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Holiday

All Things Home

idea overload & glass glitter banner kits

This weekend, I’m presenting at the Holiday Expo at McLean Bible Church, just outside of DC.  (I shared the details HERE, if you’re interested in attending.)  With a sick kid, I was a little behind with getting my presentation together, but I’m going to the set up and rehearsal tomorrow, so I needed to get myself in gear today! As I’ve been thinking about what table setting I want to present, I found my head swimming with ideas.  Too many ideas for one table. Idea overload.  I don’t usually feel that way, so I was very indecisive about which direction I would go. In that moment of feeling overwhelmed with all the possibilities, I realized that a lot of blog readers and Pinterest lovers must feel that way. This expo is about bringing Pinterest and Etsy to life, so I felt like I should share ideas that are popular on those

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All Things Home

10 minute fall decorating

It’s time for another 10 minute decorating idea!  This month, me and a few other bloggers are sharing 10-minute fall decorating ideas.  I love these quick and easy ideas that show seasonal decorating doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or over the top.  It can be simple, fun, and pretty. As I’ve shared before, when it comes to my home and seasonal decor, I keep things fairly simple and natural.  I’m really over the idea of having tons of bins of decorations that have to be stored and brought out each year.  I know some people thrive on that and it brings them a lot of joy.  If that’s you, go for it!  If you want to bring a bit of autumn to your home, though, without all of the bins, here are some simple fall decorating ideas… simple fall decorating idea no. 1 | place some pumpkins A no-brainer

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All Things Home

a harvest table, a dough bowl & succulent pumpkins

A few of the freelance projects I worked on late this summer for HGTV.com are live now, so I wanted to share a preview and links.  I love how these turned out.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I could set tables and take pictures of them all day long.  And sometimes I do. Harvest-inspired fall table This one came together with so many rich layers.  Kriste and I were working on it together and I kept stopping and making high-pitched sounds of delight. I bought those grapes because they were so beautiful, but they were delicious, too. Click HERE for the full photo gallery and details. fall dough-bowl centerpiece This was another fun one that came together based on what I found when I was out shopping.  Wheat, yellow and green floral stems, figs, bittersweet…  It all came together in such a pretty and simple way. Click

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All Things Home

Finding Fall Home Tour

Today, my blog is the second-to-the-last stop in the Finding Fall 2015 Home Tour.  There are a lot of amazing homes and decorating ideas that have been shared so far, so be sure to check out the links at the bottom of this post if you’re just jumping in on the tour. If you’re stopping from Unexpected Elegance and are new to my blog, welcome! Before we get into the pictures, I must be a bit transparent for a minute.  Getting ready for this fall home tour was tough for me.  I imagined getting a bunch of beautiful heirloom pumpkins and putting fall touches in every room, but I didn’t realize what a challenge that would be. I have never tried decorating for fall this early and the pumpkin pickings were slim in my neck-of-the-woods.  I drove 45 minutes to a local Wegman’s only to find the tacky orange pumpkins with

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a slice of life

Basil Pecorino Corn Recipe

I shared this picture of one of our Plated dinners a couple of weeks ago on Instagram and a few people asked for more details on the corn side dish.  This Basil Pecorino Corn was so delicious and easy, that I decided to make it again with the summer’s last corn and share the recipe.   Hello dinner… #platedpic #dinner @plated A photo posted by Marian aka Miss Mustard Seed (@missmustardseed) on Aug 28, 2015 at 3:11pm PDT   Ingredients three ears of corn 1/8 cup grated pecorino cheese 1 T mayonaise 1 clove garlic coarse kosher salt pepper fresh oregano, parsley and basil Cut the kernels off three ears of corn and saute in a pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, for about 3-5 minutes or until corn is tender. I always use Kosher salt out of a little salt crock when I cook.  I

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a slice of life

10 minute ideas | cherry chocolate ice cream

It’s time for another 10 minute idea!  My previous 10 minute ideas were teacup topiaries and making an “antique” bread board. This month, the challenge was to share a 10 minute no-bake dessert. I immediately knew what I was going to share, because it’s my very favorite summer treat… …homemade cherry chocolate ice cream. I love cherries and look forward to them with great anticipation each May.  And I mourn their departure in September.  So, I squeeze cherries in every meal, snack and treat I can when they are in season. For this dessert, I cut the cherries off of the pit and then chop them into bite-sized pieces.  (My fingernail beds are pretty much permanently stained from cutting cherries during the summer, but some things are worth it!) I use Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream as the “base.”  It’s the only vanilla I’ve been able to find in my grocery

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All Things Home

aging terra cotta pots

There are some people who like things shiny and new.  They want to be the first person to own something.  They like the smell of a car with 32 miles on it.  They want their furniture to be delivered, tags still attached. I am just not one of those people. Unless we’re talking about electronics, mattresses or toilets, I want things in my home that have the patina that only comes with time. Or a bit of trickery. I have a few antique terra cotta pots and, while I’d love to fill my whole potting bench with them, that would get too expensive.  So, I have some new ones mixed in. Can you tell which one is the new one? Yeah.  It’s pretty clear and the new ones were bugging me a bit. While I had the Ironstone (white) MMS Milk Paint out to paint the sides of the potting bench, I decided

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All Things Home

the antique, hodgepodge potting bench

Don’t you love it when projects come together perfectly? Such is the case with this hodgepodge of a potting bench. We just finished it today and it looks even better than I imagined.  It’s especially exciting, because we already had the workbench in the basement (it was free with the house) and I bought the chicken nesting box without a solid plan on turning it into the top-part of the hutch. This morning, Jeff bought about $40 of pressure treated wood for this project, a couple of 2 x 12’s and 2 x 4’s.   While he was out, I took care of the red overspray marks on the front of the work bench.  It wasn’t a big deal, but they just bugged me. So, I brought out my big-boy sander, the belt sander, and I went to town. I really love how the paint looks distressed, with some of the

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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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