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All Things Home
All Things Home

how to sew a zipper closure on a box cushion

We’ve been chatting about sewing lately and I have something to confess.  Zippers terrified me for years.  Well, maybe not terrified, but I thought they were too complicated and I avoided and side-stepped them.  I just made envelope closures on the underside of cushions.  And they’re usually held together by safety pins. Yeah.  If you flip over the cushions of my pretty French bergere chairs in the living room? And I’m saying this in a whisper.  Maybe even just mouthing it… …safety pins.   The French wing chairs in the dining room? Yep. As I’ve said before, I’m not about perfection.  I’m about getting something done.  If a chair needing a zipper is going to prevent me from getting something done, then I’ll figure out another way. I did face my fear of zippers a few years ago and they were surprisingly simple.  Almost to the point of embarrassment. It’s sort of like

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August 12, 2015 14 Comments
All Things Home

megan’s office makeover | part 3 | the plan

After a few weeks of marinating on things, sourcing, kicking around ideas, I have come up with a plan for Megan’s office makeover.  If you missed the first two posts in this series, you can check them out here… part 1 | the before part 2 | the “franken-chair” And now, I’m finally sharing the plan, letting you know the direction we’re heading. Here’s what the office space looked like the day I made my house call.  Please remember that Megan had the door closed and curtains drawn on this room, which was used to dump things in when she cleaned the house for my visit, and I stuck my nose in and then took pictures of it and then posted them on my blog.  (Good friend that I am.) So, Megan is not really in love with anything in this space, but it does have great bones…windows that let in pretty

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August 11, 2015 35 Comments
All Things Home

dear reader | to the one who is scared to sew

This time of reassessing my business and blog has been so rejuvenating for me.  I find myself flooded with ideas, anxious to create, bubbling to write…almost to the point of being overwhelmed by it.  It’s like my ideas are little children who keep interrupting one another and I have to tell them to pipe down and wait their turn.  So, I’m making lots of lists and trying to shape them into a plan of action that does involve time to eat and sleep.  I’m working on it. One of the ideas that keeps surfacing is doing more series on my blog.  Not just individual blog posts, but ones that are strung together by a common topic or tell a story that arcs over several posts.  I have three blog series currently underway – how my business began, the evolution of my house (we’re almost done with that one) and Megan’s

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August 10, 2015 78 Comments
All Things Home

how to make a chair cushion | deck chair makeover

I’ve been working on my deck off and on throughout the spring and summer and it’s finally starting to come together.  I know I’m not going to break any makeover speed records with this project, but that’s life, right?  Spaces take time to come together.  So, there is still more to do, but last week I jumped a big hurtle – I made new chair cushions for the vintage iron armchairs my mom passed along to me and I thought I would share a tutorial on how to make a chair cushion. They really, really needed new chair cushions.  The old ones were deteriorated, mildewed, faded and ripped.  They were beyond cleaning or recovering.  I needed to start from scratch. The chairs are comfortable and in great shape, though, so it was worth the time to make new cushions. I actually tried to find pre-made cushions that were the right size,

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August 8, 2015 26 Comments
All Things Home

if you think a beautiful home is out of your budget…

…it’s not. When I asked for feedback a few weeks ago, some readers brought up how they “miss the days of me decorating on a budget.”  To some, it felt like I’m dangling a home out there that is out of reach unless you’re “rich”. When I read those comments, I wanted to reach through the screen and hug the women who felt that way.  I wanted to apologize for leaving them with the impression that you have to have a lot of money to create a beautiful home.  I wanted to take them on a tour through my home and show them the things I got for free on the side of the road or dug out of an attic or picked up at yard sales or on Craig’s List. And I wanted to look them in the eye and tell them that I know exactly how they feel, because I’ve been in their shoes. As

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August 7, 2015 84 Comments
All Things Home

tips on finding the “rare finds”

We’re been spending a few days at Myrtle Beach and it’s been such a fun time.  My boys are really taking to the water, sand and surf.  They want to spend every minute at the beach or the pool.  It’s been a delight watching the discovery and excitement. I really enjoy the beach, but only aspects of it.  I’ve never liked salt water and sand.  From the time I was little, I preferred sitting in a 5 gallon bucket filled with hose water over swimming in the ocean.  Seriously.  The entire ocean was yards away and I would sit in a bucket (with my night-night blanket, sucking my thumb.) I do love the sound of the waves, walking in the surf and combing the beach for treasures, though. The pickings are pretty slim at Myrtle Beach, at least where we are.  It’s a popular beach and it has a pretty rough surf,

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August 5, 2015 35 Comments
a slice of life

eating well made easy | chicken avocado burgers

I shared on my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago that dinner is usually one of the first things to “go” when I’m busy.  I actually like cooking, but planning is my downfall.  I like to be “in the mood” for what I make and eat, so I don’t like to plan out a menu.  This becomes problematic at the grocery store when I buy things that I think I might be in the mood for, but then again, maybe I won’t. I’ve learned that if I can get a little help with the planning, I can make a good dinner happen, even on a busy day. So, when Plated asked if I would like to work with them, try out a couple of their meals and share it on my blog, I loved the idea.  This sounds like a service that I would like. Here’s what Plated is… For our first

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August 4, 2015 61 Comments
All Things Home

10 minute decorating | teacup topiaries

It’s time for another 10 minute decorating idea! I partner with a few other bloggers, once a month, to bring an idea you can complete in a few minutes…while dinner is on the stove or as the kids are playing happily. I tend to work on projects that take a lot longer than 10 minutes, so it’s a challenge for me to think of something quick and simple.  Sometimes all we have is 10 minutes, so it’s nice to have those ideas up our sleeves. As I was thinking through what I had on hand and what project I could work on, I remembered a pack of moss I recently purchased for another project.  I’ve always loved topiaries, so I decided to make teacup moss “topiaries”.  And this is more of a 2 minute indoor plant decor idea than a 10 minute one!  (You can keep the change.) Don’t blink or you’ll miss

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July 30, 2015 18 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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