CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Clean Eats

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0800

We all have enough trouble keeping up with cleaning our own homes, but we shouldn't forget about the birds, either! According to the National Audubon Society, you should empty your birdseed feeders of old seed and hulls about once or twice a month, and then clean them by immersing them in a nine-to-one water-bleach solution. Rinse them thoroughly and then fill them with new seed before you replace them. Disinfecting them regularly will keep the feeders free of pathogens, bacteria that can cause disease in our beloved birdies!

Do You Feed the Birds in the Winter?

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:15:35 -0800

Having a bird feeder out year round is a nice way to attract beneficial wildlife to your casa, but it's extra important to keep your feeder stocked during the colder months. That's because birds often suffer from very limited food sources in the Winter, especially if there's an ice storm. Ice storms cover seeds and berries, preventing birds from eating them. If the ice is around for more than two days, the birds can actually starve to death! So, make sure to put some seeds out during the roughest weather. Source: Flickr User Noel Zia Lee

The 11th DIY of Christmas: A Chandelier For the Birds

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:00:49 -0800

Since I didn't want to forget our feathered friends this holiday season, I thought I'd make a pretty, edible bird feeder as part of my 12 DIYs of Christmas series.

This orange-and-cranberry feeder will attract birds such as orioles, red-bellied woodpeckers, finches, thrashers, mockingbirds, and tanagers. It also makes a pretty holiday table chandelier, too. This is a fun project for crafty teens, and you can keep them busy making this bird chandelier before serving Christmas dinner, and then send them out into the snow afterwards for a hike to select the perfect tree from which to hang the chandelier from.

Here's What You'll Need

baking sheet
8 to 10 oranges, cut into 27 to 30 slices
cranberries
thread and ribbon
glue gun
embroidery hoop
cinnamon (optional)

Get the directions when you read more.

The night before, you need to dry your oranges. Slice oranges about 1/4 inch thick, and lay flat either directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet. Bake at 250°F for three to four hours, largely unattended. You can flip the oranges halfway through to make sure they are drying evenly. If you want to keep your chandelier inside, brush cinnamon on the orange slices before baking. This will release a yummy cinnamon smell in your house the entire time the chandelier is up.
After the oranges have dried, take out a spool of ribbon, and cut nine pieces of ribbon three inches long. Then cut 18 pieces of ribbon at one inch lengths.
With the ribbon, measure out an additional three nine-inch lengths, and then cut three pieces. Tie them 1/3 of the way around the embroidery hoop, so you have the three ribbons evenly spaced. Pull the three pieces even, above the hoop, and tie in a loop for hanging.
Now, take your cut orange slices and make nine to 10 chandelier strands, with three orange slices per strand. Use the glue gun to glue the longest ribbon to the top orange slice, and then the shorter one-inch ribbon to each of the next two slices. Lay flat to dry, until you have all of the slices glued and strung.
Now, thread a needle and make a strand of cranberries for your middle chandelier strand. Set aside.
With the embroidery hoop hanging securely from a hook, take each of the strands of orange slices and loop them over the wood of the hoop. Glue the top, longer ribbon onto itself, going over the embroidery hoop. Space the strands of oranges evenly around the hoop.
Hang the cranberry strand from the middle of the knotted ribbon, at the top of the chandelier.
Now, display your finished product either outside for your bird friends or over a dinner table for your holiday feast. Just make sure to transfer it outside for the birdies to enjoy when you are done!

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Roundup: Little Bird Ornaments

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:15:51 -0800

From turtle doves to tuxedoed penguins, birds abound in holiday decorating. Better yet, birds belong in trees, making them perfect fodder for ornaments.

Whether you like your feathered friends on the folksy side, such as these Ceramic Ball Christmas Ornaments ($40-100), or in modern motifs, there's a bird ornament to suit every flight of fancy. Check out my picks below.

Desire/Acquire: Anthropologie Songbird Chandelier

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:23 -0800

Featuring finches, lories, and parakeets behind a delicate copper wire, the Anthropologie Songbird Chandelier ($798) is a bit gimmicky, but I can still definitely see its appeal. It would look great along with some busy, bird-themed wallpaper - like the one in Domino editor Rita Konig's foyer. But for a piece that requires a very specific design scheme, I certainly wouldn't spend nearly $800.

Luckily, you can buy nearly a carbon copy of this bird chandelier for under $100! To see it, read more.

Etsy seller Meggan Colleen's Twitterpated Chandelier will cost you only $99, and it's complete with a wire cage and plenty of birdies sitting on their bars.

Fall Style: Decorating With Poe's Raven

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:00:38 -0700

Since childhood, I've made it a tradition to read "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe every October. It puts me in a spooky, Halloween mood, and always gives me a case of the shivers. Besides serving as the topic of Poe's famous narrative poem, ravens are also a huge influence in the world of design. Check out my favorite ways to help your home look ravishing with ravens this month!

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Nice and New: Jonathan Adler Pop Menagerie Bird Box

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:00:05 -0700

Jonathan Adler has harmoniously merged two of my favorite trendy motifs, teardrops and birds, in his new Pop Menagerie Bird Box ($68), and I totally approve. At 10-by-5.5 inches, this little porcelain box won't hold much, but it will bring some whimsical geometric color and pattern into any room. I'd use it to hold keys in an entryway or jewelry on a nightstand. It also makes a great gift for the girl who has everything!

Nice and New: Folding Bird House

CasaSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:15:51 -0700

I just noticed this Folding Bird House ($50) new at the MoMA store, and I'm completely smitten. If you haven't already caught that I adore birds, I do. And, obviously, I'm a design fiend. So what better way to combine my two loves than with a sharp, contemporary bird feeder? This one comes flat-packed and easily folds upright, meaning more compact and eco-friendly shipping. It includes a wooden perch and a metal string for hanging, so all you'll need is some bird seeds to feed your little gentille Alouette. Oh, and did I mention it's white-painted steel? You know how I crave white furniture . . .

Inspired: Bloodhound Bar

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:00:09 -0700

7x7, San Francisco's city magazine, recently wrote about a new bar in the SoMa neighborhood called Bloodhound. My life isn't short on watering holes, and I rarely find myself in that 'hood, but I was impressed by the design of the space. The coolest thing, as the mag points out, is the flock of black birds painted on the ceiling. Beyond that, reclaimed wood paneling and rustic accents like an antler chandelier and wildlife artwork give the space a spooky, lost-in-the-woods aura. I came across the CB2 Flock Rug ($249), which would be ideal for re-creating the look of this bar. Using it as a jumping off point, I decided to round up a few more items inspired by this San Francisco spot. To see them, read more.

A dining room, I thought, would be the natural room to design with Bloodhound as inspiration, seeing as we don't all have bars in our homes. See more photos of the space here.

Source

Do You Have a Bird Feeder?

CasaSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:00:20 -0700

Returning Spring birds are brightening up my backyard, and I try to keep my feeder full of seeds to keep the songbirds satisfied. Do you have a bird feeder around your home?