CasaSugar

Roundup: Autumn Leaves

CasaSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:30:43 -0700

Are you lucky enough to see turning leaves in your neighborhood right now? Even in the Bay Area, red maple leaves and crisp orange oak leaves are dotting the sidewalks and parks around my home. I love the hues and shapes of turning Fall leaves, as well as how designers translate the pattern into their work. One of my favorite finds is this Autumn Mirrored Chest ($1,699). This handcrafted chest is hand-painted with curling Autumn leaves, and features mirrored veneers and a hardwood base. True, it's a splurge, but what a beautiful spurge it is!

For some more reasonably priced Autumn finds, see below.

Casa Quickie: Mulch Your Fall Leaves

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:30:08 -0700

When your trees' leaves have all fallen to the ground, it's customary to bag them up to be hauled away by your garbage man. But before you go there, consider mulching them to help enrich or insulate your soil. To turn them into mulch, all you have to do is run your lawn mower over them, which acts like a food processor! It helps to spread them out in long rows instead of one big clump. Then you can spread the chopped up decaying leaves around any plants, trees, or flower beds you have!

Cool Idea: Curtains to Improve the View

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:30:56 -0700

Missing pretty foliage outside your window? Just because you live in a city flat with a window facing a next-door brick wall doesn't mean you have to suffer. You can let these Chair Couture Green Collection Curtains (inquire for price) compensate for your landscape loss. These unique, opaque drapery panels are made to order, and all feature the "sunlight through the leaves" look of the fabric shown in the photo.

Need some other leafy curtain options? Take your pick when you read more.

Cordelia Curtain - $78.00	Mantadia Curtain - $228.00
Jungle View Curtain - $108.00	Jungle Curtain Panel - $169.00
Botanist Curtain - $48.00	Antique Floral Curtain Panel - $29.99
Medallion Panel - $69.00	Brightbranch Curtain - $278.00

How-To: Conquer Your Leaves Before Snow Flies

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:30:03 -0800

My favorite thing about Fall, aside from post-Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches (yum), is the vivid and warmly colored leaves on the trees. But, as we move into Winter (when we'll deal with ice and snow), this seasonal treasure will require some maintenance. And even if it's begun to snow in your neck of the woods, it's not too late to wrangle the leaves. If you have a landscaper or a young neighbor willing to do the work, you're off the hook here. But for the rest of you, getting rid of those leaves isn't such a terrible task, and I actually think it's kind of fun and festive. There are a few ways to do so, depending on what tools you have. To hear them, read more.

The most obvious method is to use a rake. You can find one at your local hardware or garden supply store for under $30. There are dozens of options to choose from, but if you have a big yard to cover, you'll want one with a comfortable grip. You can also buy one with a pivoting head for better efficiency. Otherwise, you'll want to just grab the cheapest steel rake you can find (this is the most durable material). You'll also want to pick up some sort of drop cloth, plastic sheet, or tarp. Then, once you've done your shopping, lay down the cloth and rake your leaves straight back, directly onto the cloth. From the cloth, you can dump the leaves into plastic bags. Raking is certainly the cheapest method, and it'll give you a good workout!
If you happen to have a leaf blower (about $60-300), conquering your leaves will be much quicker for you than your raking counterparts. You can buy a leaf blower that's hand-held or with a backpack design; obviously the hand-held blowers are less expensive. You'll also choose from gas or electric when picking up a blower, both of which can be quite noisy. As you may have guessed, gas blowers pollute the air, and electric mowers need to be plugged into an outlet, so those are also things to consider. Some blowers have a vacuum feature, which makes things a lot easier. Whichever you choose, you'll also want to direct the leaves to a tarp of some sort.
Once you've gathered your leaves, you can also compost them. This is an eco-friendly solution that will turn your leaves into fertilizer for your plants. You'll have too many leaves for a kitchen compost, though, so you'll need a garden compost or to use your town's sidewalk compost pick-up.
Another option (which I would never, ever recommend) is to burn your leaves. While some of us may remember our families burning leaves when we were kids, this is no longer an acceptable method for dealing with leaves. The smoke pollutes the air, is a fire hazard, and the smoke can also cause serious health risks. There's also legislation against this for those reasons, so it may not be permitted in your town.

If these options don't suit you, maybe you should consider making thousands of leaf place cards! Or, just move to Florida!
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Steal of the Day: Pottery Barn Kids Thanksgiving Leaf Garland

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:11 -0800

I think garlands are totally underrated. They only seem to make an appearance on Christmas fireplace mantels or at the birthday parties of five-year-old girls. It's totally discrimination. I think we should welcome cute garlands like the Pottery Barn Kids Thanksgiving Leaf Garland ($39.99, reduced from $59) into our homes whenever possible. The festive garland is made of felt leaves on a grosgrain ribbon. So much easier and safer than pricking your fingers sewing hundreds of pieces of stale popcorn together for hours on end, don't you think?

DIY: Pressed Leaf Art

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

It seems as if I can't get enough of leaves this Fall. If you like celebrating the season by bringing outdoor elements into your home, then I have a perfect project for you. This pressed leaf art would look wonderful hung in multiples by a Thanksgiving table, and would also make great gifts for any arboreal enthusiasts in your life.

What You'll Need

dry, pressed leaves
Mod Podge
foam brush
wax paper
heavy books
scrapbook paper
frames

To find out how to make this pressed leaf art, read more.

Here's how to do it, from Make and Takes:

Press your leaves until flat and dry
Get your scrapbook paper and apply Mod Podge to the paper with your foam brush. Also apply Mod Podge to the back of your leaf.
Now place your leaf on the paper to dry and set. So your paper/leaf doesn’t curl or bunch up the paper, place a large piece of wax paper over the Mod Podge area and place heavy books on top of the wax paper. Your Mod Podge will dry and won’t stick to the wax paper!
Wait a little while and when the area is dry, seal the whole piece of paper with Mod Podge again. Using the foam brush, apply Mod Podge all over the whole piece of paper (as it gives the whole paper a shiny look) and over the leaves again as well.
Once again, place a large piece of wax paper over the Mod Podge area and place heavy books on top of the wax paper. This will help keep the paper flat to fit nicely in the frame.
Once this is dry, remove the wax paper and place the fun leafy paper into your frame. Frames 12-by-12 inches are the perfect size for scrapbook paper.

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How-To: Create Festive Tabletop Votives

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:15:39 -0800

Recently, I came across this great, simple trick from Better Homes and Gardens for transforming a holiday Autumn table. For a beautiful twist on boring old votives, collect colorful leaves from your backyard or nearby park. Then, tie the leaves to the votive with ribbon, twine, or yarn. Voila! You have a no-cost centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Just be careful not to get any of the leaves close to the flame. While I do love the fiery reds of Autumn leaves, I don't actually think that I want them on fire.

For another votive idea, read more.

If you have some extra time, you can also decoupage leaves onto the votive's exterior. This will give the votive a frosted effect, and will illuminate the leaves.

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Cool Idea: Leaves Placecards

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:00:34 -0800

I saw this cute idea for placecards over at Another Shade of Grey and couldn't help but pass it along. I feel . . . what's it called? dumb for not thinking of this first, but that's life. My life at least. Just pick some fallen leaves up from your own backyard or neighborhood, the most colorful ones you can find, and use a paint pen to write the names of your guests. If you don't already own one, you can snatch up paint pens in a wide range of colors and metallics at your local art store for under $3. Or, if you're artistic, you could attempt to paint leaves with real paints: not as easy. I love the way these leaves pop against the white plate, so I'd suggest either laying it on a white tablecloth or napkin, or directly on your dinner plate, although that's not as cleanly. What do you think? Cute, right?
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Where Do You Put Your Leaves?

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:30:54 -0700

Many of us rake the leaves that fall into our yards in the Autumn. But where do you put them?

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Do You Have an Autumn Wreath?

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:00:52 -0700

Of course, putting up holiday wreaths in December is a given. But do you decorate your door or home with an Autumn wreath?

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Mathilda Runner - $25.95	Martha Stewart Collection Serveware, 20" Park Leaves Platter - $43.00
Mum Floral Organic Shower Curtain - $59.00	Delightful Doormat - Green Leaves - $34.00
Angelica Pillow - $59.95	Dogwood Platter by Michael Aram - $99.00
Leaves Mirror-Candleplate - $89.95	Emma Gardner - fallen leaves rugs by emma gardner - $2,160.00
Rustic Leaf Candleholder - $32.95	Oval Serving Platter (18-in.) by Mikasa - $99.95
Howard Elliott Wooden Shadow Box with Carved Leaves - $475.00	Falling Leaves Organic Standard Pillowcase, Set of 2 - $24.00
twenty2 Montague Pillows - $115.00	Vera Turning Leaf Table Linens Collection - $35.00
Leaf Metal Soap Dish - $13.95	La Vie Pillow - $49.95