Preorder Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

All Things Home

All Things Home

newly organized studio reveal

As I shared on my blog last week, I took several days to continue the organizing efforts and focused them on my studio.  I had honestly been avoiding my studio the entire month of February.  I knew it would be tedious work and I knew I would have to dramatically rethink the way I purchased art supplies.  This wasn’t going to be about organizing things in neat piles, bins, and drawers with labels.  I already had that.  This was going to be about touching everything and considering the necessity of keeping it vs. selling or donating it.  This was about taking a good hard look at how I create and deciding which supplies are an asset and which ones were just clutter in my studio. I have to admit that I got off to a slow start, but once I started to feel the liberation that comes with letting go,

Read More
Art

Online Painting Classes

If you haven’t guessed, I almost always have an ambitious list of things I want to accomplish each year.  Some things end up getting kicked down the road simply because I only have so much time and I have to focus on things that are a higher priority.  My little pet projects are the ones that typically get neglected.  One of the pet projects I wanted to finally do this year was to offer online art classes.  This included making new ones, but also putting the free art classes I made last year into a format that was easier to navigate.  I am happy to report that I did it! The first new class available is a master study of Fabritius’ Gold Finch! Here is my version that I did for the class… I absolutely loved working on this painting and filming it for the class.  I review all the

Read More
All Things Home

organizing the art studio | brushes, pastels & rearranging

One of my goals when organizing the art studio was to greatly simplify the amount of stuff that’s sitting out in the open.  I waffle between wanting to see all of my supplies, so I don’t forget them and because they are beautiful, and wanting to have completely clear surfaces.  The former usually wins out and the studio ends up feeling messy to me as a result.  Now, you have to understand that my mess-tolerance is pretty low, so a mess to me probably looks pretty normal to some people!  But, I do like stuff and can let things get a little too cluttered.  Tidy, but cluttered. In order to tackle the clutter, I needed to clean out the drawers to make much better use of them and be honest about what I use most and what really needs to be at-the-ready.  I also have to be honest about what

Read More
All Things Home

Organizing Process | Qualifications for Keeping Things

As I’ve been going through my house, purging and organizing, I’ve had several people ask about my thought process for what I get rid of, what I keep, as well as how I organize it.  I feel like I’ve shared it sprinkled throughout my posts about organizing, but I thought it would be helpful to put it in one post in a more concise, organized way.  So, here we go… Do I love it? I usually start with this question because it weeds out obvious things.  If I don’t really love it, why have it in my home?   But, I have found this question alone can be problematic because it’s such a subjective judgment call.  It can easily turn into a lengthy internal debate about all of the different types of love and varying degrees.  And it’s a question that just doesn’t apply to certain things without sounding crazy…  Do

Read More
Art Supplies

Organizing & Purging the Studio | Paints & Papers

[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Well, I’ve spent the better part of the last three days going through my studio with a fine-tooth comb.  I’ve organized the studio before and have cleaned out a few things, but nothing compares to the thoroughness of this most recent endeavor.  As I’ve been working in my studio over the past few months, I’ve realized that the quantity of supplies, instead of being inspiring, has been overwhelming.  It doesn’t look out-of-control because everything is in neatly labeled drawers, but it’s a lot of stuff and I realized the full extent once I started pulling it all out! Having all of this choice might seem like an artist’s dream, but I found it to be more of a hindrance.  It reminded me of when my boys were younger and, after a successful dentist visit, they were able to pick a prize out of the treasure chest.  The experience

Read More
Antiques

Fixing & Cleaning Paint Brushes

As I shared last week, my Victorian-era watercolor box came with a bunch of brushes and other tools.  I finally took some time to give them a little TLC and I thought I would share my process for fixing and cleaning paint brushes.  This is helpful not only if you buy/acquire a lot of vintage or antique brushes, but if you just need to take care of some of your favorite brushes that get heavy use. The first thing I do when fixing and cleaning paint brushes is to pull on the tops to see if they are firmly attached.  Most of these popped off easily, so that was the first thing I needed to address. (Those little marks of dried paint are from Violet’s paws!  She has a knack for stepping straight in any paint if she sneaks into the studio.) I bought waterproof, neutral PH adhesive a while

Read More
All Things Home

organizing the studio | sorting the yarn

After our knitting organization chat last week, I was ready to tackle my yarn stash over the weekend.  I have to say that I was dreading the process, though!  So many decisions to make and categorizing the yarn by type seemed a little overwhelming.  But, I started pulling all of the balls and skeins off of the shelf, emptied baskets and made a big mess that I would be forced to deal with.  Sometimes that’s how I have to coax myself into organizing – force the issue. Of course, the kitties loved it.  They took turns laying among the mess, finding sunny spots and loose strands of yarn to play with. The first thing I had to do was start a bag of yarns to donate.  I’ve bought a lot of yarn over the past year, mostly to test out what I like.  I also bought some yarn without any

Read More
All Things Home

charcoal, a glass dip pen, and a Victorian watercolor box…

It’s time to share some more antique and vintage art supplies!  Obviously, I haven’t bought any this month because of “no-spend February”, but I bought an antique Victorian-era watercolor box with some Christmas money in January and I received a few little things last week as a gift. An antique dealer from PA who used to buy things for me to resell sent me a few art supplies she picked up as a part of an auction lot.  It was a total surprise and so sweet of her to think of me! She sent me a box of vintage Flair vine charcoal… I love the label on the box, but was even more delighted to see it was full of vine charcoal sticks!   And she also sent a glass dip pen!  It has the most interesting nib.  I haven’t had the chance to use it, but I’m looking forward

Read More

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

Now Available for Preorder

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.

Recent Video

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest