Luke Shaheen never had a backyard trampoline growing up. But as an adult, he’s trying to build the world’s longest. Shaheen is a managing partner with Crazy Ape Extreme Equipment. The trampoline manufacturer recently built a prototype that is 30.5-metres long. The group wants to double that to smash the world record. “This is going to be a 200-foot trampoline, but it also performs like a professional trampoline,” Shaheen said. Russia holds the current record. The “Fast Track” is a 51-metre-long trampoline, built as an art installation and alternative road in 2012, that stretches through one of Russia’s forests. Saskatchewan’s plans for the record are a little different. The trampoline will be free-standing, which will allow the 61-metre design to be used in a variety of settings or for extreme sports. “This isn’t like your big box store trampoline that’s somewhat bouncy. This thing’s a powerhouse,” Shaheen said. Saskatchewan has a long history of being a “trampoline capital,” according to Shaheen. Farmers started handmaking trampolines in Herbert, Sask., in the 1970s. “It was farmers looking for something to do in the winter and keeping their families having fun,” he said. “That’s evolved over time. Quite a bit of our business is replacement parts for those trampolines that are still out there.” The company is trying to keep that history alive. Crazy Ape Extreme Equipment in Saskatchewan will attempt to build the world’s longest trampoline. (CTV News) Crazy Ape manufactures trampoline parks that are shipped across North America. They also build indoor and outdoor trampolines for personal and professional use, and provide equipment for rock climbing walls, diving clubs and ski programs. “It gives us this ability to kind of grow from just making a trampoline for someone’s backyard to actually building high-end training facilities for niche and specific skills,” said Andrew Sawatsky, the company’s manager of special projects. They use computers to generate the design before a large CNC, or computer numerical control, machine marks and cuts the material, which is then sewn together. The entire process is done in-house. “We kind of work on the adage here: move fast and break things. And we do a lot of breaking things here, but we move quickly,” Sawatsky said. Their motto is the reason they were able to create a functional proof of concept within months of deciding to chase the world record. “We started with our standard backyard trampoline, which is 10 by 17 feet, which is a free-standing trampoline. And we said, ‘Can we make it a little longer’?” Sawatsky said. “We kept making the trampoline longer and longer and longer for it to still perform well, still bounce, and still be sturdy.” There is no timeline for when the record-breaking trampoline will be completed. The company is looking for partners in the project, such as extreme sports groups, who may have a good use for it.

A Saskatoon man is taking his love of card games to new depths — six feet under, to be exact. Shawn Bourassa, creator of “Youlogy,” describes his game as mix between Cards Against Humanity, Mad Libs, and a funeral service. Bourassa said the game’s inspiration comes from a combination of growing up in a competitive family, his wife’s love for Halloween, and his experience as a registered nurse. “Being a nurse, you are closer to some of the sad parts of life, so I get used to it. I’ve developed a pretty dark sense of humor as a defense mechanism,” he said. Bourassa said he got the idea for the game years ago, but it really came to life during the pandemic. “When the pandemic hit, I really went stir crazy, so I thought I had to put this down on paper for my friends and family,” he said. The game starts by picking a character card from the deck. Players write down name suggestions and then a judge decides the name. Then, the game follows the character’s life from birth to death. A card from “Youlogy,” a morbidly fun card game developed by Shawn Bourassa. (Stacey Hein / CTV News) Each stage of life is a prompt, where players fill in the blanks, and then a judge chooses the best answer and awards a point. Each round the judge rotates. In the last round, the character dies. The player with the most points picks a person to deliver a three-minute Eulogy on the character. To help market the game, Bourassa bought a 1978 Cadillac Deville hearse. (Courtesy: Shawn Bourassa) “Getting eyes on your project is actually quite expensive,” he said. “I went on marketplace and I found some guy selling a hearse here in Saskatoon, and then my cousin got it all decaled up.” While the game isn’t on the market yet, Bourassa said pre-orders can be placed by pledging on kickstarter.com.

Some people love to wash their car, and for others, it’s their most hated chore. It’s a necessity for car owners, so no matter where you fall on the love-hate spectrum, you want a car wash that’s going to give your car a deep clean that lasts. Automatic car washes are at almost any gas…

  When you take your car to the car wash, there are multiple add-ons available, and one common choice is spray-on wax. It may seem like it doesn’t make a difference, but there are some important benefits. And these benefits go beyond how shiny your will car looks. What Are the Benefits of Waxing Your…

Even when you are lucky enough to start with an empty room, it can be overwhelming to design an interior that you can enjoy for years to come. Following some basic interior design principles, you can transform your space into a relaxing room you will be comfortable and happy with. Decide what your focal point will be and build out from there.  For best results, keep proportion and scale in mind as you decorate as well as these tips!

 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
Creating harmony will enhance how much you will continue to love your finished. Pull the room with a subdued colour palette for a pleasing, harmonious vibe.   together for a pleasing, harmonious look with a subdued color palette. You can also use a single colour for elements that vary in size and shape. Check out our blog on Doing White on White Right! for more tips!

What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?