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Antiques

All Things Home

madame mére

I finished yesterday’s post about the Uffizi portrait gallery with a bit of a cliffhanger.  I didn’t include the setting, though.  This was at Isle of Palms a few weeks ago.  Several extended family members live near Charleston, so we visit them (or they visit us) while we’re there.  So, my aunt interrupted my story about people walking right past a Rembrandt with an intriguing offer.  “If you love portraits, I have a proposition for you.”  Now, I had no idea where she was going with this start.  Maybe she had a portrait to show me or had a question or request.  I wasn’t left in suspense for long.  She started telling me about a few antique oil portraits she had in a closet, and she wanted to pass them along to someone who would love them.  She also offered some details about the size, age, and subject of the

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Art Supplies

Artists’ Guild Notepads

As I’ve been bouncing around the house, alternating between studio work and decorating the house for Christmas, I came upon a stack of the notepads I had ordered and intended to list for sale earlier this year!  You know, when you have an idea in mind, you stick the thing in a closet, and then you forget about it?  Well, that’s precisely what happened here.  I got sidetracked, and the notepads were a casualty of having my fingers in too many pies. Instead of letting them languish in the closet, I decided to bring them out, finally list them on the website, and make them available for Christmas gifts or for those who are always in *need* of just one more good notepad. You can shop the notepad HERE.  (As a quick note, my eCommerce software is showing $30 as the default for shipping for one notepad.  Shipping is free. 

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All Things Home

My Favorite Local Antique Stores

I have been asked several times since I moved back to the mid-Atlantic region if I would share some of my favorite antique stores.  I will start by saying, there are a plethora of fantastic antique stores, markets, co-ops, barn sales, consignment shops, and thrift stores all within about an hour from me.  There is no way I can give an exhaustive list, but I wanted to share the places I regularly check out that are either in Hagerstown or within about half an hour. Beaver Creek Antique Market is my favorite local antique mall.  I used to drive from the Gettysburg area when I lived in PA to shop there every few months.  It has a nice mix of vendors, and I reliably find quality antiques there.  Prices can range from premium to affordable, depending on the vendor and the item, but it’s safe to say there is something

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Antiques

antique purchases with mom

Most of you have my taste pretty nailed down!  When I asked which pieces you thought I bought while on my antique trip with mom, you were pretty spot on!  (You can read that post HERE.)  Truth be told, I wanted to buy everything I highlight, but I’ve hit that tipping point where I need to be very particular about what I buy.  Years of antiquing as a hobby and a business has my house pretty well furnished.  But, my kindred spirits get that it’s too fun to not mill around antique stores and markets now and then.  So, here is what I bought… Of course, the goose.  I love concrete pieces for the garden and this one was just too good to pass up, even with the repaired beak. The posture and patina are perfect.  My only hesitation was the break and strange repair (it’s like a putty or

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Antiques

antiquing with mom

After visiting the local art museum and grabbing lunch at a bistro, Mom and I went to one of my favorite antique stores.  Since purging ironstone and antiques earlier this year, I’ve been disciplined about not bringing a bunch of stuff back into the house.  I do love milling about in antique stores, second-hand shops, and markets, though, and I’m resigned to the fact that there will always be some amount of stuff coming and going.  It just needs to be intentional and in moderation!  So, I kept this in mind as we walked the aisles of Beaver Creek Antique Market. Right off the bat, my attention was grabbed by a concrete goose sitting on the counter.  Typically, pieces sitting on the counter were placed there by shoppers who intend to buy them.  The absence of a tag also made me think it was already claimed.  I asked about it

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All Things Home

facebook marketplace find | vintage oak desk

If you followed my blog during our move to Maryland three years ago (can you believe it’s been that long?!), you probably remember that I sold a ton of stuff.  One of the pieces I sold was the vintage oak teacher’s desk I used in my studio.  Oak teacher’s desks turn up pretty regularly on the used furniture market and are generally not very expensive, so I figured I could find a replacement pretty quickly.  Three years later, I was still using a table as a makeshift desk!  Since I still hadn’t found a desk I liked after over a year of casually looking, I purchased the small drawer cabinet so I had a place to store my desk accessories.  It worked, but I continued to search Facebook Marketplace and at local antique stores for a vintage oak desk. I finally found one a few weeks ago and, after some

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All Things Home

Lucketts Spring Market 2025 Purchases

I must say, I was pretty proud of myself for the restraint I showed while shopping the Lucketts Spring Market.  With the exception of one piece, I stuck to my list (you can find my list HERE) and didn’t buy small things that would add clutter to collections I’ve been trying to thin down.  I had the perfect spot for everything I purchased, and I didn’t regret leaving things I felt tempted to buy at the market for others to enjoy. But, here is what I did buy… As I shared yesterday, I made a beeline for these antique oil paintings.  First of all, I just love portraits and the character they bring to a home.  Second, I love that these are old, likely from the mid-1800s, based on the clothing and date of their restoration.  While I can paint pieces to hang on the wall, I can’t paint 150-year-old

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All Things Home

Lucketts Spring Market 2025 Recap

The Lucketts Spring Market 2025 is in the books!  Oh man, what a special group of people who work so hard to put on an amazing event for their customers.  I’m constantly impressed with their attention to detail and desire to make every event with the Lucketts name memorable.  The Lucketts team doesn’t have to create a new theme for each market.  All of the signage and displays they’ve used are spectacular and could certainly be used again.  However, each market comes up with new themes, displays, signs, tote bags, and little details that make the market an experience in and of itself.  Speaking as someone who has been a part of these markets in the past, they really don’t have to do that.  It is above and beyond, and you can tell it’s done out of a love for the customers and the event. The vendors also put on

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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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