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I find that everyone can benefit from making things with their hands, in whatever capacity that speaks to them most.
Are you loving our holiday sets? We are, too. It’s one of the many reasons we’re grateful for Brittany Jepsen, the founder and creative director of The House That Lars Built, the creative services company behind the design. We talked to Brittany, our newest Eighteen B Woman, about crafting, creativity, and the joy of paying gratitude forward.
Brittany Jepsen has a gift of taking everyday objects and making them joyful. Take a look at her award-winning website, The House That Lars Built, and you’ll see what we mean. With a clever twirl and some fishing line, a piece of rope becomes a purse. A stack of plates becomes a one-of-a-kind light fixture. Crimson crepe paper blossoms into a fluffy peony.
Brittany believes that gifts should be shared (and not just because it’s the holidays). She launched The House That Lars Built 11 years ago as her personal portfolio. Today, it’s grown into a creative services company with six employees, an internship program, and more than 190,000 followers on Instagram. “Our mission is to provide people with the tools and confidence to make projects and learn how to make their lives more artful.”
“Artful living” may sound intimidating to the less crafty among us, but have no fear: Brittany believes the process is just as meaningful as the finished product. “‘Artful’ is our way of saying that what you surround yourself with and how you spend your time should be thoughtful and meaningful. If you do, you’ll live a more beautiful life,” Brittany says. “I find that everyone can benefit from making things with their hands, in whatever capacity that speaks to them most.”
In a world where anything can be delivered to your door in two days, Brittany has built an audience that craves something real and handmade. “I believe that the more we become sucked into our phones and other technologies, the more we need something tangible to hold on to, to rest our eyes, and delve into a new world of creation and problem solving.”
We asked The House That Lars Built to design our holiday collection because we love how whimsical and personal their pieces are. And our holiday collection, inspired by gratitude, is personal to us. We are filled with gratitude as we look back on the past year. We made scientific advances, launched three products, and built an incredible team, all because our customers made it possible. While we have a lot of ground to cover yet – stay tuned for exciting updates in 2020! – we want to pause to share our gratitude with you, the ones who made it happen.
Brittany’s design was inspired by her own gratitude. “The Eighteen B holiday design comes from a DIY project of a painted nativity set inspired by a set my mom made when she was young. We took elements from the time of her youth and translated them into a holiday scheme. My mother is my kindred spirit in so many ways and I can’t help but be grateful for her influence in my life. Conveying that gratitude was the perfect way to capture this message.”
It’s not just the pretty packaging – Brittany designed a gratitude notepad to come with each holiday set. “I remember hearing advice about noting what I’m grateful for each morning and reviewing it at night. It’s really helped me shift my focus to what’s important.”
As for what Brittany is grateful for, she says, “so much! Everything from big picture stuff – the earth, flowers, beautiful architecture, my work to small stuff. I’m absolutely most grateful for my little family. My son, Jasper, is a year and a half and the most chubby, lovable squeeze there is. He entertains me and warms my heart so much.”
We were thrilled to hear that Brittany’s skin is feeling grateful, too. “Since I started using the products I’ve received more compliments on my skin than I have since high school! My makeup doesn’t flake off and it feels fresh. I haven’t felt this way in a long time!”
“My absolute favorite is the Hydrate + Restore Rich Cream. It’s super dry here in Utah and it’s done not great things for my skin. The cream has been essential for making my makeup go on smoothly. It’s a new essential!”
As Brittany Jepsen told us, “There’s no better way to communicate gratitude than to continue it by paying it forward.” In that spirit, we hope you share the gift of glowing skin this season. It will help us all shine a little brighter.
Do you have questions? Comments? Topics you want us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at thelab@eighteenb.com.