CasaSugar

What's Your Mailbox Style?

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:00:21 -0700

You can't go wrong with a standard mailbox. They're classics and go with any style of architecture. I always crack up when I see novelty mailboxes like this Siamese Cat Mailbox or this Caboose Mailbox. Some people sure do have a lot of personality. Me? Call me boring, but I like to stick with simple galvanized steel. How about you?

How-To: Display Your House Numbers

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:00:18 -0700

There's nothing more frustrating than a late delivery (especially if it's 2 a.m. and you've got the munchies). It's easy to blame UPS or your pizza delivery person, or whoever you're waiting for, but believe it or not, you could be at fault for your own delivery woes. When I say that I mean if your house numbers are poorly placed, you could be sending your guests, delivery people, and service men on a wild goose chase. Here are a few simple things to consider that will maximize the visibility of your house numbers from the street:

Put your numbers horizontally on the side of your mailbox facing traffic, not the door or the nontraffic side.
Put your numbers in a well-lit area above eye level close to your front door. Centered above the front door is best.
Make sure that no trees or bushes are blocking the view of the numbers from the street.
If your front door recedes, just place the number on the house itself, not the door.
You should also paint your numbers on the street curb about two feet from the driveway towards your house, with the number facing the street.

To hear more tips like these, read more.

Be sure not to park your car in front of the curb numbers, and brush away any leaves or debris.
Pick a color that contrasts with the number's background. If your house is white, choose black numbers. If your mailbox is green, choose red numbers, etc. If your house is brick, white numbers will show up well.
A lighted house number is ideal.
If you have motion detector porch lights, the numbers will not be visible from the street. Put a porch light on a timer to go on at night instead.
Brass or bronze numbers are practically invisible, unless the sunlight happens to hit it at a precise angle.
On the house or curb, the numbers should be at least four inches tall, and on the mailbox, at least three inches tall.
Choose a bold, sans-serif font. Serifs, cursives, etc. can make sixes look like eights, ones like sevens, etc.
Don't display the number vertically or diagonally. People read from left to right.

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Home Library: Style and Substance

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:59 -0700

For 20 years, Elle Decor's chic issues have offered readers ideas and inspiration for their homes. I've been collecting a giant stack of dog-eared Elle Decor issues for the last 10 years, so I'm excited to announce that the best of the magazine can now be found in Style and Substance ($45) by Margaret Russell and the editors of Elle Decor. I was thrilled to receive a (personally autographed!) copy of Style and Substance in my mailbox, and couldn't wait to review the book.
To hear what I think, and to get a sneak peek at some of the chic interiors featured in the book, read more.

The book's 240 pages are an embarrassment of interior decorating riches. Featuring inside peeks of the homes of everyone from Miles Redd and Sarah Jessica Parker to Yves Saint Laurent and Monique Lhuillier, there's plenty of inspiration to be found. Hundreds of spaces are featured, and each chapter is relegated to a different room, including living rooms; libraries and home offices; dining rooms; kitchens; bedrooms and boudoirs; bathrooms; children’s rooms; and terraces, gardens, and pools. Besides gorgeous images, the book also offers smart decorating tips as well as a source book that features Elle Decor editors' favorite shopping websites and stores. Style and Substance is a wonderful resource for armchair decorators of any style. With homes that range in style from bohemian to classic, there's something for everyone here. Margaret Russell writes in the introduction that

[Elle Decor's] most beloved design characteristics? Personality, passion, joie de vivre, and flair. It's true, our most dazzling stories feature people with fearless style who don't care what others think - and those who are curious, confident, and cosmopolitan will always find a place in our pages. We believe that luxury needn’t be expensive, and there’s no reason affordable furnishings shouldn’t be chic. And when offered a choice, we’ll take a bit of patina and wear and tear over brand-spanking-new decor every time.

I think that this is a timely decorating philosophy, and while we may not all be able to afford a marble-clad master bath or a custom-designed bejeweled chandelier, we can all aspire to create a more beautiful, confident, and chic home, and with Russell's tips, now it's a lot easier to do just that.

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Cool Idea: Spam Mail Wallpaper

CasaSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:08 -0700

When I spotted Linzie Hunter's Spam One-Liners, I thought, "Why didn't I think of that?" Well, apparently Hunter wasn't the only one inspired by her spam box: Italian design studio ToDo created this Spam Ghetto Junk Mail Wallcovering (inquire for price) after being roused by the bizarre subjects and unsolicited offers that flooded their mailboxes everyday. Look closely at the seaweed-like word bubbles and you'll read phrases like "$99.95 100mg x 30 pills buy now," "Save on generic drugs," "Your wife need your attention," and "Britney strikes again" - have you ever seen a more entertaining wallpaper? What's more is that if you provide the studio your room's dimensions, they can produce a unique design that wraps and folds around all the objects that sit on your wall's surface, making mass mailings one-off. To see closeups of the wallpaper, read more.

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Do You Browse Home Catalogs?

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:00:50 -0800

Just a year ago, I spent a lot of time browsing through home catalogs, and loved to return home to find a new west elm catalog in my mailbox. These days, though, I'm much more likely to do my browsing online. How about you?

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Gift Guide: The Faithful Correspondent

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:45:58 -0800

Mail is a precious commodity these days, so I appreciate those friends of mine who make the effort to send cards, letters, and small packages of goodness to my mailbox every now and then. These faithful correspondents, who eschew email in favor of more arcane forms of communication, are responsible for brightening the days of everyone who receives one of their letters. To encourage more letter writing in your circle of friends and family, I've found some postcards, notepads, and stationery that will be sure to delight any letter writers on your wish list. I'll start you off with this Eight Silhouettes Postcard Set ($8.50), which is perfect for the home enthusiast/letter writer. There are a lot more great finds, though, so check them out when you read more.

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage.

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Casa Verde: Got Junk Mail?

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:00:37 -0700

One of the clever editors at AT:SF recently decided to turn her junk mail into something much more lovely. She started out with some of the papers that were cluttering up her mailbox.

To see what she created and learn how to turn your junk mail into something gorgeous, read more.

She turned it into some lovely and sophisticated wall art. To get directions, check out the entire post on AT:SF.

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Casa Verde: Banish Junk Mail

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:00:06 -0700

If you want to get your home so fresh and so clean this month, don't stop with simply scrubbing surfaces. You can limit the amount of garbage coming into your home by cutting off the supply of fliers, catalogs, and other junk mail that often floods mailboxes.

Want to know how? Just read more.

Here are some smart, easy fixes for junk-mail issues:

Just say no to catalogs: Catalogs often report your purchases to Abacus, which is owned by a company that profits by selling or renting your information to other catalog companies and publishers. You can stop more catalogs from coming your way by writing to optout@abacus-direct.com with your name and address.
Cut Off Solicitations : Did you know that companies often sell your personal spending information to credit bureaus, which then compile information based on consumer characteristics and rent this information out to marketers, credit card companies, and insurance industries? The result: unsolicited junk flooding your mailbox. Call (888-567-8688) to tell the credit bureaus to stop renting out your info.
Take Action Hop on over to the ForestEthics' site to sign a petition to stop junk mail.

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Casa Verde: Droog Rag Chair

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:08 -0700

The next time you find yourself in the need of new furniture, you can refrain from opening your mailbox in search of a shelter catalog or from typing a URL into your browser. That's right, you might already have the materials needed for "new" furniture sitting in your home . . . or your hamper. That is, according to Droog. The Droog Rag Chair ($5,500) is made from layers of 15 bags of unique, upcycled rags. And, if you like, they can be your own rags; you have the option of recycling your own rags to be included in the design. Now you have a use for that free Capital One T-shirt you got when you signed up for a credit card at a festival booth . . .

Nice and New: Ikea's 2009 Catalog Is Online

CasaSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0700

It's about that time again. Ikea's new 2009 catalog arrived in my mailbox last week and I spent a good 40 minutes gawking at all of the beautifully styled and photographed rooms, and now it's available for you to flip through online.
The big-box retailer may sell mostly flat-pack, assembly-required MDF furniture that's not the sturdiest I've ever owned, and they may charge an arm and a leg for shipping, but I will give it to Ikea for consistently emerging with eye-catching designs and photography styled to the nines. I'm at a point where I'm honestly trying only to bring home timeless, durable furniture that I can pass on to my kids one day, but when it comes to some accents, and textiles especially, Ikea never fails to win me over -
without breaking the bank. If I'd never seen their products in person, they could have fooled me: their new inventory is quite photogenic, appearing luxe, vivid, and perhaps most importantly, inspiring, on all 300-some pages.

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