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Antiques

All Things Home

cleaning & reviving old wood

A few weeks ago, I took some time to hit some of my favorite local antique and thrift stores.  I had been inside a lot during my shoulder recovery and then catching up on work through January and I just needed to get out…not to go to the grocery store or to run the boys to an activity, but to meander without much purpose.  While I was out, I ended up buying a couple of old wooden spools for $1.  I thought they would be nice to wrap yarn or twine around that had come unraveled.  They were dirty and the wood was dry, though, so I took some time to clean them up and get them hydrated. The first thing I did was scrub them with dish soap and water.  I know some people are nervous about getting wood wet, but it really is the best way to clean

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All Things Home

last week’s antique finds…

Last week, I just needed to get out and away from my desk.  I had plenty of work to do and the weather was terrible, but I was determined!  I had planned it and I was going to stick to my plans.  I’m also finding that if I use “I have work to do” as an excuse, then I won’t ever leave the house!  There is always some sort of work to do. So, I went to my PT appointment to have my shoulder worked on (it’s getting so much better) and then I hit a few of my favorite antique and second-hand shops.  There is not a ton of antiquing right here in Rochester, but there are a few spots I like to hit every now and then.  I have been looking for a few things…a mirror for the living room, a large basket, and a buffet-sort-of-piece for a

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All Things Home

foyer refresh & slate update

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to share that Mustard Seed Mentoring is now open to new members!  You can get all of the details on group and one-on-one mentoring HERE.  I am offering an early bird gift to those who JOIN TODAY – a pocket-sized version of my favorite journal/notebook.  It’s the one I use every single day for notes, sketches, and journaling.  It’s a leather notebook that can hold three inserts, which can be changed out when they are full.  It’s just a little bonus from me. I’ll be sending out e-mails about Mustard Seed Mentoring this week and if you are not starting/running a creative business, you can opt-out of those specific e-mails at the bottom of each e-mail.  Opting out will not unsubscribe you from my blog feed.  I want to let people know about it, but only the people who need it and

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All Things Home

haviland 12 days of Christmas plates

First of all, I loved reading through all of the comments on Wednesday’s post!  I didn’t intend for it to happen, but everyone gave me great ideas for blog posts next year.  It sounds like many of you need simple decorating ideas, inspiration, and some solutions to dilemmas you’re facing.  I think I’m going to have to bring my Decorating Dilemmas post series back! You have also taught me that not everyone follows me on all of the platforms where I post and, even if you do, you still miss a lot!  And all of my readers haven’t read all of my posts!  So, I’m going to make sure I’m spreading my content out more evenly and I’m going to dust off some of my old tricks for new posts and tutorials.  I’m really excited about it. But today, I’m going to share a bit more about the vintage Christmas

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a slice of life

florence | the 163-year-old pen & paper shop

Once we were settled in our room at the Piazza Pitti Palace, my mom and I decided to walk around and explore until we were scheduled to meet our guide at 4:00.  We didn’t have a specific destination but were just planning to meander and wander into pretty shops.  Just a couple of blocks from our hotel, I was drawn into a shop by a beautiful display of papers in the window. There were old cabinets filled with hand-bound leather journals and rolls of colorful printed papers. Of course, I was drawn to the dip pens and inks, but I didn’t see anything I felt like I needed to buy. But then, some antique school notebooks caught my eye.  I was excited about seeing something old.  Perhaps they had more old things.  There were things in every nook and cranny and it would be easy to miss if you didn’t

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a slice of life

lucca antique purchases

I already shared about the brown leather oxford shoes that I bought from an antique dealer at the Lucca fleamarket, but I wanted to show you the other things I bought as well as shoe the shoes up close.  I am not really a shoe person per se, but I have always been attracted to wingtips.  I think it is the old soul in me. When I initially spotted the shoes, I thought they looked like my size, but I wasn’t sure.  I slipped them on and they fit almost perfectly.  They are 39 1/2 and I usually wear a 39 in European shoes.  They are just a little bit too big, so I can either wear them with tights or put a rubber heel pad in the back.  They weren’t so big though, that they were slipping off as I walked. The gentleman who sold them to me told

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a slice of life

thrifting & antiquing in Tuscany

This was the day I was waiting for…the day of shopping and antiquing in Italy.  I found so many fun things last year and enjoyed the day admiring the abundance of European antiques.  It was a little slice of heaven…well, except for the heat!  It was so hot last year!  Thankfully, it was a little cooler this year. Unlike the US where markets start early, the antique market in Lucca isn’t at full swing until about 11:00 am, so we didn’t leave our hotel until about 9:00 am to give ourselves time to hit Dana’s favorite thrift store prior to going to the flea market.  It’s a small shop called Ti Riruso Mercantino about 15-20 minutes outside of Barga.  Or group shopped there last year and we were all frenzied over the chandeliers, textiles, and other vintage and antique finds loosely grouped on thrift store shelves. This year, I knew

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a slice of life

Paris 2019 | the fountain pen store

As I shared in THIS POST, I visited a pen & paper shop mentioned in the book A Paris Year on our first day in the hopes of finding a fountain pen.  While the shop was charming, it wasn’t what I was expecting and they didn’t carry what I was looking for.  I knew from walking around last year that there were tons of pen & paper stores in Paris and I just had to find the right one. I looked up fountain pen shops in Paris online and found an article on Fountain Pen Love sharing a list of John’s top 10 shops.  The description of Mora Stylos caught my attention, specifically because they carried vintage and used pens.  It wasn’t too far from the Marais district, so we decided to walk in that direction after our tour and lunch. John and Wendy hung around outside of the shop

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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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