CasaSugar

How-To: Drum Up a Side Table

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0800

A sunny Sunday and a rockin' antique fair make for one happy salvage queen. Inspired by the musical coffee table I spotted recently, I saw a few skins at a local flea market that caught my attention. While I don't need a coffee table, the size of these green guys had me thinking hmmm . . . side table!

Since I don't live in Smurf village, I realized I would need give it some height somehow. I could add pegs but knew that would take some time and effort. I didn't want this project to end up in my basement never to be seen again. So I started hunting for the perfect sized stool. An hour later, I had it! For a few more bills, an old, beat-up four-legged seat was in my hands and perfectly suited for the little snare.

While it needs some cleaning and potentially a paint job, it looks quite charming as is. Another idea is to add a burlap skirt to the bottom of the drum and cover the stool all together. Until then, I'm liking the ability to tap away when I need a refill on my wine glass.

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Cool Idea: Drum as a Coffee Table

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0800

Add a little boom boom pow to your living space with a piece of "furniture" that is sure to drum up lots of conversation. On a recent antiquing adventure, I came across an old-fashioned turquoise-and-green-trimmed drum that was being cleverly displayed as a coffee table. Turned on its belly with a glass top, voila - an unconventional coffee table is created!

While some folks may be displeased with the inability to use the instrument for musical purposes, it certainly brings an eccentric flair to a room while serving a practical purpose. There will be no denying that the owner of this piece marches to the beat of a different drummer.

Nice and New: West Elm Decal Square Drum Table

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:15:09 -0800

West Elm has refreshed its inventory with plenty of Moroccan-inspired furnishings. As you might have suspected, I'm thrilled. One of my picks is the Decal Square Drum Table ($199) which, at 12-by-17 inches with silver-and-white Moroccan-inspired decals on porcelain, will add a small touch of North African style to your digs. Set it beside your favorite reading chair or sofa, use it as a bedside table, or even plop it beside your tub to hold towels and toiletries. You'll be
stumped to find a space where this adorable table doesn't make perfect sense.

Love It or Hate It? Spool Side Table

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0800

Ballard Designs' new Spool Side Table ($199) was inspired by actual spools used by French rope makers to display and sell their natural fiber manila rope. Crafted of mango wood and authentic manila rope, it's not the bulky side table it appears to be: its top lifts off for storage. While this design is quite clever to me, with an antiquey meets nautical vibe, I think I'd rather own the real thing. If you read about my drum side table, you know how I love to turn unusual finds into furniture. How about you?

Exclusive Interview: Rainn Wilson Talks The Rocker

PopSugarUK — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:00:00 -0700

A few months ago I was lucky enough to meet up with the very lovely and funny Rainn Wilson for a Q+A session about his new movie The Rocker (out today in the UK). In the movie he stars as Robert "Fish" Fishman, a talented drummer in a hair metal band that gets kicked out by his bandmates before they go on to rock glory. He then gets a second chance at success when his nephew's rock band are looking for a new drummer, and here's what he had to say when we spoke earlier this year:

So, Rainn, how good are you at drumming really? Check this out [drums on the table, with a little rhythm] How was that? Did you get that? So... in other words, not very good. Passable.
How much training did you do for this movie? The movie got greenlit and, I swear to God, we found out in the morning and by 2.30 in the afternoon a whole drum kit had arrived at my house! I moved it in my garage and the next day a drum coach showed up and we started working, started learning the basics - how to hold the drumsticks and all that stuff! And then I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos of old hair metal bands. There’s a whole other level of drumming in hair metal drumming - stick twirling, getting the crowd riled up, putting on a show, you’re like the Las Vegas magician of drummers! That was very informative... also, the music I listen to is alternative rock, maybe a little more on the cerebral side, and the drummers take themselves a little more seriously. The heavy metal drummers are like - sorry - big dumb animals, pounding away shouting “Yeeeeahhh”, flashing the heavy metal horns in between beats, and stuff like that. That informed the character of Fish a lot. He's an instinctual guy, who talks first and thinks second, not cerebral in any way shape or form.

To read lots more from Rainn, on naked drumming, The Office, Pete Best and Bonsai Shadow Hands, just read more.

How liberating is it to drum naked? [Shakes his head] It’s not liberating, it’s humiliating, I don’t recommend it to anyone. There’s a lot of flopping around, and the sweat just goes right down the crack, it’s like a funnel. Not terribly liberating. It wasn’t even just takes, it was endless film reels, [in a British accent] “No, do it this way, no I can see your pecker, less arse crack, more sweat” They’d come in and hose me down… I was doused with every sweat they had, spritz bottle, Vaseline, high tech, like a glycerine sweat, and Peter Cattaneo’s (the director) urine.

Nice! So what was your overall experience of shooting this movie? [smiles] It was painful, if you see when I take my shirt off at the beginning you can see bruises all over my body from where I was throwing myself all over the place for so long. It was painful, but it’s really fun - I love physical comedy, I think there’s nothing greater than a physical gag. And it was hard, you know, riding a tricycle into a pool at 5am four times in a row, and they have to blow dry my wig, and ass cheeks to get me to do it again. It was crazy, the whole film was like a giant weird fever dream. The thing I really like about it, and really responded to, is that the script is so funny, and there are so many great physical gags, but at the same time there’s such heart to the movie, and it’s quite touching. This guy grows up and finds redemption and comes of age. I knew that with Peter in the equation we’d have the humour and the heartwarming aspect of the tale. So for my first starring role to have that... [nods happily] We shot six days a week and we got really behind schedule, everything got pushed backwards into nights, like 5pm calls shooting through to 11am, having to film scenes where you’re supposed to be charming and funny at 9.30am when you’ve been up all night, and you really just feel like shooting yourself in the eye! So, that was my experience.
Were you quite comfortable with the nudity in the movie?! I’m happy to be show my body for laughter, it’s been getting laughs for a long, long time. They do that on The Office sometimes - we had one scene which didn’t work and they had to do a rewrite, and they told me to take my shirt off. I was like ‘Oh great, you need an instant laugh so you need me running around with my shirt off to get it….' That’s comedy.
How long do you have between seasons of The Office? It’s entirely dependent on Steve Carell’s schedule, and so he’ll do a movie and we’ll get an announcement that he’s going to be away for four months and we’ll fit what we can into those dates. I think there'll be at least two or three if not more seasons of the show, Steve’s under contract for three more years, but I think he could get out of that if he wanted to... There have been plenty of TV stars that have tried to become film stars, and for some it works and some it doesn’t. You have a very limited amount of time to make a movie in between seasons, look at the cast of Friends - Jennifer Aniston is the only one who’s had some kind of permanent film career. We’re all [The Office cast] successfully doing movies, so we’re very happy with that...

Who were your comedy heroes growing up? I was a total comedy geek when I was a kid, among all the geeky things I did. I loved the Marx Brothers, and found Monty Python on public television in America, and I used to take a tape recorder and hold it in front of the TV and play it over and over and memorise it. I loved TV sitcoms like Taxi, and Mash, and all the comedy characters. I’d say the greatest inspiration for me growing up was Jerry Lewis. I loved him, growing up, I loved the absurdity of his physical comedy. I don’t think I’m much like Jerry Lewis, but I loved his movies... If I could go back to 1975 and join Monty Python just as they’re getting started, that would be my dream.
Do you want to go back to less comedic projects in the future? A lot of the projects I’m trying to develop for myself are darkly comic and more independent feeling, not as broad as studio comedy. You know I don’t think I’ll ever be “Mr Serious Actor Guy” I love comedy too much, but I definitely want to try and balance the comedy to show the other aspects of my range. The first role that got me noticed was on Six Feet Under, which was a little comic, but also a little bit dark and a little bit tragic. I did nine years of theatre before I ever did a day on a movie set.
Does your religion impact much on your work? I’m a member of the B’ahai faith... I can do whatever I want, but I definitely want to do movies that make the world a better place. But at the same time you have to know not to take it too seriously. It’s fine for me to show my ass crack and have a good time because it’s all in good fun, but there’s definitely some material I get which is just in bad taste.
Is it true you're hoping to work with Jason Reitman again? Yeah, I just turned in the second draft of a script for Jason Reitman called Bonsai Shadow Hands about a down and out alcoholic ninja living in the San Fernando Valley. We’ll see what his response is, but hopefully we’ll be moving towards production next summer.
Even the title of that one is funny! What was it like meeting Pete Best (the ex-Beatles drummer who never saw the band's major success)? Oh yeah, he was in a cameo on the bus bench, it was kinda scary, because - it’s not based on him - but here he is turning up to do a cameo in a movie about a failed drummer... He’s so happy, he’s still playing music, he’s a swell guy. Great sense of humour, really fun.
Thank you Rainn! Thank you!

Rainn was a lot of fun to interview and left handing out enthusiastic high fives to everyone around. The Rocker stars Rainn, Christina Applegate, Emma Stone and Teddy Geiger, and is out now.

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Can You Guess What Else This Ottoman Is Used For?

GeekSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:40:51 -0700

With the small size of my apartment, storage is a big issue. So when I buy a new piece of furniture, I have to make sure it pulls double duty, not only doing the "thing" I bought it for but also hold stuff I put in there. Which is why I love this little gem here. Sure, it may look like a plain leather ottoman, but it's so much more. Can you guess what else this ottoman is used for?

Take a guess, then find out the answer when you read more.

It's called the Rock Box, and it's not only a place to put your drinks, your feet, and your computer when used as an ottoman or coffee table, but inside, it snugly stores all of your Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour equipment.

The drum kit, which is always a hassle to store, now lives inside (along with your guitar and mic), and neatly tucks back into the ottoman when you are done with your virtual jam session. Although $200 bucks may seem like a pretty penny to spend on such a thing, for me - and all you small space dwellers out there - you know that storage is priceless.

Desire/Acquire: Tea Set Lamp

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:00:14 -0700

The Anthropologie One-Lump-or-Two Lamp ($198) is quite cute in a British country cottage way, and I adore its espresso cup finial. But, I'd say it's a tad overpriced for a table lamp that looks so crafty, and that doesn't come with a shade. Luckily, there's a more affordable alternative that can be customized to fit your color scheme. To see it, read more.

Etsy seller Vintage Renaissance hand-crafts these Tea Set Lamps ($100) from vintage dishes so that each one is unique. You can choose your preferred color of Krylon spray paint for the base to personalize the lamp. Unfortunately, the shade is not included. I can see this lamp looking really cool with the right palette and a not-so-country-bumpkin shade. Personally, I'd go with a glossy white base and perhaps a tall, black, silk drum shade.

Steal of the Day: Square Metal Armchair

CasaSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Even though this chair and its cushions are weather-resistant, I'm in favor of placing the west elm Square Metal Armchair (on sale for $99.99, marked down from $169) indoors. I love how its powder-coated metallic frame would add masculine definition to a space, especially one full of feminine curves. Try pairing it with a Moroccan-inspired drum table and some luxe pillows to make the whole look work.

Get the Look: Modern Rustic Kitchen

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:15:13 -0700

Since my mind's on all things eco chic, I'm ready to move right into this kitchen, which features recycled wooden cupboards contrasted by a modern, steel floor and steel-front appliances. The laid-back, casual feeling of the room is achieved by using neutral and cool colors and "lived-in" furnishings and accents. Start by painting the walls a warm, khaki color, and taking down your drapes or blinds to let in the light.

Furniture: Reclaimed wood storage is key to this rustic kitchen. Bring in a soft, leather club chair that you can wear in — or already have — to achieve that lived-in look. Choose a no-frills, clean-lined oak dining table, and pair it with a set of industrial steel French café stools.

There's still lighting and accents to hear about, so read more.

Lighting: Set a table lamp on the kitchen counter; pick one with a shapely glass or iron base, and a drum shade in a a granite- or natural-colored drum shade. Overhead lighting should have the feel of the industrial age; look for a steel pendant to brighten your dining.

Accents: Any accents you use should be functional, aside from perhaps a black-and-white photograph hung on the wall. Grow herbs in a galvanized cache-pot. Cozy your leather club chair with a dark velvet pillow. Hold your fruits in a raw wood bowl, and odds and ends in a rubber tote. Pick a remarkable pepper mill that stands out on its own.

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The Gifted Child: Toys for 6-Month Olds

babysugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:00:52 -0700

Going to your local toy store and asking the sales help for advice on a gift for a six-month-old can provide you with more opinions and deep explanations than you bargained for, never mind the fact that half the items are never in stock. Rather than risk disappointing the child’s parents, and wasting your time, stick with one of these items that is sure to make everyone happy (plus, you can just order them online and be done with your shopping!).

The colors and variety of activities on the LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table ($40) encourage kids to pull themselves into the standing position. Once they are standing they can groove to the different musical instruments, turn the pages of the book and hum along to the songs.

The adorable Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Puppy ($22) lights up as he sings familiar songs and encourages your child to hug him and play along. You'll hear "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "Patty Cake," as well as a funny little sneeze that to this day keeps my son laughing.

To see more gifts for six-month-olds just read more.

From the lights to the fun Caribbean-style music, the iPlay Flash Beat Drum ($22) gets your child to start banging the drum, or rolling it across the floor, with music that you won’t tire of either.

The entire Fisher Price Peek-a-Blocks ($32) collection is fun for little ones who like the colorful animals that are hidden in the blocks. The Sing and Sounds Farm model ($30) plays the familiar "Old McDonald’s Farm," which every child seems to love.

The lights and music from the Little Tikes Discover Sounds Boombox ($13) will mesmerize your little one and help you teach him or her how to push and spin. As your child becomes more mobile, it is an easy toy for them to tote around with them like a real "boombox."

I have always been a believer in buying gifts up to one age group up from a child's age. Either the parents can put them away for a later date, or they can help the child start to learn how to use the toy. The Playskool: Busy Basics - Busy Ball Popper ($20) is one of those toys that a six-month-old will definitely grow into. While a bit noisy, the sound of the balls popping out of the machine and the chaos they create will keep your little one mesmerized for hours.