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All Things Home

All Things Home

who’s making the decorating decisions?

I get random articles about decorating e-mailed to me on a weekly basis.  They cover everything from giving your kitchen a makeover with paint in a weekend (amusing notion) to kitchen trends to the latest design house triumph.  I usually just scan them briefly before they are deleted.  I received one earlier this week that got me thinking…  It was about decorating decisions and who makes them in the household.  Is the decision-making split between spouses or does one or the other make the bulk of the decisions?  The article asserted that 45% of couples make decorating decisions together.  It didn’t further specify if that was referring to large decisions like renovations, installing flooring, etc., or smaller decisions like where to place a lamp or the number of pillows that are reasonable for a sofa. So, let’s talk about it! Who’s making the decorating decisions in your house? In our

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a slice of life

cleaning a set of antique pastels

When I shared about antique and vintage art supplies in THIS POST, I also did a bit of window shopping to share some listings on Etsy and eBay.  Well, my window shopping turned into actual shopping when I found this set of antique pastels listed for a great price.  It was purchased by the seller at an estate sale in Scotland and it just spoke to me.  I snapped it right up! Unfortunately, when it arrived, it wasn’t packaged as well as it could’ve been and one of the pastels (it looked like black or close to black) was pulverized and made quite a mess.  It was all over the inside the of the box, the bubble wrap and the interior of the box.  I receievd a partial refund from the seller for the damage to the set, which I was happy with.  I now had to go about cleaning

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All Things Home

building an ironstone collection

I read an article on ironstone in a decorating magazine (I think Country Home) about 20 years ago and have been smitten with it ever since.  I can’t tell you exactly what draws me to it…  maybe it’s the simplicity of it, the creamy-white color, the variety of shapes and designs, the luster of the glaze.  I can’t tell you why, but I love it and it’s one of my favorite things to collect.  I’ve been collecting it since I found an ironstone pitcher in a dusty, crowded booth at an antique mall in Florida.  I’ve since bought and sold thousands of pieces of ironstone, adding to my collection along the way.  I’ve become quite the ironstone hound and can spot it from across the room. If you love ironstone, as I do, here are a few tips on building an ironstone collection of your own… Of course, the first

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a slice of life

soup recipe round-up

If you follow my Instagram stories, you know that I make soup almost every weekend.  We usually have it for an easy dinner on Sunday and then I’ll put the leftovers in jars to eat for lunches and quick dinners through the week.  Since we’re heading into soup season, I thought I would do a soup recipe round-up to share some of the regulars in our soup rotation… (Click on the soup titles to go to the post with the full, printable recipe.) Baked Potato Soup Recipe This one is a classic potato soup recipe that I’ve been making for over 15 years.  Believe it or not, I used to substitute teach, and one day a volunteer brought in a crockpot of this soup.  I asked for the recipe the next time I saw her and this is it.  It’s definitely the richest soup in the round-up, so it’s a

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All Things Home

the great Christmas decorating debate

I think this debate has been happening for decades, but it’s been taken to the public forum of social media over the past few years, so it feels like more of a “thing.”  When should you decorate for Christmas?  There is the “pull out all of the decorations when the clock strikes midnight on Halloween” crowd on one end and the “don’t decorate until December 23” on the other end.  I think most people fall somewhere in the middle…starting the Christmas decorating between a few days before Thanksgiving through early December.  In my house growing up, we had to wait until Thanksgiving.  No matter how much I pleaded and begged to put the tree up and usher in Christmas a little earlier, we waited until Thanksgiving and I carried that into adulthood. 2018 Christmas living room When I started my business, though, that changed.  Christmas decorating was dictated by the

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All Things Home

reassessing the art studio

Every once in a while, I have to reaccess my art studio and how it functions.  For while, I have felt like I needed more flat work surfaces.  My primary work surfaces are tilted (the easel and the drafting table) and I just have the flat surface of my desk.  I found myself wishing the back wall of my studio was just about two or three feet wider, so I would have plenty of room to add a generously-sized, counter-height island right in the middle.  But, moving walls is complicated and expensive, so that will remain a wish and a note for any future studio. I decided to set my so it was level and used it like that for much of the week.  I think I would miss having the table titled, though, which I use for sketching and watercolor.  It’s not too hard to adjust, but it does

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All Things Home

antique pine chest in the foyer

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week!  We are having some warm, sunny days this week, so that’s giving me lots of energy to be productive and creative.  I’m also looking forward to traveling east to visit our families (it’s been way too long since we’ve been to PA and NC) and the entire holiday season.  I have some fun Christmas projects I’ll be working on to share over the next few weeks.  Before we get to Christmas, though, I wanted to share about a small change I made in the foyer.  When the antique pine chest was displaced as Jeff’s nightstand, I decided to try it in the foyer. Right away, both Jeff and my mom said it was too big and I should keep the bench that had been there for a couple of years.  The bench worked…it was okay, but I loved the idea of having

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All Things Home

five things | budget decorating for Christmas

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited about decorating for Christmas this year!  I think it’s, in large part, due to the fact that I wasn’t able to fully decorate for Christmas last year due to my healing shoulder.  Everything was harder and took twice as long, so I did a lot less.  I think I can also attribute the anticipation to the fact that we’ve done so many home projects this year and I’m looking forward to seeing my “new rooms” decked out for the holidays.  I know, for some people, it’s completely annoying to even mention Christmas before Thanksgiving, but the stores are already filling the shelves with their Christmas decor and the holiday magazines are already on the stands.  It’s just time to start thinking about it and planning for it (but I assure you all of these photos are from past Christmases. )

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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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