CasaSugar

Cool Idea: A Car Turned Planter

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:32 -0700

I stopped by Flora Grubb the other morning to grab some delicious Ritual coffee and to check out the amazing garden store for inspiration and ideas. Before picking up a gorgeous spear-like Sansaveria, I wandered around the gardens, taking in all of the beautiful plants. I was particularly taken with the way Flora Grubb had reimagined this classic car. I love the way it's been "reclaimed" by nature in a rather Land of the Lost fashion. While this project is definitely more art installation than practical idea for your backyard garden, I do love the idea of creatively reusing unexpected materials as planters. What's around your house that you could re-use as a planter? Could you use an old candelabra to display air plants? How about using cracked bowls as flower pots? Tell me, what have you used around your home as an unexpected garden or indoor-plant vessel?

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Casa Verde: Consumer Culture Art

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:30:26 -0700

Think you recognize this painting? Guess again.

While it may look like Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte", it's actually a photograph from Seattle photographer Chris Jordan.

To see what this image is made from, read more.

Jordan creates murals, which he then photographs, from consumer trash. His photographs urge viewers to rethink their daily habits, from tossing disposable coffee cups to drinking cans of soda. In the San Francisco Chronicle article "Consumer Culture Turns to Murals of Trash, Jordan explains his project:

The images, part of Jordan's latest project, "Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait," were an attempt, he said, to take "the dry unfeeling language of data and to translate it into the visual language of feeling."

Tossed out each year: 130 million cell phones. Used each hour: more than 1 million brown paper bags. Used every 5 minutes: 2 million petroleum-based plastic bottles. Produced every eight hours by jets flying across the United States: 11,000 contrails. Used every six hours on those flights, 1 million plastic cups, because, Jordan said, it's illegal to refill your cup on an airline flight.

I'm always happy (though definitely disturbed) to see art that rethinks our consumerism, and Jordan's art definitely makes an impact. While these aren't images everyone wants to see, they are absolutely necessary if we are to turn over our disposable lifestyles (and yes, I definitely count myself among the millions who are living this way). While recycling is a good option, we need to also remember the first two points: reducing and reusing.
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Etsy Find: Visez Vert Market Bag

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:45:09 -0700

Although I thought that I had enough reusable bags, it's true that I don't have any market bags hand painted with French messages - and what could be more eco chic than French market bags? The Visez Vert Market Bag ($18) asks you to "aim green," and is illustrated with the Eiffel Tower and scrolls.

This generously-sized bag (14 inches tall) is excellent for small grocery loads or for trips to the drugstore for medicine cabinet essentials. And if you get it stained, no worries - the art is permanent, so you can wash it as much as is necessary.

Casa Verde: Recycled Texas Houses

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:30:59 -0700

Yesterday I told you about some cool tiny Texas homes, and today I'm back with an amazing story about one Texas couple's vision to help anyone who wants to own a house to do so, with lots of hands-on work and about $20,000-$50,000. Phoenix Commotion was started in 1996 by Dan and Marsha Phillips, who mortgaged their house to start a business building affordable houses from free, salvaged, and recycled materials. The company caters their homes to the working poor, including single mothers, who need energy-efficient, affordable, comfortable homes. The homes are built with such unexpected materials as wine corks and frame samples, which are used in beautiful and innovative ways.

This program recently partnered with the program Brigid’s Paradigm, and built their first home together in Huntsville, TX. The next project will be a number of homes in Houston's 5th Ward.

To qualify for the project, potential participants must provide $500, good credit, and proof of a stable job. The homes are built by the future owners, along with mentors who help to guide the unskilled workers. A 1-person home will only be built at 240 square feet, which increases energy efficiency, along with the homes' uses of insulation, tank-less hot water heaters, and rain barrels.

To see a video about Dan's work, just read more.

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Weekend DIYs

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Ready for some DIY fun this weekend? Check out some plans for reusing old materials to make beautiful new objects for your home, as well as other easy and fun DIYs.

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0800

Get the scoop on one of Nicole's fave rug resources. - Making it Lovely
Assembling store-bought furniture any time soon? Check out these six tips. - Charles & Hudson
Embellish your accessories with some easy ribbon rosettes. - Craftzine
Reuse skate decks as furniture and décor. - ReadyMade
Kate Spade will debut a bed and bath collection! - ShelterPop
Add some oomph with gorgeous tables, chairs, and pillows. - Simply Stated

Roundup: Weekend DIYs

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Ready for some DIY fun this weekend? Check out some plans for reusing old materials to make beautiful new objects for your home, as well as other easy and fun DIYs.

View Slideshow ›

Do You Reuse Your Hotel Towels?

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:00:52 -0700

When staying at a hotel, I always reuse my towels if I'm staying for more than one night. Almost all hotels leave cards in the bathrooms asking guests to do so, and studies show that the majority of guests do. Are you in the majority?

Casa Quickie: Let Wine Lend a Hand

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0800

If you need a reason to justify all the glasses of wine you're consuming, consider the benefits a used up wine cork can offer. Instead of tossing the porous stopper into the recycling bin, reuse it in your own home. It turns out corks make fine knife cleaners. Next time your blades need a cleaning, send a cork in to do the job rather than a rough-sided sponge. Just run the edge of the knife across the cork. It'll leave the steel utensil with a mirror image instead of a scratched and dull surface! Who knew?

Nice and New: Papier-Mâché Animal Busts

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:00 -0800

Hunters bask in their shooting glory by mounting their prized prey on their walls, and some people can even fill a dining room wall with antlers galore. But I found another type of taxidermy to take pride in - a papier-mâché Savannah Story Bust ($68). These jungle-friendly animal heads are made by Haitians to honor their African heritage. Crafted from recycled cement bags and old French books, these perfectly captured pieces of art are eco-conscious, magical, a lesson in the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and perhaps best of all, no animals were harmed in their making. What do you think of these critters?