The House That Lars Built.

These girls

2013-05-17T22:05:00.000+02:00

I'm totally digging some Dutch wax fabrics right now and these girls nailed it by mixing it into their wardrobe. I want that skirt!

These girls | Entertain | Sit

See more This Girl here.

PS--are you in Utah? I'm selling some flowers at the Beehive Bazaar today and tomorrow. There is some FANTASTIC stuff.

Beehive Bazaar!

2013-05-16T15:49:00.002+02:00

Though I'm new to Utah, I had definitely caught wind of the Beehive Bazaar, a market for local artists and crafters. I was super flattered when they asked me to participate so I'll be showing some huge paper flowers and baby paper flowers this weekend, Friday and Saturday at The Riverwoods (the old Gap space). See you there? For more info, check out their Facebook page.

Paper flower workshop at Anthropologie Salt Lake City

2013-05-15T17:02:00.003+02:00

If you haven't noticed, I've been on a paper flower workshop extravaganza recently. It started with the SLC Pop-up Shop, then when I found out I was going to NYC and DC I connected up with some people who helped to make it happen there too. Then, last week when I returned home to Utah, I gave two more. Overall, I've given 6 within 2 weeks. And I love it! I'll give a couple more recaps in the next week or so but first, the Anthropologie workshop at the SLC shop. I was flattered to be asked to lead a workshop for their Mother's Day series taking place all around the nation and paper flowers were the perfect fit.

Look at everyone who came. I saw some old friends (like Aly and Tanei) but mostly new friends like Aubry from Hello Maypole, Nassari, Jessie and her mom (so cute), Amanda James, Chelsea James, Jen, Tiffanie, and more. Thanks everyone for coming! And thank you to the managers at Anthro who were so kind and helpful, as well as the ladies at headquarters, Kelly and Laura.

Do you see the very distinguished lady with the yellow bag? She should have TAUGHT the class. She made 2 in the amount that people made one AND she totally showed me up.

For some reason I didn't get a picture of the full spread of treats from Eva's bakery in SLC (which I hear has a lovely storefront too), but, they were delicious! Being out of the country for a few years you tend to miss all the cutesy food trends like cake pops and striped paper straws so I more than made up for them that night.

Then, Jen Eliason and Tiffanie were kind enough to do an impromptu photo sesh with everyone's flowers and an Anthro apron. Thank you Jen and Tiffanie!

If you want to see more pictures from the event, take a look at the hastag #anthroevents on Instagram and more pictures on Anthro's Facebook wall today.

Sewing kit DIY & template

2013-05-15T00:36:00.001+02:00

Here's the deal (or "dill" as some Utahns like to say): Last year I attended the blogger's conference in Berlin, The Hive. As I recall, the hem of my vintage dress was unraveling and I was overjoyed when I found a sewing kit in the bathroom. Someone was thinking ahead! Because I love nothing better than multitasking, I decided to take the kit with me and sew it while I was listening to the speakers. I'm classy like that. Well, that turned into me putting it in my bag, which turned into me taking it home that night. Which then turned into me taking it home with me to Copenhagen. Nice, Brit. Well, needless to say, I felt horrible. I told the organizers of the shindig and they said something along the lines of how we should make a new one and pass it down each year. Like a spirit stick at summer camp. I was all about that. So, here it is! You can even download your own sewing kit, but don't worry, it won't have the same confessional on it.

Supplies: sewing box (I found one that's magnetic so the pins stay, perfect for traveling! Get it from Amazon here), muslin bag 8x5" (from here), travel scissors, mini sewing kit with needles and thread, measuring tape, safety pins, big safety pin, patches, hem tape, templates, iron-on transfer paper for light fabrics (from Amazon here), sticker printer paper (from Amazon here)

Step 1: Print out your templates. The Inside template goes on the box and you can print that on sticker paper (see supplies list above for recommendation). The outside template goes on the muslin bag and can be printed on an ink-jet printer.

Step 2: Trace the paper to the size of the box and cut it out.

Step 3: Stick it onto the box.

Step 4: Insert your materials into the kit. The metal objects will stick to the magnet for easy transport.

Step 5: Follow the directions on the package for the iron on transfer. My tip: Make sure you don't hold the iron on too long like me and burn it a bit. And cut completely around the parts of the text.

I hope someone has a need for it this year at The Hive. Wish I could join you, ladies! Have a wonderful time!

3 ways to arrange lilacs

2013-05-13T22:07:00.001+02:00

I'm back from the East Coast and now I've had a bit of time to detox now and enjoy the Utah spring. It's GORGEOUS! The cherry blossom stage is done here, but the lilacs are in full bloom and you know I love me some lilacs (my ode to Danish lilacs should make me embarrassed, but I'm shameless) Thanks to our unknowingly generous next door neighbors, I snagged some lilacs for every room in our house. Oopsies. As much as I love seeing flowers in their natural state, I think it's such a shame not to enjoy it inside too, so...call me a thief with no shame. I know lilacs are donzo in California but maybe they're still going at it where you are? Take advantage of them. Snag some! Here are three ways to arrange them, no professional flower arranging skills needed.

1. Lilacs arranged in one big vase. The beauty of lilacs is that they are clumpy so they naturally fall in a beautiful, full way. Mine is sitting on my table for all the smell and enjoy.

2. One lilac stem in a teeny tiny vase. I got this "vase", which is actually a battery jar from the original Thomas Edison company, from the local antique store. Isn't it adorable? I placed it on my owl side table, which you can't really see, but it's awesome and should make an appearance in the future.

3. Lilac clumps in a mug. I took off all the leaves from these lilacs and stuck them in my brand new mugs by Michelle Christensen of My Little Belleville. She paints them and sells these on her Etsy shop here.

He's too precious.

Supplies: To achieve this look, you'll want a collection of vases in various sizes. I love using jars, those battery jars I mentioned above, mugs, cans, pickle jars, peanut butter jars. I only own one real vase from Ikea. You'll also need flower cutters, lilacs, and floral tape if you really want to be fancy. I didn't use floral tape here because they worked out without it. The floral tape is to create a grid across the tops of the jars to make sure they even spread out.

To arrange the flowers: Start by criss-crossing the flowers and then inserting the subsequent stems at angles. This will help them keep their shape.

Easy squeezy. Do you have lilacs where you live? I don't ever remember seeing them in Orange County growing up so moving to DC where it grows like weeds, was a revelation.

Spring, I love you.

Big paper flowers in the 1960s

2013-05-10T19:31:00.002+02:00

I had a Kiwi reader send this over and of course I had to show it. It's Chantal Goya singing "La flamme et le feu" and according to my limited French that's the flame and the fire? or phlegm and the fool? Or something like that. It's amazing to me how trends repeat over and over. I mean, how many times have you seen these tissue flowers in store windows now?! I hear trends repeat themselves every 7 years or so. I'm hoping this oversized flower trend continues for awhile because it's just too good!

Thanks Ronald for the tip!

Happy weekend!

This girl

2013-05-09T19:32:00.002+02:00

This Girl is a sophisticated charmer.

This Girl | Lives | Plays

Moment for me: Tulip Festival

2013-05-07T10:00:00.000+02:00

photography by Griffith Jones

Haagen Dazs gifted me a trip to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point--it's like they KNOW me!--for my most recent Moment for Me. (If you're just joining us, I'll be doing a few of these Moments for Me in the next couple of moments. Feel free to create your own #hdmoment) I brought along my buddies Audrey, Griff, and Michele for a trip to the buds.

First off, I guess I was expecting, well, Holland, to my trip to the Tulip Festival. I came to find out that it really just means paths of tulips. Still beautiful. But not this. Just good to know in case you keep going around the bends of the path and think that you somehow missed it. You didn't.

Along with the tulips there were other goodies like the daffodils and kale. I love kale! Give me some of that electric purple any day!

We had to take this pic. Had to.

Here I am being all poetic with a line from Secret Garden at the Thanksgiving Point Secret Garden.

And here we are being all Three Stooges at that same Secret Garden.

Man, I'm loving these Moments for Me. Haagen Dazs is nailing it! Check out more Moments for Me here and start adding in your own!

"The best day of my life"

2013-05-06T10:00:00.000+02:00

Preface: I am a bit of a walking zombie from all this traveling so this will either be really cheeky or lacking in luster.

We all know I'm joking, right? Right? I got some flack from Al Roker, so I just want to be clear. For those of you just joining, I entered the Kentucky Derby hat contest on the Today Show and they flew the three finalists into NYC last week for the show to choose the winner.

Here's how it all went down. First up, I couldn't have asked for better weather in NYC. NYC, you treated me well. I had shipped my huge paper flower rose hat prior so it was there waiting for me when I arrived. Cute lil' thang. We got a glimpse of the prize the day before: a replica of the real Kentucky Derby trophy.

We stayed at a hotel across the street from Rockefellar Plaza so that early the next morning we could be ready for our big day. The other two ladies were so sweet. One was from Nashville and the other from Louisville, so as the lone Westerner, I felt a bit illegit. I mean, how do you compete with two Southerners? It should be illegal. That morning I arrived to the studio stripped of make-up so that they could make me over Ooompa Loompa style.

Oh oh! I must say that the night before, I raided Anthropologie right across the street for a more appropriate outfit for my TV debut. And I found a peter panned collar shirt with HORSES RACING on it. I mean, does it get any better?!

Behind the scenes, you watch the show live as it's being filmed. The guy from The Office was on it that day. Darryl. Craig Robinson to be exact. He made us clap for him when he arrived back in the studio from his interview. Well, of course I'll give you a round of applause!Your studio audience doesn't.

Was I nervous? Not until I got on the stage and had to stand--perfectly still--with the huge hat on my head. You see, I have a habit of fainting so this would have been one of the less preferred places to faint. McDonald's ball playground? Much preferred. Soon, June Ambrose, celebrity stylist, was the judge along with Al Roker. I muttered some nonsense, which you can watch above. One thing I wasn't allowed to mention? This here BLOG! Truly!

And then...drum roll please...... I won! Now, if you watch the clip, you'll hear the part about how the other contestant based her hat on her 7 friends and two of them are cancer survivors. Guys! There is no way I should have won this contest! I mean, give it to the cancer survivors for crying out loud! Well, now I have a huge carry-on to take with me. I'm thinking of turning it into a DIY project. But what????? Any ideas out there?

DC paper flower workshop

2013-05-03T14:51:00.001+02:00

Yay! It worked out! I hope you all get this message in time for the paper flower workshop in Washington, DC THIS Monday, May 6th at 7pm at the studio of Kate Zaremba. The cost is $35.

Spots are limited so please RSVP to me at thehousethatlarsbuilt@gmail.com or come the day of and we can see if there are any openings.

I can't wait to meet you!

photo by Jessica Peterson

DIY Fruit tissue honeycomb balls for Cinco de Mayo

2013-05-02T10:00:00.000+02:00

First thing, if you're reading this and you're in America and it's May 2nd at 9:15EST (or 10:15) turn it to NBC and watch yours truly vying to win the title of Best Hat on the Today Show Kentucky Derby contest. I guarantee an embarrassing flub with Al Roker.

Do you remember my fruit balloons? Well, I was at the darling shop Harmony on Center Street, Provo the other day (where I'm teaching a paper flower workshop on Saturday, May 11th. Sign up here), and I was eyeing the honeycomb tissue hearts hanging up and all of a sudden it struck me: those hearts are strawberries! So, I had to turn them all into fruits. Rachel from Darlybird was kind enough to provide the tissue balls and hearts. She's got a great assortment of colors and shapes and they're at such a great price. Wouldn't these be great fun for a spring event? Event or not, they'll be in my studio permanently starting now.

I won't do extensive directions with these because you can probably catch the drift, but I'll give a few pointers.

To make the strawberry heart

Materials: honeycomb tissue paper balls and hearts (I got mine from Darlybird, which is cheap and has a great assortment), glue gun, crepe paper for the leaves in different shades (I'd try Paper Mart for cheap and heavy crepe paper), scissors

Step 1: Cut out 5 or 6 long leaves with the crepe paper grain going vertically.
Step 2: Gold it in the center vertically to provide a bit of shape to the leaves.
Step 3: Glue gun them into the crevices of the heart.
Step 4: With a longer piece of crepe paper (about 1 foot by 4" wide) roll it to form a cylinder. Make sure it's tight so that it holds its shape.
Step 5: Glue the "stem" into the center of the tissue heart.
Done!

Other fruits to try: orange, lemon, lime, blueberry, grapes in small bunches of purples or greens that are tied together. Adjust the size of the leaf according to each fruit. For the grapes I made more of a grape leaf shape like this

photography by Sheena Bates

Thank you MLBE for your house!

These are the people in your neighborhood: Fay Garfield

2013-05-01T22:23:00.001+02:00

photography by Ashley Thalman

In January, we moved from Copenhagen, Denmark to the university town of Provo, Utah. Our new neighborhood is situated next to the football stadium, which hosts more professors and retired professors than students. The homes were mostly built in the 60s and many of the original owners still reside. We love it. You can imagine that this place is filled with people with stories to tell. Lots of stories.

I wanted to share these stories and MSN recently gave me the chance to do so. As you might know, MSN has launched some brand spankin new services and products that allow us to know things faster than ever before (4x faster than other sites). These days, it's both awesome and overwhelming how fast and accessible we can attain information, isn't it? I wanted to slow it down a bit here on Lars for a new series and celebrate those who capture the essence of what I think MSN is going for with their new "Know. Now" campaign, which includes three statements that I will be highlighting over the next three months. The first up is "consume culture" as reflected by the wondrous Fay Garfield, my jubilant neighbor.

Fay loves life. You can feel it. And she will tell you! Music consumed her life. At the age of 14 she was put behind a piano and asked to play along with members of her family of the Shepherd Orchestra, which played gigs throughout the area--oftentimes 3-5 a week. She learned to play by ear, a difficult skill to acquire, and one that carried her through a 30 year career in the orchestra. Later when she had children, she would play the piano while her daughters, Trina and Trish, sang. They participated and won many talent shows throughout the area. Her sons all played instruments as well and participated in the orchestra at various stages. Recently, she marched to the music department at BYU and asked to learn how to read music and they turned her away telling her that what she has is a gift and that they should be learning from her. We all can.

Eventually, Fay learned to play the concertina, a cousin instrument to the accordion, by practicing in a field near her Spanish Fork home so that her 8 siblings couldn't distract her. We were privileged enough to get a concert from Fay and let me tell you, she's still got it!

Don't think that Fay is a one-trick pony. She met her first husband, who owned a roller skating rink, when she was 19, and as a pair they roller skated professionally. Now, this isn't your typical roll-around-the-rink pair. These two were that couple who elaborately skated in the middle of the rink while you skated around in circles in awe. You remember that couple, right? When asked what type of costumes she would wear, she said, "skimpy ones".

I asked Fay if she had an regrets in life and she said, "I would say that I could be greater, but I'm pretty great". Here's a woman who is not afraid to celebrate a life well-lived, eh?! That doesn't mean that she didn't have her share of adversities. She just chose to rejoice in the positives.

Ashley and I had a ball getting to know Fay. Our timing was perfect too as the next day she was moving to Southern Utah to live closer to her kids. I'm a firm believer in that things happen for a reason and meeting Fay was in the stars.

Thank you to Fay's daughters, Trina and Trish, who were so great in making the arrangements.

Stay tuned for next month's installment.

This post was done in collaboration with the new, faster MSN that keeps you in the know. It has unparalleled speed and coverage, is perfect for touch, and is available on mobile. Experience it for yourself at MSN.com.

Flowers by Sarah Winward
Photography by Ashley Thalman

Paper flower workshop in NYC

2013-04-30T03:15:00.000+02:00

You said yes so now it's happening! I'll be giving a paper flower workshop at Kollabora this Thursday, May 2nd at 6:00 for $35 in Soho on 39 Wooster St, 3rd floor.

Spots are super limited so please RSVP to me at thehousethatlarsbuilt@gmail.com or come the day of and we can see if there are any openings.

I can't wait to meet you! Are you coming?!

PS- I just sent off my hat to NYC to arrive by Wednesday in time for the show...$500! eeeeek!

photo by Jessica Peterson

Hand-painted pillow giveaway

2013-04-29T16:09:00.000+02:00

On The Interior Collective, a blog I've been writing for for the past few months that's more interior design focused than I've been doing here on the blog, I wrote about how tie-dye and ombre is back and better than ever. Designers have taken it to a whole new level of hippy goodness.

Since I love supporting independent artists who put out stellar products, I'm giving away a gorgeous hand-painted pillow (or cushion as you Brits would call it) by Fiona Pitkin of Colorbloom who hand-paints each product in her Etsy shop. A pillow is a perfect way to tap into the trend without committing to it too much. Fiona spends quite a bit of time perfecting the colors and then paints it onto a silk/viscose velvet. This one is inspired by a giraffe. Isn't it so lovely?

To enter, head on over to Facebook and "like" The House That Lars Built and Fiona Pitkin and then leave a comment, below letting me know that you've entered.

BONUS VOTE, if you follow @houselarsbuilt on Instagram or share it in some other way.

The contest will end next Monday, May 6th.

PS- I'll be Interior Collective's guest expert this week on the blog so if you want to get some interior design advice FOR FREE, ask away here.

Going on the Today Show!

2013-04-26T10:00:00.000+02:00

On a tip from Melanie from You Are My Fave, I entered the Kentucky Derby Hat contest at The Today Show. Well, I was notified today that I'm one of three finalists. Ha! They're flying me out to NYC on Wednesday and I think I'm going to be on the Thursday show. I don't really know how they select the winner, but if it's by the audience vote, will you vote for me? I don't even know what you win if you're selected the winner, but in my dreams I win enough money to fill a swimming pool of gold like Uncle McDuck.

I'm going to stick around NYC for a few days and then head on down to DC for a few days too. East Coast, I love you. Let's be friends! Would there be any interest in some paper flower workshops in DC or NYC? If so, let me know and I'll get something going.

EDITED: I am teaching a workshop on Thursday, May 2nd at Kollabora in Soho.

Oh, and this is the hat that I entered. A huge paper flower hat. Because, you know, I like flowers and big things.

EDITED AGAIN: Turns out, the rose is the official flower of the Kentucky Derby! The winning horse each year is adorned with a garland made up of 400 red roses and now winners have been known to dip flowers in silver to preserve them. I feel like this is sign.

EDITED AGAIN AGAIN: My segment will be on tomorrow at 9:15 or 10:15 depending on where you are in the states. Just DVR it. I'll only be asked one question by Al Roker. Bring it!

Thank you Melanie!

Fab photo by Griffith Jones

Make an envelope liner

2013-04-25T17:20:00.002+02:00

This is my latest DIY for Brooklyn Bride, a simple envelope liner to add a little punch to a card. Check out the full tutorial here.

This girl

2013-04-25T10:00:00.000+02:00

This girl | Sits | Escapes

See more This Girls here

Paper flower workshop at Anthro

2013-04-24T16:00:00.000+02:00

Calling all paper flower lovers! I'm absolutely thrilled to announce a free workshop that I'll be hosting at Anthropologie just in time for Mother's Day. Wouldn't your mama want a sweet little floral? Well, let's make some together! RSVP here.

New Mother's day card

2013-04-24T15:57:00.002+02:00

I put a sneak peek of my brand new Mother's Day card on Instagram and sold them at the SLC Pop-up Shop on Saturday and now I'm glad to introduce it here on the blog officially: brand spankin new Mother's Day card. Inspired by Scandinavian folk paintings, I used real photographed flowers, instead of painting them, to form the patterns. They, along with last year's card, are available in the shop (or if you're at Terrain, they're also there!).

Click here to go to the Etsy shop site.

Roussillon, France

2013-04-23T16:47:00.003+02:00

I'm getting through my pictures from last year's trip to Provence slowly but surely. A couple of weeks ago I talked about Gordes, and just 10 km away the landscape dramatically transforms into iron-rich soil and you come across Roussillon. It's such a noticeable change in the appearance of the red cliffs and consequently, the colors of the town. Whereas Gordes feels blindingly white because of the limestone, Roussillon feels much more Mediterranean. Like a clay pot. The houses are saturated in bright, earthy colors. It's a bit less formidable and a bit more reachable. Mom and I walked the town and discovered, like many other towns in Provence, the haphazard arrangement of the town plan, which is conducive to lots of nooks and crannies and, thus, lots of fun unexpected doors and windows. It's a door-lover's paradise!

Colors of sorbet, non?

I loved the iron-work detailing throughout the town. These metalsmiths had a good time.

Watermelon house? Please and thank you.

The view.

Isn't this a fantastic covering for a balcony? I note it here so that someone can use the idea for their own backyard.

And we left at sunset. Sigh.

I dream about this place. Where do you dream about?

More pictures from Provence: Gordes, our entry, the town we stayed in Apt, walking around Apt

Monogramed watering can

2013-04-22T22:47:00.003+02:00

Happy Earth day! Whether you're in the city or out on a farm, I'm a big proponent in that every needs at least a flower box. Of course, that means that you'll also need a watering can, am I right? I needed one with a sprinkler head so the timing was just perfect to celebrate Mother Earth today.

Materials: watering can (got mine at Wal-mart for $10), black spray paint (I realize I'm showing lacquer here but for some reason in my head I saw the black chair and thought it was black spray), x-acto knife, cutting board, double-sided tape, plastic bags to cover, your initial to fit the size of your can.

Print a letter in a large font (you can use Microsoft Word) and place it in the middle of the page to print. My "J" is done in Adobe Caslon Pro. Pick a style that you like.
Cut it out to form a stencil with your knife on the cutting mat. Be very careful to make smooth lines.
Add double-sided stick tape as close to the edge of the opposite side of the letter as possible all the way around.
Place this stencil onto your can, centered.
I held the edges down with blue tape and covered the rest of the open spaces of the can with plastic bags so that the spray wouldn't get to it.
Wait for the spray to dry. I gave it about 15 minutes in the sun.
Peel off the stencil.
Wait a full 24 hours for the spray to fully dry before using.

DONZO.

I love making projects that I know I can/will use and I'm putting this one to work pronto. I added in some of my new daffodil paper flowers (on my Etsy shop within the next few days) into the can to act as a vase.

Moment for me: How not to arrange flowers

2013-04-18T20:00:00.000+02:00

photography by Heather Janis

My first Moment for Me, came in the way of a package that arrived at my door on Monday filled with lots of goodies. Christmas in April? Yes please! One of the goodies was a gift certificate for a Fresh Flowers 101 class. They nailed it! I was kind of giddy at the thought of taking a little break for a class. I felt pampered. The class was taught at Thanksgiving Point, a local events and gardens center, and apparently, it was their first ever fresh flowers class. The teacher had set up beautiful pots lining the tables with our names printed on signs.

She taught us step by step how to go about making an arrangement and I thought I had paid attention well until she let us loose. Immediately, I was the slowest one in the group as I, somehow, turned my oasis (is that what it's called?) into a sculpting project. The teacher calmly told me that I needed to start over again. Horrifying, right?

Definitely, the best part of flower arranging is picking out the flowers. I was the last to go, which was just fine because I take way too much time deciding. I ended up going with a more pastel scheme, even though they had these amazing red tulips from their gardens.

So, you start with a few in the middle, criss-crossing them, and then add a few more bulky flowers in like these roses below.

And then just keep on going. Look how happy it makes you to arrange flowers:

Maybe I should have put on some make-up and brushed my hair.

By the end I was much less nervous of hurting the delicate little flowers and just went for it. Because I had all these flowers at my fingertips, I wasn't afraid to use whatever I darn well pleased.

Häagen-Dazs, ya done good. If this is what the moments are, I'm all ready for you! You can follow along on more of these moments #hdmoment or here.

A huge thank you to Heather Janis for snapping these beautiful pics. Aren't they lovely?

Moments for Me & giveaway

2013-04-18T10:00:00.000+02:00

Häagen Dazs recently asked if I'd like to work on a project together. My first reaction went a little something like this, "Ice cream? Down!" Clearly, I'm a girl with simple needs.

Quite simply, they have created a fantastic approach to working with bloggers. I will be helping them bring to life the inspirations that create those quintessential “moments for me” that we all need and love. You know, like reading a good book or planting some flowers, or just being. Moments that you just want to eat, they're so good. Every month they'll be sending me a package of goodies to inspire my "moments". So far, I've received a box of gelato (above picture), so ummm, yes, I'd say we're off to a good start. I'll be sharing my first moment later today.

You can follow along on my journey with the hash tag #hdmomentlars and see how others are cherishing their everyday moments with #hdmoment and here on their tumblr. Feel free to add your own. I think it will be nice to see how people cherish their moments. It's the little things sometimes, you know?

To celebrate this partnership, I'm giving away some goodies that Häagen Dazs has so graciously provided. 3 12oz. gourmet coffees (Sumatra, Manhattan blend, French roast) for the coffee connoisseur from Dean and Deluca, a set of Kusmi tea complete with a tea infuser, and a Häagen Dazs coffee mug. If I were a tea/coffee drinker, I'd be all about them.

To enter:

1) "Follow" The House That Lars Built on Instagram @houselarsbuilt. If you've already done so, "like" Lars on Facebook. Bonus votes for sharing the giveaway.

2) Leave a comment here on the blog explaining how you've shared the giveaway.

The giveaway will end next Thursday, April 25th. Good luck!

picture from my Instagram @houselarsbuilt

2 paper flower workshops

2013-04-17T20:10:00.001+02:00

The SLC Pop-up Shop I've been planning with Michelle and Jessica is approaching. If you're in Utah this Saturday, April 20th, pop in to the shop where we will also be having 3 workshops. See the flier for times, price, and RSVP instructions. For more info on the event, see our Facebook page and event page.

ALSO, for those who can't make it to SLC this Saturday, I'll be teaching another paper flower workshop at Harmony in Provo on May 4th from 1-2. See more info here.

In my next life: teacher

2013-04-17T18:46:00.001+02:00

This is the second post in a new monthly series called, "In my next life" where I basically pay homage to people whom I admire or whose jobs I've dreamt of. See more posts here.

This month's In My Next Life is one near and dear to my heart. You see, my friend Sheryl Garner is a dynamite. We met when I lived in Washington, DC and have been friends ever since. Sheryl is one of the funniest persons I know. She's also one of the most passionate, caring, and friendliest persons I know. To know Sheryl is to love Sheryl. She teaches at an elementary school in the DC school district, one of the most challenging school districts in the country due to a number of well-known set-backs like funding, low test scores, and administration problems. Sheryl WANTS so much for these kids to succeed. She eats and breathes it. Her Facebook statuses usually always have something to do with her kids.

Like many girls growing up, I went through an "I want to be an elementary school teacher" phase. Though I still think there would be fun and rewarding elements to it, my hat is off to every single teacher out there. That's got to be tough! And probably thankless, for this, I thank you!

Did you always want to be a teacher? Absolutely not! Being the daughter of an immigrant, I felt like I needed to strive for a prestigious profession. My mom worked really hard to give my brother and me the best life possible. Could I really just become a teacher? On top of that make no money.

How did you get into teaching? After returning from a full-time LDS mission in South Africa and Namibia, I realized my happiest times in my life was when I was teaching people. I then realized if I'm going to give teaching a real shot, I wanted to teach where no one else wanted to teach, more challenging schools. I applied to the Teach For America program, thinking I would definitely fulfill my 2 year responsibility. Five years later, I'm still teaching in a high needs, low performing school in one of the toughest areas of Washington, DC.

Were there people along the way in your field who you admired or helped you shaped the decision to be a teacher? Well any good decision I've ever made, I can see my mom's help. She encouraged me to keep going even in my most difficult years of teaching which included being stabbed with a pencil and a pen, slapped, punched and kicked by my students. Even this year, teaching a class of 33 students has been such a challenge, especially since there are so many individual needs from my students, but she always reminds me that she is praying for me and that I can do it. There have been some influential co-workers who equally haven't given up, that keep me going.

Do you have a mantra or something you live by? There is a Spanish word that I have taped on a window in my classroom, "Ganas", which means determined. That keeps me from quitting or walking away especially after tough days.

What's your favorite part about your job? Spending one-on-one time with my students. I've hung out with many of them outside of school to build stronger relationships or to reward them for their academic achievements. "My kids" are special little people.

How do you juggle the balance of life/work? I'm fortunate to have amazing friends. I don't have to come up with activities. They usually plan events. I just show up.

What's one of the most memorable moments of your career so far? I received a card a couple of Valentine's Days ago.. The card said, "Dear Ms. Garner. Thank you for getting me smart because I want to go to college. Love, Amariah". I received nothing else that day except for that homemade card. I wouldn't have wanted any other way.

If you weren't teaching, what would you be doing? Helping those in third world countries develop business. But then again, that is teaching, isn't it?

This is an awesome video that was made about her and it gives a pretty accurate sense of her passion and dedication to her work (also the importance of her religion to her, which comes closer to the end of the video. Just letting you know in case you would prefer to skip out on that part. But the video is awesome. Promise). Our claim to fame is that our wedding invitation is taped to the wall in the kitchen scene. We're big time.

What would you do if you could do anything?

photography by Melissa Smith