CasaSugar

Andrew Wagner Named Editor in Chief of Readymade

CasaSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:06:22 PDT

Andrew Wagner, soon-to-be former editor in chief of American Craft and a founding editor of Dwell, has been named the editor in chief of ReadyMade. The magazine recently relocated from San Francisco to Des Moines, the headquarters of Meredith Corp., so he'll start fresh there May 4. Wagner expects the magazine's website to pick up major steam thanks to his plans to broaden its online presence with a DIY project archive, some exclusive stories online, blogs, and photo galleries. I'd heard rumors that ReadyMade was ailing (like many of its peer shelter magazines), but it sounds like things are looking up!

Su Casa: KateDavis's Amazing DIY Dining Room

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:00:30 PDT

Sometimes I am blown away by the utter creativity and DIY know-how of CasaSugar readers. That was the case when I discovered the photos of KateDavis's dining room in the Su Casa group. She writes, "I wanted a change in my dining room, and after coming across Damien Hirst's 'Valium' online, I knew it would be perfect for my dining room. The only problem . . . the $20,000 price tag for a print." Instead of bemoaning the price tag, KateDavis put her DIY skills to work. She says, "I put a lot of work into recreating the piece and had it printed at Kinkos and framed. It probably ended up being about $80 all in."

KateDavis didn't stop there, though. Her new artwork made her eager to switch out her dining room lighting. To see the incredible DIY chandelier she made,

Kate used the ReadyMade instructions for Jean Pelle's Glass Bulb Chandelier to create this gorgeous chandelier. She writes, "At first I was overwhelmed and concerned I wouldn't be able to make sturdy knots and that I would be in over my head, but the more I looked at the picture the more I knew I needed to try. It took a little while, and many trips to several hardware stores to collect all the materials, but last week I finally had it all together and got to work. I am so thrilled with the results!!! I feel like I have a whole new dining room!"

I have been eyeing this chandelier project for the past month or so myself, and am thrilled with KateDavis's successful re-creation of the lamp. Congratulations to her on all of her hard work!

View 5 Photos ›

Open House: Living Simply

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:00:24 PST

While the fallout from the current economic crisis is absolutely troubling, one friend who was recently laid off told me that her layoff has inspired her to live more simply. As she put it, the financial crunch has helped her to focus on what's truly important, such as spending time with family and friends, and working on her home craft business. Even though she no longer has money for much in the way of movies or extravagant dinners out, she's finding some unexpected pleasures in her new, simpler, frugal lifestyle.

Of course, if my friend were in danger of losing her home, she wouldn't be giving me such a sunny report. Luckily, she has enough savings (and a husband with a stable job) to see her through this rough patch. Can you report any surprising joys in this sea of financial bad news? How have you tried to live a simpler, less costly lifestyle?

If you need inspiration for living more simply, download this poster from ReadyMade. And if this one doesn't fit your aesthetic, there are four others to choose from.
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How-To: Advice on Chair Reupholstering

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:00:12 PDT

If you were intrigued by my DIY upholstery project, but have an easier time learning things by watching them instead of reading them, then I have just the help you need! The fine folks at ReadyMade created a very helpful video showing you a slightly different technique for reupholstering chairs.

To see the video for yourself,

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DIY: Floral Foam Vase

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:00:00 PDT

If you read Casa regularly, you've probably noticed that people are making vases out of almost anything these days (pipes, plastic bottles, honeycomb, light bulbs). Quite frankly, a makeshift vase (coffee can, glass bottle) is not the hardest DIY. But, when I came across a DIY from ReadyMade for a vase made from floral foam that was cheap, easy, and most importantly, water retaining, I was pretty impressed. You'll probably find most of the supplies needed for this project in your house, too; who can argue with that?
Supplies:

Floral foam
Wax pellets or standard white candles
Baking paper
Cookie sheet
Toothpicks
Long, sharp knife
Cookie cutter or jar lid
Double boiler
Coffee can, slightly flattened to form a spout
Aluminum foil

To learn the steps,

Draw half of an outline of a vase on a sheet of paper folded in half. Cut out the shape, and unfold so that you have a template for a vase shape.
Align your vase template with the base of your floral foam block.
Trace the shape of the vase with a toothpick onto both sides of the block.
Place the foam block flat on a table. Using the knife, cut out the traced shape, keeping the knife vertical.
Then, flip it over, and shave the edges smooth with the knife to make it clean looking and vase-like.
Using cookie cutters or jar lids, press a pattern into the foam (if you want one).
Fill your double boiler with water, and heat it up.
Put the wax/candles in your coffee can, and melt them.
Put a sheet of foil over your cookie sheet.
Put your vase upside down on the sheet, and pour the hot wax over it completely coating.
Stand it right side up, and slice off the top so that the foam is uncoated where you'll stick the flowers in.
Let it cool for an hour.
Soak the floral foam vase in water for an hour, and then stick your flowers into the top of the foam, making an arrangement as you wish. If the vase dries out, just run water over the top and it will soak it up.

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DIY: Homemade Hammock

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:00:51 PDT

Yesterday I told you about how I sewed a hammock for my backyard by riffing on instructions from the Getaway issue of ReadyMade magazine. If you want to get the exact instructions from the magazine, head down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. In fact, I urge you to do so, as there are a ton of other cool Summer projects that will keep you occupied and crafting this month.

Want to get comfy in your own hammock? Then

What You'll Need

Sewing machine
Thread
Queen- or king-sized sheet or duvet cover
Rope for hanging hammock

How To Do It

Fold your sheet or duvet cover in half lengthwise, pin the edges, and sew. I only sewed the three open edges, leaving the folded side loose.
Now, after you've finished sewing, fold the top and bottom edge down about four inches. Pin, then sew each pinned edge, leaving the sides open. The sides are where you'll thread the rope through to hang the hammock
Sew this pinned edge a lot. After all, it has to support your weight in the hammock. I sewed it eight times on each side.
Cut your rope so you have about five feet on each side (or more, depending how long you need it to be to hang from your tree/deck/porch). Scoot the rope through the ends that you've just sewn

Tie each end to a sturdy object, such as a tree or a beam on your deck or porch. Knots that I recommend are double overhand stopper knot, water knots, and figure eight follow throughs. Gingerly test the strength of your knots and hammock. After you've determined the strength, kick back.
Grab a book and a lemonade, and enjoy the afternoon!

Cool Idea: ReadyMade Magazine's DIY Hammock

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:15:04 PDT

I picked up the latest issue of ReadyMade over the weekend, and was delighted to find it brimming over with fun, easy projects for Summer living. One project I started nearly immediately was making their hammock project, which was explained in the article "Re-Kindle." Basically, all you need for this project is an old sheet, a sewing machine, and some rope. I used a duvet cover I'd made a few years ago, and which had been gathering dust in the linen closet. The project only took about half an hour from start to finish (threading the rope through and remembering my rock-climbing figure eight and water knots took the majority of that time).

If you want to make one for your own yard, pick up a copy of ReadyMade at your local bookstore. You can also check back tomorrow, when I'll share my own version of building this hammock. And yep, that's my hammock in the photo. It's surprisingly comfortable and strong, given that it's just a few layers of cotton. Are you going to make one for yourself?
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Peter Rojas Talks RCRD LBL and Fancy Haircuts

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:00:36 PDT

Peter Rojas showed up in the pages of the June/July issue of ReadyMade to talk about RCRD LBL, his free-music website. This endeavor, combined with his status as the founder of both Engadget and Gizmodo, puts him in a place of deep respect for me, but also - and I'm trying to make sure I say this with great dignity and professionalism - Crush Status. Our geeky Romeo is taken, but at least it's to a worthy match: Green, geeky gal Jill Fehrenbacher.

Getting back to business, Rojas talks about the need for RCRD LBL because "people in the music industry try to pretend that the rules of the Internet don't apply to them," but Rojas saw that he could give away free songs as long as it was subsidized by advertising. RCRD LBL pays the (finely edited) artists directly, so they can offer "great music every day," and. . . Oh, what was I saying? I got lost in those brown eyes again.

Weird Furniture: Sprout a Couch

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:00:57 PDT

We all know that money doesn't grow on trees . . . but furniture does! Well, in the ground, at least. That's right, you can literally grow your own lawn furniture. ReadyMade has instructions on how to grow an outdoor couch, which requires little more than some dirt, sod, and wooden stakes. Forget green sofas and mattresses, this couch will literally produce oxygen! Just don't try to have it recovered in five years, your upholsterer
might get a little freaked out. Oh, and "Note: Couch may require mowing."

This Just In: ReadyMade's Green Issue Available Online!

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:00:37 PDT

ReadyMade’s Green Design Issue is available in a paperless edition. And good news: this first installment of the online edition is absolutely free. Check out all of the cool DIYs, online exclusive pieces, and clickable table of contents. I don't know about you, but I'm a huge ReadyMade fan, and offering readers a tree-free version is super smart for this green design issue. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go read up on organizing my garden gear.

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