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All Things Home
Antiques

Lucketts Fall Market 2024 Purchases

I already shared the antique ironstone milk pan I purchased at the Lucketts Fall Market in THIS POST, but I wanted to share the rest of the things I bought.  I ended up coming home with a relatively empty van because I didn’t buy any large pieces, but I still brought home several treasures. My first purchase was this little notebook from Hearth & Home Mercantile.  It’s not an antique, but I loved the French book cover, and fabric spine, and the papers were heavy-weight craft paper with a mix of designs.  There were small grids, lines, and blank pages.  It’s hard for me to resist a unique notebook even though I have a more-than-ample supply! I wanted to find chunky, antique gold frames in smaller sizes and this one from Amanda’s Mercantile was exactly what I had in mind. I mean, it is chunky and so beautiful! I’ll have

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October 29, 2024 18 Comments
1970 home renovation

basement floor progress | 1970 home renovation

A part of me felt like sharing the process of this basement makeover here on the blog wouldn’t be very fulfilling.  With other rooms in the house, there is going to be a transformation with well-lit photos at the end of the journey.  With zero natural light in this space, a drop ceiling, and cold fluorescent lighting, this makeover isn’t going to end in an Instagram-worthy photo shoot.  But, I know that many people who live in older homes in the US states where basements are the norm are dealing with a similar situation.  Basements in the 1970s and 80s were typically unfinished or, if they were finished, they were places for the Christmas decorations, the washer, dryer, and chest freezer, ping-pong tables, workout equipment, a playroom for the kids, and a hangout for the teenagers.  I remember rollerskating in my friend’s basement in the early 1990s because it was

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October 28, 2024 18 Comments
1970 home renovation

dining room makeover | painted wainscoting

I have finally finished all of the trim and painting in the dining room that needed to be done before I started on the mural.  After having only primer on the walls for over a year, this feels like a huge accomplishment.  I don’t know why painting the ceiling and installing trim made me procrastinate for so long, but it’s done and now I can get to the fun part. This is how the dining room wainscoting looked after it was installed and caulked.  At this point, it looked pretty sharp and I was considering painting it white. I don’t know if I can explain why, but this house seems to like colored trim and doors, so I decided to follow my gut and move forward with my plan for painting it Oval Room Blue. As I expected, it took two coats and I used the Estate Eggshell finish.  It’s

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October 23, 2024 25 Comments
All Things Home

taking care of myrtle topiaries

 I have loved myrtle topiaries for years.  I would always admire them in magazines and how elegant, graceful, and pretty they are. I admired my online friends who seemed to have the magic touch with myrtles – Loi of Tone on Tone and Heather of Sweet Shady Lane.  Heather calls them her “ladies.”  I have bought a few over the years and felt like they were fickle, difficult, and beyond my skill to care for.  The truth is, I just didn’t know the one, simple trick to taking care of myrtle topiaries.  Are you ready for it?  Water them daily or every other day because they like to stay moist. Before I shared the tip, I thought I would test it out.  I would just keep them in my kitchen window, which gets nice morning sun, and water them daily. I bought this pair of myrtle topiaries in May at

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October 22, 2024 18 Comments
Antiques

the story of the ironstone milk pans

One of the vendors that’s been a favorite at the Lucketts Spring & Fall Markets each year has been Barn Fresh Designs.  They always have lovely pieces, an eye-catching display, and reasonable prices.  I’ve bought a few things from them over the last few markets and was excited to see them in a new space at the 2024 Fall Market.  I recognized their pieces right away and exclaimed, “You moved!”  I was pulling a couple of chunky gold frames off of a wall to purchase and Bob came over to hold them for me and say hello.  In addition to their new location, I was also surprised by the presence of a large ironstone milk pan I had passed up at the Spring Market.  So, let me tell you about the ironstone milk pans… I bought a nesting set of them from Barn Fresh Designs at the Spring 2023 market. 

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October 21, 2024 11 Comments
All Things Home

Feels Like Home | three year anniversary giveaway

This giveaway is closed.  The winners are Naomi B, Gail J, and Judi Y.  Congrats, and thanks to all who entered and celebrated this book birthday with me!  Feels Like Home is still $11.99 on Amazon if you want some extra inspiration for making your house feel more like your home. Can you believe Feels Like Home turns three this week?  It was released on October 12, 2021, and we can’t let this book birthday pass without a little celebration.  (There’s a giveaway at the bottom of this post, so don’t miss that!)  This book is honestly one of the creative projects I’m proudest of.  Typically, when I’m in the thick of a project, I hit difficult and slow-going patches.  I question if it’s even a good idea any longer or if I’ve exhausted the energy I can give to it.  I used to be discouraged when I hit that

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October 17, 2024 331 Comments
1970 home renovation

removing carpet glue from concrete | part one

I’m sure you’re excited to see that this is only part one of removing carpet glue from concrete.  That means there will at least be a part two and you’ll have more ugly photos and stories of slow and tedious DIY endeavors to delight you.  As I shared in the initial post about the basement, home renovation isn’t always pretty.  You can read that post HERE.  In brief, the concrete basement floors are covered in a coating of old carpet glue and remnants of padding still clinging to said glue.  Not only is it unsightly, but it’s impossible to clean properly, which drives me nuts. I’ve been nervous about this basement floor since we moved in, though.  My fear was asbestos was lurking either in the glue or the pad and disturbing it would be a health hazard.  If it did contain asbestos, we would either have to have it

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October 15, 2024 17 Comments
a slice of life

Lucketts Fall Market 2024 recap

Another Lucketts Market is in the books!  Attending the Lucketts markets has definitely been a perk of moving back to the mid-Atlantic region.  My mom and I know the Friday of the Spring and Fall Markets are written in ink on the calendar and we need to work everything else around them.  Well, the Early Bird shopping of the 2024 Fall Market did not disappoint.  First of all, the weather was heavenly.  It was just what you want in a fall market.  We had sunny skies, a crisp bite to the air, and a slight breeze that was just enough to rustle the leaves.  We started the morning with sweaters and jackets and shed them around lunchtime. The vendors and the Lucketts crew, as expected, put on a great show.  Lucketts does a great job at creating “moments” throughout the event.  Places to take pictures, to sit and eat or

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October 14, 2024 7 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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