CasaSugar

Midday Muse: CARE For a Garden

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:00:10 -0800

This plate of figs, which is held by Palestinian Nadiya Zaqzuk, represents just a little of the bounty that her garden offers. Zaqzuk, a widow who needed a way to support her six children, can now grow vegetables and fruit in a greenhouse that the organization CARE provided for her. CARE's mission is to "tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognizing that women and children suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change."

The new US administration's electoral mission statement was "Yes We Can," and "Change." Now that the election is over, I've been looking for ways to carry out this mission. Do you support or volunteer with any organizations in your community that provide similar services to CARE?
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How-To: Create Festive Fall Votives

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:30:22 -0800

Want to add some pretty autumnal style to your Fall Thanksgiving table? Then try this great, simple trick from Better Homes and Gardens for transforming a holiday Autumn table. For a beautiful twist on boring old votives, collect colorful leaves from your backyard or nearby park. Then, tie the leaves to the votive with ribbon, twine, or yarn. Voila! You have a no-cost centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Just be careful not to get any of the leaves close to the flame. While I do love the fiery reds of Autumn leaves, I don't actually think that I want them on fire.

For another votive idea, read more.

If you have some extra time, you can also decoupage leaves onto the votive's exterior. This will give the votive a frosted effect, and will illuminate the leaves.

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Home Away From Home: The Madonna Inn

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:01 -0800

Looking for a kooky, kitschy hotel experience? Then check out San Luis Obispo's own Madonna Inn. This 51-year-old hotel is an absolutely unique experience for visitors, featuring an overwhelming pink color palette and rooms with themes including "Love Nest," "Caveman," and "Portugal."

If you're in the market for a unique wedding reception venue, the Madonna Inn can handle your reception. Fully equipped with a steak house, day spa, convention center, and bar, the Madonna Inn can supply all of your needs - especially if those needs involve gaping at the Swiss-Alps-meets-Old-West decor. One last piece of advice: don't forget to direct your male friends to the rocks and waterfall urinal if they need to take care of business - it's apparently a tourist must-see.

Take the full tour.

Giveaway of the Week! method Air Care Gift Set

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:05:35 -0700

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we've been hosting a series of sweet giveaways over the past three weeks, wherein every week, one lucky CasaSugar reader wins a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Congratulations to Clarkbar9, who won last week's prize of a method Home Care Gift Basket!

Well, this is our final method giveaway, and this time, we're offering a delicious-smelling Air Care Gift Set worth $54. The set features a selection of scented goodies and air-freshening products, including:

2 Aroma Candles
1 Aroma Pill
1 Aroma Ring
1 Aroma Spray
1 Box of Aroma Sticks

To enter this week's giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comments section below by 5 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 14. We'll announce the winner next Monday, Sept. 17. Please, only ONE comment per person; duplicate comments will be discarded. You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here. For the rules and regulations, click here.

Giveaway of the Week! method Home Care Gift Basket

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:39:55 -0700

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we're hosting a series of sweet giveaways. Every week for four weeks, one lucky CasaSugar reader will win a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Congratulations to VMars, who won last week's prize of a method Personal Care Gift Basket!

For week No. 3, we're offering a fabulous Home Care Gift Basket worth $52. The set features a selection of method's classic home cleaning products, including:

1 Omop Starter Kit
1 All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
1 Pack of All-Purpose Cleaning Wipes
1 Dish Soap
1 Daily Shower Spray
1 Tub + Tile Spray

To enter this week's giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comments section below by 5 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 7. We'll announce the winner next Monday, Sept. 10, when we post the final method giveaway. Please, only ONE comment per person; duplicate comments will be discarded. You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here. For the rules and regulations, click here.

Giveaway of the Week! method Personal Care Gift Basket

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:15:53 -0700

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we're hosting a series of sweet giveaways. Every week for the next four weeks, one lucky CasaSugar reader will win a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Congratulations to Misskastar, who one last week's prize of a method Fabric Care Set!

This week, we're offering a fabulous Personal Care Gift Basket worth $51.50. The set features a selection of method products to get you clean and moisturized, including:

1 Bloq Bar Soap
1 Bloq Body Wash
1 Bloq Shave Cream
1 Bloq Lotion
1 Creamy Hand Wash
1 Foaming Hand Wash and Refill Pouch
1 Gel Hand Wash
1 Hand Sanitizer

To enter this week's giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comments section below by 5 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. EDT Friday, August 31. We'll announce the winner next Tuesday, Sept. 4, when we post the next method giveaway. Please, only ONE comment per person; duplicate comments will be discarded. You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here. For the rules and regulations, click here.

Design Cares Event a Success

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:22:57 -0800

Last Tuesday Metropolitan Home and the New York Design Center hosted the sixth annual Design Cares charity auction and holiday-cocktail party. Guests came together to participate in the silent auction benefiting the Partnership For the Homeless’s Furnish a Future program. Furnish a Future is New York City’s only free-furniture bank. Since 1992, Furnish a Future has helped more than 22,000 formerly homeless families turn bare rooms into comfortable, functional homes.

Nearly 150 modern-luxury home furnishings, home accessories, and lifestyle goods from some of the world’s top designers and companies were displayed for guests to bid on. Generous donations were provided by such companies as Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams, Lulu DK for Elite Leather, American Leather, CB2, Thomasville, W Hotels, Baker Furniture, and the Conran Shop.

What a great event for this holiday season!
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Congrats to the Winner of the method Air Care Gift Set!

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:20:31 -0700

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we've been hosting a series of sweet giveaways over the past four weeks, wherein every week, one lucky CasaSugar reader wins a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Well, last week was our final method giveaway, for an Air Care Gift Set worth $54. Congratulations to SGDish, who will get a great selection of scented goodies and air-freshening products.

Thanks again to method for all the great prizes, and stay tuned for more CasaSugar giveaways in the coming weeks!

Giveaway of the Week! method Fabric Care Set

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:04:12 -0700

This week, we're offering a fabulous Fabric Care Kit: a set worth $52 that includes four packages of method Dryer Cloths, made from renewable plant oils, and four bottles of HE Compatible Laundry Detergent, a concentrated formula that works in high-efficiency washers.

To enter this week's giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comments section below by 5 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. EDT Friday, August 24. We'll announce the winner next Monday, Aug. 27, when we post the next method giveaway. Please, only ONE comment per person; duplicate comments will be discarded. You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here. For the rules and regulations, click here.

Do You Use Placemats at Every Meal?

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:54 -0800

Since my husband and I inherited a gorgeous table from his mother, we always use placemats to keep hot foods or condensation-laden glasses away from its wood surface. With other tables, I haven't been as careful, and even think that a few water stains added to the charm of the older, imperfect tables. Still, for our current table, I like to take precaution. The thick felt used in these screenprinted felt placemats ($17.50 for 2) would definitely do the job.