CasaSugar

Ask Casa: Cat Hair on Curtains

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:00:29 -0800

Dear Casa,
You recently posted a story about hanging curtains. All of my curtains have been hanging happily for a while now, but they get a lot of cat hair on them! Taking them down is a pain because the curtain rod has a little screw to keep it from moving around. I live alone, so using the vacuum was scary and I thought I might pull them down. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Scissorz

To hear my suggestions for Scissorz, read more.

Hi Scissorz,
Good questions! I'm assuming shaving your cat (kidding!) is out of the question, so I have a few other suggestions for you.

First of all, you might consider replacing your curtain rods with some that don't screw in. Check out Shopstyle for a range of choices.
If your vacuum has a long wand with a brush at the end, you should be able to safely vacuum your curtains hanging.
You can also just use a lint brush or a fur fighter to remove your pet hair directly from the curtains.
I'd also recommend purchasing curtains or shades with button tabs like the PB Solutions Button-Up Shade ($48), which you can just unbutton to remove without having to unscrew your curtain rod.
If you're partial to the curtains you own, you can just have a seamstress add button tabs to them, or do it yourself if you know how to sew.
You can also unstitch the foldover part of your curtains, and iron on velcro where the curtains were stitched together. So, instead of running the curtain through the rod, you just keep it wrapped around the rod with the velcro. Then, you can easily pull them off when you vacuum them.

Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Casa

Open House: Pets and Your Home

CasaSugar — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:30:10 -0700

Although I've only posted a few pet-related posts, your responses to these posts show that you're a pretty pet-oriented group! Who knew that the kitty washroom would inspire so much love?

Those of us who live with pets struggle to varying degrees with how to keep our homes clean, organized, and pretty, even with a sixty-pound dog underfoot or a kitty who likes to use your favorite chaise lounge as a scratching post.

So for this weekend's Open House, I want to hear your best ideas for living happily, healthfully, and beautifully with pets in your home. How do you keep them off the furniture? How do you keep your furniture clean and fur-free if they're allowed on the couch? How do you ensure that your cat's litterbox is smelling fresh? If you're a renter, how have you helped keep the peace between pet-wary landlords and pet-loving you? Just leave your ideas in the comments section below. Then next week, I'll compile our CasaSugar list of smart ideas for living with pets. Let the open house begin!

Source and Source

Love It or Hate It? Kitty Washroom

CasaSugar — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 05:30:54 -0700

Most of my kitty-owning friends are looking for a decor-appropriate solution to the litterbox. Maybe this Kitty Washroom ($99.95) is the answer to their prayers?

via Outblush

Weird (and Cool) Furniture: Fill in the Cat

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:30:18 -0800

NEL, an evolving collective of Mexican designers, came up with the interior design-oriented art project "Fill in the Cat," which was executed by artists Ricardo Casas, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Cecilia León de la Barra, and Óscar Núñez constructed a line of furniture/art pieces that feline fans will find to be the cat's meow. Explaining their creation, they write:

Three characters disappear from large, solid white blocks, and their absence suddenly makes them important. The resulting emptiness is filled with the user's belongings and through this action the silhouettes' meaning shifts. The pieces suggest a continuous play between interaction and representation, where daily use generates a continuously changing story: a cat that reads Italo Calvino, a book filled with coins, a living room where birds come to eat the cake's crumbles. . . .

This furniture, which was completed in 2006, was shown at Salone Satellite. Along with additional pieces from their furniture line, all made from expanded polystyrene (EPS). Perhaps if enough of us request it, this piece will go into mass production.

View 6 Photos ›

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Love It or Hate It? Jonathan Adler Midnight Cat Statue

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:30:59 -0700

This funky little kitty statue ($98) from Jonathan Adler's Menagerie collection is decorated with a spotted geometric coat. Would you want it in your home?

Open House: What's Your Home's Pet Policy?

CasaSugar — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:30:02 -0700

My husband and I share our house with two dogs, which means a lot more vacuuming and dusting than nonpet people experience in their homes. We try to keep things tidier by keeping the pups off of furniture. However, they have full run of the house, hang out in every room, and even keep us company while we're cooking in the kitchen.

Since they have good manners, I don't mind having them underfoot, but I know that some families keep their dogs relegated to certain areas of the house or even crate them for much of the time that they're home.

So tell me, do you have dogs, cats, or other indoor pets? Do you let them up on your sofa or bed? What's your house's pet policy?

Source: Flickr User Emery_Way

Home Library: Material World: Home Decor Projects For the Fabric Obsessed

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:43:07 -0800

Since it's Hibernation month, I've been in the mood to hole up in my lair and finally get my long to-do list of home décor projects done. The arrival of Cat Wei's book, Material World: Home Décor Projects For the Fabric Obsessed ($15) in my mailbox hasn't help things much, because now my to-do is twice as long!
The book is a collection of 50 fun and inspirational projects from 20 international designers compiled by architect, interior designer, and television host (Trading Spaces Family) Cat Wei. While all of the projects do use fabrics, many of them don't require any sewing, so it's fit for both novice and seasoned sewers. Each project has a difficulty rating, so you'll know whether you're in over your head before you buy supplies. Some of the DIYs included show you how to customize things you already own, like fabric file folders and cord-wrapped waste baskets, while others show you to make chic home accents from scratch like oxford-shirt cushion covers and tomato-shaped floor pillows. The book is very user friendly with detailed instructions, visuals, templates, and supply lists for each project. I highly suggest it for anyone in the mood to get crafty with fabric this month.

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Love It or Hate It? Fauna Kitty Pillow

CasaSugar — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:02:16 -0700

I know that most of us pet owners have a soft spot for the four-legged members of our households. But does that mean you'd decorate using them as your inspiration, perhaps with this Fauna Cat Pillow ($84)?

Cool Idea: A Kitty Litter Cabinet

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:00:30 -0800

Keep your house So Fresh and So Clean with a designated kitty-litter box cabinet. This Brookhaven Colony Recessed Cabinet (inquire for price) from Quintessentials was carved with a cat silhouette, so your feline knows where to go to . . . you know. It'll give the kitty-litter mess a hiding spot, whilst adding a cute factor to your cabinetry. Just don't forget to vacuum in there every once in a while. The only thing cuter would be if your kitty cleaned up after itself. But, the real question is: How does it stack up against the Kitty Washroom that 93 percent of readers said they loved?
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Casa Beta: Amy Butler's Free Birdie the Cat Pillow Pattern

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:00:18 -0800

Since it's almost Christmas, and since he doesn't read my site anyway, I thought it would be safe to show you the pillow I made for my little brother Forrest, who's 6. Forrest is a major cat lover and a cuddle bug, so I thought he'd like this Birdie the Cat pillow.

The pillow is from Amy Butler's online free downloadable PDF patterns. It calls for one yard of flannel, felt for the kitty's face, more felt for the eyes and mouth, fusible interfacing, and poly-fill stuffing. I took some liberties with the materials, which added a bit more work for me. For instance, I used corduroy for the cat's face and velvet for its eyes, which meant that I needed to hem each of these pieces. Not a big deal, but this step added at least 10 minutes to the project.

Instead of poly-fill, I also decided to use down. I love the heft and feel of down-stuffed pillows, and while this was a bit messy, it wasn't too bad, and I think the results were well worth it.

To hear more of my thoughts about this pattern, and to see the finished product, read more.

I used Echino fabric for the body, which gave the pillow more of a boy-oriented cat-monster vibe. I found the directions and pattern very easy to follow. When you download the PDF, the pattern is printed out in four pages, which you then cut out and tape together to use for the cat's body and face. I opted not to give the kitty a mouth, which I think actually looks better for this creation. I'm definitely going to make more of these, and they're definitely not just for kids: even my hipster 20-something sister wants one!
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