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All Things Home

Seasonal Confusion

I set up a Christmas tree in early October to photograph my “line.”  As I decorated the tree, my almost four year old crept around the corner and his eyes widened.  He gasped and exclaimed with glee, “It’s Christmas!”  “Oh, buddy, it’s not Christmas.  Mommy’s just taking pictures.”  “Oh, okay.” and he shuffled off, head hanging.  Poor little guy.  Now, the tree is at Chartreuse for the barn sale and I am setting up pumpkin topiaries and other fall and Halloween decor to take pictures for HGTV.com tutorials for next year.  It actually works out well.  I was able to buy bargain pumpkins ($10 for a wagon full, the day before the great pumpkin smashing party) and clearance Halloween and fall decor.  My neighbors must scratch their heads at me.  There were tree lights in the window in October and now Halloween decor on my porch in November! I must admit

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The thrill of the hunt

Those of you who get it, get it.  There is an addiction to the thrill of thrifting.  The joy of junking!  The awesomeness of auctions! It is a drug and it’s my drug of choice.  Hook me up to an IV and open the line.  I love hunting for treasures.  I set out for a morning of hitting yard sales and I don’t know what will be in my van when I come home (much to the dismay of my husband.)  Maybe nothing.  Maybe something I’ve been longing after for ten years…and it was only five bucks.  You just never know.  I have admired these industrial shoe carts for a long time, now.  Gail has one in her space at Wild Rose and I’ve admired that one as well.  I’ve never found them at a reasonable price, so when I spotted one on the porch of a local antique shop, I was

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Is there really an original idea?

I started working on my Christmas line in September.  I had so much fun playing with different themes and ideas in my head.  I finally settled on a sheet music and glitter theme – two materials I’ve really enjoyed working with this year.  I experimented with different techniques, styles, finishes and combinations.  I painted, glued, cut, rolled, and glittered.  I went into full production mode and then I presented my 2010 line to the world.  Well, to the blog world.  🙂  Then… picture source …stinkin’ Pottery Barn has a line of sheet music and glitter ornaments!!  Can you believe it?!  I feel a little like a girl who shows up to the prom, only to discover that another girl is wearing the same dress.  picture source A couple of my readers have mentioned it to me and I finally checked it out myself yesterday.  Now, I know my idea wasn’t revolutionary, but it was

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Preserving Fall’s Bounty

My seasonal decorating is all out of order.  I have been working on Christmas stuff since September and now I’m working on my fall decor for next year!  HGTV.com has me writing several holiday decor tutorials for them and I need to work on the ones that require fresh pumpkins and the great outdoors before the season changes to winter.  Our “leaf peak” has passed in Pennsylvania, so I needed to preserve some leaves for my photo shoots before they were dried and gone.  Here’s how to preserve the colorful falls leaves for next year: Collect freshly fallen leaves.  They need to be supple, not dried out, yet.  I love maple leaves and those are in abundance in our church parking lot, so I stole some time at youth group last night to collect some.  Place each individual leaf between the pages of a thick book.  The moisture in the leaves

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Chartreuse Christmas Preview

Chartreuse (and our space there) is getting all decked out for the holidays.  Lynette and I spent the afternoon primping our booth and donning it with holiday decor.  In addition to furniture and non-holiday accessories, the place is filling up with greenery, lights, ornaments, and trees. Sniff.  Yes, I even managed to bring my French settee to the booth.  And I left it there…with a tag on it…for someone to buy.  They better really love it, that’s all I’m sayin’.  We staged Christine’s pine farm tables under the rafters at the back of our booth to maximize space.  I hope someone buys that piece last, so all of our stuff doesn’t end up on the floor!  Two of my banners adorn the stacked chests.  I managed to only make one large sheet music wreath for the sale, but I’m hoping to make more next week. I focused on bringing accessories that

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Christmas Ornament Pricing

I’ve had so many requests for pricing on my Christmas line, so I’m going to put it “out there.”  If you want to buy something, just send me an e-mail with your order and your zip code.  I will package your order and charge you through Pay Pal (or you can mail a personal check.)  I will ship to Canada as well.  Heck, I’ll ship anywhere as long as you’re willing to pay the shipping! Sheet music “star” tree topper – $35.00, but I will only sell this locally.  The star is large and I’m concerned about the paper being damaged in transit.  Signature mini sheet music wreath ornaments: $10/each Sheet music “pine cones”: $10.00/each German glass glitter stars: $5.00 Snowflakes: $5.00 Large snowflakes: $7.50 Hand painted and glittered papier mache ornaments – $6.00 for small, $8.00 for large. German glass glitter letter ornament banners: $2.00/letter and I can make

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Christmas Line 2010 Preview

I must pat myself on the back and say that I got an amazing amount of stuff done today.  I priced all of my ornaments, glittered two banners, put magnets on the back of about 30 letters, hand painted two banners, upholstered the French settee, painted four dining room chairs, repaired a small chest, made two mini sheet music wreath ornaments, fed my kids and changed diapers, organized toys, and played some X-Box.  Craziness.  I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my ornaments and Christmas decor, so I thought I would give everyone a preview.  My theme this year is sheet music and German glass glitter.  I designed and made every ornament and decoration you see, so I’ve been a busy girl.  My kitchen counter is covered with paper dust and hot glue strings and my entire house sparkles with glitter.  Such is my life.  Anyway, without further delay,

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The Jackpot

I bought a French chair at a yard sale a few weeks ago and the gentleman I bought it from mentioned having an entire storage unit full of his mother’s furniture, much of it French provincial in style.  HELLO!  I handed him a business card and held my breath.  He called and we scheduled a time to meet at the storage facility to see if we could make a deal.  We had to reschedule twice due to rain, but we finally met last Thursday.  I was not disappointed.  I bought this beautiful French settee… …an antique chest of drawers… …a small Bombay chest… …a pair of French chairs (Don’t even ask to buy these chairs.  They are mine.)  …and a small empire shelf, a pair of nightstands, and a couple of luggage racks. I didn’t drive off with any crazy steals (like a truck load of antique doors and furniture for

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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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