By Kirsten Hagfors, Sunset administrative assistant

Over the holidays, my mother hosted a group of 20+ for dinner, which was a great opportunity for her to showcase her new home.

The table was set beautifully, but one element kept distracting me.  The overhead lighting was great for day-to-day use, but it wasn't stepping up to the occasion. I took it upon myself to dress up the clear cone pendant fixtures. Surrounded by seasonal tidings, I grabbed a roll of wrapping paper and started my project.

Here's what I did:

1. Cut circles out of a light-colored pattern to work as a translucent layer on top of the glass shade. Cut a slit up one side and a small hole in the center.

2. Wrapped the paper around each light and secured it with a bit of clear tape (making sure the lights were off when securing the shade).

3. Trimmed the bottom.

4. Flipped the switch!

No longer detracting from the dining room ambiance, the decorated pendant lights added a shimmer to the setting and received kudos from guests.

Note: This is meant as a temporary adornment. We removed the paper shortly after the dinner, and only had the lights on at a dim level during the meal. It's important to closely attend anything flammable near heat.  | 

More fun with paper:
Recyclable wine charms 
Lampshade with a secret 

By Peter O. Whiteley, Sunset senior writer

Most place mats lie flat on a table, but I also like to stand them on end, wrapped around cylindrical glass vases. The mats add unexpected color and texture while disguising the vase.

The best types for this are made of reeds, slender pieces of bamboo, twigs, or other natural materials that roll up easily. (You can find inexpensive vases and this style of mat at many import stores or outlets like Target.)

Most place mats measure about 14 by 19 inches, so select a vase that stands 12 to 13 inches tall and are about 4 inches wide.

To make your vase:

1.Test-wrap your mat around the vase and mark where the ends overlap.

2. Cut off the extra so the ends of the mat butt together or overlap just slightly.

3. Retie any strings that may be woven through to keep your mat from unraveling.

4. Roll the mat snugly around the vase. Join the ends together here and there with pieces of slender wire.

The mat will become a tight-fitting sleeve that you can slide off when it is time to clean the vase.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home and design writer

Jan. 26-27 is the last weekend our San Francisco Idea House will be open to the public. The project is one of the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified residential remodeled homes in the nation. Lots of cool eco-modern products and materials.

Open 9am-4pm Saturday and Sunday. $20 admission; No children under age 10. Click here for location information.

What's the deal with that car in the image? It's a fuel-alternative vehicle, but not a hybrid. Huh? That's a Honda Civic GX—a natural gas vehicle fueled by the "Honda Phill station" right in the garage. Low greenhouse emissions. Decreases our dependency on foreign oil. And according to an EPA certification, it's the cleanest internal combustion vehicle on earth. Literally nothing coming out the tailpipe.

If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, tour the house in person to find out about more ground-breaking green products. Or watch for the article in our March issue.

By Monica Ewing, Sunset senior designer

Ever need something that you're sure exists, but once you go looking for it, you come up empty? I searched for a bin in which to toss all my paper recycling (let's face it: junk mail). And I wanted it to fit on the bottom pull-out shelf of my not-so-attractive-but-necessary microwave cart. Found zilch. So I made my own out of a cardboard box and fabric. It's not exactly pretty, but it's oh-so-handy, and it only cost me $16.

Supplies:
Cardboard moving box (I found the perfect size at The Container Store)
Craft glue (I used Aleene's Tacky Glue)
1 1/2 yards of fabric (I used cotton duck cloth)
3 1/2 yards nylon strapping
1 yard half-and-half hook-and-loop tape (one side you stick on, the other side you sew on)
Erasable fabric marker
Yard stick
Straight pins
Thread (to match fabric and straps)

Step 1: Assemble the box
First, I glued the bottom flaps in place, then glued the top flaps down against the inside. I placed heavy books on each side for a half hour while the glue dried.

Step 2: Measure & cut the fabric
I measured the box, then added 1/4 inch to all the measurements. I wanted to use just one piece of fabric to cover the sides and bottom, so the drawing of the piece looks like a plus sign. I added 1/2 an inch inseam all the way around the edges, and 4 inches height (for overlap) to each side. (Click the sketch to see it larger.) Then I measured and marked the fabric, and cut it out.

Tip #1: This fabric cover is designed to be removable and washable, so pre-wash and iron your fabric to reduce shrinkage.

Step 3: Sew the cover
I pinned and sewed each of the four sides together. Then I folded over the top edge about 5/8 inch, and sewed it down. Next I cut the hook-and-loop tape into four sections—each a few inches shorter than the corresponding side of the box where it would be placed. Then I sewed each non-sticky piece of hook-and-loop tape onto each side of the fabric cover, about 1/2  inch from the top.

Step 4: Sew on the straps
I slipped the cover over the box, then measured and pinned the straps in place. Next I removed the cover and sewed the straps on.

Step 5: Cover box & apply hook-and-loop tape
I slid the cover back on the box. Then I attached the sticky side of the hook-and-loop tape to the sewn-on side, and removed the backing. I pulled the cover tight, and pressed down on the hook-and-loop tape to make it stick to the box. Voilà. It's done.

Here are more ways to go green.
And here's another fabulous tote by J. Caroline Creative. So cute!

By Diane DiPrima, Sunset web producer

Many San Francisco homes include a light well, an outdoor area situated within the structure. Light wells provide light and ventilation but they can offer much more.

Looking out the guest room window of my 1959 row house, I imagined a garden oasis. The faded shingles and roofing material before me inspired a plan of action.

Step 1. Replace the window with a sliding door
Step 2. Strip the walls of shingles and replace with wood siding
Step 3. Build a deck
Step 4. Add a focal point
Step 5. Decorate with plants

It took $7,200 and about 10 full days to complete. Although the cost was high, the rewards are great.

Replacing the window adjacent to the light well with a sliding glass door opens the home in more ways than one. Visitors staying in the guest room are able to step into their own semiprivate garden. (A kitchen window opens to the area.) The room also looks bigger because you can see beyond its boundaries. Sitting on the bed, it's possible to see all the way through the house to watch the rising sun.

Redwood tongue-and-groove siding makes the space feel cozy and custom blended stain adds warmth. The deck is built with wood beams positioned diagonally to make the tiny 4 foot by 10 foot light well appear larger.

A handmade bench serves as a focal point as well as a place to sit and admire the container garden. Evergreen shrubs, horsetail, cactus, and assorted succulents bring in shades of green and fun textures. Five pots in similar colors play with shape while giving the garden a unified look.

Panoramic city views are easily accessible by climbing a dock ladder that is mounted on the wall. Standing on the roof, I see potential gardens in every neighbors' light well.

We'd love to see your small-space makeover. Email me your photos and a brief explanation of your project.

See another light-well conversion.

by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer
photo by Rob D. Brodman

Last week, Grace at design*sponge posted about a driftwood hook by designer Ben Forgey and asked "I wonder if it’s the sort of thing you could make if you’re handy and have access to found driftwood?"

You betcha. I sent her the photo and directions for the driftwood rack we featured in our September 2006 issue which she posted yesterday.

Thanks for the love Grace! I'm such a huge d*s fan.

Project: driftwood rack

Turn a scavenged piece of driftwood into an organic-chic entryway rack in 30 minutes or less. (For regulations on collecting driftwood, check with your local state beach authority.)

1. Our piece of driftwood happened to lie flat against the wall; if yours doesn’t, use a band saw to cut off one-third of the driftwood lengthwise.

2. With four round hook screws (available at home improvement stores) and a handheld electric drill, drill four holes into the bottom of your driftwood, angling them forward slightly so the hooks won’t lean against the wall. Use a drill bit the width of your screw’s shank.

3. With the help of a wrench, screw the hook ends into the wood, tightening them so they all face forward.

4. Secure your driftwood to a wall using two long screws, spaced so each is secured in a wall stud.

By Sheila Schmitz, Sunset online editor

This spicy wall is a surprise star of Sunset's San Francisco Idea House.

Home projects manager Sarah Gaffney sees a lot of people tour the home, soaking up design and green-living ideas.

When they get to this wall outside the guest room they stop in their tracks and say something along the lines of, "I'm going to go home and do that wall in my dining room. Today."

Sarah thinks she might, too.

I might, too. Even the name suits a dining room: Buttered Yam AF-230 from Benjamin Moore's earth-friendly Aura line.

There's still time to see the wall (and the rest of the house) in person. Click "comments" below to tell us what you think.

And if you decide to go Buttered Yam at home, send us a photo!

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer; photo by Rob D. Brodman

We're 10 days into 2008 and I've just this afternoon become officially embarrassed that all my calendars—I can count four within view from my desk chair—still read 2007. I've been keeping a mental calendar of social events for over a week now, which has proved to be less reliant than the weather in San Francisco.

Lucky for me, the Moleskin weekly planners at the closest stationery shop are now 1/2 off.

But something that's going to take a little more time to update is this calendar I made last year with copies of nostalgic family photos (turned sepia tone at Kinkos). Senior designer Monica Ewing kindly updated our calendar template (the project ran in Sunset's January 2007 issue) with 2008 months. Think I'll see if I can't carefully paste the 08 month pages right on top of last year's project with the help of a little miracle tape (acid-free double-sided) .

To make your own calendar, see directions and download the template here.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

Unwrapping presents at my mom's house on Christmas morning is always a bit comical. It's highly encouraged (read: mandatory) that gift wrapping be salvaged as much as possible. There are four bags into which all waste must be sorted: reuse (paper), reuse (ribbon), recycle (torn or severely wrinkled paper), and trash (plastic packaging, etc). My sisters and I — barely awake and desperately sipping coffee for aid — always take a little pause after each gift opening trying to remember which bag is which. As you can imagine, the reuse bag contains paper remnants that could be reused for future wrapping projects. This year, mom took this wrapping reuse to a new level, wrapping our holiday gifts with festive fabric that can easily be re-loved next year (with some quick help from an iron). Needless to say, her teeny tiny carbon footprint was a hot topic of conversation at the dinner table. You go mom.

For dinner prep this year I was on make-wine-glass-labels-out-of-nothing duty. Stores were of course closed, but we needed a way to discriminate between stemware since we had just the right number of glasses albeit mix-matched.

Enter: reusable wrapping paper bag. I was able to make little wine glass labels out of scraps of wrapping paper and left over circular stickers I'd used to label presents. The creativity was applauded. When you're a writer for a lifestyle magazine, the pressure for aesthetic quality on home-made craft projects is high.

Quick how-to for your next cocktail party:

Materials:

- wine glasses
- paper scraps (wrapping paper shown is from Ikea)
- pencil
- coin
- scissors
- pen
- sticker labels (stickers shown are from Paper Source; you can cut little pieces from your label maker sheets if you're desperate)

Instructions:

- Position your wine glass base on a piece of scrap paper (or used wrapping paper). With pencil, trace around the base. Set wine glass aside.
- Center coin in the middle of circle and trace around with pencil.
- With scissors, cut around the outer circle and inner circle so there's a cut through the ring (see lower left image).
- Pen guest name on sticker. Wrap paper ring around wine base and secure with sticker.
- Repeat.