CasaSugar

Before and After: Danny Seo's Safety Pin Pillow

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:00:42 -0700

I consider myself "a creative," but it simply baffles me how inventive Danny Seo is. He seems to just ooze creativity, always devising original ways to decorate his digs in style without paying a price tag for it. His latest is achievement is a pillow he decorated with safety pins, of all things. He writes:

I stopped by the store to pick up the basic essentials and was looking at a package of 275 mixed gold and silver safety pins. They were on sale for $3 and I thought, could you do something creative with them?

To see what Danny Seo did to transform this plain mossy green throw pillow into something out of the ordinary, read more.

He just kept pinning away with a mix of gold and silver pins to create a cheerful starburst pattern! Do you like it?Source

DIY: Canopy Headboard

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:30:15 -0700

You needn't buy a $19,000 four-poster to get the look of a romantic canopy bed. A few supplies and a spare afternoon and your bedroom will be fit for a queen, without the stuffy price tag. And, if that's not good enough for you, I'll show you how to live like a modern Marie Antoinette. This canopy headboard DIY, from Point Click Home, is easy enough for a neophyte crafter, but chic enough for the DIY maestro. Also, check out this post for another DIY headboard.

Supplies:

10" faux willow leaf wreath (or a tool wreath for the dudes)
Spray paint (white, gold, or silver)
2 yards 1" wide ribbon
Scissors
2 safety pins
2 sheer curtain panels
1 large nail
Hammer

To learn how to make this headboard, read more.

Here are the steps, from Point Click Home:

Lay the wreath down on newspaper outside.
Spray paint the wreath for an antiqued or frosted look, and let it dry.
Cut the ribbon into two separate one yard lengths (in half).
Pin a safety pin to the end of one length of ribbon, and slide it through the rod pocket of one of the curtain panel, gathering as you go.
Repeat using the other safety pin, ribbon length, and curtain panel.
Hide the ribbon from one panel between the leaves, tying it around the lower edge of the wreath.
Repeat with the other panel.
Trim off any excess ribbon.
Find the center of the wall, about four to six feet above your bed, and pencil it.
Hammer the nail into the wall.
Hang the wreath on the wall, and arrange the panels so that they wrap around the sides of your bed. Fini!

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DIY: Fine Feathered Quilt

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:01:55 -0800

Earlier this week, I showed you a terrifically stitched bird quilt. While you'll definitely need some embroidery skills for this project, I promise you that if I can embroider, you can learn to do it, too. The pattern for this quilt was adapted from a Martha Stewart pattern. I tracked the pattern down and reprinted it below, so you can make a plumage-covered quilt as lovely as this one.

Supplies:

5 1/3 yards of 60-inch-wide white linen fabric
5 yards of 60-inch-wide linen fabric in a contrasting color for back and border
Embroidery thread (choose any color you like)
Transfer paper
Embroidery hoop
12 1/2-inch square quilting ruler
Rotary cutter
2 full-size sheets of cotton batting (90 inches by 96 inches)

Find out how to stitch this quilt when you read more
Here's how:

Cut out thirty 14-inch squares of fabric. Use a photocopier to enlarge the bird patterns of your choice so each is 7 to 8 inches tall (for 30, you will have to use one bird twice). Place a linen square right side up, and top with a sheet of dark transfer paper. Place bird pattern on top; trace the lines of the bird pattern with a ballpoint pen. The pressure will transfer the paper's ink onto the fabric.
Embroider each square: We used the chain stitch for all of our designs. Secure linen square in the embroidery hoop. Thread needle with one strand of embroidery floss. Follow instructions for the chain stitch included in our printable file (below)
After you've finished stitching, place the square quilting ruler over an embroidered square, and use the grid to center the embroidered bird. With a rotary cutter, trim each of the edges to a length of 12 1/2 inches. Repeat with remaining squares. For border, cut out 26 plain 12 1/2-inch square pieces. Lay out quilt, 8 rows long by 7 columns wide, arranging the birds as you desire (in the center 6 rows and 5 columns) with a white border around the entire perimeter.
Sew squares together to make vertical strips (you will have 7 strips of 8 when done), right sides facing, with a 1 1/4-inch seam allowance; press open seams. Then sew strips to one another: Begin by sewing 2 adjacent strips together, first pinning at points where horizontal seams meet to align the squares' corners exactly. Sew together two sets of 2 strips and one set of 3. Sew the 2 sets of 2 to each other, and then sew that piece to the set of 3. Press open all seams.
Cut the 5 yards of green fabric in half across the width. Sew long sides together with right sides facing, leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance, to make a piece about 90 inches by 120 inches; iron seam flat. Lay out the quilt parts, starting with green fabric wrong side up. Top with two layers of batting and the embroidered squares, right side up. Pin a safety pin just inside each side of each square, piercing through the quilt, batting, and green-cloth backing. Trim batting to size of front piece. Stitch along each of the square's seams through all of the layers; remove pins. Trim green cloth to extend 2 inches beyond sewn squares. To create quilt's green border, fold green cloth 1/2 inch all around; iron. Fold over remaining 1 1/2 inches; iron. Top-stitch all around.

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Casa Quickie: No More Lonely Socks

CasaSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:00:09 -0700

Are your socks mismatched? Is there a pile of lone socks sitting on top of your dryer? Fret no more. You can keep your socks in pairs by safety pinning or velcro-ing them together before you throw them in the wash. Buy safety pins in bulk and keep them at hand near your washing machine, or attach the velcro to your socks with a couple easy stitches. Life just got a whole lot easier.
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Midday Muse: Luggage Furniture

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:46 -0700

We've all heard the expression, "living out of a suitcase." And, until now, it's been associated with temporary, not ideal living situations — "slumming it." But, Marie Claire Maison has envisioned tes valises in a whole new form. Here, inspired by traditional hard-case trunks (think Joe Versus the Volcano), two wooden shelves painted fluorescent yellow were installed in a metal suitcase to store Summer attire, like a mini closet. Need seating, not storage? A wheeled nylon bag makes a pouf when placed around a coffee table, if you fill it with clothes or packaging bubbles to keep it soft. Got a basic military trunk? Drill holes into its base, and add casters: an instant coffee table that you can easily move about on your terrace! A carry-on bag makes a giant vanity box when you add mirrors to its top with velcro, and hang jewelry from a kilt safety pin. Or, canvas sailor duffel bags make back pillows for your a low-lying sofa when stuffed. Think outside of the suitcase!
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