The Bauhaus That Lars Built–our new Casetify Collection!

Brittany

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June 1, 2023

The Bauhaus That Lars Built–Our new Casetify collection

Casetify has quickly become one of our very favorite partnerships because it’s a great opportunity to share our brand voice and have loads of FUN–dare I say those two things are the same thing? We put all of our young, frenetic energy into it because who doesn’t want a cell phone case that isn’t fun and games?! Boring cell phone cases? No thanks!

For this collection we worked with our Instagram readers from the beginning. We shared two ideas for the collection, granny tea party and rainbow graphic, and let you decide. You chose the later so that’s what we did!

Rainbow Graphic

Here was what we shared on our stories. First up, Rainbow Graphic:

Grand millenial tea party

Now, granny tea party. Honestly, I love them both!

You chose Rainbow Graphic and that’s what led us to…

Art inspired cell phone case collection

The idea for the collection was to merge our favorite artists from the time of the Bauhaus and create art for the phone. With big geometrics, clean lines, great color combinations, and playful patterns. Fun fact: I took a History of the Bauhaus class in grad school and it was one of my favorite courses!

The Bauhaus

In fact, I loved my course so much that when I went to visit my cousin in Berlin, I made a special trip to the Bauhaus archives. It was right when I was writing a paper so I was hoping to get some more information, but the library was closing in about a half hour so I had to run as fast as I could to collect what I needed. Can’t say I didn’t try! Core memory right there.

Me at the Bahaus Archives in Berlin in 2009

Based on this photo, can you feel the colors coming through in the collection? It’s all circling back!

I wrote my final paper on the grand parties that the Bauhaus students used to throw. The silver and gold one was particularly memorable (could you imagine?!).

Artists from the collection

Each one of the cases is meant to act as art you might see on a wall so we named each one after an artist from that time period.

Which one did I choose?

There are 12 cases total and I honestly can’t choose a top top favorite. That said, I went with Freya and Juni with the idea that I’ll switch them out. As you can see from this reel, I had a hard time deciding which one I loved most because they go with my whole wardrobe.

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A post shared by Brittany Jepsen — The House That Lars Built (@houselarsbuilt)

Which one should you get?

The great thing about Casetify is that they have cases for nearly every make and model. They even have mag compatible cases, ultra light cases, and some that are compostable. I talk more about all of that in our review of the cases here.

Get the look

I got some questions about where I got the clothing from.

I can’t wait to see which one is your favorite! Let me know which one in the comments.

You can shop our new Casetify collection here.

Fall 2022 Casetify Collection

Brittany

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September 8, 2022

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This post contains affiliate links. Any time you buy something from our affiliate links, we get a small commission at no cost to you!

Our Obsession with Casetify

After we launched our initial collection of phone cases with Casetify, we caught the bug. We couldn’t stop thinking about all the things we could do with those vibrant new designs! While we waited for the launch of our second collection, we got busy with all kinds of projects. First came these painted mini pumpkins. Then there were our retro florals inspired projects, like this tablescape, backdrop, and quilt. We also got sewing and made new team outfits and some other Casetify inspired sewing projects.

Spring Florals

Then spring came around, which meant the launch of our second collection, BLOOM. This collection featured all things floral, inspired by the budding blooms all around us. We let those beautiful floral motifs inspire our style, and they found their way onto these lovely nesting Easter eggs, too.

Our New Collection

Now, one year later, we’re releasing our brand new fall 2022 Casetify collection! We revamped and added to our retro florals with scale shifts, design changes, new color palettes and some fun sparkles. We’ve also added in some completely new designs and motifs (our wonderful designer, Garet, is to thank for the ingenuity and creativity behind the collection).

Here are some of my personal favorites:

I just can’t get enough of those eyes!

Totally in LOVE with the new retro floral colorways.

And those sparkles–I wasn’t sure how noticeable they’d be, and to my delight, they are glorious in their eye-catching beauty!

Phone Sockets

We thought the launch of our fall 2022 Casetify collection would also be the perfect time for some fresh new phone sockets. We love the way these fun checkers and flowers interact with the new collection and can’t wait to see what you choose! Keep us posted in the comments below!

Our Itch to Keep Designing

Designing these Casetify collections ignited our desire to collaborate with many different types of companies. We’ve fallen in love with the designing part of the creative process and are now looking to partner with other companies. In a dream world, we’d be doing gardening, luggage, coats, swimwear, and anything else that piques our interest (hint hint, if anyone wants to work with us we’re open)! Basically, it comes down to a desire to fill the world with color and joy, and that’s something we feel passionate about. We want to provide a happy, colorful alternative to all of the gray stuff out there in the world.

Speaking of filling the world with color, we already have some things in the works that we’ve been working on this year. We can’t wait to share them with you, so stay tuned!

Casetify Coupon

You can take 15% off your Casetify order with code THTLB15! Order here!

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.

Our New Casetify Collection: BLOOM

Brittany

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April 25, 2022

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Our History with Casetify

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know all about our debut Casetify collection, which launched last fall. Since then, we haven’t been able to get enough! We painted mini pumpkins inspired by the collection, which was such a fun DIY twist on the phone cases. The retro florals featured in that collection also snuck its way into our new spring tablescape! After some time passed and we became familiar with our new phone cases, we also released a Casetify honest review, which you can read here.

Our New Casetify Collection: BLOOM

We couldn’t help but give you a little teaser along the way to get you excited about our launch. Remember those nesting Easter eggs? Well keep those in mind as you scroll through the phone case options–a few of them just might look familiar. Here’s the link to our full collection of brand new phone cases!

My Bloom Magazine Inspiration

This new collection leans fully into spring and the myriad of beautiful flowers in bloom. Hence the name, Bloom. But the name wasn’t only inspired by beautiful blooming flowers. When I was a kid, I made a magazine called Bloom! Can you believe it?! It’s like I knew what would follow, so many years before phone cases were even on the brain. This magazine was thorough, too–it included ads, recipes, advice, the whole nine yards.

Here are some highlights of the magazine, because they’re too good not to share:

If you couldn’t read that, it says “the claw. A softener, a loosener, an everything.” Amazing.

Needless to say, I’ve been thinking about flowers and gardens long enough that it was about time for a phone collection featuring them.

Garet’s Inspiration Behind the Collection

Garet, our designer, worked night and day to design this magnificent flower garden of a collection. Her connection to painting and, specifically, flowers, goes way back as well. She’s named after her grandmother, Margaret. At Margaret’s funeral, they had peonies in honor of her since she loved them so much. Hence, this jaw-droppingly lovely peony was born.

The story goes on. Garet’s aunt, who took care of Margaret before she died, taught Garet to paint–especially flowers. Garet’s aunt instilled a love of painting flowers in Garet from the time she was young and it has, shall we say bloomed? Ever since.

Some of our Favorites

Here are some of our favorite cases:

Look familiar? You may be thinking of the Easter dress we made out of the secret garden print!

But florals aren’t the only options in this versatile collection. We also have some bold, geometric prints that are lovely as well.

I especially love the tumbling blocks! The best part is all of the customizable options Casetify offers. I can’t get enough of that neon yellow with the pink and red tumbling block!

Casetify Discount Code

For followers of The House that Lars Built, Casetify is offering a 15% discount at checkout with code THTLB15.

If you get one of our cell phone cases, tag us with #Larsforcasetify. We would love to see them!