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Seasonal

Christmas in April

Yesterday I mentioned that Jeff and I went to the local tree farm and cut down a tree for my Christmas HGTV.com photo shoots.  It was a pretty odd event…cutting down a Christmas tree just a couple of days before Easter, but I have gotten used to the seasonal confusion that happens in the decorating and retail world.  You always have to be thinking and working well ahead of the seasons. Not only did we have to cut down and trim the tree yesterday, but I had to decorate it three times to photograph three different tree skirts.  My arms had so many pin pricks on them it looked like I had hives!  I guess I usually have long sleeves on when I’m decorating the tree in December!  Despite my flesh wounds, the process was fun in its own weird little way. The first tree skirt was a “sunburst” design,

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April 19, 2014 20 Comments
Favorite Finds

Finds, Bread Boards & Mittens

It was a packed day.  I started cleaning as I was getting ready for the day.  I’m sure I’m not the only super-multi-tasker who tries to clean the sink while I’m drying my hair.  I have a lot of due dates approaching and the boys have a few days off school, so I needed to squeeze in a lot in the time I had.  In addition to cleaning the house a bit, I filmed two more segments for the Building a Creatively Made Business 2.0 series, went with Jeff to cut down a Christmas tree (which required some explanation, since it’s April), decorated said Christmas tree three different ways and finished two more of my HGTV.com projects. One of the tutorials we worked on today shows how to make a bread board out of an old piece of wood.  (We made the back one on the right.)  You would not

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April 18, 2014 14 Comments
Before and Afters

humble upholstery & an ornate frame

 This chair has been languishing in my basement for a while…almost a year, I think.  Sometimes I don’t work on pieces because I’m stalling, busy, uninspired or it keeps falling to the bottom of the to-do list.  I think other times, providence plays a small role.  I wasn’t really sure what fabric I was going to use on this piece and was just planning on defaulting to natural hemp.  Then, I found this PA grain sack at an antique store.  I happened to set it on the chair and it seemed like they were meant to be together.  I wasn’t sure how well the ornate frame would play with the humble grain sack, but they were perfect. Here’s what the chair looked like when I bought it.  Not bad at all, but the tapestry-like fabric wasn’t my style and there was flimsy cardboard backing that I wanted to replace. The

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April 14, 2014 39 Comments
buying & selling antiques

cleaning the basement & a stool for Lucketts

Today, my mom and I spent a few hours cleaning out the basement.  After all of the project-finishing, organizing, cleaning, shopping for Lucketts, shipping for the online shop, etc, the basement was a mess.  I can tolerate a messy basement for a while, because I can close the door and not look at it.  There comes a time, though, when I’m tripping over things and can’t find things and it feels like things are everywhere and they are crowding out my productivity and creativity. We worked really hard and both the old and new parts of the basement are cleaned and organized. Everything that’s finished for Lucketts is priced and packed…   …and we have a holding area for pieces I’m still working on.   It feels amazing to have those spaces cleaned and ready for work!  Next week I hope to get some of these pieces finished, so I

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April 11, 2014 21 Comments
Antiques

the present | ironstone cake stand

  You probably know that I have a thing for white ironstone.  I’ve been collecting it for years and have a wide variety of pieces from brush boxes to sugar jars, tureens, and pitchers to punch bowls and platters, casseroles, mugs, compotes, and a huge slop jar. A piece I’ve always wanted was an ironstone cake pedestal.  I saw one in person in the home of an antique vendor a few years ago and it stopped me in my tracks.  I never knew there were ironstone cake stands!  I asked her to let me know if she finds another one and I would buy it.  I had no idea what a crazy request that was, since cake pedestals are like the ironstone holy grail. So, for a few years, I’ve been keeping an eye out for an ironstone cake stand.  I never saw one…even an expensive one.  Zip.  I started

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April 4, 2014 102 Comments
buying & selling antiques

Last Week's Finds

When I get home from shopping, I like to open all of the bags and boxes and spread everything out on the dining room table.  I think it has to do with feeling a sense of accomplishment.  This is what I did today.  It’s harder to feel that when it’s out of sight.  I think it also makes my hauls look more impressive.  I do live in an area where ironstone is a pretty regular find, but it’s not like I walk into a shop and it’s all piled neatly waiting for me.  This spread was collected from four different stores over hours of scouring booths and shelves.  I also don’t get it all at bargain basement prices.  Sometimes I do find a plate for $.50 or a pitcher for $5.00, but most of the time I buy ironstone because I love it and want a lot of it in

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March 29, 2014 37 Comments
Family Room

photo shoot, a fever & finds

We had less than half of the trim completed in the family room and I had a photo shoot coming up, so today, Jeff and I were determined to finish it.  Part of it was the deadline, but another part of it was putting ourselves out of our miserly.  Having a half-finished DIY project hanging over your head gets old.   So, today we worked on getting it done.  I woke up with a stuffy head and I was dragging, so I opted to give myself a day off of my workout and I dove into caulking and priming. This project took so much longer than I expected and at 1:30, I was just starting to paint the trim.  Cari was here for the day to help get ready for Lucketts.  Cari will henceforth be known as “the machine.”  She’s amazing.  She spent most of her time prepping four pieces

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March 24, 2014 43 Comments
Decorating

original art |

There was a time when I didn’t care very much about original art. I actually went to a fine arts college, so I had the chance to attend galleries regularly.  I think it was even required, actually…  I’d stroll around the room, looking for a few minutes and then I’d find my friends and we’d go off to chat in a corner.  I just never appreciated it…until I owned my very first original oil painting. Now I’m hooked. I used to ignore the wall art at antique malls and auctions, but now I lean it and look…seeing if anything speaks to me. And I’ve started to browse eBay for original art to use in my home.  I’ve found so many beautiful, well-priced pieces that I curated a collection of original art pieces that caught my eye.  I even added a couple to my shopping cart, but I’m still thinking… Obviously,

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March 23, 2014 14 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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