CasaSugar

Love It or Hate It? I Dream of Greenie Pillow

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:15:51 -0700

I'm all for recycling, but I'm not sure we need to be so obvious about it. The I Dream of Greenie Pillow ($65), which is made from 75 percent recycled cotton, makes a nice effort at drawing attention to environmental concerns. But, since it's not made of 100 percent recycled cotton, perhaps it should stop singing its own praises. Then again, it does have a hip sort of masculine industrial design.

Wrap Star! Blooming Wrapping Paper

CasaSugar — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 08:01:54 -0800

Recyclable paper is not a new phenomenon. But plant-able paper? That's another thing. This biodegradable Uncommon Goods Blooming Wrapping Paper ($20 for 3) is embedded with annual and perennial wildflower seeds, such as catchfly, English snapdragon, cornpoppy, and black-eyed susan, so that it will grow into a beautiful garden when planted. The paper is a crisp clean white with the choice of light green or brown antique suns and the words "water me" printed on the paper. Pair it with a festive ribbon and your gift will be good to grow for all of your holiday gifts . . . just remember to tell the giftee how it works.

Weird Furniture: Road Tested Chair

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:29:50 -0800

This John Carter Road Tested Chair ($3700) is created from two working New York City Don't Walk/Walk signs, comes with a remote control to turn them on and off, and plugs into a standard AC outlet. It can come as is, with all the grit that New York City is known for, or with a fresh coat of taxi-cab yellow paint. The seating surfaces have been reglazed with thick resin and cushioned with felt suspension. It certainly doesn't look cushiony to me, which I would excuse if a piece of furniture were easy on the eyes, but this one is just plain weird.

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Classy Halloween Decor

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:32:59 -0700

Halloween is a tricky time for décor. There are people who really make an effort for the trick-or-treaters by decking out their houses with cobwebs all around, spooky light shows and monsters that make noise on the lawn, and then there are people who just put a cute pumpkin or two on the front stoop. Either way, it's nice to share some sort of festivity with your neighbors and friends at Halloween time, and you don't have to do so at the expense of your personal home decorating taste. There's no need to get your festivity fix at the check-out counter of your local drug store; I've selected several items that certainly qualify as classy Halloween décor. I'm adoring these mini gourd candles ($15)—they're so life-like! To see the rest of my picks, click the images below.

Love It or Hate It? Candlelight Electriclight

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:35:23 -0700

I'm always torn about whether to light candles next to my table lamps. (Overkill or not? I just can't decide.) If this Uncommon Goods Candlelight Electriclight ($120) is any indication, pairing a candle and a light bulb is perfectly acceptable. The lamp base divides in two, with a candle on one side and a pull-string light on the other.

Garden Stakes With Style

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 13:19:14 -0700

One reason I like having a garden is because it gives me another excuse to buy accessories, and lately, I've been dying to get my hands on these very stylish garden stakes. Some of them, like these Nina Gibson Designs Herb Garden Plant Markers ($20, above right), actually serve a purpose.

Others are purely decorative or unabashedly cheeky, with messages like "Grow Dammit." I've found all sorts of stake styles to add some style to your garden. To find your favorite, click on the photos below.

Get the Look: Indoor Camping Kitsch

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:00:56 -0700

Camping is one of my favorite Summertime activities, and ever since I came across this adorable Campfire Tealight (below right) the other day, I've been obsessed with creating a decorating theme that brings the spirit of camping indoors.

There are definitely right and wrong ways to incorporate camping gear into your decor: A friend whose college living room consisted only of two fold-up camping chairs and a TV comes to mind. And I'm certainly not suggesting that you curl up every night in a sleeping bag. But done right, this would be a very cute look for a sitting room, office, or sun room. Here's how to get it.

The Palette: You'll want plenty of woodsy hues, including dark brown and forest green, balanced with lighter earth tones like sage green and khaki.

The walls: To recreate the comfy feeling of being surrounded by nature, try a kitschy Morning Forest Wall Mural, or pair an earth-toned paint shade with rustic accents that echo tree branches.

For the rest of your indoor camping essentials, read more

The furniture: Supplement regular furniture with pieces that evoke camping gear. Canvas-covered cots and fold-up chairs would be fun, as would a hammock for snoozing.

The lighting: Find table lamps that resemble or re-purpose camping lanterns - like this adorable Camping Lantern Lamp that I'm crazy about.

Accents: Here's the place where you can really have fun with campfire-motif tchotchkes like the tealight above. Also, consider mixing real camping gear, like enamelware dishes, with retro relics like Campfire Girl patches, pictures from old guidebooks, and nostalgic Summer camp photos.

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Have You Hosted a Formal Halloween Dinner Party?

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:44 -0700

Event planner Peacock Feathers created this very over-the-top dinner table décor for a Halloween party. Not only does the pink and purple palette strike me as unusual, but it also seems uncommon to host a formal dinner party for Halloween. I do think any occasion to host a party is a good one, but I've never been to a Halloween dinner party. Have you?

How-To: Register For Your Wedding

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:00:15 -0700

Planning your wedding can be stressful, but the fun part is registering for gifts! Unfortunately, some people get carried away at the thought of all the presents coming their way and register spontaneously, not methodically. You have to remember that you're going to live with these gifts, and your friends and family are spending real money on them, so you better like them! Beyond that, you should think about what you need, not what you want, so you can really "set up house" - that's kind of the point. I have a few tips that will make it all easy for you. To hear them, read more.

Consider your timeline. If you're having any sort of engagement party, try to register by the time the invitations for that party go out, making sure you've covered all the price points. Many of your friends and family will want to buy your engagement and wedding gifts as soon as they hear about the engagement and get it out of the way. Don't feel rushed; you can always go back and add more items later on. If you're not having an engagement party, about nine months before your wedding day is a good time to register; it doesn't make you seem as if you're either rushing or procrastinating.
Do your Spring cleaning, and take note of what you already have and what you need for your home.
Then, get together and make a list of things you both want for your home.
Before you start checking boxes, cruise around to a bunch of stores and decide which one or which few suit your tastes the most. Stick to three stores or fewer to keep things uncomplicated, and make sure one of them is a national department store like Bloomingdale's or Macy's.
Most major stores have some sort of registry system, if not an online one. However, if you love a certain boutique or specialty store, they may not. But most will be more than willing to work something out with you, so just ask!
Go through all the questions. Figure out what kind of return policy each store has, how shipping works, whether they take phone orders, whether they have an online database to track orders, etc. Your older generation of friends and family may only want to shop by phone or in store, so there should be something available for them. And it's ideal to be able to track the orders as they come in, so you can add more items at different price points, or remove items if need be.
Use our downloadable registry guide to make sure you've covered all the bases for your housewares, and go ahead and register with each store, giving as much detail as possible to make it easy on guests. Choose size, color, brand, etc.
You can also use MyRegistry to register online from a variety of sources, giving your friends and family a central place to shop for you.
OK, so let's say you already have all the table runners and Le Creuset pans you could ever want. What then? Nowadays it's not uncommon to have an alternative registry. If you'd like, you can register with a charity or even to pay for your honeymoon. Although it's not the most proper of moves, if you really need help with your finances, you can even register for stocks or cash for big ticket items you may need.
Once you're registered, there's some etiquette you should follow for getting the word out. It's a bit taboo to send your registry information out with your invitation. If you have a website for your wedding, you can post it discreetly there. It's also common to have your maid of honor send out the details with the invitations for your bridal shower, and the same for the bachelor party. You can ask your family members to pass the word along to the guests as well. And, if your guests ask you up front where you are registered, go ahead! If you are sending out a package to your guests with other details about the wedding (maps, hotel information, etc.) apart from the invitation, you can slip in a printed card with the registry information.
Most registries remain active for at least a year after the big day so guests can make purchases after the fact. And many stores will give you a discount on the items that weren't purchased, so that you can buy them for yourself.

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How-To: Live Green Like Jessica Alba

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:15:36 -0700

InStyle currently has a great feature on celebrity interior designer Kari Whitman and her eco-friendly ideas for Jessica Alba's home. Whitman is known for her creative use of salvaged artifacts (like the vintage chandeliers shown here) that she finds by scouring antique shops, flea markets, and her clients' homes. For example, she says, "For Jessica Alba's house we bought almost every piece used." Snatching up second-hand pieces isn't the only way she has greenified Alba's home, though. To hear some of her other tips and tricks, read more.

Whitman also advocates using zero and low VOC paints, bamboo flooring, Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products, and eco-friendly pet and nursery furnishings. She has also purchased upcycled accessories for Alba's home, from stores like Uncommon Goods.

To hear more about Whitman's techniques for making Alba's interiors simultaneously stylish and eco-conscious, and to see additional photos of her home, check out InStyle!
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