contest

Wedding Dresses Made From T.P.! Don't Squeeze the Charmin

ckane — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:59:16 -0400

Seven New Zealand brides competed last month before a wedding expo to see who designed the best toilet paper wedding gown, according to the website Stuff. Flushing bride (I wish I made up that joke, but I didn't) Vicky Heir was the winner. Here's another pun I wish I'd made first, from the article: something old, something new, something borrowed from the loo.

Participants were allotted 16 rolls of Cottonsofts toilet tissue with which to create their dresses, and most took about 8 to 10 rolls. Expo manager Peta -Marie McLeod had this to say about the entries: "They were absolutely stunning. It was just amazing -- the amount of effort some put in. They looked like the real thing."

The contest was concieved as a promotion for the expo. As to why this particular dress material was chosen, I remain completely in the dark and the article offers no clues. But hey, anything made of toilet paper biodegrades, right? And it's not the first time: here are toilet-paper-dress contest winners from last year on Cheap Chic Weddings. (Do check it out, some of the entries are unbelievable.) The grand prize was $500, so theoretically she could have made dozens of more gowns with the prize money...

Photo: Stuff

Win Wedding Photography

ckane — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0400

The good folks over at Wedlog: A Magical Blog of fun, funky and green wedding planning, had such a great experience with their own wedding photographer from CVI Photography, they've decided to share him. They're offering a free wedding photography package and a handmade wedding album to one lucky winning couple.

From the site: "The Requirements: You must be planning an eco-friendly, diy, handmade wedding that will take place between August 2008 and December 2009." Couples interested in entering should submit a short essay about your wedding plans. In the essay, play up all the green/ethical/DIY innovations you have in the works, as well as why you two are so deserving of this prize.

Wedlog blogger Thryn, her new husband Gabe, and members of their wedding party will determine the winner on or around May 11. More info on how to enter in the Wedlog post.

Even if you don't enter the contest, Wedlog is a good resource to check out for wedding ideas. Thanks to Roopa at the wonderful vegetarian blog Raspberry Eggplant for the heads up about this contest. and about the blog in general.

Image: contest banner via Wedlog (duh)

New HGTV Eco Home Television Special Coming Up

jchait — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

HGTV Green Home 2008 is a big deal. For one thing, there are not too many green residential shows on TV (too bad). Secondly, they've taken the show and turned it into a sweepstakes.

About the show:

HGTV Green Home 2008 is a new special kicking off March 23 at 9pm. The show will be hosted by Carter Oosterhouse - a great handyman expert and tree hugger. HGTV Green Home 2008 is actually the first green home HGTV has created in this manner (don't let the "2008" throw you off). Still, the show has it's own world going on over at HGTV right now. It looks like there's soon to be a blog, there are interactive home tours, a message board, a place to submit your own green project photos, Q&A about green building and much more.

About the house:

This green home is located in Tradition Hilton Head, an environmentally responsible community in South Carolina. With this first green home, HGTV's goal was to prove that green houses can be both beautiful and eco-friendly. A point I'm hoping people already know. I think in the past, some people thought green building turned out bulky clay structures, or hippie havens most of the time, but I don't think people believe that now. Of course, I could always be wrong.

The house is a nice size, not too big, not too small, maybe a little big for my taste, but not obscene. In the email press release HGTV sent me, they note, “The home has received a significant Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and the Environmental Media Association’s (EMA) Green Seal Award for the production of the HGTV Green Home 2008 television special.” That's cool news. The home was also furnished and finished in all eco-friendly paints, furnitures, accessories, and so fourth. It's green from head to toe.

About the Sweepstakes:

You can win the green home this year. It's a huge prize package too. Besides the house you win a brand new GMC Yukon Hybrid, plus all the eco home furnishings, which adds up to a total prize worth $850,000. Keep in mind, that they went top of the line, and paid for the land and car, it honestly does not take this much cash to build a green home (I didn't want to scare you).

Tune in to the HGTV Green Home 2008 special on March 23 at 9pm. You're sure to pick up a green building tip, or two, or three...

Free Honeymoon for a Green Bride and Groom

ckane — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

You know green weddings are officially A Thing when contests aimed at couples planning eco-friendly weddings pop up on a near-monthly basis. In fact, Yours Truly won free wedding photography just last month in one of two such contests that were running simultaneously. And from now until March 31, couples planning green weddings can enter to win a free honeymoon at one of RockResorts' destinations.This includes numerous locations in Colorado for the outdoorsy folks, as well as more traditional honeymoon locales like the Bahamas and the West Indies. The contest is co-sponsored by Weddingbee and greenie wedsite Portovert.com, and the 4 day/ 3 night package (meals included, airfare not included) is valued at over $5000. To enter, couples should pick their best green innovation for their wedding, whether it's the homemade pesticide-free flower centerpieces, the plantable guest souvenirs, the recycled-paper postcard invites, or the footprint-free location, and send a photo of it to beegreenchallenge@gmail.com.

RockResorts explains the company's dedication to the environment, including serving locally-grown, organic and natural menu items, here. Last month, the company announced a Green Weddings initiative, providing environmentally friendly products, services, and tips to couples holding their weddings at the brand's resorts.

UPDATE: Wedlog posts about two more contests this month for couples with green weddings!

Apple Pie News

scleaver — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

There’s not often local food news in the dead of winter, so I’m happy to say Congratulations! to Fred Burns who recently won the 3rd Annual Michigan’s Best Apple Pie Contest on Wednesday January 25 (National Pie Day). Burns’ pie was his father’s deep-dish, double-crust version from the early 20th Century made with Michigan Northern Spry apples. Now Burns, one of only three men in the 60-person contest, is moving on to the National Pie Championship in April.

Apples are big in Michigan as they are across the U.S. According to the Michigan Apple Committee, apples are “Michigan’s most valuable fruit crop, with a value of about $100,000,000 annually.” Apples produce $400 to $500 million annually for the state, and small family farmers are the bulk of producers, “99 percent of Michigan orchards had fewer than 100 acres in apples.”

Next time you come across local apples, here’s Burns’ pie recipe (note that Pioneer Sugar and light brown sugar as well as the apples are local Michigan products):

My Father’s Apple Pie (taken from MichiganApples.com)

CRUST:
2 C flour
1/2 T PIONEER SUGAR
1 tsp. salt
1 C shortening
1/4 C cold water
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 large egg

FILLING:
5 avg. size MICHIGAN NORTHERN SPY APPLES, peeled, sliced about 1/4” thick
1 C PIONEER SUGAR
1/3 C PIONEER GOLDEN LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
dash of salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 T tapioca
5 T butter

DIRECTIONS:
Crust – combine flour, PIONEER SUGAR and salt together in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until coarse. In a separate bowl, combine cold water, vinegar, and egg and whip lightly, then add to flour mixture, stirring lightly with fork until it becomes a sticky dough. Refrigerate finished dough in a small covered container or plastic wrap for 2 hours or overnight.

Filling – combine all ingredients except butter and apples in a bowl. Peel and slice MICHIGAN NORTHERN SPY APPLES. Now stir the apples thoroughly into the dry ingredients to coat all the apple slices. Let mixture set for 15 to 30 minutes to develop a “juice” while you roll out the crust below.

Take about 2/3 of refrigerated dough and roll to about 13-inch in diameter. Adjust to fit the deep dish and trim edges. Combine remaining dough and roll to about 11-inch in diameter. Add filling to dish and place 8 slices of butter on top of the filling. Add upper crust, roll the edges and cut a few “steam” slits in a design of your choice. You can also add some colored sugar sprinkles to the top crust that adds some color to the pie. Create your own art piece. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce to 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. I use an aluminum ring over the crust edge to avoid burnt edges. Cool on a wire rack for around 2 hours.

From the Kitchen of Fred Burns of Sparta, MI

Photo Credit: The Detroit Free Press article about his apple pie.