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All Things Home

All Things Home

eating area updates

Once we were unpacked and settled form back-to-back trips, I was ready to start working on the house again.  I am waiting to get into the summer rhythm before I tackle larger projects, like the butler’s pantry and painting the kitchen island, but I want to get smaller things done when time allows.  Organization of cabinets and closets is definitely on my list (there are still “lost objects” from our move), but I also want to hang more art and decor on the walls and fine-tune the finishing touches. When I had a little pocket of free time, I decided to try hanging a trio of antique blue transferware plates on either side of the arch that opens into the living room. I really like how they pull in the richer blues from the curtains and checked slipcovers, but it’s not too matchy-matchy. I originally hung some wooden cutting boards

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All Things Home

peonies

Well, we’re finally home for the summer.  We got all of our trips done back to back and I won’t have to pack a suitcase again until I go to France and Italy in the fall.  It’s so good to be home, although I loved visiting family and then unplugging (quite literally) with our church’s pastors and their families at a private island on Rainy Lake in Canada.  I’ll share more about that trip in another post, but I thought I would first share a nice surprise I found when I got home… The hedge of peonies planted by the previous homeowners (five bushes in all), had blossomed.  The bushes were dotted with fluffy pink flowers. Knowing that peonies are short-lived, I helped myself to a few of them for a bouquet. I even painted them for my oil still life series, but peonies have me beat for right now. 

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All Things Home

the gift

When I was in North Carolina, Jeff’s mom surprised me with a gift.  We were sitting on the sofa one afternoon, chatting, and she leaned forward to get out of her chair.  “Come with me.  I have a gift for you.  It’s a thank you for helping Jeff finish his Masters degree.”  I followed her into her bedroom and she pulled an antique blue & white coverlet off of a quilt rack.  She folded it over carefully and handed it to me.  “I’ve always loved this and I know you’ll love it, too.  It has your name all over it.” In fact, I had always admired that very coverlet and it was such a lovely, thoughtful gift.  Maybe the best gift she could’ve given me. I realized later that Jeff’s mom giving me an antique textile when Jeff graduates has become a bit of a tradition!  She gave me an

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All Things Home

Braided Jute Kitchen Rug

One of the questions I’m asked most when I share my kitchen on social media is, “Where did you get the rug?” The answer is, it’s a braided jute I purchased from Joss & Main a few years ago.  It has worn really well and has even been hosed down a couple of times to remove stains and an unfortunate “stomach bug incident”. It did finally start to unravel along the edge, though, creating a loop that we all kept tripping over.  Jeff finally took a pair of scissors to the offending loop and then, well…it looked like this…   So, it was about time to get a new rug.  It was one of those things that hung out on my mental shopping list for a while, but I was never compelled enough to actually buy one.  It just wasn’t a big priority. When I was in Raleigh visiting Jeff’s

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All Things Home

Finds from my old PA honey holes

One thing I wanted to do when I went back to PA to visit my parents was visit some of my favorite antique stores.  I have found some nice things in Minnesota, but I really missed the antiquing back east.  No, that’s too general.   I really missed my stores – the ones that were on my regular route.  I knew many of the vendors and which booths were routinely my favorite and I was never skunked. So, my mom, Jenn, and I hit a few of my favorite places and I found some awesome goodies.  Unfortunately, I didn’t find the biggies that were on my list, like a mirror for the dining room, but I found one of my favorite things in spades – ironstone. As you may know, I love ironstone and have been collecting it as well as buying and selling it for many years.  Thousands and thousands

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All Things Home

dining chair upholstery tutorial

I almost completely forgot that I left this chair makeover tutorial hanging after I shared how to make the slipcover for the seat!  I was traveling and visiting family and wasn’t reminded about part two until someone mentioned it on Instagram.  Anyway, I dusted off the video footage and got everything edited, so I could share how to strip and reupholster the back of a wood frame chair, like this one… It doesn’t matter if your chair has a different shape.  If the back is framed in wood, this tutorial will work for you. If you’re new to upholstery, this is actually a great project to start with, because you don’t have any tricky places where fabric panels meet. Here are the supplies you’ll need… Upholstery Staple gun by Porter Cable  Porter Cable Pancake Compressor  3/8″ staples Staple pulling pliers & Staple puller Fabric Foam/batting, if it needs to be replaced

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All Things Home

new kitchen wall color

Well, we were home for less than two days and I already started painting the kitchen walls.  I had the paint (purchased for the hall and foyer), so it was easy to impulsively start painting.  It began as an oh-I’ll-just-paint-a-test-swatch and turned into painting half of the kitchen and eating area. The color really needed to be changed.  It was bugging me all the way on the east coast! So, here it is… The new color is a half-tint of Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.  As a reference, the door is the same color mixed at full strength.  It looks worlds better with the tile and counter. Here is the color before… It was Pearly White by Sherwin Williams.  I chose it, because I used it in the living and dining rooms of my last house and I always loved it.  It was a cooler off-white that worked well with

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All Things Home

a new love for dip pens & other found art supplies

I have found a new favorite thing…  dip pens.  Yes, they are completely impractical by modern standards and you have to get used to the rhythm of stopping to dip your pen every couple of lines, but there is something about the scratching sound on the paper and the grace of the delicate nibs that captivate me. I recently bought the D Leonardt & Co Drawing & Mapping set and it comes with a nice wooden nib holder, a small tin for storing nibs, and five nibs made for drawing and mapping (as opposed to calligraphy nibs.) It’s a great set and I’m hooked.  Now, I’m on the hunt for antique dip pens, inkwells, and nibs. I actually had an antique inkwell with a sterling lid that belonged to my great-grandmother.  I didn’t know it was a inkwell until I started searching for antique ones on Etsy and eBay.  I

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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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