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 little hot…. sad… so let’s enjoy them while we can, shall we? for this table scape on our outdoor dining table, i put some candles in mason […]
cook. shoot. paint. eat. june 2013.
now i’ve done it. all this blogging about painting free furniture found on curbs or via craigslist curb alerts has created a few monsters within my circle of friends. so the time had come to bring a few of us together for the next installment of cook. shoot. eat. this time, we added some paint. […]
precious twin headboard for a pink-lovin’ girl
these aren’t the most glamorous pix you’ve ever seen, but sometimes when this mamma paints at 11:30 pm, the lighting ain’t great… my friend found this headboard on the side of the road. yes, these are the treasures we find in Orange County. nuts. at our painting party earlier this week, it was decided we’d […]
How to get a modern look from Annie Sloan paints
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, […]
Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint tutorial
i’m always blabbing about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. many of you ask if i’m sponsored. i wish! but i’m broadening my horizons and wanted to try Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint. i absolutely love Marian (of missmustardseed.com) and her work. she’s an inspiration. her work is chippy. and that’s a compliment…cuz y’all know how much […]
industrial clothing rack :: Annie Sloan style
after we installed our entertainment center, we had an extra piece of base board laying around. and if you know me, you know that i can’t throw any piece of wood away. i know, i’ve got issues. but you knew that. it started out 8′ long, so i used a hand hack saw to cut […]
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 an underground irrigation issue. tragic. wow. these leaves are so pretty. they’re smaller than your typical maple. and look at this moss and the flowers that are resting […]
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 trellis are finally blooming and they’re gorgeous! these make me so happy!!!! you can see that all of the raised beds are doing great. the heat hasn’t started […]
not your Grandma’s dining table was featured!
As some of you know, I took the rugrats to Paris last week to meet up with my folks. I was torn whether to bring my big camera and laptop, but when push came to shove, (and I was staring down a 90 pound stroller!), I decided to rely just on my phone. So when […]
A shabby chic take on an inherited hutch :: Annie Sloan style
my client inherited this from a good friend. it’s a gorgeous piece and again, i sort of felt weird painting it. but i was assured that no one would know since they’re no longer with us. is that weird? so i worked under the don’t ask, don’t tell guidelines…though i wouldn’t know who to tell. […]
growing potatoes and yams in coffee sacks
i met a wonderfully delightful woman a few months ago at a baby shower. i started telling Cheri how i was obsessed with watching YouTube videos on growing potatoes. wouldn’t you know it, but Cheri’s sister is a big potato farmer in Idaho. of course…because that’s how God works. he puts people in your life […]
your grandma’s dining set has left the building
you’ve all seen this old maple dining set at your grannie’s house, right? most people cringe when they see this type of furniture. i start to twitch and try to hide my excitement. yup, i’ve got issues. my client just moved back from a mission trip abroad. they inherited some amazing furniture from friends and […]
shabby beachy chic side table :: Annie Sloan style
this piece was such a lame late 90s piece that i don’t even remember where i got it or why. every time i walked past it, it begged to be repainted. i do my best work late night….so i dragged her downstairs, camera in tow, and into the garage. it’s march and it was in […]
egg white & veggie frittata
wow, Peilin Breller and Emily Ivey sure know how to make food look GOOD! check out this frittata. i mean, it is delicious. but just look at that photo! don’t lick the monitor…it’s very unbecoming. ok, here we go: heat oven to 375 i used a cute 5×8 dish for this one dice 1/2 sweet […]
teeny, tiny peaches!
i love spring. the flowers are blooming, and you find cool stuff in the garden you’ve never seen before! like this one here…i’ve no clue what it is, but it appeared in my raised bed…so i transplanted it. it’s cool! in so cal, we don’t have to remove the bulbs each year…they just stay there […]