Finally!!!  The pumpkin wreath kits are ready and available through our store.  Typically I'm not really a huge fan of cheesy holiday decor but I must say these are fun without looking corny.  Create your own Poly Mesh Pumpkin wreath just in time for fall.  The kits have all the supplies you need to create a 20" x 20" pumpkin wreath, including instructions.  Click here to visit our store.

Kit List:
Orange Mesh
Green Mesh (3 shades)
Wire Wreath Frame (with custom center)
Chenille Stems (orange & green) 
Glitter Sticks
Step by Step Instructions


Here's a photo from a recent Ladies Craft Night hosted party in Michigan.  The ladies had a great time and their wreaths turned out beautiful.  Great idea for a Ladies Craft Night of your own!  

I spent the last week teaching & choreographing in Michigan, where it actually feels like fall.  Of course while I was home my mother and I had to get in some crafting.  Back in June I found this wreath and as soon as I saw it I thought it would look adorable on my grandma's door.  So naturally I sent the link to my mother, she tracked it down to the company that sells the polymesh.  They were not able to give her directions but could of course sell her the supplies.  Finally in September we were able to sit down together and make it.  

We actually ended up making two, one that was so large it wouldn't fit on the front door but looks great hanging on the side of my grandma's house.  After we brought it to her house the first thing she said is "Ohhhh now everyone will want one after they see it on my house!", needless to say she was excited about it.  The second one we made is smaller in size and fits perfectly on my mom's front door.  Now I have an obsession with polymesh, Scott will be thrilled to store all the colors I started ordering. 

I'm excited to announce that LCN will soon start carrying a polymesh pumpkin kit!  This kit will include all of the supplies needed along with step by step instructions!  Check back soon and we'll keep you updated!

I am so excited to say that Ladies Craft Night hosted their first bachelorette party last night.  It was the most wonderful group of ladies and the bride was one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  The night was filled with laughter and it couldn't have been more fun.  It was wonderful to women of all ages enjoying each others company. I give big kudos to Alex & Jackie, the hostess's, for all the work they did and thinking outside the box.

The craft for the night was beaded keychains.  I am always impressed with the finished products and how creative people get.  They were people turning their keychains into bracelets and purse pulls.  The bride extended her keychain to make it doubled in length and added extra beads to give it a "chunky" feel.  I think that this is part of the beauty of crafting with girlfriends, you are inspired by eachother and bond while creating something beautiful with your own two hands.  

Here are some photos from the night, check out the entire album on our facebook page!

LCN is thrilled to announce it has officially teamed up with Recipe For Disaster.  A southern California based company specializing in cakes and cupcakes.  They offer a wide range of including cookies and brownies.  Owner Lora's famous last works, "You name it and I'll bake it".  Check out some of her cakes, cookies, and cupcakes on our website by clicking here.  Or visit them on facebook by clicking here. 

We hope you look to them for all your southern California baking needs.  Here are some of the baked goodies Lora has made for LCN!

Ruffle Cake for a surprise 60th birthday party.  Top Layer: Pink Lemonade with red berry filling.  Bottom Layer: Chocolate cake with salted caramel filling.  Amazing.

Soft sugar cookies for the LCN Grand Opening!

LCN grand opening cake.  Top Layer: Vanilla bean cake with blackberry filling.  Bottom Layer: Pineapple cake with a mango filling.  It's so gorgeous I didn't want to eat it, but it was so good I couldn't stop myself from eating it!

I think paper medallions are absolutely stunning.  When I ran across a picture of a paper medallion wall hanging I was in love.  I set out to make a wall hanging to act as the back drop for my craft table, at the upcoming Ladies Craft Night Grand Opening!  Enjoy!

Supplies:
Scrapbook Paper
Ruler
Pencil
Bone Folder
Glue Gun
Paper Cutter/Scissors
TIME!

Step 1: Start by cutting 2-4 even strips of craft paper.  I have made anywhere from 1inch to 6inch medallions.  The bigger the medallion the more strips you will need, smaller medallions only require 2 strips.  For this one I made a 2 1/2 inch medallion only requiring 2 strips.

Step 2: On the backside of your paper mark every 1/2 inch using a pencil.  These marks will act as a guideline when folding.

Step 3: Start folding each strip, carefully lining up each mark.  After folding use your bone folder to crease each fold, for a crisp & clean look.

Step 4: After folding all of your strips line the end of one strip with hot glue.  Attach this to the end of another strip and press firmly, trying to avoid any gaps in the paper.

Step 5: After all your strips are glued together flip your medallion over.  I like to glue in between each fold to secure the medallion.  Otherwise the medallion will stretch out and loose its shape.

Step 6: Get ready to giggle, instead of holding my medallion in place for a couple minutes until the glue hardens I turn to my trusty can of Diet Coke.  It's actually the perfect size and has enough weight to hold down the medallion without crushing it.

Step 7: Once the glue has hardened, you're done!  Flip it over and enjoy your beautiful work!

Medallion Wall Hanging: To make my wall hanging I used a piece of foam board.  It took me 23 medallions of all different shapes and sizes to cover the whole board.  Needless to say this was a bit time consuming, although well worth it.  After making all my medallions I then used the hot glue gun to glue them to the board. Great idea for parties and weddings!

Surprise!!! My mother in law is turning 60, and we wanted to start her 60th year out by showing her how much she is loved. It was a lot of work, a lot of sneaking around, and a lot of help from our incredible families but we pulled it off. When she saw all of her family and friends in one place she was, as you can imagine, completely shocked. I wish I could have gotten some more pictures, but the whole day was a bit of a whirlwind.

The Theme:
All the decorations were handmade and I really tried to incorporate one of her favorite hobbies, quilting. I wanted the party to be casual, bright, and not to overdone. Basically, I wanted everyone to be comfortable and feel like they were at home. The color scheme was grey, yellow, pink, & blue/teal and I tried to add personal touches anywhere I could. A flat screen TV was placed on the deck and pictures of the birthday girl played the entire night.

Food & Drinks:
The main food for the party was provided by a hotdog cart, which of course I didn't get a picture of. The cart had an entire list of specialty hotdogs, Chicago Dogs, New York Dogs, California Dogs, and Chili Cheese Dogs were just a few. Of course my better half had one of every kind they offered, just to ensure he got what he paid for, gotta love him. We also had a Champagne Bar, Dessert Bar, Salads, an Edible Arrangements fruit basket, and Fruit infused water. The kids table was decked out with candy and a painting project.

Funny Story:
The night before when I was making cheesecake pops for a "friends party", my mother in law kindly offered to make me a bundt cake to take. You can imagine my excitement and how completely impressed I was with my own sneakiness, I about jumped out of my own skin. Everyone got a kick out of hearing about how she made her own birthday cake.

The Surprise:
The day of the party a friend of my mother in laws convinced her to leave the house at 6:30am for a spontaneous trip to Disneyland. When she returned her son met her outside and said he had fixed something in the back yard. Of course when she came around the back there were 40 of her closest friends and family yelling surprise. She really started to cry when she realized her brother from Chicago had flown in just to wish her a Happy Birthday.

All in all it was a great day, but how can you go wrong with Champagne & an entire dessert table? 

Happy 60th to my wonderful mother in law!

Champagne Bar - Peach & Strawberry Puree, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Port, Fruit, Paper Straws, and sugar to top everyone's glasses.  The chalkboard signs were all hand written by our cousin Lora.

Champagne Glasses - All the glasses were hand tied with strips of fabric.

Dessert Bar - Made with love by the birthday girls family and friends.  Each family member brought their favorite dessert.  Can you just imagine all the WONDERFUL sugary calories consumed this day...heaven. 
*Note - enjoy the bundt cake provided, unknowingly, by the birthday girl herself!

Dessert Bar - Cheesecake Pops, Chocolate Covered Oreos, Strawberry & Vanilla Trifle, Bundt Cake, Snicerkdoodle Cookies, Turtle Brownies, Truffles, Tiger Butter, & Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

Dessert Bar - So Yummy!

Dessert Bar Signs- next to each dessert was a wooden spool tied with fabric, topped with a chalkboard heart.  Each guest with a dessert wrote their name in chalk and placed it next to their dessert.

Birthday Cake - Our cousin Lora make these STUNNING ruffle cake.  Top layer was pink lemonade cake with red berry filling.  Bottom layer was chocolate cake with salted caramel filling.  The entire cake was covered in gorgeous pink butter cream ruffles.  Topped with a chalkboard 60, of course.  This cake was so good I ate a piece for lunch the next day.

Centerpieces - Mason jars filled with sliced lemons.  I arranged the flowers myself, daffodils, mums, and some other greens.  Each jar was tied with a stripe of fabric and a chalkboard with 60 on it was placed in the middle. 

Table Runners - I pieced together stripes of fabric to run down the middle of each table.  The ends were unfinished because I felt it gave it a more shabby chic feel.

Wooden Initials - Hand painted wooden initials were hung from our arbor.

Fabric Filled Hoops - Embroidery hoops with colorful fabric hung from the house over the champagne bar

Strip Fabric Garland - Each strip of fabric was knotted to twine and hung over the dessert bar.

Painted Pots - Each grandkid painted a pot for grandma's garden.