LilSugar

Simple or Swank: The Obama Girls' New Swing Set

LilSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:00:36 PST

Swing sets have come a long way from the old tire hanging from a tree branch. Yesterday, Malia and Sasha Obama came home from school to see just how far they have come. While not necessarily the most extravagant swing set, their parents surprised them with a deluxe addition that would leave most tots jumping for joy!
Simple: The Rainbow All-American Double Decker ($1,700) is made expressly for Costco and includes two forts, three swings, a picnic table, sandbox, rock wall, ship's wheel, telescope, and climbing rope. Made of all-American timber, the set is sure to last for many years of outdoor play.

Swank: While you might not be able to buy an exact replica of the Obama girls' new play structure (it is etched with the names of all 44 presidents and has a plaque stating, "Malia and Sasha's castle handcrafted with pride in the heartland of America . . . God bless America"), the Rainbow Castle Package 4 ($3,500) is made from cedar and North American Redwood and comes with a tire swing, four swings, monkey bars, trapeze rings, a slide, fort, climbing wall, rope ladder, picnic table, and climbing ropes.

Which one do you prefer?

Photo courtesy of AP

Cool Idea: Play in Public

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:07 PDT

We may not remember rocking away in bouncy seats as infants, but I'm sure we all remember playing on swing sets as kids. In either case, was it ever not fun? I think not. So, why are Trix just for kids? And why should play be relegated just to playgrounds and backyards? I think adults should get a piece of the fun and games, and play should be accepted in public, and apparently so does British industrial design student Bruno Taylor.The renegade playground builder has decided that it's about time we bring play back into public space. He has created a project which incorporates incidental play in the public realm, including a public bench that bounces, for all to use, and the installation of swings into existing bus stops. Is that rad or what? To see a video of Taylor's swing being installed guerrilla-style into a bus stop,

Source

Toy Box: The Swing Set of Dreams

babysugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:45 PDT

I was flipping through a magazine recently and flipped out when I saw this fabulous swing set.

Made by CedarWorks, a 27-year-old company based in Rockport, Maine, the set is made from 100 percent northern white cedar, which is known to be splinter-free. To see its only drawback,

The swank set is part of the company’s Serendipity Series and includes gazebo-like play stations, multiple slides, a variety of swings, a sky bridge, a steering wheel, a spyglass, a rope ladder, and whimsically cut-out walls and roofs.

The only downside is the price - a whopping $21,850! It's nice to fantasize. Maybe I'll buy it if I win the lottery.

If money were no object, would you invest in this lux item for your lil ones?

Rewind: Who Will Play Christian Grey?

Maggie Pehanick — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

Amid all the speculation about Fifty Shades of Grey casting, we offered some humble suggestions for the role of Christian. We're also wondering who should play Anastasia.
Meanwhile, Selena Gomez made a hilarious Fifty Shades parody for Funny or Die.
Everyone is abuzz about Leonardo DiCaprio's '20s role after seeing the trailer for The Great Gatsby and the intriguing pictures.
James Bond came back into our lives with the first trailer for Skyfall.
The first teasers for Anchorman 2 have us trapped in a glass case of emotion.
Everyone's got red eye in the new character posters for Breaking Dawn Part 2.
With wedding season on the brain, we recalled all our favorite bridal parties from the small and big screens and reminisced about One Tree Hill's many epic weddings.
Veep star Tony Hale talked to us about his hilarious role as Gary, the vice presidential aide.
May finales are finishing up, and this week alone we watched as Phillip Phillips won American Idol, Glee concluded its third season while Revenge wrapped up its first, and House ended its eight-season run.
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and we got the scoop on Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly, Gael García Bernal in No, the sleeper hit The Sapphires, and the highly anticipated On the Road starring Kristen Stewart.
The new True Blood characters have us stoked about the series's return.
With Moonrise Kingdom opening, we were reminded of all our favorite movies set at Summer camp.

See the 100 Best Celebrity Boating Pictures!

Brittney Stephens — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:10:22 PDT

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and along with our red carpet coverage, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite celebrity boating moments. When it comes to Cannes, stars love to let loose at yacht parties. Aside from the South of France, celebs still adore hopping on board during their downtime. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon set sail together to promote Ocean's Twelve, while Jessica Biel got some sun on the deck of a yacht. Rihanna had the wind through her hair during a speedboat ride, and Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon got glammed up for a event aboard a lavish vessel.

We're celebrating Cannes with a cheeky look at celebs on boats - click through to see their best moments afloat!

Summer Music Festivals That Offer Fun Ways to Stay Fit

Lizzie Fuhr — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:32:49 PDT

Summer music festival season is in full swing, and we can't wait to get in on all the action. While all these adventures are certainly a fun way to head to a big party, sometimes the whole thing can become a little too much. After all, if you're taking your vacation time to head to one of these events, don't you want to come back at least a little revived and rejuvenated?

The Wanderlust Festival set the precedent, but lots of other festivals have taken notice of the close-knit relationship that can exist between music and fitness. You're going to be burning some serious calories by shaking your thing as your favorite musicians perform, but if you want to get more fitness into your festival experience, here are some of our favorite festivals that offer options to complement the whole experience.

Hangout Music Festival

When: May 18 - May 20, 2012
Where: Gulf Shores, AL
What They Offer: This year The Hangout is offering a series of mellow morning yoga classes taught by Kelly Morris. Live music from double bassist Garth Stevenson will accompany the Rock Your Body yoga experience that welcomes yogis and yoginis of all levels. Did I mention this whole thing is situated on a beautiful beach?

DelFest

When: May 24 - May 27, 2012
Where: Cumberland, MD
What They Offer: DelFest is a festival that understands the connection between mind, body, and spirit. They hold activities coined movement playshops open to all festival attendees. Yoga and hula-hooping are the stars of the fitness show at DelFest.

Lightning in a Bottle

When: May 24 - May 28, 2012
Where: Silverado, CA
What They Offer: Lightning in a Bottle created a special environment called the Lucent Temple of Consciousness dedicated to workshops, speakers, and lots of yoga classes. We also love that at LIB you can take a workshop and learn how to grow your own spirulina!

Keep reading for three more festivals that offer fun ways to stay fit.

Obama's Complicated Relationship With Gay Marriage

Tara Block — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:25:00 PDT

The Obama administration has had a rocky relationship with its stance on gay marriage, so our interest was piqued at Joe Biden's recent comments in support of same-sex marriage. On Meet the Press the vice president said:

"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual - men and women marrying - are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that."

While Biden has made his stance on the issue clear, Barack Obama hasn't always been forthright in his support of gay marriage. And while he's been quoted as saying he's "evolving" in regards to gay marriage, looking at his track record we have to wonder toward which direction? And things have only gotten more complicated during this election season, when he's trying to appease liberals along with the swing voters. Not only do conservative and working-class groups oppose same-sex marriage, many of his African American supporters do, too. But what has Obama actually said on the issue? Here are some of his quotes on gay marriage:

1996: "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages." - questionnaire
2004: "I am a fierce supporter of domestic-partnership and civil-union laws. I am not a supporter of gay marriage as it has been thrown about, primarily just as a strategic issue." - Windy City Times interview
2006: "I agree with most Americans, with Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Cheney, with over 2,000 religious leaders of all different beliefs, that decisions about marriage, as they always have, should be left to the states." - Federal Marriage Amendment speech
2007: "I will appeal any proposal to amend the U.S. constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying. I know how important the issue of equal rights is to the LGBT community. I share your sense of urgency." - speech opposing Defense of Marriage Act
2008: "As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law." - letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
2008: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage." - MTV interview
2010: "I am a strong supporter of civil unions. I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. . . . attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about . . . I think it's fair to say that it's something that I think a lot about." - interview with liberal bloggers
2010: "My feelings about this are constantly evolving. This is something that we're going to continue to debate, and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward." - TV speech

If he's going to call himself a supporter of the LGBT community, do you think it's time for Obama to commit to the gay marriage cause?

Joe Simpson Calls Jessica's Baby Maxwell a "Miracle"

Allie Merriam — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:54:19 PDT

Joe Simpson calls his new granddaughter "a miracle" - People
Victoria Beckham finally admits she drives in heels, too - Lainey Gossip
Does Kanye have a new feud? - HuffPost Entertainment
Take a peek at the Glee prom episode - TooFab
Angelina Jolie and the kids swing by the London set of Les Misérables - Us Weekly
The Oscars will now be held at the Dolby Theatre - The Daily Beast
The top celebrity look-alikes - Hollywood Reporter
Eminem's daughter is on Twitter - BuzzFeed
Expert opinion on Brad and Angelina's engagement - YourTango
What do you think of Leo's new big-screen look? - Rotten Tomatoes
Happy 30th to Kirsten Dunst! - Wonderwall
Cameron Diaz cried when she first saw her short hair - Lifeline Live
What's going on with Demi Lovato and X Factor? - Zap2It
Beyoncé says she didn't care how she looked during Blue's birth - Celebitchy

Winter Kate and House of Harlow's Fall Lookbook Shows Off an Updated Take on '60s Cool

Marisa Tom — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:37:00 PDT

Fall may seem like a far-off cry from the season in bloom, but we couldn't help but take a peek (and lust over) Nicole Richie's latest Winter Kate and House of Harlow autumnal wares. With Richie's signature brand of bohemian-luxe style ever present, we were delighted to note an edgier (read: rich jewel tones, plush velvet textures, and slick lasercut details) vibe in place. The collection is chock-full of '60s-inspired pieces - sheer herringbone blouses, wide-leg pants, and a plethora of oversize round sunglasses to start - that evoke a structured, geometric retro feel (hello Mad Men!) more than ever. Come chillier temps, we can't wait to rock an eclectic House of Harlow bone-wrap cuff with one of Winter Kate's vintage-looking pencil dresses. To tide us all over, we've pulled our top three looks below, then make sure to check out the rest of the Fall '12 looks in the slideshow.

Winter whites are a cold-weather staple, and to prove our point, we'll be wearing this ultrasheer white maxi dress with a quirkier set of accessories.
It's all about the Swinging Sixties for Fall '12, and what better way to capture the essence of that stylish era than with a distinct geometric print.
Update your floral obsession with an antiqued rose-print sheath - it's ladylike, sophisticated, and will look great against a luxe faux fur coat.

Gwen Stefani Treats Zuma and Kingston to a Picnic and a Park Playdate

Allie Merriam — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:25:21 PDT

Gwen Stefani stocked up at an LA Whole Foods Market Saturday for a park picnic with her sons. She rounded up boys Kingston and Zuma Rossdale for the alfresco meal and afterward, joined them on the swing set and jungle gym. Gwen broke from studio time with her band No Doubt for the adventure with Kingston and Zuma. Gwen has another big event happening soon. Gwen Stefani's heading to American Idol Wednesday to mentor contestants during '80s night with her bandmate Tony Kanal.

Gwen's husband Gavin Rossdale has likewise been focusing on his music following a brief Hollywood detour. He logged a few days on the LA set of Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring last week, then headed to London. He's now in Mexico for a string of dates. He wrote on Twitter last night, "Mexico rules - finally decompressing - what an odyssey just getting here."