CasaSugar

Open House: What Was Your Most Successful DIY?

CasaSugar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:30:31 -0800

For crafters and DIYers, a few failures are par for the course. That's part of the reason why successful DIY projects are such a coup. I've had my share of successes and failures, and I'm currently in the middle of one of my more ambitious projects ever. I find myself fretting over it, since I'm not sure if it's going to completely work out yet, and there are still several steps to complete.

One of my favorite DIY projects was refurbishing a wood and canvas canoe with my father. It was a project that took a long time to complete, but the end result was absolutely amazing. I loved paddling around the lake in the canoe, knowing that we'd made that moment possible thanks to our hard work.

This table, shown above, was also a collaboration between a parent and grown child. You can read more about it here. But before you do, tell me a little about your most successful DIY project. Was it quick and easy? Or did it take lots of love, elbow grease, and patience?

Source: Flickr User Sporkist

Roundup: Context Furniture

CasaSugar — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Husband-and-wife team Bryce and Kerry Moore are the masterminds behind Context Furniture. Blending influences and inspiration from modernism and the arts and crafts movements, their pieces, such as this William and Mary Side Chair ($1,098) show these two influences off to their best advantage. I love the contrasting strip of hardwood incorporated into the Baltic birch plywood - it reminds me of a racing stripe.

To see some more pieces from Context, read more.

Coveted Crib: A Craftsman Remodel

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:15:39 -0800

San Francisco Bay Area remodeling firm Harrell Remodeling specializes in renovating homes with a focus on comfort, beauty, and eco-conscious materials. In the case of this two-story home, the firm considered the needs of the environmentally conscious, active family who lived in it, and developed a low-maintenance expansion on the existing home. Using sustainable materials for this whole house remodel, the remodel focused on supplying the family with what they needed for their easygoing, active lifestyle, including additional storage space and easy maintenance.

Additional changes to the home include a luxurious Japanese Ofuro soaking tub and dry sauna, expanded hallways, Craftsman detailing that reflects the home's original look, and a newly designed master bedroom, master bath, and office.

To see more photos of this pretty home, read more.

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Source

Home Library: Plants and Their Application to Ornament

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Anyone with a little design savvy, flower-philia, or an appreciation for the way that flowers' shapes lend themselves to pattern will covet Plants and Their Application to Ornament. This reprint of Eugène Grasset 's 1897 design book features amazing botanical illustrations of a variety of flowers, from water lilies to lilacs. Each flower illustration is adapted as a pattern for use in such home design applications as rugs, stained glass windows, metalwork, and tile work. While I was smitten with nearly every illustration, I'm particularly partial to the gorgeous use of nasturtiums (seen on the cover), a flower that I often think of it as a pesky weed here in the Bay Area. A celebratory merging of the beauty of botanicals and art nouveau style, this book is sure to be a favored distraction on anyone's coffee table.

View 6 Photos ›

Source

Are You Into Crafts?

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:00:40 -0700

Crafting has gotten to be a very trendy hobby lately, from knitting to making jewelry to reglazing old plates. Are you a crafty type?

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DIY: Appliqué Throw Pillow

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0700

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member nancita from the Art(ist)s & Craft(er)s group:

I am not an expert crafter, but I have a friend who is, and she has started hosting a Craft Happy Hour, where she teaches her noncrafty friends to sew, using a different project each month. Food and drinks are served, hence the "happy hour."

My first time using a sewing machine ever (!), we made these throw pillows with self-made appliques. I didn't think I could do it, but it was surprisingly easy and oh so cute. My pillow is now proudly displayed on my bed, so you know it wasn't a total disaster. Here's how to do it:

What you need:

A 14" x 14" pillow form
At least 15" x 15" of fabric for the front panel
At least 21" x 15" of fabric for the two back panels
An image printed for your appliqué. The image is best as a silhouette (search Google Images for basic art) and printed to the size you want it to be on the pillow. I chose a maple leaf, while another friend used a goose (at right).
A coordinating fabric for your appliqué big enough to fit your image (could match the back panels or not)
A coordinating thread in a color that you want to border your appliqué
Enough Wonder Under for your appliqué

To learn the steps, read more.

How to do it:

Cut the front panel and two back panels of the pillow cover to size.
Cut the appliqué fabric to a square a little larger than your image.
Cut a piece of Wonder Under slightly smaller than your appliqué fabric square.
Iron the Wonder Under to the wrong side of your appliqué fabric square. Peel off the paper backing of the Wonder Under.
Draw/trace your image on to the wrong side of the fabric, on top of the Wonder Under adhesive.
Cut out your image silhouette to create your appliqué.

Iron the appliqué on to the front panel of your throw pillow cover in your desired location.
With a narrow, short zig-zag stitch, sew around the border of the appliqué with your sewing machine with a thread color of your choice, coordinating or contrasting.

Now prepare your back panels. Fold the short side of one panel under once, then iron the fold line. Fold the short side of the other panel under twice for a double fold, then iron the fold line.
Hem the double-folded panel close to the inside edge of the first of the two folds.
Lay your front panel on a flat surface, right side up. Lay your double-folded panel right side down on top of the front panel. The long side should be vertical and the unfinished end should line up against one edge of the front panel. Lay the single-folded panel right side down on top of the other two pieces of fabric. The long side should also be vertical with the unfinished edge against the opposite edge of the front panel than the first back panel is lined up with. The two back panels should make a square the same size as the front panel with your finished edges overlapping in the middle.
Pin all the way around the border of the pillow cover catching all pieces of fabric.
Sew all the way around the border with the appropriate size seem allowance.

Trim your corners close to the seem with three snips each. Turn the case right-side-out and use a point turner or pen to clean-up your corners and get them nice and pointy.
Stuff your pillow cover with your pillow form.
Voila! You have a throw pillow cover accented with a self-made appliqué! Congratulations!

Behold the proud pillow makers! Note: Three of us had never really sewn before at all.

Have you been doing any crafting of your own lately? Be sure to post photos and tales to the Art(ist)s & Craft(er)s group!

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0700

Introduce some atypical wall art into your home. - ShelterPop
Transform a lampshade from drab to fab. - AT:SF
Take a lesson on using utility knives for craft projects. - DIY Life
Pair Liberty of London with old transferware pieces. - Shelterrific
Give your garage an organized and stylish update. - Charles & Hudson

Weekend Links: Events Not to be Missed!

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:00:47 -0700

Check out the Debutante Set opening at Mew Gallery in Philadelphia. Great art by talented ladies.
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, hop down to the Mission Indie Mart for great craft and art finds.
The London Design Festival will have plenty of eye candy for the home design enthusiast over the weekend.
Austinites can contribute some sweat equity to a worthy cause at Pride Build 2007, with the awesome organization Habitat for Humanity.

On Saturday, Miami residents can check out the sale at Nadeau Imports, a wholesale furniture warehouse that imports exotic pieces from India, Indonesia, and China that will be open to the public on Saturday.
The "Do it Now: Live Green" show continues to wow at the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and features cool green home products.
If you live in New York, and you loved the Isamu Kenmochi Kashiwado chair we posted about earlier today, then head over to the the Noguchi Museum for an exhibition on Kenmochi and Isamu Noguchi's design collaborations.
The Providence Open Market in, um, Providence has got the art, food, flower, and d-i-y goods for you this Saturday.
DC folks, check out the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair in Adams Morgan to get your fix of handmade crafts from 100 talented vendors.
Bostonians, don't miss the SoWa Open Market if you're in the market for hand-crafted accessories, original art, antiques, or just a fresh loaf of bread.

Have any tips on upcoming weekend events in your hometown? Then leave a comment below!

Source

Nice and New: Papier-Mâché Animal Busts

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:00 -0800

Hunters bask in their shooting glory by mounting their prized prey on their walls, and some people can even fill a dining room wall with antlers galore. But I found another type of taxidermy to take pride in - a papier-mâché Savannah Story Bust ($68). These jungle-friendly animal heads are made by Haitians to honor their African heritage. Crafted from recycled cement bags and old French books, these perfectly captured pieces of art are eco-conscious, magical, a lesson in the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and perhaps best of all, no animals were harmed in their making. What do you think of these critters?

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:55 -0800

I'm anxious to add one of these German botanical prints to my home. - PoppyTalk
Learn how to remove hard water stains from your toilet. - Shelterrific
Try this tip for fixing a squeaky cabinet. - DIYLife
Make this pretty origami sphere. - Craft
Turn excess trimmings into a border garden at your house. - Charles and Hudson
An LA shop turns dingy furniture into works of art. - ShelterPop
Bring home a luxurious Gus Modern Spencer Sofa doppelganger for a fraction of the price! - CopyCatChic