Decorating Archives | Page 35 of 135

Decorating

exercise to discover your style | living mood board

First of all, thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement yesterday! The Feels Like Home launch has been a success so far and I was beaming all day. Since more of you have the book now, I wanted to talk about one of the exercises in the book that I am particularly proud of – creating a living mood board to discover your unique style. There have been all sorts of quizzes and categories created over the decades to try to help people define their style and therefore be more focused and intentional when decorating their homes. I think those can be helpful (and fun), but most people don’t fit neatly into a category. We like and appreciate a mix of styles and the quiz results might vary greatly just depending on what we were exposed to and liking on that particular day. What we like

October 13, 2021 21 Comments

a slice of life

creamy chicken & wild rice soup recipe

Soups are definitely my specialty! I love that I can make a whole bunch at one time that will last for quick & tasty lunches and dinners throughout the week. I love they are healthy & hearty, even when you add a little bit of cream. Soups are just a win all-around for me. One of my favorite soups is creamy chicken & wild rice and this is the recipe I’ve used and tweaked over the years… I don’t even know how many pots of this creamy chicken & wild rice soup I’ve made! I just know that we’ve eaten it a lot over the past decade and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. The creamy broth makes it heartier and more flavorful than a chicken noodle soup, but the flavors are definitely nostalgic and perfect for snowy and sick days. ( I use.) When cooking this creamy chicken & wild rice

October 7, 2021 38 Comments

All Things Home

the antique post office register

As someone who enjoys unique antique finds and getting goodies in the mail, last week was a banner week! I received several highly anticipated packages (I’ll share about those in other posts) and I made a trip to one of my favorite local consignment shops to pick up a vintage pond yacht I spotted and reserved on their Instagram stories. Of course, while I was in the shop, I needed to take a look around and just a few steps in the door, I knew I was leaving with more than just the pond yacht when I spotted this amazing antique post office register… I had a silent dialogue with myself of how I didn’t really need this piece and I wasn’t even sure if I had room for it in my studio. But, the price was so good for such a unique, quality piece ($228) and all of the

October 4, 2021 41 Comments

Decorating

making a beautiful, comfortable bed with brooklinen

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Brooklinen. As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. Use promo code MUSTARDSEED to get $20 off your Brooklinen order of over $100. I was having a conversation with one of my good friends a couple of weeks ago and she shared that she just bought all new bedding. It was a splurge, a deliberate investment in herself and her sleep after a particularly trying couple of years. When I got off the phone with her, I thought, good for you. We often overlook pampering ourselves by making sure our bed is comfortable and inviting. I’ve learned the value of good bedding over the past few years and it’s become a non-negotiable to me. It goes beyond decorating and aesthetics because sleep is so vital to our physical and mental health, our mood, productivity, and creativity. We spend 1/3 of our

September 28, 2021 22 Comments

Decorating

family room makeover | painted fireplace surround

I finally made some more progress on the basement family room makeover in the latter part of last week. Jeff helped me hang the deer head and I finished painting the fireplace surround and mantel. It didn’t look bad before, but it just didn’t look like “me.” The shiny black granite tile specifically felt a little too modern for my aesthetic. So, I used the same technique I used when painting the granite tile around the fireplace upstairs. (You can find that tutorial HERE.) And, it works so much better for the decorating direction I’m heading. Here is how it looked before… The walls are painted in Oval Room Blue, Modern Emulsion finish by Farrow & Ball from Dreamy Whites. I used a tinted to Oval Room Blue to prime the fireplace surround and the tile. Once that fully dried over three weeks or so (I’m being facetious because I

September 27, 2021 56 Comments

a slice of life

potato corn soup with dill

I am an unashamed soup lover. I don’t know why anyone would be ashamed of that, but I definitely am not. I think my love of soup started when we went to a family conference in Switzerland and they served the most wonderful pureed soups. I had no idea what was in them, but I loved every bowl. I wish I had the recipes for those! Anyway, I also love that I can make one big pot of soup over the weekend and we have quick, healthy, and easy dinners ready to reheat. Today, I’m sharing a new favorite -potato corn soup with dill. This soup recipe came from a weekly special soup we get from a local market. Jeff stops into the Food Co-Op pretty regularly just to scope out their soups. He loves their chicken artichoke soup and clam chowder. My favorite is the potato corn soup with

September 16, 2021 39 Comments

Art Supplies

back-to-school supplies for mom

Back-to-school is such an exciting time. We make sure the pants are not high-waters, everyone gets a new pair of shoes, and we get to go shopping for pens, pencils, notebooks, and hand sanitizer. But, we also need to take a minute to acknowledge that it’s such a hard time for moms. The house is so quiet and clean and there isn’t anything to do but sit around and be sad until your kids come bounding home from school, ready to eat a snack the size of a meal. It’s just a really rough time and moms deserve some consolation goodies to fill up that quiet, clean hole her kids leave in the house all day. When we get the boys’ supplies ready for back-to-school, we take an inventory of things we already have and then shop for the things that aren’t crossed off the list. Moms are exempt from

September 14, 2021 30 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

start where you’ll start

There’s a popular saying, “Start where you are.” I’d like to tweak that a little bit. Start where you’ll start. That has been the answer I’ve given several different people over the past few weeks who have asked me a variety of questions. “We just moved into a new house and I’m not sure where to start decorating. Where do you suggest starting?” There are a few different places you could start depending on the house and your situation. Obviously, time, finances, and the bandwidth of life all play into working on a house. So, here are a few possibilities… Start where it’s easiest – the room feels like it would take the shortest amount of time to finish. You already have most of the components of the room and finishing it would be relatively quick and low cost. Start where you have the clearest vision. Sometimes we know exactly

September 13, 2021 9 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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Decorating

exercise to discover your style | living mood board

creamy chicken & wild rice soup recipe

the antique post office register

making a beautiful, comfortable bed with brooklinen

family room makeover | painted fireplace surround

potato corn soup with dill

back-to-school supplies for mom

start where you’ll start

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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