Handmade Pretties was created by Lara Newsom in 2002. For years, people told Lara that she should sell her creations. It never seemed like it was worth it, until the little felt flowers came along. People LOVED them. They wanted thousands of them, so Lara bought a much sharper pair of scissors and went about creating flower after flower after flower. She sold them outside the cafeteria at Cal Arts while attending graduate school as a way to keep herself in coffee. While the public never seemed to tire of felt flowers, Lara did. Soon she was making all sorts of abstract doodads, sewing pins on the back, and carting them around to some of the friendlier boutiques in Los Angeles.


Rue de Mimo in South Pasadena took a chance on Lara's pins. The pins were selling like hot cakes, and new designs began to flow. What started as little felt flowers, had become small handstitched works of art. Lara began to branch out into handbags and other accessories. With the birth of child the first in 2004, came whole new lines of toys, children's clothing, and diaper bags.

Currently, Lara makes lines of pincushion, brooches, bags and purses, balls, clothing, coasters, and more. Lara enjoys recycling materials and finding creative new uses for all things discarded or overlooked.

In 2007, Lara relocated from Los Angeles to Urbandale, Iowa (Des Moines roommate) with her husband (Scott), her two children (Sylvia and Beatrice), her two cats (Fremont and Penelope), and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of fabric.