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Decorating

Decorating

Evolution of our Kitchen Makeover

Now that we’ve been living in our home in Minnesota for four years, I thought I would share how some of the rooms have evolved since we moved in.  I did an “evolution” series on my last home (you can see the kitchen evolution post of our previous home HERE) and received so many great comments and feedback in response.  It was fun for readers to see the transformation all in one place while also appreciating how long a real-world makeover can take.  Some rooms come together quickly, but most rooms in most homes just evolve over the years.  Room makeovers aren’t really a before and after, but more of a then and now.  They will continue to be dynamic and evolve.  So, here is our kitchen makeover as it happened over the past four years. This photo was taken the very first day we were in the house.  (You

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All Things Home

basement family room makeover | 1800’s chandelier

Nothing quite says “relaxed basement family room” like an 1800’s chandelier dripping with crystals.  Am I right or am I right? Okay, not really.  In fact, when I shared the very meticulous sketch for this particular area of the family room, I drew out what is clearly a lantern-style light fixture.  Not an 1800’s crystal chandelier. Clearly, a lantern fixture. Buuuut, I looked around online for a lantern-style light fixture I loved quite thoroughly and they were either more than I wanted to pay or not quite the look/style I imagined.  A couple of weeks ago, I shared this quote from on Instagram … I actually had a chandelier and I hadn’t even thought of using it! The main reason I hadn’t thought of using it is it wasn’t what I envisioned.  And, it seemed like sort of a crazy idea to try it.  Those of you who have followed

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All Things Home

four years…

July 24, 2021, was the four-year anniversary of the day we moved into our house in Rochester, Minnesota!  It was a whirlwind move that truly was an incredible story (you can read about it HERE.) On our first night in the new house, we just had the contents of our vehicles, a few new purchases (like a carpet cleaner), and some borrowed air mattresses.  All of our furniture was set to arrive the following day and not be fully unloaded until the weekend, so there was a lot of sitting on the floor or standing around bar when it came time to eat.  The tricky think about eating on the floor with a dog in the house is that he thinks the food is fair game!  So, for our first dinner, we ordered Fazoli’s (Italian fast food) and sat out on our deck to eat. We picked Fazoli’s because it

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All Things Home

basement family room makeover | the stairs

After reviewing a lot of your feedback on Monday’s post and thinking about it a bit more, I am pretty sure I know the direction I’m going to go with painting the trim in the basement family room.  Again, the good news is there is no rush and I can take it one step at a time, changing my mind as I go.  Thank you for all of your feedback, though.  It was all helpful! Speaking of changing my mind, I actually returned the checked curtains I bought from Target.  are the curtains I got… I don’t have any complaints about them.  They are great curtains for the price, the fabric looked good in the room, the size was right, etc.  I just wasn’t feeling them.  They seemed a little too light for the look I was going for.  I have some blue linen that I have draped from the

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All Things Home

Basement Family Room Makeover | Priming & Painting the Walls

I made some more progress on the basement family room makeover late last week and over the weekend.  It’s feeling good to see it come together, little by little. The first thing I did is I played around a little bit more with things I already had.  We’ve decided that we do like the arrangement of wing chairs, so I’m going to be on the hunt for a round pedestal table and a chandelier to hang over the table.  I had a dry sink that belonged to my Opa that was displaced in the furniture shuffle, so I tried it just to the right of the stairs.  I added a mirror and lamp from my stash and some old chairs from our last kitchen table (they belonged to Jeff’s grandparents.)  The vacuum, of course, balances out the arrangement. I would paint the dry sink, but the scale of everything is

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All Things Home

basement progress | removing & rearranging

Progress in the basement is slow and steady, which is becoming the norm for me when it comes to large projects.  I’ve learned the power of chipping away at something instead of tackling it all in one shot.  It removes so much of the overwhelm and it forces me to be more methodical with each step.  Instead of pushing through to get something done, I can take slow and careful steps, reassessing all along the way.  While it drags the project out, it does so in a way that is beneficial and I think the end result will be better for it.  I will say, though, it is against my nature.  I’m generally impatient and just want to check it off the list.  But, I’m getting a little older, a little wiser, and definitely a little slower! In the basement, we’ve been putting in about 30-60 minutes of work each

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All Things Home

painted klompen shoes

When I organized the basement storage room, I made a use-it-or-lose-it pile.  I have been holding onto some decor pieces since before we moved and if they’ve been in a box, closet, or basement for 4+ years, then it’s time to either find a good spot for it or let it go.  The whole point of decor pieces is to be decorative!  They are not doing anyone any good if they are in a storage room.  Making some self-imposed rules and boundaries can sometimes sound silly, but they can be very helpful if you’re willing to be bossy and firm with yourself.  Creating this use-it-or-lose-it rule finally gave me the push to give these vintage painted klompen shoes a makeover. The small pair is a souvenir pair that we picked up somewhere…I’m not even sure where or when.  I just remember having them since I was a girl.  I would

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All Things Home

Feels Like Home | Work Spaces Chapter Preview

I’ve shared that the process of writing my new book, , was an easy one.  I mean, it was a lot of work, but it was one of those projects that felt life-giving.  It was exciting and fulfilling.  The words came easily and I was practically giddy during the photoshoots.  It was good work and maybe some of my best work. The hardest part of this process has been the waiting; waiting for September 7, 2021, to finally arrive so the book can be out in the world.  It’s a long breath of anticipation that happens between the creative work and getting to experience the results – to physically hold the book and to receive feedback from more than just a handful of select people who have seen it digitally. But, the official book launch is just eight weeks away, which will be here before we all know it.  Until

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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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