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Decorating

a slice of life

soup recipe round-up

If you follow my Instagram stories, you know that I make soup almost every weekend.  We usually have it for an easy dinner on Sunday and then I’ll put the leftovers in jars to eat for lunches and quick dinners through the week.  Since we’re heading into soup season, I thought I would do a soup recipe round-up to share some of the regulars in our soup rotation… (Click on the soup titles to go to the post with the full, printable recipe.) Baked Potato Soup Recipe This one is a classic potato soup recipe that I’ve been making for over 15 years.  Believe it or not, I used to substitute teach, and one day a volunteer brought in a crockpot of this soup.  I asked for the recipe the next time I saw her and this is it.  It’s definitely the richest soup in the round-up, so it’s a

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All Things Home

the great Christmas decorating debate

I think this debate has been happening for decades, but it’s been taken to the public forum of social media over the past few years, so it feels like more of a “thing.”  When should you decorate for Christmas?  There is the “pull out all of the decorations when the clock strikes midnight on Halloween” crowd on one end and the “don’t decorate until December 23” on the other end.  I think most people fall somewhere in the middle…starting the Christmas decorating between a few days before Thanksgiving through early December.  In my house growing up, we had to wait until Thanksgiving.  No matter how much I pleaded and begged to put the tree up and usher in Christmas a little earlier, we waited until Thanksgiving and I carried that into adulthood. 2018 Christmas living room When I started my business, though, that changed.  Christmas decorating was dictated by the

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All Things Home

reassessing the art studio

Every once in a while, I have to reaccess my art studio and how it functions.  For while, I have felt like I needed more flat work surfaces.  My primary work surfaces are tilted (the easel and the drafting table) and I just have the flat surface of my desk.  I found myself wishing the back wall of my studio was just about two or three feet wider, so I would have plenty of room to add a generously-sized, counter-height island right in the middle.  But, moving walls is complicated and expensive, so that will remain a wish and a note for any future studio. I decided to set my so it was level and used it like that for much of the week.  I think I would miss having the table titled, though, which I use for sketching and watercolor.  It’s not too hard to adjust, but it does

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All Things Home

antique pine chest in the foyer

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week!  We are having some warm, sunny days this week, so that’s giving me lots of energy to be productive and creative.  I’m also looking forward to traveling east to visit our families (it’s been way too long since we’ve been to PA and NC) and the entire holiday season.  I have some fun Christmas projects I’ll be working on to share over the next few weeks.  Before we get to Christmas, though, I wanted to share about a small change I made in the foyer.  When the antique pine chest was displaced as Jeff’s nightstand, I decided to try it in the foyer. Right away, both Jeff and my mom said it was too big and I should keep the bench that had been there for a couple of years.  The bench worked…it was okay, but I loved the idea of having

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All Things Home

five things | budget decorating for Christmas

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited about decorating for Christmas this year!  I think it’s, in large part, due to the fact that I wasn’t able to fully decorate for Christmas last year due to my healing shoulder.  Everything was harder and took twice as long, so I did a lot less.  I think I can also attribute the anticipation to the fact that we’ve done so many home projects this year and I’m looking forward to seeing my “new rooms” decked out for the holidays.  I know, for some people, it’s completely annoying to even mention Christmas before Thanksgiving, but the stores are already filling the shelves with their Christmas decor and the holiday magazines are already on the stands.  It’s just time to start thinking about it and planning for it (but I assure you all of these photos are from past Christmases. )

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All Things Home

how I manage home decorating/renovation projects

A few weeks ago, I received this e-mail from a reader and I thought I would share it along with the answer to how I manage my home renovation projects.  Here is an excerpt from the e-mail… “I know you’re extremely busy, but if you haven’t already done so, I would really love to see a blog post on how you arrive at your project list(s).  Do you sit in a room and add everything that ever needs to be done, and then add more as things come up?  Or do you just start a running list as ideas come to you?  Do you keep track by project (i.e., everything that needs to be painted), or by room?  How do you decide what gets moved up and down on the list?  How do you resolve competing priorities for projects including decisions re: resources (money, time, motivation)?” Now that I have

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All Things Home

diy art | framing old pieces of paper

I sometimes think we overcomplicate things when it comes to decorating.  I’m included in that statement!  We think we need to buy new things and update along with the trends, but we really don’t.  Decorating can and should be a simple, joy-filled process.  It should be a journey of learning how to represent yourself and your story through your choices (I’m including other members of the household in that.)  A significant part of telling your story is being particular and intentional about what is framed and displayed as art.  Each piece is ideally personal and unique to you.  And the best way to do that is to create your own DIY art. This isn’t DIY art in the sense of getting out the paints and brushes, so don’t get scared if you don’t consider yourself artistic.  This is DIY art that is about unearthing and displaying things that literally tell

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All Things Home

organizing the sewing room closet | plus tips

As tidy as I am, there are spaces in my house that get out of control or have never been organized properly since we moved in.  Such was the case with the closet in my sewing room and it was time I got around to organizing it. I will say right up front that it’s amazing to have an entire spare room that I can take over for sewing and upholstery supplies, my fabric stash, sewing machines, etc.  We really didn’t need this extra bedroom, but I will take and utilize it!  It’s also become the “cat room” and we keep one of their scratchers as well as their litter box in here. The closet in the sewing room has been problematic when it comes to organizing since we moved in because it’s configured for clothes (understandably), not for sewing and upholstery supplies.  I have planned on building shelves in

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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