CasaSugar

Assisted Living: Ideas For Covering an Exterior Wall

Casa Community — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:00:00 PDT

CasaSugar Community member The Grizz posed this question to the Assisted Living group:

We recently bought a foreclosure for a great deal but of course, it needs tons of work. You can see where the garage was converted to a den. That door will be replaced and the exterior will be painted probably a cream with black and white accents. The problem is that after we get rid of the door shutters, we will be left with a boring wall with just a door. What are some options to cover this wall? I am not sure if there are any. But I thought perhaps some sort of vines or greenery. Also, any other suggestions or ideas you might have are welcome and much appreciated. By the way, the house is brick and it was painted. The garage/den in question and the side wall are the only walls with siding. We will also be doing lots of landscaping!

Want to hear my thoughts for The Grizz and offer your own?

DIY: Hang Plates on a Wall

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:46 PDT

If you read my slideshow on how to decorate on the cheap with pretty plates, you might be feeling inspired to hang some in your own home. Before you get started, there are a few steps you should learn, so you don't wind up with shattered materials for a mosaic instead. While you can just hang a trio evenly spaced on a wall, you'll make more of a statement if you group them in a more unique arrangement. To learn how to hang plates,

Have You Painted an Accent Wall?

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:00:00 PST

Painting an accent wall is the simplest way to create a focal point in any room of a house. It requires just a little paint and a little time, and it's not as risky as painting an entire room. I'm loving this yellow wall from Harts Lane, a rental cottage in Australia. The room is fabulous otherwise in many ways, but the sunny color is just the finishing touch that the monochrome palette needs. Do you have an accent wall?

Source

Do You Have an Exposed Brick Wall?

CasaSugar — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:30:18 PST

I love the rugged, unfinished quality of an exposed brick wall (and I don't mean just around a fireplace). It offers a casual vibe to a room that, as beautiful as they may be, crown moldings and wainscoting just can't give you. An exposed brick wall also makes your accessories (candlesticks, vases) look all the more glamorous in comparison! And hey, Eli Stone looks pretty good in front of one, doesn't he?Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

How-To: Repair a Hole in the Wall

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:45:32 PDT

Like us, our homes are living, breathing creatures that need a little TLC every now and then. Just as we might stub our toes or nick ourselves shaving, our homes suffer some occasional battle wounds. But recovery calls for little more than a band-aid of sorts. If you're rearranging furniture or hanging artwork, you might wind up with a small hole in your drywall, but no worries, treatment is simple with a little first aid. To fix the hole, all you'll need is a putty knife, some sandpaper, an adhesive repair patch with a reinforced metal center, paint, tack cloth, and spackle. To be home schooled in how to repair a hole,

read more. Here's how, from Barbara K!:

First off remove any loose or rough plaster with the sandpaper or putty knife.
Then, generously coat the hole with spackle, and let dry.
Apply another layer of spackle.
Once it has completely dried, smooth down the surface with your sandpaper.
Cut your adhesive repair patch to fit over the hole.
Then smooth spackle over the patch and hole using the putty knife, and let dry.
Then, smooth the area down again with sandpaper, until the surface is flat.
If there is any residue, wipe it off with your tack cloth.
Then, touch up the wall with a little paint. Fini!

Source

Five Household Tasks to Contract Out

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:30:37 PDT

I recently asked you who your handyman is and which tasks around the house you undertake yourself, and which ones you designate to others. Not surprisingly, you're a talented bunch, and some of you cited that you sign up for tasks like installing dishwashers and light fixtures, sanding, plastering, building window shades from scratch, and refinishing furniture. But, according to Popular Mechanics, there are some DIYs that should be left to professionals. To hear which tasks you should avoid and why,

Su Casa: The Magnificent Collage Wall

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:30:54 PDT

TeamSugar member Harmonyfrance has shared some photos of her mom's beautiful accent wall. I love decoupage when it's done well, and Harmonyfrance's mom is an expert.

Harmonyfrance writes:

This is my mother’s magnificent collage wall. These pictures do not do justice to this wall at all. I wish you could see it in person; it’s so beautiful. This is something that I would never think to do. Basically she decoupaged the entire wall, tiny piece by tiny peace. She cut up fine arts books, a couple books on quilts, greeting cards, catalog . . . you name it! It took her a couple of months to complete this. She covered a small 3-foot across wall and followed it around the corner onto one full wall in the kitchen. Everything else is in neutral shades, so believe it or not it doesn’t look too busy. This is something that I would probably not do in my own home, but I think it’s beautiful and I’m always amazed at how creative my mother can be! She never fails to inspire me.

Do you want to post photos of your home? To join the Su Casa group, just follow this link and click "subscribe" beneath the photo on the lefthand side of the page. Once you're subscribed, click Share in the upper lefthand menu of any TeamSugar page and choose what type of post you want to create. If you have just one photo and some text, create a blog; if you have a gallery you want to share, select photos.

View 6 Photos ›

ferm Contest: QueenLizzy's Wall

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:00:02 PDT

In case you haven't heard yet, we're running a contest all month long for Dress Your Walls month, this time with the fabulous ferm LIVING, which is giving away a wall's worth of gorgeous wallpaper to one lucky reader. Check out this post to find out how to enter the contest.

Here is the next wall in need of some wallpaper rehabilitation.

To read what QueenLizzy has to say about her neglected bedroom wall, just

Strike a Yoga Pose: Handstand Trick

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Spring weather always reminds of how much I love doing handstands in the grass. You can really dig your fingertips into the earth to get some grip, and if you lose your balance - so what? You have a nice cushion of grass to fall on.

In the Yoga Stretch and Tell Group, one of our readers, snowdaytoday had a question about how to stay up and balanced in handstand.

Doing handstand in the middle of space, with no help can be really scary. I'm a firm believer in using the wall to lean on, but you want to do it in such a way that you can work on your balance at the same time. You don't want to rely on the wall completely for support because then you'll never achieve the strength and balance to stay up on your own.

Here's something you can practice against a wall. Want to see? Then

Stand facing a stable, bare wall (you don't want to kick up and knock over a painting or go through a door). Place your hands flat on the floor, with your fingertips about 5-7 inches away from the wall. Spread your fingers wide and put pressure into your fingertips, as if you were gripping the floor (kind of like your toes do when you're walking). This will take pressure off your wrists and hopefully prevent pain, which many people complain about when first learning to do handstands. Leave your hands planted and walk your legs forward into a short Downward Facing Dog, with both feet together and about a foot closer to your hands than they usually are. Lift your left leg into the air. This is called 3-Legged Dog pose.
Bend your right knee and press off the ball of your foot in order to kick up and plant both heels on the wall. Now place the crown (top) of your head against the wall so you are gazing between your palms. You want your shoulders directly above your hands, so you might need to come down and adjust your hand position.
Now work on bringing one foot off the wall and then the other until you're balancing on your hands with the crown of your head still pressing against the wall (this will help you to stay balanced).

Fit's Tips: Practicing this position is an awesome prep to doing it on your own. Hang out in this pose for a minute or more and you'll build the muscles in your shoulders, forearms, upper arms, upper back, and core that are necessary for staying balanced.

I Crave the Sun: Sunrise Toaster

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:30:00 PST

It's a wonder how we survive the winter with limited sunlight. The sun provides us with vitamin D and gives us hope that spring is just around the corner.

For those living in northern climes, in cities, or lacking windows to the outside world, it is easy to be affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

But now you can have your sun and eat it too. Really.

Check out Sunrise. It's a wall mounted toaster that represents the sun. While bread is toasting, light shines from the toaster. The light is brightest when the toast is ready to eat.

What a great combo: Artificial sunlight and delicious toast. I feel toasty just thinking about it. Unfortunately it's only a conceptual idea at the moment and is not yet available.