stuff i’ve made

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 […]

annie sloan tutorial :: Restoration Hardware wood finish on an old coffee table
July 8 By meesh
A few folks have asked how I got the look on the zero to hero coffee table. I didn’t take pix b/c we’re moving this week and I didn’t have much time to crank out a few more pieces before the movers arrive! But here was my process: Old White as a base, brushed on […]

tutorial :: vintage door restoration with chalk board panel
January 19 By meesh
this is one of the doors from the craigslist vintage door score. after a close inspection, i noticed mold on these doors. so, these are being refinished to be used in outdoor areas. this one’s a single panel door which will eventually have a black chalk board in the panel. first, i washed the door […]

Restoration Hardware-esque coffee table :: stands up to Hot Wheels!
December 2 By meesh
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

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]