| Personal Products |
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Pamper Him
Show that great guy in your life how much you care — about his skin. Give him some healthful, botanical skin-care products from Soy Spacasso. The Manstyle line includes this Oatmeal Milk & Honey Hydrating Formula Lotion and Oatmeal Milk & Honey Soothing Lip Balm. The unisex Sweet Vanilla Sea Salts Foaming Body Scrub is also popular. Available at East Village Spa and Mountain Memories in Des Moines, as well as online.
$18/8oz Manstyle Oatmeal Milk & Honey Hydrating Formula Lotion
$4 Manstyle Oatmeal Milk & Honey Soothing Lip Balm
$15/8 oz Unisex Sweet Vanilla Sea Salts Foaming Body Scrub
East Village Spa
315 E. 5th #121, Des Moines
515-309-2904
Mountain Memories
Southridge Mall #229
1111 Army Post Road, Des Moines
515-287-2011
www.spacasso.com
877-493-6891 |
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Soy-tastic!
A & R Creations is the husband and wife team Allan and Ronda Mathias, who make these soy candles at home in Woodburn. Available in nine fragrances: Baked Apple, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Golden Lilac, Love Spell, Mulberry Classic, Orange Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Vanilla Hazelnut, and Black Cherry.
Each candle comes in a 6-oz. jelly jar.
Purchase online. $6.10 each
www.buyiowaonline.com (click on “Candles”) |
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Because Shea’s Worth It
She’ll love these pretty and terrific-smelling shea butter soaps from Two Rivers Soap Company. Order online or pick up at the main store. Check the website for other retail locations. $20/5 pk
Two Rivers Soap Company
1017 Main Street, Suite 3, Norwalk
www.tworiverssoaps.com
515-779-7282 |
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Soft as a Feather
Give someone the gift of a good night’s sleep! The Czech Feather & Down Company is a family-owned business that’s been making down and feather-blend pillows, comforters, and feather beds for over 100 years. This standard pillow is 10 percent goose down and 90 percent goose feather. The lap comforter is 100 percent goose down. Visit the store in Mount Vernon or shop online. Custom orders are available. $48 Standard pillow / $155 Lap comforter
Czech Feather & Down Company
103 1st Street West, Mount Vernon
www.czechfeatherdownco.com
319-895-6551 |
| Kiss the Cook |
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Pitcher Perfect
Long before Greenfield artist Carole Lundy founded Pots and Knots, she was making pottery from clay found on the family farm in southern Iowa. Carole’s early works dried on fence posts and were fired in her mom’s trash pile. This cobalt blue pitcher with a freehand floral design is high-fired stoneware and lead-free.
Holds 2 cups. Order online. $30
www.buyiowaonline.com
(click on “Ceramics and Pottery”) |
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On the Cutting Edge
These beautiful kitchen knives are works of functional art that would make any chef happy. Doug Gethmann of Gethmann Knife Works in Gladbrook offers free sharpening and guarantees his knives for life. Handmade blocks cut from native Iowa trees complement this fine set of kitchen cutlery. Call to order. $200 set
(also sold individually)
Gethmann Knife Works
641-473-2942 |
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Out of the Woodwork
Joel and Karma Brokaw and their seven children operate a family-owned woodworking business, JK Creative Wood & Gifts in Kalona, in the heart of the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi. Each one-of-a-kind cutting board is made using multiple woods. Nothing goes to waste; the sawdust is recycled by Amish neighbors and used as animal bedding. Found online at the Iowa Artisans Gallery. (Call Joel or Karma for information on additional retail outlets.)
$22 Extra-small / $40 Small
JK Creative Wood & Gifts
www.iowa-artisans-gallery.com
319-656-3990 |
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What’s Cooking?
A product of the Restoration Committee of the Garland Hotel in Bedford, 150 Years of Good Taste is packed with recipes, including many treasured family heirlooms. Proceeds go toward the restoration of the 1857 hotel. Find it online. $15
www.buyiowaonline.com
(click on “Kitchen”) |
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Cups O’ Fun
These stoneware mugs from Sunflower Pottery in Pella were created by Bob Anderson on a decades-old foot-powered wheel, then hand-glazed by Bob’s wife, Connie. Find them in the Iowa Artisans Gallery or purchase online. $28 Flying pig mug / $28 Cow mug
Iowa Artisans Gallery
207 E Washington St., Iowa City
319-351-8686
www.iowa-artisans-gallery.com |
| For That Special Someone |
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Every Day of the Year
Support Iowa’s museums by giving The Men of the Iowa Museum Association (IMA) 2010 calendar. Each month features one of Iowa’s favorite museums and one of its outstanding male staff members. Buy at Living History Farms MarketPLACE Museum Store or call to order. Proceeds support the IMA and Living History Farms. $7.50
Living History Farms
2600 111th St., Urbandale
515-278-5286 |
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Rock Out
Reflections of a Red Moon is a handcrafted, one-of-a-kind electric solid-body guitar inspired by nature’s own abstraction. Swamp-salvaged redwood shapes the theme of this piece, with an inlay of a red moon reflecting over the night waters and enhanced by other colorful, unstained tonewoods, together producing a deep, rich, warm tone with a clean and articulate voice. Learn more about Cedar Rapids-based Crow Hill Guitars online. $4,000
www.crowhillguitars.com
641-919-5260 |
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While You Work — or Anytime
These clever wooden whistles
created by the “Whistle Lady,” Iowa City artist
Connie Roberts, make terrific stocking stuffers!
Find them at the Iowa Artisans Gallery or buy online.
$10 Cigar / $10 Umpire pencil / $10 Iowa corn
Iowa Artisans Gallery
207 E. Washington St., Iowa City
www.iowa-artisans-gallery.com
319-351-8686 |
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Gift of Legacy
Through a series of recorded interviews, personal historian Sherry Borzo of Storied Gifts will archive your stories and pair with selected photos and mementos, binding the collection into an heirloom book. A cherished gift for family and friends. Cost determined by interview time and content volume. Contact Sherry for more information.
$30/hour
Storied Gifts
www.storiedgifts.com
515-707-9455
sherry@storiedgifts.com |
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Special Delivery
This one-of-a-kind, handcrafted letter opener is another beautiful product from Gethmann Knife Works. Suddenly, even opening bills seems fulfilling. Call to order. $20
641-473-2942 |
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Merry Missives
These unusual hand-drawn postcards launched Des Moines artist Cat Rocketship’s creative endeavor Rocket Assembly and can be your perfect stocking stuffer. The backs of the cards have been left blank, a canvas for your own creativity. Mail them. Frame them. Order online or pick up at the Market Street Media Foundry.
$9.50/6-pk. (plus shipping)
Market Street Media Foundry
118 SE 4th St.
Des Moines
515-309-2314
www.rocketassembly.com |
| For the Well-Heeled |
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Carry On
Karen Jackson and the folks at Premium Designs LLC can take your favorite photos or works of art and turn them into beautiful, one-of-a-kind treasures. Using dye-sublimation — a high-quality photo imprinting process that uses vaporized color versus ink jet dots — they can personalize and customize just about anything. These messenger bags feature a Velcro flap; additional flaps can be purchased, allowing the user to change the look of the bag.
$39.95 Messenger bag w/ one flap / $12 Extra flaps
Premium Designs LLC
1906 Ingersoll Ave. #9, Des Moines
www.premiumdesignsnow.com
515-490-2391 |
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ArtWear
Glass becomes art in the talented hands of Mimi Senn. These one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces make a statement. Drop by Mimi’s from the Market or shop online.
$17 Earrings / $19 Pendant / $35 Bracelet
Mimi’s From the Market
207 5th St., West Des Moines
www.mimisenn.com
515-250-1806 |
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Treasure This
These Trinket Boxes made by Madrid artist Christine Moran of Made with U in Mind come in three sizes and are perfect for storing everything from photos to jewelry. Even rocks. (She makes them for boys, too!) Call to order. Special orders may require additional costs.
$19 Large (5½" h x 8¼" w x 5½" d)
$16.25 Medium (4¼" h x 7¼" w x 4½" d)
$9 Small (3¾" h x 6¼" d x 3¼" d)
Made With U In Mind
515-795-2522 |
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Funky Fashion
Artist Renee Mak makes fashion fun with her hand-painted, hand-dyed clothing and jewelry. From scarves to T-shirts to glass pendants and more, there’s something for all ages. Shop online at Fuss It Up!
from $25
Fuss It Up!
www.fussitup.etsy.com |
| Good Eats and Treats |
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Stands Alone
We’re told there’s no comparison between the bland variety of Gouda cheese found in most grocery stores and the fresh variety offered by a local farm. The Bandstra family’s Frisian Farms, located near Pella, makes Gouda in the Dutch tradition. Fruity and tangy when young, Gouda develops a caramel sweetness as it ages. Buy online or in select stores. Visit the website for shipping information and a list of specific retail locations.
$18.99/lb Frisian Farmstead Mature Gouda
$18.99/lb Frisian Farmstead Smoked Gouda
Frisian Farms
www.frisianfarms.com
enjoyourcheese@frisianfarms.com |
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Bagpipes Optional
Olde Main Brewing Company offers “fresh full-flavored beer for the discerning palate.” Try Off KILTer, a traditional Scottish ale with a subdued hop and high in malt flavor. The brewmaster actually wears a kilt while brewing to achieve maximum Scottish feel and tradition. Visit the website for a list of retail locations. $8.99 (price may vary)
www.oldemainbrewing.com
515-232-0553 |
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Hog Heaven
The “Purveyor of Quality,” Lewright Meats in Eagle Grove offers this gift box with six Old Fashioned Hickory Smoked Wieners, four Hickory Smoked Polish Sausages, two Hickory-Smoked Boneless Ham Steaks, one each of its Hickory Smoked Bacon, Hickory Smoked Cottage Bacon, Hickory Smoked Beef Summer Sausage, Hickory Smoked Ring Bologna, and Hickory Smoked Barbequed Pork. All Iowa pork, smoked the old-fashioned way with real hickory logs. Other boxed sets available. Visit the store and deli or purchase online or by phone. $44 (Shipped UPS for an additional $13.50)
Lewright Meats
108 North Iowa, Eagle Grove
www.lewrightmeats.biz
515-448-4286 |
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Hold the Ketchup
Family-owned Denison Mustard Co. has been making high-quality mustard for many years. There are several varieties to tempt the taste buds of the mustard lover on your gift list. Visit Heart of Iowa Market Place, located in West Des Moines’ Historic Valley Junction, or order online. $4.50
Heart of Iowa Market Place
211 5th St., West Des Moines
www.HeartofIowa.com
866-274-IOWA (4692) toll free |
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Beer Buff Alert
Amana's Millstream Brewing Company’s Schild Brau Amber is a coppery-color microbrew with a full-bodied malt character. This 13-time national award-winning lager pairs well with items on the grill or on the holiday table. Available statewide. Visit the website for a complete list of retail locations. $8.99
www.millstreambrewing.com
319-622-3672 |
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Savory Snacks
The Amana Meat & Smokehouse’s Heritage Gift Basket includes Light-Smoked Summer Sausage, Double-Smoked Summer Sausage, Dill Mustard, Stone Ground Mustard, Beet Pickles, and Pickled Asparagus. Visit the store or shop online. Call for shipping information. $49.95
Amana Meat & Smokehouse
4513 F Street, Amana
www.amanameatshop.com
800-373-6328 |
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Chocolate Decadence
Homemade fudge! Heart of Iowa Market Place makes its own in several creamy flavors. We tried Chocolate, Iowa Explosion, Trappistine Caramel, and Chocolate Amaretto. Or pick up a clever Chocolate Lolly from Bettendorf’s Chocolate Manor. Find it all at Heart of Iowa Market Place. Stop in or shop online.
$5.50 ½ lb Fudge / $1.95 Chocolate Lolly
Heart of Iowa Market Place
211 5th St., West Des Moines
www.HeartofIowa.com
866-274-IOWA (toll free) |
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Sweet as Honey
In fact, it is honey. Your gift of Gourmet Creamed Honey from Randol Honey Farm in Winterset comes in 12 flavors: Plain, Apple Cinnamon, Blackberry, Blueberry, Butter Rum, Cinnamon, Jalapeño, Orange, Peach, Pecan, Raspberry, and Strawberry. Try one on toast, as a flavoring for tea, or as an ice cream topping. Yum! Order online.
$3.95/5 oz / $5.95/12 oz
www.randolhoney.com
515-210-7445 |
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Top This
Make the chocolate lover on your list melt. Food critics Jane and Michael Stern call Lago’s Hot Fudge “just maybe the best hot fudge in this solar system or any other.” Lagomarcino’s has been making fine chocolates in the Quad Cities area since 1908. Order online.
$15.90/two 12 oz jars
www.lagomarcinos.com
309-764-1814 |
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Serve Generously
Made from grape wine and natural chocolate flavor, Chocolate Granfinalé is a dessert wine from Tassel Ridge Winery in Leighton. Rich and warm with generous chocolate notes. Pairs well with a nut torte or fruit dessert. Visit the website for shipping information and a complete list of retail locations. $20
Perfect Ending
The folks at Tassel Ridge Winery have introduced a new dessert wine made from grapes grown in Mahaska County. Finalé Iowa Red pairs well with dark chocolate or makes a fine finish all by itself. Buy online or in select stores. Visit the website for shipping information and a complete list of retail locations. $17
Tassel Ridge Winery
www.tasselridge.com
641-672-WINE
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Cacao Finesse
The Chocolate Cafe is known for its European chocolates, but the candy maker also offers specialty cheesecakes in several tempting flavors. We chose White Chocolate Strawberry Swirl, almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. Visit The Chocolate Cafe in Fairfield or call to order. $30.75, 9-inch / $20.75, 7-inch
The Chocolate Cafe
55 South Court, Fairfield
www.chocolatecafefairfield.com
641-209-1999 |
| Outdoor Essentials |
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Grows on You
Gardeners can sow their Iowa roots with an Heirloom Seed Collection from Seed Savers Exchange, located in Decorah. Each collection includes six packets containing some of Seed Savers most popular varieties. Growing and seed-saving instructions are included so gardeners can plant year after year. Choose from Heirloom Farm Favorites (6 vegetable varieties), Heirloom Lettuce Collection, Sunflower Collection, and Heirloom Flower Collection. Learn more about Seed Savers on the website. Place an online order or phone.
$13.50 ea/6 pk
www.seedsavers.org
563-382-5990 |
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Light the Earth
West Des Moines artist John Novotny makes this one-of-a-kind stone oil lamp and other artistry from stones found throughout the Midwest. The lamps are available in a variety of sizes; large lamps come with multiple oil reservoirs. John’s wife, Kim, uses smaller stones to create distinctive jewelry and accessories. Visit Light the Earth in West Des Moines’ Historic Valley Junction or on the Web. (Online price for lamps includes shipping.) Starting at $75 (in store)
Light the Earth
125 5th St., West Des Moines
www.lighttheearth.com
515-271-ROCK |
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Gone a’Hunting
There’s no end to the fine products from Gethmann Knife Works. Doug Gethmann’s high-quality hunting and fishing knives are made from high-carbon and Damascus layered steel. Handles are made from various animal antlers and horns. Bolsters are made from German silver, brass, copper, stainless steel, or any other metals his customers might request. Spacers are made from semiprecious stones such as turquoise, malachite, coral, and more. Accents are made with ivory and other exotic materials. Call to order. from $100
Gethmann Knife Works
641-473-2942 |
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For the Birds. And the Earth
This bluebird house from WoodLink (located in Mount Ayr) is environmentally friendly (it’s made from recycled plastic) and tough and durable — and inviting to feathered friends. We found this one at Buy Iowa Online (click on “Eco-friendly”). $44.99
www.buyiowaonline.com |
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Tiptoe Through Tulips
Imagine a walk through the garden on beautiful stained-glass and concrete stepping stones created by West Des Moines artist Mimi Senn. Order one from stock or create your own design. Available in several sizes, too. Find them at Mimi’s from the Market or order online. $35 Heart-shaped stepping stone
Mimi’s From the Market
207 5th St., West Des Moines
www.mimisenn.com
515-250-1806 |
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Light Someone’s Fire
Loved ones can keep warm all winter, starting their fires the natural way with Prairie Bug Firestarters. Inspired by fireflies on an Iowa summer night, Whole Earth Partners of Newton makes Prairie Bugs chemical-free and environmentally safe — using recycled cardboard and pure soy wax. Visit the website for a list of retail outlets or to purchase. $12.95/12 pk.
www.prairiefirebugs.com
641-792-3074 |
Well Read
Staff at some of Iowa’s independent bookstores
suggest these titles for the bibliophile on your list. |
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Oneota Flow
By David Faldet
University of Iowa Press, 2009
$27.70
An in-depth look — through historical records, research, and personal experience — at how the Upper Iowa River has evolved over time. Faldet focuses on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region, and how we in turn need to nurture the river.
— Carrie Duranceau, Bookends & Beans, Decorah
To order, call Bookends & Beans at
563-382-0100 or visit the website:
www.bookendsbeans.com.
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We Were Pirates
By Robert Schultz and James Shell
Naval Institute Press, 2009
$34.95
Using a young submariner’s war diary, crew letters, captains’ reports, and interviews, Decorah author Schultz and Shell tell the extraordinary tale of life on board an American submarine in the Pacific during WWII. Robert Hunt’s time on the USS Tambor gives us a different perspective of the war from the sea.
– Carrie Duranceau, Bookends and Beans, Decorah
To order, call Bookends & Beans at
563-382-0100 or visit the website:
www.bookendsbeans.com.
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Iowa’s Railroads:
An Album
By H. Roger Grant and
Don Hofsommer
Indiana University Press, 2009
$29.95
Iowa’s Railroads: An Album is a pictorial history of Iowa’s railroad heritage, from the glory days of steam to the diesel revolution with an interesting chapter on the interurban electric railway in the 1890s.
— John Heitzman, The Book Store, Des Moines
Visit The Book Store or call
515-288-7267 to order.
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99 Voices/99 Lives
By John Thompson
Palindrome Publishing of Iowa, 2006
$21.40
99 Voices/99 Lives is pure Iowa. John Thompson has brought his love of teaching and writing to a peak in this book. He researched all of the 99 counties of Iowa and subsequently penned a poem for each one. From “Money Talks,” a short history of Jesse James, to “Flighhhht of an Emblem,” an ode to the storied life of farming in Wright County and the state of Iowa, he has managed to capture the essence of life in our great state. A synopsis is included explaining how topics were chosen for each county.
— Bill Greenley, O’town Books, Ottumwa
To order, call O’town Books at
641-682-0901 or order by email
at otownbooks@hotmail.com.
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Days Gone By
By Sue Parrish
PBL Limited, 2009
$21.39 plus shipping
Ottumwa’s Sue Parrish is the enduring curator of the Wapello County Historical Society. Parrish has put together a wonderful collection of anecdotal short histories of events from Ottumwa’s past, winding individuals, events, and humor from this little river town in southeastern Iowa. Days Gone By is a compilation of articles Parrish has written for the Ottumwa Courier over the past few years. Includes photographs pertinent to the stories.
– Bill Greenley, O’town Books, Ottumwa
To order, call O’town Books at
641-682-0901 or order by email
at otownbooks@hotmail.com. |
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Home
By Marilynne Robinson
Picador, 2009
$14 (paperback)
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop’s Marilynne Robinson returns with Home, a novel set in the same time period and in the same town as her Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead. After 20 years, prodigal son Jack comes home, where his minister father is dying. Reverend Boughton’s impending death brings wayward son, devoted and responsible daughter, and loving, forgiving, and increasingly dependent father together. Home is about reconciliation, love, faith, and family.
— Kathleen Johnson, Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City
To order, call Prairie Lights Bookstore at 800-295-BOOK
or visit the website: www.prairielightsbooks.com.
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The Boat
By Nam Le
Vintage Books, USA, 2008
Price $15 paperback
Two of the seven stories in Nam Le’s powerful collection The Boat take place in Iowa City and others in disparate locations from Colombia to Tehran, Hiroshima, New York City, and a small town in Australia. The seven stories show a remarkable depth of character and a world-encompassing breadth. The book is about many very different aspects of humanity.
– Kathleen Johnson, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
An Honorable Run
By Matt McCue
BookSurge Publishing, 2009
$15.99 paperback
Iowa City Regina High School track and cross country star Matt McCue has written a memoir of running that is a tribute to his high school coach, the late, legendary Bob Brown. An Honorable Run is a good book about running, dedication, and striving to be one’s best.
– Kathleen Johnson, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City
To order, call Prairie Lights Bookstore at 800-295-BOOK
or visit the website: www.prairielightsbooks.com. |
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This Water Goes North
By Dennis Weidmann
Manitenahk Books, 2008
$21.95
This Water Goes North is a charming, sometimes laugh-out-loud telling of the true tale of four young Iowa men who set out in 1979 to paddle 1,400 miles north to the Hudson Bay. Why? Why not! Weidmann’s story is one of American youthful spirit, adventure, and a quest that their grandchildren will hear about for years. Don’t miss this!
— Nancy Simpson, Book Vault, Oskaloosa
To order, call the Book Vault at 641-676-1777 or visit the website: www.bookvault.org. |
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A magazine and so much more! Visit The Iowan Store CLICK HERE |
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| For the Little Ones |
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Rock-a-Bye
A child’s rocking chair from South Amana’s Schanz Furniture will please little ones today and could one day become a treasured family heirloom. Pictured model is solid cherry with a natural bamboo cane seat and back. Stop by the store or call to order. Sock monkey not included. From $245-$475
Schanz Furniture
2773 Hwy 6 Trail, South Amana
www.schanzfurniture.com
319-622-3529 |
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Kulinary Kids
Junior chefs will love to help with dinner when they’re wearing this matching apron and chef’s hat created by retired schoolteacher and Adair County resident Lois Houghtaling. They’re available in a variety of prints and colors, and the hat has adjustable closure for a perfect fit. Purchase online. $18
www.buyiowaonline.com (click on “Children”) |
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Symphonic Sounds
Kids young and old will delight in the marimba-like sound produced as marbles descend through this musical marble tree from South Amana’s Schanz Furniture. The branching petals in various sizes are made of a combination of walnut, cherry, oak, and birch plywood. Stop by the store or call to order. $74
Schanz Furniture
2773 Hwy 6 Trail, South Amana
www.schanzfurniture.com
319-622-3529 |
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GreenWear
Kids will be stylin’ in these hand-painted T-shirts from Greenfield’s Red Rhubarb. Shirts are 100-percent prewashed, supersoft cotton. The paint is nontoxic. Visit the Buy Iowa Online website (click on “Children”) for size availability and to place an order.
$17 Wind Turbine Youth T
$17 Be Original Youth T
www.buyiowaonline.com |
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Artistic Bravado
Designer and Isabel Bloom protegée Donna Young is the creative force behind Courage to Shine and other Angels of Courage sculptures. The five-year series was designed to support the mission of Children & Families of Iowa (CFI). Each sculpture is inspired by the courage of domestic violence victims starting anew. Over $80,000 from the sale of these sculptures will be donated to the CFI Family Violence Center. Angels of Courage collection $38.50–50.00 each
www.ibloom.com
563-336-3766 or 800-273-5436 |
