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Holiday

Decorating

ornaments & other things

Can someone stop the ride for just a few days? I think I want to get off.   Boy!  It’s been a crazy few days!  With my Internet being out and packing and traveling and a rush deadline and some other exciting things, I just feel like I’m going a mile a minute.  I can hardly keep up!  It’s nice to know that tomorrow will be a relatively quiet day and it will involve lots of yummy food and hanging out with my family. For those interested in buying my ornaments, I have worked out a way to sell them that will work with everything else I have going on.  Tomorrow, an ornament trio (designed and handmade by me) will be the Wuslu Deal of the Day.  Here are the three that will be in the trio… The clear glass bulb filled with shredded antique sheet music (this one is filled

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Decorating

rescue remodel, ornaments & a gift

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we all appreciate our fire fighters.  They train and condition and prepare to put themselves in harm’s way when people need help.  Well, here’s a great opportunity to say “thank you” in a small way.   IKEA is partnering with The Family Handyman in sponsoring a contest for a $25,000 kitchen makeover for a deserving local fire department.  You can nominate your local firehouse for a chance to win. The entry page can be found here: http://www.rescueremodel.com/.  Please take a few minutes to nominate your local (or favorite) firehouse to give them the chance to win this awesome prize. I’ve received a lot of requests to buy some of my ornaments online and I really wanted to make that happen.  Here’s the deal…  last year, I opened it up to custom orders, made everything myself, packed them up and shipped them out.  It took a lot of time

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buying & selling antiques

Lucketts Holiday Open House

Yesterday was all about Lucketts. I went down there to get my room ready for the open house.  (Minus the sofa.  Poor Ruthie was up until 3:30am on Thursday working on that thing and just couldn’t make it to Lucketts in time, so she’s bringing it early tomorrow and will help me haul it up the stairs.  Talk about above and beyond.)  I did have some great help today, though, and we got the place looking sparkly and ready for Christmas.   OK, I have to explain this tree topper.  I know it’s ridiculous on that dinky tree.  I had planned on getting a lush, live tree, but it just wasn’t going to fit and the thought of dragging it up the steps and everything that was involved just didn’t seem worth it.  So, I pulled this little guy out of my basement and the paper star I had intended

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buying & selling antiques

shopping while hungry, snow & speculoos

You know the saying, “Never shop for groceries when you’re hungry.”  Well, I went “shopping while hungry” so to speak. My space at Lucketts was empty and I was pretty anxious about getting it stuffed to the gills for the holiday open house (November 4-6.)  Well, I shopped and sourced and scrounged and made bins and bins of ornaments and now the place is definitely stuffed.  Busting at the seams.  And I still have more at home.  I was planning on bringing in a live tree, but I think that will just take up too much space (I still have to fit a sofa somewhere in this space!)  So, I’m going to bring in the plastic slim tree from home.  Not exactly what I wanted, but it will fit a lot better. Here’s what the room looks like now…             All in all, I’m really

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fall & thanksgiving inspiration

The new issue of Cottages and Bungalows has hit newsstands, so I thought I would share a few pictures from my DIY Essentials column.  (Table settings are one of my favorites to photograph…) This month’s issue shares a tutorial on how to make an over sized chalkboard with a chunky frame.   (The piece is now for sale at Lucketts.  I wanted to keep it, but it didn’t fit my requirement of having a perfect place for it.  Bummer.)    I also have several new Thanksgiving/Fall galleries and tutorials available on HGTV.com, including a fall arrangement gallery…   …stenciled napkins… (Thanks so much to Laura of Maison de Stencils for making this custom stencil for me!) hand painted plates… custom trimmed table cloth…   and ideas for a Kid’s Thanksgiving Table.  I hope these projects and pictures get those wheels turning for fall decor.  Tomorrow, Mini and I are going down to

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2011 Ornaments

Mini Mustard Seed and I have been working hard to get lots of ornaments made for the Lucketts Holiday Open House (Nov. 4, 5 and 6.)  I’ve lost count of how many we have made, but it’s certainly in the hundreds.    That’s going to continue this week, but I’m also going to have to do some shopping, painting and upholstery work to get ready.  I’ve also had to do a lot of online ordering…clay tags, pillows, stockings, runners, ten pounds of glitter, ten yards of hemp fabric…  whew!  I also just spoke to a local tree farm today about getting a live tree at the end of October. They thought I was a little nutty, but they said they would give me a saw and I could take my pick.  Here’s a sneak peek of a couple of new ornaments in the line this year…  Of course I’ll have some

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Christmas & Halloween

Oh, yes I did. I’m writing about Christmas and Halloween in one post on October 2.   Welcome to my world.  As I’m getting ready for the Christmas open house at The Old Lucketts Store, it made me think of some of my favorite tutorials from last year.  Everyone went nuts over this ruffled linen Christmas tree skirt I made for HGTV.com.  Well, the tutorial is finally live, so you can make one on your own.  And the best news?  It’s no sew.  That’s right.  No sewing…at all…ever.  You can check out the full tutorial here.  To keep it budget friendly, linen can be purchased for $5.00/yard online.  You can also use a white cotton sheet to reduce the price even further.  I sell a lot of piece I make for HGTV.com after I turn the article in, but I kept this one for myself.  …and in case you’re wondering…yes, I

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pumpkins

…because sometimes it’s fun to just take some pictures. 

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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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