[bc_video video_id="6263536617001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Looking for some fun in the sun. CTO - or Chief Toy Officer - from the Toy Insider, Laurie, and her team review more that 2000 toys each year to bring us the hottest toys for the summer. Crazy Bunch O Balloons Water Balloons This spring the “go-to” water balloon around the globe fills and ties 100 balloons in 60 seconds — and is now 100% recyclable! More than 1,200 tons of plastic has been removed from the brand this year, a 57% increase over the company’s original goal of 800 tons set last year. In addition, balloons are made of natural latex rubber and biodegrade, further delivering on environmentally and sustainable practices. With Crazy ZURU Bunch O Balloons, each stem comes with a completely new mix of multi-colored balloons for added backyard water excitement! Consumers sign-up online, package all their used Bunch O Balloons packaging and balloon pieces, then ship to TerraCycle, where they will then be processed and recycled into new materials. Fold and Go Beach Set  This bright and colorful Fold & Go Beach Set features a stylishly designed, collapsible pail that folds down almost completely flat! Families can pack it neatly into its lightweight nylon zip-up carry case along with its colorful plastic shovel and fish mold. The pail, made from nylon, features a waterproof lining so it can hold water or sand. The pail’s outside pocket is designed to hold the shovel and sand mold or can be used to store seashells! Sky Viper Fury Stunt Drone  This 7-inch, full performance stunt drone with Skyrocket’s Surface Scan Technology makes it easier to fly than ever before! Surface Scan Technology dramatically increases drone stability, allowing the drone to stay in one spot, even when kids let go of the controls. This innovative new technology works up to 100 feet and radically improves flight experience by providing superior control. The Sky Viper Fury Stunt Drone also features auto launch and land, one-touch stunts, and extended flight time. Disney Princess Creation Cube  Kids can bring the magic of Disney home with this creation cube! Place the beads on the provided flip tray, align the Disney Princess themed templates, spray with water and watch as the beads magically fuse together to recreate favorite Disney characters! Disney Princess characters include Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Belle, and more! Adds imaginative play value when kids can attach characters to the included creation base to display designs and act out scenes! Includes more than 2,500 solid, jewel, and star beads in 35 vibrant colors. Giant Jumbling Tower Don’t Let the tower tumble. Friends and family stack the tower higher and higher with the oversized blocks until someone slips up and makes the Giant Jumbling Tower crumble! The Giant Tumbling Tower Game is built to last, with 51 giant blocks that are designed for years of indoor and outdoor play Get Creative: The game includes the standard instructions, but kids, friends, and other family members can get creative by assigning entertaining tasks to certain blocks. Icee Machine   Kids can pour themselves the coolest drink in town, made right at home with this counter-top Icee Slushie Machine. Looks and operates just like the ones you see in stores. To enjoy, simply combine water, ice, and a favorite ICEE flavoring syrup (sold separately), and let it do the rest. Ice Ribbon Twirler  The Ice Ribbon Twirler is a beautiful sparkly dance accessory perfect for indoor and outdoor play! Kids can use the light-up feature to add some magic to their nighttime dance activities! X-Shot Epic Fast-Fill  The fastest filling blaster ever created can be filled in one second! Its patented Rapid-Seal Technology closes the blaster tank instantly allowing battlers to get back to the blasting action long before their opponents. The 2021 Spring line expands ZURU’s innovative approach for hours of water battling fun! The X-Shot Epic Fast Fill is nearly 21 inches long and holds more than five cups of water. Fills in one-second and comes with a robust pump-action feature that enables kids to blast up to nearly 34 feet. In addition, four different nozzles allow one to blast four different ways. Kidoozie Gopher It  Kids can “gopher” the highest score to win! Toss the six different bean bags into one of the four netted gopher holes to score points ranging from five to 20! The Gopher it game includes six nylon bean bags (three red; three blue) and a base with colorful “golfing gophers” scene. Easily to build and store. Add competitive play by playing against a friend or family member to get the highest score. Foamo Families can make mountains of foam in minutes! The Foamo set includes everything kids need for a backyard foam party, including an 18-gallon bin, a power blower, a pump, tubing, and foam solution. Just add water to create up to two hours of foam fun! For all ages and all occasions!  

[bc_video video_id="6263423140001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] The demand for cottage vacations is skyrocketing, so if you’re lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s cottage this summer, here are some do’s and don'ts that may just help you get invited back. Bring a gift  Bring a gift- Flowers, or candies.  Nuts or bags of chips and tubs of dips.  But not the dreaded watermelon… One of the most popular cottage gifts (and we’ve never understood this) is a walloping great water melon.  It’s cumbersome (and who, after all, has space to store a planet sized fruit) and clichéd! If you’re gifting alcohol (if appropriate) bring decent stuff.  Don’t bring a scary box of comedy party wine…. and then proceed to drink all your hosts Chateau Neuf Du Pape. A good budget-friendly gift idea would be to get any bottle of Prosecco along with a bottle of Aperol, to create a DIY Spritzer kit! Fridge and Meal etiquette  It’s good to bring some food, even if it has to go in the fridge. Ask ahead what you can bring, and offer to cook lunch or dinner at least one time. Bring the requisite ingredients so your hosts can have a night off! It's all about being together. If you bring loads of stuff in chill boxes, arrange it neatly (with your hosts guidance) in larders and fridges. Don’t overwhelm your host’s systems – it can cause a lil’ ill ease. Ask the host if they would like you to take home any of your leftover perishables, don't assume that your host wants them. Linens etiquette  It's all dependent on the host whether or not to bring your own bedding and towels. Enquire if it’s easier for you to bring linens, sleeping bags etc.  Especially if you know you’re invited as part of a larger group.  Whilst it might all sound easy – it takes a lot to entertain a lot of people! If you’re unsure of anything, always ask in advance. It’s courteous. Chores  Okay – greedy guts: don’t just sit there after consuming a dinner of which Fielding’s Tom Jones would be proud.  Show some gratitude by doing (or at least offering to do) the dishes, or setting the table!   A little help goes a long way. This also comes back to the bedding. If you are using your hosts bedding etc., enquire if you can strip the beds prior to departure, or even shove ‘em in the washing machine to reduce the burden on your host. One that people often don’t think about is Clean out the fire or fire pit (this is a big job for your host post weekend) and it’s nice for them to be able to count something off their list before the next round of people arrive.

[bc_video video_id="6263424593001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] To freeze or not to freeze? That is the question. Items to Freeze Ingredients that contain naturally occurring fats, like the germ in whole grain flours and whole grains like cornmeal or brown rice have a chance of becoming rancid. Because we as consumers don’t know how long that ingredient has been sitting on a grocery stores shelf, I like to take care of those wonderful ingredients so they will last a long time at my house. Because of this, I store whole grain flours, whole grain cornmeal, nuts, seeds, and wheat germ  in my freezer. If you go through whole grain flour, whole grains, nuts, seeds and wheat germ quickly and you use them often then leaving them in your pantry is okay. The exception is ground flaxseed, that needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer, never the pantry. I also store whole grains like brown rice, japonica rice, spelt, and farro in my freezer as well. Oils can also go rancid. If you don’t go through an opened bottle of oil within three months think about buying smaller bottles. Fresh Strawberries –If you rinse and air dry your strawberries they can be frozen for longevity. Basil – processed in oil – is great in the freezer. Basil can go from wonderful to awful quite quickly. I like to whirl them up (stems and all) in a food processor with some oil, Then I spoon that into ice cube trays and freeze. I add them frozen into soups, sauces and stews. Garlic – processed with oil –can also go in the freezer. There is a risk of botulism when you store raw garlic in oil, so I recommend that you use any fresh salad dressing with raw garlic right away and never to store it in the fridge. Some sites say 1-2 days, I like to err on the side of caution. I puree peeled garlic in oil and freeze it in ice cube trays for a quick and easy way to add garlic when I’m cooking. I never use this thawed as is. It needs to be added to a recipe that gets cooked. Ginger can be frozen in pieces. Grate it frozen when needed. Egg whites can be frozen separately, never with the yolk. Egg yolks can be frozen separately, never with the whites. Cover with water before you freeze so they don’t become rubbery. Drain before you use them. Previously frozen meat, fish, pork or poultry should ideally stay out of the freezer. I don’t like the texture of the refrozen and then rethawed protein. Technically, as long as the protein was thawed in the fridge you can refreeze it. If you thawed that protein on the counter, (which is a no no in the food safety world), cook it right away, and never refreeze. Raw kale or spinach can be frozen without blanching, but it only lasts about 2-3 weeks without deteriorating too much. You can use frozen kale in smoothies. To freeze: rinse, air dry, chop, and freeze. Seal well. Grated cheese can be frozen. Whole cheese that has been frozen tends to get crumbly. Unsalted butter can live in the freezer. Simply cut the pound package into usable ¼ cup or ½ cup pieces, wrap in parchment paper or foil, and freeze. Because salt is a preservative, unsalted butter does not last as long in your fridge. It can become moldy in the fridge. We don’t go through a lot of butter, so I always freeze it. A bag of spaghetti sauce can live in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze flat so it takes up less room in your freezer.   Items to Refrigerate  Chocolate dipped strawberries – never go in the fridge or freezer. If you try to freeze them, when they thaw the strawberries will be mushy. If you store them in the fridge the chocolate will be sweaty when you serve them. Also, cold chocolate and cold strawberries are not as flavourful as room temperature chocolate and berries. Make them, let them set and serve them that day to cheers and applause. Raw peppers should go in the fridge in the crisper. Cooked peppers should go in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer. Whole eggs should go in their carton and on the bottom shelf (the coldest part of your fridge) Milk goes in the fridge, but milk can be frozen. It isn’t the best as a beverage because the fats separate, but in baking, it would be fine. Via: Kqed Mayo should always go in the fridge, never freeze. If you froze it. It would separate out when it thaws. Kale and Spinach can stay in the fridge. Cheese can stay in the fridge. Freezer Tip: Don’t block the fan in your freezer and don’t overpack. You want air flow to keep things equally frozen. Freezer Trick  To tell if there was a power outage when you were away. Keep a sealed bag of a couple of ice cubes. If they melted and refroze, they will be a weird shape when they refroze. Or a popsicle in a separate bag. The same rule applies. If the power did go out a full freezer should be okay for 48 hours, a less full one for 24 hours. I keep ice packs on the door to help keep everything cold if the power went out as well. Freezer Bags Are freezer bags worth the cost? Yes, you want to keep that cold air away from the food, so the food doesn’t dry out. Freezer bags are thicker, so it reduces the chances of the food becoming dehydrated. Don’t have any freezer bags? Double bag or wrap in parchment paper or foil first and then a regular plastic bag. Old milk bags are great as freezer bags. Can you reuse a freezer bag? Yes, but from a food safety point of view, I never reuse a bag that had raw protein in it. I just not 100% sure that you could wash out all the raw bacteria.

[bc_video video_id="6263424689001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Summer makeup is all about colour, whether bold and bright or pretty pastels – just add some colour (on a budget)! Lip Colour  So let’s start with the lips. Lips are a great place to go bright. The brighter the colour the better the colour, okay? Bright reds, bright pinks and particularly bright oranges are in season. The Revlon Colour Stay Stain Ink Lip colours are an amazing line for bright and bold looks. These lip colours deliver full coverage with a satin sheen with just one coat! These feature have a non-drying formula that contains Revlon's exclusive concentrate and Flexible Film technology, that allows the colour to move with your lips- and not away from them! Nails  To balance this bold colour, we need some pastels. Summertime nails are all about pastel colours. The imPress Nails Summer Collection has a great line of high-quality pastel colours. These are new solid colours with no bling or accents and come in many popular on-trend hues. Pictured below are Baby Why So Blue and Peevish Pink. These nails are patented with super-hold adhesive, so there's no messy glue required! Each pack comes with 30 different sizes to choose, we love size-inclusive nails! Get a perfectly manicured hand, with very little effort- perfect pandemic nail wear.   Eyeliners Pastels can be for the eyes too and can be very bright depending on your application. You don't have to go for the graphic look, but rather do something more simple. For a softer more pastel look, try the NYX Epic Wear Liner Sticks! Go for a light pop-of-colour even at your workplace, so wearable and fun.   For a bold and bright eyeliner look, try the NYX Cosmetics Epic Wear Metallic Liquid Liner. These liners are semi-permanent liquid eyeliners available in six different metallic shades. This will give you 36 hours of wear with no cracking, no fading and no bleeding. Be the star of the show wherever you go!  

[bc_video video_id="6263424045001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] If you’ve ever travelled to South-East Asia you’ll likely have seen bamboo used extensively in the construction industry.  Bamboo is commonly used as scaffolding, upright props, and even to build huts and houses.   This is because bamboo is super strong; even stronger than steel! The tensile strength of steel is 23,000 PSI, while the tensile strength of bamboo is 28,000 PSI. Via: Silver Kris One of the biggest environmental benefits of bamboo is its ability to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  Compared to an equivalent tree mass, bamboo produces 35% more oxygen and research has shown that bamboo can absorb as much as 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year.  That’s a lot of carbon sequestration! And if that wasn’t enough, it’s built to last indoors or outdoors and is fairly neutral and decoratively goes with anything Let’s start with this bamboo craft. These bamboo canes were purchased at a local garden centre, we’ve chopped them in half and arranged in a drum vase, which we wrapped in greed card stock. Using bamboo beads, which we found at Hobby Craft, we threaded the beads into sections of yarn and tied them into random sections of bamboo cane. Super simple DIY piece that sets our bamboo scene. Versatility  Bamboo is a popular choice for floors, wall divides, furniture, serve wares and more! Bamboo is such a neutral colour, you can bring it into any colour scheme- you know it's going to be a safe bet. We have gathered some of our favourite products to show you just how versatile bamboo is. Décor Baskets These baskets are from IKEA, which come with matching lids, they would be great if you have open shelving and have smaller things that need to be stored. There's a beautiful woven detail on there in a classic bamboo blonde shade and would look great in modern homes to add a bit of texture. Lanterns This is another product that we love, these simple lanterns crafted from split bamboo canes. It's assembled into a circular design on a metal base. Imagine this lit up, and how gorgeous the light is when it refracts around inside. Furniture  Bar cart One of our favourite things, the bar cart. This should be essential for every home, this beautiful bamboo cart is from the Colin and Justin collection at Homesense. This has a great textile strength, to it and makes a room feel more exotic. The bar cart is essential for your tropical bar arrangement this summer. Step Ladder storage This product is another one from the Colin and Justin Homesense collection, ladder storage. You can use this product in the bathroom as it's bamboo material will not degrade in water. It's also super light-weight but has lots of structural integrity so allows for lot's of product. Occasional table This table was found at Marshall's and is made from tension bamboo which has been heat treated to create a bowed side. The black top adds more interest to the piece, a great accent piece that will not break the bank. DIY bowls and art  We've glued bowls together to create a triptych of tall, medium and small bamboo items - groups of 3 work well in interior design. We've glued two of the small bowls together, then two medium ones and then left the large one by itself in the front. When you cluster three things together in a tall, medium and small format it adds form and design to an area. Bamboo bowls should be hand-washed immediately after use. They should not be placed in a dishwasher or soaked in water. The high heat of the dishwasher and the long exposure to water can cause the bamboo to swell and crack. To clean, first wipe out the bowl; then wash it in warm water with mild soap and a soft sponge or brush. Avoid abrasive cleaners or tools. Rinse thoroughly and wipe-dry with a soft cloth; then allow the bowl to air-dry completely. We also have these bamboo barbecue scrapers that we found at the dollar store. They work in 3 ways: a: as intended, b: as decorative wall hangings and c: as personal charcuterie boards - for people less inclined to share... LOVE these.