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All Things Home

All Things Home

furniture key tassels | favorite things

When I shared the antique French vitrine, I pointed out the handmade furniture key tassel I purchased to tie onto that beautiful old original key.  I used to love key tassels and I would hunt for them at discount stores like Tuesday Morning.  I thought they were classic, sophisticated, and a fun little detail.  But, somewhere along the way I sort of forgot about them.  Well, my fellow tassel fans, I have now remembered them! Let’s start with the keys first.  Almost all of my cabinets, dressers, and boxes are antiques and have keyholes.  Only a couple of them came with an original key when I bought them.  So, over the years, I’ve picked up furniture skeleton keys and small keys that might fit into a piece I have or will buy in the future.  While you can , I usually pick them up at antique stores and markets for

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crafts

my top 15 favorite Christmas crafts

Last year, I was particularly in the mood to get crafty for Christmas.  Some years, I just want to focus on big-picture decorating, but last year, it was the details that captured my attention and I really loved it.  I have already dried my oranges and bought the ingredients to make some new salt dough ornaments, so I am ready to start making things!  If you’re feeling that same pull, I hope this curated list of fifteen of my favorite Christmas crafts I’ve made over the years will get your wheels turning… favorite christmas crafts | one | salt dough ornaments I bought some cookie molds on a whim off of an Instagram ad and it felt like it might’ve been a purchase I would regret.  I ended up using those molds to make salt dough ornaments and cinnamon salt dough ornaments and I absolutely love how they turned out. 

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Decorating

christmas decorating sources 2022

I think 2021 was my favorite year so far when it comes to decorating for Christmas.  I started early because I felt like it and I genuinely enjoyed the process, the projects, and relishing the season.  This year, it’s a little harder because we’re still in the middle of projects, painting, and settling in.  I’m going to start decorating after Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to it, but I don’t think it will be quite as magical as last year.  Maybe it’ll surprise me… Since I enjoyed Christmas decorating last year so thoroughly, though, I thought I would share sources for things I used last year that are available again this year. faux stag antlers | faux cedar garland | chunky knit stockings | velvet ribbon The stockings weren’t available for a couple of seasons after I first bought them, but they are back again!  I personalized them with

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1970 home renovation

antique step-back hutch & breakfast nook

The kitchen will be our next big project in the house and I can’t wait to tackle this space.  As I’ve shared before, it’s a bit of an awkward room that is sort of a U-shape.  One side of the U is a hallway that leads to the pantry (the door to the right in the photo below), the foyer, and opens into a kitchen breakfast nook.  In the little hallway to the pantry, I put the antique step-back hutch that I purchased last summer at Gold Rush Days in Minnesota.  I bought the piece for the basement and never really did much with it.  It was a piece I wanted to keep for a few reasons.  First of all, it has a small footprint but offers a lot of storage.  Second, I didn’t really have the chance to enjoy it, so I wasn’t ready to let go of it

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Antiques

Antique French Louis Philippe Vitrine

Remember the piece I purchased from Ekster Antiques?  When I shared it on Instagram, one of my friends (who is a designer and European antique dealer) informed me this is an antique French Louis Philippe Vitrine.  I didn’t know it was called that specifically, but I knew that it was gorgeous and that I loved it.  It was even better than what I imagined when I put “glass front cabinet” on my furniture shopping list for the new house. I was at the Ekster Antiques barn to pick up a piece for my studio, but I kept getting pulled back to this piece.  One of my goals, when it came to purchasing pieces, was to only buy pieces that were “favorites.”  I want to have a house full of favorites, as I wrote about HERE last year.  There was no denying when I stood in front of this antique Louis

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Antiques

the antique victorian bamboo shelf

Remember the antique Thebes stool I found a few weeks ago at a local antique store?  Well, in that same booth, I found another incredible find at an excellent price – an antique Victorian burnt bamboo shelf.  I think it was $85 with an additional 20%.  As I picked up the rickety old shelf and handed it to Jeff, he gave me a quizzical look.  Trust me.  It’s special.   I have seen these antique burnt bamboo shelves go for a lot of money.  This one, while just a little shifty from being such a waif-like shelf, was in excellent condition.  I normally have a piece in mind where I can use a piece, especially a piece of furniture before I purchase it, but this is the kind of piece you can use in a dozen different places.  I imagined it in the kitchen stack with linens and some copper pots

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All Things Home

blue & white checked curtains

When my mom and I took a day to make the curtains for the living room, we also made blue and white checked curtains for the primary bedroom.  I used the same tutorial, same curtain rods, and black-out lining, but instead of the darker blue plaid fabric, I used THIS lightweight, linen blend I bought on Etsy a few weeks ago.  I also used clip rings instead of the rings I sewed into the header for the living room curtains. And here is how the curtains turned out… I was planning on using only the curtains for privacy and to block out the light, which is why I lined them in blackout fabric, but I realized while hanging the curtains that they would cover the air vents when closed—definitely an oversight on my part.  I tried using some magnetic hooks on the air vents to hold the curtains up, but

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All Things Home

favorite things | antique kilim rugs

Let’s talk about one of my favorite recent things – antique and vintage kilim rugs.  I’ve been admiring vintage and antique rugs in general because of the warmth and sense of history they bring to a room, but I’ve been interested in kilim rugs for a few reasons.  “Kilim” is a Turkish word meaning a flat woven rug that doesn’t have a pile.  This means they are hardwearing, pet/kid-friendly, and ideal for high-traffic areas.  They are also more affordable than most of their antique/vintage rug counterparts.  I have been buying them for use in halls, bathrooms, and in front of doors (they are great for those places because they are so flat), but they also come in large, area-rug sizes. The shop I’ve been purchasing my rugs from is Kilim Rug Home.  The owner has impressive reviews, offers great pricing, is very attentive when it comes to questions, and offers

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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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