetings
    • assistant duties

    Internships are unpaid, but can be used for university credit. In fact, we highly encourage this. The applicant will need to work with your university to get it approved.

    You must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week. We expect a full commitment to the position once you’ve accepted the position. The internship will last from April to late August 2022. Exact days can be flexible.

    How to apply

    Please email hello@thehousethatlarsbuilt.comwith the subject line INTERN and the desired position. Include your resume and portfolio (can be online, photos, basically anything to help us understand your proficiency and skills) and a cover letter. We will email you back to invite you in for an interview.

    Please don’t hesitate to apply! Many of our internships can be specialized to fit both our current needs and your amazing skills!

    Spring/Summer 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Brittany
    -
    1
    Spring/Summer 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Winter 2022 Creative Internships at The House That Lars Built

    The House That Lars Built is a creative design studio and website focused on artful living through beautifully produced, original content. Our goal is to help empower its readers recognize and fill your life with beauty while also providing skills that you can take with you to your next job! We create daily blog content, content for other brands, products, a YouTube channel, and are constantly seeking new ways to create an artful living. We are looking for interns in the following categories:

    1. Illustration
    2. Graphic Design/Marketing (3 different positions: Pinterest, Newsletter, Instagram)
    3. Shopping
    4. Crafting
    5. Business
    6. Content Writing
    7. E-commerce (product development and Shopify)
    8. Sewing/Embroidery 
    9. Marketing
    10. Art Curation
    11. Creative Director assistant

    Click here for in-depth descriptions of what each internship includes!

    What’s in it for you?

    Here at The House That Lars Built, we are passionate about internships! Brittany herself has completed many internships all around the world, and her experiences are what set her up to turn what started as a graduate project into a full-time growing business.

    Things like our top 7 tips for nailing your internship will help you stand out in your field. An internship can (and should) be the gateway to the rest of your creative career. Whether or not your personal brand or your future plans align perfectly with the Lars Brand, your experience writing, designing, or illustrating for an existing brand will build your skills, portfolio, and resume.

    As an ever-evolving company, while working with The House That Lars Built you will have hands-on opportunities to adjust what you have studied in a new market and changing economy. Working with a small team will allow everything you do during your internship to be seen, and your impact will be felt and noticed. You will have opportunities to utilize the skills you already have and improve in new areas.

    Many of these internships listed above have a long legacy here are the House that Lars Built! Lars Alumni are part of a creative, passionate, and inspired community working to make the world more colorful! As a part of the Lars team, you will instantly have networking opportunities at your fingertips that can be vital to your career in a creative field.

    In addition to our long standing internships, we are so excited to have some brand new focuses available! More specific internships such as art curation, newsletter marketing, and e-commerce were created to help you narrow down which direction you want to go in your long-term career. Click here to read more about what these new internships include.

    Details on all internships

    Interns will specialize in their respective category but all are expected to participate in the following:

    • Assisting on photo shoots
    • Helping with the general maintenance of the studio
    • Running errands and complete shipping tasks
    • Writing and brainstorming activities
    • participating in training meetings
    • assistant duties

    Internships are unpaid, but can be used for university credit. In fact, we highly encourage this. The applicant will need to work with your university to get it approved.

    You must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week. We expect a full commitment to the position once you’ve accepted the position. The internship will last from April to late August 2022. Exact days can be flexible.

    How to apply

    Please email hello@thehousethatlarsbuilt.comwith the subject line INTERN and the desired position. Include your resume and portfolio (can be online, photos, basically anything to help us understand your proficiency and skills) and a cover letter. We will email you back to invite you in for an interview.

    Please don’t hesitate to apply! Many of our internships can be specialized to fit both our current needs and your amazing skills!

    Safe travels

    Brittany
    -
    0
    Safe travels

    Safe travels to Denmark

    First off, we knew that Denmark has a high vaccination rate (nearly 80%) so we felt more comfortable going. Paul and I are vaccinated and have both received boosters so we felt as secure as we can entering a country. Here, you are required to wear a mask inside all public places and are required to show proof of vaccination to sit down at all eating establishments and public places. We have felt very safe and have done our part to ensure that others feel safe as well.

    We can do this

    Speaking of doing our part, I’m happy to take part in the We Can Do This campaign to speak up about the things that we can do to protect ourselves and our communities from the ongoing spread of COVID-19, especially our children, who are now at risk. While both of my boys are too young to receive the vaccinations (at this point you must be 5 and older), I’m encouraged by the ongoing research that helps me make informed decisions to maintain healthy families.

    COVID risks for children

    We are all parents who care about our children. We all have questions and want what’s best for our families. All questions are valid and important. The process of getting your questions answered is important. My goal today is to present correct information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will help you make the best decision for your family. Here are some things I’ve been researching for parents of 5-year-olds to 17-year-olds:

    • COVID is a greater threat to your child than any potential risk from side effects of the vaccine.
    • There is no way to know how COVID will affect your child, but clinical trials showed vaccines help prevent severe illness and death from COVID.
    • Since August, 1 in 5 new COVID cases have been in kids, but vaccines can bring that number down and help protect children from severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID.

    Vaccinations for children to stay safe

    I love having the peace of mind knowing that I’m protecting my child with the most effective tool we have. Here’s a few more points that I’ve been learning with regards to the vaccine and COVID for children:

    • COVID vaccines for kids 5+ offer the same effective protection that hundreds of millions of American adults have from COVID vaccines.
    • COVID vaccines are safe and are given to kids 5-11 in smaller doses that have been specially tailored for younger children. Adolescents ages 12 years and older receive the same dosage of the COVID vaccine as adults.
    • In clinical trials, children had the same kinds of temporary side effects from COVID vaccines that adults have, such as pain at the injection site, tiredness, or headache.

    It’s nice having these succinct points so nice and tidy, but if you have questions, please consult with your doctor. You can also find more information on vaccines.gov.

    I know it’s a long haul at this point, but any amount of protection we can offer to our children and those who are more susceptible to diseases is worth it.

    Let’s do this together and then go on another epic trip after. Who’s with me?! Where should we go??? #WeCanDoThis

    Want to see more?

    If you’re interested in seeing more of Denmark, you can check out my Copenhagen travel guide here.

    And remember this epic trip in Denmark?! 

    This post is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    Top ten of 2022

    Brittany
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    Top ten of 2022

    Top ten 2022

    It’s always so fun to see what you respond to–whether it’s a DIY project for Valentine’s Day or an essay that I’m super impassioned about. I love to review the top ones so I can keep it in mind for the upcoming year. SO, in true David Letterman style, I’m sharing our top ten blog posts starting with number 10.

    10. DIY Ukranian paper sunflower

    The situation in Ukraine continues to be distressing and heartbreaking. We joined the ranks of those wanting to do something but not knowing exactly what to do. So, we decided a paper sunflower tutorial was in order to pay homage to their beloved flower. Hopefully it can bring sunshine to those who are affected. We are with you!

    9. Papier mache vase

    We were inspired by the work of Corrie Beth Hogg, a former Lars contributor, on this one. She can take cardboard boxes and turn them into something magical. We made our papier mache vase inspired by our new studio kitchen, which we haven’t yet revealed. Stay tuned for that VERY soon!

    8. Are you scared of color?

    This year I talked a lot about people are afraid to use color even though it’s so needed for the soul. I wrote this essay called “Are you scared of color?” and you guys responded to it so hard! Stay tuned for more on this topic!

    7. Paper heart wreath

    We made a lot of wreaths in 2022 and our paper heart wreath was one of the top ones! I love it too! You can find the tutorial here.

    accordion heart wreath

    6. How to celebrate your 40th birthday

    This year I turned 40 (still can’t believe it other than my body feels like it’s falling apart) and I know I’m now alone in wanting to do something epic for the big event. In fact, you guys gave some super awesome ideas and I compiled them into one list called “how to celebrate your 40th birthday“. I ended up getting to go to France with my dearest friends and I’ll be sharing more about it

    5. Palm leaf wreath

    Our palm leaf tutorial is one of our most successful posts of all time so we thought we’d show you how to turn the leaves into a project, hence the palm leaf wreath. I love it so much! It’s sitting on our wreath wall in our shipping room and brings so much happiness.

    4. Paper orchid

    We’ve been doing paper flowers on Lars since the beginning yet we haven’t even scratched the surface with the variety of paper flowers we’re hoping to tackle. I don’t know about you but orchids are one of the toughest flowers to keep alive so a paper orchid is much more my style. Here’s how to make a paper orchid!

    3. A shift here at Lars

    With all the talk of color, or lack thereof, I was feeling the itch to really start addressing the issues. We have slowly been incorporating it into our posts, but 2023 will be the start of even more. Read more about our shift here at Lars here.

    2. How to thread your sewing machine

    If it’s not an essay bearing my soul like the previous post, it’s a super practical post on “How to thread your sewing machine” because really, it always comes down to the basics, huh?!

    1. Three ways to fold love letters

    And finally our number one post of 2022, how to fold love letters! This is what I mean when I say that I can never anticipate what your favorite projects will be! Ha! We’ve got three different techniques on how to fold a love letter on this post.

    Ok! There they are. Our top 10 projects and essays. On one hand, I totally get it. On the other hand, who even knows?! I will add in that these posts had more time to simmer versus our more recent projects so maybe time will prove otherwise!

    Let me know what your favorite project was from 2022 in the comments! 

    Winter 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Brittany
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    Winter 2022 Creative Internship Call

    Winter 2022 Creative Internships at The House That Lars Built

    The House That Lars Built is a creative design studio and website focused on artful living through beautifully produced, original content. Our goal is to help empower its readers recognize and fill your life with beauty while also providing skills that you can take with you to your next job! We create daily blog content, content for other brands, products, a YouTube channel, and are constantly seeking new ways to create an artful living. We are looking for interns in the following categories:

    1. Illustration
    2. Graphic Design/Marketing (3 different positions: Pinterest, Newsletter, Instagram)
    3. Shopping
    4. Crafting
    5. Business
    6. Content Writing
    7. E-commerce (product development and Shopify)
    8. Sewing/Embroidery 
    9. Marketing
    10. Art Curation
    11. Creative Director assistant

    Click here for in-depth descriptions of what each internship includes!

    What’s in it for you?

    Here at The House That Lars Built, we are passionate about internships! Brittany herself has completed many internships all around the world, and her experiences are what set her up to turn what started as a graduate project into a full-time growing business.

    Things like our top 7 tips for nailing your internship will help you stand out in your field. An internship can (and should) be the gateway to the rest of your creative career. Whether or not your personal brand or your future plans align perfectly with the Lars Brand, your experience writing, designing, or illustrating for an existing brand will build your skills, portfolio, and resume.

    As an ever-evolving company, while working with The House That Lars Built you will have hands-on opportunities to adjust what you have studied in a new market and changing economy. Working with a small team will allow everything you do during your internship to be seen, and your impact will be felt and noticed. You will have opportunities to utilize the skills you already have and improve in new areas.

    Many of these internships listed above have a long legacy here are the House that Lars Built! Lars Alumni are part of a creative, passionate, and inspired community working to make the world more colorful! As a part of the Lars team, you will instantly have networking opportunities at your fingertips that can be vital to your career in a creative field.

    In addition to our long standing internships, we are so excited to have some brand new focuses available! More specific internships such as art curation, newsletter marketing, and e-commerce were created to help you narrow down which direction you want to go in your long-term career. Click here to read more about what these new internships include.

    Details on all internships

    Interns will specialize in their respective category but all are expected to participate in the following:

    • Assisting on photo shoots
    • Helping with the general maintenance of the studio
    • Running errands and complete shipping tasks
    • Writing and brainstorming activities
    • participating in training meetings
    • assistant duties

    Internships are unpaid, but can be used for university credit, in fact we highly encourage this. The applicant will need to work with your university to get it approved.

    You must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week. We expect a full commitment to the position once you’ve accepted the position. The internship will last from late January 2022-April 2022. Exact days can be flexible.

    How to apply

    Please email hello@thehousethatlarsbuilt.comwith the subject line INTERN and the desired position. Include your resume and portfolio (can be online, photos, basically anything to help us understand your proficiency and skills) and a cover letter. We will email you back to invite you in for an interview.

    Please don’t hesitate to apply! Many of our internships can be specialized to fit both our current needs and your amazing skills!

    Christmas Cards

    Brittany
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    Christmas Cards

    Christmas Cards with Mixbook

    This year’s Christmas card features team Lars! Sadly, we didn’t snag a photo with all of our team members in it, but you get the idea: lots of color, plenty of DIY, this card can’t get much more Lars than it already is.

    Team Lars Christmas Cards

    You might recognize it as our Team Halloween costume–Andy Warhol’s soup cans. It was only appropriate. And once I found the designs by Oh Joy, I knew we had to use it. Now, sadly, that means that we are missing a few players like Kerry, Carrie, Sophie, and Garet. We love you still!

    I love how the card template we chose strikes the perfect balance of holiday cheer and essential team Lars spirit! It’s bright, colorful, whimsical, and just the thing to brighten up this season that is cold and dark so much of the time. I think we can all agree that we need color all year round, but especially at this time of year! If you’re interested in the templates we’ve made with Mixbook, you can take your pick between classic, bright, Lars style and more traditional, cozy holiday cards. P.s. if you happen to be getting married this winter, you’re in for a treat with our wedding invitation templates.

    holiday cards

    Our Take

    One of the best things about Mixbook is how customizable their templates are. It’s so helpful to have a template as a base, but the fun of making your own Christmas card is being able to make it feel like yours, you know? Hence, Crafty Holidays was born. We were just feeling the creative spirit of making this holiday season. Anyway, what better way to spend your holidays than crafting your heart out?

    We love sending out cards to our clients and friends. Email me if you’d like one! Happy to send one off to you! 

    christmas cards

    Other Mixbook projects

    The fun doesn’t end with holiday cards! If you’ve been following along, we’ve also dipped our toes into Mixbook’s photo albums and year in review books. The results were stunning, and such a fun way to capture memories! You can read more about our other Mixbook projects here: new holiday card with Mixbook, Lars for Mixbook, and our year in review with Mixbook.

    Here was last year’s Christmas card that we designed!

    And our year in review book.

    And our travel book! Oh little Jasper! I can hardly stand it! He can hardly stand too!

    The House That Lars Built for Mixbook travel book

    Mixbook Discount

    Since it’s the holiday season and we’re feeling full of that Christmas spirit, we want to share the love! We’ve honestly been so happy with the way our Mixbook projects have turned out and can’t recommend them enough. To give you a nudge in the right direction, Lars readers get 55% off holiday cards using code HLARS50. Offer expires 1/01/2022, so don’t sleep on it! In case you missed it, here’s a link to Mixbook.

    We would love to see what you choose! Crafty Holidays!

    gold foil christmas cards

    This post is sponsored by Mixbook. We love our sponsors who allow us to create beautiful original content for you! 

    Kid’s Toys: Lars Shop Highlight

    Brittany
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    Kid’s Toys: Lars Shop Highlight

    What is Eeboo?

    We couldn’t tell you about our Eeboo kid’s toys without introducing the company’s incredible background. First of all, women and mothers run this company. I mean, who knows kid’s toys better than mothers? I love how thoughtful these toys are. They make board games, watercolor sets, puzzles, and so much more. (You can find them here!) It just goes to show how the experience of being a mother influences their ability to understand children’s brains and what they need. And need I mention that they have the awards (Oppenheim best toy awards and honors) to prove it?

    kid's toys

    kid's toys

    Encouraging development in children

    One amazing aspect of Eeboo as a company is their focus on developmental learning in kid’s toys. They help kids develop skills like literacy, storytelling, drawing, imaginative play, and basic math. I mean, could I be more impressed? Kid’s toys that help their development while also helping them have fun? I can say from experience that it can definitely be a challenge to get kids to want to settle down when they’re feeling wild. And you can forget concentrating on learning things like math. So to have kid’s toys that are fun, interactive, and help make learning fun is a dream come true.

    kid's toys

    Screen-free

    At Eeboo, the goal with their kid’s toys is to integrate learning and play in a screen-free way. This is so important (and need I say refreshing?) when we all have screens coming out our ears! It’s hard to get away, and these kid’s toys are a really beautiful way to succeed at it.

    Commissioned illustrators

    They also commission all their artwork from well-known and well-loved illustrators. It shows, too! The illustrations make their kid’s toys feel so fresh and original–artwork straight from the source. And friends, these illustrations are beautiful. They are delicate, detailed, and full of personality. Need I add that they are colorful and bright? They’re just what every child needs to stay interested and engaged.

    Look at the illustrations on these watercolors and paper! Incredible, right? They’d make the perfect gift for a rainy afternoon to get those creative juices flowing.

    kid's toyskid's toys

    Care and dedication

    I’d have to say one of my favorite things about these Eeboo kid’s toys is the care and dedication they give to their customers. They even have a booklet that talks about their values and priorities. I mean, come on! They go to great efforts to be sustainable, respect diversity, value design, and so much more.

    I just keep dreaming about the things I would have done if I’d had these toys as a kid. I love how these building blocks promote creativity and imaginative play, for instance.

    kid's toys

    If you haven’t caught on by now, I am in love with these kid’s toys and can’t wait for Jasper (and eventually Felix) to start playing with them! Click here to get to our whole Eeboo shop collection. If you also fell in love while reading this, you’ll probably also love these other favorites: Kid’s art kit, Op art paper mobile, Thanksgiving coloring placemats, and quilted dog book plate.

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