CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Freeze 'Em

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:23 -0700

When you're painting your interiors, and the task takes more than one day, it's a pain in the butt to have to wash all of your brushes and supplies whenever you take a break. So instead of washing all of the paint off my brushes, I just pop them in the freezer in a plastic bag and defrost them when I need to get back to my paintstaking project. If you've got room to spare in your freezer, you might as well keep your brushes frozen even after your project is done. That way, if you ever need to do touchups, your brush will be ice cold and ready to go!

Casa Quickie: No Naturale

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:00:44 -0800

Although in general I recommend choosing natural products over synthetic ones, I do have (at least) one exception. When it comes to the bristled brushes you use for painting your home and furniture, synthetic bristles tends to hold latex-based paints better, applying the paint more smoothly and evenly than natural bristles. I'd long heard this was true, but recently when I was painting my living room, I did indeed find that my two-for-$5 bag of synthetic brushes worked much more nicely than my pricier natural-bristled brushes. Who knew?

DIY: Sculptural Rose Tape Artwork

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0800

On an Italian trip long ago, I fell in love with our hotel lobby's massive artwork. It was an eight-by-five-foot canvas with rows and columns of raised roses. After staring it down, I decided I could craft my own version at home. It may not be showcased in a museum, but I saved a pretty penny by doing this on my own. To see how I whipped up my own budding canvas, read more.

Supplies you will need:

Any size canvas
A roll(s) of wide (two-inch or so) painting tape
Paint of your choice
Sponge paint brush

Steps:

To start, measure your canvas and make marks for the center of each rose.
Pull off a long piece of tape (about four feet) and fold it so that you have about 1/2 an inch of sticky side still showing.
Place one end of the tape on the rose's center on the canvas. Start creating a spiral and sticking it to the canvas along the way. You can add to it if you need more length.
Keep making the roses until all the spaces are full.
When you are pleased with the buds, it's time to paint!
Use your brush to slather on the paint. Sponge brushes are great at covering all the spots. Don't forget to color the outer edges of the "petals" as well as the insides of the flower.
To complete the look, paint the edges of the canvas if you're planning to hang it unframed.

You don't have to paint a large canvas to make this work. Do a single rose or a pair of any shape for a simple statement. If you decide to make one, be sure to share photos in our Su Casa group!

View 14 Photos ›

Casa Quickie: Dual-Purpose Paint Brush

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:30:38 -0800

If you have dust and dirt in hard-to-reach crevices in your home, try using a paint brush to remove it. The fine bristles will successfully flush out dirt from even its most stubborn hiding places, and will do a more thorough job than a household broom.

Source

CB2, Please Dip Your Brush Into a New Paint Bucket

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:00:12 -0800

My recent post on CB2's new green knitted pouf got me thinking about the retailer's color palette in general. If you browse through CB2's 700-some-odd products, you'll find plenty of charcoal, dark wood, and white. But you'll be hard-pressed to find a single furnishing or accessory in any color but sunny yellow, avocado, or the brand's signature lobster orange - all bright, warm colors. This one-trick-pony color scheme is really limiting. Unless you can integrate this vibrant tricolored scheme into your home - and run the risk of having it look like a CB2 showroom - there's not much for you. Looking for neutrals or cool colors? Take a hike!

Beyond that, CB2's been pushing this "trendy" palette for at least two years now, if not more. So at this point, the colors already seem dated to me. I really think it's time the creative directors over there revise, or at least throw some new hues into the mix. How about Pantone's pick for 2010, turquoise? From the looks of it, new hues are not on the horizon; head to the brand's landing page and you'll see the slogan "bright new decade" beside a yellow sofa. As a leading retailer of affordable modern furnishings, CB2 makes the rules. But can it break them?

$5 Table + Beautiful CA Day = Perfection

Casa Community — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:00:37 -0800

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member malvarez from the Su Casa group:

I spotted this table at a "Daily Garage Sale" where one of our local storage units puts all of their abandoned units "stuff" on display under a tent in lieu of public auctions. I happened to find this adorable table amongst other chairs, tables and cabinets. I thought to myself FIVE DOLLARS!? This is one of those CasaSugar amazing finds!

I asked my beautiful best friend for her perfectionism and humor and made it into a fun Sunday afternoon project. We went to Home Depot and got some help from our local paint expert. "I want a really super glossy black paint," and he immediately handed me a can of paint, primer and directed me towards the paint brushes...

To see how the table turned out, read more.

After setting up our supplies on the front lawn...along with some tunes and iced tea we were off!

While we were waiting for the paint to dry we took the time to paint another fun find. Along my travels in San Diego I got these coffee cup holders at a Salvation Army...and ever so DIY turned them into jewelry holders.

At the end of this amazing Sunday afternoon I had produced a fun vintagey victorian looking table...plus jewelry holders

Have you done any DIY projects lately? Be sure to share photos and tales with our Su Casa group!

The Seventh DIY of Christmas: Hand-Painted Monogram Tea Towels

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:10 -0800

Welcome to the seventh project in my 12 DIYs of Christmas series! I decided to make hand-painted monogrammed tea towels as a gift for a friend that has everything this year. I think taking the extra step to hand-paint this everyday item gives it a personal touch, and shows more effort than any store-bought item. I decided to paint the monogram in my own handwriting and made my own stencil, so it definitely took more time. But beyond that, it's a pretty straightforward project.

Supplies:

Tea towels - Choose flat ones, without much texture or raised weaving.
Washable textile paint - I used Jacquard 113 Navy Blue ($2.79).
A paint brush - A thin watercolor brush or small foam brush will do.
Clear Con-Tact paper
An X-acto knife
A cutting mat
Paper
A pencil

To learn the steps, read more.

Using a pencil, draw a few letters on a blank sheet of paper. Try serifs, non-serifs, and cursive - be creative.
Once, you've found a monogram you're happy with, outline it (i.e. make it thicker) so that you'll be able to cut it out.
Using your X-acto knife, carefully cut out your monogram on your mat. Some letters, especially cursive (like this S), will have closed parts, so you'll need to cut inside them.
Cut a piece of Con-Tact paper so that it's a bit bigger (at least 1/2 an inch) than your monogram on each side.
Peel the adhesive backing off the paper, and lay the paper over the monogram cutout letter so that it's sticking to your cutting mat.
Using the X-acto, cut around the letter so that the letter itself will be the negative space (where the paint will go). Be careful not to lose the shapes of any closed parts, you'll need them later.
Once cut, peel the Con-Tact paper off of the mat and center it on your tea towel.
Burnish the Con-Tact paper to smooth out any bubbles or lifts.
Apply two coats of textile paint onto the letter, being careful not to paint beyond the Con-Tact paper.
Let the paint dry for about two hours, and then remove the Con-Tact paper.
Touch up any spots carefully with a thin watercolor brush.
In order to be washable, your paint now must be heat-set by ironing the towel's backside. Follow the instructions on your jar of paint to do this.

Fini! Clearly, making the stencil takes up most of the time required for this project. But it allows you unlimited choices of typefaces. For a quicker project, you can use a store-bought letter stencil. See photos of each step below!

View 13 Photos ›

The Sixth DIY of Christmas: Découpage Glass Key Bowl

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:00:00 -0800

Welcome to the sixth project in my 12 DIYs of Christmas series! We all go through that mental checklist (keys, wallet, phone?) before we set foot out of the door each morning. Thus, having a place to stash your must haves is a big help in the tardiness (and sanity!) department. So I made this découpage key bowl as a gift for a friend. With patience and a few supplies, it's an easy project that makes a great holiday gift!

I actually got the antique key images from a book about corkscrews (they're corkscrews!), but any pretty images will do. If you also want to use images from a book, just make a photocopy of the page onto standard printer paper.

Supplies:

Key images, or another motif
Mod Podge (a glue/sealer found in most art/craft stores)
A glass bowl
Two foam brushes
Latex paint the color of your choice
An acrylic sealer (optional)

To learn the steps, read more.

The steps:

Cut out the image(s) you want to use from the background. Magazines, books, and antique prints are a great place to look for your images.
Clean the glass bowl or plate (a household glass cleaner will do).
Find a household object to prop up your bowl, with the underside facing up, so you don’t paint the table you’re using.
Use a foam brush to apply Mod Podge to the front of your image. Adhere the image to the underside of your bowl, so you can see it from the front.
Seal the entire back of the plate (and back of image) with a few coats of Mod Podge. Let each coat dry before you move on to the next. Let dry.
Use a different foam brush to apply a coat of your Latex paint to the back of your bowl or plate. Let dry. Continue to add coats until it is no longer see-through from the front, letting dry between coats. The number of coats necessary is dependent on the darkness of the paint color you choose.
Once dry, seal the paint in with Mod Podge or an acrylic sealer.

View 2 Photos ›

How-To: Paint Your Home's Exterior

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:38 -0700

I recently showed you how to prep your home's exterior for painting. Now it's time to bring out the brushes and the paint! Don't be daunted; it doesn't take much more skill than that required to paint a room in your home, just more time. First step, use a six-pack of cold beer to solicit some friends or family members to help you out! To learn the steps, read more.

First off, stir your paint well and continue to do so throughout the day to keep it mixed.
Begin by painting the gables (the portion of walls between the lines of sloping roofs), then move on to the main siding, always painting from top down.
Dip your bristle brush into the can of paint no more than half the length of the brush. Then wipe any drips from the underside off onto the rip of the can.
Before beginning to paint the whole surface of the siding, paint a two or three inch border next to the trim, as well as under the edge of the clapboards.
Now, paint the main surface of the siding. Remember to always paint in the direction of the woodgrain.
When you begin to paint an unpainted area, use a full brush and paint toward the painted areas.
Once the siding is dry, paint the windows, siding trim, and doors, in that order.
Painting the exterior of your home will take a few days, but clean your brushes (soap and water for latex, paint thinner for oil-based) at the end of each day, or freeze 'em.
Keep at it 'til you've finished and then reward yourself when you have!

How-To: Remove Contact Paper Adhesive

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:12 -0800

Remember how I covered my hideous linoleum floors with woodgrain contact paper? Well, while they looked fabulous, it came time to take them off. The contact paper itself was easy to remove, but as expected, a very tough adhesive residue was left. I tried literally everything to get rid of the sticky mess - WD40, Goo Gone, vinegar, Oops!, you name it - and searched far and wide on the Internet for tips to no avail. In the end, thanks to a tip from a friend, I was able to remove the residue. Want to know what the magic potion was?