CasaSugar

Guess What This Product Is?

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:00:32 -0800

This product actually is made of a rubber balloon, but it's not used in celebratory fashion like most other balloons. Can you tell me what type of product it really is? (Hint: It'll make your life brighter!)

Love It or Hate It? Umbra U+ Collection Balloona Stool

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:00:26 -0700

The Umbra U+ Collection Balloona Stool ($200) might be a clown's dream furniture, but just because you can wrap a stool in deflated balloons, doesn't mean you should. On the other hand, it's got that contemporary art thing going, and has a very unexpected look. What do you think?

DIY: Water Balloon Candle Holders

CasaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:00:21 -0700

I've been totally in love with Glassybaby candle holders for months now, but I can't bring myself to spend $40 on a small votive. So when I came across CandleTech's DIY for making water balloon luminaries with very much the same shape simply out of paraffin wax, I knew I'd found an affordable alternative. All you'll need for this project is high-melt paraffin wax, water balloons, a piece of paper, a double boiler, a cookie sheet, and perhaps a candy thermometer. To learn the steps, read more.

Here's how, from CandleTech:

Fill the balloon with lukewarm water.
Melt your wax on the double boiler, keeping the temperature around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the candy thermometer if necessary to keep track of the temperature.
Dip the balloon into the wax just below the water level, holding it for a few seconds.
Lift it out of the wax and repeat several times, letting it dry for a few seconds in between.
Lay the paper on the cookie sheet. Then press the balloon while it's still warm on the paper to create a flat base.
Continue to dip the balloon in the wax until it is about 1/4" or 1/2" thick.
Let the balloon cool completely.
Take a knife, fork, or skewer are carefully pop the balloon over the sink.
Pull out and toss the pieces of balloon.
Warm up your cookie sheet.
Then, flatten the top of the candle holder but pressing it onto the warm cookie sheet until it's level.
Set a tea light inside, and light away!

Source

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:00:54 -0700

. . . would you decorate your mantel with this Rare 1940s Balloon Mold ($3,800) from an old American toy factory?

Love It or Hate It? LED Balloon Lamp

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:03:02 -0700

I'm a huge fan of energy-efficient lighting, so I was excited to see these LED balloon lamps posted on AT: SF ($30 for one, including shipping, available at designboom).

I would love to find a fanciful place for one of these in my home, but I have to wonder if the sustainability of LED lighting is seriously out of step with the disposability of the balloon that surrounds it.

Source

Less or More: Canopy Chairs

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:00:22 -0700

For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these canopy chairs and see if you can answer my questions about them.

Take the quiz

Cool Idea: Pickles' Whirl-It Lampshade

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:00:29 -0700

Those crafty ladies over at Norwegian crafting site Pickles are at it again. Remember their pattern for knitting the Puff Daddy? Well, if you were too intimidated by knitting and purling, here's a simpler project that boasts a big decorating payoff.

Using simple, inexpensive materials including a balloon, Vaseline, cotton yarn, wallpaper glue, and a marker, Pickles created a gorgeous lighting centerpiece. To see more photos and find out where to get the DIY instructions, read more.

Pickles writes,

We planned to make the lamp using the yarn Garnstudio Ice, but it ran out really quickly, and we had to improvise by using a thinner yarn to complete it. Perhaps it happened for a reason - we really like the contrasts between the yarn quality and colors.

Want to make your own? Get the directions here.

View 5 Photos ›

Nice and New: Blanca Gomez at Velocity

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:00:26 -0800

Prints by Madrid-based graphic designer and illustrator Blanca Gomez are now available at Velocity Art and Design, and I'm totally adoring them. Gomez's designs feature classically styled messieurs and mesdames accompanied by colorful balloons, raindrops, and other cheerful, child-like imagery. There's a near-stick-figure simplicity to her figures that evokes 1960s art; it's utterly charming. I'm loving this Monsieur print - the seafoam clouds, the shapely raindrops, the fedora: I can almost hear him singing, "Alouette, gentille alouette, alouette, je te plumerai." To see more prints, read more.

Gift Guide: $50 and Under

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:00:55 -0800

This week, I showed you some gift guides for items at small price points, from $5 to $25, which are great for co-workers, neighbors, or distant family members. Today, I've collected a handful of super-stylish gifts for $50 or less. While more expensive, $50 is also a reasonable and customary amount to spend on close friends and family. And thanks to the rampant sales and reduced prices these days, if you're willing to spend it, you really can get a lot of bang for your 50 bucks. For the rest of my finds, including this recycled balloon vase, read more.

This Just In: Jeff Koons Sculpture in London Park

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:30:00 -0700

If you're lucky enough to be in London right now, head over to Saint James Square to check out the stainless-steel sculpture "Balloon Flower (Magenta)," by artist Jeff Koons, who's known for his public art and whimsical, childlike sculptures. The giant sculpture, which does indeed look like shiny twists of balloons, will be exhibited for the next 10 days in Saint James Square in London, England. The sculpture, which has an estimated worth of around $23.6 mllion, will be auctioned at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale on June 30. If nothing else, this is a great chance to get up close and personal with a rather pricey piece of art. Are you going to check it out?

Source

Blanca Gomez Love This Way Print - $24.00	Blanca Gomez Monsieur IV - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Monsieur III Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Monsiuer Under The Rain Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Rainy Day Print - $22.00	Blanca Gomez Smoke Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez De Viaje Print - $28.00	Blanca Gomez Thinking Print - $28.00
Blanca Gomez Mademoiselle Under The Rain Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Present Print - $30.00
Blanca Gomez Sailor Print - $24.00	Blanca Gomez Family Print - $28.00
Blanca Gomez Monsieur II Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez The Writer Gocco Print - $24.00
Blanca Gomez Fete Print - $30.00	Blanca Gomez Lui Print - $28.00

Lace Shopping Basket - $24.99	Recycled Glass Balloon Vases - $39.00
Martha Stewart "Mercury Glass" Vase, 12" - $60.00	4"x6" Ireland Picture Frame by Fringe - $40.00
Botanical Notepads - $42.00	30,000 Years of Art - $49.95
Thomas Paul Brocade Cotton Twill Pillow - $44.00	Trish McEvoy Scented Candle Trio - $45.00
Areaware Mini Chat Pillow - $36.00	Organic Cotton Knit Throw - $49.00
Nanda Clock in Aqua - $50.00