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Antiques

What I Appreciate About the Blog World

Don’t forget to enter my Frog Tape giveaway that is running through November 30! Wednesday I had the opportunity to spend about an hour in B&N; Books looking through the Home Decor section for books I might want to add to my inspiration library. (I then go home and buy them used on Amazon…) Anyway, as I was looking through the books, something hit me. These are not very realistic. I want to look at a Home Decor book that is beautiful, inspirational, AND real. I mean, how many of you have a bedroom like this? Or a bathtub like that? Or a kitchen like this one…oh my. Let me stop a minute while I wipe the drool off my chin. Don’t get me wrong, I love these books and I get so much inspiration and joy out of looking through them. The fact is, it would probably take about

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Free Me Up

Check out my Frog Tape Giveaway! It’s going on through November 30, so make sure you leave a comment. I LOVE free stuff and have received some great things lately. Before you call PETA, I did not knock some baby birds out of their home to steal this nest. The woman who owns my shop had it for sale in a basket. I loved it so much, I decided to buy it and she just gave it to me. I had some blown out eggs on hand (that I use for Ukrainian egg dying), so I placed them in the nest and I put it in a balance I got at a yard sale for $20.00. Now, I need to find a safe place for it where curious cats and kids will leave it alone…hmmm. That’s always the dilemma. In addition, I was surprised a few days ago by a

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Shoe Forms & Trim

I am excited to share that I am the guest blogger for Thrifty Thursday over at Tales from Bloggeritaville . Make sure you go check it out and link up any thrifty finds. Last week, I made the 45 minute trek out to Goodwill & Hobby Lobby to see what I could find. I didn’t find anything that was super exciting at Goodwill, but I did purchase these vintage shoe forms for $1.97 each. I mean, who donates something like this to Goodwill? I love the mix of the mellow patina of the old wood and the cool metal. And this piece with the holes in the toe is really interesting. I like old show forms, but I think I’m going to let these go and sell them in the shop. Hobby Lobby coughed up some thrifty finds as well. This trim was on clearance for… …$2.86. The way it

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Make A Wish

I mentioned in my last post that I bought $50.00 worth of vintage German glass glitter. I received it in the mail yesterday and was so excited to try it out. These pictures really do not do this glitter justice…Comparing it to the banner I did a few weeks ago with spray glitter…well, it really doesn’t even compare. The spray glitter is only shiny and flat. The vintage German glass glitter sparkles and adds dimension to these letter. I am going to glitter everything! The downside to this glitter is it’s expensive and it’s real glass. This means it looks gorgeous, but you have to be very careful when working with it and it’s not for kid’s crafts. I had some Cricut difficulties (and they’re sending me a new housing for my deep cut blade), so I couldn’t cut through the chipboard I purchased to give the letters stability. It

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Decorating with ABCs & 123s

Decorating with letters is a hot thing right now, but it’s not a new thing. Think of antique samplers, baby quilts, hand painted signs, and monograms. As I was looking around my house today, I realized I have several antique pieces where letters are the feature. I’m not usually a huge fan of pewter, but I love this alphabet mug. My mom has the plate that matches. I purchased this alphabet plate at an antique fair. I think it was about $8.00…others had passed it up because it had been repaired, but I think that’s a sign that someone really loved it. We don’t repair things that aren’t really special to us. I love old books. I recently purchased this from my neighbor’s yard sale for $2.00. I love the font on the cover. And it gets even better inside. Wouldn’t this look awesome painted on a wall or dresser?

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10 Secrets to Thrifting Success

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is how I find such wonderful things at ridiculously low prices. Today, I am going to share the secrets of my thrifting success. Unfortunately, I can’t help with the most important aspect of finding great things (luck), but I do think you can improve your chances by following some easy tips. 1.) A.B.H. – Always be hunting. There are times when I go out to intentionally look for things, but I hunt even when I am not hunting. I even look up thrift store locations to hit when I’m traveling. There have been many times that I have yelled, “stop the car!” or done a (sometimes illegal) u-turn to check out a yard sale or piece of furniture on the side of the road when we’re running an errand. I found this French style sofa at a yard sale for $50.00

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The Dresser, the Rack, and the Wardrobe (and more)

I have some new finds to share with all of you. Before getting sick, I stopped into one of my favorite thrift stores. I rarely walk out of there disappointed and that day was no exception. Some of you might see the vision that I have for these, but the rest of you may need some convincing. I know they’re brass and scream 1970’s lounge wall art, but just imagine them in a fresh coat of white. I am just in love with them and you will be, too. Trust me. They were $1.25 for the set. I also found this vintage milk bottle for $1.00. It just needs a good cleaning and it’s ready to go. A friend of mine sent me a text message while I was in the ER telling me she was at an auction. She asked if I would like her to bid on some

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Stone Fruit & Previews

A few years ago I was browsing through a new Goodwill near my old home in Virginia. As I snooped through the shelves, I spotted the usual thrift store garb – 1970’s dishes, floral vases, enormous brass lamps with dust-covered shades, you know what I’m talking about. I spotted a bin with some plastic fruit in it and thought I’d see if there were any realistic looking pears or lemons that would be worth buying. To my surprise, I saw this… …an entire collection of stone fruit. For those of you who aren’t familiar with stone fruit, they are hand painted pieces or fruit made out of marble. The are realistic and beautiful. The person pricing for Goodwill that day had no idea what they had. They mixed them in with some hideous plastic fruit for only $.68 a piece. These pieces sell on e-bay for crazy amounts…up to $60-70

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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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