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Christmas decorating favorites from the past

Well, I played hooky from writing on the blog yesterday.  I felt lazy, tired, and really ready for my own Christmas break to start (the boys are already on break from school.)  So, I took a slow morning to cuddle with the kitties and rewatch some of Portrait Artist of the Year.  I gave myself a little bit of space with an unstructured morning.  And, an interesting thing happened…  I started to get an energy to create.  I completed two paintings, flitted around the dining room hanging plates and antlers, did some pen and ink sketches, and even started an art class.  It was just what I needed.  So, I have decided to quit fighting the urge to start my Christmas break and I’m going to start it.  For my final blog post before Christmas and New Year’s, I thought I would share a few of my favorite Christmas decorating

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December 21, 2022 27 Comments
Antiques

baby shoes, sepia portraits, & vials of color

“Well, you definitely got into the right business.”  My mom has said this to me many times over my 13+ years of writing this blog.  She knows I love happy surprises, mail, and gifts and, in this weird little line of work, I get some of the best mail.  It started with rolls of tape, a t-shirt here and there, and then a flood of vintage and antique sheet music when I wanted to make wreaths, ornaments, and tree toppers out of paper.  It’s continued over the years with thoughtful things people find that “have my name on it” or someone is ready to pass a cherished time or collection on to a new home where it will be appreciated.  I’ve been the recipient of many thoughtful gifts and encouraging notes through the years.  Many of those notes are on my inspiration board and remind me that even though sharing

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December 19, 2022 22 Comments
All Things Home

little studio tree

When I plunked the little artificial tree on a stool in my art studio, I figured it would just be there temporarily.  It was more about putting it in a semi-finished place and less about feeling like that was the best spot for it.  But, as I got distracted by other things, the little tree stayed on the stool in the studio.  That is where it was going to be this year and it felt right.  I decided to decorate it fittingly for an art studio tree. (As a side note, I bought this tree six Christmas seasons ago from and it’s not been available since, sadly!  It is such a great little tree that comes in the basket.) Last year, I made some clay ornaments stamped with graphics of antique paint tubes.  You can read about how I made those HERE.  They were so simple, but I just love

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December 15, 2022 13 Comments
crafts

salt dough ornaments 2022 | Christmas crafts

This salt dough ornament-making is going to be an annual thing, I think.  They are just so fun, easy, personal, and pretty.  I made them last year, both traditional salt dough and cinnamon “gingerbread” salt dough, and I enjoyed it immensely.  I always thought of salt dough as sort of a kindergarten craft material, but it is definitely elevated when it’s put in pretty molds or even molded and cut by hand into custom shapes.  While it can look fancy, it’s also still a great craft for young kids.  It’s just a winner all around. Salt dough ornaments can be stored, but I knew that our belongings would be sitting in a hot container for an indefinite period of time, so I decided to let them go and make some new ones.  This also gave me the opportunity to try out some new molds that I bought over the summer.

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December 14, 2022 31 Comments
Decorating

Christmas foyer 2022 | Christmas decorating

I love that Christmas decorating doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or expensive to be really pretty and festive.  It really can be as simple as trimming a few branches from evergreens and tucking them around the house.  We have some nice bushes and trees in our area that are perfect to clip and take inside during the holidays.  We have cypress, pine, a bush that has needles that look like rosemary, our neighbor has a magnolia bush I have permission to borrow from, and I was even eyeing some beautiful juniper bushes with blue berries in the Walmart parking lot!  But this year, I just dove into the bin of artificial greens I moved with us from MN.  In our PA house, we didn’t have any artificial greens at all.  We had hot water radiators, so our heat wasn’t as dry as the electric heat we had in our

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December 13, 2022 19 Comments
All Things Home

Christmas living room 2022 | Christmas decorating

Since we spend most of our time in the living room, that is where I focused my Christmas decorating attention.  I would probably do that anyway, but my Christmas decorating is scaled back this year since we just moved into our house this fall.  While I love the Christmas season, it feels like it came early this year!  I have been more focused on working on the house and getting settled and I feel completely unprepared for moving furniture, putting things away, and getting bins of decorations out. There is comfort in knowing that Christmas will come no matter how much decorating I do and don’t do and that this season is about so much more than what is material.  So, as I shared before, I’m doing what I can do and enjoying what I can enjoy. You got a peek at our tree last week when I shared where

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December 12, 2022 41 Comments
Artistic Endeavors

Kitchin Sketchbook Wrapping Paper

In April of 2021, I went out on a limb and purchased something that spoke to me in a way that sticks out in all of my years of buying and selling antiques.  It was a lot of four antique sketchbooks from the late 1800s to early 1900s by architect and artist George Herbert Kitchin.  I bought them from my (now) dear friend, Julia Butler of Ponder & Purchase.  You can read more about them HERE. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would do with them, but I knew the possibilities were endless.  Aside from my own study and enjoyment of them, it would be fun to share the sketches with others in prints, patterns, and anything my brain can think up. These sketchbooks have led to all sorts of surprising places.  I’ve heard from some of George Herbert Kitchin’s extended family, from an author who has written books about

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December 9, 2022 47 Comments
Decorating

customizing a winter/Christmas wreath | Christmas decorating

Earlier this week, I showed how I made this full, fluffy Christmas/winter wreath out of two thinner wreaths.  Not only did it add fullness to the wreath, but it added more texture.  You can read all about it and see a video tutorial on how I did it HERE.  The two wreaths I used were and . I really loved the wreath without any additional decoration, but I thought it would be fun to customize it further.  I used things I already had on hand – sprigs of faux greenery, dried orange slices, and a blue and white checked ribbon.  You can see how to dry and decorate with orange slices HERE. I bought the ribbon from Hobby Lobby last year and I wasn’t able to find it online, but here are a few nice alternatives… JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.   The

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December 7, 2022 11 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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