All Things Home Archives | Page 62 of 263

All Things Home

gold rush days 2021

This weekend was Gold Rush Days in Oronoco and Rochester, MN! We don’t have a lot of antique shops in my immediate area, so I look forward to this event every year. It’s actually the same event held in two separate places. The original Gold Rush Days takes over the small town of Oronoco, MN and a spin-off event happens simultaneously at the Rochester, MN fairgrounds. They are both large events and it’s worth going to both if you have the time. I started out of Friday meeting Cheri, my antiquing buddy. We’ve been to Gold Rush Days twice before and we always have a good time together. We have similar tastes and are familiar with each other’s styles, so we help look for things on our lists. I had actually made my Gold Rush Days list weeks ago, so I could be focused and intentional about what I bought.

August 23, 2021 38 Comments

Decorating

painting a vintage dough bowl

I’ve had this vintage wooden dough bowl for a few years. My mother-in-law gave it to me when they were cleaning out Jeff’s grandfather’s house. She thought I would like it and she was right. It is a practical size and shape and has a pretty patina. I’ve always thought it would look pretty with some blue paint on the bottom and, so I finally pulled it out and painted it a couple of weeks ago. I was in a mood to work on a project and this was one that’s been on the to-do list for far too long. Here’s how the vintage dough bowl started… I love how wooden pieces wear over time. Can’t you see some color on the bottom? I adore primitive wooden bowls and trenchers wearing their original milk paint, but they are always so expensive. This is a nice way to get that look

August 18, 2021 18 Comments

Art Supplies

refinishing a vintage paint palette

I spent much of last week working on some freelance writing projects, so I didn’t have a chance to make more progress on the basement family room makeover. I am planning to install the chair rail this week, though, and get some more painting done. This is a slow and steady project, but I do want to keep some forward momentum going! Since I don’t have an update on the basement, I thought I would share a little project I worked on a couple of weeks ago – refinishing a vintage paint palette. I realize this is sort of a niche thing and not everyone has a vintage paint palette sitting around that they want to refinish and use, but refinishing wood is refinishing wood. This would work for a cutting board, a tabletop, a dresser… anything that is wood. I purchased this palette off of Etsy because I loved

August 17, 2021 8 Comments

All Things Home

the story of the antique copper bundt pan

Whenever I share my kitchen on social media or the blog, I almost always get comments about my pot rack and the collection of copper I’ve amassed over the past decade or so. My love of quality cookware started with an epic Tuesday Morning find – a set of stainless steel pots and pans for 90% off. My love of copper, though, started with an epic yard sale find – an antique copper bundt pan for $25. I don’t think I’ve ever shared the story of when I found it here on the blog and it popped in my mind over the weekend, so I thought I would share it today. This is the gorgeous antique copper bundt pan I’m referring to… When Marshall was a baby, we had no expendable income. And, when I say no expendable income, that is very literal. We could pay the essential bills, but

August 16, 2021 54 Comments

Decorating

Evolution of our Kitchen Makeover

Now that we’ve been living in our home in Minnesota for four years, I thought I would share how some of the rooms have evolved since we moved in. I did an “evolution” series on my last home (you can see the kitchen evolution post of our previous home HERE) and received so many great comments and feedback in response. It was fun for readers to see the transformation all in one place while also appreciating how long a real-world makeover can take. Some rooms come together quickly, but most rooms in most homes just evolve over the years. Room makeovers aren’t really a before and after, but more of a then and now. They will continue to be dynamic and evolve. So, here is our kitchen makeover as it happened over the past four years. This photo was taken the very first day we were in the house. (You

August 11, 2021 24 Comments

All Things Home

cleaning a smoke smell out of wood furniture

When you buy used furniture sometimes musty, dusty, pet, and smoke smells come with it. When it comes to severe pet and smoke odors, I’ll usually pass on a piece. They are notoriously hard to completely remove from furniture, especially upholstery. But, there are times when a piece sneaks through my filters or I’ll make an exception if I think I can remedy the issue. Jeff picked up this Facebook Marketplace find for me and, while I told him to check for sturdiness and a few other things, I didn’t tell him to check for odors. As soon as we brought it in, I would have to address the lingering stale smoke smell that came with this beautiful antique quartersawn oak table. So, I thought I would take you along and share how I go about cleaning a smoke smell out of wood furniture. This is the table I spotted

August 3, 2021 18 Comments

All Things Home

basement family room makeover | 1800’s chandelier

Nothing quite says “relaxed basement family room” like an 1800’s chandelier dripping with crystals. Am I right or am I right? Okay, not really. In fact, when I shared the very meticulous sketch for this particular area of the family room, I drew out what is clearly a lantern-style light fixture. Not an 1800’s crystal chandelier. Clearly, a lantern fixture. Buuuut, I looked around online for a lantern-style light fixture I loved quite thoroughly and they were either more than I wanted to pay or not quite the look/style I imagined. A couple of weeks ago, I shared this quote from on Instagram … I actually had a chandelier and I hadn’t even thought of using it! The main reason I hadn’t thought of using it is it wasn’t what I envisioned. And, it seemed like sort of a crazy idea to try it. Those of you who have followed

August 2, 2021 100 Comments

All Things Home

four years…

July 24, 2021, was the four-year anniversary of the day we moved into our house in Rochester, Minnesota! It was a whirlwind move that truly was an incredible story (you can read about it HERE.) On our first night in the new house, we just had the contents of our vehicles, a few new purchases (like a carpet cleaner), and some borrowed air mattresses. All of our furniture was set to arrive the following day and not be fully unloaded until the weekend, so there was a lot of sitting on the floor or standing around bar when it came time to eat. The tricky think about eating on the floor with a dog in the house is that he thinks the food is fair game! So, for our first dinner, we ordered Fazoli’s (Italian fast food) and sat out on our deck to eat. We picked Fazoli’s because it

July 29, 2021 17 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.

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Learn to paint pet portraits in oils with confidence, even if you’re a beginner. In this new course, Marian will guide you step by step through creating expressive animal portraits filled with color, personality, and your own artistic touch. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when the course opens.

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

All Things Home

gold rush days 2021

painting a vintage dough bowl

refinishing a vintage paint palette

the story of the antique copper bundt pan

Evolution of our Kitchen Makeover

cleaning a smoke smell out of wood furniture

basement family room makeover | 1800’s chandelier

four years…

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

Recent Video

Fall Posts

tucking in the garden for winter

simple, natural fall mantel | autumn decorating

fall baking with Walmart

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories

Pin It on Pinterest