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Decorating
Decorating

Getting a Tree & Style Update

Today we went to pick out our Christmas tree at the local tree farm where we have bought our trees for the past few years.  It was a chilly day, so we strolled through the open barn looking over the lineup of 8 ft+ trees.  One caught my eye.  It was tall and looked perfect.  Confident in my ability to pick out an amazing tree, I went over to buy some garland while the tree I selected in about 10 seconds was wrapped and strapped to the top of our van.  When we got home, my husband trimmed the lower branches and we put it in the stand and put it in place. Hm.  It looked a bit thinner than I remembered and there were some big holes in the shape of it.  Plus, the branches point more up than out.  Did I really pick that tree?!   Yep.  I did.  Well,

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December 8, 2013 54 Comments
Decorating

Tara’s Questions, My Answers

I receive a lot of questions through e-mail and various social media outlets wondering everything from where I bought something to how I did something to how I deal with something else.  Most of the time I answer those questions individually, but I thought I probably should answer a few more of those publicly to benefit everyone.  Plus, it gives me good blog material!  So, I thought I would share excerpts from an e-mail I received a few days ago.  A lovely lady named Tara sent me this… “I have two sons, two dogs and a husband, all male.  I am overwhelmed with male-ish-ness. I love your interiors but they are. . . well, feminine. My sons are 12 and 15. I’m 40, my DH is 45 and after all the time and experiences under my belt, I have to ask – how do you keep your menfolk feeling comfortable

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December 3, 2013 No Comments
Decorating

sofagallery

I receive a lot of questions through e-mail and various social media outlets wondering everything from where I bought something to how I did something to how I deal with something else.  Most of the time I answer those questions individually, but I thought I probably should answer a few more of those publicly to benefit everyone.  Plus, it gives me good blog material!  So, I thought I would share excerpts from an e-mail I received a few days ago.  A lovely lady named Tara sent me this… “I have two sons, two dogs and a husband, all male.  I am overwhelmed with male-ish-ness. I love your interiors but they are. . . well, feminine. My sons are 12 and 15. I’m 40, my DH is 45 and after all the time and experiences under my belt, I have to ask – how do you keep your menfolk feeling comfortable

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December 2, 2013 72 Comments
Decorating

Christmas Inspiration

Over the past few years, decorating for Christmas has been mostly about work.  That sounds terrible, because I love Christmas, but with a blog, freelance writing jobs, magazine shoots and a retail space, Christmas started in September, ended in February and often sprang up in July or some other random month.  By the time it was really Christmas, I was sort of Christmased out.  This is the first year that I have nothing going on.  No articles.  No retail space.  No magazine shoots.  While all of those things are an exciting and a fun part of my business, it’s sort of nice knowing that decorating for Christmas will just be about my family and decorating for us.  Yes, I’ll share pictures on the blog, but that’s not what it’s about. So, I’m looking at holiday decorating with a fresh perspective and excitement this year.  I look forward setting up a

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November 30, 2013 19 Comments
Decorating

diningroomgallery

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed a lot of furniture and accessories coming and going.  You may watch that and think something like, “Well, of course she can do that!  She’s an antiques dealer and a blogger and all of that is a part of her business, but what am I supposed to do?” Yes, the fact that I buy and sell things as a part of my business makes it much easier to try out new pieces of furniture in my home.  The fact that I am a blogger and get a lot of things for free or discounted in exchange for advertising does give me a lot more options, but I’ve been playing this same home decorating game for almost 15 years.  Long before I did this professionally, before I traded for cool stuff from great companies and before I had

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November 27, 2013 41 Comments
Decorating

resetting & trading up

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed a lot of furniture and accessories coming and going.  You may watch that and think something like, “Well, of course she can do that!  She’s an antiques dealer and a blogger and all of that is a part of her business, but what am I supposed to do?” Yes, the fact that I buy and sell things as a part of my business makes it much easier to try out new pieces of furniture in my home.  The fact that I am a blogger and get a lot of things for free or discounted in exchange for advertising does give me a lot more options, but I’ve been playing this same home decorating game for almost 15 years.  Long before I did this professionally, before I traded for cool stuff from great companies and before I had

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November 27, 2013 No Comments
Decorating

Inspiration in Charlottesville

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I really needed to step away from my house for a while.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed by indecisiveness and was falling asleep with thoughts of rugs and fabrics bouncing around in my head.  It’s just decorating, Marian.  Good grief.  Step away from the room.  It just so happens that my husband had already planned to sweep me away to Charlottesville, VA for some down time.  He picked out where we stayed and he picked a winner. While I wanted and needed to step away from decorating, inspiration seemed to find me anyway.  (I just can’t turn that part of my brain off.)  I especially loved this room.  The trimwork is very similar to something I want to do in my family room and I loved the neutral jute rug. And I love all of the furniture with worn paint

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November 23, 2013 44 Comments
Decorating

Time for a reset & second chances

So, after reading all of the opinions I solicited about my family room, I wrote a post about my thoughts and plans.  The post turned into a rather disjointed mess-of-a-conversation with myself about the room and the direction I’m heading.  I went to sleep thinking about rugs and fabrics and paint colors and furniture arrangements.  I woke up this morning and started rolling up rugs and stared at the room with my head cocked slightly at an angle, thumb on my chin, pointer finger resting on my nose, tapping occasionally as I lulled around the space.  I then realized a couple of things… First of all, I need to just step away from the room for a few days, which I am fortunately doing.  My husband and I are taking a mini-vacation to Charlottesville, VA for some hiking, good food and to tour Monticello and walk around the beautiful UVA

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November 21, 2013 45 Comments

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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