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a slice of life

a slice of life

IOP shelling diaries | part two

Every day, whether the weather is sunny and calm or blustery and gray, my mom and I are heading out to the beach to see what gifts it offers to us.  We both love collecting shells, a hobby that started with my Oma (her mom) and we’ve continued.  When we cleaned out the attic after my Oma and Opa passed away, there were about a dozen five-gallon buckets filled with shells.  At the time, we had so much to sort through, so I took some and we threw the rest away.  I wish I had gone through them more carefully, keeping some of the best ones and, of course, any olives.  But, I’m sure I could fill a dozen buckets with my shell collection now and I’m adding to it each year. If you want to know what I do with the shells I find, here are a few posts…

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a slice of life

IOP shelling diaries 2025 | part one

I started making little notes after each shelling excursion and I decided to turn them into a blog post series, so you could come along with me for the hunt.  It’s one of the things I enjoy most about being on the beach.  I get to walk while listening to the surf, feeling the sand underfoot, and looking for treasures.  It hits a lot of things I enjoy.  If you’re interested in shelling HERE is a post with general shelling tips and HERE is a guide to specifically shelling on Isle of Palms (IOP.)  I’ll update that again this year since I’ve covered more of the beach.  By the time this week is over, I think I’ll have walked the full length of the island! day one Our first day of shelling was uneventful.  We picked up a few shells here and there, but nothing notable.  We’re staying on a

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a slice of life

four things | twenty-one

Whew, it’s been a busy week for me!  For that reason, my four things post has been bumped to Friday, but I didn’t want to miss it entirely.  So, this week – books in my beach bag, freediving, words about mastery, and working ahead. If you missed my announcement yesterday about the upcoming fall creative lifestyle retreat in Tuscany, you can find the details HERE. what I’m reading I haven’t had a ton of time for reading since I’ve had a heavy workload this week, but I have a huge bag of books I’m taking to the beach and plan to spend some time sitting on the porch reading.  I’ll certainly give you a report.  Here is a peek in my bag… what I’m watching I watched this documentary a while ago, but I decided to share it this week because I haven’t been watching a lot of interesting TV

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a slice of life

Join me for a creative lifestyle retreat in Tuscany!

It started with an email in April 2017. Carolyn, the creative force behind Prone to Wander Retreats invited me to teach at one of her retreats in Italy.  Our potential move was just starting to take shape and it seemed unwise to commit to an international trip.  I was interested but kept pushing the possibility down the road.  As providence would have it, Carolyn and I were brought together by Jeanne Oliver for a Mastermind Group in the fall of 2021.  We have been meeting together monthly since then and I’ve gotten to know her as a friend and fellow creative business owner.  When she invited me to teach at her flagship retreat, La Dolce Vita in Tuscany, in the fall of 2025, the timing was finally right. Carolyn invited me and now I am inviting you! The La Dolce Vita Creative Lifestyle Retreat is October 4 – 11, 2025,

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a slice of life

Sebastian turns 10 with Ollie

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ollie.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. When we adopted Sebastian from a cat rescue farm (yes, a cat rescue farm) in 2016, he was a young pup at 18 months old. He’s grown up with our boys and brought us so much joy over the years. He really is a special dog – a perfect balance of laidback and playful.  He’s smart, and obedient, and has only ever ruined three pairs of shoes.  On February 22, this stray puppy from Arkansas who ended up living with a family in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Maryland, turned ten years old! Happy Birthday, Sebastian!  We now joke about what an old man he is.  He typically goes to bed at 8:00. He likes his armchair, naps, and his routines.  While he used to be able to eat all sorts of treats, snacks,

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a slice of life

four things | twenty

I had to take yesterday a bit easier after working on glue removal with my mom on Tuesday.  It’s not that it’s physically demanding, but the process requires a repetitive motion while kneeling on the floor.  That means everything hurts after you work on it for an hour or two!  Your hands, shoulders, knees, back, and hips are all complaining.  It worked itself out and I wasn’t as stiff as I initially thought I would be, but I still needed to give myself a break!  We’ve had some lovely early Spring weather, though, and that’s gotten me out on some longer walks, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Here are my four things for the week… what I’m reading I recently bought the newly-released Gustave Caillebotte Painting Men and it’s an excellent book about his work.  He really was revolutionary when it came to painting ordinary people and even working people,

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a slice of life

four things | nineteen

Four things – little tidbits about nature, a beautiful human story from a surprising place, true words about hope, and annoying projects… what I’m reading I’m still finishing up a few of the longer books I’m reading, but I’m interspersing a few quotes a day from the little book, What I Know About Nature.  It’s a nice opportunity to hear about nature and why it is so inspiring and moving to us from people who can voice it well.  John Muir, Walt Whitman, EB White, and William Wordsworth are a few of the contributors.  It’s a nice little nugget of a book to pick up now and again. what I’m watching For movie night a few weeks ago, my youngest son suggested A Quiet Place Day One.  We watched A Quiet Place a few years ago and, even though horror isn’t my genre of choice, I thought it was a

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a slice of life

How I plan my days…

I’m often asked how I plan out my days to balance work, home, life, and creativity and, over the years, I’ve written posts about what I’m doing in that particular season of life.  As I grow (and yes, age) and as my business evolves, so does the way I plan my days.  There were many years I operated by the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants method.  I had two small kids, my business had grown exponentially, and I was just trying to keep it all going.  That method and pace were unsustainable, though, and I felt the need to make a substantial change when I moved to Minnesota in 2017.  I decided to stop refinishing and upholstering furniture as the primary part of my business and shifted my focus to sharing about our home renovations, fine art, and writing. This shift gave me more time to think, plan, and approach my business and life

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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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