diff --git a/lib/couch_rest.rb b/lib/couch_rest.rb
index f07114d..1eb5d1e 100644
--- a/lib/couch_rest.rb
+++ b/lib/couch_rest.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@ class CouchRest
     @uri = server
   end
   
+  # ensure that a database exists
+  # creates it if it isn't already there
+  # returns it after it's been created
+  def self.database! url
+    uri = URI.parse url
+    path = uri.path
+    uri.path = ''
+    cr = CouchRest.new(uri.to_s)
+    cr.create_db(path) rescue nil
+    cr.database!(path)
+  end
+  
   # list all databases on the server
   def databases
     CouchRest.get "#{@uri}/_all_dbs"
@@ -13,6 +25,11 @@ class CouchRest
     CouchRest::Database.new(@uri, name)
   end
   
+  # creates the database if it doesn't exist
+  def database! name
+    CouchRest::Database.new(@uri, name)
+  end
+  
   # get the welcome message
   def info
     CouchRest.get "#{@uri}/"
diff --git a/lib/database.rb b/lib/database.rb
index 7d0bfec..7482fd8 100644
--- a/lib/database.rb
+++ b/lib/database.rb
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ class CouchRest
       @root
     end
     
+    def info
+      CouchRest.get @root
+    end
+    
     def documents params = nil
       url = CouchRest.paramify_url "#{@root}/_all_docs", params
       CouchRest.get url  
diff --git a/spec/couchrest_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest_spec.rb
index 310ced5..179c5d4 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest_spec.rb
@@ -40,6 +40,13 @@ describe CouchRest do
     end
   end
 
+  describe "ensuring a db exists" do
+    it "should be super easy" do
+      db = CouchRest.database! "http://localhost:5984/couchrest-test-2"
+      db.info["db_name"].should == 'couchrest-test-2'
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "successfully creating a database" do
     it "should start without a database" do
       @cr.databases.should_not include(TESTDB)