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a slice of life

Favorite Things

feels like home giveaway | for the makers

Just a note before we get to the giveaway details…  The Feels Like Home Launch Team is still open if you’re interested in joining!  This is the last day to enter (Friday, Sept.3) and then we’ll start having some fun conversations, live events, and awesome giveaways in our private Facebook forum.  Click HERE to join or HERE for more information and answers to FAQs about the launch team. So, I have another fun giveaway to celebrate my upcoming book, .  When I started writing this book, I felt it was important that it wasn’t just a pretty decorating book.  Those are so inspirational to look at, but they can also feel unattainable.  You can see the what, but you’re left wondering about the how.  In the book, I wanted to share as many of the how-tos as I could through tutorials, exercises, and sections filled with tips on everything from

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Favorite Things

feels like home | giveaway for “the design nerd”

If you’ve ever drawn house plans on graph paper, you might be a design nerd.  And, if that’s the case, you’re in good company!  There are a lot of us out there….we geek out on fabric swatches, furniture templates, wallpaper samples, paint decks, mood boards, symmetry, focal points, accents that pop, and statement pieces.  If that’s you, this first giveaway to celebrate the launch of my new book, , is for you!  If you’re not a self-proclaimed design nerd, well, this book just might turn you into one. I think there is this idea when it comes to design that you’re either good at it or you’re not.  Those who would describe themselves as “not creative” wave the white flag and leave the design work to someone else.  But, I believe down to my very bones that design and creativity are learned skills that are practiced and developed.  Yes, there

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Favorite Things

july 2021 favorites

I don’t know about you, but this summer is flying by for me!  I always think it will go slowly as I’m trying to balance working while having the boys home, but it seems to speed things up and we’re going back-to-school shopping before you know it.  Before we get into that, though, let me share some of my favorites from July… Esmé Well, my favorite thing is something I’m thankful for.  One of our cats, Esmé was having neurological issues a couple of weeks ago that had us very concerned.  It started when we noticed the left side of her face was paralyzed.  She wasn’t moving her left ear, closing her left eye fully, or opening the left side of her mouth when she meowed or yawned.  We took her to the vet and they started her on some antibiotics to treat any possible underlying infections that might be

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book reviews

youtube & book reviews

As an entrepreneur in the ever-changing world of technology and social media platforms, I’m consistently assessing and reassessing what I do, where I share, how I share, what I spend my time on, etc.  Pinterest and Instagram weren’t even around when my blog launched!  And I shared on YouTube and Facebook in the pre-algorithm world.  Let me just take a minute to remember the good-ole-days when I just had to post in one place… Okay, done. The good news of all of this change is there are more ways to reach a wide audience.  The bad news is you have to pick and choose which platforms you’re going to focus on and how you’re best going to use them.  Unless you have a large team of people, you just can’t do them all and do them all well.  So, my focus over the past few years has been my blog,

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best buttermilk pancake recipe | miss mustard seed
a slice of life

saturday morning pancakes | best buttermilk pancake recipe

For years, I have been making buttermilk pancakes for my boys here and there – weekends, snow days, sleepovers, and birthdays.  When they were doing distance learning for school last spring, though, they were asking for this buttermilk pancake recipe almost every morning.  I had to set a “pancake day” for my own sanity and Saturday morning pancakes have become a family tradition!  I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to share this tasty and easy buttermilk pancake recipe.  I just don’t think of pulling out the camera to take pictures while I’m making pancakes in my jammies on a Saturday morning. But, this recipe is too good not to share!  These buttermilk pancakes are a little tangy, not-too-sweet (just 2T sugar for the entire recipe), and are fluffy and delicious.  Perfect for a lazy Saturday morning.  I’ll also share a few tips for pancake-making success. The printable

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a slice of life

June 2021 Favorites

June was one of those months with a lot of favorites.  I kept thinking, “Oh, I need to stop and write that down so I don’t forget to share it!”  I sort of love these favorites posts for that reason.  It makes me take note of the things I’m enjoying and I take some amount of pleasure in sharing them with others (and sometimes even getting feedback from people who enjoyed them as well.)  A theme that keeps popping up in early July for me is things are meant to be shared.  So, I hope you enjoy my favorites as I share them with you and I hope you’ll take some time to share a few of your favorites with me. clarkson’s farm Jeff and I started watching Clarkson’s Farm (available on Amazon Prime) on a whim and we absolutely loved it.  It’s funny, it’s heart-warming, it’s informative, and it’s

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Art Supplies

vintage watercolor box giveaway

As I was thoroughly organizing the studio through February and March, I came to the conclusion that one person can only use so many antique and vintage art boxes!  Don’t get me wrong, I am perfectly willing to extensively explore and discover the true limits of the number of art boxes one person can own, but I wanted to spread the love around to those who might want to explore that territory, too.  I currently have two antique oil paint boxes, five watercolor boxes (two English Victorian and three mid-century French), a drafting box, two pastel boxes, and several smaller boxes for pencils, nibs, etc.  What can I say?  I love art supplies and pretty containers.  I will offer no other excuses or clarifiers. The fact is, though, it is important to me to use things I have.  It’s okay if using them means displaying them, admiring them, or actually

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a slice of life

what I do all day & five tips for running your own business

I will admit that my job isn’t a normal one.  I often say to my boys, “I know it doesn’t look like I’m working, but this is what my work looks like today.”  Sometimes it’s painting.  Sometimes it’s doodling in a notebook, working on ideas or designs.  Sometimes it’s doing photo shoots or editing photos.  Sometimes it’s playing on social media.  It’s working in the garden, it’s organizing, it’s hanging wallpaper, it’s building something, making something, writing something.  It’s working on a computer.  It’s working on my phone.  It’s recording a podcast.  It’s reading.  And, to make it even more complicated, my hobbies and business are so intertwined that even I sometimes can’t tell when I’m doing something for the fun of it or because I’m being paid to do it.  Because you (those who read my blog) have a front-row seat to this unusual occupation, I thought I would

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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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August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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