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All Things Home
Decorating

an ode to linen & Brooklinen’s 10th anniversary sale

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Brooklinen.  As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own.  Brooklinen is currently having its 10th-anniversary sale, so check out the bottom of the post for more details. An Ode to Linen by Marian Parsons *Ahem* Oh, linen, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways.  I have ten. Number one.  I love that you are a natural fabric.  I enjoy cotton and wool, but you are my favorite. Number two.  Instead of being worse for wear, you get better with age.  You get softer and more comfortable with each wash.  You age like a fine wine or a prize-winning cheese. Number three.  You never, ever pill. You just don’t.  Anyone who has ever slept on pilly sheets understands and respects this about you. Number four.  You feel cool and cozy simultaneously.  You are a wonder. Number five. You are

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April 23, 2024 1 Comment
All Things Home

the new man in my life

The day after my birthday earlier this month, Jeff and I went to breakfast together and headed to Carlisle to find some birthday goodies at one of my favorite antique stores – Bedford Street Antiques.  I had a few things I was going to keep an eye out for, but I really just wanted to find something that made my heart flutter and would be a memorable present.  I used to spend my birthday money on clothes or little things here and there, but I’ve decided that each year, I’m going to spend it on something special that I would likely keep for years if not decades.  I have several birthday presents that are some of my favorite things – an ironstone cake stand, a custom leather art bag, an antique watercolor box, and Jeff even got me a tattoo for year 39.  I had picked up a few fun

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April 22, 2024 96 Comments
All Things Home

the war on bishop’s weed

So, last year I shared a post about lovely surprises I was finding in our yard as bulbs peeked up in the Spring, perennials woke up, and bushes leafed out and bloomed.  I learned the dogwood trees in our front yard had white blooms, which was exactly what I was hoping.  A large bush that is falling over under its own weight is a beautiful mock orange that just needs some serious pruning. What we thought was a dead dogwood tree is actually a lilac bush that has grown taller than the house!  It gave me a better indication of what I wanted to heavily prune and save and what I wanted to remove.  One of the plants I shared was a ground cover Google identified as Ground Elder or Snow-on-the-Mountain, which both sound lovely.  I left it alone to bloom and thought the lacy white flowers were so pretty. 

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April 17, 2024 36 Comments
a slice of life

why you should have a pair of gardening overalls

I’ve been working in the yard and garden beds most days over the past two or three weeks.  It’s that time of year when the longer days and not-too-hot spring weather draws me outside and I get excited about cleaning things up, weeding, and working on more landscaping projects.  We bought a house that had beautiful landscaping done about 50 years ago.  Fortunately, some of that landscaping is still in good condition, can be trimmed up, and provides a nice foundation to work around.  Unfortunately, much of the yard and many of those mature bushes are overgrown and there is still a lot of work to be done.  Last year, we made a big dent by having large bushes and some trees professionally removed and we’ve been slowly working on the rest on our own.  At some point, I’ll share a recap of what we’ve done in the yard so

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April 16, 2024 12 Comments
1970 home renovation

the Sherwin Williams color match to my kitchen cabinets

One of my most frequently asked questions over the past year is, “What color are your kitchen cabinets?”  Since I paint everything, I think people assume I selected the color and painted the cabinets myself.  This is actually the first time I didn’t paint my own kitchen cabinets!  I ordered them in this color – Painted Sage by Waypoint.  You can find more information on the cabinets I selected and how we customized them HERE.  Since I’m asked so often, I’ve intended to take a scrap piece from the kitchen install over to Sherwin Williams to have it matched and it just kept escaping me.  Today, I decided to get some errands done that have been languishing for a while and I stopped in the paint store to find the best match. Now, if you had a sample of Painted Sage by Waypoint, which I’m sure you could get from

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April 15, 2024 12 Comments
1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | the beginnings of the boys’ bathroom reno

Warning, this is not a pretty post, but this is the reality of buying a 50+-year-old home that was mostly in original condition.   While none of the rooms in this house were ugly (I think the previous owners had wonderful taste), there comes a time when the fads of the day are dated, and the wear and tear on a home warrant a redo.  In the case of the boys’ bathroom, it’s just time.  But, as I’ve shared before, the renovation money initially allocated for updating the two bathrooms went towards a roof (you can read about the new roof HERE), which was in worse shape than the home inspection showed.  It was a smart choice, but a roof isn’t quite as fun as a new bathroom.  I try to appreciate it every time I walk or drive by the house and when we have heavy rain. Fully renovating this

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April 11, 2024 13 Comments
All Things Home

favorite things | antique transferware plates

I have loved antique transferware plates for years, decades even.  I think they were one of my earliest yard sale purchases as a newlywed.  I remember reading a magazine article that showcased stacks of mismatched antique transferware plates that had been collected over time and I fell in love with the idea of having a set of dishes that wasn’t a set at all.  I also subscribed to the idea early in my decorating journey that pretty plates and platters made unique and inexpensive wall art and I’ve been hanging them on the walls ever since. Even though I have well over 100 plates and platters (it’s probably closer to 200), I still am drawn to them and find new excuses to acquire them.  Well, these would be perfect for a still-life painting, so I can buy them to use as props.  If you’re a collector, you understand that some

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April 8, 2024 13 Comments
All Things Home

kitchen eating nook changes | the open wall shelves

If you’re thinking, “Didn’t I already read this post about the wall shelves in your kitchen?”  You are partially right.  You read my first draft of this post and, because of a technical glitch on my blog, my blog was down for several hours last week and had to be reverted to an earlier version.  This post ended up being the casualty.  I really liked this post, though, so I didn’t want it to be completely stricken from the Miss Mustard Seed record, but I knew I would never be able to rewrite it word-for-word.  I remembered enough, though, to be able to capture the spirit of the post and, perhaps, articulate things even better the second time around. As I was writing the series about some updates I made to the eating area in our kitchen, the thing that was most discussed was the white open wall shelves adjacent

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April 6, 2024 16 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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