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a slice of life

a slice of life

a winter break

Last year, when Shaunna and I were interviewing Jena Holliday for the Creative Exponent podcast, Jena mentioned she took the month of January off.  Not off in the sense that she didn’t work at all, but off in the sense that she took a break from certain aspects of her work.  I remember thinking…wow, you’re really doing that?  Good for you.  And that thought evolved into…hmmm, can I do that?  After giving that option some thought, I realized I could do that.  Not only could I, but it would most likely be very beneficial for me and my business in a variety of ways.  I decided earlier this year that I would take a break from certain aspects of my work in January.  I didn’t know the exact amount of time, but I knew what I needed a break from was sharing online, which has evolved dramatically since I started

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Antiques

the Christmas victrola

A few of you noticed my early Christmas present in the Holiday Home Tour I shared a couple of weeks ago.  If you were with me when I lived back in PA, you may remember that I owned a Victrola.  I bought it in a lot of furniture.  It was thrown in as a freebie, but it was the piece I was most excited about.  The cabinet was in poor condition, but the Victrola worked and I enjoyed it so much.  I would play records on it now and then, although it’s a bit impractical to play one song at a time when compared to an infinite playlist on an iPhone.  When we moved to MN, I decided to let it go.  I just didn’t see a 100+-year-old Victrola really working aesthetically in a typical suburban home. Over the 4+ years we’ve lived here though, I have found myself browsing

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a slice of life

parker house rolls

Have you tried the “Parker House Rolls” recipe by Half Baked Harvest?  You can find the printable recipe and all of the details HERE.  I made them last year for the first time and they were so delicious.  My family talked about them as Thanksgiving approached this year.  “…and you’re making those rolls, right?”   “Mom, why can’t you make bread like this for just a normal day.”  And, I must admit, as someone who loves bread and butter, I was looking forward to these at Thanksgiving as well.  I’ll be making them again for Christmas along with some cinnamon buns for Christmas eve. English Scullery Chopper | French rolling pin Last year, I tried making the Parker House rolls recipe a day ahead and putting them in the fridge overnight between rises, but they didn’t turn out quite as well as just making them the same day.  While they aren’t

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a slice of life

october – december 2021 favorites

I’ve had the “October 2021 Favorites” post sitting in my drafts for weeks!  I knew time was ticking to get Christmas content out, so I kept pushing this post off in favor of sharing posts about Christmas decorating and crafts.  But, I have some great favorites to share, so I thought I would combine all of my favorites from October through the end of the year into one final 2021 favorites post.  Maybe you’ll get some ideas for last-minute Christmas presents or how you want to spend any gift cards you receive.  Favorites are just always a fun thing to share, so here they are… feels like home Of course, the Feels Like Home book launch! It was a culmination of a lot of work and a very exciting time.  I am so proud of this book and it felt good to launch it into the world.  Thank you for

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crafts

molded salt dough “gingerbread” ornaments | Christmas crafts

These molded salt dough “gingerbread” ornaments were one of those crafting happy accidents.  They started when I made an impulsive purchase from an Instagram ad for a couple of cookie molds.  Minutes after I purchased them, I thought it was a stupid purchase.  But, I really loved the patterns and they were inexpensive (I think $16 for both.)  I thought it might’ve even been a scam because the site had one of those not-quite-right names that I can’t even remember now.  But the carved cookie molds arrived at my house a few weeks later.  I was relieved they weren’t a total waste of my money, but I still questioned the hasty buy.  I put them into the cabinet with my other baking gear, cookie cutters, gingerbread house templates, etc. On Monday, I decided I would try making “gingerbread” houses out of cinnamon salt dough for Christmas instead of using traditional

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a slice of life

mini cheese balls recipe & a holiday grazing board

Disclosure:  This mini cheese balls recipe & holiday grazing board post is sponsored by .  As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own. As a lover of cheese-and-crakers and grazing foods in general, I am a big fan of the charcuterie board/grazing board trend.  Not only are they beautiful and visually impressive, but they are simple to put together and require little or no cooking.  It’s just about arranging things together in a way that looks appetizing and inviting.  So, I headed to my local to pick up all of the ingredients I would need to make my favorite recipe for mini cheese balls, a holiday grazing board, and even a kid-friendly grazing board for pickier eaters. While I was picking up ingredients, I found this .  It is a really cute set at a great price, so I bought it to test it out and

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a slice of life

a few favorite affordable fountain pens

As I’ve been sharing some of my fountain pens on Instagram and here on the blog, I’ve received some messages asking for recommendations for affordable fountain pens for fountain-pen-beginners or for those who don’t want to spend a lot on a pen.  When I bought my first “real” fountain pen a few years ago with my birthday money, several people warned me that I had just opened a door into a whole new (addictive) world.  Several fountain pens later and I see they are right.  I’ve said before that I’m not into designer shoes and purses, but give me a pair of Crocs and nice writing/art supplies and I’m set. When I was in a fountain pen shop in Paris a couple of years ago, buying a 1920s fountain pen as a souvenir, an older gentleman was buying a young woman a €900 fountain pen.  Wendy, who was translating for

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Favorite Things

small business saturday | small shops & big sales

I’ve never been a big Black Friday shopper.  I went out to do some Black Friday shopping one year just to experience it and I waited in a line that wrapped around the store to buy a Playdough set.  When I got to the checkout, the woman ringing it up asked me, “Is this it?”  “Yep.  That’s it.”  And that was it.  We went home and I haven’t gone since.  I might buy a few things online if I see a special sale, but I’d rather hit a local antique store or cruise around on Etsy to eBay for goodies.  So, instead of sharing Black Friday deals today, I’m going to get you geared up for Small Business Saturday by sharing some of my favorite small shops.  Several are offering coupon codes through the weekend for my readers or they are already running special sales, so make sure you write

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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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