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a slice of life

1970 home renovation

when the wrong order is the right order

I started working on the dining room mural when there were still nail holes in the walls that needed to be patched.  I was doing so well with taking each step of the makeover in its proper turn.  I painted the ceiling first, installed the molding, caulked the seams, and painted the trim and wainscoting.  After doing it all in the right order, I was ready to get to the fun part and wasn’t going to let spackling slow me down.  I can always fill them in later (which I did.) I had to laugh at myself when the holes in my freshly painted mural became bothersome and I filled them in, sanded, and had to touch up the paint before the mural was even a week old.  I could’ve saved some time by doing things in the right order.  Instead of fretting over a small detail that won’t make

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Favorite Things

four things | seven

Four things for this week – a book about artists’ paint palettes (oh, yes), a story of ingenuity and a successful failure, doing things afraid, and dining room mural progress.  Enjoy… what I’m reading As soon as I caught a whiff of this book coming out, I preordered it.  The Artist’s Palette seemed to be made for me and it did not disappoint when it finally arrived a couple of weeks ago.  I did an initial flip-through and have been reading through it slowly since then.  While I love looking at finished works of art, my favorite is when I get to see the work behind the art.  I want to see the sketches, notes, pigments, tools, and yes, the palette.  I want to get as much of a glimpse of the process as I can and this book gives me that. If you’re an artist or a lover of

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a slice of life

Hilton Head Trip | Savannah & the Telfair Museum

For our third full day at Hilton Head, we decided to drive over to Savannah.  It seemed a shame to be so close and not visit.  We knew we would enjoy the architecture and just walking around, but we wanted to find something specific to do so we could wander with some intention.  After a bit of research, Jeff wanted to see John Wesley’s marker and statue (he’s a history buff and a pastor, so the Great Awakening hits a sweet spot with his interests) and I wanted to see the Telfair Museum which includes two art museums and a tour of an early 1800s house.  We also marked Forsyth Park in the historic district and the river walk as places to go. We found some paid public parking and decided to walk around first and finish the day with the museum and house tour. As I expected, I loved

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a slice of life

Hilton Head Trip | Hunting Island, Shelling, & Alfred’s

If you missed part one of our Hilton Head trip, you can find it HERE.  On day two, we decided to check out Hunting Island State Park, the self-proclaimed “best shelling beach in Beaufort.”  It was a little over an hour from Hilton Head, so it seemed reasonable.  I was tempted to go to Edisto Beach, which is renowned for its quality shelling, but it was over two hours away, and spending over four hours in the car for a day trip for shells seemed a bit excessive.   So, we had the breakfast buffet at the Westin Resort and headed out to Hunting Island. A few points of interest – Hunting Island has a historic lighthouse that I was looking forward to seeing.  There are several beach access points with parking and a few have bathrooms and places to shower and rinse your feet.  There is also a drive through

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a slice of life

four things | six

My four things this week – admiring the patterns in the world, one of the greatest stories of adventure and survival ever, a quote from the 1500s that inspires me even my safe, suburban life, and a gift we’re giving to our future selves… what I’m reading A few weeks ago, I ordered the book Affinities after it had been on a wishlist for a while.  It’s a book of images from the Public Domain Review, which I thought would be an interesting read.  The images range from beautiful to the quirky and odd. What I have found most inspiring and interesting about this book, though, is the way it’s arranged.  Images aren’t grouped on pages by subject or date, but by how they relate to one another.  It’s sort of a study of a repeat of patterns more than a study of public domain images.  I found it fascinating

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a slice of life

Hilton Head Island | French Bakery & Fish Haul Beach

We spent last week at Hilton Head Island to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary is actually in March, but we were already at the Isle of Palms with extended family, so we went to a nice dinner in Charleston and decided to plan a trip for the fall since this is a big milestone.  We were looking at a few different destinations, but when Jeff shared that we would be going on a trip soon to celebrate a quarter of a century together, a family from our church reached out and offered a week at a condo on Hilton Head Island.  They purchased it at a fund-raising auction but recently realized they had a conflict and couldn’t go.  They hoped to gift it to someone so the week wasn’t wasted and they offered it to us.  Of course, I was all on board.  The beach in late fall

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a slice of life

four things | five

Since I was traveling this week, my four things list is a little different.  I think that’s what I like about sharing some favorites in this format.  Each week will be different depending on the season and what I’m up to.  It’ll capture a snapshot of what I’m up to.  My four things for this week include periodicals, a Holocaust story, beaching, dining, and planning.  Enjoy! what I’m reading Although I brought a bag of books with me (naturally), I haven’t been reading any of them this week.  We’ve been busy going to the beach, driving through coastal towns, sightseeing, and eating all the good food around Hilton Head Island.   I brought along some sketchbooks, paints, and other ort supplies and I haven’t even opened the bag!  We usually have more time sitting around in the beach house, but this trip has been about exploration.  So, the reading I have

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Favorite Things

four things | four

Four more things I’m reading, watching, working on, and loving – Neuroscience, the Devil’s Thumb, celebrating a milestone and watching a young man grow into adulthood.  Enjoy! what I’m reading I pretty much seek out and gobble up any books on creativity I can find, so I was excited to discover and dig into Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us.  This is the kind of book I like to listen to on my daily walks and let them marinate through the day.  I often stop and make quick notes or drop a digital bookmark in a section and I’ve been doing that frequently as I’ve been listening to Your Brain on Art.  It is heavy on the brain portion of the title, so there is a lot of neuroscience jargon and studies that can get a little thick to wade through, but it is a fascinating read so

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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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