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a slice of life

a slice of life

The Louvre & Musée D’Orsay

I really wasn’t planning on going to a museum. I’ve never had a desire or felt the need to see paintings in person until this past year when my interest in studying art has increased. Still, I didn’t want to spend my brief time in Paris strolling indoors, looking at paintings that weren’t really my taste. People who knew me insisted, though. They all but bought the tickets and ushered me there. “You cannot be an artist in Paris and not go to the Louvre.” I relented. The tickets weren’t expensive and we could always “pop in”, see a few things, and then say we’ve been to the Louvre. With that plan in mind, I purchased the tickets online for a quick entry and then I did some research to figure out which paintings we might want to see. My complete lack of knowledge of museums and where which paintings

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a slice of life

the 1820’s silver dip pen

Well, I am in Paris and sitting on our balcony overlooking the Eiffel tower as I write this.  There is just no way in the world I can write about all of the events of the past two days in one or two posts.  I think that most of my writing will have to happen when I get home or on the airplane, so I’m not spending precious moments in Europe pecking away at a laptop. But, I do want to pop in here to share small stories and moments from my trip and then I’ll share the entire narrative (well, the parts that I deem interesting) to flesh out these little stories. Today, I am telling about the antique sterling silver dip pen I bought while at a flea market. We went to Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen and were met there by a Paris Perfect tour guide.  Eric

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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