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All Things Home

Antiques

the victorian sewing bird

If you haven’t discovered this about me, yet, I love learning about old things, researching them, and hunting for just the right thing to add to my collection.  It appeals to the history-love in me, my inquisitive nature, and my love of owning and using beautiful, functional things.  Of course, it does appeal to my collector gene, too.  So, when I learned about these delightful, useful tools, I went about my routine of researching, hunting, and then purchasing an antique Victorian sewing bird. When you search for “Victorian sewing bird” on or you will find true antiques, reproductions, and ones that have been restored or repaired.  Common restorations include the screw that holds the bird to the table and the fabric pieces that cover the pin cushion(s.)  When I was hunting for one to purchase, I wanted to stay around the $150 price range (or less), and I wanted an

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All Things Home

revisiting tucker resist chambray fabric

When I was hunting for pictures of my French dining chairs to share their makeover all in one post, I found myself admiring old pictures of my blue and white curtains I made out of fabric by Waverly.  Would I want to revisit that fabric again in our next house? I fell in love with this fabric over ten years ago.  Tucker Resist Chambray is a fabric pattern that is a reproduction of a fabric used in historic homes in Williamsburg.  So, of course, when you put blue and white together in a historic pattern, I am going to be a fan.  The pattern initially was offered in two different fabric options – a linen blend, and an outdoor-friendly fabric.  For my curtains, I ordered the outdoor version of the fabric because it was less than half the cost.  The fabric also was thick and had a nice drape to

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Seasonal

salt dough ornament molds

Too soon?  Yes, of course, it’s too soon for Christmas posts, but I am starting to think about Christmas projects and decorations.  I really enjoyed making things for Christmas last year and I would like to do more of that this year.  I sold the salt dough ornaments I made last year because I was pretty sure they wouldn’t fair well stored in a hot container with our other household belongings, so I will definitely be making more of those things year.  I wanted to get some new molds and I decided to shop for them before the Christmas-shopping rush. Remember these?  You can find a recipe and tutorial for making these “gingerbread” salt dough ornaments HERE. You can purchase the windmill mold and the bird & flower mold HERE and HERE.  These sold out pretty quickly last year, which is why I am sharing them now. I also made

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All Things Home

my French dining room chairs

If you’ve followed me for while (even through this most recent move out of our MN home), you know that I’m pretty game to sell just about anything.  I can’t tell you how many times Jeff has come home to an empty space where a piece of furniture once sat.  He’s gotten to the point that he just shrugs and goes about his day.  But there are a few pieces that I haven’t parted with, even with some pretty good offers being extended.  Four of those pieces are the French chairs I’ve had in my PA dining room as well as my MN dining room.  They were chairs that I hunted down for years, customized, and I can’t imagine myself selling them. Since I got them years ago and they went through a slow transformation that was documented over several posts, I thought I would share the full story of

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All Things Home

the chesapeake house & federal style

As I’m sharing decorating books and pictures that inspire me as well as some of the things I’ve purchased for our future home (which is still just a daydream), I’m often asked about the decorating direction for our next home.  The simple answer is, that I won’t fully know until we select the house.  I believe in working with a house, really listening to it, and melding my vision with its best features.  I don’t like to forcefully impose a style on a house that is completely at odds with what it was originally designed to be.  The longer answer, which I will expand on in this post, is that I am feeling drawn to a more traditional style.  I’m especially smitten with architecture and decor that showcases federal style.  As with all architectural and decorating styles, the federal style can encompass a variety of features and aesthetics and it

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All Things Home

curated traditional home tour

When I first started working on the book , I knew I wanted to shoot some local Rochester homes.  My friend Cheri’s home was a no-brainer.  But I was hoping for at least one more house that I could photograph.  I ended up finding that house in an unexpected way and I thought I would share this curated, traditional home tour with you. I had been on the hunt for a settee, small sofa, or daybed to fit in the alcove in our master bedroom for a couple of years when I finally tripped across a wonderful antique daybed on Facebook Marketplace… You can read more about the daybed HERE and the cushion I made for it HERE. I messaged the seller right away and set up a time to pick it up later that day. As we drove through the neighborhood, following the GPS to the seller’s house, I

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All Things Home

how to sell things when you move/downsize

As I shared about selling things to get ready for the move here on my blog and social media, I have been asked by many people about the avenues I’m using to sell those pieces.  I’m at a bit of an unfair advantage since I do have an established follower/customer base, but I sold things in many different ways and can offer some tips that might be helpful to anyone downsizing, organizing, or getting ready for a move. Here are the platforms and venues I used to sell and get rid of all of our stuff… facebook marketplace & craigslist I put these together because they both serve as online classifieds, primary to a local community.  You can ship things that are sold through these (and similar) platforms, but the logistics of online payments and shipping might not be something you want to dive into and there is more opportunity

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Antiques

thrifting & antiquing in Raleigh

  I have always enjoyed poking around town, and checking out shops I haven’t been to, so that’s what I’ve been doing with my mom and mother-in-law.  We hit some antique malls, thrift shops, and used book stores just to see what we find.  I am not buying any larger pieces but rather taking pictures of pieces I feel drawn to just to do some “imaginary shopping.”  I have been buying a few small things, books, and frames for paintings.  (You can see what I bought in PA HERE.)  It’s been fun to do a bit of shopping. So, my mother-in-law took me to Fuquay last Wednesday, which is just a few minutes from their house in Raleigh, and we went to The Guardian Angel Thrift Store and two antique stores. This thrift store is great.  It’s well-organized and has a wide variety of home goods, furniture, clothing, accessories, and

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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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