very excited to share the new laundry room with y’all! it was previously just a plain, boring ole laundry room. no flavor, no pizzaz. so here we go. a fresh, very beachy, killer laundry room! hooks on the left wall. a rod to hang ironed items. front loader washer and dryer lifted on the awesome […]
spring garden party
March 17 by
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 friends around, and trying to be a gracious hostess, i tried to snap a few pix…. the weather cooperated….it rains one day a year in california. and thankfully, the first […]
mason jar candle lantern prep
March 14 by
my good friend Lucy helped me pick up 4 cases of small Kerr mason jars, and 4 cases of large jars at Smart and Final. she then peeled apart one of the wide-weave burlap coffee sacks i had in the garage and took apart the threads. we used the longer twines. the leftover shorter twine […]
spring has sprung. hyacinths are popping already!
February 24 by
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 in So Cal. its finally snowing in the mountains. these poor bulbs will be 86d by morning! but look at how gorgeous the back yard is […]
quick and easy-to-sew headbands
February 23 by
i have two boys. but a friend once brought me a headband from a mall kiosk. she was excited that she only paid $25 for this headband. after all, we do live in the OC. i was mortified. i could make it for $.25 so here you have it. the details of how to make […]
how to make a felt and velcro board for kids’ learning
December 5 by
i made this a few years ago for lil G…we use it all the time and he learned his letters quickly. now Big A is using it…mainly to eat. it’s a simple DIY. get a canvas. using a staple gun, staple a large piece of felt around the canvas. staple the velcro. i got all […]
annie sloan tutorial :: Restoration Hardware wood finish on an old coffee table
July 8 by
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 […]
when a zero becomes a hero :: ugly coffee table gets a life
July 7 by
our designer Erica Bryen, is incredible. she’s young, vibrant, hip, smart as a whip, and totally gets us. she works with clients all over southern california, has impeccable taste, and is no BS. she gets it done. she gets it. i’ve come to realize that it’s good to know what you don’t know…when you’re in […]
projects in the works
April 5 by
> i’ve taken a little hiatus as my second son was born just a few weeks ago… but you know as i’m struggling to keep my eyes open during the night feedings that i’m keeping up with all my inspirational blogs and am so eager to get back to my furniture projects!! here’s a teaser […]
Duncan Phyfe drum table :: Restoration Hardware look
March 15 by
> I found this antique Duncan Phyfe drum table on Craigslist for $30. It was an interesting shape and I figured would be a good chance to practice some new finishing techniques. Particularly, I wanted to learn how to get as close as possible to the Restoration Hardware gray wood finish that is so in […]
my first furniture refinishing project. french side table.
February 24 by
> A work in progress….my first antique refinishing project! Not sure how I got myself into this furniture refinishing hobby…but I think it started about 3 weeks ago when I was 8.5 months pregnant…unable to sleep. and maybe it has something to do with the fact that we’re moving to a new house in a […]
souped up radio flyer beach wagon
April 18 by
So this very handy neighbor of ours arrived at the pool the other day with the coolest beach wagon. Of course, I lost an entire night’s sleep planning how I’d make ours for lil G. This is what I devised. We already had ordered the ATW Radio Flyer from Costco. I decided that adding surf […]
