Order Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

All Things Home

a slice of life

a christmas song | what a glorious night

It’s become of a bit of a tradition (every other year, anyway) for me to share a Christmas song here on the blog.  Last year, we just couldn’t pull it together, but this year, I heard a song that I thought would be great and I had just the group of people to do it! I asked Kriste and her husband, David, if they would be up for joining me, Jeff & the boys, my parents and my brother & sister-in-law for a song.  I was able to lasso everyone in, assign each one an instrument or a part and we spent a couple of hours practicing and recording the song. I’ve shared a lot about decorating for Christmas over the past few weeks, but Christmas is all about that glorious night when Love came down in the form of a baby in a manger, so we could be saved from our

Read More
All Things Home

milk painted ornaments

I spent most of my day wrapping presents and working on some cleaning to get ready to host Christmas.  I’m sure many of you were doing the same. I have also been insanely motivated to purge and organize.  I’m not sure what has kicked into me, but I have been in a mood.  A get-rid-of-80%-of-everything-and-organize-the-rest kind of mood.  Usually this mood hits me in January, but it is, very inconveniently, hitting just a few days before Christmas!  So, I’ve been purging and sorting my way through sections of my house and studio. I’m ready to take on any shelf, drawer, closet or cubby that doesn’t contain useful items stored in a tidy fashion.  I’ve bought bins and labels and I’m eye-balling things that I’m going to sell, donate or pitch.  I’ll finally quit holding myself back after Christmas, but for now, I need to push aside this distraction and focus on the

Read More
All Things Home

living & dining rooms | Christmas 2015

My favorite rooms to decorate for Christmas are the definitely the living and dining rooms.  It’s hard to believe how dark these rooms were when we first moved in over nine years ago and now how light-filled and fresh they feel. For Christmas, I just add some fresh greenery and a few wool pom-poms.  That’s about all these rooms need. I shared video tutorial HERE showing my trick for dressing my chandeliers with fresh greens. The tie-top pillows I made last week ended up on the living room sofa… I was on the hunt for a potted blue spruce to put in my antique white bucket, like I did last year, but…no luck.  So, I asked Jeff if he would pick up a cut tabletop tree next time he was out and about.  I put it in a pitcher of water inside the bucket and it suits me just fine. On the other

Read More
All Things Home

gingerbread-ing it up

Would you believe that I have never made gingerbread houses or cookies from scratch?  Ever?  I have made them out of graham crackers or bought the pre-made kits to do with the boys, but I’ve never made the dough and the icing and rolled and cut everything myself. Until Tuesday. I’ve been so in love with the simple and pretty gingerbread houses I’ve seen spotted on Instagram that I decided I needed to make some of my own. I was supposed to go to the studio on Tuesday.  Kriste was there already, packing up the online orders from the weekend, but the pull of the gingerbread was just too strong. I gave her a call.  “So, there isn’t anything we really have to do today, right?  Would you be okay if I stay home and  make gingerbread houses?  You could come on over and we can do some brainstorming while we decorate…”

Read More
All Things Home

custom furniture | $1000 giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Interior Define.  All words and opinions are my own, and, as always, I’m partnering with a brand I like that I want to introduce to my readers. I am a big-time online shopper.  I live at least 45 minutes away from decent shopping and about 1 1/2 – 2 hours away from really great shopping.  So, I’ve become very comfortable making big purchases from pictures, measurements, descriptions and reviews.  I’ve bought all of the tile that is in my house online, an armoire, three toilets, a bathtub, an ottoman, two beds, barstools, yards and yards of fabric, all of my rugs and countless accessories. The people at UPS and FedEx love me. So, when I was introduced to Interior Define, a company that specializes in custom, made-to-order furniture sold online, I was interested in checking them out.  That is right up my alley.  One big advantage

Read More
All Things Home

kim’s coastal bedroom | the bedskirt & built-ins

I know lots of you are eagerly awaiting the reveal of my mom’s room makeover.  Trust me…she is, too!  My design services are free, but they aren’t fast!  We have been making some progress, though.  I mentioned before that I made a bed skirt, but I didn’t have a chance to get a picture of it, until this weekend.  (…when we watched the Redskins beat the Bears.  Just throwing that out there.)  Here it is on the bed… It really adds a finished look to the bed and a hint of color and pattern in the neutral space.  The fabric is Adelaide Mist from Sailrite. I wish I had made a tutorial of the skirt, but I flew through it to get it made for my mom’s birthday, so I could present it to her when I took her out to dinner a few weeks ago.  It involved lots of

Read More
All Things Home

master bedroom Christmas decorating

I don’t decorate every single room in the house for Christmas, but our master bedroom is right off the family room, so I like to bring a few festive touches in the room. I decorated the room pretty much as I did last year.  I don’t feel like I have to keep things the same, but I also don’t feel like I have to change what looked really pretty the previous year. My dress form is wearing an antique costume jewelry necklace that belonged to my Oma.  I also wrapped a length of wool mini pom-pom garland around her neck.  It’s the same Anthropologie garland I used on the Christmas tree, but I added some homemade poms on both ends. As I did last year, I draped our grain sack stocking advent calendar on the foot of the bed.  Each day, I fill the stocking with a mini Lego set and

Read More
All Things Home

slipcover series part 4 & reveal

Well, I finally finished the slipcover for my mom’s room makeover!  Slipcovers aren’t my favorite and catching every step on film slows my progress to a crawl, so it’s taken me much longer than usual to get this thing finished.  I gave myself a pep-talk and threw some air-punches in the studio and I made it happen. If you’re overwhelmed by your slipcover project, just take it one step at a time and you’ll get it done. And here is the finished slipcover… The burgundy fabric is all still there, but it has a new slipcover in antique hemp sheets… …with a flirty skirt… …and ribbon ties on the back, as a little surprise… I love how the ribbon looks like upholstery webbing.  I think I bought it at World Market, but I’m not 100% on that. The slipcover makes this traditional wing chair feel a bit more relaxed and in

Read More

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.

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Learn to paint pet portraits in oils with confidence, even if you’re a beginner. In this new course, Marian will guide you step by step through creating expressive animal portraits filled with color, personality, and your own artistic touch. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when the course opens.

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

Recent Video

Fall Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest