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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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?

How-To: Reuse Your Super Bowl Beer Bottle Caps

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:00:46 -0800

Once a year (at least), we all get a little carried away by the excitement of watching our favorite football teams duke it out, or by dance machine Justin Timberlake on stage, and we finish off a few too many beers (and hot wings). Not only are we left with a pounding headache but also dozens of aluminum bottle caps. Of course, you can recycle them. But there are also plenty of other ways to reuse those pesky caps. You might want to let your hangover wear off before you attempt some of these crafty projects, though. To hear them, read more.

Crochet an adorable bottle cap trivet, or use these trivet patterns.
If fishing is a hobby of yours, superglue a lollipop stick to the top of the cap, and scale fish with its spiky edge.
Turn them into fishing lures.
Stop by a local brewery and donate your caps to be reused on new bottles of beer.
Superglue small round magnets or thumbtacks and use them on your fridge or cork boards.
Glue them onto the border of a mirror or frame and turn them into folk art.
Make coasters out of them.
Drill or punch holes in them, and thread wire or string through them to make wind chimes.
If you have a large collection of bottle caps, fill an apothecary jar with them to add some color to your digs.
Or, check out these unique bottle cap ideas from Craft.

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How-To: Recycle or Reuse 7 Household Items

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:00:04 -0800

By now, I bet a lot of you are old pros at recycling paper, plastic, bottles, and cans. (If not, you can review my tips here.) But what about the more difficult and odd household items? What should you do with those? To discover how to reuse or recycle some common, difficult household products, check out my slideshow.
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Roundup: Weekend DIYs

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:26 -0700

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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Casa Quickie: Reuse Your Dryer Sheets

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:00:54 -0700

Your dryer sheets aren't only good for eliminating static cling and leaving your clothes smelling so fresh and so clean, you can reuse them for other household chores once your laundry is finished. They're great for picking up dust on your furniture and window blinds. You can also use them to remove food stuck on your pots and pans. Just fill the dirty pot or pan with water, toss in a used dryer sheet, and let it soak for about an hour. The sheet will help lift and loosen the gunky stuff. Then, wash the pan as usual. Presto! Pots and pans so fresh and so clean!

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Casa Verde: Wash and Reuse Your Plastic Bags

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:15:19 -0700

I used to give my dad a hard time about being a cheapskate because he washed and reused his Ziploc bags. But as I've become more eco-minded, I realize how wasteful it is to toss a baggie after just one use. Here are some tips on how to get more mileage out of your plastic sandwich and freezer bags.

Taking a sandwich or a snack to work every day? As long as the food is something relatively dry, such as bread, carrots, or pretzels, you should save the bag when you're done and just repack it the next day.
For wet or sticky foods, wash your plastic bag with hot water and soap at the end of the day, then allow it to dry before using it again.
The same goes for plastic freezer bags. Unless you’re storing raw chicken or something similar, storage bags rarely get so tainted that you need to toss them after one use. A little hot water, dish soap, and rinsing, and they’re ready to store something else.
To dry the bags, try stringing a mini clothesline over the kitchen sink and drying the bags upside-down with clothespins. Or, buy a rack like this Plastic Bag and Bottle Dryer ($15.95) and set it up next to your dish rack.