CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Easy Autumn Display

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

To get the look of Fall on your coffee table, dining room table, or fireplace mantel, try this tip from Real Simple. Simply clip some pretty turning leaves from trees in your yard. The leaves should have a bit of stiffness to them, so they can stand up on their own. Next find a pretty container, such as a galvanized-steel ice bucket (as shown here), or a ceramic bowl or urn, and arrange the leaves as you would a floral bouquet. Easy peasy! Source

Do You Decorate With Autumn Leaves?

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:00:57 -0700

In the Autumn, I often bring particularly colorful leaves into the house. Usually, the plan doesn't get much more interesting than putting them in a bowl on the table or standing them up on the fireplace mantel. Do you decorate with leaves?

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Open House: Overwintering Plants

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:30:18 -0800

In the San Francisco Bay Area, I rarely have to worry about a frost, which means that I can leave plants out all year round without incident. I know that's hardly the case with readers living in the Midwest and on the East Coast, though.

Steve, over at Gardening Gone Wild, recently wrote, "I overwinter a host of plants in my cold dark basement. Every year I try new ones and am perennially amazed at what succeeds. Basically the idea is to trick a plant into dormancy, then keep it there. Cold - or at least coolness - helps. So does darkness. To survive, many plants need light, others need warmth, and some need both; those are NOT the ones I’m talking about here. For the basement, we need plants that can go into deep dormancy, a state of almost suspended animation."

I also know that Amy Butler does the same thing with her tropical foliage, which comes outside in the Summer, and then is tucked away in her basement in the Ohio Winter months. So, do you bring in semi-tropical plants or outdoor perennials when the temperature dips? Do you let them go into a state of dormancy, like Steve does, or do you keep them out and about?

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Before and After: A Brooklyn Backyard Gets Beautified

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:54 -0700

When homeowners David and Vivian bought their brownstone, the backyard wasn't attractive in the least. A decrepit deck, falling-down retaining walls, and exposed soil made the whole space unappealing and uninhabitable. But with some gumption and planning, the husband-and-wife team took the yard from desolate to delightful. To see what they did, read more.

The couple terraced the yard, added stepstones, flowerbed borders, and a variety of foliage to the area. They created multiple "mini gardens" to break up the space, and for privacy and aesthetic purposes, covered an ugly chain link fence with a cedar fence. All in all, they saved about $10,000 thanks to their DIYs. Want to do something similar at your house? Get all of the details and instructions at This Old House.

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How-To: Arrange Grocery Store Flowers

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:30:29 -0700

I love having fresh flowers in my home, but most of us don't have the time or money to stop by a fancy florist every time we're craving color. Don't fret: grocery store flowers can be just as pretty if you know how to arrange them right. Just follow these five easy tips, and people will think your arrangements are the work of an expert.

Buy mixed bouquets or several cheap bouquets featuring one flower. Variety will inspire creativity.
Choose flowers in contrasting textures and shapes (i.e., soft gerbera daisies, round berries, and spiky lobster claws) and complementary colors.
Collect foliage from your yard or street. A flowering vine or broad-leafed weed often ends up looking much prettier than the filler that comes with supermarket bouquets.

For the final two tips, read more.

Use a wide-mouth vase, but create an anchor inside it. Often, people think that a small-mouth vase is better because the flowers don't fall all over the place. But a wider opening makes for fuller arrangements. Just coil some extra foliage (see, it comes in handy!) inside the vase, so as to create spaces and slots to anchor the flowers. Then, stick the flowers down around the anchor.
Make the tallest flower one-and-a-half times taller than the vase height. Only one or two flowers should be the maximum height, then vary the heights from there.

Planting Perennials For Your Fall Garden

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:00:23 -0700

I named autumn perennials one of my must-haves for September. After all, just because summer is fading fast doesn't mean you can't enjoy gazing at a colorful flower garden for a few more months.

In fact, late summer / early fall is the ideal time to plant flowers that will bloom into the cold season. For ideas on what to grow, iVillage has a great list of seven star fall perennials; here are a few for you to try.

Seven of the Best Fall Perennials, via iVillage

Ceratostigma: This fall beauty has brilliant clusters of blooms. It makes great ground cover with shiny dark green leaves that turn red during late fall. Does well in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun.
Cimicifuga: This species does well in a moist, shady to partial shady location with fertile, humus-rich soil. Certain species (ramose Atropurpurea) has very divided leaves that are mahogany and purple stemmed with very slender, candle-like creamy white flowers.

For five more Fall perennials to try, read more

Coreopsis: This is a perennial that never stops giving. It is best known for its petite yellow flowers on wiry stems that keep on blooming throughout the summer and into the fall. But with the addition of a deep burgundy red species Limerock Beauty and Sweet Dreams (it's white with raspberry eyes), this sturdy little perennial that thrives in full sun or partial shade in well drained soil can now be utilized in a variety of fall gardens.
Perovskia (Russian Sage): This fantastic woody-based plant is classified as an herb, but its striking gray foliage and lavender blue to gray-blue flowers make it a gorgeous summer and fall perennial. Will thrive in poor to moderately fertile soil in full sun. Beautiful planted en masse in a mixed border.
Sedum (Stonecrop): This is one of the all-time great fall perennials. This is a genus of about 400 species of succulents and does well in full sun in moderately fertile, neutral soil. Several of the sedums are used as ground cover and have fleshy, light green leaves with star shaped, five-petaled flowers that come in white, yellow and pinkish to burgundy tone. Sedum Autumn Joy looks stupendous when combined with a purple-toned aster.
Japanese Anemone: These bloom from late summer through mid-fall and are chosen for their delicate-petaled faces ranging in color from white to soft pink, and from deep pink to dark rose. They thrive in moist but well drained, humus-rich soil in sun to partial shade.
Aster (Michaelmas Daisy, New England Aster): A large group of perennials that can be grown in a variety of sites. The fall blooming asters are utilized as a border for the mass of color they offer. Whether you choose white, lavender blue, bright pink, purple with a yellow eye, or a medium blue, when purchased in large quantities and planted in sweeps, asters are synonymous with the autumn garden.

Fab Fall Photos: Twinkle's Finland

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:39:16 -0700

Twinkle posted photos on Team of some beautiful fall scenes, and even though they look like they might have been taken in Vermont or Ontario, they are in fact from Finland.

Twinkle writes:

We live in a tiny seaside hamlet on the West Coast of Finland that has about 200 residents, most of whom speak Swedish as a first, and in some cases, only language. The area is part of the Kvarken Archipelago which was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The landscape is comprised of forests, wheat fields, inlets, and islands dotted with the occasional summer cottage or farm house. The closest city is 20 miles away and has roughly 57,000 inhabitants, so we’re not too far away from civilization. Autumn here is typically pretty miserable with chilly temperatures, lots of rain, mud, and gray skies. Leaves seem to fall to the ground within days of turning, and I often miss my chance to get any fall foliage shots. This autumn, however, has been gorgeous with fair skies, mild temperatures, and very little rain. So I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get out and photograph my neighbourhood in all its glory. I especially love the beautiful leaves set against the traditional red ochre painted houses.

Take a look at the gallery for more of Twinkle's beautiful fall photos.

View 10 Photos ›

Unfussy Fall Wreaths

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:39:58 -0700

Most of you don't bother much with changing your decor along with the seasons, but I'm always looking for excuses to switch things up and add some new home accents. Right now, I've been on the hunt for a charming and chic wreath that will look autumnal but not old-fashioned.

I'm torn between the sophisticated full foliage options, simple acorn-and-stick adornments like this Smith & Hawken Fall Leaf and Acorn Wreath ($99), or one very cool wreath made out of herbs. Either way, these would look great hanging on a front door, in the kitchen, or in another subtle spot. Do you decorate with wreaths? Check out my finds below and tell me which one you prefer.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:27:58 -0800

Style Files featured these hiKARI timber lights by Danish woodworker and furniture designer Rasmus Fenhann.
GeekSugar has a great post about a 95-year-old blogger.
I love this three bin organizer from VivaTerra, which was featured on AT:SF. I also love that it's made from reclaimed wood.
The Hardware Aisle is featuring some beautiful fall foliage bronze tiles.
Good news! FitSugar gives us another reason to eat chocolate.
Chow has an inspiring round-up of centerpiece designs by a fellow blogger, design shop owner, and home accessories designer. I might just throw a dinner party!
Happy Mundane got in on the branches trend by spray painting a branch half white. A pretty neat DIY for anyone with a spare can of paint laying around.
Grassroots Modern Etsy-found some cozy geometric pillows made by felting old wool sweaters.
Ho ho ho! Poppytalk Handmade has some festive holiday cards to get you in the mood for the upcoming season.

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