CasaSugar

Guess Which President's Son Lived Here?

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0800

The only child to survive into adulthood of one of America's most prominent presidents built this Georgian Revival Summer home on 500 acres of land in Manchester, VT, at the turn of the 20th century. It was home to only his descendants until 1975, when it was purchased by a historical society; today, it lives on as a museum, preserving the family legacy. Can you tell me the name of his father, the former president?

Midday Muse: Damask in Blooms

CasaSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:00:05 -0700

I love damask patterns, whether they're woven into a beautiful throw or papered onto a wall. They're often feature flowers, fruit, or animal life, but have you ever heard of a damask pattern that's composed of flowers? Well, that's exactly, what Manchester, England, artist Jo Vickers did when she created a flower installation in a damask pattern. Displayed in Manchester's Albert Square as part of the Manchester in Bloom festival, over 60,000 flowers were used to create the pattern. Breathtaking!

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Artist of the Day: Miguel Ornia-Blanco

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:15:04 -0700

Inspired by his travels through London, Manchester, and Buenos Aires, artist Miguel Ornia-Blanco paints urban landscapes full of movement, energy, and life. Contrary to the stark, gray skyscrapers, blacktop roads, and dingy sidewalks you might see in some of those metropolitan areas, Ornia-Blanco finds a vibrant color palette in the cityscape. He sees emotions, life, laughter, pain, and solitude in places where, on a whole, people seem to pass by each other unknowingly. His brushstrokes are free-flowing and his colors blend with no straight lines or distinct outlines, further evoking the reality that nothing is constant in these hectic terrains. Although his paintings seem to illustrate that the world is colliding in these places, Ornia-Blanco brings beauty to the chaos, and that's not an easy thing to do. Check out the gallery below and his website to see some more work by this London-based artist.

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Summer Style: Outdoor Rugs at Overstock.com

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:00:49 -0700

Overstock.com can be a wonderful shopping treasure — kind of like a low-rent ShopStyle. But, unless you have the patience to dig through its wealth of tacky inventory, it is a pain in the bottom. Since I noticed that they have a vast selection of outdoor rugs, and I told you that outdoor rugs were a must-have this month, I decided to be a good friend and weed through them for you. Overstock actually has several rugs that I'm really drawn to, like this Manchester Propylene Area Rug ($114), more so than those from traditionally more stylish retailers like West Elm. Check out the widget below to see if there's one for you.