stuff i’ve made

painting Michael’s wood crates to look like Restoration Hardware

do you have a friend (or many) who inspires you to be healthier? i mean, like when you’re lounging in bed at 7 am, dreaming of  sidecar doughnuts while checking facebook and she’s already finished a marathon? right.  that friend. my friend Robyn is that to me.  she’s a smart, hard-charging, all-natural beauty, and is usually […]

when a zero becomes a hero :: ugly coffee table gets a life

our designer Erica Bryen, is incredible.  she’s young, vibrant, hip, smart as a whip, and totally gets us.  she works with clients all over southern california, has impeccable taste, and is no BS.  she gets it done.  she gets it. i’ve come to realize that it’s good to know what you don’t know…when you’re in […]

industrial clothing rack :: Annie Sloan style

after we installed our entertainment center, we had an extra piece of base board laying around.  and if you know me, you know that i can’t throw any piece of wood away.  i know, i’ve got issues. but you knew that. it started out 8′ long, so i used a hand hack saw to cut […]

cook. shoot. paint. eat. june 2013.

now i’ve done it. all this blogging about painting free furniture found on curbs or via craigslist curb alerts has created a few monsters within my circle of friends. so the time had come to bring a few of us together for the next installment of cook. shoot. eat. this time, we added some paint. […]

garden love

look who’s here? spring garden!

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a beautiful Japanese maple tree

isn't this gorgeous?  i was visiting a friend back east and spotted this stunning and massive tree. they used to have two trees, but one drowned by … [more...]

Orchids 101

I've always loved orchids, but was always intimidated by them. Last year, a neighbor gave me the most gorgeous Phalaenopsis orchid (the most … [more...]

spring has sprung. hyacinths are popping already!

the first signs on spring are here...trouble is, we haven't really had winter.  and as i write this, the temperature is dropping to the high 30s here … [more...]

harvesting potatoes grown in coffee sacks

howdy!  several months ago, i stalked a bunch of gardening blogs to learn how to grow potatoes. while spring isn't the ideal time to grow … [more...]

spring flowers

remember that day last fall when i rode my bike around cutting hydrangea clippings from my neighbors? you don't remember? it's ok, … [more...]

so cal garden explosion

we've got rogue tomato plants all over the garden.  take exhibit A.  i didn't plant this one and look how amazing it is! i'm sort of insulted, … [more...]

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