Move Slow & Make Things | Giveaway No. 3
Welcome to giveaway number three leading up to the September 1 launch of my new book, Move Slow & Make Things. This giveaway is in collaboration with Erin Callahan of Garden & Guild. I’ve been following Erin on Instagram and have purchased several heirloom garden tools and classic gardening books from her since learning about […]
four things | seventy nine
Oh my word, it is hot as the blazes this week. I often joke that I was made for Norway. (Although I have never been there, and the ancestry information I’ve found so far has all led back to England.) I certainly wasn’t made for anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line. I’m fair-skinned, have a […]
Peg & Awl | Small Business Spotlight
There are times when I have fleeting thoughts of quitting the online space. I think about how much time is sucked into the rabbit hole of Instagram or YouTube when I could be doing something more meaningful and productive… But then I think about the beautiful people I’ve met, dear friends I have made, and […]
proof of life & productivity
One of the little tidbits I jotted down in my phone and then in my commonplace notebook (a place where I collect quotes, lyrics, words, poems, thoughts, and such) recently was this: “A clean barn has no oxen.” I am going to confess that, as a pastor’s wife, I didn’t know that little nugget of […]
dusting off the sewing machines…
It’s been a minute since I had my sewing machines out. I had to reacquaint myself with winding the bobbins and getting the needles properly threaded, but I slowly figured it out. The funny thing is that I needed to wear reading glasses over my contacts to thread the needles this time. As an aside, […]
four things | seventy eight
I realized once I started working on this post that I was chattier than I expected! I only posted twice on the blog this week and twice last week, and I think I’m feeling that! Writing and posting on this blog have been part of my creative process for over 15 years, and when I […]
Recent Blog Posts
Our 2025 Christmas Tree
I used to put up our Christmas tree, string the lights, and decorate it all in one day, but I’ve learned I enjoy it more if I do it in stages. When I’m not pushing to get it all done, I feel more freedom to experiment and play if I want to. The funny thing is that I didn’t get super creative with our tree this year, even with that extra time. I just made a couple of very small
four things | fifty-five
It’s been a cold week here in Maryland, and even as I write this, flurries are gently falling. We’re not having any sticking snow, but it’s been nice to watch little flakes flutter out of my studio window this morning. I wish we had more snow! When we moved here from Minnesota, everyone commented on how happy we must be to leave those winters behind. In truth, I mourn Minnesota winters. I loved having snow on the ground all winter,
Christmas trees over the years…
As I’ve been working on decorating for Christmas this year, I thought it would be fun to look at pictures of our “main” Christmas tree through the years. I am now wishing I had done that before I decorated our tree for this year, because I found so much inspiration from things I’ve done in previous years. I love it when that happens! It was a little challenging to find pictures of Christmas trees from my early years of blogging,
Artists’ Guild Notepads
As I’ve been bouncing around the house, alternating between studio work and decorating the house for Christmas, I came upon a stack of the notepads I had ordered and intended to list for sale earlier this year! You know, when you have an idea in mind, you stick the thing in a closet, and then you forget about it? Well, that’s precisely what happened here. I got sidetracked, and the notepads were a casualty of having my fingers in too
copper mold candle centerpiece | Christmas decorating
I was working on decorating for Christmas – draping garland on the tree, putting fresh batteries into the LED tree candles, topping cabinets with greenery – and I got sidetracked, as I often do. My collection of copper bundt pans hanging from the potrack in my kitchen caught my eye. Oh yeah, I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas centerpiece out of one of those. That thought sent me on the rabbit trail of making this copper mold candle centerpiece…
four things | fifty-four
Between Thanksgiving break spent with family and trying to get my gift guides posted, I didn’t share my four things last week! It’s that time of year when I start feeling a little crunched to post everything in a timely manner. But I really love writing this post each week. It gives me a catch-all place to share bits and pieces of my work and life. Here are my four things for the week: Art & Fear, Dickensian, “they call
Christmas momentum
When I’m in the early stages of thinking about decorating for Christmas, before I pull out the bins or lights, faux greens, and ornaments, I usually feel pretty resolved that I’m going to keep things simple. As you may notice if you visit my blog regularly, I’m always busy with something. When Thanksgiving is over, and the calendar turns to December, I’m already looking forward to the post-Christmas slow-down. The glorious lost week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, when
plein air painting in italy & podere tour
After a late night of travel followed by two full days, touring Arezzo and teaching a creative workshop, I was feeling run down and decided to skip the group activity planned for the next day. It was a tough call, but I wanted time to slow down and soak up our beautiful surroundings. I didn’t want to feel rushed to go to the next place and do the next thing. I also wanted time to catch up on my journal
homemade christmas gifts
I’ve loved making and giving homemade gifts since I was little. As you may have guessed, my favorite medium was always paint, but I have made a lot of other things over the years, as I learned new crafts. Homemade gifts are not flashy or trendy, but they are meaningful, thoughtful, and show that time was put into a gift, which feels like a rarity in this age of one-click shopping. I have shared loads of projects on this blog
small business Saturday
As a small business owner myself, I love supporting other small business owners. It takes a lot of work to turn a vision into a reality and a lot of faith to take that big scary step. While I’m not a huge fan of the post Thanksgiving gauntlet of sales (although it is admittedly good time to start your Christmas shopping), I love that there is a day to celebrate and encourage support for small businesses, so I thought I
New Society6 Papers, Prints & More
Surface design is something I’ve played with on and off for a few years and this year, I decided to lean into that interest and create some new patterns for wrapping papers as well as other available products on Society6. While only one is specifically designed for Winter/Christmas, I feel like these designs work well year-round, including for Christmas. (Products are up to 50% off at Society6 for their Black Friday event.) I love Society6’s wrapping paper. It comes in
2025 Christmas Gift Guide
The Christmas shopping season is among us, and Black Friday (which seems to last over a month now) Sales are already happening. As I have in the past, I’ve put together a few gift guides, mostly consisting of things I own and love that might be good for someone on your list. While I love bargains and good deals, I’ve never been one to shop for or buy something simply because it’s on sale. Instead, I hope the things I
travel journal workshop
I’ll give you fair warning that my posts will be all over the place for a few weeks. We’ll be bouncing around between Christmas decorating, gifting, and crafting, to early October in Italy, and then whatever else I’m working on. Welcome to my life. Today, we’re back in Tuscany at the La Dolce Vita Retreat. While this trip was a vacation, it was also work. I was here to teach a creative workshop for the retreat attendees. I wanted my
miss mustard seed tees & hoodies
Do you remember Miss Mustard Seed tees and hoodies? We’re going almost ten years back when I used to sell in retail spaces, at markets, and regularly added products to an online store. I loved designing and wearing my own tees and hoodies, and they were my uniform for many years. I finally let go of my last paint-splattered, faded sweatshirt a couple of years ago. I’ve wanted to relaunch tees and hoodies for years, but I always get hung
your creative super power
A question I received when I shared one of my paintings on Instagram earlier this week stuck with me. I posted a picture of a cat painting as an example when someone asked if I only paint dogs. It was this painting… Here was her question… Two of the questions are about method and technique, which I won’t go into in this post. But the second question is the one that hung with me. “Do you actually SEE them that
Arezzo Antique Market
After our day-and-a-half delay in London, we arrived in Florence late at night and sleepily went through customs and connected with the driver who would take us to the Prone to Wander retreat in Sovicelle. He was a kind gentleman who spoke a little English, so we exchanged the usual pleasantries, then sat quietly for the rest of the drive. The main excitement of the ride was his driving style. Mom and I referred to him as Mario Andretti the
salt-dough season | traditional salt-dough ornament recipe
One of my favorite holiday projects over all my years of Christmas crafting is making things with salt dough. It started with an impulsive purchase from an Instagram ad. I bought two wooden cookie molds, not really even sure what I was going to do with them. I just thought they were pretty and had good crafting potential. After languishing in my tin with cookie cutters and piping tips, inspiration hit. What if I used those pretty molds with humble
four things | fifty-three
I’ve spent a lot of time at the easel this week, painting every day. I am pushing through to get as many pet commissions done for Christmas presents before it’s too late for oils to dry in time. I used to sit in front of old pieces of furniture, and now I sit in front of small wood panels clamped in an easel. Both tasks are about transformation. Both involve paint, brushes, and creative decisions. I have grown and changed
my favorite realistic faux evergreens
I really loved my Christmas decorating last year, so I will probably do something very similar this year. It felt classic and beautiful, and looking back over the pictures makes me excited to pull out the bins and deck the halls. Well, almost. But, while I’m thinking about it and while you might be planning and shopping, and before everything Christmas is sold out, I wanted to share my favorite realistic faux evergreens for Christmas and winter decorating. Years ago,
Chawton House & Delightful Delays
The afternoon was fading into the evening as we finished touring the garden of Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, and we decided to walk down the road to visit Chawton House, home of Jane’s brother, Edward. He inherited the estate, including the house where Jane lived, from the Knight family, who named him their heir. We knew it would be closed, but it was worth the five-minute walk to see a bit more of Chawton, the house, chapel, and grounds.
I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.
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More from the Blog
From the very first coat of paint to custom cabinetry, Marian has been slowly transforming her 1970s split-level into a home filled with charm, character, and creative vision. Explore room-by-room updates, clever DIYs, and the stories woven into each renovation project. It’s a work in progress—and that’s part of the beauty.
In the Studio
Artistic Endeavors
the business of art vs. the art of art
There is an anecdote about Vincent Van Gogh that I’ve heard and even repeated myself. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. It’s often used as an encouragement to struggling artists. If his work, which was so unique, brilliant, and beautiful, wasn’t appreciated, then you’re in good company if you find yourself in the same boat. I’ve shared in my Four Things posts over the past few weeks that I’ve been reading THIS BOOK on the life of
styling pet portraits in interiors
I received a question a couple of weeks ago about how to style a pet portrait in a room without it looking like a shrine to your dog, cat, hamster, or horse. Good question! I’m so glad you asked. Let’s talk about animal art in interiors and how to make it work with your decorating. First of all, let me say that there really aren’t rules when it comes to style, art, decorating, or aesthetics. I mean, there are rules
Move Slow & Make Things Book Bonuses Available!
I am so excited to share that the preorder bonuses for Move Slow & Make Things: Pursuing the Delightfully Fulfilling Creative Life are now available! If you’ve already ordered the book, thank you! You can enter your order information on THIS to claim your bonuses. If you haven’t preordered the book yet, you can do that HERE. I will be released September 1, 2026, so you still have plenty of time, but I learned through the release of Feels Like
the Gibbes Museum
When we planned our Charleston outing for our anniversary, we were going to visit a few antique stores and then have a nice dinner. My aunt’s proposition changed that, though. We knew we would be transporting two large paintings in bulky frames home, so space would be at a premium. (We won’t mention all of the shells I was bringing home, too!) For that reason, we decided not to go to the antique store. I have a knack for finding
criticism & what makes you an artist
I received a critical comment on social media a couple of weeks ago. It happens when you share online, and after over 15 years of posting, I’ve gotten used to it and generally have a healthy perspective. Most of the time, I can shrug off the comment. It’s from a stranger on the Internet, and in many cases, it’s not even about me at all. My inbox, DMs, or comment section is just where someone’s frustration, hurt, or bad mood
my favorite part of the Uffizi Museum
We are back in Florence, Italy, in today’s blog post, but this story will circle back to Charleston and then to my house in a beautiful, serendipitous story about art. It started with my favorite part of the Uffizi Museum. Let me start off by saying that I loved most things about the Uffizi. The U-shaped building with light-filled halls was spectacular, and the art collection might be my favorite of any museum I’ve visited to date. It’s big enough
Seasonal
Fall
black glittered pumpkins & more
Today in the studio, Kriste and I worked creating two very different Halloween/fall tables. In the one I’m showing today, we went with a black/orange/spooky classic Halloween theme. Neither of us are big on decorating for Halloween, but this was so much fun to put together and we both love how it turned out. We featured Flapper Black MMS GGG (Miss Mustard Seed’s German Glass Glitter) on several simple projects on this table. We glittered live and wooden pumpkins (found
minimal fall decorating
I’ve share this before, but I thought it was worth sharing again. I’m not big on decorating for each season. I think in the world of Pinterest and blogs, it’s easy to feel like you have to do a bunch of projects and crafts for birthdays, parties and especially during the holiday season. As I’ve been immersed in that world and holidays seem to blur into one another as I’m dying Easter eggs in October and buying Christmas trees in April,
Milk Paint Pumpkins
I received a lot of wonderful comments about my blue pumpkins and squash, but several people shared that they couldn’t find them in their area. Well, that gave me an idea… I’ve been itching to play with milk paint since attending the retailer training earlier this week, so why not test some custom mixed colors on a few pumpkins? I know painting pumpkins isn’t anything new, but I don’t know if I’ve seen milk paint pumpkins out and about. Given
Fall Decorating Update
Last time we checked in on my fall decorating, I had plopped a pumpkin in a dough bowl and called it a day. A couple of days later, I went to the farmer’s market up the road for some apples and found the prettiest blue hubbard squash and a fresh kale plant. Neither were very expensive, so I picked them up. Then, on the way from my my shopping trip on Thursday, I passed a huge wagon overflowing with beautiful
fall & thanksgiving inspiration
The new issue of Cottages and Bungalows has hit newsstands, so I thought I would share a few pictures from my DIY Essentials column. (Table settings are one of my favorites to photograph…) This month’s issue shares a tutorial on how to make an over sized chalkboard with a chunky frame. (The piece is now for sale at Lucketts. I wanted to keep it, but it didn’t fit my requirement of having a perfect place for it. Bummer.)
at home
All Things Home
DIY wet panel carrier for oil paintings
In my previous post about traveling with oil paints, I mentioned I would share a DIY wet panel carrier tutorial, and here it is! If you don’t use oil paints, you may wonder what a wet panel carrier is and why it’s necessary. One of the wonderful things about oil paints is that they are slow-drying. This gives you a lot of time to blend and nudge the paint around, or even just scrape it off. I find it’s even
the great shutter debate
Some people might argue over politics or what kind of music is appropriate for a wedding reception, but what people who love architecture argue about is shutters. They argue about everything from the proper shutter-to-window ratio to whether hinges and shutter dogs have to be functional. It’s pretty amusing to see the kind of heated dialogue that can happen in comment sections. So, let’s talk about it. We recently installed vinyl shutters on our house, selecting a size and scale
how to install vinyl shutters on brick | tutorial
Over the weekend, we installed shutters on the left side of the house. That was the last side of the house that needed shutters, so I can finally check that project off the list! This home had wood shutters on all the windows originally, but they had rotted and were removed. Before we bought the house, vinyl shutters had been installed on the front and right side of the house, but the windows along the back and left sides were
hard pruning a mock orange bush
One of my favorite things in our yard is an old mock orange bush. I had no idea what it even was when we moved in, since it had bloomed months before the home was put on the market. I was surprised our first May in the house when the large bush was dotted with dainty white blooms. It was beautiful and so fragrant. Every May since, I have eagerly awaited the mock orange blossoms to make an appearance. Here
small guest room updates
Painting the guest room is still on the to-do list, and it might be there for a while. As is often the case, decorating the guest room isn’t usually a top priority. I’ve always loved working on the guest rooms in our homes, though. Since I’m not in these rooms daily, I feel I can take a departure from my usual color palette and try something different. The style remains the same, but I step outside my predominantly blue and
how to paint vinyl shutters
When I shared the installation of the new vinyl shutters along the back of the house, several people asked if I could share the specific products, tools, and techniques I used, so here is a post all about how to paint vinyl shutters. When we moved into our PA house way back in 2006, there were vinyl shutters on the front windows that were a faded country blue. Not long after moving in, I took them down and spray-painted them
Everyday Moments
A Slice of Life
shelling diaries 2026 | part two
While we’ve all been getting lots of steps from walking on the beach. Jeff has been the grand champion with over 24,000 steps each day. (I’ve been clocking in 15,000-20,000.) Since he’s been covering so much ground, we asked him to do some shell reconnaissance for us. He found some gray olives and whelks for me (he’s redeemed himself from his traitorous act earlier in the week ), and some pink whelks for my mom, but he also found a
four things | sixty-seven
It’s Four Things: Isle of Palms edition! We’ve been at the beach since last Friday, so we’ve been going for lots of walks, eating great Lowcountry food, preparing for the annual shell-collection competition, doing puzzles, playing Bananagrams, and visiting family. We always have a grand time, and it’s been a great week. Here are my Four Things… what I’m reading My friend Cheri gave me the book Theo of Golden a few months ago, and I’ve been saving
the top three questions about shelling
Every year, when I’m sharing our shelling adventures on social media, the same three questions pop up, so I thought I would share the answers all in one place. Where are you shelling? We are at the Isle of Palms in South Carolina. We’ve been coming here for Spring Break for several years, and it’s a wonderful area for shelling. I’ve been to the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and Hilton Head, and this is where we’ve found
shelling diaries 2026 | part one
We are back in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, for Spring Break. We love coming this time of year because it’s still “off season”, so it isn’t crowded, and it’s rarely overly hot. We can still have some warm, sticky days, and we do risk having gloomy, cold days that aren’t great for the beach, but we have found this is a good window for our crew. I’m often asked what the water temperature is here in early March. I
revisiting a special place in Florence
On our last two visits to Florence, Mom and I tried to find a specific place: a piazza where my brother and I each sat for a pastel portrait. We even described it to the private guide who led us around the city in 2019, and she wasn’t sure where we could find it. We figured we would never be able to find it again, given so much time had passed, and our memories of the place were fuzzy, so
four things | sixty-six
A few days ago, we were tempted into thinking we had turned the corner into spring. We had some warmish, sunny days that couldn’t be missed. I enjoyed walking outside without my face turning pink from the cold. But this week, I went out walking in the morning and realized it was in the 20s again, much colder than I thought, and I was back to coming home pink-faced. The last remnants of snow have almost melted, though, and I