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All Things Home

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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Dresser Makeover & New Signs

Oh, I have so much to share, I’m about to burst!!  We had the glitter letter workshop today, I have an exciting event with The Graphics Fairy coming up, I have been using every spare minute to make Christmas ornaments and decor to sell, and I scored some awesome furniture on Thursday.  I’ll share it all soon, but tonight, I’m tired, so I’m just going to show my dresser makeover and the two new signs I made for the shop. Do you remember this dresser?  I bought it at a yard sale a few weeks ago.  It was in great structural condition and someone had even sanded it down for me!  That might be a minus for some people, but it was a huge plus for me.  I painted it with a brush (the old fashioned way), sanded it heavily, and followed it with a rub of dark walnut stain.

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Eco Natural Soap Giveaway!

I have another giveaway for you this week!  I recently learned about a new all-natural soap made by Alicia and Alan of Eco Natural Soap.  Now, let me say, I am not a “greenie” at all and I am only in favor of using an “eco” product if it works just as well or better than one that was cooked up in a lab.  I was skeptical of this soap.  If it’s not better than Dove, I’m not going to use it.  Well, I have to say…I’ve been using one of their soaps to wash my face every night for a few weeks and I absolutely love it.  The complexion bar, although it makes you smell a little like a Christmas tree, makes your skin feel amazing.  It can also diminish the appearance of age spots, cellulite and other imperfections in the skin. Of course, I have non of those, so I

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Silver Pedestal

Here’s the reveal on the pedestal I made yesterday.  Oh, I can’t wait to refinish my orange speckled dining room table.  All of my clients and retail spaces are keeping me way to busy for that!  Anyway, I simply used some super glue to affix a silver candlestick to a small plate.  I’ve had these two pieces for sale on their own, but they really weren’t special and they weren’t selling.  Putting them together makes them special.  If you’re making one of these, give the glue plenty of time to cure.  The glass cloche just happened to fit perfectly and I love it!  I’m tempted to keep it, but I won’t.  I can always make another one down the road.  I spent the afternoon with a friend at the Apple Harvest Festival.  I live in orchard country, so it’s a huge deal and I’ve never been before.  I did find

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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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