CasaSugar

Love It or Hate It? Orchid Urinals

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:00:54 -0700

After seeing the two person toilet and the toilet/washing machine, and even Leonardo DiCaprio's eco-fabulous toilet, I didn't think there could be any more innovation in the bathroom. But, that's just silly, right? Of course there could be. San Francisco artist Clark Sorensen's Orchid Urinal Sculptures ($7500) are innovative, one-of-a-kind, beautiful, and fully-functional! Beat that.

Home Away From Home: The Madonna Inn

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:01 -0800

Looking for a kooky, kitschy hotel experience? Then check out San Luis Obispo's own Madonna Inn. This 51-year-old hotel is an absolutely unique experience for visitors, featuring an overwhelming pink color palette and rooms with themes including "Love Nest," "Caveman," and "Portugal."

If you're in the market for a unique wedding reception venue, the Madonna Inn can handle your reception. Fully equipped with a steak house, day spa, convention center, and bar, the Madonna Inn can supply all of your needs - especially if those needs involve gaping at the Swiss-Alps-meets-Old-West decor. One last piece of advice: don't forget to direct your male friends to the rocks and waterfall urinal if they need to take care of business - it's apparently a tourist must-see.

Take the full tour.

Garden Therapy: Preventing Creatures From Eating Fall Bulbs

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Ann Whitman, the green goods supervisor at Gardener's Supply, recently offered some advice for preventing squirrels, deer, and other critters from digging up and destroying your Fall bulbs. Check out her tips below.

Squirrels love to dig in newly disturbed soil, so prevent them from exploring by disguising your newly planted bulbs. Cover the planting area with rocks, boards, buckets, or chicken wire. Once the ground freezes, you can move the rocks or other materials.
Since deer don't care about bulbs until the Spring, protect tender leaves by covering them with wire mesh once they start popping up next Spring.
Avoid damage from chipmunks and voles by surrounding bulbs with sharp gravel and oyster shell. You can also plant them inside a wire cage.
Deter rascally rabbits by spraying repellents, such as Liquid Fence, or predator urine, around bulbs in the Spring.
Try planting bulbs that animals find unappealing. Chief among these are daffodils, alliums, fritillaries, grape hyacinths, and many other spring-flowering bulbs.

Source: Flickr User Gilles Gonthier

How-To: Get Rid of Fabric-Eating Moths

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:34 -0700

If you've opened your closet and realized that your favorite cashmere sweater has holes all over it, you've probably got a moth problem. It's unlikely that the moths are attracted to just that one cardi, so there are a few steps you should take to ensure your whole wardrobe doesn't suffer the same fate. That is, unless we're talking about all those reindeer Christmas sweaters from grandma.

To learn how to kick those buggers to the curb, read more.

Clothes moths feed on wool, feathers, fur, hair, lint, paper, and even cotton, linen, silk, and some synthetic fibers. But in general, they especially crave fabrics that have been stained or soiled with food, beverages, perspiration, sweat, oil, and urine. In many cases, you can't even tell that your apparel has been stained, so you should always clean your garments before you store them.
If you've already discovered you have a moth problem, you should wash all of your clothes in the infested area in hot water and detergent or dry clean them.
When it comes time to store your out-of-season clothes, you should keep them in airtight containers such as plastic boxes and bags, metal containers, or wooden (cedar is ideal) chests.
Moths tend to develop under humidity. So, if your closet or storage space is near a bathroom or humidifier, you should ventilate the area by opening windows or using a fan.
Clothes moths also prefer darkness. So if you have an alternative place to store your apparel that is bright, consider moving your clothes. You might also leave on low-energy lightbulbs such as CFLs or LEDs to light your closet.
To capture the male clothes moths in order to stop the breeding process, use a pheromone trap in your closet.
You should also vacuum your closet thoroughly in all cracks and crevices, as well as carpeting. Use a flashlight to identify lint and hair at the baseboards, in air ducts, and corners of the room that you might not see otherwise. If you have upholstered furniture in your closet (lucky lady), make sure to vacuum it thoroughly as well.
As for moth repellants, mothballs are tried and true, but they can also be harmful to your health, and leave a strong odor on your clothes. So, you can make a sachet with these herbal mothball alternatives. Cedar chips tend to lose their effect after the wood has dried, but cedar chests, which are airtight, are often effective.

How-To: Keeping Deer Out of Your Garden

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Growing up in the country, deer and other creatures were daily visitors to my garden, nibbling and trampling upon everything in sight, and they often caused car accidents in the area. Needless to say, they're not my favorite forest creature. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to wait for deer season to keep them away from your casa; there are plenty of ways to keep them out of your garden without increasing your daily venison intake. Here are a few:

Install an extremely high fence. Deer can jump quite high, so it must be about eight feet tall to keep them out. Consider invisible deer fence, which isn't such an eyesore. And remember to fence off your driveway entrance or install cattle guards, which they can't cross.
Get a dog to scare the deer away.

There are plenty more to hear about, so read more.

Spray deer repellents about 30" off the ground around your garden. Try Not Tonight Deer, Liquid Fence, Deer Away, Deer Out, Deer Off, Hinder, or a homemade repellent. You'll have to reapply according to the instructions.
Soak a clothesline in repellent and hang it at a low height around your garden.
Soak the area in animal urine. Don't worry: You can buy it, rather than gather yourself!
Pick up hair clippings from your hairdresser and fill a nylon stocking with it. Place a few around your planting beds.
Hang bars of strong-smelling soap from the trees and bushes, or grate soap bars and scatter the soap around your garden.
Install a baited, electric fence like Wireless Deer Fence.
Install a motion activated sprinkler like Scarecrow Sprinkler.

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Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

CasaSugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:35:07 -0700

Got some spare fabric? Make these vinyl fabric coasters.
Bully stole your lunch money? Read about some small changes that don't cost a thing.
Y'all hated the pretty orchid urinals. I must disagree.
Got some dead space in your house? Why not DIY some splendid shelves?
Guess who tied the knot at a house in Encino!
New York City will soon lay claim to Olafur Eliasson's freestanding waterfalls.
Lights out? Win these Weegee table lamps!
I want to know what bachelorette pad look you're wanting.

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