stuff i’ve made

queen anne dresser :: part 2
October 5 By meesh
The Queen Anne dresser is coming along quite nicely. This is where I started: These are the steps I’ve taken thus far: Pulled out all drawers and sanded the body of the dresser with a 220 grit paper. Definitely wore a mask and had the garage door open as the dust was everywhere! Wiped […]

How to paint wood to look like weathered Restoration Hardware wood
September 6 By meesh
hi friends! i’m back with another furniture painting tutorial on how to use chalk paint to get a weathered wood Restoration Hardware finish. here’s my inspiration. a wonderful wood pier that we visited on our summer road trip. the irony is that the piece i was painting, was in fact, a real Restoration Hardware dresser….from the early […]

painting oak to look like Restoration Hardware :: mud room diy
September 11 By meesh
let me start by saying that i’ve absolutely saved no money by doing this project myself! if i account for the time spent, mistakes made, injuries sustained, and my hourly billing rate, i’d be better off having purchased the Restoration Hardware version. BUT, this has been a great project and i feel that my painting […]

shabby chic mirrored door :: diy
March 11 By meesh
this antique mirrored door has some history. she weighs about 40 pounds and is so super cool, so i’ve named her bessie. bessie was a late night craigslist curb alert find in garden grove. i’m sure she had a very interesting story before i stumbled upon her, but she’s also had great adventures since she’s […]
garden love

how’d that tomato plant get there?
i love seeing the world. but i also love returning and seeing what's happened in my garden after a week away. the trumpet vines on our garden … [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...]

Rooting Brussels Sprouts
I love Brussels sprouts. Please move on if you don't...b/c this post is all about them and some uber-nerd techniques that I'm testing in the … [more...]

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...]

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...]

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...]