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All Things Home
All Things Home

better than black friday

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by and contains affiliate links. Happy Way Day! I bet you didn’t know today was a holiday!  Well, it’s the newly proclaimed “Way Day” by Wayfair.  What that means for you is savings better than Black Friday and free shipping on everything from an online resource that has everything under the sun for the home.  Decor, furniture, rugs, wall art, appliances, indoor, outdoor, you name it.  Chairs to chicken coops.  Planters to playgrounds. And EVERYTHING ships for free.  Even the chicken coops. I like to buy a lot of my home furnishings second-hand, since I love antiques, but (and their brands like Birch Lane and Joss & Main), have been my favorite resource for natural jute rugs, lamps, and things that need to be sturdy and functional, like dining chairs. Since spring had finally arrived in Minnesota, I’ve got gardening on the brain, so I’m

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April 25, 2018 5 Comments
All Things Home

training rosemary topiaries & other garden things

We almost broke into the 60’s in Minnesota last weekend, so I had gardening on the brain.  We’re still waiting for all of the snow to melt and the ground to thaw, but the warmth and sunshine gave me the itch to get my hands dirty.  It’s going to be a while before I can start on the yard, so I decided to repot some of my houseplants that needed more elbow (root) room and give everything a haircut. First up were the rosemary plants that have been flanking my kitchen sink for a few months.  I’ve never had much luck keeping rosemary alive for very long, but plants love all of the rooms on the back side of our house, which faces south.  We get beautiful light all day long, so they can grow and stay healthy. They were both looking like they needed more soil and I have

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April 24, 2018 26 Comments
All Things Home

small changes

I knew that attending Junk Bonanza would be fun, but I didn’t realize what a creative pick-me-up it would be!  (Well, after I slept for 12 hours and lounged around for half a day.)  Once I was rested, that creative spark got me going.  I was ready to rip up carpet and jack out some tile!  But, those are all pretty big projects that involve some amount of planning, a budget, and permission from my husband!  So, I figured I should take that energy and work on changes that were small and free and wouldn’t get me into any trouble. The first change I made was something I’ve been thinking about for a while… I swapped out Eulalie’s frame! She’s been in a gold leaf frame from the very beginning and that worked great in my last house, but it felt a little off in this room.  I think it

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April 23, 2018 86 Comments
All Things Home

Junk Bonanza Buys

Oh man, oh man!  If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve spent the last day and a half at Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, MN and I am pooped!  It was so much fun, though, and such a great event.  I took lots of pictures and I’ll tell you all about it next week. Today, though, I’ll just share the things that I bought.  I couldn’t be around all of those amazing antiques and not buy anything! I know this will come as a huge shock to everyone who knows me even a little bit, but I bought some ironstone.  I found three pitchers, including this large one with a pretty handle and fluting… …and two milk pitchers.  Milk pitchers are one of my favorite things, so I pick them up if ever I find them at a good price.  The pitcher above was $65 and the milk pitchers

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April 20, 2018 55 Comments
All Things Home

painting & finishing the aviary dresser

The last time you saw this dresser, it was sanded down and prepped for painting… In case you missed that post, you can check it out HERE. Years ago, I made a video tutorial about applying the first coat of milk paint, what to expect, etc.  While the information really hasn’t changed a lot, I decided to make an updated video as I worked. In this video, I cover some of the basics, like when to sand and the benefits of sanding.  I also talk about application (brushes, rollers, sprayers) and some of the perks of using milk paint, especially if you’re a sloppy painter! Here’s how the dresser looked after the first coat. The variance in color that you see is partly the nature of milk paint and partly how the paint was absorbed into the surface.  I debated painting on a second coat to even it out a

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April 15, 2018 30 Comments
All Things Home

counter selection | compromising nothing & gaining everything

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by HanStone Quartz.  All words and opinions expressed in this post are, as always, honest and my own. As I’ve shared before, replacing the countertops was on our to-do list for this house before we even bought it.  These are nice granite counters and they really don’t look bad at all, but they aren’t my taste.  We would also like to install a tile backsplash, which would look a little odd coming off of the little backsplash that is currently a part of the counters.  We plan on being in this house a long time, so we decided it would be worth changing them out. So, I had my heart set on marble.  I love the look of it and the “soul” of marble.  It’s such a beautiful material.  I know the issues, though, and I’ve spent months reading reviews and asking friends who have

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April 14, 2018 73 Comments
All Things Home

prepping two pieces to paint

For those of you who are missing furniture makeovers, a few are coming your way!  As I was working on these pieces today, I realized my back does not miss working on furniture, but I do.  There is something therapeutic about working on a piece of furniture to me. Prepping these pieces to paint was not on my “big three” list today, but I got two out of three of my biggies done and I decided to shift gears.  We have had winter weather through most of March and all of April.  It’s just been too cold to work outside or in the garage.  I tried it a couple of times and it was just stupid.  Anyway, we’re expecting some snow and a wintry mix this weekend, so I figured I needed to take advantage of a (warm) 40 degree day and do some furniture prepping, which really needs to

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April 12, 2018 45 Comments
All Things Home

painted studio floor update

I’ve been asked quite a bit for an update on how the painted floors in my studio are holding up, so I thought I would share! Here is a reminder of what the room looked like when we first moved in.  It was perfect for a sunroom, but I wanted a studio more than a sunroom and all of that orangish wood wasn’t going to work. It’s so hard for me to remember the space like that!  It was so dark. The flooring is just deck boards.  We had insulation installed under the floor, but decided to paint the deck boards instead of installing a “proper floor” on top.  We may do that down the road, but since this is a studio for painting, I wasn’t too concerned with upgrading the floor.  It is certainly going to get splattered over the years. The floor has gotten chipped and gouged in

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April 11, 2018 18 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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