CasaSugar

Lovely Little Vignettes: An Autumn Remix

Casa Community — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:00:43 PST

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member nyclq from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

Here's a recent seasonal vignette I had set for Fall in our Florida townhome, mixing old, thrifted and found objects:

Thrifted buffet - $30
Thrifted glass globe lamp - $5
Thrifted blue-gray acorn - $3
Repurposed old retail fitting room wall art - $0 (yes - free!!)
Glass bottle and horseshoe - free, found on a farm in Georgia
Branch - free, found on the side of the road
Three Fall leaf sprays - on sale for $1.50 each at a local craft store
Mirror and vases - existing accessories from Homegoods
Black metal candle holders - only $15 for a set of three about 12 yrs. ago at Pier 1

More vignettes, table styling, and makeovers can be found on my blog. Stop by and say hello! Thanks!!

Have you been doing any decorating lately? Be sure to post your arrangements in the Lovely Little Vignettes group!

Lovely Little Vignettes: A Vintage Buffet

Casa Community — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:00:04 PDT

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Carolynz from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

Our dining room is finally finished! I just laid our FLOR carpet tile rug down and set up our Broyhill Brasilia dining room table. Here is a shot of the Brasilia buffet; it's against a "wall" that separates the kitchen from the dining room (made from the same wood as the kitchen cabinets), and it's open at the top, too. I bought the funky painting at an estate auction for $1! The wall needed something large on it, and this does the job, and I love that it's an original work of art, and it works with our color scheme in the room.

Have you been busy decorating? Be sure to post a photo and details about your arrangements in the Lovely Little Vignettes group! Plus, if you submit a vignette by Nov. 5, you'll be entered to win a Canon Digital Rebel SLR XSi camera!

Bang For Your Buck: Eat More Before a Buffet

SavvySugar — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:03 PDT

Many people tend to skip meals before a buffet, just so they can chow down more food. In fact, in a recent Are You a Penny Pincher SavvySugar poll, 39 percent said they skip a meal before a buffet and 20 percent said they do that occasionally. Reader isahrangme disagrees with that mentality and shares her buffet tip:

Actually, you're supposed to eat before a buffet! just something small! If you don't eat at all, your stomach stays "small" and at the buffet, you don't end up eating much if you've actually prepared your stomach to "stretch" by eating earlier, then you can eat more! At least, that's what I've heard and this is actually how it works for me!

Do you have a tip for readers? Join our How Do You Save group and share your helpful suggestions! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Buffet or Sit-Down Dinner? It's Your Call!

Guest Writer — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:50:01 PDT

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Colin Cowie, wedding planner and lifestyle guru. Today Colin discusses wedding dinner options.

Not every wedding dinner needs to be served with guests seated at round tables of ten or twelve. Consider buffet-style or a combination of buffet-style and sit down. No one says it has to be one or the other. In fact, the combination actually works well; if you have the first course served and the plates are cleared table by table, guests can make their way to the buffet for their next course; naturally minimizing any possible food lines.

To see what else he has to say about buffets, keep reading.

Lovely Little Vignettes: Colorful Dessert Bar

Casa Community — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:00:46 PST

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member ColorSizzle from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

My colorful, retro-modern Valentine's Day dessert bar - complete with antique and thrift store finds! Get more info at my blog, Color Sizzle.

See more photos of ColorSizzle's colorful dessert bar when you

All You Can Eat - Recession Buster or Fat Maker?

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:15 PDT

Taybarns restaurant is introducing a new dining concept to the English - all you can eat. It's nothing we haven't seen in the United States. We have all-you-can-eat baked potato and pizza bars, endless breadsticks and salad, and the kind of buffets that would make Elvis weep if he was still kickin' it in Vegas.

The Taybarns message is clear: "Enjoy as much as you like, as many times as you like. All for one fixed price!" That fixed price gives you a 111-foot counter filled with pizza, Chinese food, carving stations, fry stations, desserts, and more. The English are going crazy for the buffet-style chain, and while neighboring restaurants continue to close, Taybarns is on the up.

During tough economic times, giving people the most bang for their buck seems like a smart business model, but at what cost? As reported by the BBC, not everyone likes Taybarns. They think the chain encourages unhealthy eating habits and will cause England's collective waistline to expand.

It's a common argument, and one that's been batting around in the US for some time. Is it the fault of (insert any fast food giant here), or does the responsibility fall on the individual? Does walking into Taybarns rob a human of their free will, and why isn't healthy food more accessible to the masses?

Would You Eat This Tropical Fruit Chutney?

partysugar — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:00:33 PDT

A couple weeks ago, at a buffet dinner, I came across this gross-looking condiment. The only ingredient I recognized was pecans.

As I was about to quickly pass by, I noticed a little sign that said, "Tropical Fruit Chutney with Pecans - Tastes better than it looks!" I couldn't help but laugh; the poor chutney was so ugly it needed a disclaimer!

After snapping a quick picture, I scooped some onto my plate. Could you be as brave?

You Waste, You Buy

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:00:41 PST

If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, one restaurant thinks you should pay the price for being too greedy. In an unprecedented move, Hayashi Ya, a Japanese buffet on Manhattan's Upper West Side, has begun adding a 30 percent surcharge for customers who don't finish food on their plate. In other words, the restaurant's $26.95 meal deal is all-you-can-eat - but not a bite more. According to Hayashi Ya's manager Ben Lin, the motivation behind adding a surcharge was twofold. First, it's an incentive for customers to only take what they can eat, thereby cutting down on waste. Second, it prevents the eatery from obtaining a surplus of ingredients, which hurts the restaurant's profitability.

There's been a lot of discussion over this charge, but I think it's legitimate. In this tight economy, restaurants are fighting to remain profitable. Although entire civilizations across the globe are in dire need of food, studies show that anywhere between 30 percent and 50 percent of edible food goes to waste. All factors considered, I think the surcharge is rather sensible. Do you think it's fair?

Source

Crave Worthy: Jethro Macey Sideboard

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:24 PDT

If you told me the words lace, sideboard, white, floral, lacquer, and modern could exist all in one breath, I wouldn't believe you - and I'd likely chastise you for being a tease. But impressively, those adjectives do exist all together . . . in the Jethro Macey Sideboard ($8,000 and up). The white sideboard has a lacquered surface and its doors shine with a textured rose pattern that emulates antique lace. I love how the masculine quality of its clean lines and mid-century-style legs are juxtaposed with the femininity of the rose pattern. It's subtly stunning, and would make killer storage for a modern bedroom, living room, or dining room. Macey also sells concrete lace tiles with the same repeating decorative rose pattern that's a really innovative style of surface design. To see the tiles,

read more. Beautiful, right? Read more about the Lace Tiles here.

View 6 Photos ›

Source

Before and After: A Buffet Gets Styled

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:45:30 PDT

Talk about changing the look of things! Craftster member Olga reports that this buffet, which is made from cheap materials, was purchased for $15. She writes, "I wanted to do something to help this buffet, and at the same time I needed to get more practice with different or new materials. For a long time I went back and forth on what to do with this monster, and finally, after months of staring at its ugliness I was inspired by an ad in Architectural Digest."

Here's what Olga started with.

To see how she changed the look of this "monster,"

read more. Olga reinvigorated this buffet thanks to lots of careful painting and new legs, which she removed from a table and attached to the buffet. I love how the skinny legs modernize the piece, while the colors make it feel like a piece of Pop art. Nice work! For more photos, check out the project on Craftster. Source