stuff i’ve made
Weathered barn wood looking night stand
October 6 By meesh
our landscaping is complete. the fall veggie garden is planted. the play house is seeing a lot of action from the kids. i’ve been noodling over how best to store sandals by our back door, while avoiding looking like your typical Chinese household…shoes all piled up so that no one can get in 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 […]
Chalk paint on a wine barrel book shelf
July 2 By meesh
i’ve been stalking all you annie sloan chalk paint lovers….for a few months now… i’ve even had several quarts in my shopping basket … about to check out … but then something would distract me… until i found a store within minutes of my house that stocks the paint!!! Truly Tattered in old town Tustin […]

How to get a modern look from Annie Sloan paints
June 14 By meesh
i hosted a fun painting party earlier this week. my friend Peilin has been wanting to learn how to paint with Annie Sloan. she’s an incredibly talented food stylist and whips together a mean sardine, hummus, olive, fried egg and avocado sandwich when you’re not looking. but don’t tell her that i’m allergic to avocados, […]
garden love

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...]

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...]

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...]
fresh garden salsa
there's something really magical about fresh, homemade, garden salsa. the colors are vibrant. the flavors are unmatched. and when paired … [more...]

Harvesting and germinating rose seeds
I just love roses. I don't know their varieties or names, but instead, I'm the gal at the nursery going around sniffing all the roses to see which … [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...]