CasaSugar

This Just In: Natalie Portman Is Homeless

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:30:47 -0800

Natalie Portman recently stopped by The Late Show With Dave Letterman and admitted to being homeless. Apparently, after she sold her West Village condo in October, she moved back to her parents' home in Long Island, where she'll camp out until she finds a new place. She said, "I'm a Long Island girl. Yeah, I just went and voted out there because I'm homeless right now and residing with my parents." Here are the pros and cons of living with your 'rents, according to Natalie:

Pros: It seems like a lot of fun in the beginning: "You get like . . . good meals, your laundry done."
Cons: "It's rough. I'm old to be residing with the parents." And, they scream at her: "They're like, 'Get a job!'"

Well, Miss Natalie may be homeless, but at least she has $6 million to keep her warm this Winter.

Natalie Portman Overpays For a Medieval Mini Manse

CasaSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

After selling her West Village condo, and moving in with her parents, Natalie Portman is no longer homeless. The bright-eyed beauty has snatched up a 4,866-square-foot, 4-bedrooms, 2-bath 1930s estate in Los Angeles for $3.25 million - $51,000 over the asking price. The property has had a history of celebrity ownership, including Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener, and DMB saxophonist LeRoi Moore. There was undoubtedly considerable interest in the property if Portman overpaid. But, that comes as no surprise, considering its dazzling features like a private courtyard, rich wood floors, sanctuary-style windows, buttressed ceilings, French doors, over 18,000 square feet of lush landscaping, and a beautiful pool. To see photos of the property, read more.

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Cool Idea: Maps Krieg

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:00:28 -0800

In big cities, Craigslist is the master when it comes to looking for apartments. But, unfortunately people tend to fudge about what neighborhood their listings are in. Google Mapping dozens of listings a day can really cut into your day job - and who wants to be homeless and jobless?
So, along came MapsKrieg, a website that has mashed together Craigslist and Google Maps, so you can view apartment listings, photos, and details geographically on a map. Just type in the location you'd like to search by address and city or zip code, and it'll reveal clickable pushpins for each listing. Or, you can just navigate a listings table that lists the headline, rent, listing date, and says whether or not photos are available. Obviously, the site only supports cities that already have listings on CL, so you might be out of luck if you live in rural areas. The drawback is that as it stands, in beta, you can only search by location, not keywords like "studio," "furnished," "cat-friendly," etc. But, it's a start. I've got my own digs now, but I sure do wish I'd known about this handy site in my renting days.

Ask Casa: Where Can I Donate My Stuffed Animals?

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:30:15 -0700

Hi Casa,

I need to do a major overhaul of my room, clean it, make it look pretty. I have all these old stuffed animals from my childhood and I don't know what to do with them. They're sooo dusty that I don't even think I can give them away. What can I do with them?

Thanks,
Tatsauce

To see my answer, read more.

Hi Tatsauce,

Kudos to you for being such a conscientious cleaner and recycler! My first (not very serious) suggestion is to send your stuffed animals to the Campana Brothers, who could make them into another chair.

I also saw an intense, giant teddy bear sculpture called Pre-Loved at Oakland, CA, art gallery LoBot a few years ago, which had been fashioned out of 1,700 stuffed animals. You never know what artist in your city or area might be looking for some stuffed animals for an art project. Try posting an ad in the free section of Craigslist.

Perhaps the most gratifying and generous option is to donate your stuffed animals to Project Night Night, which will distribute the toys to children at homeless shelters. Another organization, Project Smile, donates stuffed animals to firefighters, police officers, and other officials to give to children involved in traumatic situations. You might want to also check with homeless shelters, foster care organizations, women's shelters, and other similar organizations in your community to see if you can donate your toys locally. Even if the toys are dusty, they can usually be cleaned and repaired.

As you can see, there are many options available. I know that whoever receives your stuffed animals will be very grateful indeed.

Good luck,
Casa

Source and Source

Before and After: Tenderloin Family Apartments, Transformed

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:00:19 -0800

Remember when I told you about how Vern Yip was teaming up with Bank of America to transform two Bay Area nonprofits? Well, this morning, I was fortunate enough to attend the unveiling for the Tenderloin Family Apartments. Managed by the Chinatown Community Development Center, it's a safe, high-quality affordable housing property in the heart of the Tenderloin district, one of San Francisco’s lower income neighborhoods challenged by issues such as homelessness, safety, and drug use.

Renovations of the community room were just completed, with the reveal and ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place this morning.

Here's how it looked before Vern worked his magic:

To get a sneak peek of the transformation, read more.

Here's how the room looked for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. There's so much about this room I adore, from the George Nelson Bubble Lamps to the renovated kitchen space and updated flooring. Check back on Monday for more photos of this great space!

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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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Love It or Hate It? Le Clochard Cardboard Quilt

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:00:34 -0700

Tired of faux bois? How about faux carboard? This Le Clochard quilt cover (inquire for price), while made of 100 percent soft-combed cotton, looks like it's made from flattened cardboard boxes. There's a method behind the madness, of course: a large portion of sales will go to support SZN, the foundation for homeless young people in the Netherlands.