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Antiques

All Things Home

the replacement priciple

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”] For those who don’t know, my husband, Jeff, is a pastor. So, he prepares and gives sermons each week and one of the topics that come up in sermons (and in our home) is the replacement principle.  Replacing harsh words with kindness.  Replacing complaining with gratitude.  Replacing selfishness with generosity.  You get the idea of the replacement principle.  Of course, that’s good stuff, but I’m not writing about that kind of replacement principle in this blog post.  I’m talking about the replacement principle I learned from my Oma. On the middle of the dining room table, my Oma had a bowl of plastic fruit.  That plastic fruit was a nice stand-in for live fruit until she discovered alabaster fruit.  They are beautifully painted and have a luminance that

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All Things Home

Lucketts Fall Market 2023

Another Lucketts Market has come and gone and, I must say that I love attending the event as a shopper instead of a vendor.  Both are fun, but it’s a lot more enjoyable to just show up and enjoy all of the creativity and hard work of others! At the last two Lucketts Markets (Fall 2022 and then Spring 2023), I had very specific large pieces I was looking for.  I needed pieces for my studio and then pieces for my kitchen.  In both cases, I found just what I was looking for.  I still have a few big pieces I’m looking for, but none of them are pressing.  I have pieces that will work until I find something that is perfect.  I still debated renting a cargo van for the market just in case I found one of those perfect pieces.  After discussing it with Jeff and considering the

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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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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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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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All Things Home

vintage green-handled flatware

When I hit some antique and second-hand stores with my mom a few weeks ago, I found a lovely set of vintage flatware.  It was petite in scale and had green handles and forks with three tines.  If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, then you might know that flatware is a weakness for me.  I held the set, wrapped in a rubberband, in my hand for a few seconds as I contemplated.  I remember looking at my mom with an expression that said who am I kidding?  I took them up to the front of the store and put them on the counter. I have a similar twelve-piece set that has blue handles and gold-colored blades & tines and it’s one of my favorites.  These have a very similar feel even though the colors are different. The first thing I do when I unpack things from a

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All Things Home

cleaning copper cookware

Yesterday, I shared my tips for shopping for and identifying quality copper pieces as well as some details of how I built my collection over almost 20 years.  (You can read that blog post HERE.)  Collecting is always a slow and patient process, but it is a rewarding one.  Collecting, for me, isn’t just about the things.  It’s about the process, the hunt, the scores, and the memories that are made along the way.  Most of the pieces I’ve collected have a story that goes with them, which makes using them in the home about aesthetics as well as surrounding myself with pieces that are a small part of our history.  But, as is often brought up when I share my collections, there is some amount of upkeep involved!  Yes, there is dusting and polishing, but I’d rather have things I love that need some care now and then than

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All Things Home

collecting vintage & antique copper

As I’ve shared the renovation of our kitchen, one of the things I’ve been asked about most is my copper collection.  More specifically, I’m asked where I find it and what I look for when shopping for copper.  So, I thought I would write a blog post to answer all of the questions and share some of my tips.  I started collecting copper about 20 years ago when we lived in our first house.  It was an 1,100-square-foot townhouse in a bad neighborhood in Loudoun County, VA, which, if you’re familiar with the Northern Virginia area, you may know it is a tough place for a first-time homeowner to get into the market.  While we lived there, it was the fastest-growing county in the US and the wealthiest per capita. So, anyway, this little townhouse had a small kitchen with a box-bay window that looked out over the parking lot

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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