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a slice of life
a slice of life

apple tart recipe review – fall desserts

My mom and I leave for Paris on Saturday and I have been a bit of a crazy person the past few days.  I’m pretty set when it comes to packing my suitcase, but it’s the backpack/purse I’m going to be carrying with me daily that has been causing all of the angst and I started to second-guess my plan.  In a nutshell, I ended up buying two anti-theft bags and one was too small and one was the right size, but very uncomfortable.  I’m returning both of them and sticking with my original plan! Does anyone else turn into a maniac and change your mind a million times before packing for a big trip?!  I can’t wait until I’m all packed and out the door.  I feel like then I can settle in and just be excited. Anyway, I decided I would try a French recipe before we leave,

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September 7, 2018 No Comments
a slice of life

apple tart recipe review

My mom and I leave for Paris on Saturday and I have been a bit of a crazy person the past few days.  I’m pretty set when it comes to packing my suitcase, but it’s the backpack/purse I’m going to be carrying with me daily that has been causing all of the angst and I started to second-guess my plan.  In a nutshell, I ended up buying two anti-theft bags and one was too small and one was the right size, but very uncomfortable.  I’m returning both of them and sticking with my original plan! Does anyone else turn into a maniac and change your mind a million times before packing for a big trip?!  I can’t wait until I’m all packed and out the door.  I feel like then I can settle in and just be excited. Anyway, I decided I would try a French recipe before we leave,

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September 6, 2018 37 Comments
a slice of life

this explains a lot | my German dollhouse furniture

My parents are here visiting for a few days before my mom and I shuffle off to Europe and leave the boys behind.   Since they drove out, they decided to deliver the last remnants of my stuff that’s been stored in their house.  It’s stuff I haven’t thought about for years.  They brought my childhood dollhouse (it’s actually a puppenhaus, because it’s German) and the furniture. I took some time to dig through it this morning and I actually thought, well, this explains a lot! I loved the hand-painted furniture, the style, and the colors as an 8-year-old and I can see how much this German dollhouse furniture informed my decorating and the things I’m drawn to.   You can see how even the color palette influenced some of the signature colors in the MMS Milk Paint line… And, there’s more! This was my kitchen hutch… …filled with copper pots,

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September 6, 2018 No Comments
a slice of life

this explains a lot

My parents are here visiting for a few days before my mom and I shuffle off to Europe and leave the boys behind.   Since they drove out, they decided to deliver the last remnants of my stuff that’s been stored in their house.  It’s stuff I haven’t thought about for years.  They brought my childhood dollhouse (it’s actually a puppenhaus, because it’s German) and the furniture. I took some time to dig through it this morning and I actually thought, well, this explains a lot! I loved the hand painted furniture, the style, and the colors as an 8 year old and I can see how much these pieces have informed my decorating and the things I’m drawn to.   You can see how even the color palette influenced some of the signature colors in the MMS Milk Paint line… And, there’s more! This was my kitchen hutch… …filled with

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September 5, 2018 105 Comments
a slice of life

Europe shopping list

I already know, before I even set foot off the plane, that all of the offerings in France and Italy will be overwhelming.  There will be so many yummy, tempting European goods to buy that I feel like I need to have some sort of a plan, so my head and suitcase don’t explode.  I’ve learned that it helps to go into intensely exciting shopping situations with a list, even if it’s just a rough one, so that I can focus.  I still might feel all over the place, but I have a piece of paper I can reference to help me take a deep breath and reign in the exhilaration. These are the things that are on my list… copper & kitchen gear I do have a lot of beautiful copper and great kitchen gear and some of it is even from France (and that big copper bunt pan

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September 3, 2018 91 Comments
a slice of life

Back to School Week!

Well, the day has finally arrived and I just sent the boys off to school.  When I started my blog, both of my boys were in diapers and now they are started 5th and 6th grade.  It is crazy how time flies, but I am enjoying their current age.  I never was much of a “baby person”, so the younger years were more of a struggle for me.  I’m loving watching their personalities and sense of humor bloom as they grow. But, I also love that I’m sitting in a quiet house right now!  Since it’s only half a week, I don’t have any grand plans, but I will work on deep cleaning the house, finishing up some small projects (like painting the door trim in the laundry room), and start to get myself focused and organized for fall.  I have design projects lined up, freelance work (for magazines and

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August 29, 2018 21 Comments
a slice of life

French Inspiration

Last week, I shared that I was heading to France and Italy in September.  In fact, it’s just under two weeks away now and I am positively giddy about it.  I find it hard to even focus on the things I need to work on now, because my mind keeps drifting to my upcoming trip and how much I want to soak it all in.  Instead of fighting the daydreaming, I’ve been allowing it in moderation and I will even admit to feeding it with books and Instagram feeds.  So, I thought I would share some of the inspiration I’ve found as well as some more details about my preparations and plans for the trip. We will be spending the bulk of our time in Italy, but that is the “work” (if it can seriously even be called that) portion of the trip and we’re a part of a group

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August 28, 2018 102 Comments
a slice of life

Summer 2018 Favorites

This week is back to school week and that means I can have my work day back!  Don’t get me wrong.  I have enjoyed the lazy mornings, trips to visit family, movie matinees with the boys, the warmer weather for gardening and house projects, and watching the boys enjoy the freedom of summer.  We had lots of playdates, sleepovers, bike rides, afternoons at the pool, and evenings at the park.  They did drama camp and sports camp and Marshall did his first week-long away-from-home camp.  We’ve had a great time, but it will be nice to get back to a rhythm that gives me a quiet house for a few hours each day. Other than the obvious things, like visiting our families and special time spent with the boys, I thought I would share my summer 2018 favorites… Alone Jeff started watching this reality show first and I sort of

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August 27, 2018 39 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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