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All Things Home
All Things Home

antique cane stand & collection

I blame the cane collection on my six months in a boot when my foot was broken in 2022.  I bought a couple of them to actually use when I was getting used to walking on both feet again, but I bought most of them because I thought they were little works of art.  Some of them were handmade out of wooden sticks while others are more refined.  With a small collection of canes, I was looking for a stand for about a year before I found one I liked at a price I was willing to pay.  I don’t mind splurging on things, but I want to splurge where it matters and a can holder, which is purely decorative, isn’t a place I want to splurge unless it makes my heart flutter.  So, I found this one at a local antique store at a nice price. I had a

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January 23, 2024 27 Comments
1970 home renovation

project plans for 2024

In yesterday’s blog post, we looked back at some of my favorite projects of 2023.  Today, let’s look ahead to 2024 and the home projects we have on the list.  They might not all get done this year because other priorities might pop up or we might be unable to fit some of the bigger projects in our 2024 renovation budget, but it doesn’t hurt to aim a little high! paint the dining room This one has been on the list for a while and I already have paint for it, so there is no excuse not to get this one done, soon!  A part of the delay is I have been waffling on which color I want to use and if I want to attempt another full-room landscape mural.  I initially thought I would paint the dining room in Light Blue, the same Farrow & Ball color I used

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January 18, 2024 29 Comments
1970 home renovation

2023 favorite projects

While I enjoy looking forward to the coming year in January, I think it’s also important to look back.  It can be easy to focus on the to-do list and ways we want to improve, but, even if the previous year has been difficult or hasn’t been everything one hoped, there are always things we’ve learned, things we’ve accomplished, and things to celebrate.  Since the main things I write about on this blog are projects I’m working on, I figured I would share my favorite projects from 2023.  When I still feel like so many projects need to be done on our home specifically, it’s a good reminder to see how much we’ve accomplished in just over a year since we’ve lived here!  And, 2023 was a huge year because we tackled the two biggest projects on our to-do list when we bought the house. As I’ve shared before, we

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January 17, 2024 11 Comments
All Things Home

Christmas Dining Room 2023

I have just one more space to share for Christmas this year – our dining room.  The dining room is still just wearing primer on the walls (we had the wallpaper stripped earlier this year and it’s next on my list to paint), so I debated even decorating it, but we’ll be eating our Christmas brunch in there as well as doing puzzles and playing games, so I just couldn’t help myself!  When we took walls down during our kitchen renovation, it also opened the sidelines, so it’s nice to see a decorated dining room from the kitchen, foyer, and even living room. First, I have to share the view into the dining room from the kitchen. We built that shelf to hang by the side door a few months ago (You can find the details HERE) and it’s worked so well to make a little landing area for hanging

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December 21, 2023 21 Comments
All Things Home

Our 2023 Christmas Tree

I don’t know if it’s ever taken me so long from setting up the tree to finalizing the decorations as it did this year!  A part of it was I wanted to take my time and let my vision for the tree unfold as I played with what I had.  As I started to experiment with those ideas, I ended up making about 60′ of two types of garland, so that slowed me down a bit, too!  Anyway, it’s done and I really love it. I don’t completely start from scratch when it comes to decorating our tree each year, but I like to sort of tweak it a little bit depending on the look I want.  I use the same ornaments, maybe adding a few new homemade ones and I always use white lights, but I’ll mix up the garlands, ribbons, and/or picks.  This year, I wanted to create

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December 20, 2023 42 Comments
Decorating

Christmas kitchen shelves

Just when you might think I’m done decorating the kitchen for Christmas, there is more!  If you missed any of them, you can see my previous posts about decorating the kitchen here… Christmas Kitchen Wreath, Christmas Kitchen Window, More of the Christmas Kitchen.  I know the white shelves are a sticking point for some, but I felt like they were begging for greenery, candles, and “gingerbread houses.” For the sprigs of greenery, I used parts of a Norfolk pine garland.  I pulled one of the garlands apart and it makes these perfect, very realistic-looking branches to place over picture frames or shelves.  I just checked to link the garland and there are a few more back in stock!  Pine garlands, wreaths, and branches are all available, but in limited quantities.  You can check them out HERE. I then added some of my new favorite real wax in little ironstone pots. 

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December 19, 2023 5 Comments
All Things Home

more of the Christmas kitchen 2023

I am finally rounding the Christmas decorating corner and the finish line is in sight.  I have had the dining room covered in bins, ornaments, garlands, and ribbon and I’ve been using it as a staging area for the rest of the decorating.  Slowly, I’ve been using the decorations and the dining room is getting cleaner in the process.  I’m just about ready to put away anything leftover and make the dining room table look pretty.  But first, here is a little corner of the kitchen I dressed for the season… With all of the beautiful things happening in the kitchen, this antique wooden shelf from Dreamy Whites is a favorite.  Maria’s pieces are always a splurge, but they are also some of my most prized pieces.  It’s one of those unique finishing touches that makes this space mine.  I’ve also always wanted a place to display my antique ironstone

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December 18, 2023 12 Comments
Crochet & Knitting Patterns

easy crochet bauble garland tutorial (two ways)

I spotted some crochet garlands when I fell down an internet rabbit hole a few years ago, but I never got around to making them and I then got sidetracked by other things.  Then this year, I saw my friend Cheri from This Cottage Life making and selling some and I got the itch to make them.  I looked at a few different tutorials to get me started and then played around with techniques, designs, yarns, and hook sizes until I found a couple I liked.  So, in this post, I’ll share two different crochet bauble garland tutorials (a printed pattern and a video tutorial.) bauble crochet garland tutorial no. one – chunky bauble For this version of the bauble garland, you’ll need Lion WoolEase Thick & Quick yarn (or a similarly chunky yarn), scissors (THESE forged scissors are my favorite), and a 6.5mm crochet hook.  THESE are the ones

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December 14, 2023 4 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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