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Favorite Finds

All Things Home

more farmhouse finds

I know May is months away, but I have learned that I can be pickier if I shop well in advance of an event.  The Lucketts Spring Market in this case.  Pickier means better goodies and better prices for my customers. So, I set out on Thursday of last week to do some shopping and I found some really great things that fit with my “Farmhouse White” theme. This cupboard was an awesome find at a great price.  I am going to paint the interior and give the exterior a fresh coat of Grain Sack or Farmhouse White.  Perhaps a mix of the two.  I’m not sure about the interior yet, but it’s going to be painted.  Maybe a pop of color like French Enamel or something soft like Linen. I also found quite a few ironstone casseroles, tureens, pitchers and a stack of plates.  A couple of weeks ago, I bought

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All Things Home

Antique Farm House Mora Clock & Giveaway

I have long been in love with Mora clocks.  The curvy shapes, muted colors…I just love them and I hope to one day be able to splurge on a real antique Mora clock.  (I even named a color in my milk paint line Mora, in honor of the clocks.) Until I can have an antique one, this is a pretty sweet substitute… It’s a reproduction Mora clock that is my designer pick for Antique Farm House. I’m pretty picky about reproductions and I was honestly a little nervous about this until I pulled it out of the box.  It has a beautiful, distressed finish with “chippy” paint, crazing and a pretty patina. While the body is textured, the face is a flat image with the appearance of texture and age. It is an operating clock once two AA batteries are inserted. The glass where the pendulum would be is actually a

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All Things Home

“farmhouse” finds

When shopping for a retail space or event, I used to just buy whatever I liked and felt I could make a profit on.  A few years ago, I learned that it was easier to focus my shopping/making/painting efforts around a loose theme.  This year, in homage to our new MMS Milk Paint Color, the theme for Lucketts will be “Farmhouse White.” Kriste and I have been developing the idea a little further, since it’s fairly generic (in the world of antique markets) and also not all that distinct from other booths I’ve done. As we’ve talked through the theme, some more focused ideas floated to the top.  Obviously we’re going to have lots of white and plenty of pieces that have a more humble, farmhouse feel.  We want to balance that out with bucolic landscape scenes that we’re going to introduce to the space in a few different ways. We’ll

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a slice of life

favorite things | antique flatware

I’m sometimes asked what I look for when I’m out shopping for things for my home or things to sell.  The broad, non-specific answer is that I look for whatever speaks to me.  Certain things just capture my attention.  I like them. Why do you like what you like?  You just do. One of the things that I am a total sucker for is antique flatware, specifically bone-handled, French ivory and Bakelite.  And the older, the better. I first noticed Bakelite in a “country” decorating book years ago.  I don’t remember which one, but I loved it and started hunting for it.  It took a few years before I found a set I was willing to splurge on.  I still have that first set, but have bought and sold (and kept) many pieces since then. My most recent acquisition was these Civil war era bone-handled flatware with pewter inlay.  Would you

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All Things Home

furniture in waiting…

I know it’s only January, but I’m already starting to think ahead to the Lucketts Spring Market in May.  It’s my biggest event of the year and I work really hard to fill my booth with goodies. So, the shopping has begun. I was trolling craigslist this weekend, sending links along to my craigslist-shopping-secret-weapon (my dad.)  He contacts the seller, negotiates for me, picks it up in his truck and then delivers it to the studio. He’s probably for hire, but he’s ridiculously expensive for everyone but his baby girl. Anyway, I found a couple of really great dressers and, as soon as his driveway was plowed, he went to pick them up for me. This one is an oldie with amazing details. The hardware, the keyholes, the trim…and it’s actually on little wheels and it has a white marble top.  (It was just too heavy for me to lift on

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All Things Home

favorite things | primitive cupboards

Oh, I loved all of your comments on yesterday’s post.  I found myself smiling as I was reading the stories about treasured items with dings and dents.  I had planned on writing a lot more about how it applies to the way we view ourselves and aging and all sorts of things, but it felt right to leave the post where it was.  And we were all on the same page.  It was a pretty sweet thing. Anyway, I was planning on taking pictures of the dresser I painted for my mom’s room last week, but the roads in her community weren’t plowed yesterday, so I couldn’t get there to take pictures.  That will have to wait for another post… I scrolled through my pictures to see what I could write about and, as I was scrolling, I kept stopping and opening pictures of cupboards.  There are certain pieces of

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All Things Home

the little things | wooden spoons

I think it’s easy to be intentional when making choices about the big things you bring into your home.  The big commitment items like sofas and china hutches and statement pieces.  I don’t think it’s quite as easy to be intentional about the little things.  Things that are utilitarian and inexpensive. But, if you’re going to buy something, anything, even something little, relatively cheap, and utilitarian, why not buy something you love?  Imagine your home filled just with things you love. Well, that’s the goal, anyway. I’ll be the first to say that I don’t love all of my kitchen utensils, but I’m working towards it.  I feel very neutral about my can opener and pizza cutter, but I love my wooden spoons. I look for ones of different shapes, sizes and tone of wood, so they each have their own personality and I can justify having way more than necessary.  (There is an

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All Things Home

the most popular horse in blogland

You know when you’re out shopping and you find a little gem?  Something that screams out at you to buy it.  It speaks to you. Well, I was rummaging around in the somewhat ransacked Christmas section of TJ Maxx and I spotted this sweet wooden horse, just one, with a red bridle and saddle and the sweetest shape.  I think it was $25.  I grabbed it up without hesitation and immediately imagined it painted with milk paint.   And then, as I was perusing Instagram, I realized that just about everyone else in the blog/Instagram world felt the same way about this horse and they bought it, too.  It would seem it’s the poster child for Christmas 2015. And my little gem was feeling more like the mass-produced, trendy horse it actually was.  Because it was everywhere!! I clung to the hope that my plan to paint it would make it my

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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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