CasaSugar

How Do You Announce That You've Moved?

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:15:08 -0800

I've always admired friends who have their acts together enough to mail out cards with their new address. It's so civilized. Myself, I have a hard enough time labeling boxes when it comes to moving day! If you're organized enough, check out these cute moving cards from Happy Girl Greetings.

Do You Redecorate When You Move?

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:00:23 -0700

I carried the same bedroom accessories and bedding with me to five different apartments. My living room décor tends to change completely with each move, though. My mother thinks it's a sacrilege not to redecorate with each move. Even if she does keep some of her furnishings, antiques especially, she always rearranges them, putting them in different rooms, and swapping in new textiles. How about you?

Casa Verde: Put Your Bike to Work

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:00:05 -0700

If you're moving across country, probably the most eco-friendly way to handle the move is to sell your things on Craigslist, and then buy furnishings in your new town off of Craigslist or at thrift and antique stores once you've settled. If you're just moving across town, there's no reason to get rid of your stuff. But the earth-friendly answer isn't to rent a U-Haul, either. That hogs gas, and costs money! Instead, put your bike to work! San Francisco blogger, biker, and photographer SFWiggle recently moved, and decided to borrow a Bikes at Work Bike Trailer from the San Francisco Bike Coalition. As a member ($35/year), you can check out a trailer for free, which you can use to lug anything from your briefcase and groceries to your mattress or a sofa. Check with your local bike coalition to see if they offer a similar service! If not, Bikes at Work Trailers are available for purchase.
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How-To: Move Back Home Gracefully

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:00:40 -0700

This Old House recently offered advice for parents whose adult children were moving back home due to the economy. While the post offered smart tips about transforming a home space to welcome a 20-something or 30-something back into the nest, I thought that it might be more helpful to CasaSugar readers to look at the issue from the perspective of the child, not the parent. This is obviously a difficult transition for everyone, but there are some ways to make the move a smoother one. And lest you feel like an anomaly, take heart in an AARP statistic, cited in the article, finding that of 1,000 adults surveyed, 33 percent aged 18 to 49 live with their parents or in-laws.
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Casa Quickie: A Housewarming Bucket

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:00:12 -0700

Moving into a new house is stressful. You're finally cured of the headache of packing, and then it occurs to you that you still have to unpack! Then, something inevitably goes wrong. The faucet only gives off hot water, the movers break something, etc. Then, you think you're all set and ready to settle in and you realize you're out of t.p. Ugh! So, as much as a warm apple pie or a batch of your specialty cookies will taste delightful to your new neighbors or a friend who's just moved, a more useful (and migraine-relieving) housewarming gift is a bucket of the essentials she'll need to get settled. Think about the things that were most helpful to you when you moved. Then, pick up a handsome galvanized bucket, or even a colorful scrub bucket, and then comb the aisles of at the hardware store for those items, as well as any tools and practical items they might need. If you happen to throw a cold Corona or a black-and-white cookie in there while you're at it, I don't think you'll face any opposition.
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Casa Quickie: Reuse When You Move

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:00:34 -0700

Moving? Though it may be nice to support a local business by buying new boxes when you move, it's far from eco chic, and it ain't cheap either. When I've moved in the past, I've taken a day to drive around to local businesses like grocery and liquor stores to pick up used cardboard boxes. I prefer egg-crate boxes and wine case boxes; they're on the small side and not too heavy when packed. But, not all of you may have the time or patience to go on the hunt for used boxes. So, there's one company that'll relieve you of the task (and the headache) — UsedCardboardBoxes.com. As they rightly claim, they're the "cheapest, easiest, and most earth-friendly way to get boxes for packing, moving, shipping, and storage" — aside from getting businesses to give them to you for free. Basically how it works is they buy good quality used boxes from other businesses that have them in excess or they salvage brand new boxes that might otherwise be thrown away (misprints and overruns from box manufacturers), and sell them to you at a much reduced price. You can purchase the boxes in packages fit for a studio up to a six bedroom, or in stacks of mediums, larges, and extra-larges, or you can make a larger commercial order. They will also purchase gently used boxes from you if you have some you don't need! How 'bout that?
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Wedding Planner: The Things We Do For Love

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:00:25 -0700

When I moved in with my fiancé, I had some artwork and furniture that he simply refused to have moved into our house, citing them as either too colorful or girly. And on his end, there was some furniture that was too dull and bachelor pad-esque for my tastes. So, to appease each other, we had to get rid of those items. Ah, the things we do for love. Take this Craigslist ad, for example. Here we have a bride-to-be who's in the same situation, and is forced to choose between her future husband and her taffeta lady wingback chair:

This Craigslist seller writes:

The time has come for me and my glorious purple taffeta chair to part ways. I'm moving in with my husband-to-be, and we agreed there's not room for all three of us. As much as I love this chair, I love him more. So, I hope there is someone out there that will appreciate this beauty. It's been lightly used, and is in good condition. No tears, or stains, although the fabric has a few snags. The frame is solid, the cushion is spry. It looks and sits like a fresh, young chair, and is a beautiful purple with a happy sheen. Sorry if the pictures are a little blurry, I may have been sobbing gently when I took them.

Anyone else out there have stories about furniture or artwork you had to give up when you moved in with your partner or husband? Anything you made your significant other get rid of? Tell me in the comments below.

Love It or Hate It? Shut Up Tape

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:00:49 -0700

If only my parents had gotten their hands on the Atypyk Shut-Up Tape ($13) when I was young, I might have had a shot at being a well-behaved kid. Ironically, this photo pretty much speaks for itself. You can go the "traditional" route and use it to seal some boxes when you're moving, or just use it to put your friends, family, or captives in place.

Room Therapy: A Successful Cohabitation?

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:00:45 -0800

Dear Casa (and Casa Readers),

My boyfriend of two years and I have been talking about moving in with each other. However, I'm the homeowner, and he would be moving into my space. We've talked about how this would work, treating it as "our" space. But he is still worried about feeling like it would be more my space. I've suggested moving my items out of one room, so he can have a space completely his own, and that we can incorporate his other items into the rest of the house.

Any suggestions on how to make this transition more welcoming to someone moving into a space?

Thanks much,
HelloKittyMini

To see my suggestion for HelloKittyMini, and to leave a suggestion for her, just read more.

Dear HelloKittyMini,

I know that DearSugar is answering the more relationship-oriented part of this query, so I'll stick to the interior design portion.

First of all, it's always more difficult to move into a partner's house than for both parties to move into a new house together. I just went through the same experience when I moved into my fiancé's house, which he owns. As this sounds like you're in a serious relationship, it could very well be possible that the house will belong to both of you in the future, in a legal sense. But for now, to make both you and your boyfriend feel good about the situation, you should definitely integrate your boyfriend's ideas, furniture, and sentimental belongings into your home-décor scheme.

One thing that really helped my move in was to switch the rooms around, which helped to make the house feel "new" to both of us. My fiancé and I moved the bedroom and the office around, repainted, and also rearranged the dining room, kitchen, and living room. Projects like this will help your boyfriend feel as if he's invested in his living situation, and not just a tenant living under your roof.

Depending on the size of your house, giving your boyfriend a room of his own may be overly accommodating. Instead, try to make a workspace that both of you can use, but at different times. This way you'll each have a "getaway" if you need it.

One thing that you should definitely be open to is potentially minimizing the girliness of your pad, now that your man will be living there. You're going to have to introduce a more masculine aesthetic into the house. This may mean getting rid of floral bedding (it certainly did for me) or investing in artwork that has bold, primary colors and more man-friendly subject matter (note: cute cartoon creatures rarely cut it).

I know that a lot of other Casa readers who've shacked up also have some great advice for HelloMiniKitty, so leave your comment below!

Thanks,
Casa
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Do You Have Enough Furniture?

CasaSugar — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 05:44:11 -0700

My good friend just moved in to a new place and has absolutely no furniture, aside from a bed. She pretty much eats, sleeps, and works on her pillowtop mattress; it's kind of sad. Until I set eyes on her crib, I'd been taking furniture entirely for granted. Now I know, life without tables and chairs (even ugly ones) is pretty rough.