A Floral Basketball, Puffy Laptop Case, and More Quirky Gift Ideas From an Expert Crafter
The House That Lars Built’s Brittany Jepsen shares her picks.
Updated Oct 11, 2018 11:26 PM
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Our world could always use more color—and what better way to achieve that than with a gift that brightens up someone’s life? Brittany Jepsen wants to inject some unexpected quirkiness into your holiday shopping list. The author and expert crafts maker, who runs the site and shop The House That Lars Built, is a pro at making spaces both beautiful and functional. Her posts are filled with unique decorative finds and DIY tricks that will make even the most noncrafty person want to flex their creative skills. True to form, her seasonal wish list features an array of vibrant but practical items that will add a burst of joy—and comfort—to anyone’s space.
I love listening to music, especially with my 2-year-old son. It’s so nice to be able to call the Google Assistant and say, “Turn on this music, turn on that music.” Plus I love pink and things that are more bright than neutral.
First of all, this is the most beautiful basketball I’ve ever seen. I played basketball my freshman year of high school. I was terrible. Our team was terrible. But this would actually make me want to play again.
A lot of people like to glue puzzles, so this would be both an activity and a piece of art. It’s informational, too—you can get to know the wildflowers.
A girl who works for me just bought this laptop case, and I said, “Stop, what is that?” The colors are so lovely—the lavender with that green is perfect. It’s puffy. And the waves and scallops are so in right now.
With a lot of earbuds, who knows where they go. But if they can fit snugly into my bag in a cute case like this—and if they have a specific place to live—I would probably keep better track of them.
Craft the Rainbow is a book I came out with a couple years ago. There’s a craft project in every shade of the rainbow. The culmination of everything I’ve ever done is in this book. Even if you don’t like to make crafts, you’ll enjoy looking through it.
The overall vibe I’m going for these days is bright and cozy, and the cozy comes in with this pillow. It looks so comfortable—like you want to squeeze it, cuddle with it, and just not move for six months.
If you’re going to have something in your home, you might as well make it beautiful. This old-fashioned board game has a beautiful color palette, but it would also be helpful in the winter, when we’re likely to be back in lockdown.
Everything Matilda Goad has is so pretty. And I love rainbows. A box is great because it’s both storage and sculptural. It’s a statement piece.
With not being able to travel this year, these are mementos of a place I love. They combine beautiful folk flowers with a little sparkle and are a unique take on those touristy Eiffel Tower key chains.