stuff i’ve made

sand room mishaps :: my attempt at wood working with a steak knife

sometimes i get hair-brained ideas in the middle of the night that keep me awake.  my husband and i call this swirling. several months ago, i got this idea that i’d build a sand room.  it’s like a mud room, but is really more for sand, since our family tracks more beach sand than mud. […]

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. […]

dyeing fabric with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

our shabby chic room is such a happy room.  the colors are pretty, cheerful, and frankly, this is the only feminine room in the entire house. with 3 boys in the house, i specifically designed most things to be durable enough to withstand Hot Wheels, baseballs, and general dude stuff. but this room is all […]

Restoration Hardware-esque coffee table :: stands up to Hot Wheels!

many of you have read about our ‘zero to hero’ coffee table.  if not, you can read about it here. it’s been 5 months since i refinished this piece to have a restoration hardware weathered wood finish.  i used annie sloan’s chalk paint.  how much do i love that stuff?  i bought 4 quarts, have […]

garden love

artichokes!!!

look what we saw in the garden today!?!? it only took 9 months.  :) anyone have the recipe for the Bandera/Houston's artichoke? … [more...]

summer’s here. the flowers prove it!

We've still got another month or so of what we southern Californians call June gloom.  That's right...don't come here expecting hot blazing days. … [more...]

a gorgeous, romantic, Napa wedding

we just returned from the most gorgeous and romantic wedding....ever. the setting was idyllic with the changing leaves and warm breezes. i wanted … [more...]

Hello, ladybugs!

I released 1500 ladybugs into the garden this morning. I have no idea how many have survived, but while they were alive, I snapped a few pix. They're … [more...]

attack of the bunnies!

When we landscaped our yard, I specifically researched how to keep the rabbits out.  We specifically built raised veggie beds so that the bunnies … [more...]

spring garden party

the party went off without a hitch.  we're blessed with amazing friends who lend their time and help!  in between setting up, politely bossing my … [more...]

How to grow hydrangeas from cuttings

It was a gorgeous day today. The sun was flooding into our kitchen nook. Don't you just love days with no schedules? It seems like … [more...]

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