CasaSugar

DIY: Advent Calendars

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:40 -0800

The anticipation of Christmas facilitated by my mother's advent calendar was always my favorite part of the holiday season growing up. (These days, it's mulled wine.) But I've never been a fan of those store-bought advent calendars where you opened a little paper door each day. They're cute, but certainly not as fun as a calendar filled with treats or activities. The possibilities for making your own advent calendar are endless, but I thought I'd round up a few DIY projects to inspire you (and woo you away from the drugstore variety).

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Etsy Find: Jennifer Squires 2009 Photo Desk Calendar

CasaSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:15:23 -0800

It's that time again. Well, actually, it was time for calendar-shopping in December, but you can't expect a person to think ahead, can you? Canada-based photographer Jennifer Squires has fashioned a beautiful desk calendar ($20) out of 12 of her stunning black and white and color images to carry you through the year in style. A chilly tree in January, a retro fan in July, and a bursting daffodil in June, Squires's photography is subtly appropriate for each month, but charming enough to enjoy year-round. The calendar also arrives in a plastic jewel case, which folds back to serve as its convenient stand.

DIY: Photosynthesized Botanical Calendar

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:31 -0800

Have a nature-loving pal who still needs a gift this season? Then try making her a cool botanical calendar. It's also an easy project that you can share with precocious youngsters, so everyone can get in on the fun!

What You'll Need

Sunprint kit
Foraged garden leaves, stalks, flowers, etc.
Rimmed baking sheet
White, ultrafine paint pen
2009 calendar for reference

To find out how to make it, read more.

Here's how, from The San Francisco Chronicle:

Gather items to use as images; finely textured plants and leaves work best.
Lay item on Sunprint sheet, leaving enough room to write in days of the month
Follow instructions on Sunprint kit: Place briefly in direct sunlight. Expose until paper turns almost white.
Rinse in baking sheet filled with water for about a minute.
Lay flat to dry. Once sheets are dry, press under books to flatten. (Note: It's faster and easier to make several at once, but begin with one sheet to make sure you are comfortable with the process.)
Using a pencil and a light touch, write the months, days and dates on each sheet. Work freehand or use a ruler to mark straight lines. Trace with a paint pen and, when dry, lightly erase your pencil marks.
If desired, punch holes in the top of each page and bind with ribbon to hang.

Source

Roundup: Advent Calendars

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:30:00 -0800

If you didn't go for the Tiny Shoe Advent Calendar, but you're still open to the tradition of advent calendars, you're in luck. I'm sure you can arrive at plenty of ways to DIY your own, but perhaps you'd just to prefer to shop. I know I should cut back, but as a San Francisco dweller, I'm personally loving the Gump's Painted Ladies Advent Calendar ($125). If you're not familiar with the Painted Ladies, they're colorful, embellished Victorian houses here in SF, which appeared in the opening credits of Full House. Perhaps you'll find an advent calendar that's right up your alley when you read more.

Fabric Advent Tree - $6.99	Countdown To Christmas Advent Calendars - $8.95
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Advent Calendar - $11.95	Byers Choice Tree Advent Calendar - $78.00
Chocolate Truffles Advent Calendar - $75.00	Advent Calendar Cabinet - $99.00
Painted Ladies Advent Calendar - $125.00	Advent Calendar - $1,000.00

Etsy Find: Tiny Shoe Advent Calendar

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:00:01 -0800

In my house, we hung an advent calendar each year, made of miniature gift bags filled with candy. I think it's a fun tradition for children that fosters their excitement for Christmas - as if they weren't already bursting at the seams. Although it's obviously a religious tradition, the countdown calendars can be used for all sorts of celebrations, like birthdays or even the election! That is, if the calendar itself isn't specifically Christmas-y in theme. For example, the Great Craft Disaster Advent Calendar ($45) is composed of 24 tiny fabric slippers, although Christmas fabrics in particular weren't used. Considering that I love anything mini, I can't get enough of this calendar! Each slipper has a numbered tag on it denoting the date, or the number of days left in the countdown. What do you think?

Cool Idea: Chrono Shredder

CasaSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

German designer Susanna Hertrich's Chrono Shredder is "a hybrid between calendar, clock, and waste-producing automaton," that has no on/off functionality. It runs unstoppable for 365 days until it has continuously shredded all of its calendar pages, which are kept on a paper roll. The paper is fed through a hacked paper shredder, which is programmed to use exactly 24 hours to shred one "day." The device reminds us not only of the day, but of the passing of time. So, on Dec. 31, you'll have a big pile of shredded paper that is not simply waste, but actual evidence that time has passed. Hertrich created Chrono Shredder to target would-be future hibernation obsessives, to remind them that while they sleep, something tangible is happening. The design is not actually in production. Would you like it to be?
Source

Cool Idea: Growing Works

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:00:42 -0700

London-based production designer Óscar Díaz dreamed up a novel printing technique whereby a specific type of paper absorbs ink gradually. The technique allowed for him to create self-printing designs, where numbers on a calendar, letters on a card, or leaves on a botanical (etc.) are revealed bit by bit, so they are "growing works." Quite appropriately, his calendar design showed under the "Gradual" category at the 2007 London Design Festival. Each number on the calendar is printed daily, until the end of the month when the ink well is dry. So, the calendar not only signals elapsed time but gives a true sense of it. His plant posters grow up slowly, mimicking the growth of a real plant. In the case of his larger plant posters, complete growth can take up to four months. His Christmas card, which reads "Happy New Year 2008," took four days to print itself. Clever, huh? I have to say this is genuinely one of the coolest ideas I've shared here. Let's just see if Díaz can take a note from Gutenberg and make this printing technique commercially viable. To see his card in action, read more.

Source

Cool Idea: A Calendar You Can Plant

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:16 -0800

The Plantable Eco Calendar 2008 is a monthly desk calendar that blooms long after each calendar's page is past its due date. When a month passes by, simply plant the handmade paper page and wait for wildflowers to grow. This year's calendar is designed by Kal Barteski and comes in a collector's tin. This calendar was featured in Elle magazine's Best Calendars of 2008 shopping guide, and for good reason. Too bad I already picked up a Charles Harper daily planner, or I'd snatch one of these up.

Coming Soon: Danny Seo Do Just One Thing Calendar

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:30:15 -0700

It's not even September yet, but I've already found my desk calendar for next year. I just adore the idea of this Danny Seo Do Just One Thing Calendar ($9.59). The tear-off calendar, coming out Sept. 1, will offer one eco-tip per day to help you live a greener life, and many of the pointers will be so quick and easy, you can implement them immediately.

For those of you who don't know, Danny Seo is sort of like the (male) green lifestyle equivalent of Martha Stewart. He's got a ton of books, a column in Country Home magazine, and a blog, so there will be no shortage of fodder for the calendar. Just be sure to recycle the pages when you're done.

via Apartment Therapy SF

Nice and New: Hat and Mittens Advent Calendar

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:01:16 -0800

I always loved advent calendars. I mean...what greedy kid wouldn't? A present every day for 24 straight days! I know the tradition is just for kids, but this Hat and Mittens Advent Calendar new at Garnet Hill is so cute and sweet I'm wondering if I can be grandfathered back into the tradition. It's a string of tiny hand-knit hats and mittens cross stitched with the dates of December. Each one is crafted by hand, so each calendar is unique. Even better. I love the holidays!