CasaSugar

Before and After: Deanna's Admirable Craft Room Makeover

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:00:08 -0700

Craftster member Deanna recently bought a house, and one of her first priorities was setting up a well-organized and workable craft room. She writes, "Naturally I chose the largest of the two extra rooms and started to get to work. The carpets were blue and new flooring is not in our budget right now, so I worked with them instead of against them. There was great space and lighting in this room, also a decent closet." Here's what Deanna started with. See what she has to say about how she created the perfect crafting space.

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10 Great Ideas From Ashley's Craft Room

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:29 -0700

Crafter Ashley Henley recently renovated her craft room. She was kind enough to share photos of her craft room, and I noticed some great organizing and decorating tips and tricks. If you're thinking about establishing a craft space in your home, check out Ashley's rooms to get some great ideas for making your space pretty, organized, and productive. Then check out her Etsy site, The Ripe Radish, to pick up some of her great crafted goods, including gocco cards and button rings.

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Before and After: Taming a Messy Craft Room

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:00:19 -0700

Roxy Nova recently posted some inspiring before and after photos of her craft room, and I absolutely love and admire this transformation. She says, "I'm very embarrassed to be posting these [photos] because my house is usually not nearly this messy, but once i decided to redo the room, everything kind of went to hell in a handbasket. it really became a dumping ground."

As messy and daunting as this room may look in this picture, Roxy Nova was able to tame it with a lot of hard work and some smart organizing ideas. To see the glorious afters, read more.

Can you believe the difference? Roxy Nova made sure to create an organized space for her sewing machine, which you can see in this photo. She also took down the closet doors and replaced them with pretty tree-printed curtains. Multiple shelving units provide space for organizing boxes of patterns, fabrics, and other needed craft materials. Roxy's husband hung up organizing units for tools and notions including scissors, thread, and ribbon.

Oh, and as if all that wasn't enough, Roxy also reupholstered this cute chair. I love her use of color and pattern. It really makes the room pop, and seems like the perfect place for sewing, crafting, and getting inspired.

I am seriously feeling some craft room envy right now. Are you?

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Open House: Where Do You Work on Projects?

CasaSugar — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:30:35 -0800

I'm so envious of Craftster member Vertigoat's craft space. She writes, "I've spent the last few days turning a pit of a room I could barely walk through the doorway of into a craftroom . . . I'm really excited about having a space where all this stuff is out and accessible and I can make things."

I've never had a designated crafting room, or even crafting closet! I'm sure that all of us who love to craft, make art, or work on projects, but don't have the room in our house to do so efficiently, are envious of Vertigoat's space.

So, where do you work on projects? Are you lucky enough to have a designated room for it? Do you settle for a corner? Or do you have to haul out your materials and then put them away every time you work on something? Tell me by commenting below!

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Casa Craving Recap: Your Craft Room

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:45:10 -0800

The latest Casa Craving Challenge was inspired by the autumn season, which is when I always start hibernating a little more and delving into home projects and crafts. I know that a lot of Casa readers are also DIY kings and queens, and even though most of us will never have a separate space for our crafting madness (especially one as fabulous as Martha's), it's always nice to dream! So, in this Casa Craving Challenge, I asked you to design a funtional, cozy, and organized room for project making.

You can see all of the CasaSugar logo Casa Cravings here, as well as the great lists the users created. (TeamSugar has a great tutorial on listmaking if you're not sure how.)

Here are my favorite looks:

Look #1 was designed by Katherynn who says, "I've always grown up in family full of crafters and DIY junkies, so it's a dream of mine to have my fantasy craft room! We like to have friends and family over and all do crafts together or just chill out with one another while we sew our curtains or make our scrapbook pages. Having lots of room for everyone to spread out is a must in my room, as well as having plenty of lounge space for the rest of the family that want to visit, but may not want to craft with us! Also, EVERYTHING must have a place in my craft room. I HATE a mess when it comes to my crafts. It throws my creative chi off majorly! In this room I've provided lots of space, and lots of storage. And lots of cozy room in my sitting area! My main colors are Mermaid Net, citron and orange! I kept the wood light and neutral because the other colors were so bright! This room is awesome in the autumn becuase of the rich orange, but also fun in the summer because of the fun citron! I've listed TONS of stuff, but.. it was just so much fun I couldn't stop!"

There are some other excellent rooms, so read more

Look #2 was designed by 4BYRDS, who used bright colors and retro elements in her craft room, and says, "I like the vintage metals with splashes of color." So do I!

Look #3 was designed by CocoChic, who said: "The gray walls and colorful accessories make for a room full of inspiration. Cork board tiles make for a place to pin ideas for crafts. The Eames lounger? For a catnap after all of that crafting!"

Casa Craving Challenge: A Cozy Craft Room

CasaSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:00:44 -0700

Every Thursday on CasaSugar, I'll give you a decorating challenge and ask you to go Casa Craving for items that fit the look. (Here's a post explaining what a Casa Craving is and how to create one.)

The latest Casa Craving Challenge is inspired by the autumn season, which is when I always start hibernating a little more and delving into home projects and crafts. This month I'm going to start making homemade holiday cards, sew some Amy Butler curtains, and design and stitch bolster pillows. I know that a lot of Casa readers are also DIY kings and queens, and even though most of us will never have a separate space for our crafting madness (especially one as fabulous as Martha's), it's always nice to dream!

So, in this Casa Craving Challenge, I'm asking you to design a funtional, cozy, and organized room for project making. What type of storage space do you need? What equipment? Is there a task chair that you've been coveting?

Tell me by creating Casa Cravings and tagging your Cravings with the phrase cozy craft room, and I'll feature the results next Wednesday, November 7th. Even better, you can create a list of your bookmarks; TeamSugar has a great tutorial on listmaking if you're not sure how. 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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Interview With Nancy Kanter: Mom in Charge of Playhouse Disney Programming

LilSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:50 -0700

When your child sits down to watch Playhouse Disney, you aren't the only mother in the room. Behind the screen, the script, and the concept, there's Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice President of Playhouse Disney Worldwide and mom of three. Though her children are grown, the television exec still has babies she nurtures from concept to creation - shows like Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and Imagination Movers. It's an exhaustive process that involves educational, curriculum and cultural consultants, focus groups of moms and children, research, feedback and reworking. Each social message and its delivery is carefully crafted since youngsters are likely to replicate what they watch in the real world. The Mouse doesn't just put things on air. We recently had the chance to chat with Nancy via phone.

LilSugar: Your job is in television, but you are also a mother. What's an acceptable amount of TV?
Nancy Kanter: It's always about the balance in your life and your activities with your kids. I don't think anybody would advocate that you put your kid in front of the television for endless hours on any given day. It's a family decision. There's no magic number. We target preschoolers children two to six on Playhouse Disney. Often our programming is the first TV experience that kids have. We are thrilled with parents that pay attention to what their kids are watching, and it's our responsibility to give them really well conceived, entertaining shows. And, in the preschool world to give them something that is of value developmentally.

LilSugar: What is the time from concept to airing a show?
Nancy Kanter: It can certainly vary depending on how well the initial stage of developments go, but it's usually between a year and a year and a half in development before we say this is in good enough shape to go ahead and make a pilot and present it. From the pilot stage to finally hitting the air, that's usually a year and a half to two years.

To see what Nancy said sets Disney programming apart and if there will ever be a collaboration with Sesame Street, read more.

LilSugar: What sets Disney programming apart from that of competitors?
Nancy Kanter: Disney is recognized and has certainly made a legacy out of strong storytelling, very strong, engaging and lasting characters, and that is something that we do outstandingly well and that we try to bring to every project. It's hard because of the expectation - if something has the Disney name on it, you're expecting something very special in the same way that families save up all year to be able to go to the theme parks. You walk through those gates, and you feel like you've entered something very unique and magical. That is what the Disney brand is about so we try and bring that to our stories and our series, and we do that in a way that is sometimes a bit different than anybody else. We also know for this age group, the learning piece is very important. We try to leave that in a way that feels very organic and a part of the entertainment rather than something that pops out and isn't part of the core.

LilSugar: You have history (as an executive producer) with Sesame Street. These days, every big name like Michelle Obama is making their way there. Will a Disney character ever be a guest star?
Nancy Kanter: Most of our Disney characters are animated so it's a little hard to travel them to the live action world of Sesame Street. And, they've never asked. If they do, we'll have to think about it.

Simple or Swank: Chalk Tables For Tots

babysugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:00:52 -0800

Budding artists need room to practice their craft. Painting, coloring, and gluing can make a mess, so having a specific area to conduct these activities will help a mama keep the rest of the home neat and tidy. Easels might have done the job in the past, but today's tots often look for a more contemporary twist on the painting platform.

Simple: P'Kolino's square chalk table and benches ($80) work for art projects, as well as tea parties and board game marathons. The set's reversible table top can convert from a chalk cover to a plain one for different activities, while providing a storage compartment beneath it.
Swank: The round Offi chalk table ($400) provides more surface area for drawing and a center bowl for storing chalk and erasers, but does not come with seating.

Which do you prefer?

Nice and New: Papier-Mâché Animal Busts

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:00 -0800

Hunters bask in their shooting glory by mounting their prized prey on their walls, and some people can even fill a dining room wall with antlers galore. But I found another type of taxidermy to take pride in - a papier-mâché Savannah Story Bust ($68). These jungle-friendly animal heads are made by Haitians to honor their African heritage. Crafted from recycled cement bags and old French books, these perfectly captured pieces of art are eco-conscious, magical, a lesson in the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and perhaps best of all, no animals were harmed in their making. What do you think of these critters?

Homemade Crib Sets For Hands On Mamas

LilSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:10 -0700

Baby emporiums have lots of options when it comes to the linens on which your impending wee one will lay their head. We've highlighted everything from traditional to modern designs, but some women seek out something especially unique for their lil angel.

The Make Room For Baby Kit allows even the most novice seamstress to create the crib set of her dreams with easy to follow instructions and formulas to customize the set to individual crib mattress depths and desired crib skirt lengths. Owner Shirley Cohen used the kit to turn the shower curtain shown here into the beautiful black and white crib set. Available in three different sizes, depending on the plushness of the bumper, each kit comes with a six-piece bumper insert and a full-length zipper. Starting at just $50 (not including fabric), it may be time to bring out the sewing machine and brush up on those skills.