Category Archives: Shopping

The photo booth goes outdoors

I’m still not quite sure how it happened, but about a year and a half ago, I became a small business owner.

My husband and I rent out photo booths. And the booths are amazing. I can say this without sounding like a Braggy McBraggerson because I had very little to do with their actual construction. My husband designed and built the actual booth, and wrote the software that makes it run. My mom sewed the gorgeous red microsuede curtain that became our namesake.

I’m just the girl who said “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a photo booth at our wedding?” back when my husband and I were brainstorming ways to make our reception fun and memorable.

But that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Mostly, we take the photo booth to wedding receptions. But we’ve also had people reserve the booth for proms, anniversaries, and one super swank 16th birthday party.  This year, we were hired by the Freedom Festival, an annual community celebration in my hometown, to bring the booth to a few of its summer events. Outdoor events.  The first event was rained out. The second one though, the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta, was held on one of those days with nearly perfect weather — blue skies, mild temperatures, oh, and crazy strong wind gusts.

Turns out that big red curtain serves as an excellent wind sail. We called in emergency back-up (ie: my parents) to run over an assortment of supplies to tie down the curtain so that patrons could get into the booth without fighting yards of fabric.

This is how Ryan — that’s my husband (cute, right?) — spent much of the afternoon, securing and re-securing the curtain against the wind. We still got some motion from the wind, and you could see the curtain flapping around in some of the photo strips, but, hey, that’s just one more reminder of the great day. (And maybe of the humorous site of the wind blowing so hard that it kept pushing those cardboard boats backwards as they tried to run their races.)

Get the whole story »

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My $5 Orla Kiely storage basket

I think I’m going to put together some sort of warning list: Signs of a woman newly obsessed with sewing.

  • Del.icio.us bookmarks dominated by tags like “diy” “sewing tutorial” and “fabric.” Check.
  • A Friday night happily spent chilling out with the sewing machine, a stack of fabric, and an iPod full of tunes. Check.
  • Sewing/craft blogs overtake Google reader, and require, at minimum, daily reading. Check.
  • A cute bag is picked up and examined in order to figure out how it was constructed, so that it might be replicated some time in the future. Check.
  • A perfectly lovely brand new home decor item is purchased with the sole intention of ripping it apart to create something new. Gaaah! Check!

I’m pretty sure that last one is the thing that’s sent me over the edge, the thing that reclassified me from “interested in sewing” to “obsessed with sewing.”

But look! Look at the result! SO PRETTY!

It should probably be noted that repurposing pieces from Orla Kiely’s Target collection Get the whole story »

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Gift guide

Cheap, Healthy, Good has a great post today for anyone who’s still doing holiday shopping: “The Practical Guide to Christmas Gifts for Foodies”  

Hint: That coffee mug above is a don’t.

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Fun ideas for holiday gifts

Dear Santa,

Thank you for your generosity for the last 28 Christmases. You really came through for me  – even that year when I had to spend Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa’s house — you know, that one that was miles from home and had no fireplace or chimney? I can’t believe you found me! Anyway, I really appreciated those Cabbage Patch dolls and Pound Purries and Tiffany cassette tapes and all. But here’s the thing: Now that I’m grown up, all I get is boring stuff like mixing bowls and sweaters and books with NO PICTURES. I can’t be the only grown-up who feels this way. Please help, Santa. I’m including a list of suggestions below. I promise to make an extra good batch of cookies for you this year. And maybe even slip a little rum into the eggnog for you, too.

Sincerely,
Me

Froggie Spatula, Fred Flare

Froggie Spatula, www.fredflare.com.

yummy breakfast keychains, www.fredflare.com

yummy breakfast keychains, www.fredflare.com

High Heel Cake Server, www.bedbathandbeyond.com

High Heel Cake Server, www.bedbathandbeyond.com.

ABC (already been chewed) Cookie Cutter, www.amazon.com

ABC Cookie Cutters, www.amazon.com

HeadHeads oven mitts, www.uncommongoods.com

HeadHeads oven mitts, www.uncommongoods.com

Lift Salt & Pepper Shaker, www.perpetualkid.com

Lift Salt & Pepper Shaker, www.perpetualkid.com

Not a Paper Cup (its ceramic!), www.momastore.org

Not a Paper Cup (it's ceramic!), www.momastore.org

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Green grocery toting

Cliff Jette photos/The Gazette

Did you catch last weekend’s Saturday Accent cover story from young adult reporter Carly Weber? She wrote a short article about the BYO bag trend:

Paper? Plastic?
How ’bout neither.
Plastic is out. The petroleum used to make just 14 plastic bags is enough to drive a car a mile, according to a study by the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage.
Paper’s not any better. In fact, from a global impact standpoint, it’s worse. The Environmental Protection Agency says paper bags emit 70 percent more global warming gases and 50 times more water pollution than plastic bags in manufacturing. Not to mention all the trees.
So, what kind of bag will you use on your next shopping trip?
Reusable bags, generally those made of polypropylene, are popping up in grocery stores around Eastern Iowa. Several area business also sell their own bags, like Coralville-based Cart by Cart or Choose Cloth in Cedar Rapids.
Cotton or canvas bags can range from $4 to $25. Find options online at sites like
www.reusablebags.com
Polypropylene bags usually cost between $1 and $2. Try
www.goagainbags.com or look around next time you’re in the checkout line.
All reusable bags are generally machine washable, last around two years and can hold the equivalent of four plastic sacks full of groceries.

The string bags pictured with the story are bags that I bought a few weeks ago to haul my groceries home. Yes, I was a little self-conscious the first time I pulled them out of my purse and told the cashier that I’d brought my own bags, but I’ve received nothing but positive responses. Hy-Vee even gives me a 20 cent bonus for bringing my own sacks.

I’m loving the fact that I can tote the string bags around in my purse — no more forgetting bags in the car — and that I’ve finally put the brakes on the ever-growing pile of plastic accumulating in my pantry. Even better, the string bags fit tons more groceries than the plastic kind, and they’re easy to carry (no worries about the plastic pulling and breaking before I get to the car). I especially like the ones that have straps long enough to sling over my shoulder.

Anyone else trying to make the switch to reusable bags? Has it been easy? Tough?

* photo by Cliff Jette/The Gazette

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Finding chocolate in E. Iowa

1621121-lcl-chocolate-haus-06_30_2005-154357.jpg
Gazette file photo
A tray of chocolates at Chocolate Haus in Amana.

Where do you go for really great Valentine’s chocolate in Eastern Iowa? Skip the pre-prepackaged stuff at the big box stores and try treats from one of our local shops:

Simply Divine in Cedar Rapids
Betty Jane Candies in Cedar Rapids
Sweetopia in Hiawatha
Temptations Fine Candies in Atkins and Marion
Chocolate Haus in Amana
Bochner Chocolates in Coralville

What’s your favorite local candy or chocolate shop? Are there any I’m missing in this list?

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