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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:29 -0700

Make a sneaky little cache made out of vintage hardcover books. - Craftzine
Get to work with these top 21 build-it-yourself projects. - Charles & Hudson
Be inspired by the work of photographer Roo Way. - Desire to Inspire
Kings of Leon's Matthew Folllowill bought himself a West Hollywood condo. - BlockShopper
Restoration Hardware roars back with an overhauled look. - AT:NY
Get ready for 2010 with a sharp new calendar. - Grassroots Modern

Casa Quickie: Archive Your Magazines

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:04 -0700

I've been stockpiling shelter magazines since before I had my own apartment to decorate. But as my beloved pubs continue to fold (RIP House & Garden and Domino), I want to protect my issues more than ever.

I was delighted to learn of a magazine binding service offered by Denver Bookbinding to aid my archiving efforts. Send the company your ole Dominos and they'll bind your mag stack into as many hardcovers as you'd like. You can choose from 20 different colors of grade F buckram material, a highly durable, acid-free, library-quality canvas, and have the title, volume, year, and months printed on the spine. Foil stamping can be done in gold, silver, white, or black. One book up to 12 inches in height and two inches thick will cost $50, but the price per book decreases when you order more books. And if you want to get fancy, you can pay extra for front cover stamping, imitation leather, or decorative lines.

Harlequin Romance Jumps Into the Teen Reading Pool

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Due in part to the smashing success of Stephanie Meyer's vampire series Twilight, about - do I really have to tell you this? - teen vampires, publishers like HarperTeen and Razorbill are seeking to supply teens' growing demand for romances with supernatural and paranormal subplots.

Even 60-year-old romance novel publisher Harlequin is getting involved with its newest imprint, Harlequin Teen, which will feature teen protagonists.

Sales of children's/young-adult hardcovers are up 36.4 percent, according to the Association of American Publishers, but sales of adult titles have taken a nose-dive. (Perhaps because some adults, it turns out, are reading young adult novels?) One example of what Harlequin Teen has up its sleeve: Intertwined, a book that "stars a teenage boy who has four souls living inside him and who is irresistibly drawn to a vampire princess." More vampires, eh?

Must-Read: Lobel's Meat Bible

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:03 -0700

I have a confession to make. Although a good number of you are vegetarians, and even more of you eat less meat now that we're in a recession, I still crave meat on a regular basis - whether it's a lamb chop, slice of jamon Iberico, or charcuterie. So when I received a copy of Lobel's Meat Bible ($40), a new book by revered New York butcher brothers Stanley, Evan, Mark, and David Lobel, I couldn't wait to check it out. See what I thought of it when you read more

DIY: Literary Clock

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:00:34 -0800

If you're stumped for a unique holiday gift, you could bring some timeliness to a friend's life with this book clock ($19.95) from Etsy seller Recycleeh. Or, if you're feeling handy, you might consider personalizing your friend or family member's favorite book by turning it into a clock.

To make this cool clock, simply choose a hardcover book, without a busy cover, so that the clock numbers are legible. The book also needs to be large enough to fit the clock hands. Aside from the book, you'll need a clock hands set (available at Michael's or other craft store), a ruler, a protractor, pen, paper, scissors, and a drill. The stem of the clock hands set varies between 1/4 and 3/4 inch, so be sure it fits the thickness of your book.

To learn the steps for this project, read more.

Here's how to do it, according to Instructables:

Use your ruler to find the center of your book. Then mark it with a pen.
If you like, spray paint your clock hands in a different color.
Drill a hole where you marked the center of the book. Your clock hand set should suggest what size drill bit to use, so follow its instructions.
According the instructions, install your clock hands and parts into the hole you drilled.
Using the longest clock hand as a guide for the radius, draw a circle onto a piece of paper with your pen using the protractor.
Cut out the circle, and center the template over the center of the book (where the clock hands are).
Adhere the clock numbers onto the book, a bit beyond the edge of the circle template, evenly all the way around. Begin with numbers 3, 6, 9, and 12 and then fill in the other numbers. Fini!

Source

Must-Read: Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:15:20 -0800

Trader Joe's is one of those love it or hate it topics. Personally, I am in love with it. So earlier this year, when I spotted this book in a Borders window, I literally ran inside to look at it.

Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's ($24.95) is not the official cookbook of Trader Joe's grocery stores - in fact, it has no affiliation with the supermarket chain. Rather, it was written by two devotees who wanted to create a recipe collection in which all ingredients could be found at Trader Joe's. To hear more about it, read more.

Pros:

Recipes are approachable for the beginner cook.
Recipes often make creative use of ingredients.
Each recipe is given an entire spread, including a full page picture.
The authors suggest wines (from Trader Joe's, naturally) that would pair well with recipes.
Hardcover cookbook is durable, looks nice on the shelf, and would make a nice gift.

Cons:

The recipes only call for Trader Joe's ingredients, many of which are unavailable elsewhere. This cookbook would be useless for anyone without a nearby Trader Joe's.
Ingredients could be phased out at any time. (For that reason, the cookbook makes plenty of suggestions for substitutions.)
Some dishes sound short on taste - I'll pass on the Dairy-Free Creamy Cashew Smoothie.

Recipes: The recipes are methodically organized. Some of my favorites:

Appealing Appetizers: Spicy Tropical Shrimp Boats
Soups, Salads, & Light Meals: Black Bean and Ricotta-Stuffed Portabellas, Le French Lentil Soup
Main Meals: Calamari Brodetto, Saag Paneer Lasagna
On the Side: Oven-Roasted Vegetables With Rosemary
Delicious Desserts: Saffron Ice Cream
Drinks: Sangria
Begin With Breakfast: Breakfast Crepes
Bachelor Quickies (heat-and-serve meals): Elegant Rack of Lamb with Vegetables and Apple Tart

Imagery: The images, which have not been edited in any way, are lush and enticing.

Overall Rating: Because this cookbook offers impressive-sounding, attractive dishes for minimal work, this book would be great for getting a beginner into the kitchen. If you're a Trader Joe's fan, you'll love this book. If you aren't, or don't have one near you, don't bother.

Turn Your Child's Art or Photo Memories Into a Bound Book

babysugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:00:45 -0700

It's only natural for parents to think every scribble or brush stroke their child creates is a masterpiece, but if you are anything like me that means you have stacks of masterpieces you don't know how to archive for safekeeping. A company called inkubook can help you create a classic bound book of art and photo memories that will give all those creations a worthy home. All you have to do is scan the pages, save them as a jpg, png, or gif file and upload them to the inkubook website.

Prices start at $14 for a 20-page softcover book and $25 for a hardcover, but playing around with the book design on the site is free. It also offers a great volume pricing option, which is perfect if you want to make books to give as gifts for the holidays!

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Do You Want To Know About The Olsens' Influences?

PopSugarUK — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:00:00 -0700

One book release I'm anticipating is Influence by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, where the actresses-turned-businesswomen interview those figures that have inspired them, such as Lauren Hutton and Karl Lagerfeld. The hardcover book is out this autumn, but will you be picking up a copy?

Source

Texts and Tunes: This Is San Francisco

babysugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Of all the classic children's books, Miroslav Sasek's ($12) hardcover treats are my favorite.

The practically antique texts have vintage illustrations adding some art deco to baby's library.

Aside from teaching your lil one about the ABC's, these books actually divulge loads of rich information about each locale.

This is San Francisco tells the tale of the earthquake ravaged city and its touristy charm while This is New York rattles on about the architecture of the immigrant city. Copious artwork and advanced literature make these books the kind tots can be entertained by for ages.

To see what other cities are featured in his line, read more.

You can also read up on Paris, Rome, Dublin, London, Venice, Hong Kong, Ireland, Texas and others. Since the originals were penned so long ago, part of the asterisked text is updated to reflect current events.

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Home Library: Squeaky Green

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:30:05 -0700

While Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home ($16.95, Chronicle Books) won't be released until April 1, it's so perfect for this month's theme that I had to tell you about it.

Written by Method founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the book comes in a hardcover binder format, with seven organizational tabs for each section of your home, from living rooms to bedrooms to bathrooms to pets.The introduction, from green guru Danny Seo, notes that, "Method's cleaning products are nontoxic solutions that really work and smell great and the packaging is, well, sexy. Yes, sexy."

I definitely agree that Method's design-savvy green products have been a main reason that many people have converted to green cleaning, and this introduction of sleek design to formerly homely/hippie green products has helped to mainstream the trend. But Method's much more than a pretty face, as reflected in the pages of this book. Squeaky Green is chock full of excellent advice on how to clean your home thoroughly with green products. Some of the facts are just plain shocking: Did you know that there's beef fat in fabric softeners and dryer sheets (see page 114)? Or that women who work at home have much higher cancer rates than those who don't, most likely due to conventional cleaning products (see page 47)? This book offers both startling facts and easy solutions to making sure that your home is squeaky clean and green. You can order an advance copy here.