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All Things Home
All Things Home

how to paint cabinets | prep

I have been sharing some snippets here and there of the process of painting my built-ins and kitchen cabinets on my Instagram Stories and I’ve been getting tons of questions about the process and products I’m using, so now I’m sharing the details on how to paint cabinets here on the blog. First off, I know painting cabinets is intimidating and understandably so!  They are a fixture in your home and costly to replace if you “mess them up”.  It is also a big project that causes upheaval in what is arguably the most used room in the house. Here are my tips on painting cabinets, starting with the prep work.  You’ll want to follow these steps if your cabinets have a poly or painted finish and no matter which kind of paint you’re using. how to paint cabinets | work in sections In my last two kitchens, I painted

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September 13, 2017 35 Comments
All Things Home

(working with what you have) fall table

Last year, I participated in the Farmhouse Holiday Series and it was such a fun blog-hop to be a part of that I agreed to participate again this year.  I like saying yes to fun things and collaborations with creative people.  But then I realized that only about 2% of my house is finished in my colors and style… And I really felt that as I was working on this fall tablescape.  It was supposed to be in the dining room, but my dining room is dark beige right now with carpeting, so I decided to shoot in my half-painted kitchen on a half-finished table with chairs that are too big and, by the way, also aren’t finished. I was very close to bailing at the last minute, but I had to resist that urge. The seasons change and we can still decorate for them even if everything isn’t finished,

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September 12, 2017 55 Comments
a slice of life

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 A fall dessert using a fall favorite comes to life in this cookie. I don’t often think about cooking with pumpkin, but there is a lot of goodness pumpkins can bring to the culinary table!  I was in the mood for something chocolatey and cookies are always a winner at my house, so I made a variation of a Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I found on Taste of Home.  I made a few tweaks to the recipe, like adding salt, using old fashioned oats instead of quick-cooking, and used dark chocolate chips. I like the old fashioned oats vs. the quick-cooking, because they retain more of their texture once the cookie is baked. One tip when making cookies is to use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to dole out the cookies on the baking sheet, so they are uniform.  If the cookies are all different sizes, you’ll

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September 11, 2017 24 Comments
a slice of life

Old World Kitchen Dreamware Giveaway

If you’ve followed me for a while, you may have picked up that I have a thing for kitchenware.  I was a Food Network junkie when I left the corporate world, so I could support Jeff in full-time youth ministry and be a homemaker.  I thoroughly relished the time and spent much of it cooking and baking from scratch and, as a part of that, building my collection of kitchen gear.  I built up a pretty well-equipped kitchen with great knives, utensils, pots & pans, cutting boards, etc., but I still keep an eye out for special pieces I can add or tools I can upgrade. Some of my favorite pieces of kitchen gear over the past couple of years have been wooden spoons and spatulas.  I love the warm patina they develop over time.  The more they are used, the better the look, in my opinion. Through Instagram, I

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September 8, 2017 1,083 Comments
All Things Home

selecting fabrics & paint colors

Picking out paints and fabrics can be hard.  I’ve painted and repainted enough rooms and made and remade enough curtains and pillows to know.  And I think the difficulty may have even increased with the advent of Blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram.  We can fall in love with a color or fabric in an online photo, which may not even be an accurate representation of what it looks like in person.  Or in your house.  Or with all of your other stuff. How many have bought a gallon of paint just because it looked amazing on Instagram? I’m raising my hand, here. And sometimes it works out and looks great and other times, it’s a fail.  It’s too bright, too pink, too green, it clashes with your sofa or curtains or it just doesn’t look great in the light in your north-facing room. Now, you know I’m someone who likes to

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September 7, 2017 37 Comments
All Things Home

studio transformation | part 4

We’re almost there!  The studio is nearing completion and I am so excited to be able to start using this space now that it’s insulated, climate-controlled, and the walls are back on! Today, the wall around the mini-split went up and it looks so good!  Of course, it still needs to be painted, but that will be happening this week. A few of you have asked about the mini-split.  It’s a Mitsubishi unit that heats and cools, similar to something you might find in a hotel room, except this one is actually quiet!  I have found myself putting my hand over it to make sure it’s working.  It is, though it’s just a quiet little thing.  It’s also a lot more not-ugly than I thought it would be!  I realize that’s a poorly structured sentence, but I was just expecting it to be an eye-sore.  It just blends in and

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September 6, 2017 55 Comments
All Things Home

hanging the pot rack

This kitchen still has a long way to go to make it really “mine”, but while my parents and brother were here, we were able to make a change that definitely started the ball rolling in that direction. The bones of the kitchen are really great, it’s just the finishes that I would like to change.  It’s not that they are bad, just not to my personal taste. So, the first thing I wanted to remove was those pendant lights.  They were way too modern for me and I had another plan for the space above the island. I bet you can guess what that is… Yes!  The pot rack!  (Well, the title of the post really gave that away…) I wasn’t sure if the pot rack would work in this kitchen, but I told Jeff I wanted to at least give it a try.  You see, I love my

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September 2, 2017 47 Comments
All Things Home

Around the World with Balsam Hill | Harvest Sunshine

Now that I’m living in Minnesota, the jokes about winter have already started.   My dad kept saying they were going to head back to PA the middle of August “before the pass is blocked by snow.”  I’m one of those people who actually enjoys snow and colder temperatures.  I like sweaters and boots and bundling up under blankets. But, I must admit, I am enjoying Minnesota’s summer and I want to relish it for a little longer – listening to kids biking in the cul de sac and the hissing of sprinklers, taking Sebastian out for lingering walks, and bringing in a harvest of sunshine with Balsam Hill. Wait, doesn’t Balsam Hill do Christmas trees!?  Yes, but they actually do more than Christmas trees.  They have home decor as well as beautiful faux topiaries and flowers.  And they do faux really well. It’s in the details – the thickness

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September 1, 2017 22 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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