Random | Prudent and Practical

January 4, 2010

Christmas Gag Gift: Geico Money with Eyes

Filed under: crafts — Tags: crafts, free, holidays, random — K @ 1:45 AM

You know the commercial: “I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me…” Whether you think “he” is cute or annoying, the money stack with eyeballs stalks you during current Geico commercials. Personally, I love the little guy. So does D, and his mom, and most definitely his sister. It’s become an inside joke now, so I came up with the perfect little gift for her.

I did a search on eBay for “the stack” but I didn’t want to pay $10 especially when I wanted to add a light activated music box (Which after shipping cost almost $10 itself – not frugal, I know. But it was either that or purchasing 1000 of them for $300 from China.) So I figured out how to make it for practically nothing, using materials you probably have at home already.

First off, you need fake money – “real” fake money actually costs a lot of money, so I suggest printing off scanned money. Note: You can get in trouble for scanning and printing money unless you alter it. I found a jpg online that has dollar bills already scanned, but at about half the size of real money. I think I used 5 or 6 pages.

While cutting them out, I made a stack of $5 and a stack of all other bills. This is only important if you’re looking to be more authentic, since the official stack is made of $5 bills.

I make 2 stacks using non-$5, but then put $5 on the top and bottom of each stack.

Now you need the band that goes around each stack of bills. I used some scrap paper and a blue marker.

Glue a band to each stack of bills.

Glue the bills together – it’s starting to look like the Geico stack now!

You need 2 googly eyeballs. I cut a couple pieces from a cardboard box to attach the eyes to the money stack.

Viola! You’re done and now you have a gag gift or a new buddy!

If you want to see the full effect check out my videos below… Hope you like it!

I got D’s sister’s permission to post the following video. She said…

Yeah go ahead, that’s a pretty great gift! People need to know he’s always watching

If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page!

I’m also participating in the following carnivals today! You can find many more great crafty ideas here:

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November 11, 2009

Martha Stewart’s Christmas Workshop

Filed under: General — Tags: crafts, DIY, entertainment, food, free, holidays, projects, random — K @ 11:30 PM

Hi all! I just got an email (newsletter) from Martha Stewart.com! The Martha crew is doing a 6-week workshop to help you prep for the holiday season.

The topics will include…

Martha’s best holiday tips
Handmade gifts, stockings, and ornaments
Treats, menus, and party ideas
Expert tree-trimming and wreath-making techniques
Hostess how-tos and a magnificent holiday menu
Time saving strategies
A gingerbread-house contest and photo contests
And many more ideas!

According to the email, more than 100,000 people have already joined, including me. I’m a fan of Martha Stewart and can’t wait to see what wonderful tips and projects she has in store for us all.

The fun begins November 16. Please visit the signup page to get in on the action!

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October 6, 2009

Sometimes Being Cautious Just Isn’t Enough

Filed under: General — Tags: random, updates — K @ 5:00 PM

I hit a deer last night. Actually, the thing ran into me while I was going 70 mph. I’m ok, just a couple light scratches on my arms/fingers. D”s car is a mess.

According to what the police said it went like this: The deer nicked the driver’s side headlight knocking it out, it spun around and slammed into the car above the tire and door, its head whacked the window caving it in and throwing glass all over me, it continued its trip down the side of the car and smashed in the gas cap area. The people who witnessed it said the person behind me hit it too.

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September 15, 2009

Visiting Hiawatha’s Market and Bass Farms

Filed under: fun — Tags: cedar rapids, gardening, random, review, sales — K @ 1:00 AM

Sunday Farmer’s Market

The concert weekend was topped off with some great time alone with Mom and Dad. After having breakfast at Perkin’s, we visited Hiawatha’s Sunday Farmer’s Market where I bought a package of beef brats. It was $8 for 2 pounds (8 brats). This isn’t much more expensive than what the regional grocer sells and it’s locally grown at Heritage Point Farm in Center Point, Iowa.

Before the crazy wind started knocking tents over, I managed to talk to one of the guys from Creative StoneWerx. They engrave collegiate symbols, names, and addresses on Indiana limestone. An Iowa State engraved stone would be a wonderful Christmas gift for D, so I got their business card.

The farmer’s market is at a park in Hiawatha. If you’re coming from Edgewood Road, turn East onto Blairs Ferry Road. Keep an eye out for signs on the left (north) side of the road.

Bass Farms

Mom and Dad have been telling me about Bass Farms. “Oh my gosh! You have to see this place!” So they drove me out there. The owner is a 24 year-old local.

What I liked: It’s all nice, new, and shiny. I like that someone is taking a risk with an operation like this near Cedar Rapids and the owner’s were quite friendly. I liked the watermelon and the green pepper I bought. The texture of the watermelon and the aroma of the pepper were unlike anything you can get at the store.

What I didn’t like: The overuse of a gas-guzzling gator to bring produce up a short distance from the field. A Gothic arch greenhouse, a brand spanking new shed, and many acres of land outside of a metropolitan area = a lot of money was sunk into this place. Premium fruits and veggies are hauled in from Chicago. “Premium” meaning tropical fruits and more cultivars of produce he already sells. The tomatoes I purchased, one from the farm and one premium, were not exciting.

Bottom line: I’m not sure yet. I hope that Cedar Rapidian’s will be open to something new like this. Organic products are still a new concept in the Midwest and Bass Farms is filling the organic produce void in the Cedar Rapids area. I’m interested in seeing how things unfold with this place and I’d love to give it a second-chance visit next year.

Bass Farms is located along Highway 30 across from Palisades-Kepler State Park.

The Mansion in the Middle of Town

Every time I’m in Cedar Rapids, I drive past an interesting home. It’s along the drive between D’s parent’s home and my parent’s home. The story goes: a man won the lottery. He built his home and then attached a Mother-in-Law’s “suite” on the right side of the house and then built his sister a home right next door. Nobody I know likes it. You can click on the photos below for a bigger version. I even took a shot of their typical neighbor’s home to show you how out of place this house really is. It looks like an office building amidst a residential area. It’s even creepier at night. They installed security lights all around the house right under the eave. There is absolutely no backyard. If I won the lottery, my house would not be entirely brick with big-box-retailer retaining wall blocks in the front, nor would it be in the middle of town in the middle of houses one-third the size. It’s sad. The short street only has about six other homes besides the mansion – two of them are for sale. My guess is that it is not because of the recession. The house has now been in build-mode for the past year. Every time I visit home, I think something will look different on it. Alas, the windows are still frosted over and no signs of life exist. At the intersection of O Avenue and Edgewood Road Northwest, go west. You can’t miss it.

If you’re around Cedar Rapids, stop at these places. I’d love to hear what you think!

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August 4, 2009

A Trip to the Amish Countryside

Filed under: life — Tags: bargains, discounts, food, random, sales, shopping — K @ 2:56 PM

Hi all,

In an effort to add a little more personality to the blog, I’d like to start sharing bits and pieces of my non-make-an-attempt-at-everything life. This is because although I’m usually doing something that results in a very cool end product, I feel the need to show you that I really do get out of the house and do other things… sometimes

So for my first attempt at this, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite places to go: Kalona, Iowa. After doing some research, I found out that the Kalona area has the largest Amish and Mennonite settlement west of the Mississippi River! You’ll never visit Kalona without seeing a barn quilt (pictured below) or a few buggies making their way through the town or countryside.

There are a lot of unique stores, a quilt museum, and bakeries, but our favorite places to go are Stringtown Grocery and Twin County Dairy Factory. Stringtown Grocery sells stuff in bulk and you can find some unique ingredients there too. On our most recent trip we purchased burdock root, licorice root, sassafras bark, and fennel seeds to make homemade rootbeer-type drinks. They also sell canning supplies, cookbooks, and seed. We usually try to squeeze in a trip to the cheese factory because they sell excellent “squeaky cheese” – cheese curds that have not been refrigerated yet, as well as specialty cheeses, jams, and a few gifts. We visited the discount store this past weekend for the first time. This store sells scratch and dent items as well as just expired items at a very steep discount. All three of these stores are located on the same road.

And if you go about 10 miles to the east, you’ll find good ‘ole Riverside, Iowa. Any self-respecting Trekkie nerd will know that as the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. I’ve even got a photo of that as well as some Enterprise-esque “statues”. Every June, Riverside holds Trek Fest and some of the celebrities show up too!