CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: TP For Your Tech

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:16 -0800

I just spied this inventive idea on Real Simple and couldn't help but pass it along, considering that my gadget cords all look like a messy ball of yarn. If you're anything like me, and you've got cords for your camera, iPod, computer, BlackBerry, blow-dryer, speakers, television, DVD player, etc. clogging up your outlets, God bless you. No really, if that's the case, then here's a trick for you. When you've finished a roll of toilet paper, just slide it over a collection of your cords to keep them contained and untangled. Or, you can use it to keep a single cord from coming unwound once you've folded it up for storage. This is particularly a great idea to keep in mind come Dec. 26 when you've got tree lights to store!
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Cool Idea: Conquer Cable Cords With Beads

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:37 -0800

While there are many ways to hide your cable cords, this is perhaps the cutest one I've happened upon so far. It's also a really cheap option for adding a little decorating power to something that's most definitely an eyesore.
To try this at home, simply buy large wooden beads and string them over any exposed cords. An added bonus? It'll be a lot harder to trip over the cords, since it'll be easier to see them!

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Casa Quickie: Keeping Track of Cords

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:15:42 -0800

Have you ever gone to unplug your laptop and accidentally turned off your DVR, right in the middle of recording the latest episode of Project Runway? If so, you're not alone. Given the amount of electronic equipment we all have in our homes, it's not a surprise.

If you get confused by which cord in your power strip leads to what piece of electrical equipment, then try labeling each cord. Just take a printer label and write the name of the appliance or electronic equipment on the label, and then wrap it around the end of the cord. That way, you'll never miss hearing Heidi say, "Auf Wiedersehen!" again!

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Cool Idea: Lamp Kit Hanging Light

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0800

I spotted this photo in the portfolio of interior stylist and designer Sibella Court, and was wowed by the hanging light fixture. To me it looks like a lampshade was simply attached to a basic Lamp Cord Kit ($12), and then dangled from the molding. The shade would probably need to have a bulb clip top fitter, too. I love the juxtaposition of the lowbrow lamp cord with that debonair black bell-shaped shade.

I'd love to try this at home. I'm thinking of making my own with a shapely lampshade frame and a reproduction Edison bulb. What do you think?

Casa Quickie: Vacuuming Quicker

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:07 -0700

If you're anything like me, no matter how awesome your vacuum is, it frustrates you to have to repeatedly unplug and replug your vacuum as you clean your whole house. Even if you live in a small studio (trust me, I have), you're bound to have to do so at least once to reach every nook and cranny. The answer to this is to attach a long extension cord (at very least 20 feet) to your vacuum, and plug it in whichever room sits in the center of your house. You may need to replug if your house has more than one floor. But regardless, this will speed up your cleaning time significantly. Just remember to wrap the cord in a neat coil when you finish, otherwise you'll have to deal with untangling it — and that's certainly not a time-saver.
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Cool Idea: A Crocheted Home

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:00:01 -0800

While I've featured knit deer heads, DIYs on how to knit your own pouf, and photos of rogue knitting and crochet projects, I have yet to feature a truly large-scale fiber arts project. That is, until now.

Kate Pokorny, who's worked in fiber arts for many years, is preparing to crochet a house - a yurt, to be exact. Kate started crocheting small dome shapes, and then realized that she could translate the small shapes into a much larger one, and decided to make a crocheted yurt. (Yurts are traditional Mongolian nomadic homes that are dome-shaped.)

Kate began crocheting about four years ago, and since then her needlework ambitions have soared. In part, she notes that she was inspired by Margaret Wertheim’s TED Talk and saw how crochet can be used to represent hyperbolic space and coral reefs, and became very interested in oversize knit and crochet work by artists like Kwangho Lee, Claudy Jongstra, and Christien Meindertsma.

Kate will start "building" her yurt as soon as the weather gets warmer at her parents' farm in Jaffrey, NH, and hopes to complete it by this Autumn. Kate notes, "This past weekend I sourced the rest of the wool for the project from a Mack Hill Farm, a farm about 45 minutes away from my place, and now I'm starting the process of getting it all cleaned and blended so that I can begin hand felting the two-inch diameter cord and crocheting it using my arm as the 'hook.' If all goes according to plan it will be self-supporting and made of a single cord."

To hear more about the plans for the yurt, and to check out some photos, read more.

When I asked Kate about the plans for the yurt after it's completed, she said, "When it's done I have dreams that it'll go to textile exhibits all over, that people will want to see how it was made and learn about the community that developed around it - so far everyone I've talked to to that end though wants to see if it will work! I can't blame them. Regardless of if it goes on a tour of schools that help out in the process or textile centers, galleries or museums, though, there will definitely be a party when it's done! The farm has much to do at it including swimming and a big pizza oven so I imagine a big 'to do' with the yurt as the center - it will be a longtime coming when it's complete! My brother also gave me electro luminescent wire to weave into the inside when it's done so we can party into the night!"

If you want to donate to her project, you can do so here. Find out all the details about her project at Yurt Alert. I can't wait to see the final result!

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Nice and New: Henry Road Storage Sac

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:00:53 -0800

I don't know about you, but in my house, try as I might, I can't keep the odds and ends from accumulating everywhere every day. So I like to have a few baskets handy just to toss my things (art supplies, camera cords, CDs, etc.) in when guests come over. If you have kids, I'm sure you have the same problem with toys! So I'm excited about these new Henry Road Storage Sacs ($35); they look like they'll solve all of my problems. Seeing as how soft storage seems to be latest trend, I figured you all might like them, too. The exterior is made from recycled used coffee sacks, paired with fun striped fabrics in four different colorways. They measure eight inches by eight inches, but I'm really hoping they'll offer them in bigger sizes sometime soon. What do you think?

Casa Quickie: Try a Hat Trick

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:30:47 -0800

I have a newfound love of hats, and a collection that's suddenly growing. Some are really like art pieces, even the simple ones. So I'm loving this hat trick from the portfolio of photographer Victoria Pearson that puts a collection of brimmed beauties on display. They seem to be hung from some type of ribbon or cord, which would be easy to do. And their alternating vertical arrangement makes the collection a focal point rather than a storage problem. I love how the different shades of hats add more depth to it, too. Do you have enough hats to try this at home?

Desire/Acquire: Pottery Barn's Edison Chandelier

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:30:21 -0800

I love the dangling, octopus-arms look of Pottery Barn's Edison Chandelier ($400). Crafted of iron with bronze-finished cord brackets, the chandelier was inspired by the beauty of industrial fixtures and the 20th-century architectural designs of Adolf Loos. It's actually not that badly priced, but luckily, you can find something very similar for even less money.

Find out where you can get it when you read more.

The Industrial Pendant Chandelier ($225) is a custom-made chandelier from Etsy seller ModernMilieu. It consists of 10 outlets hanging from six-foot-long cables, which can each be attached to the ceiling in any way you choose. It's a very close match to the Edison chandelier, don't you think?

Casa Quickie: Cable Clutter Fix

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Artist Maisie Maud Broadhead has come up with the most clever solution to those ever-pesky cables in our homes. Using cable fixings, she attached her lamp cord to the wall above her mantel, "drawing" a beautiful trompe-l'œil installation. I've seen plenty of ways to hide your cable cords - like the beads I posted this week - but this remedy doesn't conceal electrical wire, but rather showcases it, turning the eyesore into the eye-catching. This design in particular looks like it would require a fairly long cord, but the possibilities are really endless when it comes to what shapes you can create.