Let me start out by saying we are NOT campers. Camping for me is a Super 8 or Motel 6. Or a tent in the backyard. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy s’mores over a campfire (in my backyard) or Dutch oven peach cobbler (yay for church girls camp!). And the gadgets are kinda fun too. We actually have some camping gear, though it needs a good dusting once I actually locate it in the garage.

One thing I don’t have to locate is the Coghlan’s Bug-Eye Headlight my kids received so we could review it for the Daily Dish. I always know where it is: either on George’s or Livi’s head or on the kitchen desk when not on George’s or Livi’s head.

The kids LOVED this headlamp the minute they put it on…which was the minute I opened the package.

The Bug-Eye Headlight is compact, lightweight and designed just for kids. Powered by a bright white LED – that never needs replacing. Comfortable elastic head strap. Perfect for kids who love the outdoors!

I’m thinking we’ll be packing it for our trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa in August because there’s always some serious backyard camping when we go! I’ll probably need a second one so I don’t have to keep an eye on the timer as George and Livi share. (At less than $9, it’s a no-brainer!) I like to limit the number of battles and they’ve had a couple over Coghlan’s Bug-Eye Headlight. Can’t blame them!—Emily

I am a fair-weather cyclist. In other words, it has to be at least 70 degrees if I’m cycling outdoors. And I also hit spin class 2 to 3 times a week…and it gets pretty hot in that spin room even with 5 fans going full blast. Because of the heat both outside and in, I pair my Pearl Izumi bike shorts (thank you, Pearl outlet in Park City!) with a tank top. (I’d go nearly naked if I had that kind of self-confidence…and if the rec center allowed it.)

When I was sent Pearl Izumi’s women’s Fly Top from their P.R.O. line, I was all over giving this baby a test drive—or ride.

The top features Pearl Izumi’s In-R-Cool fabric technology “that cools the body for optimal comfort.” The fabric also:

• Provides optimal moisture transfer with a “superior hand feel” (yay for super lightweight, super soft fabric!)


• Flatlock seams (yay for no chafing!)


• Reflective elements for low-light visibility (yay for not getting hit!)


• Sublimated graphics (yay for something that sounds super cool!)

Yes, it’s part of their running collection, but I’m way okay with mixing and matching! Can you tell how lightweight and breathable this fabric is? Just look at it lying on the table—it’s nearly paper thin (or at least cardstock thin)!

You can even see my fingers (and ring) through the fabric:

Because of the everlasting winter here in Utah, I didn’t get to try the Fly Top until the Goldillocks ride in May. But it was the perfect weather—and event—to do so. It was a 42-miler that started out when the weather was still a bit nippy but ended up in the pleasant 70s. Though I survived my first long ride, Pear Izumi’s Fly Top did more than survived; it performed beautifully! It was almost like wearing nothing at all, which is nice if you’re into that sort of thing.

Unlike wearing nothing, the Fly Top does provide you with sun protection. The body has a UPF of 40+ and the mesh a UPF of 30+. I just wish I’d had sunscreen with 50+ between the end of the cap sleeves and the top of my arm warmers!

Available in black, red and white, Pear Izumi’s P.R.O. Fly Top is a must for runners and cyclists alike…especially those who only cycle (or run) in fair weather.—Emily

I love the opportunity that Boutique Cafe affords me to meet with creative people on a continual basis. Meeting with Violet Craft at Spring Quilt Market in SLC was such a lovely experience. I have “twittered” with Violet many times, but finally meeting her in person was wonderful as she is such a kind and genuine gal. I definitely recommend getting to know her through Twitter, Facebook and her blog.

Violet shares her beautiful collection of fabrics called Peacock Lane, as well as her children’s clothing patterns and a bag pattern for Indygo Junction!

GIVEAWAY!! Violet Craft Prize Pack including a Fat Quarter Pack of the ENTIRE collection (all 24 designs across both color ways!!) – she says “I don’t think they should be separated!” and we quite agree, they are Beautiful together!

Violet is offering an awesome GIVEAWAY for one of our very lucky Boutique Cafe viewers!!

For Entries to Win Simply:

Comment in our shownotes below, tweet on Twitter, Share on Facebook, or comment on YouTube for multiple entries to win a Prize Pack!! Draw Date is June 27th at Midnight, must have valid email address to win.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Winner Kelly Irene. And Thank You to everyone for your awesome comments and involvement. We have many more prizes to giveaway so keep commenting and sharing. XO!!

Many more interviews are on the way, keep tuning in and enjoying your Cup of Couture and So Much More!!

** Click button below to view video coverage, or view it on our YouTube channel right here>>

After I reviewed and loved Hushamok’s hammock and I eager to also test out their MySeat. And I’m not disappointed! It’s a really great cushy seat perfect for your alert and interactive infant and you can begin using it once baby reaches around 12 weeks. It’s not a swing, but it’s natural movement is great and calming.

The MySeat can be used for infants, toddlers and young children. The weight limit is up to 50 lbs so both my almost-2-year-old and my 4-month old can take advantage of this nifty seat. The MySeat has a great natural look and I think it looks especially great with the Okoa stand. It’s not too tricky to figure out. My one complaint is that the shoulder straps aren’t adjustable in terms of length. They’re adjustable in terms of height but I’d like to be able to tighten/loosen them. I found a solution for it as you can see in my video, but I’m much prefer having adjustable shoulder straps. The crotch strap does adjust. The MySeat sits low enough to the ground that I’m quite confident that my toddler will be able to quickly catch on to getting in and out of it without any trouble.

The MySeat feels exceptionally durable and I trust that it will last a long, long time. If you’re in the market for a piece of baby furniture that will last more than 6 months you’ve found it! I love that I can keep on using my stand and I can fairly easily switch between the MySeat and the hammock. – Katie

It’s always such fun to get together with Lucy Morey, Owner of Hot Scott Patterns and Fabric Designer with Henry Glass & Co. Lucy has some gorgeous “boy worthy” fabric out right now Henry Glass: Crystal Pier & Sunset Beach Collection. It’s beautiful and sophisticated for your trendy child’s room decor or clothing!

(*Please be aware that YouTube Videos are loading slowly for some people – they are working on the issue)

GIVEAWAY!!
Lucy’s offering an awesome GIVEAWAY for one of our Boutique Cafe viewers!! Comment in our shownotes below, tweet on Twitter, Share on Facebook, or comment on YouTube for multiple entries to win a Prize Pack!! Fabric and Hot Scott Patterns galore up for grabs – don’t miss out!! Draw Date is June 27th at Midnight, must have valid email address to win.

Many more interviews are on the way, keep tuning in and enjoying your Cup of Couture and So Much More!!

** Click button below to view video coverage, or view it on our YouTube channel right here>>

...and switching and swapping and flipping! We are already fans of Gamewright games thanks to their Take the Cake and Dweebies games, so when they asked us to review their new FlipOut game, we said, “Heck, yes!”

FlipOut, which has already won six awards including the iParenting Media Award, Parents’ Choice Gold and Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Award, is geared for children ages 8 and older and can handle 2 to 5 players. The object of the game is to get at least four of the same cards in a row by switching, swapping and flipping cards (your own and those of your opponent(s)). It gets a little tricky because each card is double sided, so what you see isn’t necessarily what your opponents see, and they may take the exact card you were hoping to keep!

The game claims “easy-to-learn rules,” but I will say the first time my girls took it out to play, they gave up after only getting through half the directions. Fortunately I don’t give up that easily when it comes to board games, so we gave it one more shot, this time with me reading through the rules with them. And I will admit, it took me a couple run-throughs to understand all the different options (aka “actions”) you could do each turn and how the whole process worked. But once we got going (and reread as we played), we finally got the hang of it and had a really great time thwarting each other’s efforts to line up four of a kind.

Don’t let our little struggle with the directions make you shy away from Gamewright’s new FlipOut. It really is a fun game and I love that children and adults can play together (kind of like Dweebies!), plus it teaches children visual discrimination, strategic thinking (my favorite part) and color identification. That’s a Gamewright game for you: learning and fun all wrapped into one!—Emily

*** Giveaway! Gamewright is giving away one copy of FlipOut! ***

Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each one you do:

•    Visit Gamewright.com and leave a comment telling us which other games you’d love to try.
•     “Like” Gamewright on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.
•    Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
•    Update your Facebook status with a link to this giveaway and leave a comment telling us you did.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 28, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

I wanted to “Link you Up” with several websites offering awesome summertime ideas for your children. I’ve been having such fun gearing up for summertime with my own little crew, and we are doing many of these projects and ideas this year. It seemed only fair to share all the goodness with you guys!

1. Liquid Sidewalk Chalk – Get out some paint brushes and have a Ball! Full directions at Stampin’ & Craftin’. My kids can’t wait to do this, it looks easy and don’t forget to snap pictures of the “giggle-fest”

2. DIY Art Kit – Dear Lizzy shared her incredible Art Kit idea on her blog, and I quickly set to work to make one for our family. Ours will go into the van and be at the ready while we are out discovering parks this summer. Then all we need to find is a picnic table and it’s mobile arts and crafts time. Love this!

3. Summer Journals – Brassy Apple (Megan) shares some great Summer Time Journal ideas, as well as ice blocks full of toys, and many other AWESOME ideas in this TV segment! We are making our summer journals today!



4. I-Spy Bottle for road trips – Meet the Dubiens created this coolest of cool I-Spy bottles for those long car rides. I’m making one of these for little Lola this summer.

5. Giant Bubble Wand – Tatertots and Jello always has GREAT ideas! This one looks like so much fun. Create a Giant Bubble wand and the solution to go with it!

LINK IT UP If you have discovered or blogged your own ideas for summertime activities with your kids please share it in our comment section below. We’d love to stop by and share in the fun! More summer ideas will be posted soon – feel welcome to submit yours for a feature to daria@boutiquecafe.com

As a spin class enthusiast and cycling newbie, I’m all over staying hydrated. You’ll often find me with dual water bottles clipped to my bike, one filled with ice water and the other with nuun. Though I am partial to Camelbak’s Podium water bottles, I was more than willing to give Hydrapak’s PureBot bottle a try. I mean, what’s not to like about a plastic water bottle that free of EA chemicals like BPA and pthalates?

EA stands for Estrogenic Activity. Any chemical that either blocks or mimics the natural estrogen in the human body is an EA chemical. Chemicals like BPA and Phtalates are just a few EA chemicals that can be found in certain plastics.

When the PureBot arrived, I was drawn to its transparency.

I’d never seen a water bottle with a see-through top!

I also loved its simple, slim design. But how would it hold up in spin class? I filled it with ice water…

...and headed to the gym. The first thing I noticed was the lack of an aftertaste. No metal, no plastic, nothing but crystal clear, pure-tasting water. That was my favorite part! The PureBot also kept my water fairly cold during those 50 minutes, but it didn’t have the staying (chilling) power of my Camelbak bottles, and that was a little disappointing. I could see me using the PureBot bottle around the house, but I wouldn’t be taking it to my endurance spin class or on outdoor rides. I like my water super cold and the PureBot can’t do that for me.

But it can keep me a bit safer from those EA chemicals—and at a great price (less than $8). I’m thinking the PureBot water bottle a good option for my two oldest kids as they participate in summer camps and sports this summer. As growing girls, I’d like to keep them as far away from EA chemicals as I can!

*** GIVEAWAY! Hydrapak is giving away one PureBot water bottle! ***

Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each one you do:

•    Leave a comment telling us what you’d use your PureBot water bottle for.
•   “Like” Hydrapak on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.
•   Follow Hydrapak on Twitter and leave a comment telling is you’re their newest follower.
•    Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 23rd, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

Quagmire’s new state of the art technology is the coolest thing in fashion. ColorFusion shirts change with heat…so it’s two in one. My shirt started off as purple but when I warmed up it changed to a shade of pink.

As the ColorFusion shirt altered from periwinkle to a vibrant rose it startled those I was with and caused quite a stir to those that claimed they were losing their minds. A few favorite comments received: “I swear your shirt was purple earlier.” “Is it just me or is your shirt turning into a tie-dye fabric?” “Ahh. What’s going on? Your shirt is turning Pink!”

The entire shirt switched colors almost simultaneously. When the shirt reaches 68 degrees or 20F it changes color. This cool line is also available in pint-size. Quagmire kids shirts will undoubtedly be your little tike’s favorite piece of clothing. Any child will be obsessed with the “magic” demonstrated right before their eyes. The changing of colors is really the coolest thing to observe.

I have to admit, I was so skeptical about this product. Two reasons. My first inclination of the ColorFusion shirt was cheesy and crazy “technology” that probably only works in the armpits. Wrong. So wrong! It is really the coolest article of clothing I own. Besides the real “magic” technology works everywhere. It is high fashion with a cut that is perfect in every area. The length is just right. Sleeve size is ideal and it’s not a boxy golf shirt, but a perfect tailored yet relaxed fit. It is made of soft fabric that washes well.

It’s two in one with ColorFusion. Two colors. Two purposes—fashion and fun.- Amber

Buy it online and I highly suggest checking out all their other adorable active apparel visit www.quagmirestyles.com.

While attending Quilt Market in Salt Lake City I had the opportunity to sit down for a quick interview with my dear friends Kim and Kris of The DIYDish! As you can see when we get together we turn into giggly girls, I sure love them. Kim and Kris share news regarding the remainder of their show season on TheDIYDish.com, as well as the news that Kris is opening a brick and mortar quilt shop in Utah called My Girlfriend’s Quilt Shoppe. This awesome new shoppe will open on June 6th, and for those not in the immediate area they have us all covered with a website as well. These talented gals will be moving their production studio into the store, we can’t wait to see all of those DIYDish projects rolling out of their new studio.

Kick back and enjoy the laughter and fun with two of the sweetest twins I’ve ever had the pleasure to know!

Many more interviews are on the way, keep tuning in and enjoying your Cup of Couture and So Much More!!

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