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All Things Home

the antique clock that finally came home

This story starts all the way back in November of 2018 when we visited Jeff’s family in North Carolina for Thanksgiving.  I went to a beautiful local shop (The Mercantile in Knightdale, NC) to do a milk paint demo while I was there.  This shop has amazing vendors and I wanted to buy so many things!  I ended up buying just a few small things, but I took photographs of the displays and pieces I loved the most, including this antique clock.  It was priced well, but we were in my mother-in-law’s Camry, so we wouldn’t be able to get it home.  So, I appreciated it and then left it for someone else to buy. I posted about the clock here on my blog and when I got back home to Minnesota, I received a text from my dad letting me know he had bought it for me!  Now, my

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April 16, 2021 32 Comments
Antiques

French Art Shop

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the French Art Shop.  I can’t tell you how over-the-moon I am to work with this French-based small business and share them with you.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. In a post earlier this week, I shared that if I were an heiress, I would become an art collector.  While I was referring to collecting works by masters and well-known artists at high-end auctions, I was sort of skipping over a current truth – I am an art collector now.  I might not be collecting Pissaros and Renoirs, but I am displaying my own works and collecting the works of artists I follow on Instagram and a few antique & vintage pieces I’ve bought at antique stores, markets, and online over the years.  In addition, I’ve been collecting “everyday art” for decades in the form of furniture, Civil

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April 14, 2021 46 Comments
All Things Home

my go-to supplies for cleaning antiques

I have bought and sold (and kept) a lot of antiques over the years.  Thousands and thousands of pieces!  So, I have learned through trial and error about cleaning and polishing up just about anything I find.  As I was cleaning my most recent antique finds I purchased during our trip to visit family in PA, I thought I would share some of my favorite supplies and products for cleaning antiques.  Many of these cleaning methods can work for things you already own that need a little sprucing up as we’re talking about deep cleaning through the month of April. This is my most recent collection of antique finds… Before we get into cleaning, I have to say that I was very restrained and left a lot of well-priced ironstone behind!  I had to keep reminding myself that I’m not shopping for a market or online sale.  I’m just shopping

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April 6, 2021 44 Comments
Antiques

back home & another antique watercolor box

Despite a trip to the ER after a day in the car (my youngest son has a stomach bug or severe car sickness and needed fluids), we had a wonderful trip out east to visit our family.  We made our first stop in North Carolina to visit Jeff’s parents and his sister’s family before we drive up to Pennsylvania to visit my parents.  We spent a ton of time in the car, but it was all worth it so we could see family.  We hadn’t seen Jeff’s parents since December 2019 and my parents since last summer. I took a break from writing here on the blog, but I did sneak some painting in.  Painting outdoors from life (known as plein air painting) is such a challenge for me compared to painting in the studio.  I struggled through this one and didn’t love the end result, but it was a

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April 5, 2021 58 Comments
All Things Home

charcoal, a glass dip pen, and a Victorian watercolor box…

It’s time to share some more antique and vintage art supplies!  Obviously, I haven’t bought any this month because of “no-spend February”, but I bought an antique Victorian-era watercolor box with some Christmas money in January and I received a few little things last week as a gift. An antique dealer from PA who used to buy things for me to resell sent me a few art supplies she picked up as a part of an auction lot.  It was a total surprise and so sweet of her to think of me! She sent me a box of vintage Flair vine charcoal… I love the label on the box, but was even more delighted to see it was full of vine charcoal sticks!   And she also sent a glass dip pen!  It has the most interesting nib.  I haven’t had the chance to use it, but I’m looking forward

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February 25, 2021 19 Comments
All Things Home

Collecting Wallace Sleigh Bells FAQ

I have shared about Wallace Sleigh Bells on my blog (HERE) and social media for a few years and I get the same questions about them regularly, so I thought I would answer them all in one post!  For those who aren’t familiar with them, Wallace Sleigh Bells are collectible bells that were introduced in 1971 by the Wallace Silversmiths.  My Oma, who was an avid collector of anything she wanted to collect, bought one and started a collection she added to each year.  When she passed away and we were cleaning out the attic of her home, we divided her ornament collection, which included the Wallace bells, some antique glass ornaments (like the one commemorating man’s first moon walk), and vintage German ornaments she bought when she visited us in Germany. I ended up with three Wallace Sleigh Bells from her collection…my birth year, Jeff’s birth year, and a

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December 9, 2020 75 Comments
All Things Home

building an ironstone collection

I read an article on ironstone in a decorating magazine (I think Country Home) about 20 years ago and have been smitten with it ever since.  I can’t tell you exactly what draws me to it…  maybe it’s the simplicity of it, the creamy-white color, the variety of shapes and designs, the luster of the glaze.  I can’t tell you why, but I love it and it’s one of my favorite things to collect.  I’ve been collecting it since I found an ironstone pitcher in a dusty, crowded booth at an antique mall in Florida.  I’ve since bought and sold thousands of pieces of ironstone, adding to my collection along the way.  I’ve become quite the ironstone hound and can spot it from across the room. If you love ironstone, as I do, here are a few tips on building an ironstone collection of your own… Of course, the first

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November 12, 2020 28 Comments
All Things Home

antique French pump inkwell

I have always been fascinated by old things, things that were made before modern manufacturing, before computers and electricity.  I marvel at the ingenuity and problem-solving abilities of their creators.  I initially bought this inkwell because…well, I just love art supplies, ink wells, beautiful dip pens, and the like, and I had missed out on a similar one a couple of years ago.  But now that I’ve played around with it and have done a bit of research, I love it even more.  I’d like to introduce you to the clever design of an antique French pump inkwell… It’s another item I purchased from the Dreamy Whites’ birthday sale a few weeks ago.  I initially thought it was an ironstone inkwell and, as I mentioned, I had pondered purchasing a similar one a couple of years ago, but I missed out on it.  When I saw it listed in Maria’s

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October 27, 2020 26 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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