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All Things Home

All Things Home

Which comes first | how to avoid decorating regret

One of the projects I’ve been working on lately has me thinking a lot about the design process, specifically as it relates to putting a room together and how to avoid decorating regret.  I’ve been pondering the order in which choices and purchases should be made and I’ve realized that most people, including myself at times, go about putting a room together entirely backward. Think about it with me…  You’ve been browsing the internet or flipping through decorating magazines or perhaps binge-watching your favorite design show and now you’re ready to tackle your room.  It’s time for a makeover!  What do you immediately do? I think it’s fair to say that most people pick a paint color. Right? You pick out paint chips and paint swatches on the wall and the room makeover has begun!  I think we all go straight for the walls because it’s the easiest, biggest bang

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All Things Home

personal shopping | quilts & coverlets

I hope you had a great weekend!  For the most part, I stepped away from work, so I could rest up for the busy week ahead. Anyway, I browse for cool things online pretty regularly.  I particularly like Etsy, eBay, and craigslist.  I sometimes trip across really great buys that I snap right up, but I’ll also find pieces that are a good price, but not a good enough price for me to resell and I don’t have a perfect spot for them, so I just pass them up. Sooo, I thought I would share some of the things I come across with others who might want to buy them. Today, I hunted around for some well-priced quilts. I paid $125 online a few years ago for the one in the picture above. When I’m shopping for quilts, I look for ones around $150.  Of course, less is better, but I

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All Things Home

what would fit in my carry on…

I already shared that I found several pieces in New Hampshire that I would’ve bought in a heartbeat if I had my van.  But, I didn’t. And, since my suitcase was already over 50 lbs, I could only buy things that would fit into my carry on bag. Of course, that included ironstone!  I feel like I can find ironstone anywhere I go.  This sweet old sugar jar was just $16.50.  I saw it and immediately plucked it off the shelf to pay for it.  I have loved ironstone for years, but I go through phases of what I look for and get excited about.  Right now, it’s really old pieces with fruit/nut handles on the lids.  This one has an apple… I also love the pattern on the base of the sugar jar.  I actually have the matching plates and handleless cups and they are some of my favorite. I

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a slice of life

marinated skirt steak recipe & an All-Clad giveaway

The pot rack in my kitchen might be the one thing in my house that we installed a week after we moved in 10 years ago and hasn’t moved an inch.  It’s never even been under threat of being moved.  I love, love, love my pot rack.  That’s an odd thing for me, because it’s not an antique, but it is so functional and I honestly like having all of my pretty pans and copper pots on display.  Yes, we’re here to talk about All-Clad pans, but I’m also here to share a marinated skirt steak recipe. And yes, I use my pans.  Not all of them, but I use most of them. Most of the pans I’ve picked up here and there at discount stores and even yard sales.  (I bought that gorgeous antique copper bunt pan from a German woman at a yard sale in Florida for $25.)

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All Things Home

deconstructed chair progress

Remember this “deconstructed chair” I wrote about a little while ago?  Okay, a looong while ago?  Let’s do a little update on the deconstructed chair and see how it’s coming along… Well, Kriste and I have been chipping away at it here and there, but I made some real progress on it today.  I had been at my desk, painting, sketching, writing, and creating, and my eyes were starting to cross, so I needed to shift gears. I decided to upholster the inside of the deconstructed chair in an antique French linen sheet that I purchased a couple of years ago off Etsy.  It had my initials on it and I just couldn’t resist.  I haven’t had the nerve to cut it up, but this felt like the right time, the right piece for it. Now, my nice “break” from eye-crossing tasks turned into a frustrating wrestling match with fabric.  I

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All Things Home

QuickStep Flooring Review

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the QuickStep laminate flooring I selected to install in a corner of the studio to use for photo shoots.  I have been wanting to do this for a long time, not because the old floorboards in the studio aren’t cool, but because they are #1 – very orange and #2 – there was a large plywood patch on one side of the room.  If this was my house or a space that I owned, my approach may have been different, but for a rented space, floating a laminate floor in one area was the best option to address those issues.  It is now installed and looks gorgeous and I wanted to share a review about the installation process and show how it looks in the overall space. As I shared in the last post about the flooring, I selected the QuickStep French Country

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All Things Home

“I knew you were here…”

I went shopping on Friday to get some fresh inspiration and to find some things for the online shop.  I stopped at a couple of local stores and then one of my favorite local antique malls.  When I went to the checkout, one of the vendors said, “I saw that pile on the counter and I knew you were here!” I looked over to the pile and, yep, it was pretty much “me” in a collection of items found spread over dozens of booths.  Mostly blue and white finds and lots of ironstone. I’ve been shopping antique stores for a long time and that’s always been one of my favorite things about it.  Someone can shop from many different vendors, curating things that catch their eye, and by the end of the trip, you can see their style in the collection of items. There’s something cool about that. Anyway, my favorite

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a slice of life

baked potato soup recipe

I shared a couple of weeks ago that I made a full-fat, no-skimping-on-the-good-stuff baked potato soup recipe as a treat.  I love creamy soups and casseroles, but I don’t make them very often anymore, because they are just so calorie-laden. But it was a dreary day and both Jeff and I were in the mood for soup.  A  loaded baked potato soup recipe that I used to make came to mind and I couldn’t shake it.  So, I bought the ingredients and made it and it was every bit as sumptuous and velvety as I remember it. The blue & white dishes were from . I got this particular baked potato soup recipe from a friend about 12 years ago.  When I left the corporate world, I was a stay-at-home wife for a couple of years.  I didn’t work, didn’t have kids… it was a glorious two years!  I just relished

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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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