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a slice of life

a slice of life

Country Living Fair | Lovely People & Pretty Things

It’s going to sound like a cliché, but I think the highlight of my trip to the Country Living Fair was the people I met.  I connected with some friends and acquaintances I’ve known online for years, a few I haven’t seen in a long time, and some familiar faces I’ve bumped into regularly over the years.  As I’ve shared before, running a business based out of your home, shared primarily online, can be lonely at times.  These events give me the opportunity to experience this creative community in person when I usually engage through scrolls, likes, clicks, short comments, and emojis.  It reminds me that the connections made online aren’t enough for the human heart.  We need those IRL (in real life, as the kids say) events to see, speak with, and hug each other. I met a lot of lovely blog readers and social media followers.   It became

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a slice of life

Beekman Arms Inn | Rhinebeck, NY

Mom and I left Thursday morning to drive a little over five hours to Rhinebeck, NY, for the Country Living Fair.  Our plan was to meander our way up, stopping at antique malls along the way.  That plan didn’t materialize because I didn’t have much time before the trip to plan the route and choose stops.  I’m usually very organized when planning shopping trips, but the weeks leading up to this event have been full.  So, we just followed the boring GPS route, only stopping at Best Buy so Mom could replace her broken phone case and I could replace my phone cover that’s been cracked for almost a year. It was an enjoyable drive, though, and we listened to a wonderful audiobook that kept us entertained.  (We were listening to The Ride of Her Life, which is such an incredible true story.  We’re hoping to finish it on our

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All Things Home

Federal & Black | A gorgeous shop in Middleburg, VA

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to drive down to the quaint town in Northern Virginia’s horse country for a book signing.  I spent a beautiful late-summer afternoon at Federal & Black in historic Middleburg. First of all, everyone who came out to support me, the book, the shop, and Middleburg small businesses was awesome!  I brought along my easel and some paints in case it was quiet.  Working on a painting live would give me something to do and perhaps draw in people passing by.  Well, I was so busy with conversations that I never even opened up my painting bag or set up my tripod. When there were a few quiet moments, I browsed around the shop and admired Rebecca’s knack for curating.  She stocks antiques, home decor, gifts, accessories, books, and a few specialty lines like teas, cookies, lotions, and candles.  She also carries some of my

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a slice of life

little things that go right

Calvin had an appointment last Tuesday, and I debated whether I should go with him.  If you can believe it, my youngest son turned 18 this summer, which means he can go to routine appointments on his own.  At the last minute, and in a roundabout way, he asked if I would go with him.  That was the first in a series of events that went right. The appointment was quick and uneventful, as expected.  On the way home, though, we were first in line waiting at a stoplight.  We talked about music, and Calvin looked at his phone, playing DJ.  I stared unfocused through the intersection, waiting for our light to turn green.   We were definitely not on high alert or particularly attentive to what was about to happen in front of us. I heard a crash and, in a split second, realized an accident just happened at the

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Art

perfection vs. personality

Most of the time, when I’m working on a project that requires something of me physically, but allows my mind to wander – gardening, painting, cleaning, drawing, walking – I put on music or listen to a podcast or audiobook.  But sometimes, I give my mind quiet to see what thoughts bubble to the surface.  One day, as I was painting in a quiet studio, I thought about Vincent Van Gogh and his struggle with draftsmanship.  He was on my mind a lot lately since I had been listening to a marathon audiobook biography on his life.  (I finally finished it a couple of weeks ago, by the way!) He received a lot of criticism for his out-of-proportion figures, clunky faces, and wonky buildings.  He knew it was a struggle, and he practiced fanatically to improve.  He started using the grid method, but since he painted from life, he used

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a slice of life

Move Slow & Make Things x An Acre of Land Giveaway

I was meandering through Instagram one day and came across An Acre of Land.  I was immediately drawn to the photography, the styling, and the layers of feminine, generously gathered skirts.  I pressed the follow button.  For months, maybe even years, I would admire the clothes, which are just my style.  It was the appearance of a cyanometer, though, which made me realize the creative minds behind An Acre of Land were my people. A cyanometer is a scientific/art instrument used to measure the color of the sky.  I tripped across their existence in a book in 2021 and fell in love immediately.  I haven’t seen one referenced anywhere else, though.  (I still have my cyanometer, hand-painted in oils, in my studio.) The use of blue in An Acre of Land’s Blueprints Collection further piqued my interest.  Their featured collection when I started following the account consisted of black, cream,

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a slice of life

Why I take pictures at art museums

When I went to the Louvre in the fall of 2018, it was my first time visiting a museum as an adult who truly appreciated art.  Of course, Mom and I sought out the Mona Lisa.  It’s just something you need to do if you’re a tourist at the Louvre.  At the time, you didn’t have to wait in a line to access it.  We simply followed the signs and knew we made it to the right room when we saw a crowd of people arranged in a semicircle, holding their phones up to snap a picture of the famous painting.  I remember feeling a prick of annoyance at all of the black rectangles obscuring the view of people who wanted to look at the painting with their own eyes.  But, even as I felt that, I pulled out my own phone, opened the camera app, and tried to find

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a slice of life

Stories | the time I was lost in Russia

It’s hard to remember how we functioned before smartphones; before we had a map, a full phone directory, Google Translate, and all the information available by tapping a question into an internet browser in our pocket.  Well, this story happened before that time. I was supposed to meet my friend Misha that morning.  I don’t remember why we were meeting. It actually wasn’t to find potatoes or other rare summer produce this time.  I also don’t recall why I was going alone or why I was okay with navigating a foreign city with only vague directions.  To fill in my own memory gaps, I’m guessing I had gotten to the point that I felt at home in Izhevsk, Russia, and riding public transportation to get to a destination was a normal, everyday part of life.  Hopping on a bus to meet a friend didn’t sound like a harrowing adventure.  It

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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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