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All Things Home
Decorating

rescue remodel, ornaments & a gift

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we all appreciate our fire fighters.  They train and condition and prepare to put themselves in harm’s way when people need help.  Well, here’s a great opportunity to say “thank you” in a small way.   IKEA is partnering with The Family Handyman in sponsoring a contest for a $25,000 kitchen makeover for a deserving local fire department.  You can nominate your local firehouse for a chance to win. The entry page can be found here: http://www.rescueremodel.com/.  Please take a few minutes to nominate your local (or favorite) firehouse to give them the chance to win this awesome prize. I’ve received a lot of requests to buy some of my ornaments online and I really wanted to make that happen.  Here’s the deal…  last year, I opened it up to custom orders, made everything myself, packed them up and shipped them out.  It took a lot of time

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November 17, 2011 32 Comments
Decorating

how to hang a curtain rod | made simple

When I realized I was going to have to hang four curtain rods in the family room, I came up with a solution on how to hang curtain a curtain rod to make sure they are all hung at the same height and the same distance from the window. This process in the past has involved measuring up, measuring out, using a level, repeat. Sometimes it would involve drilling multiple holes when something didn’t work out.  So, I took some time to figure out where I wanted the holes and I made a template.  I used a piece of raw chipboard, but cardboard or stiff card stock would do the job.  I hung my curtains seven inches higher than the top of the window frame and nine inches wider.  Hanging curtains high and wide (when ceiling height and space permit) make the window feel larger and it keeps the drapes from blocking too much of

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November 13, 2011 144 Comments
My House

{my turn}

I’ve been working like crazy getting ready for the holiday open house and working on other projects, so my home has been a bit of a wreck.  Now it’s time to focus some attention on things I get to keep and things that will make my home more enjoyable for me and my family.  (Well, mostly me.  My boys don’t care about curtains and pillows and painted furniture and accessories.)  I don’t have a huge window to do this, but I’m going to take a few days and get some things done around here.  I already started by moving an old ceder chest into my living room.  I already painted it, of course, but I snapped this picture before I did.  I’m not sure if I LOVE it there, yet, but it’s giving me an idea for scale.  I’d like to find something really interesting, though.  I have an idea

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November 8, 2011 39 Comments
buying & selling antiques

Lucketts Holiday Open House

Yesterday was all about Lucketts. I went down there to get my room ready for the open house.  (Minus the sofa.  Poor Ruthie was up until 3:30am on Thursday working on that thing and just couldn’t make it to Lucketts in time, so she’s bringing it early tomorrow and will help me haul it up the stairs.  Talk about above and beyond.)  I did have some great help today, though, and we got the place looking sparkly and ready for Christmas.   OK, I have to explain this tree topper.  I know it’s ridiculous on that dinky tree.  I had planned on getting a lush, live tree, but it just wasn’t going to fit and the thought of dragging it up the steps and everything that was involved just didn’t seem worth it.  So, I pulled this little guy out of my basement and the paper star I had intended

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November 4, 2011 111 Comments
Popular

DIY Farmhouse Table Tutorial

I received several requests for the tutorial on building a simple DIY farmhouse table (with just a drill) that was published in the October 2011 issue of Cottages & Bungalows.  I just got the “thumbs up” to publish the full tutorial on my blog, so here you go!   DIY farm house table | materials & tools Pine lumber – 3 – 1” x 12” x 6’ (top) 2 – 1” x 3” x 64” (apron/frame) 2 – 1” x 3” x 28” (apron/frame) 2 – 1” x 3” x 26 ¼” (bracing) 2 – 1” x 2” x 28” (bracing) 2 – 1” x 3” x 28″ (bracing) Four pre-turned legs, 29” high Electric drill One box self – drilling 1 ¾” wood screws (matching bit included in box) Clamps (optional) Router (optional) Wood filler Putty knife Fine grit sanding sponge DIY farmhouse table | instructions 1. On a

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November 3, 2011 175 Comments
Decorating

welcome to wordpress

Believe it or not, my very first blog was started in WordPress.  Had I just stayed there, I would’ve saved myself a lot of trouble, but I think it was a good thing for me at the time.  I was on WordPress and felt pretty alone.  I didn’t understand how to plug into the blog community and get my blog “out there.”  I was writing to myself and my mom and we both already knew what I was doing.   As I started to get sucked into the world of DIY blogs, I saw that almost everyone was on Blogger, so I clicked the “start a blog” button and ran with it.  Blogger was easy to use, easy to connect and easy for me to work on myself.  Then my blog grew…and grew…and grew and about two years later, I realized I had created a bit of a mess for myself. 

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November 1, 2011 130 Comments
buying & selling antiques

shopping while hungry, snow & speculoos

You know the saying, “Never shop for groceries when you’re hungry.”  Well, I went “shopping while hungry” so to speak. My space at Lucketts was empty and I was pretty anxious about getting it stuffed to the gills for the holiday open house (November 4-6.)  Well, I shopped and sourced and scrounged and made bins and bins of ornaments and now the place is definitely stuffed.  Busting at the seams.  And I still have more at home.  I was planning on bringing in a live tree, but I think that will just take up too much space (I still have to fit a sofa somewhere in this space!)  So, I’m going to bring in the plastic slim tree from home.  Not exactly what I wanted, but it will fit a lot better. Here’s what the room looks like now…             All in all, I’m really

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October 31, 2011 122 Comments
Antiques

another keeper

Thanks so much for all of the feedback on my horse.  I’ve decided I’m going to keep him.  You’re all a bad influence.  You know that?  Or maybe a good influence.  I know I’m going to be glad I kept him.  Maybe we’ll have a “name that horse” contest to win ornaments from my Christmas line or something like that. While shopping on Friday, I found something else I knew I was going to keep….this hutch. I bought it for an HGTV.com article I’m working on and figured I would sell it when I was done.  I found the perfect place in my house for it, though, so it’s a keeper.  I love it when that happens! I’ve always wanted a chippy, old hutch to house some ironstone and linens in and this is perfect.  I’m still debating over whether I want to paint the interior or not…hmmm… I’m looking forward to

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October 24, 2011 68 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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