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All Things Home

All Things Home

home office progress

I’m so excited to share the progress we’ve made in the home office!  Initially, this room wasn’t going to get attention for a while. but when we talked about putting hardwoods in the dining room, we decided to have them done in the office at the same time.  Both rooms are right off the foyer (one to the right and one to the left), so it’s nice to have the consistency in the flooring and both carpets were tired-looking from being off the foyer.  I suppose people walked in there with boots/shoes still on? As an aside, we’ve always been a come-as-you-are home.  No reason to leave your shoes at the door.  In Minnesota, though, everyone takes their shoes off and we’ve learned that’s for good reason.  Your shoes get so dirty from the slush, salt, sand, ice-melt, etc. and it really will destroy your carpeting.  So, we’re getting used

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All Things Home

craigslist confession

Sooooo….about that “no spend February”… I’ve actually been doing well with it and have said “no” or “later” to many things I wanted to buy in the moment. But, I made the mistake of browsing on craigslist.  Even as I was doing it, I knew it wasn’t smart.  But, we’re working on my office and I needed a storage piece.  I just couldn’t help myself!  Well, I could, but I didn’t. And, of course, I found something that was perfect.  So, the “no spend February” became a “low spend February.” What I found was an antique bookcase with original glass doors.  The size was right and it’s just the sort of thing I’ve been looking for.  I forwarded the link to Jeff and asked if we could go pick it up.  To his credit, he did not point out my no-spend pledge.  He said it was a great piece and

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All Things Home

dining room wood floors

Before we even moved into this house, before we even saw the house in person, I let Jeff know I had my eye on the carpeting in the dining room.  For a room that is the “most formal” in the house, carpeting just didn’t work for me.  I also do a lot of photo shoots in my dining room for this blog as well as freelance articles, so it was important to me to have the larger surfaces of the room (floor, walls, etc.) looking just how I wanted. There was also the practical side of things.  The carpet is 13 years old and, although you can’t see it in the picture, it was looking a little tired.  Wood floors would be easier to keep clean, especially since the dining room is right off of the foyer. The dining room flows into the kitchen/eating area, so we wanted the floors

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All Things Home

living room curtains

Man, it has been a long, productive day and I am pooped!  Of course, I decided to start exercising the day I had a bunch of physical work planned.  That was brilliant.  I use the word “exercise” loosely, though, because it was pathetic how out of shape I am.  I am still babying my shoulder and about 10 minutes into interval training, modifying everything, feeling stiff as the Tin Man, I realized I just needed to stretch and work on core strength.  I switched gears and did some Pilates and that felt great, but I have been sore all day as I painted window trim and shoe molding and moved furniture back into the dining room and my office. I still have a lot of work to do on those two rooms and a lot of cleaning up to do after having the entire contents of two rooms dumped into

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All Things Home

green art cabinet makeover | part 1

When I bought this piece, I knew I wanted to freshen it up a bit.  It didn’t need dramatic plastic surgery.  It just needed a little makeover, so it could look its best.  Before we even brought it in the house, I put wheels on the bottom and my mom and I gave it a good scrub.  I also hunted for and ordered some pulls to replace the mis-matched ones.  I know there is a charm to it as it is, but just wait until you see the makeover… The pulls arrived over the weekend and, earlier this week, I took some time to remove the old hardware.  What I found was not what I was hoping for… Someone had painted over the hardware. Bummer. This isn’t such a big deal, except it left some unappealing beige paint exposed and the new pulls weren’t going to fully cover it on

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All Things Home

master bedroom curtains

I had lots of projects lined up for my mom’s visit.  We are both doers and thrive on productivity, so it suits us to have an ambitious to-do list.  As her 10 day visit was winding down, we had checked almost everything off my list.  My mom looked at the sad curtains in my master bedroom, a hold-over from the previous owners. “Let’s just take care of these curtains.” She knows that sewing is something I do, because I like the end result.  But, I don’t really like sewing.  I could completely do without it in my life.  I do, however, like expanding my options beyond curtains and pillows that are ready-made.  I believe that sewing is one of the best DIY skills you can have in your arsenal.  For that reason, I just suck it up, put on some good music, do it, and enjoy it when the project

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All Things Home

Thrifty Painting Tips & no spend February

I’ve put in a lot of miles on a paint brush and roller over the years and, during all of that painting, I’ve picked up a couple of small, money-saving tips. First of all, it’s worth investing in sample pots of paint (about $5/each usually) to make sure you get the color right.  This is one of those things where you have to spend money to save money.  Ultimately, though, it’s better to spend $15-20 on samples than having to buy a whole other gallon if the color you just put all over your wall makes you want to cry. (I’ve actually been there and did that very thing.  And I didn’t get a t-shirt.) Painting the right color the first time is worth it. If you’re going to use the same color again soon, wrap up the roller covers in cling wrap.  This will keep the roller ready to

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All Things Home

Found antique smalls

My mom and I hit one of my favorite local antique shops last week in hopes of finding a few furniture pieces for the rooms we were working on while she was visiting.  As I shared earlier this week, we found a new art cabinet for my studio, which was on the list… …but we also found a few smalls.  (“Smalls” are just little things, accessories, that you find at an antique/retail store.) One thing I miss about having my studio, selling online, getting ready for an antique fair, etc. is shopping for smalls.  I really don’t need much for my current house, since I already have years of collected smalls.  I could probably stand to sell some, even!  So, I try to stay focused and not buy things just because I like them.  I try to think of how I’ll use them to make sure it’s not another thing

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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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