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All Things Home

I’m a girl. What can I say?

Today was a great shopping day…and I love those.  I’m a girl.  What can I say?  It started out early.  My MIL and youngest boy set out to one of my favorite bi-annual community yard sales.  Right off the bat, I spotted a house that had loads of antiques for sale.  Most of it was a little too expensive for me (for resale purposes), but I did buy a few old books, a huge frame, and a folding wooden chair.  All for $4.00.  Then, we were off and running.  We had walked through most of the neighborhood and I hadn’t bought another thing (except puzzles for my 3 1/2 year old, cookies for the boy and a brownie for me.)  This day was going to be a bummer.  Then, I spotted a Frenchy chest of drawers with great hardware (and stickers and a nasty paint job.)  It was very sturdy, solid

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September 11, 2010 49 Comments

Book Bundles & Birds

I decided to share another very cheap and easy home decor project today.  I love the look of old books and I’ve been fortunate enough to find some cool ones on my thrifting excursions, but what if you can’t find any old books?  No problem.  Run (or drive) to your local thrift store and pick up a stack of hard back books.  I bought mine at Goodwill for $.97/each.  Try to find books that have yellowed pages and a bit of age to them.  Most of the books I found were from the 1980’s. Using an exacto knife, cut the bound pages from the spine and remove the cover.  Bundle the books together using twine and use for display.  (Just a tip – Don’t do this to your husband’s civil war book collection on a day you’re mad at him.) These neutral book bundles are a great way to decorate a book

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September 6, 2010 32 Comments

Recreating Costume Jewelry

This project is super simple.  Like, “embarrassing that I’m even showing you how to make them” simple, but I’m going to insult your craftiness and post a tutorial, anyway.  I love vintage costume jewelry, but I’m not about to don my rhinestone clip-ons and mink shrug for a day of furniture refinishing.  (That image made me laugh.)  But, I find it a sad thing to leave them sitting in a jewelry box.  Why not use the clips for something else?  Clip-on magnets is what came to mind.  Gather broaches, clip-ons, belt buckles, pins and any other pretty sparkly thing you can glue a magnet to.  I purchased mine from a great yard sale for a quarter each.  Buy a roll of magnet from a craft store and cut the magnet to size.  I purchased mine at AC Moore for under $1.00.  Use some super glue or Gorilla Glue to adhere the

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September 5, 2010 27 Comments

Goodwill Luck & Getting Organized

I hit the right Goodwill at the right moment on the right day.  The Goodwill store in Westminster, MD is big and always has a lot of cool stuff, but it can be a little pricey sometimes.  Today, they were overloaded with furniture and almost every employee looked like a college student who didn’t care about fetching a high price on something “old.”  So, I scored a bunch of really great things for a song.  I got this chair… …a vintage wooden rocking horse (that I’m going to paint to look more sophisticated)… …a ratty, but not stinky, ottoman… …and an amazing antique china cabinet, which I have not snapped a photo of, yet.  I also got some silver and three Pyrex bowls.  It was a jackpot for someone like me.  We also hit Lowes and I found a couple of goodies there as well.  I needed some more drop cloths to make

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September 4, 2010 36 Comments

Oyster Sign

I don’t think I’ve ever had an oyster, but the thought of one in my mouth just doesn’t do it for me.  I may not like oysters, but that didn’t stop me from thinking “fresh oysters” would look cool on a sign.  I loved this old piece of barn wood with the original red paint on it.  It’s probably over 100 years old and was a perfect “canvas” for one of my hand painted “antique” signs.  I know I’ve promised a tutorial on my process for making my signs and I will hold to that.  I am too busy with Lucketts and some other very exciting projects I have in the works.  Anyway, this sign is also coming with me to Lucketts and I hope it finds a good buyer who will give it a good home.  I also made another lamp shade out of upholstery webbing.  Here’s a sneak peak

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August 25, 2010 28 Comments

Fashioning a Nest

Nests are all the rage right now.  They are so symbolic of new life, protecting your family, and creating a comfortable environment.  Until now, I never really thought about the aspect that a nest is made entirely by the occupants and entirely out of found materials.  I’ve found nests before with gum wrappers tucked in.  When I was a little girl, my mom would trim my hair and we would throw my hair in the yard for the birds to use.  Our feathered friends don’t hire contractors or go to Lowes; they recycle with nature’s litter (and sometimes ours) and toil to make something they are pleased with.  It’s really remarkable.  In addition to all of these deeper subliminal messages, nest are just pretty.  They provide great texture and are a stylish way to bring the outdoors in.  Finding a wild nest is not the easiest thing and one certainly

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August 23, 2010 34 Comments

Lucketts Love Seat & Something’s Missing

As most of you know, I’ve been working like a maniac to get as much done for Lucketts as I possibly can.  It’s next weekend and the anticipation (and pile of stuff) is building.  This is the latest addition. This is how this love seat looks underneath the slipcover.  It reminds me of something that would furnish a dentist’s waiting room.  You know that textured pastel wallpaper that is in almost every doctor/dentist office?  Yeah…this looks like that.  The curvy French Provincial shape was perfect, though.  I made the slipcover out of bleached drop cloths and used some grosgrain ribbon to tie it onto the wood frame.  I love how it turned out and how it looks with my feed sack pillows.  I found this folding camping table in my grandparent’s attic and painted it in a soft, distressed gray.  I purchased the balance scale at a yard sale this morning.  This

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August 21, 2010 56 Comments

Boucherie Sign & Some Glam

I finished several more signs yesterday and I am really excited about the way this one turned out.    This sign was hand painted on a door that was cut in half.  The wonderfully crackled paint was already on the door.  I simply sanded it, scrubbed it, and then sealed with a polycrylic to prevent it from chipping further.     I think this might be my favorite sign yet, but I’m still going to sell this one and keep my Fresh Berries sign.  I will be writing a post in the next few weeks to walk you through how I design and paint my signs.  It’s an easy process and a great creative painting outlet for me.   I love the contrast of the worn and rustic against some sparkle and beauty.  So, I made some large magnetic letters, all in different fonts, that are coated in German glass glitter.  They will add the perfect amount of “bling”

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August 18, 2010 41 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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