CasaSugar

Casa Craving Recap: Terrific Tree Toppers

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:10:10 -0800

For this week's Casa Craving Challenge I asked you to look for tree toppers. I'm so impressed by your great finds! Since my tree is still waiting for a terrific top, I'm going to have to study your finds carefully and decide which one will look best on my tree. If you're in a similar situation, just take a look at the widget below for all of the amazing tree toppers!

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Casa Craving Challenge: Tree Toppers

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:00:15 -0800

The holidays have us all incredibly busy, so I thought I'd go easy on you this week and have you look for one specific product instead of designing an entire room in our normal Casa Craving Challenge.

In our Tree-Topping Poll you told me that you mostly prefer topping your tree with celestial angels or shining stars. So this week, I'd like you to bookmark your favorite tree toppers, and next week I'll round them up and share the results with everyone. Show me all of your fabulous finds by creating Casa Cravings and tagging your cravings with the phrase terrific tree toppers. I'll feature the results next Wednesday, Dec. 12th. Please let me know if you have any questions. For a list of online home stores to try, read more

Amazon Home
Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Crate & Barrel
Design Within Reach
Gump's
Ikea
Jonathan Adler
Lekker Home
Linens and Things
Macy's Home
Pottery Barn
Restoration Hardware
Room & Board
Target
Urban Outfitters
Unica Home
West Elm
World Market

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Deck the Haus: Oil Drum Angel

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:00:01 -0800

Who would've thought that such an angelic figure could come from such a surprising source? When empty oil drums washed up on Haiti after World War II, local artisans reworked the "trash" into metal sculptures. And while this simple and sublime angel figure ($169) from VivaTerra wasn't in your tree topper roundup, I think it would've fit in nicely. This angel, which would also work on a mantel or tabletop as well as a tree, features a stipple textured robe and torso and large fluttery gold wings. Best of all, she's created and marketed exclusively under fair trade practices.

How To: Get Your Tree Home

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:00:28 -0800

Lately I've been seeing trees precariously tied to the tops of cars - I even saw one slide off the top of a station wagon over the weekend! To ensure that transporting your tree is safe for you, your special tree, and for everyone else in the vicinity, please check out my tips for getting your tree home for the holidays.

To see my tips, just read more

If your travel time is in excess of 15 minutes, wrap the tree in a tarp, or place it in the back of a pick-up that has a topper. Winds of 60 mph, especially when combined with weather, can damage a tree quickly.
Put the bottom of the tree aiming forward to protect the needles from being blown off.
Tie your tree securely! If the tree is carried on the outside of a vehicle, loose ties can be a hazard to your valuable tree, your car, you, and other travelers, so relearn your knots or bring someone who knows how to tie them well.

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DIY: Recycled Catalog Christmas Trees

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:00:27 -0800

I was inspired by either random creativity or divine procrastination yesterday to turn a stack of office DWR catalogs and expired In Touch magazines into festive Christmas trees. The project took me under ten minutes to complete. Since the holiday deadline for ordering from that stack of catalogs laying on your kitchen counter has passed, I highly suggest recycling them with this easy DIY. You can use any catalog or gossip mag so long as it has a saddle-stich binding. (Do you like my Apple tree topper?)

What You Need

One catalog or gossip mag per tree
Scissors or X-acto knife
A marker (optional)
Around seven paper clips

To learn how to make this perennial tree, read more

Here are the steps:

Using a marker, draw the outline of a profile of a Christmas tree on your magazine, as shown. (Although, I skipped this step on my first try, and it turned out okay.)

Take a small chunk of pages in your catalog, and cut along the outline of your tree.

Continue cutting the pages in chunks, until you've cut through the entire catalog.

Now, take about four or five pages and paper clip them together at the base of the tree, as shown, starting with the front and back covers of the catalog.

Continue clipping the pages together, until all of them have been grouped together. The point of doing this is so that the tree will stand upright on its own. You may have to burnish or fold the pages on their "hinges" so they don't just flop to one side.

Now, stand your tree upright, and voilà!

Su Casa: CocoChic's Christmas Décor

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:00:39 -0800

CocoChic recently posted pictures of her holiday decorating to the Su Casa group. She writes

This is my first Christmas on my own (and married) so it's extra special. I used green and silver on the tree and in the living room. Then I dressed up my everyday bathroom candles with a little holiday flair.

Her décor includes a festive tree in green and silver, a homemade tree topper, and silver and lime candlesticks. She also used foil and ribbon to dress up the light-green candles, and I love how she paired a silver picture frame to match the candles!

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What Do You Top Your Christmas Tree With?

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:22:47 -0800

There are so many options for tree-toppers these days, it's almost intimidating. But, you really can't go wrong with whatever you choose, as long as you choose something!

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