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All Things Home

Decorating

family room makeover | plans & inspiration

Well, it’s time!  This summer is the summer I’m going to start working on the basement family room.  Well, we’re going to do some work on all the basement, including the playroom and the bathroom.  I’m also going to get the storage areas truly purged and organized.  I’ve organized them and tidied up, but I haven’t gone through everything in detail and it’s time.  It’s tricky when you move because you don’t want to get rid of things you “might use” until it feels like you’re done with the house.  But, there is plenty I can get rid of.  We also want to move our fitness equipment into the playroom, since the boys are getting older and rarely play in there anymore.  It’s time to pass the toys along and make better use of the space. The main goal in the basement family room is to make it feel like

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Antiques

my other pennsylvania antique purchases

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to share that my next original art sale will be this Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at 10:00 am CST.  The paintings will be sold in my online shop HERE.  I’ll be sharing a preview post of the paintings that will be in the sale along with the prices tomorrow. I can’t believe I still haven’t shared all of my antique finds from my day out shopping with my mom when we visited Pennsylvania!  I took pictures a couple of weeks ago and they’ve just been hanging out, waiting to be shared. I went out to antique stores with a pretty specific list of things I was looking for.  I also needed to be very mindful of space in the van and the fact that I don’t sell antiques currently, so I didn’t need to load up on a bunch of stuff for

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All Things Home

French chair from Dreamy Whites

Disclosure: This post is a part of an ongoing collaboration with my friend and business owner, Maria of Dreamy Whites.  Over the years, I have promoted Dreamy Whites as a paying customer in addition to promotions in exchange for products.  All opinions, as always, are honest and my own. Any time I’m scooting furniture around in the studio, Jeff laughs and says, “Well, I’m sure you can figure out how to fit one more piece in there.”  My studio isn’t small, but it’s not big either and I ask it to be a lot of things.  I’ve learned that I need a ton of storage, lots of work surfaces, good task and room lighting, thoughtful solutions to things like drying wet paintings, and chairs/stools for several different activities. I had a desk chair for my desk, a stool for the drafting table, an architect’s drafting chair for my easel, a

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All Things Home

furniture makeover | painting an old stool

We had an uncommonly warm weekend, so I decided to finally work on painting this stool that’s been hanging out in my garage, waiting for some attention, for almost a year!  I picked it up on one of my first antique outings when the stay-at-home orders were lifted.  I had no idea what I was going to do with this stool, but I think it was $12 or $15, so it was hard to pass up.  It’s sturdy, has a great shape, and pretty turned legs, and I almost always find a good use for an old stool.  They are a great size and height to use as a small side table or a plant stand, so I have them all over the house! I liked the shape but I did not like the beige paint color.  It wasn’t the worst beige ever, but I wanted to change the color.

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Organizing

Cleaning Calendars – An Opinion Piece

First, I have to start this post with a confession.  I had the best of intentions when it came to setting “deep cleaning” as the theme for April.  I envisioned taking everything off of the kitchen counters, dismantling the stove, and giving everything a thorough scrub before playing with the accessories.  I imagined finally cleaning the things that are typically neglected like blinds and high shelves.  I did do some deep cleaning, but the month has come and gone and I’ve been too occupied with other things to do as much as I planned. I realized the idea of a monthly blog theme is great, but it’s not always going to work out in reality unless I want to be owned by it. So, I was asked a few months ago by a blog reader if I had a cleaning calendar I could share.  If I had one, I would’ve

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All Things Home

front porch refresh with walmart

Disclosure: This porch refresh is sponsored by .  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. Do you remember all of the work we did in our yard and our back patio last year?  We got porch paint, patio furniture, a power washer, and even plants and mulch from their to spruce up a space that had been neglected for years.  We still need to replace the deck, but the landscaping and patio a huge difference in making our backyard beautiful and inviting. This spring, we’re turning our attention to the front porch.  This doesn’t need an overhaul as the landscaping and back patio needed, but it could use a little refresh and some deep cleaning!  Here is how it looked like before a little TLC along with a little commentary on the ways I wanted to refresh our front porch…. The first order of business in

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Antiques

the antique sketchbooks of George Herbert Kitchin

This story starts several months ago when I was doing one of my regular check-ins on The Creative Exponent Community Facebook page.  I was scrolling through the recent posts and stopped immediately when I spotted a grouping of photos of the most wonderful sketches.  They were pencil sketches and watercolors of English cottages with thatched roofs and half-timber or brick construction.  I was immediately smitten with them and clicked on the caption to find out why someone was posting these pictures on the forum.  Julia of found these antique sketchbooks at a local estate sale (she lives in England) and was asking for advice on how to handle selling such a special find.  My first reaction was, “Sell them to me!!!”  But, I gave a more professional, objective answer.  These are special and they should be researched and perhaps sold at an auction house where they could fetch a high

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a slice of life

cute swimsuits for all shapes

We’re going to something a little different today and dive into the incredibly uncomfortable world of swimsuit shopping!  I promise, though, I have found the absolute best swimsuits and, if you’ve never tried on a , you’re going to thank me for this post.  I also want to say up front that this post is not sponsored in any way, shape, or form.  It was prompted by my own need to do some swimsuit shopping for an upcoming early-summer trip to the beach with my family and has the best selection of cute swimsuits for all shapes and, more importantly, all preferences for how much skin you want to show! (This was taken in February 2020, the last time I went to the beach for a creative retreat with Shaunna.) Swimsuit shopping has always been an anxiety-filled experience for me.  Even when I was at my smallest and fittest, I

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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.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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