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All Things Home
All Things Home

crochet vs. knitting

As I shared last week, I learned to knit over the Christmas break.  I’ve been wanting to learn for a while, so I bought a couple of knitting books and supplemented them with YouTube tutorials when I needed to see someone perform a particular stitch.  I haven’t knitted anything particularly useful, but have been making squares and rectangles to practice stitches, work on my tension, learn to “see” the stitches, and to play with different types of yarn and needle sizes.  I’ve been asked by a lot of people who are interested in learning one or the other to share a comparison, so that’s what this post is all about – crochet vs. knitting!  I will share a separate post with beginner knitting resources I’ve found to be most helpful. crochet vs. knitting – which one is easiest? I think this question is a tough one and I’ve had readers

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January 12, 2021 80 Comments
All Things Home

my favorite home projects of 2020

We were home a lot last year.  I’m a homebody, so it suited me to some extent even though it wasn’t under ideal circumstances.  As many of you did, we made the best of it and used the time to get some projects done around the house that have been hanging out on the to-do list for a while.  I had the extra incentive of working on projects for my upcoming book.  Looking back over 2020, we got a ton of home projects done and completely transformed a few rooms in our house including the living room, sewing room, and ensuite bathroom. Here are a few of my favorite DIY home projects we finished last year… fireplace surround This is one of the easiest projects I did in 2020 and it’s one of my favorites!  I have disliked that shiny granite since we first moved in, but I felt a

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January 11, 2021 28 Comments
All Things Home

organization tips for the new year

I typically get the organization bug about twice a year…  in the new year and in September when the kids are back in school.  I also organize as I’m working on projects or just in a problem area (like the junk drawer in the kitchen) that is getting out of hand.  But, once the Christmas decor is down (we still need to take down our tree), I like to take some time to purge and organize.  I know I’m not alone in this because that is the topic of most home decor and lifestyle magazines, blogs, websites, and all of the stores put their plastic storage bins front and center.  I’m often asked about cleaning and organization tips since I keep a pretty tidy house, so here are some of my tips if you’re working on organization in the new year. laundry room makeover organization tips no. 1 Organizing wasn’t

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January 7, 2021 29 Comments
All Things Home

woven jute living room rug

I’ve been asked a lot about my woven jute living room rug on Instagram, so I thought I would write a post about it share the source as well as why I chose it along with a review. When we had hardwoods installed this summer, I knew I would need to find an area rug for the space.  If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that rugs are a challenge for me!  I have learned that I tend to like quieter rugs and most of the rugs in our house are woven or braided jute.  They are relatively inexpensive, forgiving, and hardwearing.  They are also not too precious that I freak out over spills and pet accidents (which always happen on rugs or carpets!) So, when I was looking for a living room rug, I wanted to stay in that world.  Some day, I might want to

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January 6, 2021 30 Comments
a slice of life

Christmas 2020 recap

While our Christmas break was quiet and slow, it was also full.  We have spent Christmas with family some years, but it’s not out of the ordinary for it to just be the four of us, so this year didn’t feel sad or lonely.  We did miss the school Christmas concert and church staff Christmas party, but it was still a sweet season.  We ordered our yearly Christmas Eve breakfast out and ate it at home.  We had our candlelight Christmas Eve service on the sofa in our jammies.  We watched movies at home instead of going to the theatre.  We met with our family over Zoom to open presents and play games.  But we still had a wonderful time of celebration, reflection, and rest. (Yes, the top string of lights burnt out just before Christmas!  Ugh!) And Christmas morning was still a flurry of activity and excitement as the

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January 5, 2021 22 Comments
All Things Home

top ten posts of 2020

Well, hello there and Happy New Year!  Oh man, I just love the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  We did a lot of hanging out, playing games, watching movies, working on puzzles, and I had plenty of unhurried time to read some of my books, sketch and paint in the studio, and I even learned how to knit!  The boys are back in school today and it’s time for me to get back to work.  I did squeeze in a little planning this weekend, so I could be ready to hit the ground running.   Before we get into 2021 and exciting things to come, I’ll be sharing a few favorites and highlights from 2020 throughout the month of January.  Let’s kick that off with the top ten posts of 2020! These are the top ten posts of 2020 based on the number of views the posts received in

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January 4, 2021 17 Comments
a slice of life

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Song

About 8 years ago, I snuck off into another room a couple of days before Christmas and played the guitar and sang I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas for my blog readers. Unfortunately, that video was accidentally deleted a few years ago. Since that first song, we’ve done a song for Christmas almost every year.  We’ve done duets, group songs with friends and family involving preschool toys, kazoos, and popcorn-tin drums. It’s been so much fun and I know my blog followers have enjoyed seeing that different side of me (and seeing more of my family.)  Every year, I receive messages asking if I’m going to do a Christmas song and I try to pick a fun song that we can perform for you. I didn’t last year because I was recovering from shoulder surgery, but I felt like this year needed a song.  It’s been quite the year! We

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December 23, 2020 118 Comments
All Things Home

Christmas Dining Room 2020

Last year, I didn’t decorate my dining room for Christmas, because it was just too much to try to do as my shoulder was still healing from surgery.  This year, though, I was right back to dressing our dining room for Christmas!   I kept it pretty simple, though, and just added some faux greenery to the chandelier, our small tree in a goat cart for our advent stockings, some garland on the mirror, and gingerbread in the hutch. I really wanted to do my usual advent wreath for the center of the table, but the cats picked mine apart last year, so I didn’t do it.  I just used a simple candle ring on a chunky candle in an ironstone bowl as the centerpiece. The greens are just tucked into the chandelier.  You can see a tutorial on my method HERE. Violet let me know she was watching. On the

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December 22, 2020 28 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.

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