CasaSugar

Etsy Find: Gift Tissue Box

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:30:53 -0700

There are few things uglier and more space-hogging in a bathroom than a toilet paper stand. Worse are the racks that clip onto your toilet. But if your home isn't equipped with a built-in TP holder, whaddaya do? Enter the Gift Tissue Box ($10.20) from Etsy seller lemontree77. The corrugated cardboard box is a simple cover for a necessary item, but it's charmingly cute, a bit romantic even, and it hangs easily onto your doorknob. Hopefully its delicate little tree motif will also remind you where all that paper comes from, urging you to limit your TP use.

Casa Quickie: TP For Your Tech

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:16 -0800

I just spied this inventive idea on Real Simple and couldn't help but pass it along, considering that my gadget cords all look like a messy ball of yarn. If you're anything like me, and you've got cords for your camera, iPod, computer, BlackBerry, blow-dryer, speakers, television, DVD player, etc. clogging up your outlets, God bless you. No really, if that's the case, then here's a trick for you. When you've finished a roll of toilet paper, just slide it over a collection of your cords to keep them contained and untangled. Or, you can use it to keep a single cord from coming unwound once you've folded it up for storage. This is particularly a great idea to keep in mind come Dec. 26 when you've got tree lights to store!
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Would You Use Black Toilet Paper?

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:00:32 -0700

The concept of "designer toilet paper" is a kind of akin to a Swarovski-encrusted nose hair trimmer; you just can't make nasal weed-wacking look glamorous. So, I would never venture to kid myself by buying Black Toilet Paper ($12). But, I do think if you were going to go all out hosting a Halloween party, it might then be acceptable.

Casa Quickie: Limit Your TP

CasaSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:00:16 -0700

An electric toilet paper dispenser by Kimberly-Clark Corp. automatically doles out only five sheets (squares) of toilet paper to those who use it away from their homes (in airports, schools, offices, etc.). According to one article, they believe "most people will be satisfied with just five sheets - and use 20 percent less toilet paper in the process." It would be silly and extravagant to have an electric tp dispenser in your own home. But, if you follow this five sheet rule, you'll save a lot of trees in the process of . . . you know, wiping. I'm just waiting to see toilet paper cut into 20" strips (5 sheets) for sale to the general public in super markets.
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Casa Quickie: Give New Life to an Empty Vase

CasaSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:00:04 -0800

Your man is in the dog house again for whatever reason, and brings you some beautiful flowers in a standard glass vase. They adorn your kitchen counter for a week, and once they wither, the vase collects dust in your cabinet with all the others — a reminder of all the times you've received "apology" flowers. Learn how to renew those dust-collecting vases when you read more.

Take a cue from Real Simple, and transform that standard glass vase into toilet paper storage. You'll always know when it's time to shop for more t.p. and your guests will know where to find it when a cardboard roll sits empty on the toilet paper holder.

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How-To: Keep Your Household Safe and Sane on the Fourth

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:30:32 -0700

While the Fourth of July can offer a lot of fun with friends and family, there are also some obvious hazards, from barbecue burns to out-of-control sparklers. There are many ways to keep your house, and your loved ones, safe on the Fourth, with a little common sense and prep work. Here are my suggestions:

Keep a fire extinguisher close by. If you're using a barbecue or a fire pit, chances are good that you may need to use it.
Make sure you have a Summer first aid kit on hand, especially if you're outside or in the sun.

Want more tips? Then read more.

If you or your kids are using sparklers or firecrackers, a burn kit is a must have!
Is your dog afraid of fireworks? Check out PetSugar's advice for mellowing your pooch out.
If you're hosting party guests, stock your bathroom with extra toilet paper, soap, sunscreen, and hand towels.
Stop stains before they can set in on your favorite picnic tablecloth or blanket. Find out how to treat red wine and grease stains, and avoid sullying your linens!

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:15:32 -0700

AT:SF shares a creative shade solution.
YumSugar's found a marble floor made of salami.
Craft shares an adorable solution to fixing a cane chair seat.
Decor8 rounds up her flea market finds.
Shelterrific's feeling the lack shelf love.
Shak in Style wants your opinion of this chair.
Treehugger discovers a depressing truth about Kimberley-Clark tissue and toilet paper.
Re-Nest wows me with these green-certified copper panels.
Dwell makes some surprising garden discoveries at Maison et Objet.

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Su Casa: A Spruced Up Bathroom

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:15:30 -0700

Su Casa member Tweet Hotpants recently posted some great pictures of her bathroom renovation. She writes, "These are some before and after shots of our downstairs bathroom. When we first moved in, it was painted a boring white, so we decided to spruce it up a little and paint it brown . . . well, we woke up the next morning and hated it!

To find out how they switched it up, read more.

Tweet goes on to explain how they fixed the brown paint mistake. She writes, "So we started over and added some white wainscoting and painted the top half sage green. We then replaced the light fixture, the towel rack and the toilet paper holder. We are really loving the outcome!"

I love this bathroom improvement, too! Do you have images from your home and garden you want to share? Then join my Su Casa group!

View 11 Photos ›

Open House: Your Partner's Most Challenging Home Decorating Ideas?

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:00:36 -0700

Moving in with someone is always challenging, whether it's a new roomie, a romantic partner, or a new husband.

The home decorating ideas and habits of two different people are often sources of friction between newlyweds. I know that when I moved in with my fiancé, we had countless arguments over furniture arrangements, new linens for the bed, where to store the toilet paper . . . the list is seemingly endless.

So, for this Open House, I want to know what type of decorating issues you've had with your roommate or your better half. Has he refused to give up his polyblend duvet cover (you know, the one with the fugly maroon-and-brown stripes)? Has he insisted that those crystal candlesticks his Aunt Mabel picked for you (which weren't on your registry) take center stage on your dining room table? Does his CD collection live in college-era unfinished wood crates? Tell me all about it when you leave a comment below.
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Home Away From Home: Be an Eco Chic Guest

CasaSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:45:37 -0700

Even if you're not sleeping in your own bed and eating out of your own fridge, you can still be an eco chic guest when you're home away from home — and that doesn't necessarily translate to skipping showers or toilet paper. I've outlined a few ways that you can be environmentally friendly when you're on vacation or a business trip:

Stay in a green hotel. Environmentally friendly hotels initiate programs that save water and energy and reduce waste, while saving money, and engage in many of the same activities you do in your casa verde. You can find them through the Green Hotels Association, Environmentally Friendly Hotels, AllStays, Green Hotel Review, and Eco Hotels of the World.

There's lots more to learn, so read more

If you find yourself at a hotel that doesn't have its eco-routine down pat, there are a few things you can do on your own part to green your stay. To begin, stop by the front desk and drop off this list of sustainable and money saving tips for greening your hotel. Tell them you like to support green hotels and you'd appreciate it if they looked it over.
As fun as it is to get free things, don't be tempted by the mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner in your hotel bathroom. The amount of plastic needed to maintain hotel bathrooms, if every guest were to take the travel size bottles, is . . . scary! B.Y.O. toiletries.
You've probably stayed a hotel with towel hanger cards, gently reminding guests to reuse their towels. This practice saves water, energy use by the dryers, and money spent on utilities. And, unless your hotel is using eco laundry detergent, it prevents toxic chemicals from winding up near your skin! This also applies to sheets as well. If your hotel does not have a sheet changing card out reminding you already, you can call down to the front desk and tell them you'd prefer not to have your sheets washed during your stay. You don't wash your sheets at home once a day, so it shouldn't be necessary while you're away from home. Of course, if you have a longer stay at a hotel, you can request that they wash your linens only once a week.
Unplug! Make sure to unplug any appliances in your hotel room while they're not in use. Many electrical appliances use as much electricity when they’re off as when they're on, so pull the plug! This applies to that mini-fridge filled with $9 water bottles that you'll never drink. Kindly ask the front desk if they'll remove any perishables from the mini-fridge, so you can leave it unplugged.
Do you really need the air conditioning on? Hotels tend to leave the a/c running to ensure guests are comfortable. But it's often unnecessary. Turn it off and open the windows!
Travel light on your footprint. Avoid hopping in the cabs standing outside your hotel. Instead, take five or ten minutes to acclimate yourself with the bus system or bike rental shops of the city or town you're visiting.
Watch your wallet in the gift shop. In cities with a major tourist presence, the gift shops are a huge industry, and in many cases the products you can buy there are not even made there. What's sentimental about that? Be careful what you buy there. Many products like shells, coral, leather bracelets, snakeskin, or wooden accents don't come from well-managed or sustainable source; look for Forest Stewardship Council or Marine Aquarium Council labels to be sure you're buying from a reputable source.

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