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a slice of life
a slice of life

Would you like me to buy you something in Lucca?

In just under a month, I will be heading back to Europe!  I am so excited!  It was such a rejuvenating, inspiring trip and I loved seeing Europe as an adult.  (I grew up in Germany, so I got to see a lot of Europe as a child, but it’s completely different as an adult.) I will be traveling with my mom again and we’ll be meeting up with Wendy and her husband, John, in Paris before heading to Italy.  We initially thought we would visit another part of Europe, but we all wanted to go back to Paris again and see more of it.  We’ll also be taking a day trip, so we can see some of the French countryside and will travel to Italy by train to see more of Europe en route.  We’re still planning out what we’ll do in Paris, but I’ve started my wishlist. We

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August 6, 2019 34 Comments
a slice of life

climbing up weeds

Walking has become one of my best tools for generating ideas.  In the past, I sort of felt like walking was an alternative to “real exercise”, but since I’m still limited by my shoulder (I’m still doing PT), walking has been what I can reliably do.  And I’ve seen and felt the benefits of it beyond just weight loss and increased energy.  That time is spent learning, thinking, and just being open to new ideas.  It’s become a hybrid task that bridges personal and professional perks. So, while I was walking yesterday, on a path I have walked hundreds of times before, I noticed a small floral vine creeping up an obnoxious weed. I observed it for a minute while Sebastian was sniffing around and then we kept walking.  After a few steps, I turned back around for a closer look.  I tromped through the tall weeds, confusing Sebastian, and

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July 31, 2019 52 Comments
a slice of life

How I Journal

I’ve mentioned journaling a few times on Instagram and here on the blog and have received some questions about how I journal.  I know there are a lot of “journaling methods” out there and I wouldn’t say I follow any specific method, but just started writing and figured out the best way to organize it all for my brain and my creative work. The first thing I learned is that writing everything in one notebook didn’t work.  My ideas, to-dos, thoughts, plans, and notes were like a debris field scattered across too many notebooks that I had to sift through every time I wanted to reference something I wrote down.  It would’ve been fine if my journaling was just about putting something on paper, but I journal so I can remember and revisit things.  I collect quotes, fragmented ideas, and thoughts, notes on books I read, sermons I listen to,

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July 29, 2019 22 Comments
a slice of life

ABLE leather backpack & other pretty workhorses

I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes or shoes or purses or jewelry.  I don’t eat out a lot or get expensive coffees every day.  I don’t get the works done to my hair every eight weeks and I don’t get my nails and toes done with any regularity. What I do buy is good supplies.  I love notebooks, binders, portfolios, pens, pencils, papers, pouches, and anything that’s a pretty workhorse. My newest pretty workhorse is a from … I saw this bag first when I visited Shaunna in Florida.  It caught my eye, but I didn’t ask her about it. When she visited me a couple of weeks ago, I admired it again and this time asked about it.  It’s the .  Well, it wasn’t a day or two later that I ordered it.  She has owned hers for a couple of years and has traveled with

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July 25, 2019 28 Comments
a slice of life

two years ago today…

Two years ago today, we moved from Biglerville, PA to our current home in Rochester, MN.  Can you believe it’s been two years?!  In some ways, it feels like we’ve been here longer than that and, in other ways, it seems like we just got here. There are certainly things I miss about PA.  I miss living close to my parents and an easy 6-7 hours away from Jeff’s family.  There are, of course, people that I miss.  And, I miss my favorite antique stores.  I had some pretty sweet honey holes and some great business connections who consistently helped me find good stuff.  (If you’re in the PA/MD/VA area, you can check out my list of favorite places HERE and HERE.) Even with those things that I miss, I’m so glad we moved.  This is the right place for us in this season of life. Jeff loves his job

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July 24, 2019 25 Comments
a slice of life

mastery & all things worthwhile

Mastery… I’ve been thinking about that word a lot lately and have been challenged by it as I’ve been reading books like Essentialism and The Creative Habit. If I had to draw a diagram of my creative journey, it would probably look more like a spiderweb than a straight or even meandering path that heads in one direction.  And, I have to be honest, these books have made me feel like that’s wrong. I once was on a straight path that led to Broadway. The markers on that path were plays, voice lessons, dance classes, monologues, auditions, stagecraft, improvisation, and hours of rehearsals. It was practicing a routine until I could do it without thinking and rehearsing a script until I could mutter it in my sleep. It was singing scales to improve my range and learning how to stand in the hotspot of a light without looking at it. 

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July 16, 2019 95 Comments
a slice of life

Maison

I will admit to being a bit of a book junky.  You would think, then, that I love frequenting the local library.  But, the books I read are typically for reference, so I want to be able to make notes in them and fill them with sticky bookmarks.  I want to be able to revisit them again and again.  So, one of my favorite places to hang out is the local Barnes & Nobel.  A trip there is almost always included in an afternoon out of the house or when Jeff & I are on a date night.  And I often come home with a bag heavy with a book or two and maybe a magazine. In our most recent trip, I came across a delightful book I had never heard of – Maison.  My interest was immediately piqued because it was a collaboration between a watercolor artist and an

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July 11, 2019 21 Comments
a slice of life

june favorites

As I was compiling this list, I realized I had a lot of favorites in June!  I ended up editing the list down a bit more because it was getting pretty long.  I think that’s a sign that it was a good month. That doesn’t mean everything went right or smooth, but it was full.  Full of learning and doing and finding new favorites and things that moved me. Here is a smattering of those things… Jamestown If you’ve been with me for any amount of time, you know I love period dramas.  So, of course, I’m always excited to see what projects PBS/Masterpiece/ITV/BBC are working on that involve corsets.  A show I’ve enjoyed for a few seasons is Jamestown.  It’s the story of the Jamestown settlement told primarily through three women.  Now, this is not a show for those who want pure historical accuracy.  From what I’ve read on

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July 7, 2019 16 Comments

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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