Here's a sampling of what Kansas City nightlife has to offer.
It takes a whole lot of fabulous to keep J Space going, so every month we feature guest stars for you to meet and learn about. Our July guest is Lisa Houser, an Overland Park good witch who knows how to be bad.
Bad Witch
Oh the draw of $1 flip-flops.
You would have thought Old Navy was giving gasoline away Saturday morning. By the time I arrived with five eager nieces and nephews in tow, the Olathe store had been open only 15 minutes, and already moms were leaving the store as if it was on fire, kids and Old Navy plastic bags in hand.
It all started a few years ago when she saw a girl wearing a pricey, oversized necklace.
Brenda Gutierrez
Cool to look at, she thought. But with a price tag above $20, Brenda Gutierrez couldn’t afford it. But being an arts-and-crafts girl, she decided to make her own trinkets.
Brenda has been crafty since she was a little girl, when her mom taught her to crochet and cross stitch. And she already knew how to make jewelry out of polymer clay. But the supplies for that process got to be expensive. So she did some research online and learned how to make necklaces out of plastic.
“It was a lot of trial and error, because I ruined a lot of designs,” admits Brenda, 21. “I have a bag of about 15 necklaces that are ruined. I just wrote down what worked, and now each necklace takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to make, plus the glazing that goes over them. That itself takes about three days to dry.”
Now she has online stores called Cutesy Cuppycake (cutesycuppycake.etsy.com and cutesycuppycake.ecrater.com). She carries necklaces, bracelets, earrings and headbands. Most sell for less than $15.
Hello Kitty hair bows and necklaces are her big sellers — and yes, she does worry about copyright issues, but she hopes people will see that she makes things out of love not exploitation.
“I guess if I ever hear something, I’ll just stop doing it,” she says of the fun feline designs. “I don’t want to get in trouble or make people mad. I just think she is really cute and appealing to people of all ages.”
But Brenda’s designs go well “I think my jewelry appeals to young people who don’t have much money, so I wanted them to be able to afford it,” Brenda says. “I’ve always been into arts and crafts, so it’s really nice when you can take something you are good at and enjoy doing and make somewhat of a living from it.”
Eventually she wants to take Cutesy Cuppycake to the next level. She has taken business classes at Kansas City Kansas Community College and is saving money so she can go back in the fall.
“I would really love to own a brick and mortar store, not just an e-store — a store where I sell merchandise from local indie designers would be fantastic.”
And, of course, her crafts would be for sale there, too. She has recently added oil painting to her skills and hopes to master sewing.
“It’s a way to relax and get your mind off of things,” she says of the creative process.
“You can pretty much create something out of nothing, and there are no limits to one’s creativity. Also, it’s something I like to think I’m really good at, so when I have finished a project, I feel very proud of it.”
Every Tuesday and Saturday my lifestyle column runs in The Kansas City Star, and you can find the most recent ones below. For previous columns, click here.
Two years ago April Lacher was a stay-at-home mom and wife. That alone was hard work _ taking care of her son, paying bills, cleaning house, running the day-to-day errands. Still, she wanted more.
She'd discovered she had an artsy side when she was planning her wedding. To save money, she took on the task of decorating the facility, designed the floral arrangements and helped create the invitations.
"I realized I loved creating beautiful things that other people could appreciate," says April, 32.
So when a family member couldn't use a lip balm because of an allergy to almond oil, April figured she could make some.
I just don’t understand why there has to be so much T’n’A. It’s everywhere. Just take a look at our new entertainment district.
I mean, the Power & Light is sexy enough with Mosaic, the chic lounge with Miami flair.
The indoor-outdoor living room with potent martinis is the gem of the Cordish Co.’s mall of bars that have taken over downtown.
But it isn’t enough to have sultry décor and a hot staff. The P&L wants its waitresses to look as if they’re auditioning for a spot in the Pussycat Dolls.
Seriously, the servers at Angel’s Rock Bar look like extras in that old Christina Aguilera video — “Dirrty.” And pretty much every bar in the district serves up a wait staff with thighs exposed and/or breasts spilling out of their tops.
