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All Things Home
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
All Things Home

adding shelves to an antique wardrobe

Remember this antique pine wardrobe I bought off of craigslist a couple of weeks ago? One of the last projects my brother was able to complete before flying home to Oregon was installing shelves inside.  And one of the last things my mom and I got done before my parents drove back to PA was to unpack my fabric and fill those shelves.   There is something about stacks of beautiful fabric, specifically antique linen, that make me giddy.  I mean, seriously.  I open these wardrobe doors and a rush of excitement bubbles up and I can’t help but release it in a giggle. This wardrobe only had a rod and a small shelf up high.  That would’ve been okay if I wanted to hang clothes inside, but I wanted shelving for fabric and notions.  Since the wardrobe is a beautiful antique, I also wanted to add shelves in a

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August 31, 2017 45 Comments
All Things Home

studio transformation | part 3

Today, I wanted to share more detail on the “window walls” of the studio.  I was so excited about all of the natural light that comes in from not just one, but two full walls of windows.  This room is flooded from sunrise to sunset.  Fortunately, though, it’s not direct light until late afternoon, so I don’t have to deal with sunbeams in my face all day. I will have to add some window treatments to diffuse the light, when needed, though.  I’m thinking I’ll make some simple linen shades that will just tie up. The old hardware store cabinet is really the focal point of the room.  I bought it off of craigslist earlier this year and it’s the one large counter I decided to keep from my last studio space.  It was tough to sell some of those beautiful antique counters, but I felt like this one was

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August 30, 2017 40 Comments
All Things Home

Cleaning behind the stove

Every time I move something from where it’s been sitting for a long time, I realize just how gross my family (myself included) is!  You know what I’m saying?  All of those spills and crumbs and dust-bunnies that haven’t seen the light of day and then they are exposed?  Even the cleanest, tidiest house has a few dirty secrets.  And one of the best hiding places for splatters, crumbs, and grease is behind the stove.  I mean, seriously, how often do we pull out the stove to clean behind it?  I don’t know about you, but in the 11 years I lived in my last house, I pulled out the stove three times – once for tiling the floor, once for painting the walls, and once for tiling the back splash.  Each time we moved it, I took a few minutes to clean the sides of the stove and all

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August 29, 2017 60 Comments
All Things Home

Painting the Studio Floor

So, let’s chat about the studio floor.  As a reminder, here is what the room looked like when we purchased the house…. I actually didn’t get to see the house until after we had made an offer on it and Jeff was the first one to see the pictures of this room (it wasn’t in the real estate listing).  Before he forwarded the pictures along, he warned me that I probably wouldn’t like it. He was just looking at the dark, cedar planking.  When I saw it, though, I questioned whether he really knew me at all!  My voice got high-pitched with excitement.  “It’s perfect!!  It’ll look amazing painted!” So, a couple of weeks ago, we primed and painted everything.  The ceiling, the walls, and finally the floor.  You can read about the ceiling and walls in THIS POST. To prime the floors, we used the same primer that we

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August 25, 2017 57 Comments
All Things Home

studio transformation | part 2

I shared about priming and painting the studio walls and ceiling in PART ONE of the studio transformation and I shared about the oak hutch in yesterday’s post… Today, I am sharing my “working corner” of the studio… I purchased the drafting table off of craigslist in PA for $100 and it’s been a great work surface for art.  I clamped an old wooden lathe trip to it as a “shelf” to hold a palette, brushes, paper, etc.  The clamps are antique wooden canning clamps!  I picked them up any time I spotted them for sale, because they can be used for so many things! The drafting table does need to be refinished at some point.  I don’t ming it being splattered with paint and imperfect, but I don’t want a big water ring on it and it’s bringing a bit too much orange to the party for my taste.

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August 22, 2017 50 Comments
All Things Home

oak studio hutch

I have so much to share…  all of the work that was accomplished when my brother and parents were here, the goodies I found while shopping the Gold Rush Days in Oronoco and Rochester, a tour of the rest of the rooms in our house, tutorials & details, more of my plans, etc.  Lots to share.  But, today, I’m just going to share one piece. We’ll pace ourselves. (And, if you just can’t wait, check out my Instagram Stories.  I did learn that there is an extension for Google Chrome, so you can view them on your computer.  You can get it HERE.) Sooo…when I set out for the antique market this weekend (I’ll share more on Gold Rush in a later post), the piece that was at the top of my list to find was a storage piece for my studio.  I sold most of my counters and hutches

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August 21, 2017 52 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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