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Decorating

All Things Home

latest HGTV.com tutorials…

I’ve been cramming a lot of work into just a few weeks and I’ve only shared a part of it here on the blog.  It’s just the way deadlines, events, trips and things in my schedule stacked up, but I have one more big thing to get through and then my schedule opens up a bit.  Of course, I’m already planning to schedule more workshops and there are a few new projects I’d like to get off the ground, but I feel like I can go at my own pace.  How busy I am will be self-imposed! So, today I thought I would share a preview of some of the other things I’ve been working on as I was getting ready for Lucketts.  It was Christmas in the studio as Kriste and I worked on projects for HGTV.com‘s Christmas in July series… And Jeff and I wrote a tutorial on how to make

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All Things Home

decorating with plants | design ramblings

Yes, I know it’s not Friday, our usual Design Ramblings day, but our week was pretty out-of-whack with our trip to Wisconsin!  I was planning to edit and post the video on Friday, but… 1.) I was totally exhausted and had a 4:30 wake-up call the next morning, 2.) iMovie wasn’t launching, and 3.) I was using my hotspot, which isn’t high speed enough to upload a 1080p video to YouTube.  So, it didn’t happen.  I’m back home now and was able to get some rest, get iMovie working, and I have my lightning-fast WiFi again! We were hoping to film a Design Ramblings or two on our trip, but we weren’t sure what the topic would be.  As soon as we saw our host’s home, we knew.  Brenda, of Harvest Home, has an amazing gift with plants and plant decor.  She doesn’t just take good care of them, so

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Decorating

design ramblings | decorating with plants

Yes, I know it’s not Friday, our usual Design Ramblings day, but our week was pretty out-of-whack with our trip to Wisconsin!  I was planning to edit and post the video on Friday, but… 1.) I was totally exhausted and had a 4:30 wake-up call the next morning, 2.) iMovie wasn’t launching, and 3.) I was using my hotspot, which isn’t high speed enough to upload a 1080p video to You Tube.  So, it didn’t happen.  I’m back home now and was able to get some rest, get iMovie working, and I have my lightening-fast WiFi again! We were hoping to film a Design Ramblings or two on our trip, but we weren’t sure what the topic would be.  As soon as we saw our host’s home, we knew.  Brenda, of Harvest Home, has an amazing gift with plants.  She doesn’t just take good care of them, so they thrive,

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All Things Home

learning to garden | tips for beginners like me

Let me start off by saying that I have never been a gardener.  I would look with envy at beautiful yards, edged, green, blossoming, arranged in wild perfection.  I never “got” gardening.  It was too unpredictable and high maintenance and required too much patience for me. When you drove up to our house, it was pretty evident that we were “inside people” and I always felt like I needed to preface our house with, “just wait until you get inside…”  When we put our house on the market last year, our realtor felt the same way.  She put out an “I’m Beautiful Inside” sign in the yard.  That’s realtor speak for, “It’s gets better once you walk through the front door.  Don’t pay attention to the pathetic attempt at flower boxes, the overgrown bushes and the bald spots in the grass.” As we’re nearing the completion of the inside of the

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All Things Home

design ramblings | shopping antique markets

We took the opportunity when we were at Lucketts to film a Design Ramblings “on location”. It was a little distracting, but it was really fun.  We had people waving and making comments from behind the camera and the band started playing…  I think we got some good information in there, though! I think the biggest thing Kriste and I tried to communicate amid the distracting environment, was to buy only what you really, really love.  You never know what you’re going to find at antique markets, so you have to make spur of the moment decisions when you see something that speaks to you.  That can often result in feeling pressured to buy, because “you might never find something like it again.”  I’ve bought and sold enough antiques to know there are some pieces like that, but it’s rare that a piece is so unique you’ll never find something

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All Things Home

and at the house…

While all of the preparation for Lucketts has been going on, I’ve been working some on my house for an upcoming photo shoot as well.  (And 10 Christmas freelance articles, but that’s for another post.)  April and May are just busy months for me, as I’m sure they are for many of you as well.  It’s just how things stack up and it seems to happen this way every year.  So, we buckle down and push hard, knowing it’s just for a few weeks and then things will get back to a more manageable pace. I think spring is pushing along my desire to feather my nest, despite the pressing to-do list for work.  I have never been much of a gardener, but I think it’s because I never really put forth the effort.  I’m really trying this year…inside and outside the house.  I’ve brought in a few live plants

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All Things Home

design ramblings | decorating with vintage linens

When I was first married, I meandered into an antique store that was tucked behind a grocery store in the town where we lived.  I had never been in an antique store as an adult, buying things for my home.  I realized within minutes that I had found my kind of place.  The very first thing I bought was an antique piece of linen and my love for old textiles has never waned. I now use vintage and antique quilts, pillow cases, grain sacks, tea towels, tablecloths, napkins, coverlets, bedspreads and even petticoats all over my house. In this episode of Design Ramblings, we chat about buying, using, and decorating with vintage linens… I love my work, but we’ve been pushing really hard to get things done for Lucketts and I am so ready for the weekend.  I need some good sleep and a couple of days where I don’t feel like

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All Things Home

design ramblings |episode 18 | succulents

I turned the camera on and pressed record before Kriste and I even knew what we were going to talk about.  Kriste suggested something spring-related.  Something about flowers…  I chimed in, “Let’s talk about succulents.” So, that’s what we rambled about this week… (In case you haven’t been watching to the end of the videos, I’ve been putting the “bloopers” at the end instead of in a separate video.  Just an FYI for those who like that sort of thing.) Anyway, I know in the video, I was scratching my head a bit at succulents in wedding bouquets, but then I did a search on Pinterest for some and saw beautiful examples and I can see why it’s a trend.  Here’s one I thought was especially striking… photo source: Brandon Kidd Photography I think I like them when they are paired with flowers that are more delicate and feminine.  I also

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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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