CasaSugar

Midday Muse: Everblooming California

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:00:58 -0700

Since I grew up in the Midwest, I associate mid-September with falling leaves, chilly temperatures, and apple picking. However, here in California, where I've lived for seven years, I'm still getting used to the concept of mild seasons. As if to prove this to me, my rosebushes, which were just blooming back in May, are back in full yellow-and-red splendor again. I suppose I'll get used to it eventually, right?

Su Casa: The Bloom's on These Roses

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:00:26 -0700

Su Casa member Demure20 snapped some photos of her beautiful rose garden. The color and variety of roses she has at her home is impressive - as is the beautiful health her roses appear to be in! We only have three rose bushes at my house, and although I've never considered myself a rose type of girl, I think that Demure20 has changed my mind.

If you're interested in posting pictures of lovely flower gardens like this, make sure to join my Su Casa group!

View 6 Photos ›

Do You Have Roses in Your Garden?

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:43 -0700

Roses add elegance and color to any garden space. While many modern-day cut rose varieties are bred for looks rather than scent, my favorites are the old, fragrant varieties. They may not have a perfect appearance, but they smell wonderful.

Source

Garden Therapy: Can You Help With This Rose?

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:09:30 -0700

TeamSugar member Davie_K wrote in, saying

Okay, my fiancè is the most romantic guy. He bought us a white rose bush for our place. The thing is, I know very little about roses and I can't even find out what this one is. It's called "princess snow" and it's a small tree with light green-colored foliage. It's been outside a couple of days and I'm worried that we're not looking after it properly. It's a white rose, as I said, with occasional pink spots and dark stamen. I'm not even sure if the foliage is supposed to be light green. Can someone help me out please? It's seriously deteriorating. ANY and ALL advice is greatly appreciated!

Your fiancè is indeed a romantic-and appropriate-gift giver, Davie_K, since white roses are traditionally thought of as the bridal rose. They also represent true love, purity, innocence, sympathy, and spirituality. But this symbolism doesn't really aid you in your question, does it?

To see my advice, read more
You say that your rose is outside, but I don't know if it's still in its container or in the ground. If you still need to plant it, dig a hole for your rose that's 2 ½ times the size of the root ball. It is a good idea to put some well-composted organic matter in the hole, and mix more composted matter with the soil that you removed. Take the rose plant out of the container and put it in the hole, packing dirt under and around the rose. Make sure to put a straight stick across the hole to see if the dirt level of the rose is the same as the ground level. If it's planted above or below ground level, it may have a difficult time growing properly.

Also, make sure to water thoroughly, but not in the heat of the day. Consider planting garlic or chives around the roses to aid their growth. And finally, since we're into autumn, your rose plant will want to hibernate for the season, so after the end of October, don't fertilize it anymore. It may drop leaves, but with some luck, it's just settling in for the hibernation season.

Anyone else have rose advice for Davie_K?

Garden Therapy: Ethel Rose Glove

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:30:15 -0700

Just because you're getting dirty doesn't mean you can't look your best. Made of snag-resistant, two-way stretch spandex and a rubberized grip with reinforced fingertips, and available in a range of chic patterns, Ethel gloves bring fashion, function, and protection to your gardening routine. Better yet, they're machine washable! Ethel has debuted a limited-edition glove, the Rose Glove ($32), in warm gold with a buttery yellow delicate lace pattern, which is as elegant as it is essential. The glove has an extended gauntlet cuff to keep your arm protected and a convenient storage pouch for odds and ends. And right now, when you enter the code 09STYLE at checkout, you'll receive 10 percent off all new products.

Su Casa: This Garden Is Coming Up Roses

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:45:54 -0700

Even though Good to Grow month is over, I couldn't let a technicality like that prevent me from sharing some photos of SweetpeasMom's lovely flower garden.

She writes,

This is a little area on my back deck. SweetPea couldn't stay out of the picture. On the left on the deck are two miniature rose plants and then some white flowers I don't remember the name of. On the right side on the deck is a pot with tulips (which didn't bloom this year... so far... that's wishful thinking for you!) and it also has strawberries growing in it. . . . And I don't know the names for any of the flowers along the top, I got them all because they were different shades of purple and I wanted color out there. We had a stormy night a few nights ago, and it kind of beat them all up. I don't know if they'll come back, but I'll keep them there until I'm sure they're dead. (Again, wishful thinking!!) I didn't get a picture of it, but I planted some jasmine this year off of the deck and I'm hoping it will grow up through the lattice.

Anyone know the name of any of these other flowers? Be sure to also check out the gallery for the pretty shots of SweetpeasMom's roses. Want to share your photos? Here's how to join Su Casa.

View 7 Photos ›

Show Me Your Casa!

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:00:21 -0700

Along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, getting a sneak peek into all of your homes is one of my favorite things. I love to see how you've interpreted your personal style in your home, and how you run with the design inspiration you find online and in magazines. And, I'm always inspired by your homes myself. Beyond that, I like to know what you're working on, be it a quick or time-intensive DIY project, a full home renovation, a single-room redecoration, or the interior design of your entire home.
That said, please share your photos with me and other CasaSugar readers! Upload them to my group on TeamSugar called Su Casa. It can be just a snapshot of a little detail of your digs or a gallery of your home's entire renovation. I love before and after photos, too!! Think of it as a Look Book for home decor. If I see something I like in Su Casa, I might feature it on CasaSugar, so don't be surprised if you get an email from me!

To learn how to join and post in the group, read more.

To join the Su Casa group, just follow this link and click "subscribe" beneath the photo on the left-hand side of the page. Once you're subscribed, click Share in the upper left-hand menu of any TeamSugar page and choose what type of post you want to create. If you have just one photo and some text, create a blog; if you have a gallery you want to share, select "photos."

TeamSugar has a great primer on how to create a blog post, so check that out if you've never posted one before. Here's a rundown of the basic process:

Add a Title and the Body (content for your post). Don't forget to click the Check Spelling link and Upload an Image to make your post stand out!
Post this to a group? Click on the dropdown menu and select the Su Casa group. You will only be able to see groups you're subscribed to, so if you haven't joined Su Casa yet, you will need to.
Click on the dropdown menu and choose the Home and Garden Channel and add some keywords (use a comma, if needed!) in the Tags text box. Then click "I'm done" to view your post!

Source

Show Me Your Casa!

CasaSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, getting a sneak peek into all of your homes is one of my favorite things. I love to see how you've interpreted your personal style in your home, and how you run with the design inspiration you find online and in magazines. And, I'm always inspired by your homes myself. Beyond that, I like to know what you're working on, be it a quick or time-intensive DIY project, a full home renovation, a single-room redecoration, or the interior design of your entire home.
That said, please share your photos with me and other CasaSugar readers! Upload them to my group on TeamSugar called Su Casa. It can be just a snapshot of a little detail of your digs or a gallery of your home's entire renovation. I love before and after photos, too!! Think of it as a Look Book for home décor. If I see something I like in Su Casa, I might feature it on CasaSugar, so don't be surprised if you get an email from me!

To learn how to join and post in the group, read more.

TeamSugar has a great primer on how to create a blog post, so check that out if you've never posted one before. Here's a rundown of the basic process:

Add a Title and the Body (content for your post). Don't forget to click the Check Spelling link and Upload an Image to make your post stand out!
Post this to a group? Click on the dropdown menu and select the Su Casa group. You will only be able to see groups you're subscribed to, so if you haven't joined Su Casa yet, you will need to.
Click on the dropdown menu and choose the Home and Garden Channel and add some keywords (use a comma, if needed!) in the Tags text box. Then click "I'm done" to view your post!

Source

Open House: How Do You Deal With Pets in Your Garden?

CasaSugar — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:30:00 -0700

My mother-in-law has amazing flower and edible gardens at her cabin on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Washington. She also has a very exuberant ball-fetching standard poodle named Zoe. When I visited the cabin last weekend, I walked around her property, stunned by the bursts of color from her rhododendrons, peonies, roses, lilacs, honeysuckle, and numerous other flowering plants. And then there was Zoe, who diligently followed me and dropped her ball at my feet whenever I'd pause.
Even though Zoe is a big, active dog, her damage to my mother-in-law's fabulous garden seems minimal at worst. There are several gravel paths, upon which Zoe usually travels when outside. Two grassy patches seem to be her preferred outdoor lounging spots, and she's well-trained enough not to tramp around in the surrounding flowering gardens or strawberry patches.

Do you negotiate the issue of shared garden and pet space? How do you deal with pets in your flower garden? Do you train Fido to stay out? Do you use fencing or natural deterrents to keep your pets away from your favorite plants? Tell me all about it!

Casa Interview: Grey Gardens Set Designer Kalina Ivanov

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:00:13 -0700

In a Love It or Hate It poll, I asked for your opinion on the sets of the HBO movie Grey Gardens. You overwhelmingly loved them, just as I did. The film, which focuses on "Big Edie" (played by Jessica Lange) and "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale (played by Drew Barrymore), and their home, Grey Gardens, is currently playing on HBO, and the DVD will be available in July. The film's beautiful look is courtesy of designer Kalina Ivanov. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Kalina about how she crafted the set of Grey Gardens, and how the designs developed.

CasaSugar: You had to imagine much of the original look of Grey Gardens. What was the most challenging part of this re-imagining?

Kalina Ivanov: Grey Gardens is one of the most intriguing and challenging projects of my career. There is a large fan base of the original documentary and Little Edie is a true icon in the gay community. I had a huge responsibility of getting the look right. The house needed to be both authentic and poetic. The director, Michael Suscy, spent three years researching the project, and he had a treasure trove of images, articles, and architectural drawings. However, we didn’t have images of what the interiors looked like in the 1930s, only the exteriors. We did have a verbal description Little Edie wrote many years later, but . . . as you know she isn’t a very reliable source. That left Michael and I with much room for interpretation. My main goal was to create an environment that captured the Edies' spirit perfectly.

CasaSugar: The original pre-decrepit Grey Gardens set has a very bohemian feel to it; were you inspired by any art, movies, or cultural happenings from that time?

Kalina Ivanov: On my interview, I brought Michael an image of a purple French Art Deco room. He immediately fell in love with it and this image became the base for our design concept. I felt strongly that since Big Edie was a Bouvier by birth, her taste would be influenced by European design. American Art Deco style is much more masculine and geometric; European Art Deco is fluid and organic.

I also wanted to introduce the idea of a garden inside the house, which is why we painted Big Edie’s bedroom with trees and birds. An astute viewer would notice that the colors of that room are yellow and pale turquoise. These colors show up later as the famous yellow bedroom and turquoise staircase in the documentary.

For the rest of the interview, read more.

CasaSugar: I love the use of Chinoiserie in the set. Tell me about how you decided to use it.

Kalina Ivanov: Good question - it was the one element Michael and I kept from Little Edie’s description of her home. Chinoiserie was very popular in the 1930s, and according to Edie, they had many Chinese antiques around the house.

CasaSugar: On the set, there's a plant inside a bird cage; was this inspired by the light bulb inside the birdcage that was from the original house?

Kalina Ivanov: Actually, Michael and I wanted to do something unexpected to show the non-conformist spirit of Big Edie. We thought putting a plant inside the cage is whimsical and not exactly what a proper society woman would do.

CasaSugar: What furniture and décor sources did you use for the set?

Kalina Ivanov: Most of the furniture was antique; all the paintings were from the period or earlier. We did buy some Chinese pieces of furniture and aged them to look older. We used different vendors from Toronto (the film was shot here) and Montreal. For the wallpaper, we used sources like Second Hand Rose in New York. We also made some of the furniture - the beds in the yellow room are so well known from the documentary, they had to be re-created.

CasaSugar: What's your favorite room in the house?

Kalina Ivanov: Short answer - all of them. Long answer - Big Edie’s bedroom because I created it from scratch. There was no photographic evidence of what it had looked like or a verbal description. People seem to love the purple room too; I’ve received many calls and emails asking me what color we used. I guess we started a trend of purple rooms across America.

CasaSugar: What was the most challenging part about deconstructing/aging the house?

Kalina Ivanov: Making it look real and not too theatrical. I wanted the audience to feel the authenticity of the decay, to be able to smell the cat piss and the raccoon stench.

CasaSugar: What era do you consider your greatest inspiration or interest in terms of interior decorating?

Kalina Ivanov: It depends on the nature of the film. I love Art Deco and Art Nouveau. At the same time I also love minimalist design. I think of myself as a storyteller, so for each film, I choose a design style that tells the best story. That’s how I arrived at European Art Deco as the inspiration for Grey Gardens.

View 5 Photos ›

Source