We are finally getting a wee bit smarter about our exposure to UV rays. Still , it seems that we need to refine our sunscreen applying practices. For instance, did you know that it takes a full 30 minutes for the skin to properly absorb sunscreen?  So you need to apply it BEFORE you hit the beach. And then, TWO hours is the maximum amount of time that you should go before applying sunscreen all over again. That’s valid for sunscreen of any strength because, as you know, anything over SPF 30 is of marginal added value (Source: Chatelaine Magazine, [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Connie Henderson created Amber’s Garden Ready-to-Plant Gardens because her daughter, Amber, loved to garden with her.  Being a parent to small children myself, I love to garden with them also, but the concept of spreading the seeds around evenly is lost on them.  Usually we get a clump of little sprouts and the rest void of growth.
Connie came up with this great idea of threading burlap mats with seeds.  The whole burlap mat is placed on a layer of dirt and then covered with dirt.  Each mat shows what you are planting and where.  There [...]

As a Canadian, the Tilley’s travel sportswear brand was to me as iconic as, say, Land’s End is here in the US. It’s only in doing a little research for this article that I realized that the company has only been around since 1980. Only? Yeah, that’s 30 whole years, but in my mind the Tilley Hat is legendary and in general, legends are older than 30 years old…
My husband is on his third Tilley Hat. Not because any of them have been worn out, but rather because he has been losing them in transit. No other hat will do [...]

As a marketing professional by day, I’ve really enjoyed observing how the big brands are applying themselves at  enhancing their social presence through iPhone apps (ok, and some on other smartphones too). Here, I’m not talking about the Netflix, or the NPR or the Alice.com kind of apps that simply extend online websites functionalities to the mobile world. I love and use these too. But  what I really admire, are companies that developed creative, entertaining and/or useful applications that  are not meant to create anything but a better experience with the brand and increase goodwill… for free in most cases. [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Are your kids already saying they are bored and you’re thinking, wahhhhhhh? There’s another six weeks of summer? Besides preaching the usual “only boring people get bored” singsong (not so effective on a three year old anyways), you will want to turn to woojr.com for some great easy-to-do craft ideas and printable activities to do at home or to take on the road. Woo!Jr is a network of craft sites that proposes crafts for kids aged 2 to 13. We like that this site is not only for the little ones.
If you’re like us, you [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Annie Haven realized that there was an interest in her horse and cow manure from local vegetable farmers and hobby gardeners. As we all know, Gardening 101 teaches us that the best fertilizers for the garden is manure. Haven’s manure became so popular is because all their livestock are fed natural grass, free of antibiotics, growth hormones and pesticides.
So, Annie came up with the idea of creating a new, easy, less smelly, less messy way of spreading manure: her unique Manure Tea Bags (NOT for drinking) which use the manure from her livestock (even the [...]

What’s your most, most favorite boutique, shop, restaurant? I bet that it’s locally owned by an individual, not a corporation (if you are here, reading us, I’m confident that this is a correct assumption and that you are not about to answer Ann Taylor or Olive Garden!).
Think about what makes shopping or dining in that favorite place so special. The service? The atmosphere? The unique selections? That they know your name or will order something especially for you?
When I lived in Orange County and Las Vegas, shopping independent small stores was really difficult. The large shopping mall and strip mall [...]

You know the scene. Where’s my phone. I know I left it here. Where’s my phone. Shoot, it’s on silent/out of battery. Where’s my phone…
I’d love to say this happens only to my husband and to my kids, but to be honest, it happens a lot to me too, mostly because I have way too many options to carry my phone. Handbag? Clutch? Computer bag? Gym bag? Phone wallet? Coat pocket? Oy!
So, as you can guess, I’m going to tell you that this little device solves the locating problem. It does, and then some. It’s called the Zomm and, [...]

Congratulations to our 10 winners and thank you to all who participated!
The winners were selected at random using the Random Integer Generator.
This giveaway CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED but do subscribe via RSS or email to get updates on new giveaways as they get posted. Thank you all for playing!
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We were excited to introduce you to Yes! Pure Intimacy Lubricant back in May and the company was so excited that we were excited (excited puns semi-intended to keep up with the theme) that they offered 10 of our readers the opportunity to also try this amazing certified organic lubricant.

To enter, simply [...]

Now, I know that I’ll personally never get a tattoo (I’m too afraid of what it’ll look like when I’m old and wrinkly) but it might be fun to toy with some temporary embellishments. Summer is for baring skin, might as well beautify it with skin art… before I’m really old and wrinkly.
I believe that the temporary tattoo trend might have been rendered acceptable and stylish and perhaps even sophisticated when la maison Chanel introduced its temp-tatt collection earlier this year. They’re cool, though perhaps a little obnoxious but they are also Chanel-priced at $75 for the pack. So, we [...]