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All Things Home

the new man in my life

The day after my birthday earlier this month, Jeff and I went to breakfast together and headed to Carlisle to find some birthday goodies at one of my favorite antique stores – Bedford Street Antiques.  I had a few things I was going to keep an eye out for, but I really just wanted to find something that made my heart flutter and would be a memorable present.  I used to spend my birthday money on clothes or little things here and there, but I’ve decided that each year, I’m going to spend it on something special that I would likely keep for years if not decades.  I have several birthday presents that are some of my favorite things – an ironstone cake stand, a custom leather art bag, an antique watercolor box, and Jeff even got me a tattoo for year 39.  I had picked up a few fun

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April 22, 2024 96 Comments
All Things Home

favorite things | antique transferware plates

I have loved antique transferware plates for years, decades even.  I think they were one of my earliest yard sale purchases as a newlywed.  I remember reading a magazine article that showcased stacks of mismatched antique transferware plates that had been collected over time and I fell in love with the idea of having a set of dishes that wasn’t a set at all.  I also subscribed to the idea early in my decorating journey that pretty plates and platters made unique and inexpensive wall art and I’ve been hanging them on the walls ever since. Even though I have well over 100 plates and platters (it’s probably closer to 200), I still am drawn to them and find new excuses to acquire them.  Well, these would be perfect for a still-life painting, so I can buy them to use as props.  If you’re a collector, you understand that some

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April 8, 2024 13 Comments
Antiques

favorite things | antique overshot coverlets

As I’ve been sharing our living room makeover over the past few weeks, several people have asked about the blanket over the back of the sofa.  Even though it sometimes annoys my family, I’ve always liked having a quilt, coverlet, or throw folded over the back of sofas and chairs.  Not only does it add a bit of color and give me another place to display some of my favorite antique textiles, but it helps extend the life of the piece of furniture (or the slipcover between washings.)  The blanket on the back of our living room sofa is sadly not something that I can simply link to.  It’s an antique overshot coverlet from the mid-1800s.  But, since you may have never heard of any overshot coverlets, let me tell you a bit about them, share some tips on where to buy them (and how much to pay), and give

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March 7, 2024 19 Comments
All Things Home

wicker market cart

One of my sweet readers has been asking me for several weeks to share more about the antique wicker market cart in my kitchen and I looked for a blog post about it and couldn’t find one!  I have had this piece for several years, so I thought I wrote a post about it at some time, but I haven’t.  I decided I would fix that today and share the details about this charming antique shopping trolly. I bought this particular wicker market cart about 10 years ago at one of my favorite PA antique shops.  I think I paid around $90 for it, which I thought was a good price for the condition of such a functional antique. A wicker market cart like this one would’ve been used during an age or in a culture where you walk to the butcher, then the baker and the greengrocer to hold

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February 15, 2024 10 Comments
All Things Home

antique cane stand & collection

I blame the cane collection on my six months in a boot when my foot was broken in 2022.  I bought a couple of them to actually use when I was getting used to walking on both feet again, but I bought most of them because I thought they were little works of art.  Some of them were handmade out of wooden sticks while others are more refined.  With a small collection of canes, I was looking for a stand for about a year before I found one I liked at a price I was willing to pay.  I don’t mind splurging on things, but I want to splurge where it matters and a can holder, which is purely decorative, isn’t a place I want to splurge unless it makes my heart flutter.  So, I found this one at a local antique store at a nice price. I had a

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January 23, 2024 27 Comments
1970 home renovation

the 1810 mantel

A few weeks ago, when I was out and about to pick up the recliner for the living room, I decided to stop in one of my favorite local antique shops.  In case you missed the recliner, I found it on Facebook Marketplace and slipcovered it with the help of my mom.  Here’s what it looks like now, but you can read about how we made the slipcover HERE. Anyway, my primary objective was to find antique and vintage frames for my original artwork, but right away, I spotted an antique mantel leaning up against the front of the store.  Just by eye-balling it, I thought it might be a good fit for our living room fireplace.  Before I get into the details of the mantel, let me remind you what the fireplace looks like… I really love the brick and the fact that it’s a wood-burning fireplace.  We’ve never

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October 2, 2023 22 Comments
Antiques

antique pine cabinet in the foyer

I picked up a charming antique pine cabinet at the Lucketts Spring Market and, because the house was in upheaval from the kitchen renovation still, it went straight into the garage.  It occurred to me today that I haven’t properly shared where it ended up here on the blog, so that’s what I’m doing today. I was looking for a wardrobe or cabinet that could replace some of the storage we were losing during the renovation and there were a lot of antique pine pieces that caught my eye at the market.  I would ooooo over them and decide to walk away and think about each piece.  I’ve learned that walking away helps me make better buying choices, especially when it comes to larger pieces.  I am eager and ready to fall in love with pretty much all beautiful antique pieces, but that doesn’t mean the piece is going to

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August 30, 2023 28 Comments
1970 home renovation

vintage brass “turtle” grater & a button fern

As I’ve been visiting second-hand stores in the area with my mom I’ve, of course, been looking for some fun pieces for my kitchen.  Admittedly, I didn’t really “need” anything, but it’s been fun to hunt for things that are special.  I did get a little overenthusiastic, but I have tempered myself now.  I did find the sweetest piece for my pot rail, though.  I spotted it at an antique store and was immediately drawn to it.  Can you spot it on the pot rail? It’s this vintage brass “turtle” shaped grater.  I paid about $40, which was one of my bigger purchases of that shopping trip, but I kept coming back to it and finally decided to buy it.  I looked it up when I got home and it turns out I got a pretty nice deal on it.  They seem to run in the $70+ range on Etsy

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August 9, 2023 25 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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