CasaSugar

Midday Muse: Surf This Wave

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:00:49 -0700

I recently spotted this very cool sculpture, made from old record albums, on Make magazine's website. Titled "Sound Wave," artist Jean Shin melted and manipulated records to form this wave. I love the use of recycling in this sculpture, as well as the punny title. It also makes the observer reflect on the changes in media, and ponder the fate of all of the LPs and mixtapes sitting in thrift stores, closets, and garbage dumps across the world. It's nice to see a few, at least, being put to good use.

Source

Etsy Find: ELO Vinyl Record Clock

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0700

I came across yet another furnishing for your man's hipster dude haven and couldn't resist sharing. No true hipster dude would willingly ruin a valuable record like ELO's Time, but if it were unusable, he might hang it on the wall as a clock. The Electric Light Orchestra Vinyl Record Clock ($25) gives new life to some good tunes too scratched to enjoy, with a handsome set of white clock hands. I particularly like how the clock hands mimic the yellow and pink spotlights on the record label (and I've always had a soft spot for ELO). What do you think? Would you give this clock the time of day or is it just not your style?

DIY: Iron-On Vinyl Coasters

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:30:41 -0700

I spotted this DIY on How About Orange, and thought it was so cute and simple, so I decided I'd summarize it. The great thing about this project is that you can personalize it with any fabric, or by sewing or stitching an interesting pattern into the coaster. It's also a great housewarming gift that's inexpensive and can be customized to the color scheme of a friend's new home!

Supplies:

Heavy-weight fabric
Iron-on vinyl
Scissors
Fabric glue stick
Vanishing fabric marker
Sewing machine (or needle and thread in coordinating color)
Pinking shears

To hear the steps, read more.

Cut the fabric and the iron-on vinyl into two squares of equal size per coaster you'd like to make, each a bit larger than four inches.
Adhere one vinyl square to each square of fabric, following the manufacturer's instructions (basically stick on and iron briefly on both sides).
Then, stick the two laminated squares together, so the vinyl is facing outward. Use the fabric glue stick to keep them together.
Draw a square on one side of the coaster with the vanishing fabric marker, a little bit in from the edges of the square.
Sew along the lines of the square you drew. Feel free to stitch some sort of decoration.
Trim the edges of the coaster with the pinking shears to finish it off. Voilà!

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Ask Casa: Best Ways to Store Vinyl?

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:00:39 -0700

Hi Casa,

I recently had the idea to start a record collection because I found some old vinyl albums that belonged to my parents and I live near a record store, and I also have a few CDs as well.

I was keeping one of my favorite vinyls in my bedroom but for some reason when I took it out of the cover it had cracked, now I'm wondering what is the best way to store vinyl records so this does not happen again as well as possible ways to store my CDs.

Do you have any design or organization tips? I've checked out Ikea or the Container Store but I don't want a bunch of separate containers scattered all over my room and I live with my parents so I can't just put a music collection in another room. Any ideas?

Thank you,
Peachy

To hear my suggestions for Peachy, read more.

Hi Peachy,

Between my husband and me, we probably have around 1,000 vinyl records at our house (at a minimum), so I understand your concerns! We used custom-made shelves that we bought inexpensively and stained (you can see them on the right side of this photo). Check out our other music storage solutions here.

Another great, inexpensive way to store records is by heading to Ikea and picking up some Expedit shelves. Record geeks note that each space holds 90-100 albums, so that should easily accommodate your needs (and the need to grow your collection).

I also love the solution that Gemma Ahern used in her apartment, which you can see in the top photo. She simply used a floating wall shelf from Ikea that she hung at a height about an inch above the height of a record, and then painted the shelf to blend in to the wall. This created instant storage, as well as space for books, a turntable, and sculptural objects.

As far as keeping your records in tip-top shape, always store them upright (not stacked) encased in the sleeve and a plastic or paper insert. Keep them out of direct sunlight, and if your record happens to warp, place it between two pieces of heavy glass, and lay it in mild sunshine for several hours, until the record lies flat.

Does anyone else have a brilliant storage solution? Tell Peachy about it in the comments!

Cheers,
Casa

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DIY: Rockin' Vinyl Record Bowl

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:57:00 -0700

I love crafts made from recycled records, like this blue-vinyl wall clock and ring-binder journal. It's a great way to re-purpose damaged or dorky vinyl, and the items have a lot retro charm. One of my favorite projects is this Rockin' Vinyl Record Bowl, which is a ridiculously easy DIY endeavor you can complete in less than half an hour. Here's how to make one.

1. Choose a record that you (obviously) don't mind destroying; I found this Kingston Trio vinyl at a thrift store. Choose one with a cool-looking label, since that will be the bottom of your bowl. Then, locate an oven-safe bowl that's about the same size as the bowl you want to make.

For the next steps, read more

2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Turn the bowl upside down on a cookie sheet, and balance the record horizontally on the base of the bowl. When the oven is hot, place the cookie sheet, the bowl, and the record inside and set your timer for 8 to 10 minutes.

3. After 8 to 10 minutes, the vinyl will have conformed to the bowl; just use a potholder to check that the vinyl is soft enough to shape. The vinyl cools quickly, so you'll be able to work with it within seconds, but don't forget that the bowl and cookie sheet are hot!

4. Holding onto the oven-safe bowl with a potholder, peel the record off the bowl and place it inside, so that the sides of the bowl hug the record. Now, you can shape the edges however you'd like; more precise folding will give you finer scalloped edges like on my bowl. If the vinyl gets too cool to mold, just stick it back in the oven for a few minutes.

5. Your record bowl is ready to use! These work well as fruit bowls, catch-all trays, and containers for potted plants, or you can hang yours on the wall as art.

If you end up doing this DIY project, please do share the results!

Love It or Hate It? Polystyl Rosace Vinyl Carpet

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:26:18 -0700

For a rug made out of a traditionally cheap material, this Polystyl Rosace Vinyl Carpet ($350) is surprisingly sophisticated. Designed by Arzu Firuz, this lacy-cut rug is made from deep red floor laminate but has the look of wood.

Do You Have a Big Music Collection?

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:00:27 -0700

I'm really excited to check out Whip It!, the Drew Barrymore directorial debut about roller-derby girls, which opens today. This scene, with lead actress Ellen Page, caught my eye, thanks to the retro music collection on display. While I definitely have vinyl records at my home, our electronics are a bit more updated, and we've tossed the cassettes. Still, I love the overall effect of the two characters being surrounded by so much music. What's the music sitch look like at your home?

Before and After: A Sophisticated and Glamorous Nursery

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:44 -0700

Su Casa member mianakao recently moved into a new home, and turned this dull room into something absolutely spectacular. Her fabulous results prove that even the most dull room can be transformed into a gorgeous, glamorous space with a little imagination and a lot of hard work.
She writes, "We just moved into our new house (a sprawling foreclosure), so I had free reign with this room! As you can see in the before photo, the room was dull, dingy, and needed lots of TLC."

The results are truly astounding. To see how mianakao turned this dingy, dull space into a beautiful nursery, read more.

Can you even believe it's the same room? I am truly amazed! Mianakao explains, "My goal was to use black and white in a tasteful way to help the baby's visual development. My first choice was stripes around the room, but I figured that might just make the baby dizzy after a while. So, instead, I went with a high-gloss black latex paint, and brightened up the room with tons of white. (The green is an after thought accent color to warm up the space)." "Also, in an effort to be somewhat creative, I stuck a vinyl decal of a tree on the wall, painted over it, and then cut out the vinyl with an X-acto knife. Had I thought ahead, I could have incorporated the accent green on the tree. Sticking a vinyl decal on the wall wasn't creative enough for me . . . and I didn't want to deal with all of the air bubbles."

I also love that mianakao kept to a strict budget for this makeover. She writes, "Since we're in a tight economy, everything you see (with the exception of the crib and the chandelier) was found on Craigslist. Nothing was over $40! I also found items for free from the freecycle network. I just sanded the furniture and painted it flat white to match everything else in the room . . . well, my husband handled all the hard work. Small accents like the beautiful black and white crystal chandelier just added a touch of chic for our new baby girl!"

Take the full tour when you check out the gallery. I'm truly inspired!

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Before and After: A DIY Kitchen Reno

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:15 -0700

Su Casa member and ambitious home renovator Jenn1979 and her husband recently bought a home. However, they also assumed ownership of a not-so-pretty, poorly working kitchen in the process.

Jenn writes, "We bought our house just over a year ago. It was built in 1900, and the kitchen had been partially renovated sometime in the '50s or '60s. The faucet had very little water pressure, there was only one small drawer (the rest were fakes), and the countertops were only 32 inches high with only 15 inches between top and bottom cabinets. Plus, the ventilation for the stovetop was the ceiling fan (which was also the main source of light)."

To see how Jenn and her hubby took this kitchen from dysfunctional to fabulous, read more.

With a lot of hard work, the new kitchen looks great. Jenn and her husband demo-ed everything, and then rewired the kitchen themselves to bring it up to code. One of the real wow factors, in my opinion, is Jenn's smart decision to rip up the vinyl floors and refinish the original, beautiful fir floors.

It took Jenn and her husband seven months of "weekend warriorism" (as Jenn aptly describes it) to rebuild their kitchen, but their efforts were well worth it. Now, the kitchen has 11 drawers instead of one, as well as a coffee bar, additional counterspace, a new window over the sink, a baking nook with butcher block and beadboard behind the fridge, and a lot more lighting. Amazing effort and result!

Have you joined my Su Casa group yet? Show off your home reno projects, just like Jenn did!

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Do You Have a Turntable at Your House?

CasaSugar — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:30:48 -0700

No matter how convenient (and easy to store) digital music may be, I have a very hard time imagining getting rid of my Technics turntable and vinyl collection. There's something so civilized about putting a favorite album on the turntable. What about you?

Source: Flickr user skgh