Just a girl with a hammer
Blog URL:
http://justagirlwithahammer.com
My 1938 pre-war ranch was a foreclosure I bought in 2009. It had been vacant for four years and neglected for at least ten. There was half a garage door, a non-functional sink in the bathroom, a mildewing basement, the original furnace (which no longer functioned), a new roof but no gutters, and a cracked kitchen floor.
I'm fixing almost everything myself but my real passion is gardening.
I'm still on the fence
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- Published on Monday, 05 November 2012
Authors: Heather
I'm still not sure about my rusty wheelbarrow planter but the agave pups I put in there are so much happier. They got water every day this summer but the drainage is very sharp, so they've gone from skinny desiccated things to being fat and happy.I'm hoping that the sedums fill in next spring before the weeds can.
I'm...
My poor tree
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- Published on Friday, 02 November 2012
Authors: Heather
I'm practicing tough love with the Cryptomeria in the backyard. After a year with stakes and wires, we're burning its bra. It's going to have to learn to stand on its own.Rise up!
Initially it flopped forward, now it seems to want to go back. If it can't support itself by next winter I'll relocate it and plant the tree I...
The saddest new planting bed ever
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- Published on Monday, 29 October 2012
Authors: Heather
I whined and complained that I wanted rain so the ground would soften. After about five days of heavy rain we got a sun break and I headed out to plant the future meadowscape:Despite the rain, the ground was still hard as a rock in places. Despite my sincerest desire to not hurt the dogwood, I ran into a lot of roots and might have...
The Oaklanders are coming!
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- Published on Thursday, 25 October 2012
Authors: Heather
As part of their Renovation Road Trip extravaganza, I got a visit from Chris and Meryl of Picardy Project. Meryl and I have known each other for about a year online but had never met in person. That always makes me nervous, so I obsessed over the state of the house in the days leading up to their visit. You'd think that would...How to make your own French-Belgian linen drapes
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- Published on Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Authors: Heather
Well, the curtains are done.Before
If you'd like to make your own version of CB2's French-Belgian linen panels you just have to follow a few easy steps.
First, fall in love with an expensive fabric. The hallmark of a good sewing project is thinking you're going to save money by making it yourself, then spending a TON of money and...
The saddest marigolds in all the land
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- Published on Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Authors: Heather
Some of the plants are having a harder time with the rain than others.No Day of the Dead garlands for me.
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Garden bloggers' bloom day October 2012
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- Published on Monday, 15 October 2012
Authors: Heather
The rains are finally here! Not everyone is happy about it but I'm selfish and sick of watering the garden. I'm also eager to finally get the ground softened so I can plant these guys:
I snapped most of these last week, right before the rain kicked in.
Salvia 'Black and Blue'Mexican milkweed Asclepias curassavica
Greg's father gave us...
Damn it.
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- Published on Friday, 12 October 2012
Authors: Heather
This is why we can't have nice things.A cat or a raccoon or someone who really hates birds broke the $5 birdbath that I drove all the way to Cornelius in rush hour traffic to get. This is the third one I've lost. I don't know how I can find them any cheaper than that.
I give up.
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It's still growing.
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- Published on Thursday, 11 October 2012
Authors: Heather
Last week was windy. All that wind really fluffed up my castor bean plant, causing it to lose some height but gain some width.
No joke, it's as wide as my Honda is long.
But I'm more excited because my Mahonia media 'Arthur Menzies' put on about 8 inches of growth overnight.
Grow, baby, grow! That castor bean is going to die...
I have expensive taste
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- Published on Tuesday, 09 October 2012
Authors: Heather
I feel like my house reflects me as a person, in that I clean up okay but I'm always lacking a bit of polish. I'll get all dressed up for work and notice that my shoes need to be polished or that I have threads hanging off of my crappy old purse. My house is lacking in finishing details like window treatments and area rugs.
You...
