Gardening with A.I. and Pinterest

Two projects for the price of one! 

Sidewalk Garden 

I have a black thumb. My house is a haunted house for any kind of plant. I should put a warning sign up. We have large trees in our front yard, which I absolutely love. Unfortunately, that means we cannot also have grass. 

I really wanted to up the curb appeal by expanding our sidewalk,  somehow. I really had a hard time finding examples of what I liked. If I can’t find an example on Pinterest, than it’s hard for me to what to spend money on an idea in my head.

So, I turned to A.I. (which my inquiry probably used more water than the tons I needed to keep grass growing in my yard). I had an idea in my head, but I wasn't sure how it would look. I don’t have the exact verbiage I used, but I basically told ChatGPT to put 18 in bricks next to the side walk with a two foot garden next to that. 

Before picture brought to you by Google Earth. 

Chat GPT's version:

And unfortunately, it refused to actually do the manual labor so I did that myself and one month later, here is my attempt.

Now after consulting with my interior designer (Harper), it was determined we needed to be more inviting to the fairies. She added this: 

Birdhouse Village

This idea was saved on my Pinterest for quite some time. 

I used four different plans. I used one day to cut all the wood, one day to assemble, and one day to paint. 

I put them on posts with supports on the bottom, which were then buried. Hopefully it will be strong enough against Amarillo winds. 

I finished them off with fake flowers I found from Dollar Tree. 

These aren't actually functional. The holes are painted because I didn't want to make killing birds any easier for all the neighborhood cats.

Out with the new… In with the Old

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I was once asked if I like doing renovations. I like planning… I like the ending… I like the satisfaction of a job well done. Usually I complain throughout the entire “doing” of the project. I won't get into all the difficulties that came with this project...but just know every single step was hard. 

I am still doing “roll for project” do get projects around my house done. As far as blogging, I’m only going to post about the projects I am excited about. 

I was snooping around my mom’s greenhouse (as one does) where my parents were storing furniture and building supplies that haven’t made it into their new build. I found this really pretty antique cast iron wall-mounted sink and my mom so generously let me have it.

I have done everything I could to find out how old this sink was made. There is no date. The only thing I could find was “sm co,” “h2 jk,” and “Philadelphia Pennsylvania.” I tried googling the image. I tried looking through old catalogs… nothing. 

I did figure out that this came from the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company. The company lasted from 1875-1929 before it merged with another company.

That being said, I would guess this sink came from the 1920s. 

Aaron was so encouraging throughout all this. I wasn’t even sure this was something I could do, but he was on board from the beginning.  I cleaned all the flakes off, addressed the rust, and painted with enamel paint… and then painted again when I didn’t like how it looked with the rest of the bathroom. 

I also had to replace the faucets as I do not want to brush my teeth with lead regularly. I hear that's not good for you. 

I will tell you one thing that went wrong... I was trying to take the counter top off the vanity so I could put the new counter top on and my fingers got stuck between it and the wall! Aaron wasn’t home and it was so heavy. I thought I broke my fingers. I was trying to get Ollie to find my phone so I could call Aaron.. or maybe he could use his love for me to suddenly get strong enough  to move it. Of course neither of those things happened, and thankfully I was able to move it on my own. 

The plumbing work was also super difficult and was interrupted by below-freezing weather. We had to have the water running and just kept dumping out buckets. So many trips to hardware stores (when it got warmer) and we finally got the right pipes after talking to an associate who also happened to have put an antique sink in his bathroom. 

I put in a real drawer where the faux drawer was. I added trim and pulls that matched the scallops on the sink. Plus, I think it honors the art deco style of the 1920s. 

I really love how it turned out. I may not be a charming person, but I will at least have a charming house. 

Roll for Project 12 (I FINISHED THE LIST!)

After 60 rolls, I have officially finished my "Roll for Projects" list! Does this mean I am completely happy with my house and I will move on to a hobby that is more cost-effective? Nope! I have other projects I want to do, but I wanted to finish the list before starting on those. 

1. Living Room Curtains

We had these floral curtains that I really liked; however, it clashed with the rug. I decided to go with a solid color that matched the wall. 

I am really happy with it and think it looks really elevated.The curtains are tall and go all the way to the ceiling to it makes the walls look taller. So funny how the smallest changes can make a really big difference.

2. Sofa Tables 

I love functional pieces, so for a while now,  I have been really liking the idea of having tables that sit behind the couch.  I found two pieces of wood from Habitat for Humanity to be the table top and used scrap wood as the legs. I measured the height and width of the couches and cut them accordingly. 

I used brackets to attach the legs to the table, cut out notches to sit flush against the board-and-batten walls, and cut out holes to fit desktop power strips. 

This was the final piece to finishing the living room. I love it! It is so functional. I have another level to add decor, it blends in nicely, and I don't have a floor lamp to have to vacuum around. 

3. Fence Garden

I have been wanting to do something with this grassy area in front of the fence. 

I asked Chat GPT to give me an idea of what a garden would look like. 

It gave me several different options, and I never could convince it to keep the sidewalk, but it was a good jumping off point. 

 

I also asked it to give me a list of what plants I should plant and a step-by-step guide to maintaining it. It gave me a monthly task list and so far I have planted boxwood in September and mulch in October. I have had these boxwoods for an entire month and they are still alive! 

4. Hallway stripes 

For a while, I just wanted to fix the chair rails in the hall. I liked the detail, but ever since I put in arches, the chair rails didn't go to the edge of the doorway. 

Because this had been sitting on my "to-do-list" for a while, the project kept evolving and evolving.

I love this dining room from Molly B. At Home. She posts a lot of her house, and it is just so cozy and eclectic. 

The walls were heavily textured. I spent several weekends sanding and skim coating the wall. We had to replace the AC filter a couple times, but finally (after priming and painting the wall white) it was time to put the tape up on the walls. I wanted the stripes to be about 6 inches wide and I used a 1x6 board to help me measure the stripes. 

I've mentioned this in a previous post, but our local hardware store is trying to sell all their products while transitioning to a different parent company, so I got four rolls of tape and paint for a crazy price. I found quarts of paint of various shades of blue and grey and mixed them, hoping I would like the results. 

I really like how it turned out! It goes well with the green pieces I have, but it's also calming and classic.  I think paint is the best choice to do something fun because it is so easy to paint over if you don't like it.

I think it is really similar to this other inspiration picture I had saved: 

5. Lamppost Garden 

My neighbor and I were just lamenting over the fact that our yards are too shady to have a good thick lawn. So far my plan is to just keep adding gardens. 

This garden cost me about $15. Really easy, but helps make a big impact for such a small task. 

Because I have finished the task, I plan on doing a "Before and After" video of my house. Like I said, there are still projects I want to do and we have been living in this house for 7 1/2 years, which isn't a round number. But my other option for celebrating finishing the list would be to start another project. 

Roll for Project 11

                                                   

Can you believe after this we have one more "roll for project"  post before we are done with the list? Don't worry, there's another series coming because there is always something that can be done with the house. I am itching to get to those projects!

1. Bedspread

We've been using a spare comforter for a while that didn't match our room, so I have been wanting to replace it. I decided to go with a duvet set because I love making dressing the bed as complicated as possible.

Instead of using my creativity, I found a room that looked like mine already and copied what bedspread they used. Here is the inspiration: 

Here is my simplified version: 

 I went with a king size for my queen-size bed because duvets run a little smaller. I've lived with it for a few months and I still really like it.

2a baseboards and 2b door trim

On my list, putting in baseboards and door trim were two different items, but I discovered I needed the door trim to properly measure the baseboards. I had taken the door trim down because I replaced them with doors from my childhood home, and needed to resize a couple of them. 

We hadn't had baseboards in years, and it always looked like a construction zone because of it. I do not always enjoy every step of the process of all of these projects, but y'all, I complained the entire time on this one.

 I did enjoy all the deals I kept stumbling into. First, I went to a local hardware store I initially bought baseboards for a different project from. They were on clearance... and no longer were going to carry them. So I bought every last piece and it was just enough.  Second, the local Ace hardware store owner is mad at the company so he is trying to get rid of Ace products. I got paint for 80% off. I absolutely love the results. It makes such a difference, and actually looks more like a house I can invite people to. Bunko night, anyone?

3. cutting board box 

We have this tiny cabinet door in the kitchen. It's about five inches, and it drives me crazy to have a useless space. 

What would fit better than my cutting boards? I had to make a box that I could move, so I could get to the extra spices I hide in the corner. I initially tried to cut down a wooden filing cabinet I rescued from the dumpster, but particle board does not like to be cut up. So, I just used scrap wood I had lying around.

 It is not beautiful, but it is functional (that's how I introduced myself to Aaron). I also lined it with extra tablecloth I used to line the shelves in my pantry. I can move it if I need to get to my extra spices, and the door is finally useful. 

4. blanket cabinet

Usually projects take way longer and cost more than I think it will. This project, that has been sitting on my list for way more than a year cost less than five dollars and took less than five minutes. The door to our blanket cabinet fell off because the hinges were made of plastic. I don't remember how it broke (because it's been so long) but I image it toppled over when I was moving it for a project. I used a pivot hinge used for trifold doors, and voila! It was done. 

5.kitchen light 

Our kitchen light hasn't worked for a while. Someone told me it was probably the light fixture. He said it very confidently, so I installed a new light fixture. It has the same problem. My theory is that it is on the same circuit as the living room ceiling fan. So, until Aaron calls an electrician,* I have a new light fixture that doesn't work and I am not sure I like it any better than the light fixture before. 

*hint hint

Roll For Project 10

We are just two blog posts away from being done with my "roll for project" list. Don't worry, there will be as "season 2." I just wanted to finish the projects on this list before I added any more. 

1. Secret Pantry Door

I've already blogged about this, because I was too excited so I won't go into much detail, but here is the result with it all decorated. 

Here it is at Christmas. I loved having a place to display Aaron's late grandmother's Christmas decorations. 

Here it is at spring: 

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There are a couple of things my four year-old apprentice added, like a string tied to the knob, and she likes to daily switch out knick-knacks on the shelf. 

A couple things I didn't mention in the previous blog:

1. I was able to use bookshelves I got for free off Facebook Marketplace two years ago.

2. I added shelves to both pantries and covered them with PVC tablecloths, which are way more cost effective than shelf liners. I still will not show the inside of my pantry, as it is functional but not organized. 

Six months later, and it is still doing great! I will never do anything as cool as this ever again. 

2. Rock Garden

We have very large trees in our front yard, which I love, but they do not allow anything to grow underneath. 

This was so cost effective, and I love the results. I used 69 cent pavers from Lowes as a border and filled it with black mulch that we glued down. The mulch has survived many wind storms and I think it really has helped our front yard. 

Ah, yes, you noticed no rocks were involved in the rock garden. The initial idea came from my grandma and then it kept changing the more I planned it, but I kept the name because that is what was on the list. 

3. Ceiling Fan

Our ceiling fan stopped working a month after we moved in, so it was always on the list but not a high priority to fix.

I found a brand-new, never taken out of the box ceiling fan while thrifting. 

I spray painted the chrome black and turned the blades upside-down to better match our floors. It still doesn't work and unfortunately we are having to hire an electrician because it appears it's a wiring issue. We are still waiting on one to call us back. (That's on the honey-do-list for Aaron). 

4. Neighbor Garden. 

I kept rolling outside projects when there was an ice storm, so I had to wait to get these done. No I could not have substituted another project as that violates the rule of "roll for project." 

I used the same pavers as I did for the mulch garden and used two as spacers to lay out the garden. I didn't bother putting weed barrier down with either of the gardens, because nothing grows, so I am not going to have to fight many weeds. 

Another easy project, which I think helps make a big impact with curb appeal. 

5. Touch-up vanity paint 

It has been a little less than five years since I made over the kids’ bathroom. The passage of time will never not shock me. It looks like my kids have been practicing their sword fighting on the doors. I was able to buy a sample- sized paint for $7 and do touch ups. Thankfully the paint matches and it looks good as new!

Also, in true “Chelsea fashion” I found a door I missed and had to do some dumpster diving for the paint I threw away when I thought I was done.