Order Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

order the Book
Facebook Instagram Youtube Tiktok

All Things Home
All Things Home

picture frame molding tutorial

While my mom was here, the biggest job on our project to-do list was wallpapering the guest room.  I was planning on installing the chair rail as a part of that, but I was going to stop there and work on the picture frame/box molding with Jeff.  He’s the real woodworker in our family and he is much more detail-oriented than I am. Plus, there’s the math. But once we got the wallpaper done and the room was looking so good, we didn’t want to stop.  I decided to just go for it.  I’ve done other types of trim and I took a chance that I would be able to figure this out. So, my mom and I went and bought all of the trim we would need for the guest room and we even got a little ambitious and bought it for the bathroom, too! One tip – The

Read More
March 19, 2019 29 Comments
All Things Home

“week” wall clock

When I was out shopping last week, I was poking through one of the antique mall booths and spotted a pretty clock on the wall.  I’m not so much into clocks, but I think I’m attracted to them as small pieces of furniture.  Does that make sense?  I like the shape of the case or the design on the face or the patina of the wood.  I don’t care if they work, although it’s a bonus if they do.  I just like them for their aesthetic quality. So, I leaned in to admire this small, curvy clock and was surprised to see it was only $55.00.  And, beyond that, it was in working order and included a key for winding!  I thought about it for about 2 minutes and then gently lifted the clock of its nail and took it to the counter to claim. I had several ideas of

Read More
March 18, 2019 59 Comments
All Things Home

antique store finds & Junk Bonanza 2019

In addition to the dresser and mirror my mom and I found for the guest room, I found a few other fun finds on our two shopping trips to local antique stores.  I still need to do a lot more exploring to find “my honey holes”, but that will come with time.  I lived in PA for several years before I found all of my favorite places.   Junk Bonanza is coming up April 11-13 (more details are below) and I’m looking forward to doing a bit of shopping there while I attend to teach MMS Milk Paint demos and sell some antiques.  It was a great event last year with top-notch dealers, so I’m expecting to find some antique pieces on the running wish-list for my house. Anyway, here are the things I found while hitting some local places… I bought this cute little wooden horse.  It was just

Read More
March 14, 2019 24 Comments
All Things Home

wallpaper paste comparison

I know you’re just dying to know which type of wallpaper paste won out in my head-to-head challenge.  Was it Roman 880?  Was it Dynamite 780?  Oh, the suspense.  Oh, the drama.  This is the post you’ve been waiting for all your life. Okay, not really.  Wallpaper paste isn’t exciting, but I will tell you that you will appreciate this post if ever you’re installing unpasted wallpaper! By the way, I was paid heaps of money by the brand I’m going to encourage you to use and I bought stock in their company.  I’m just kidding.  I bought both pastes with my own money and I have no affiliation with either brand.  I compared them on my own, primarily because I ran out of the first gallon and had to run out and buy whatever I could find locally to finish the project, so I had to use two brands

Read More
March 13, 2019 39 Comments
All Things Home

guest room dresser & mirror

Last week, my mom and I needed a break from hanging wallpaper and installing box molding, so we went to an antique mall (Countryside Antique Mall) and to a local consignment shop (Kismet) to see if we could find a few things on my “wish list” for the room.  One thing that was at the top of the list was a dresser.  The bed was flanked with antique washstands from my last house, but they looked a little dinky in the room.  I wanted to replace one with a dresser and the other with a desk. I didn’t find the desk, but we found the dresser! It’s a pretty oak piece with a serpentine front that works well with the other pieces in the room (the oak bed frame and the antique German wardrobe.)  I thought initially I would want to paint it, but now that I have it in

Read More
March 12, 2019 115 Comments
All Things Home

wallpapering the guest room | pasted vs. unpasted

I have been looking at wallpaper patterns for a couple of rooms in our house for months, but I haven’t pulled the trigger on any of them for one main reason – almost all of the papers I liked came unpasted.  To me, “unpasted” might as well have read “you cannot install this on your own and will have to hire a professional.”  Unpasted seemed complicated and intimidating and, perhaps, easier to mess up. Well, now that I have installed both pasted and unpasted paper, I can tell you that my assumptions were wrong.  Not only that but I now prefer unpasted. I used prepasted wallpaper for the upstairs bathroom in our PA house.  It was beautiful mural from . The upside to prepasted is that you don’t have to go through the extra step of applying the paste.  The downside is that you don’t have any control over how

Read More
March 10, 2019 26 Comments
All Things Home

wallpapering the guest room | part 1

Thanks so much for all of your encouraging comments on yesterday’s post!  I am really looking forward to reworking some of those designs (even just making the scale larger) and getting them available for you (and me) to purchase.  Your supportive words have made me even more excited about it. So, if you’ve been following my Instagram stories, you know my mom and I worked on wallpapering the guest room (yes, the room she’s staying in) this week.  We always like working on projects together and this was the biggest one we had to tackle, so we wanted to work on it during the first half of her visit. I was ready to get right to papering Monday, but we had a lot of steps to do before we could even open the first roll.  First of all, I wanted to install a chair rail, so we had a “stopping

Read More
March 8, 2019 37 Comments
a slice of life

carrot white bean soup & croutons

When my shoulder pain was at its worst a few weeks ago, local friends from our church and community stepped in to encourage and support us by giving me rides to my appointments and bringing a few meals.  You have no idea (or maybe you do) how amazing it was to have jars of soups and a “hot dish” (aka Minnesota for casserole) in the fridge just ready to go.  I couldn’t cut food, maneuver pots & pans, or even eat with my right hand, so knowing that we were stocked with easy-to-heat-up and easy-to-eat meals was such a tremendous gift. All of the food was great, but one of my favorites was a Carrot & White Bean Soup my friend Cheri brought over to me.  I must admit that when I saw what looked like large jars of carrot baby food, I was thankful, but a little skeptical.  But, I’ve

Read More
March 5, 2019 25 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.

Facebook Instagram Youtube Pinterest Amazon

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Get Early access →

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Learn to paint pet portraits in oils with confidence, even if you’re a beginner. In this new course, Marian will guide you step by step through creating expressive animal portraits filled with color, personality, and your own artistic touch. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when the course opens.
JOIN THE WAITLIST →

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

start creating →

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.
Explore the shop →

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.
Shop Now →

Recent Video

Fall Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest