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Decorating

All Things Home

christmas decorating begins & other things

The past couple of years, I have reserved Christmas decorating for myself and my family.  I shared what I did on my blog, but I wasn’t doing things just to blog about them. I needed it after years of Christmas going until February (due to photo shoots), circling back again in April (for freelance projects), and making an early appearance in September (for retail.)  By the time December rolled around, I was, quite unfortunately, weary of Christmas.  I have always loved the Christmas season and decorating for it, but having it so intertwined with work sucked some of the joy out of it.  (Sort of like the years I spent working at Disney.  It’s a magical place, but it becomes slightly less so when you see the underbelly of it all.) The past couple of years have really helped bring back the joy.  Kriste & I “played hooky” from work

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All Things Home

a goat bell for a horse

When I was out shopping last week, I found a little goat bell.  It was inexpensive, I think $4.00, so I picked it up.  I initially envisioned using it as a Christmas decoration, with some evergreens, etc., making it into a small wreath. The leather was really dry, but a little Hemp Oil hydrated it and made it pliable again. As soon as I finished photographing the bell, a thought hit me…  I bet this would fit on my rocking horse!  How cute would that be? And sure enough, it’s a perfect fit. I will add some live greens to make it a bit more festive for Christmas, but I love it as it is, too. Some things are just meant to be… For details on the horse and how I painted it, check out THIS POST.

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All Things Home

latest hgtv.com projects

Well, I’ll be heading out to Montana on Friday to attend and teach a MMS Milk Paint demo the Vintage Whites Market!  I went to one of their events in Colorado earlier this year and it was such a great time, so I was thrilled to be invited again.  And, I must admit, I am equally excited about just going to Montana. I’ve wanted to go since I was 15 years old and watched the movie A River Runs Through It.  That maybe had more to do with Brad Pitt and the beautiful cinematography, but I finally get to go check out the state that has been romanticized in my head for over 20 years.  We’re literally flying there and flying right back out, but I’ll soak up what I can while I’m there.  If you’re in the Kalispell area this Saturday (November 12, 2016) stop in and say hello! Before I head

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All Things Home

Faux Fur in Winter Decor

Faux fur has been in decor for a while, but I have to admit that I was never really drawn to it.  The main reason, and this is probably a little silly, is that it always looked and felt Muppet-ish to me.  You know what I mean?  It felt matted and like polyester, not sumptuous and silky. Well, I’m finally coming around.  Either faux fur has come a long way or I’ve finally been exposed to the good faux fur that’s been out there for a while. When I was looking at dog beds for Sebastian, I surprised myself that I was drawn to the Ivory Alpaca Faux Fur Pet Bed from Pottery Barn.  It just looked so inviting!  Jeff joked that I was shopping for a dog bed for myself.  What else do I have to base the buying decision on except for what I think will look comfortable? And it’s soft

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All Things Home

White & Wood Winter Table | $100 HomeGoods Giveaway

The Farmhouse Holiday Decor Series is back and today I’m sharing a winter tablescape.  I’m not quite ready to break out the Christmas decorations, especially since I use a lot of fresh greenery, but I like the idea of a festive winter table to fill in that decorating gap. This week’s “theme”, a holiday/Christmas tablescape, was sponsored by HomeGoods, so I drove out to the nearest one with my mom last week to stroll the aisles and pick up some goodies.  Now, when I go to HomeGoods, I need to carve out at least a couple of hours.  There is no “popping into HomeGoods real quick.”  That just isn’t possible for me.  It may be because I don’t live very close to one, but, more likely, it’s because it’s a place I need to really comb through to make sure I don’t miss anything. I had a few things unrelated to this post that

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All Things Home

farmhouse-style dog bed cover

Earlier this week, I took some time to design and make a dog bed cover for a freelance project.  I’ve been doing a lot of desk work lately and not a lot of making, so it was nice to get on the floor, cut & stitch, and see flat fabric take some shape. I used an old tablecloth and some mattress ticking, both from my stash, to make the cover that fit over a standard size inexpensive dog bed.  I come up with some of my favorite projects when I’m just winging it as I go and that was definitely the case with this one! This one was simple, but I think it looks a bit fancier because of the two different fabrics and the addition of the ties.  It really is just an oversize pillowcase, though! Sebastian plopped on it right away, but he kept facing the wrong direction, walking over

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All Things Home

the great debate | to paint or not to paint

Right off the bat, let me say that I don’t ever mind my readers sharing their opinions here.  Unless someone is being downright nasty on a personal level, which is rare, it doesn’t bother me if someone disagrees with a decorating decision I make or they don’t like something I made, bought, etc.  If ever I do feel ruffled, I figure that I probably wouldn’t like every single decorating decision they make, either, and that makes me smile.  We’re all different and that’s okay. I’ve grown a relatively thick skin over the years and sometimes even find the constructive critiques to be very helpful and thought provoking.  Sometimes they change my mind and sometimes they make me even more certain of my decision. All of the varying opinions shared on my newly acquired art cabinet made me think about the process of deciding if a piece should be painted.  Well, maybe not

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All Things Home

Which comes first | how to avoid decorating regret

One of the projects I’ve been working on lately has me thinking a lot about the design process, specifically as it relates to putting a room together and how to avoid decorating regret.  I’ve been pondering the order in which choices and purchases should be made and I’ve realized that most people, including myself at times, go about putting a room together entirely backward. Think about it with me…  You’ve been browsing the internet or flipping through decorating magazines or perhaps binge-watching your favorite design show and now you’re ready to tackle your room.  It’s time for a makeover!  What do you immediately do? I think it’s fair to say that most people pick a paint color. Right? You pick out paint chips and paint swatches on the wall and the room makeover has begun!  I think we all go straight for the walls because it’s the easiest, biggest bang

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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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