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Casa Quickie: Add a Dash of Color

casasugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:15:42 -0800

One of the simplest ways to renew the look of any room in your maison is to add a dash of color. LivingEtc has a handful of quick tips that they say will "bring a room bang up to date," and give "an all white scheme" attitude:

Line curtain panels with "a hint of luxurious colored silk."
"Wrap chair legs in colored paper."
Offset "a group of monochrome ornaments with a colored one."
"Paint just part of a piece of furniture, leaving the rest white," and carry the color throughout the room by using it for lampshade trim or a cushion.
Paint a simple stripe in one corner to add depth to the room.
Line a cabinet with "brightly patterned fabric or wallpaper," and "use complementary accessories to pull the whole look together."

Source

Casa Quickie: Double Your Closet Space

casasugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:00:39 -0800

I just came across a Real Simple tip that is arguably the simplest way to renew your cramped closet, and I felt obliged to share. Hang a second rod below the existing rod to store short clothing items like scarves, pants, tops, and sexy minis. You don't need a handyman for this installation; you can buy an extendable rod with rubber stopper ends to fit your space perfectly. Or, buy a standard rod that easily screws in.

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Su Casa: Renewing a Table

casasugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:01:35 -0800

Su Casa member Grumpalita recently posted pictures of a Craigslist find that went from forgettable to fabulous with some refinishing know-how and lots of hard work. Grumpalita writes

I found a table on Craigslist that had nice lines but was tragically painted over. After some stripping, sanding, and staining with india ink, it looks much better now!

Here's how the table looked when she found it.

To see her hard-won results, just

Win This Vitra Organizer!

casasugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:26:34 -0800

I can't get enough of organizing and renewing my house this month. And while I wish I could enlist this Vitra Uten.Silo organizer ($375) to aid my efforts, instead I'm giving one away to a lucky Casa reader!
Uten.Silo is one of the best-known plastic designs of the late 1960s. Today, this colorful wall tidy is a veritable design icon and a true-to-the-original version of the product has been reissued by Vitra Design Museum. The lucky winner will get one in her choice of red, white or black!

To enter, YOU MUST LOG IN and take the quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by completing the quiz once you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member and log in before you take the quiz. If you're not already a member, just register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored.

Contest ends Tuesday, Jan. 29, at noon PST. Click here for Official Rules.

How To: Fix Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair

casasugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:15:43 -0800

I Am Still Alive recently shared his easy fix for a Marcel Breuer Wassily Chair ($1,65, which is fit for Renewal month. Instead of dropping nearly 1700 bucks on a new one, contacting Knoll or the leather worker you know at an additional expense, he proposes to . . .

Nice and New: Freestanding Organizational Systems

casasugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:15:14 -0800

Since I'm all about getting organized this month, I had to introduce you to the Elfa Freestanding Organizational System. The Container Store in the US has started selling the Elfa Freestanding shelving system (shown at right), which doesn’t need to be attached to the wall to use. This is a great solution for folks who live in loft apartments with masonry walls. You can also add other Elfa accessories, such as wooden hangers and shelves, to class up the system. What do you think? Are you interested in checking out a freestanding organizational system?

Casa Quickie: Give New Life to an Empty Vase

casasugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:00:04 -0800

Your man is in the dog house again for whatever reason, and brings you some beautiful flowers in a standard glass vase. They adorn your kitchen counter for a week, and once they wither, the vase collects dust in your cabinet with all the others — a reminder of all the times you've received "apology" flowers. Learn how to renew those dust-collecting vases when you

Etsy Find: Stylish To-Do List

casasugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:30:55 -0800

Whether it’s an event you have to attend for work, a friend's upcoming birthday, or the elusive ingredient you need for dinner, it's often hard to remember exactly what you need when you need it. Enter this lovely purse-size Book of Lists. Not only is it cute, but it'll also help you to remember most anything that needs remembering — so long as you jot it down. The pages are sturdy and the front and back covers are laminated to survive daily wear and tear. This 4-x-8-in. folded notebook is perfect for lovely ladies on the run. There are a variety of lists included in the book, including pages for books to read, birthdays, and anniversaries, passwords, and websites, and much, much more.

DIY: Suitcase Planter

casasugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:15:07 -0800

Sarah from Modern Roost shared this Suitcase Planter that her brother made, and I think it's perfect for Renewal month. It's also fit for that green-thumb dude in your life. What an inventive way to give new purpose to the dusty, old suitcase sitting in your attic!

To get the supply list and learn the steps,

Casa Link: Trash to Treasure

casasugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:15:50 -0800

Ikea Hacker reports on a bench that Diane found on the street. While many people would simply ignore this Ikea find, Diane transformed it into something absolutely stunning with an art-nouveau pattern.

To see the results, just

Decorating Makeovers Part IV

casasugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:00:40 -0800

In my final ode to House Beautiful's 101 Decorating Makeovers, from the February issue, here are some more of my favorite tips for renewing your home with small changes. To see them, just

DIY: Custom Doormat

casasugar — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:02:03 -0800

In this DIY, I'm going to show you how to personalize your plain ol' coir doormat to assure your guests that they're ringing the right doorbell. I saw this project on MarthaStewart.com, and since it fits so well within this month's Renewal theme, I had to share. To find out how to do it,

Changing Colors

casasugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:00:11 -0800

Since I didn't get around to painting the foyer during Dress Your Walls month, I thought that it would be equally appropriate to change its color for Renewal month. The original color, painted by the previous owners, was a weird pale-peach color that seemed like an insane choice for any room. I replaced the color with a mossy green in a semigloss, which makes for easier clean up in high-traffic areas. I especially love the variation between the goldenrod color of the living room and the moss green of the foyer.

Is anyone else painting their walls this month?

Decorating Makeovers Part III

casasugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:20:46 -0800

In continuation of Decorating Makeovers Parts I and II, here are some more of my favorite tips from House Beautiful's 101 Decorating Makeovers in the February issue. If I haven't drilled it into your head enough already, it's Renewal month, so get at it when you

Decorating Makeovers Part II

casasugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:00:20 -0800

As the sequel to Decorating Makeovers Part I, here's a handful of my favorite tips from House Beautiful's 101 Decorating Makeovers, in the February issue. I'm sure you can make way for one of these changes in your home, and you'll see that they have a big impact on renewing your home. Go for it when you

Clear Out the Clutter: Artfully Organized (Part 4)

casasugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:15:48 -0800

On Monday I introduced you to Oakland, Calif., based realtor Hyland Baron, who specializes in finding affordable East Bay homes for first-time homebuyers. When she isn't running around Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland looking for great houses for clients, Hyland is helping people turn their piles of clutter into well-oiled organization systems with her sideline business Artfully Organized.

To see a photo of Hyland's next organizational system, just

Decorating Makeovers Part I

casasugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:00:23 -0800

The February issue of House Beautiful has a list of 101 decorating makeovers that they're calling "small changes that make a big difference." Considering that it's Renewal month, I figured I'd share a few of my favorites with you, which may serve as inspiration for reinventing some part of your own homes. I encourage you all to try at least one, and let me know how it goes! To get clued in on some of the small changes, just

Casa Craving Recap: Excellent Organizers

casasugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:30:05 -0800

During January, we're focusing on the theme of Renewal. That means we're looking for ways to make your home clean, organized, and lovely to look at. While I want to focus on renewing furniture that you may already have and creating the most with what you own, sometimes we also need to invest in smart organizational systems.

With that in mind, I focused this past week's Casa Craving Challenge on filing systems. I asked you to bookmark filing cabinets and filing systems that not only will keep your home organized, but will also look good while doing it. You found an amazing variety of cabinets and filing systems. Take a look at all of them in the widget below.

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Casa Quickie: Organizing Tips

casasugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:31:26 -0800

I recently stumbled upon a video of professional organizer Abbie Claire tackling her brother's messy, disorganized kitchen. If you're planning some organizing projects as part of Renewal month, then you'll definitely want to check out this video. Claire does a great job transforming her brother's kitchen with simple organization and offers some great, general organizing tips in the process.

To see the video, just

How To: Renew a Tired Sofa

casasugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:15:31 -0800

Are you tired of your sofa? Is it looking a little dull? Cushions a bit lumpy? Whatever the issue, you have a number of options for renewing your old furniture. For a look at the list, just

Clear Out the Clutter: Artfully Organized (Part 3)

casasugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:45:50 -0800

On Monday, I introduced you to Oakland, Calif., based realtor Hyland Baron, who specializes in finding affordable East Bay homes for first-time homebuyers. When she isn't running around Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland looking for great houses for clients, Hyland is helping people turn their piles of clutter into well-oiled organization systems with her sideline business Artfully Organized.

To see a photo of Hyland's next organizational system, just

Clear Out the Clutter: Artfully Organized (Part 2)

casasugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:00:44 -0800

Yesterday I introduced you to Oakland, Calif., based realtor Hyland Baron, who specializes in finding affordable East Bay homes for first-time buyers. When she isn't running around Berkeley, Emeryville, or Oakland looking for great houses for clients, Hyland is helping people turn their piles of clutter into well-oiled organization systems with her sideline business Artfully Organized.

To see a photo of Hyland's next organizational system, just

Su Casa: Romaniagrl Redecorates

casasugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:00:56 -0800

Su Casa member Romaniagrl recently did some postholiday redecorating. She writes,

Yesterday we took our tree down, and put away our Xmas decorations, so today I went nuts cleaning and redecorating our family room and bedroom. In our bedroom I changed the curtains and the bedding, I also switched out the photos on our walls for some black and white photos we had in our basement. . . . I wanted a nature theme. I was in serious decorating mode! This is the finished product. A lot of the stuff was there already, but I'll post pictures anyway. I did not buy anything new, but I want to buy white or beige shades for our bed lamps, you will see they are bare now. I have reddish/ brick shades right now to match the previous curtains we had up.

I love the fact that Romaniagrl hardly bought anything for this redecorating project. She really seems to embody this month's theme of Renewal with her postholiday tidying, rearranging, and redecorating. To see all of the pictures of Romaniagrl's house, just check out the slideshow.

Clear Out the Clutter: Artfully Organized

casasugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 05:45:19 -0800

Oakland, Calif., based realtor Hyland Baron specializes in finding affordable East Bay homes for first-time homebuyers—no mean feat in the crazy-expensive Bay Area housing market. When she isn't running around Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland looking for great houses for clients, Hyland is helping people turn their piles of clutter into well-oiled organization systems with her sideline business Artfully Organized.

Hyland agreed to offer some of her organizing tips to us as part of Renewal month. One thing that I really love about Hyland is that she prefers to use simple, easy-to-navigate organizing systems that don't cost a lot of money. In fact, she often will utilize hampers, baskets, and cabinets a client already owns to cut down on costs. She also works with clients face-to-face in the Bay Area, and will swing by your house to organize those piles of old tax documents, holiday cards, and kids' report cards for the very reasonable fee of $30 an hour. Just contact her via her site to set up an appointment.

Over the next week I'll bring you a series of posts with photographs showing Hyland's systems. To see the first one, and to read a testimony from one of her clients, just

Casa Quiz: What's In It?

casasugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:12:59 -0800

Last week I told you about how to make your own wood polish. Let me know if you remember the post by taking this short one-question quiz!

Source

Clear Out the Clutter: Regift It

casasugar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:00:13 -0800

As you go through your clutter, keep an eye on items that are in good shape and may be of use to other friends and family. Then stick Post-its to each item with the person's name on it. That way you can regift the item — you'll get points from your friends while clearing out excess items from your abode.

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Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

casasugar — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:01:17 -0800

ElleJay shared her new home's beautifully bold color scheme.
January's theme is Renewal.
I clued you in on my January Must-Haves.
This week's cool idea? Light-emitting concrete.
You can DIY your own wood polish.
I showcased Fay Jones's stunning organic architecture in this week's Architect Stories post.
The latest Casa Craving Challenge asks you to find some excellent organizing systems.

Cool Idea: A Calendar You Can Plant

casasugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:16 -0800

The Plantable Eco Calendar 2008 is a monthly desk calendar that blooms long after each calendar's page is past its due date. When a month passes by, simply plant the handmade paper page and wait for wildflowers to grow. This year's calendar is designed by Kal Barteski and comes in a collector's tin. This calendar was featured in Elle magazine's Best Calendars of 2008 shopping guide, and for good reason. Too bad I already picked up a Charles Harper daily planner, or I'd snatch one of these up.

Clear Out the Clutter: Take Fifteen

casasugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:00:08 -0800

Clutter is my enemy. While I am a thorough cleaner, I am a terrible clutterer. More often than not there's a pile somewhere in the house consisting of equal parts junk mail, dog leashes, stocking caps, and work bags. It drives the person who I live with crazy, and I have to admit, it's a huge visual distraction for me as well. So this year, as part of my home resolutions, I'm going to try a lot harder to deal with my clutter. With that in mind, and as part of Renewal month, I'm bringing you an ongoing series of tips on how to get rid of that clutter. For my first tip, I advise starting off short and sweet. Just declare 15 minutes a day for decluttering, and see how much smaller your messes get. I know it's started to work for me already!

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If Money Weren't an Issue...

casasugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:00:52 -0800

Would you splurge for a super-organized closet system? Source

If Money Weren't an Issue...

Definitely!

Maybe.

No way!

Other, I'll tell you in the comments.

Open House: Renewing Your Home

casasugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:07:41 -0800

I have a whole file folder bursting with ideas for what to post about during Renewal month, but I could always use a little guidance, too.
So, for this Open House, I want to hear what you would like to see related to this month's theme. Are there any home projects that you'd like help in tackling? Any how tos you need to know? How about DIY projects? I'd love to hear about what you plan on working on this month. Finally getting around to the organization of that craft cabinet? Are you tackling those basement boxes? Rearranging your bedroom? Maybe cleaning out the kids' toys?

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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DIY: Make Your Own Wood Polish

casasugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:00:37 -0800

Earlier today, as part of our theme of Renewal, I gave you some tips on how to keep your wood furniture looking its best. Here's a simple polish formula you can make yourself that is solvent free, inexpensive, and relatively easy to make.

Here's What You Need

4 oz. oil (2 1/2 ounces olive oil or jojoba, 1 1/2 ounces coconut oil)
1 oz. beeswax
1 oz. carnauba wax
4 oz. distilled water
double boiler
hand mixer

To find out the steps for this DIY, just

How To: Renew Your Wood Furniture

casasugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:00:53 -0800

As part of January's theme, Renewal, I'm bringing you How To posts that relate to renewing furniture you already own.

Wood furniture is a common feature in most every home, but without proper care, your wood surfaces can start to look drab and lifeless. Start to renew your furniture by polishing wood surfaces every week. This goes a long way toward protecting the finish from damage and ensuring that your wood tables, chairs, and dressers look their best. Avoid any polish that contains silicone or alcohol, as these can do permanent damage to a wood surface, as can any household cleaner that contains ammonia. I love the almondy scent of Method's Wood For Good polish. You can also make an excellent polish at home by combining lemon oil with 3 parts olive oil.

Besides polishing your wood, you should also take care to clean it regularly. Any table that regularly has cups or food on it should be cleaned with a mild soap, such as a diluted mixture of hand soap and water. If you are committed to keeping an antique piece of wood furniture looking beautiful, consider having it buffed and polished by a professional once a year.

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Casa Craving Challenge: Excellent Organizing

casasugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:30:08 -0800

During January, we're focusing on the theme of Renewal. That means we're looking for ways to make your home clean, organized, and lovely to look at. While I want to focus on renewing furniture that you may already have, and creating the most with what you own, sometimes we also need to invest in smart organizational systems.

With that in mind, I'm concentrating this week's Casa Craving Challenge on filing systems. So for this challenge, I'd like you to bookmark filing cabinets and filing systems that not only will keep your home organized, but will look good while doing it. Show me all of your fabulous finds by creating Casa Cravings and tagging them with the phrase excellent organizing system. I'll feature the results next Wednesday, Jan. 9. Please let me know if you have any questions. For a list of online home stores to try,

January Is Renewal Month

casasugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 04:58:17 -0800

Happy New Year! Whether or not you make New Year's resolutions, it's almost impossible to not look at a new year without thinking of reinventing some part of your life.

Here at Casa, I want to help you reinvent your life by reinventing your home — with minimal effort, time, and money. That means trying cool DIY projects, finding new ways to organize your belongings, rearranging furniture, and generally making the most of what you already have. I'll also be suggesting some new products and supplies to help you, and soliciting your suggestions, too (such as today's Casa Craving Challenge). Whether you've just moved into a new home, or have spent the past 20 years piling boxes in your basement, I'll have tips to help you renew your home.

So welcome to Renewal month! We'll be bringing you some great giveaways, cool ideas, and a lot of help in making your life more organized and beautiful.

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