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Travel

a slice of life

isle of palms | the shell collection contest

As I shared earlier this week and in my Instagram Stories every day, the main activity that my mom plan around is shelling.  We set out at low tide each day and spend an hour or two combing the beach to add to our shell collection. For me, it hits a lot of things.  Of course, it appeals to the collector in me.  I get to hunt and peck and celebrate great finds.  I also love being at the beach (when it’s not too hot!)  As with many, many other people, I find the sound of the waves, the sand beneath my feet, and the water lapping around my bare legs to be relaxing.  It’s what I look forward to anytime a beach trip is on the calendar.  When I’m by myself, I’ll put on a podcast or some music and just melt into my own world.  When I’m with

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Antiques

books, antiques, and yarn | stillwater outing

I was hoping to take a few day trips during my break to check out some new antique shops, used book stores, and local craft boutiques, but I just didn’t have the kid-free days to do it.  Jeff could tell that a day out would really be good for me, so he took on school/kid duties and I took a day trip to Stillwater, MN.  We went there in the fall (you can read about that trip HERE) and I loved that town!  There are several antique malls, an amazing used book store, and a yarn shop that I didn’t go to during our previous visit. It was 2º and windy, so it wasn’t exactly a delightful day to be walking around outside, but it was still refreshing to get out of the house and soak up some inspiration that comes from being in a different environment. I tried to

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a slice of life

a day in stillwater, mn

For a few weeks now, Jeff has been trying to get me to go on a day trip.  As someone who is a natural homebody, the pandemic, lockdowns, and busyness have all made it easier to become even more of a homebody.  And I recognize that isn’t necessarily a good thing.  So, when some of our friends shared about the oldest town in Minnesota, Stillwater, Jeff decided we needed to do a day trip there before winter set in.  He has Mondays off, so he picked yesterday to whisk me away.  I packed a small bag with some sketching supplies in case we just sat by the St. Croix river for a while, but our plan was to hit some of the local shops, grab lunch, and walk along the river. It was the perfect day weather-wise.  Clear and sunny, warm, but with a crisp fall chill in the air. 

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Artistic Endeavors

isle of palms | part three | painting & sketching

Our trip to Isle of Palms in May was primarily about visiting with family and celebrating my parent’s 50th anniversary (51st now since it had to be postponed for a year), but it was also our first vacation in a long time, so I wanted to take intentional time to do things that were restful and restorative.  Being at the beach and gathering shells were a part of that, but so was painting and sketching.  Not only are those endeavors relaxing, but they help me really pay attention, be observant, be present, and appreciate the beauty around me.  So, I made a commitment that I would paint or sketch every day, even if it was just a quick pencil sketch while sitting at the beach.  And I stuck to that, even doing some quick landscape sketches in the car ride. I also wanted to work on watercolor sketches and drawing

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Travel

isle of palms | part two | day trip to Charleston

Get ready for a lot of pictures of classic low-country southern architecture, because today I’m sharing about our little excursion with my mom to Charleston, SC. When we first started talking about things to do in the general area of Isle of Palms, Charleston rose to the number one thing I wanted to do.  We didn’t really want this vacation to be about running around and doing touristy things, but the beautiful old city of Charleston was too close to not visit.  The guys weren’t really interested, so we left them back at the beach house. The best way to cover the most ground in Charleston is to do a carriage tour, so we signed up for one shortly after we arrived.  There are several companies who offer the tours at a couple of different price points.  We went with Palmetto Carriage Works because they had the earliest opening and

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Travel

tips on shelling

As I’ve shared before, my favorite thing to do at the beach is to hunt for shells.  I’ve been shelling since I was a little girl, helping my Oma hunt for olive shells at Long Beach, NC.  When we cleaned out her attic, we found several five-gallon buckets filled to the brim with shells she had collected.  She definitely passed that along to me and combing a beach is the first thing I’ll do when my feet hit the sand.  As I was sharing about shelling in my Instagram stories, I was asked if I’d share some tips on shelling, so here they are… tips for shelling | make sure it’s permitted The first step to shelling is to make sure it’s okay to pick up and keep shells from that beach.  When I shared the shells I found on Instagram, I received some questions about that as well as

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summer

isle of palms | part one | the house & the beach

This trip was supposed to happen last year in celebration of my parent’s wedding anniversary.  I remember in February of 2020, when I spent a few days with Shaunna at her parent’s condo in Florida, thinking how much I was looking forward to a week at the beach that summer.  I wouldn’t call myself a “beach person.”  I don’t like the grit of the sand and the sticky saltiness of the ocean.  I’m fearful of animals that might be lurking around my feet and powerful waves and currents.  I break out in hives if I get too much sun and I turn bright pink and feel nauseous in too much heat.  I am not a good candidate to be a beach lover.  But, I do love it and I find it restorative under the right conditions.  If I can enjoy the beach when the sun isn’t too intense and the

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a slice of life

creative retreat | feb 2020

I went on my first creative retreat almost two years ago.  It wasn’t a conference that was packed with classes and activities.  It wasn’t a family vacation where I was wrangling kids between pockets of relaxation.  It was a time away specifically for the purpose of filling my creative tank and stepping outside of my daily routine, so I could think without distractions.  I came back from that first retreat with clarity and excitement and I immediately knew this had to be a regular thing. Since then, I’ve done a few creative retreats and they’ve all been beneficial in different ways. Last week, I went down to Panama City Beach to spend a few days with Shaunna at her parent’s condo.  We had a to-do list, but it wasn’t so aggressive that we wouldn’t have free time to read, journal, paint, walk on the beach, or just go to bed

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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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