stuff i’ve made

Restoration Hardware inspired wood growth chart :: DIY

i’ve never met a piece of wood i didn’t like. i made a makeshift wooden deck around the kids’ playhouse last spring. there was a 6′ piece left. i knew i’d use it. someday. somehow. today was mr. woods’ lucky day. Ecowood Treatment is pretty nifty.  But what I’ve found is that on smooth wood, […]

Rustic mid-century inspired dining table

How to paint new wood to look like weathered, rustic wood.

vintage mini bar :: cocktail anyone?

i was driving through a fancy newport neighborhood with a friend a few weeks ago and we spotted this vintage metal thing. we thought it was an ironing board, but upon closer inspection, it was what we believe to be a mini bar. i wish i had before pix, but i don’t.  the entire thing […]

Old Glory – wooden American flag

we’ve been testing ways to make big wood walls that aren’t as heavy as Noah’s arc. 🙂 so we built this prototype and i was inspired to paint Old Glory. this is a 4′ x 5′ piece that i hand-painted with a custom blue blend of Annie Sloan graphite + napoleonic and Gilbertson’s chalk paint […]

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...]

summer hydrangea tablescape

i love hydrangeas. i had the luxury of spending a few hours in the garden today and cut a bunch of hydrangea as they're starting to look a … [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...]

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...]

fall is HERE! i found a pumpkin in my garden.

that's right folks....i didn't think it would happen. i planted pumpkin seeds in june....and we had amazingly gorgeous huge leaves.  they grew all … [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 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...]

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