"Charity and Cheer" Holiday Shopping Party

Why Should December Have All The Fun?

 Neighborhood Toy Store Day November 12th

An occasion we were made for! We'll have board games set up to play against store employees and a ton of cool giveaways! Stop in any time during our regular store hours for some good old fashioned toy store fun!

 Holiday Toy Drive Kick Off Party November 20th

This year, Landis' Labyrinth is proud to be supporting APCH (A Place Called Home.)  This wonderful non profit is a comprehensive youth center located in South Central Los Angeles. They provide enrichment classes ranging from dance to college prep, a counseling center, and a safe and fun space for at risk youth to play and grow in after regular school hours.

Every year they provide a magical holiday party for their immediate community including a massive Christmas present give away. We are so excited to encourage our own community of Hancock Park to support APCH's efforts by donating toys for kids of all ages to be handed out at the party.

Starting at the beginning of November we will have a bin set out at Landis General Store (142 N Larchmont Blvd.) along with more information about APCH.

Our Toy Drive Kick Off Party will include all three of our storefronts and will go from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday November 20th.

Happy Saint Patricks' Day! - Enjoy Our Lucky Holiday Craft Idea from Amanda Johnson!

Here is another great craft from our resident activity expert Amanda Johnson, check out some of her other awesome crafts from past blog posts and come meet her in person at her upcoming Spring Into Craft Event right here at Landis!

Project: Fruit Loop Rainbow
Time: less than 1 hour total.


Supplies:
- Fruit Loop Cereal
- White Glue
- Glitter (optional)
- Construction Paper / Lightweight cardboard or paper plates.

Directions:

1. Draw out a rainbow on the construction paper
2. Pour some cereal onto a paper plate for the kids to pick from. I find it easier to see and sort the colors if I use a plate instead of a bowl.
3. Put a line of glue around the outside edge of the rainbow on the construction paper or paper plate. Have your child place red fruit loops on the line.
4. When they are done with the red line, put down another line of glue just below the red row and have them cover it with orange fruit loops.
5. Continue with this process until your rainbow has all the colors.

Optional - Shake glitter onto the glue before the fruit loops to ad some extra sparkle.

Enjoy!

Will You Be Ours?

Valentines Day is as famous for high expectations as it is for roses and chocolate and we know what kind of pressure that can mean. Here at Landis we like to celebrate a different way. We buy our Valentines gifts way ahead of time, picking out the very cutest and sweetest trinkets so they're ready for you to pick out and take home.

Our gift to you this February 14th is to take all the pressure and guess work out of buying the perfect gift so stop by Landis General Store at 142 N Larchmont Blvd to see what we found for you to find for someone you love.

Guest Post: Amanda Johnson Arts And Crafts Valentines Edition!

Amanda Johnson is an early childhood development expert and friend of the store. If you missed her first guest post, check it out here where you'll also find more info about her experience and employment availability at the bottom.

We're psyched for round two with this awesome Valentines Day inspired craft activity!

Recycled Crayons for Valentine's Day Kid's Craft 

This is a craft the kids will love and definitely use. Heart shapes are the perfect size and shape for little hands.

It's also a great use for all the broken home crayons and “leftover restaurant” crayons. Surely, I’m not the only one who feels bad that those three or four free crayons will just be thrown away after the kids have barely used them. This process also teaches children about recycling.

Materials Required:

• Broken/unwanted crayons

• Heart shaped silicone cookie/candy mold and/or Non-stick cookie/candy mold

• Knife

• Cutting board

Steps:

Step 1: Gather all the broken crayons lying around the house

Step 2: Peel the paper from the crayons

Step 3: Chop the crayons into smaller pieces

Step 4: Divide the crayons into the molds

Step 5: Baking Time!

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Once the oven is ready, place the molds into the oven and heat the crayons for approximately 20 minutes. Do be careful as you remove them from the oven, because you don’t want to spill the hot wax inside the oven or on someone’s skin.

Notes:

If you use silicon mold or shaped muffin tin mold you don't need to worry about greasing up the molds because the crayons will just pop out when cooled. You'll probably want to pay close attention to which crayons you mix together to ensure the colors don’t blend towards a muddy brown. Try to keep complimenting colors with one another (like pink, orange, and red) so even if it does all blend together, you'd at least have a variety of hews.

Enjoy!

Generally, We Think You're Great!

Thank you so much, Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and Los Angeles, California. We knew Landis General Store was a special part of the history of Larchmont and that it was sorely missed but the excitement and support of our community when we opened our doors this October was enough to fill our hearts - and our store.

Now as the holidays wane we're definitely feeling settled into the new digs. The back room is filled to the brim with arts and crafts, the new 2015 calendars are in and Valentines Day has already start to fill the store with pink and red.

We can't wait to see what 2015 brings and we're happy to spend every day of it bringing you great gifts!

Oh The Weather Outside Is..Wonderful!

The holiday season in Southern California is it's own animal. Beautifully lit palm trees sparkle through balmy, smog laced skies, sunlight shines as bright as the tinsel and the snowflakes tend to be of the man made variety. A careful observer will notice the change in weather but still, sometimes it can be tough to get into the spirit.

But don't worry! With a new storefront on Larchmont Boulevard, the Landis Gang is working triple time to get you into the holiday spirit. Whether your family goes big for turkey, trees, menorahs or any and all combinations of the three we will have some fun and beautiful new things for you to deck your halls, plates, and spirits.


Now at Landis General Store:

Ornaments from Roost, Maileg, Cody Foster & Co. and more.
Holiday Crackers from Meri Meri.
Advent Calendars from Maileg, Meri Meri, and Mudpuppy.
Block Menorah from DCI.
Menorah Candle platters from Two's Co.

Your New Old Best Friend!

Larchmont Village has long been a peaceful, family friendly enclave nestled in between the stately neighborhood of Hancock Park and the bustle of Paramount and Hollywood. With traditional conveniences turning to trendy boutiques, Devoney Wolfus, owner of Landis' Labyrinth Toy Shops, a newer neighborhood fixture, wanted to bring back some of the warmth she felt from the neighborhood she grew up in. Her mother Chris Wolfus spent a successful tenure running Landis General Store, and since it's closure in 2011 the community has often lamented it's absence. When a space opened up, the younger Wolfus knew just what to fill it with.

The new incarnation of Landis General Store caters to the whole family. With accessories ranging from jewelry to headphones and from scarves to wallets, there is something for everyone. A few selections from Landis' Labryrinth have been relocated there such as Arts and Crafts but it also features exciting new collection of house wares including lamps, vases, wall hangings and more. Unlike most boutiques the general store will not forget Dad. Fine leather wallets and shaving sets are among the male friendly items coming.

In honor of the original Landis, eventually there will also be a "convenience" section featuring office and home supplies.

Wolfus is honored to be following in her mother's footsteps and reviving an important neighborhood landmark. Her and her dedicated staff hope to see you in one of the three lively storefronts soon and often!


140 N Larchmont Blvd.:
Puzzles, Plush, Games, Barbies, Super Heroes, Figurines, Gags, Magic, Lego, Backpacks, and more!

142 N Larchmont Blvd.:
Jewelry, Scarves, Key Chains, Housewares, Seasonal,  Arts and Crafts, and more!

144 N Larchmont Blvd.:
Pregnancy gear, Swaddles, Crib Gear, Teethers, Bath Toys, Shower Gifts, Books, Early Childhood Toys, and more!

The Bunny Cometh!

Easter is on the way and baskets must be filled! Candy is great in an Easter basket but shouldn't there also be some toys in there to help burn off that sugar rush? We have some adorable Easter themed wind-ups and bug eye'd bunny heads to keep hyper hands occupied after the egg hunt. For those and more check out the front table at our original location at 140 N Larchmont.

Products to check out:

Two's Company: Happy Hoppers Wind-Up Animals

Two's Company: Eye Poppin' Bunnies

No Foolin'!

 

  April Fools Day is almost Upon us! Come check out our gag gifts for inspiration! Will our fake vomit elicit some of the real stuff? Will rubber cockroaches prompts blood curdling screams? If you're not into "gross," a firm shake with a hand buzzer might be just the ticket. Either way, come keep it classy with our selection of gags before a friend beats you to it and you find yourself the victim!

Products to check out:

Schylling: Fake Vomit

Schylling: Hand Buzzer

Playvisions: Roacharama