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Decorating
All Things Home

five things | the best decorating bargains in my house

I received a comment last week where a reader shared that she felt like she would never own things that were as beautiful as those that are in my house because her decorating budget was limited.  First of all, I wanted to reach through the computer and give her a hug.  I was thankful for her honesty and openness.  I was also thankful for the fact that I knew exactly how she felt.  I’ve shared many times over the years on this blog that I know how frustrating and discouraging it can be to have a non-existent budget to put towards your creative outlet and customizing your home.  I remember looking wistfully at decorating books and magazines, feeling more discouraged than inspired.  But even though I have a bigger budget now, I still love decorating bargains. Working as an antique’s dealer for almost 10 years and home blogger for over

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August 25, 2020 80 Comments
All Things Home

antique-style mirrors for the master bedroom

It only took a couple of years, but I finally found a pair of antique-style mirrors that I love for the master bedroom!  I envisioned mirrors there since we got our king-sized bed, but I was really hoping to find a matching (or somewhat matching) pair of antique mirrors.  I’ve hunted all over the place…at antique stores, markets, online, and even when we were in Europe.  I found a lot of beautiful mirrors, but not ones that were the right size, shape, and finish.  It was also very difficult to find a pair and ones that weren’t really expensive. So, I watched and waited and I hung some things up temporarily and occasionally leaned mirrors up to get a visual. I actually found a pair of wood-framed mirrors (very similar in style to the one leaning on the dresser at ), but that was right when the stay-at-home order passed

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August 24, 2020 No Comments
All Things Home

makeover in a month | blue and white wallpaper in the home office

Welcome to part three of the Makeover in a Month series with Leslie of My 100-Year-Old Home,   Melissa of The Inspired Room,  and KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms.  Just as it sounds, we’re each giving one room a makeover in a month!  I’ve been working on adding more layers and detail to my home office.  It hasn’t been a total overhaul, but building on what was already there to make it a bit more interesting.  I started by adding 2/3-height paneling and slipcovering my desk chair and now I’m hanging this charming blue and white wallpaper above the paneling. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I had a bit of a decorating meltdown over this decision.  I wasn’t crying over a pint of ice cream or anything, but I became paralyzed when I second-guessed myself.  Should I paint the paneling a color?  Is white too boring and predictable?  Would the wallpaper be

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August 20, 2020 85 Comments
All Things Home

fluffing up faux boxwood topiaries

I have been looking for a pair of faux topiaries to put in the living room ever since I styled a couple of photos with these live ones.  I wish I could keep these perpetually alive and beautiful in this room, but there just isn’t enough natural light to keep them happy.  Finding faux boxwood topiaries were going to be the best option. While my mom and I were at Hobby Lobby, I found a pair of faux boxwood topiaries that were pretty perfect.  I like the pots, the size and scale was just what I wanted and I even liked the spiral shape.  I wouldn’t say that they look real, but they look nice.  The problem is that one of them had some issues.  It was about two inches shorter than the other one and had clumps missing.  The price for that one was reduced, so I decided to

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August 19, 2020 26 Comments
All Things Home

painted granite fireplace surround reveal

If you missed the full tutorial on the painted granite fireplace surround, you can find it HERE.  I almost didn’t take pictures along the way, because I wasn’t sure if it was going to work!  I’m so glad I took the time to document it, though, because it turned out great. Here is how the fireplace surround looked before… …and here is how it looks now!  I’m sure you noticed that we also put in hardwood floors and we’re in the middle of building a faux coffered ceiling. I am absolutely over the moon with how it turned out!  It was a relatively quick and easy process and I was able to complete the project entirely with products I already had on hand for other projects, so it was free to me.  If you had to purchase the materials, it would cost around $120 with lots of leftover paint and

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August 18, 2020 42 Comments
All Things Home

how to paint a granite fireplace surround

One of the downsides to buying a house that is new-ish and in nice condition is that it’s hard to rip out and replace things that are perfectly nice.  In the other homes we’ve owned, I’ve been able to take the approach of “we can’t make it any worse, so let’s just go for it!”  In this house, we can make things worse and also make them look cheap and shoddy in comparison to the quality of the home.  So, I was hesitant to do any sort of DIY treatment to the granite fireplace surround in the living room.  There was nothing wrong with it, but it just wasn’t my taste.  I can’t tell you how much research I’ve done over the past three years on how to paint a granite fireplace surround before I finally took the plunge! I wasn’t even sure I wanted to paint it, so I

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August 17, 2020 33 Comments
All Things Home

makeover in a month | slipcovered desk chair

If you missed part one of the Makeover in a Month series, where we installed and painted paneling, you can catch up HERE.  In this post, I’m continuing my office makeover by sharing my slipcovered desk chair. If you’re observant, you may have noticed that a few desk chairs have come and gone from my workspaces over the years.  I have a terrible time finding one that is comfortable, but doesn’t look like something from the set of Star Trek.  The vintage-style desk chair that is comfortable for long days on the computer has been elusive.  It’s been a struggle that has resulted in purchasing and passing along half a dozen desk chairs over the years.  The bright side is that my kids are always excited to claim my latest reject! When Jeff and I both had to work from home and I was sitting in my studio chair all

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August 14, 2020 29 Comments
a slice of life

the work of gardening gnomes & painting peonies

My typical gardening routine each year is to start enthusiastically and then fizzle out as the weather gets hot and beds are overwhelmed with weeds.  A part of that is I was battling beds filled with rocks, deteriorating weed-blocking fabric, and plants I didn’t like.  There wasn’t a lot of incentive to care for it until we did an overhaul.  This spring, we did a complete overhaul of the beds.  It was a lot of work, but I’m enjoying gardening so much more now that I’m tending to plants that I like and we addressed some of the problem areas. We’ve even been giving our grass more attention! You can see how our garden beds have progressed in these posts… Front Garden Reveal Tending to the Back & Side Gardens (before & afters) Patio Makeover Reveal We planted a bunch of Annabelle Hydrangeas, I split and relocated some hostas, and

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August 10, 2020 26 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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