LilSugar

Pimp Your Crib: Paint Your Life

babysugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:00 PDT

The days of sitting for an oil portrait may be long gone but that doesn't mean you have to forgo the beauty of a canvas hanging on your walls. The magic of the Internet and Paint Your Life allows parents to take a digitally uploaded photograph and convert it into an oil painting in just over three weeks. With a team of professional artists on staff, the company recreates your photo using the medium of your choice - oil, watercolor or charcoal - and uploads a photo of the piece for your review. After approval, the canvas is finished and you receive the portrait in the mail.

Prices start at $120 for the smallest oil painting so you may want to start working your way through Summer photos to get a head start on some holiday gifts for the grandparents.

Link Time: Rosie O'Donnell's Mansion and the Best New Lighting

Elka Karl — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:30:14 PDT

Tour an eclectic and beautiful home that's filled with treasures. - Houzz
These paint colors may just change your life. - House Beautiful
You won't believe what Rosie O'Donnell's mansion used to house! - Curbed
Your old furniture will look brand new with these simple updates. - Real Simple
Check out the best new lighting from ICFF. - Apartment Therapy
Is this the perfect houseplant? - Stylelist Home

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage

The Good Men Project — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:30:42 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Mark Tyrrell offers eight relationship tools to make your marriage work.

"All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble." - Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it'll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

Teenage Dating in a Twilight-Hunger Games World

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people.

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

But when marriage doesn’t work it can feel being manacled to a maniac, marooned with a misogynist or nailed to a nag. And I don’t care what the studies say, that’s not healthy. You may hear couples say stuff like: “We are making our marriage work!” but how do we do this?

Making it work.

We pay lip service to “working on the marriage” but what is the work we need to do? Marriage vows such as “to love and to cherish” and “forsaking all others, for better or for worse” don’t really tell us how to make it work, although they give us a clue.

Fortunately a ton of research has been done on what to do and not do to make your marriage, or any intimate relationship work. Follow the guidelines here to become “good at marriage."

Tip one: Be romantic but keep it real.

We are all (force?) fed romance in movies and novels. The handsome man gets the beautiful woman. But what I wonder is what happens after our romantic couple ride off into the sunset together? What do they do exactly? Bicker? Moan at one another? Start to ignore each other?

After all that romance, our beautiful couple is bound to have massive expectations of their life together. But when rose tinted expectations clash with day to reality, watch out!

Romance is vital in any relationship. Always seeing the best in your partner helps to keep things intimate and love should be expressed. But if you have been raised on Mills and Boon Romance novels or feel-good movies, then your own romantic expectations can work against the sustainability of your long term relationship.

When day to day life fails to live up to the giddy, heady lust-filled days of the pre-settled down romance people can become angry, even blame one another: “This wasn’t what I signed up for." They find it hard to take the rough with the smooth because they never really figured there would be any rough.

Expectations not diluted with at least a dash of realism can be a royal road to relationship ruin. Your partner may be an angel, but they have feet of clay. You must learn to love those feet or at least accept them a bit!

Get the rest after the jump!

Cosmo For Latinas Cover Girl Zoe Saldana on the Perks of Being in Her 30s

Meghan Rooney — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:28:26 PDT

Zoe Saldana looked radiant in a lilac Elie Saab number at the Cosmopolitan for Latinas launch party last night in NYC. The 33-year-old Avatar star covers the premiere issue of the magazine, which hit newsstands on May 1. Zoe has another reason to celebrate, as she's also nominated for best Latino actor at the upcoming MTV Movie Awards for her work in Colombiana.

Zoe is currently wrapped up in three new projects, shooting two thrillers, Blood Ties and Out of the Furnace, as well as a Star Trek sequel. She may once again don the tight blue suit as Neytiri in Avatar 2, but for last night's launch, Zoe was all about being herself. Having split from boyfriend of 11 years Keith Britton in November of last year, Zoe reflected on her new life. She also spoke about body image, NYC, and how it feels to be in her 30s. Zoe said:

On following her heart: "The reality is, I have gotten this far because I don’t pay attention to anything but my heart and what I want to do. And if it's a hit today, or if it’s a miss tomorrow, seriously - no regrets because if I follow my heart I can never be wrong."
On body image: "I have always been on the slender side, and I am the only one in my family! Trust me, they hate that I can eat! And I am not saying because I got it like that, but the older you get, you to have to be more conscious about your body. Not the image things that might suffer, but it's internal - your heart with cholesterol and fats, or depriving your body of certain nutrients you need just because you want to look good."
On being inspired by her hometown: "There is nothing more beautiful than coming here to New York because this is my native home. Seeing the fashion in the streets, even going into the deli or the bodega, it makes me miss New York so much. But LA is like that too. I just love art, and I don’t care if it comes in a pair of sneakers, a painting, or a Givenchy dress."
On her 30s: "I am very happy now that in my early 30s the pressure of wanting to please others dissipates more and more. And now, it's about being me. There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past year. But I am happy that through all that, the biggest gift I have been receiving every day is getting to know myself not through anybody else and not through another entity or another organization that tells me who I am but me. And it feels kind of fu*king cool being in your 30s, I have to say."

You're Fired! 20 Signs That a Pink Slip Is Coming

Wise Bread — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:54:53 PDT

If something feels off at the office, you may want to brace yourself for the worst. Wise Bread shares signs to look for when a pink slip is coming.

There are two types of employees. One has a good idea of what they do, who they are, and what position they play in the company. They are savvy. They know the score. They are under no delusions, and will no doubt leave for another job long before they are ever considered as cannon-fodder.

And then there's the other kind. The guy who could get Gandhi to hate him. The woman who spends most of her day chatting on the phone to friends or doing online shopping. Or the nice chap in sales who is completely oblivious that the recent merger means his job is now obsolete. They all have Ostrich Syndrome. They couldn't see a pink slip coming if it was 8ft tall and glowing in the dark, screaming "you're fired!"

You want to avoid being in that second category at all costs. So I've compiled a handy list. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your résumé and dry-cleaning your best interview attire.

1. Are you no longer in the loop about, well, anything?

This is a huge telltale sign. Suddenly you're finding out about company news from the cleaning lady or the new girl in accounting. If you were formally in the know about all things business related, but now suffer from "the company's doing what??!" disease, the writing is probably on the wall.

2. Did you recently screw up big-time?

We're not talking a minor faux pas here. Did you lose money on an account that was previously bulletproof? Oh dear. Were you caught having sex on the boss's desk with the boss's spouse? That's probably not a career-enhancing move. Unless you're a real dope, you know if you have screwed up. And if you know, HR knows. It may not be the final nail in your coffin, but it's a nail in the coffin nonetheless.

3. Are people avoiding you at all costs?

Eye contact is difficult to make with someone if you know his or her head's on the chopping block. Small talk is just as tough. It's best just to avoid that person altogether. So if people are no longer doing that fun "stop 'n' chat" in the hall, or the coffee room empties when you arrive, then guess what . . . you may be a marked man or woman.

Read on for more.

Link Time: Modern Cabins, Hip Hostels, and the Best Floral Delivery Services For Mother's Day

Elka Karl — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:30:14 PDT

These five modern cabins will make you jealous of rural life. - Houzz
Finally: a hip hostel for the urban minimalist. - EcoSalon
16 great options for floral delivery on Mother's Day. - Real Simple
Learn why you should embrace nostalgia in your decorating scheme. - Stylelist Home
Tour a sweet Catskills cottage. - Apartment Therapy
These gorgeous, yellow bathrooms may inspire you to start painting.- House Beautiful

Interview: Amanda de Cadenet on Loving "Women's Women" Jane Fonda, Gwyneth Paltrow, and More

Tara Block — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:20:00 PDT

We explained why we love photographer and British TV personality Amanda de Cadenet and her new show The Conversation, and tonight is the second episode!

We chatted with the motorcycle-riding mom of three (who's married to a rocker, no less) about everything from sex positions to The Bachelor to the benefits of marriage, but what Amanda's really passionate about is the plight of today's women. On her new Lifetime show The Conversation, Amanda gets into some heavy topics with famous women like Jane Fonda, Kelly Preston, Zoe Saldana, Sarah Silverman, and Gwyneth Paltrow. And she couldn't help but gush about her ladies, who she says are "truly women's women," in addition to opening up about how our sex as a whole needs to start sticking together. Here's what she said:

TrèsSugar: What did you learn from doing these interviews?
Amanda de Cadenet: That women globally are addressing very similar issues in their lives, and that we're not actually that different. I've met so many good people, and that was really the overwhelming feeling: Wow, there are some good people on the planet.

TS: What part of a woman's life do you think we're most scared to talk about?
AC: I would say people have a lot of shame about their relationships. Most women who I know have stayed in a less-than ideal relationship for way too long, and they get embarrassed to say, "Yeah I'm still with this person because I just can't leave."

Or people are uncomfortable saying, "I hate the way my body looks." It's just not PC to be down on your body these days, but the truth is that most of us are. So I love that my ladies are very outspoken about their bodies and how they feel about them. There's been this kind of picture painted, a standard that's been set, by whom I don't really know, that to be a woman who's having a successful life you have to be OK with your body, be earning enough money, be in a relationship. If you're a woman of a certain age you're supposed to have children. You're supposed to be conforming to society's idea of what it means to be a successful woman. None of us are, by the way. And that's part of what The Conversation is about: Who created this notion of what it means to be a woman on the planet? Because none of us are living up to it. And the reality is what we're actually talking about on the show, which is that no one's doing it perfectly. We're all doing the best we can do. And Jane Fonda at 73 says, "I'm finally whole." Gives us all permission to be human, right?

For the rest of the interview and photos of Amanda with some of the women she interviewed, keep reading!

Photos courtesy of A&E Television Networks LLC

San Francisco's Nicole Hollis Channels Power For The Borgias Unveiled

Angela Swinderman Elias — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:20:28 PDT

Are you watching The Borgias series on Showtime? The show merges the sexiness of Renaissance-era opulence with the scandal of a crime family saga, telling the story of the infamous Borgia family, whose corrupt patriarch, Rodrigo Borgia, gained political power in 15th century Italy. To kick off the premiere of the second season, Showtime selected designers in 10 cities to create gorgeous Borgias-themed displays in exclusive storefront windows, with each window representing a single word that resonates with the series.

San Francisco-based designer Nicole Hollis tackled the theme of power by creating a stunning display at Zinc Details. We caught up with Nicole to get her styling secrets for pulling off old-world style in a modern storefront. Keep reading to find out which Renaissance trends are still hot today, her go-to design resources, and tricks for creating high-impact style in any home.

Jeff Andrews Shares the Inspirations and Sources Behind This Gorgeous Library

Elka Karl — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:00:52 PDT

Los Angeles-based Jeff Andrews has designed homes for Ryan Seacrest and America Ferrera, among other clients, and his timeless, elegant, and inspired designs are a hit with design fans, shelter magazines, and design insiders. One of his most recent projects is featured in the May issue of Traditional Home, which will hit newsstands on April 17.

Today, Jeff is sharing a preview of one of the rooms featured in the magazine with us - a lovely library. Jeff reveals the inspiration behind the design, and the process of creating the look with us. Keep reading to get inspired to make changes in your home library space!

Deciding upon the color palette

The wood paneling was an existing element and rather than fight it, I decided to just go with it. The area rug is the one and only piece that the clients brought with them from their previous residence, and luckily it found a great home in here. I chose colors that enhanced the rug and wood paneling stain color and the rest followed.

On the repetition of curvaceous lines in the space

When I started the project, this room seemed so linear and flat. I didn’t purposefully add "curves," but as the design process evolved, I was drawn to patterns that added movement and life to the space. It’s interesting how in design, sometimes things are selected individually and end up working in harmony to create an overall feel.

Using two tables in this space

The writing desk is used daily by the homeowners for correspondence and the other table is used as a library/game table, which I could see being used for her and her friends for a glass of chardonnay, or him and his buddies for a game of poker.

Creating animal intrigue for vegan clients

One of the only restrictions given to me by my client was no fur, leather, or animal products as they are vegan. But knowing their love for animals, as I shopped to accessorize their home, I was drawn to animal motifs. I didn’t set out to create a "zoo," but throughout the house you’ll see touches of real animal love!

The story behind that gorgeous desk chair

The first day I shopped with the client we went to a showroom sale and picked up several pieces, and this little gem happened to be one of them. It’s one of the few pieces in the room that is not vintage.

Where to commission a painting as lovely as the one in this library.

I sourced this painting from a local artist, Angela Dickerson-Lee, who also happens to have an amazing vintage store, Bonita Interiors, at the Pasadena Antique Center. She’s got a great eye.

On where to source the gorgeous pouf

It’s a Jeff Andrews-Design original.

Input from the homeowners

It needed to be comfortable, kid- and animal-friendly, timeless, and completely finished and move-in ready by the time it was complete. It also had to be on budget and done within six months. Check!

To tour the rest of the home, pick up the new issue of Traditional Home.

Hunger Games Set Decorator Larry Dias Shares Stories and Decor Details From the Film

Elka Karl — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:17:42 PDT

Watching The Hunger Games at a press preview, both Angela and I were scrambling to jot down notes on the fantastic set design showcased in the film. Now, we have the answers to all of our set design questions. Set decorator for The Hunger Games Larry Dias was integral in making the film come to life, from the Appalachia-inspired homes seen in District 12 to the opulent palace of President Snow. Dias was nominated for an Oscar for his production design work on Inception, and he's worked on the set design for films including The Village, The Last Airbender, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Keep reading to find out more about the process of designing the look of The Hunger Games. CasaSugar: I read that much of the decor for District 12 was sourced from local antique shops in North Carolina. How were you inspired by these antiques, and how did the look for this district develop?
Larry Dias: When [production designer] Phil Messina discovered the North Carolina location that serves as District 12 in the film, it just made sense to utilize the local antiques sources. In the book, District 12 lies within what is formerly known as the Appalachians. It could not have been more perfect. We found a number of dealers that had an abundance of unfinished "as is" antiques with rotting wood, peeled finishes, broken drawers, and rusty hardware, and they were items from the region. It was a perfect fit.

CS: The train car seems to have an art deco feel. Was this an influence for the look? How did you decide on the color palette and wood choices? What items did you include that seemed particularly important for these scenes?
LD: Phil came up with the design of the train cars, and the palette was an early idea that we toyed with changing a number of times but we always went back to the blue. The velvet I used in the upholstery was from Dedar, and at first we were having some trouble having it fit within our time frame. It was milled in Belgium, if I remember correctly, and we tried numerous times to find a replacement close to our original choice and just could not find a suitable one, so we played the odds and got it at the last minute. I'm glad we did because it had such amazing depth and was a really regal-looking hue that ended up being the perfect complement/contrast to the muted blue dress that Judianna Makovsky had designed for Katniss.

Of course we compared our swatches, but I think it really told a story when she entered that train car. The wood tones were chosen by Phil. As my team and I were sourcing the furniture for the train it became apparent that we would need to do part antique and part reproduction mainly because of quantities and also because Katniss drives a knife into the dining table! A lot of deco furniture is veneered, and we found a lot of great pieces that had irreparable finish issues or pieces that were too diminutive in scale, so we ended up finding some good reproductions that we could get quantities of. Because it was really difficult to get the woods to work well together on pieces coming from all over the US, we had our lead scenic Rick Riggs and his amazing crew faux finish the furniture to tie it all together.

A funny thing is the barrel chairs that play prominently were pieces that my buyer Sara Gardner-Gail found online, and they were really inexpensive but had the perfect shape. I had the legs cut off and added a swivel platform base, had them painted and upholstered, and they looked like the finest antiques. One of the things about set decoration is that you have to be ready to improvise as well as accommodate change. Unlike the design of, say, a hotel lobby where everything has been drawn in will not change, a film set is quite the opposite. Once the actors, camera, and crew are in the set, furniture starts flying, literally.

First, just to accommodate the cast and crew, usually at least one half of the set will be cleared of furniture, then as the shots and camera angles are being set up, the director may decide he needs things to rearrange a bit to accommodate a scene. It can be a little improvisational so having a few extra chairs, lamps, or occasional pieces hanging around is a good thing.

Keep reading for more of our interview with Hunger Games set decorator Larry Dias!