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Antiques

Antiques

shopping for a rug

 Other than a bathroom mat or something to catch drips at the kitchen sink, I haven’t really shopped for rugs until recently.  I’ve never had large expanses of hard flooring until we moved to our current home.  My decorating budget was always non-existent or super-tight, so the rugs I had were freebies from family, carpet remnants left in our basement from the previous owner or great bargains (like the $8 yard sale rug in our guest room, the $75 bamboo mat in the dining room and the 70% off clearance rug from Target.)  When Flea Market Style contacted me about photographing my office, they wanted to add some punch to the space in a few ways, including a rug.  Stacey, one of their creative editors, sent me some links to various rug companies and asked me to pick out something I liked.   I immediately fell in love with Dash

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Antiques

Union Jack Ottoman

 As I shared in my other posts about my Houston trip, I met some amazing people.  One of those people was Jennifer Williams of Metamorphose Studios.  I was getting ready for the Milk Paint demo and Jennifer comes out of the back room, smiling.  “I have a present for you.”  I was slightly distracted and didn’t notice what she was holding.  She then lifted up this black garbage bag filled with something boxy and handed it to me.  My first thought, and I’m pretty sure I said it out loud, was,  how am I going to get this home?!  I pulled the garbage bag back and saw this amazing Union Jack pattern in burlap, cream and aqua.  My second thought was, I’m going to get this home no matter what.   Jennifer left the legs raw, so I could paint them.  I’ve been known to do that sort of thing and

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Antiques

my new bed

You know me.  Almost all of the furniture and accessories I buy for my home, I buy used.  (The only exception I make is for a sofa and mattresses.) It’s almost always cheaper and the quality is almost always better.  I also just like buying used.  The pieces have more “soul” and character.  If I have money burning a hole in my pocket, I go to the antique mall.  I don’t think I’ve set foot to shop in a real mall for over a year.  Any time I do go to a real mall (usually for a youth trip), I make a point to wander into Restoration Hardware.  A lot of their furniture and accessories are a bit masculine for my taste, but I love the classic quality of their designs.  In my mind, they are tops when it comes to beautiful neutrals.  I never bought anything from them, but I

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Antiques

A bit of France in Petaluma

Sorry I’ve been quiet the past couple of days, but it’s been a whirlwind that started when I woke up Tuesday at 3:00 am to get to the airport to fly to San Francisco for a day of workshops and book signings.  It ended last night when we arrived home about 11:30 and crashed in bed.  I have so much to share about the workshops and the people I met and how it gets me choked up  when my eye catches a huge chalkboard with my name on it and a table full of my paint and products under it.  But I’ll get to all of that another day. Today, I want to share about the hotel I stayed in.  As we drove into Petaluma, CA from San Francisco, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the rolling green hills, age-old cypress trees and quaint row houses.  I haven’t been

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Traveling, Brushes & Country Living

I have no idea how people work in jobs where they have to travel all the time.  I supposed they get used to it and get good at it – find the best places to eat, where to charge a laptop and iPad, where to rest, and how to get comfortable in an airplane seat.  Most of my trips are going to be spaced out, but I have one scheduled this week right on the heels of my Colorado trip.  On Tuesday, I’m heading out to Petaluma near San Francisco, California to teach a couple of workshops with my Milk Paint retailer out there, Gracefully Worn.   I haven’t been to California since I was four, so I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m also so thrilled that I get to meet some of my blog friends like Maria from Dreamy Whites. The details of my trip to Petaluma, local

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Antiques

new kitchen rug

 I love it when I find the perfect thing after I’ve been hunting for it for weeks (sometimes months or years.)  Actually, it’s sweet when I find the perfect thing right away, but I do need to practice my patience, so this was a good opportunity to do that.  Anyway, I was shopping for basic staples at Target and, as those of you who love Target know, it’s difficult to leave Target with just the basic staples.  I always wander into the home section just to check things out.  I may be shopping for bananas and I know bananas aren’t with the lamps, but I can’t help myself.   While looking around the kitchen section, I found this great green & white rug.  It was exactly the kind of rug I’ve been looking for to use on my new white Carrara-ish kitchen tiles.  The rugs I had in my kitchen

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Antiques

stuff I bought & dorking out

This is a dangerous profession.  Well, not dangerous like Alaskan crab fishing or building skyscrapers, but dangerous for someone who loves antiques and is surrounded by beautiful ones regularly.  I do sell most of the things I buy, but there are some pieces I have to keep.  I have rules for myself, though.  I have to have a perfect place for it and I have to sell other things in order to keep something.  That way, I’m always making money (or breaking even) and I have the chance to “trade up.”  (And I don’t have storage units full of French chairs that are discovered when I shuffle off.) Anyway, I’ve been having a hard time finding the perfect display piece for my space.  I’ve been borrowing one from Suzanne for a few weeks, but I really needed to find something permanent.  My neighbor vendor brought in this piece on Thursday and

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Antiques

the 1840’s hutch

Alright, alright!  I kept it.  I did!!  I just wasn’t sure I wanted to sell it, yet, so I sold some other things instead.  I may just need to love this piece for a while and then I’ll be ready to let it go or I may never be ready.    We’ll see.  I love the warm wood of the piece…   …and this glass.  Oh my word.  It’s the original glass and the bubbles and waves are amazing.  I think the glass is the reason I’m so in love.  Some girls get swoony over diamonds…just give me a sheet of 100+ year old glass and I’m happy.   While I’m keeping this piece, I have decided to sell some of my other furniture.  The mirrored armoire in my office and some of my French chairs are on the chopping block.  Ah….the life of an antique dealer.

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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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