CasaSugar

The Card Shop: Thank-You Cards From Two Trick Pony

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:30:44 -0700

Laurie Mee and Carrie Siegel, the co-owners of Two Trick Pony, create delightful card designs that are screen-printed by hand on 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled paper with water-based inks. I love the retro look of their designs, and the straightforward perfection in the cards' sentiments.

Since I'm in the middle of writing thank-you cards to our wedding guests, my eye was particularly drawn to these thank-you cards ($16 for six cards and envelopes). They're graced with a simple, pretty design rendered in perfect Autumnal shades. I find that everyone appreciates a thank-you card now and then, be it for a dinner party or a random act of kindness. Why not stock up so your generosity can run rampant?

The Card Shop: Screenprinted Bird Thank You Card

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:30:53 -0700

Next time you need to say merci beaucoup, let the birds do the legwork. These Screenprinted Bird Thank You Cards ($3.50) from Etsy seller Sarahparrott825 come in an exquisite robin's egg blue and are blank inside so you can personalize your message. Each card is accompanied by a brown 100% recycled envelope and packed in a celo bag.

The Card Shop: Swirls of Ivy Thank You Notes

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:00:44 -0700

These Swirls of Ivy Thank You Notes ($15) from Crane and Company are so pretty they may compel a thank you note in return for the thank you! Decorated with swirls of flowers and ivy in a rich chocolate brown, the pink "Thank You" message contrasts beautifully with the darker color. I also love the matching envelopes that feature a coordinating design on the inside flap.

Do you love these colors as much as I do?

The Card Shop: Linda & Harriett Thank-You Note Box Sets

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0700

The expression, "A simple thank you would have been nice," has always baffled me. To me, there is nothing straightforward about saying thank you. When I'm genuine, I want my expression of gratitude to be as tastefully embellished as possible - like a letterpress card.Luckily, stationer Linda & Harriett has made the gesture simple for me, by unveiling some new box sets of thank-you notes in elegant scallop, lace, and swirl prints. Each card is letterpressed with soy-based ink and features the calligraphy of Brooklyn-based Jenna Hein. I'm thinking the swirl pattern is my favorite; I can just see the personality oozing off the 30 percent postconsumer waste paper. A set of six retails for $14.

The Card Shop: Lace Thank-You Notes

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:00:59 -0700

Kate's Paperie's Lace Thank-You Notes ($25 for 6) may be letterpressed with antique lace patterns, but they're certainly not your granny's doilies. On the contrary, they have a modern sophistication that reflects the lace trend that's happening now. I'm loving the sage, navy, and aqua color palette; I'd actually love to snip off the text and frame them together somehow. You know how I do love my paper projects. Unfortunately, the price may be a little steep for some; it may be better to use your personalized stationery. What do you think? What do you have to be thankful for?

Casa Interview, Part II: Domino Founding Editor Deborah Needleman (and an Awesome Giveaway!)

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:39 -0700

Deborah Needleman, the founding editor of Domino, is a goldmine of savvy advice on decorating your home, honed from years of experience heading up the style-centric magazine as well as decorating her own home. You can read the first half of my interview with her here. Deborah's tips and thoughts on decorating continue in the second half of this interview.

Our homes are really personal spaces. Considering that most of us are shopping from the same few décor retailers and finding inspiration in the same shelter magazines and blogs, how should we go about personalizing our homes?
Every home definitely needs a few old things and a couple unique things. And when most of what we have is mass-produced, it's more important than ever to have some things made by actual human hands, whether it's pottery, rugs, pictures, whatever. It is essential to find a few things that no one else has, whether you find them in a shop, at a tag sale, bring them back from a trip, collect them from nature, or even make them - like just tacking up drawings or notes from friends. Stuff that is meaningful to us, what we love or collect or find is interesting to our guests. I also do think it's really nice to have one really good piece - whether that's a table, rug, chandelier, whatever. It gives your room some substance, some weight - and also ensures it doesn't look like anyone else's.

To read the rest of the interview, read more.

I love your home, which I saw featured in New York magazine a few years ago. I know that you’re a big fan of neutrals and white, or at least you were when that article was written. Are you still a neutrals gal?
Thanks. It's funny, in New York City which is so chaotic and where I get easily overwhelmed, I need to be a neutral gal. It totally calms me down, and keeps my head clear. But upstate, where I feel more relaxed, I love layering patterns and color - florals, suzanis, chintzes, Indian prints, etc. I'm covering my sofa there in purple linen, my study is painted black, and one room is the craziest color green I've ever seen.

I love how your home is elegant and adult-oriented, yet still kid-accessible. What is your advice on and personal experience with creating gorgeous spaces that are also kid-friendly?
I have never understood dumbing down design for kids. No one had kid-friendly homes when I was growing up - people just had the homes they had and their children lived in them! A family home is for adults and children - why on earth would anyone give over their living room to let it look like a play room?! I'll probably get hate mail for this, but aside from a gate so children don't tumble down the stairs, and maybe a lock on the cabinet if you have the kind of children that want to eat the Ajax or whatever, children can be taught that table edges are sharp and that food is to be eaten in the kitchen and that open markers can't be left on the rug!

Other than that, if you have a fairly light palette like I do, you have to accept that you won't have the cleanest house in the world. Fortunately I like a bit of a patina on things! I like that the floor is scuffed by skateboards in part because I love a house where children feel free to run wild, have loads of friends over, and make forts out of the sofa cushions, but also where they have a sense of responsibility and respect for things. Oh, and I have cheap rugs, so if they get destroyed, I won't be sad! And I certainly wouldn't choose a linen velvet sofa fabric if I had to do it again! Kids don't rule the roost, they share it.

Your HomeGoods StyleScope tool helps home decorators find their style. How would you describe your own style?
I think I'm fairly conventional at core - I couldn't have furniture at funny angles or a bed floating in a room or anything too wacky or "fun." I dig symmetry. I like things that are classic in shape and form - not overly embellished, but I appreciate many kinds of design. I think I take this fairly classic base and mess it up a bit. I'm certainly not traditional. I like to layer on personality and quirk with ethnic textiles, cushions, interesting objects, fabrics, and art. I love stuff from India, Morocco, England. Thus, Bohemian Classic.

And to revive a favorite Domino feature of mine, what are 10 things that make you happy?
Hilarious question! Well, first of all, we never let people say their children or their dogs!!! Too boring and obvious.

Nearly all Santa Maria Novella products (if I could only choose one thing, it'd be their potpourri. But I'm crazy about the milk body cream, the honeysuckle perfume, and the pomegranate soap and bath salts). I am obsessed with scent - on my body and in my home!
My veg garden. (Really, seeing my children eat their way through our veg garden, but at Domino I would've edited that out as too sentimental!)
Making flower arrangements for the house.
My white parsons table (I have two) - and a brilliant new parsons side table in the pitch-perfect green color.
Comfy chairs in kitchens and bathrooms.
Cheap weekly blowouts from walk-in, no-appointment places.
Summer dinner outside with friends.
Staying in a lovely hotel room (never a trendy hotel, I like old-school, old-fashioned hotels). I love that nothing belongs to me and the beds are perfectly made. The Duc du St. Simon in Paris is pretty excellent.
Bobbi Brown makeup. Makes you look sun-kissed, not dolled up.
I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't say this, but having a decorator!! Specifically having the genius Rita Konig as a decorator!

Thank you, Deborah! We have a special giveaway for you CasaSugar readers on the way. One of you lucky readers will win a $500 gift card to HomeGoods! Check back for more details about the giveaway later on today!

The Card Shop: Hello! Lucky Wedding Invitations by Joel Dewberry and EIEIO

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:00:40 -0700

As if weddings weren't exciting enough, one of my favorite stationery companies, Hello!Lucky, has just launched two new collections of wedding invitations designed by the talented textile designer Joel Dewberry and decorative paper studio EIEIO. Each collection includes an average of six different designs, with varying colorways and the option to order the works: RSVP cards, save the dates, wedding announcements, thank-you cards, accommodations cards, reception cards, directions cards, menus, place cards, and seating cards.

Additionally, all of the materials can be printed either digitally or by letterpress - I'd go with the latter if I were you! My favorites are Sparrows by Joel Dewberry and Chandelier by EIEIO, each $97.50 for 25. So chic and elegant, but a bit contemporary, too. Check out all of the Sugar network's wedding coverage here!

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:00:45 -0700

Gather ideas for outdoor decorating with wood.- Daily Danny
Assemble a dollar store sink skirt.- Eddie Ross
Make a curved, padded headboard.- AT:LA
Or try your hand at making a cat bed out of a suitcase.- Craft
Stock up on thank you cards.- SFGirlByBay
Learn how to mantain your hedges.- This Old House
Read a review of caulk singles.- Shelterrific

Home Library: Handmade Hellos

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:30 -0800

Signed, sealed, and delivered from the ladies of Hello!Lucky letterpress, the new how-to book Handmade Hellos ($19.95) gives rebirth to a long-lost craft: card making. It's one thing to hand write a note in today's world of email, SMS, MMS, IM, BBM, etc. - a good thing. But to forgo Papyrus and make a card by hand shows nonpareil thoughtfulness. Thanks to this delightful book, which is a compilation of over 25 projects from today's most talented card makers, you can choose your own level of thoughtfulness: basic (30 minutes or less), moderate (two hours or less), or advanced (an afternoon). For a handsome catch you're trying to impress, this volume will show you how to silk-screen a wooden card reading, "Wood You Be My Valentine?" For a quick but humorous birthday card, you can make a cocktail hour card using vintage photographs and a wry one-liner. Straightforward instructions make even the advanced projects unintimidating, and ready-to-use patterns cut out the creativity requirement for those of you who aren't artistes. But perhaps most notably, after page after page of adorable illustrations and cheerful designs, you won't want to say goodbye to Handmade Hellos.

Ask Casa: Affordable Patterned Curtains

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:00:30 -0800

Dear Casa,
I've been looking for some patterned or printed curtains that are reasonably priced, and I need some help. I love the Anthropologie ones, but they are too expensive. Do you have any ideas on where to look?
Thanks,
Bplane

To hear my suggestions for Bplane, read more.

Hi Bplane,
Your dilemma is a common one - Anthropologie is a wonderful source of inspiration, as well as credit card debt. Luckily, there are plenty of other drapery retailers that won't require you to sell your furniture to buy a new set of curtains. Since you haven't invited me to your home, I'm not sure what aesthetic you're going for, but I've rounded up a selection for you anyway. So, you'll have to do some of the legwork here, and choose what works best for you!

Hope that helps! And, Ikea is also a great source for affordable textiles, so be sure to check out that selection.
Cheers,
Casa

Sheer Medallion Print Window Panels - Amethyst - $79.00	Amelia Indoor/Outdoor Curtain Panel - $99.00
Key Embroidered Drape - $99.00	Acorn Curtain Panel - $65.00
Yoshino Curtain - $108.00	Muscadine Curtain - $108.00
"Metropolitan" Curtains - $60.00	Linden Street Stripe & Print Thermal Coordinates - $11.99
Sheaden Floral Curtain - $54.00	Bettina Drape - $109.00