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Antiques

Antiques

Horse Trade

I found this rocking horse at an antique store a couple of years ago.  I had seen it there for a long time…maybe even a couple of years and it always caught my eye, but I never took the plunge and bought it.  One day, though, I decided I couldn’t resist it anymore and I bought it with the intention to sell it at the Lucketts holiday open house.  As soon as I got it home, though, you can guess what happened.  I wanted to keep it.  So, I did. I liked the quirky charm of it, but the red details always felt a little off to me.  I was willing to overlook that, because I loved the horse so much. Now that I’m purging things that aren’t just right, I decided it was time to let the horse go to a home where it is just right.  (I actually

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Antiques

Arranging linens, silver and ironstone…

As I was preparing for Christmas day, I realized what a mess the cabinets, drawers and shelves where I keep my tableware, serving pieces and linens were.  After a few years of buying, making and using things for photo shoots and then shoving them in no particular order behind a closed door, it was hard to find anything.  Linens were balled up, unorganized.  Serving pieces were stacked, balanced and piled haphazardly.  It not only looks messy, but it’s very inefficient.  I had to hunt and dig for things. I started purging and organizing this fall and have continued with a drawer here, a cabinet there.  After experiencing the frustration while setting the table for Christmas, I was motivated to deal with it.  I also needed to clean out the hutch in the living room, since a buyer is coming for it on Sunday.  So, I started with the corner cabinets

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Antiques

Ironstone & an Ektorp Sofa Review

I mentioned I got a new haul of ironstone last week.  Well, here it is… Not only is it a lot of ironstone, but a lot of really great pieces including this four piece tureen set with platter, lid and ladle. The details on the handles are really pretty.  I love this piece, but I already have a few tureens, so I’ll be selling it. Another stunning piece is this large compote.  It’s chippy, but I’m cool with that. …some sugar jars… …lidded casseroles, a couple of butter dishes, butter pats, pitchers, small plates… …platters… …and a huge footed bowl (behind the pitcher.)  Lots of ironstone goodness.  I need to figure out what I want to keep and put a collection together to sell.  I will list some in my online shop, but let me know if there’s something you’re interested in.  I am a little nervous about shipping ironstone,

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Antiques

French Charmed Pillow Slips & Eye Candy

I am a total sucker for a good decorating book.  I know there is Pinterest and blogs and all sorts of online goodness when it comes to decor inspiration, but there’s just something different about having a book in your hands, turning the pages and taking in the scenery.  My husband and I used to go to bookstores and go our separate ways to browse and put together wish lists of the books we wanted to buy or receive as gifts.  There’s almost always a decorating book under the Christmas tree for me. So, when French Charmed, one of my sponsors, asked if I was interested in receiving the new book, Vintage by Nina, well…yeah!  And this book didn’t disappoint in the inspiration department.  It’s an expensive book, but it’s big and thick and filled with beautiful pictures. I don’t look at decorating books to copy them exactly, but to

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Antiques

German Glass Glitter

** I’m sorry I sold out of glitter so quickly.  I just ordered more and will have it back in stock ASAP! ** Years ago, I read an article about German glass glitter featuring Wendy Addison.  I think I even clipped out the article and put it in my old school, pre-Pinterest “idea binder.”  Fast forward to when I started my business. The very first thing I made was hand painted wooden ornaments, but the second holiday season, I wanted to do something different, so I sought out the German glass glitter I fell in love with in that magazine article. I remember getting my first order.  It was so sparkly and beautiful…not like any other glitter out there.  I started glittering anything that would hold still long enough… Paper pinwheels… …Pine Cones … …a metal star found for a dollar at a thrift store that topped the Little tree in the living room last

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Antiques

getting inspired, shopping & hanging plates

I go through stages in decorating and working on projects.  Sometimes I’m a worker bee and it’s all about getting as much done as I possibly can.  Sometimes I’m burnt out and need to step away from the the projects for a while.  Sometimes I get restless and just want to make changes.  Sometimes I’m a sponge, ready to soak in any inspiration that comes my way.  The past few days, I’ve been feeling spongy.  And when I feel that way, I start to hit the magazine rack at the grocery store and pull out decorating books in my library.  As much as I love Pinterest, nothing quite beats flipping through glossy pages. One of my favorite books is Great Country French Style that I got for Christmas a few years ago. I haven’t looked at it for a long time, but as I was flipping through it, I can

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Antiques

“name that cow” contest

For those of you who aren’t aware, I recently aquired a new cow painting and I just put her in a frame and hung her on the wall today… She is by the same artist as Eulalie, Cindy Austin.  I love Eulalie so much and we had talked off and on about her doing another painting for me and I kept coming back to cows.  I really don’t have a cow fetish, but maybe I have a cow painting/cow head fetish?  So, I asked for a black and white Holstein cow for my family room.  I wanted a cow that was younger than Eulalie, standing at a profile and looking at the artist.  Cindy blew me away.  I didn’t really expect anything less, but Eulalie is so beautiful that we were both a little bit nervous about how this new cow would compare.  Well, she has captured my heart and

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Antiques

The Dental Cabinet

I shared in my recap of the Chapel Market that I bought this dental cabinet from Urban Farmgirl within minutes of it being unloaded.  Can you tell how happy I am and how much I love it? Well, now it’s home and in the place it was always meant to be… …this small and somewhat awkward wall has left me searching for the perfect piece for years.  Most pieces are too wide or look too short or not important enough to be the very first thing you see when you walk in the door.  So, I’ve been playing musical furniture in that spot more than usual….even for me.  I’ve always pictured a tall cabinet with a glass door that I could fill with my favorite thing to collect – white ironstone.  Now, it’s the first thing I see when I walk into the house and I love that. It has

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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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