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All Things Home

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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All Things Home

how I manage home decorating/renovation projects

A few weeks ago, I received this e-mail from a reader and I thought I would share it along with the answer to how I manage my home renovation projects.  Here is an excerpt from the e-mail… “I know you’re extremely busy, but if you haven’t already done so, I would really love to see a blog post on how you arrive at your project list(s).  Do you sit in a room and add everything that ever needs to be done, and then add more as things come up?  Or do you just start a running list as ideas come to you?  Do you keep track by project (i.e., everything that needs to be painted), or by room?  How do you decide what gets moved up and down on the list?  How do you resolve competing priorities for projects including decisions re: resources (money, time, motivation)?” Now that I have

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a slice of life

house plans from a middle school mind

For the eighth grade yearbook, we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up.  Listed under my picture of me wearing teased bangs and a white turtleneck peeking out of a red cable knit sweater, it read “Actress or an Architect”.  You know, two things that are pretty compatible.  I’ve always laughed at the ridiculous pairing of those answers, but I recently realized that being a home decor blogger is sort of somewhere in between.  I just didn’t know this profession would exist at that time!  As someone who was perpetually in plays, the reason why I answered Actress was obvious.  The reason I listed Architect as a desired profession was because of something I did in private.  I used to draw elaborate house plans while sprawled out on the floor of my bedroom listening to music. It was the more mature way of playing with a

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All Things Home

antique French pump inkwell

I have always been fascinated by old things, things that were made before modern manufacturing, before computers and electricity.  I marvel at the ingenuity and problem-solving abilities of their creators.  I initially bought this inkwell because…well, I just love art supplies, ink wells, beautiful dip pens, and the like, and I had missed out on a similar one a couple of years ago.  But now that I’ve played around with it and have done a bit of research, I love it even more.  I’d like to introduce you to the clever design of an antique French pump inkwell… It’s another item I purchased from the Dreamy Whites’ birthday sale a few weeks ago.  I initially thought it was an ironstone inkwell and, as I mentioned, I had pondered purchasing a similar one a couple of years ago, but I missed out on it.  When I saw it listed in Maria’s

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a slice of life

this is the project I’ve been working on…

For the past several months, I have mentioned here and there that I’ve been working on various projects – writing, working on my house, and doing photo shoots.  These smaller projects are all a part of one big project.  This project hasn’t been a secret one, but I wanted to wait to announce it until I was a little further along in the process. Here’s the big news… I wrote a book! Well, more accurately, I’m in the process of writing a book.  I wrote the complete manuscript and took hundreds of photos and turned them all in to start the editing and layout process a couple of weeks ago.  There is still a lot of work to do, but the heart of the work is complete. So, let me rewind a bit and tell you the story of how this came about… I have written a book before, Inspired

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All Things Home

five things | antique & vintage art supplies

Antique and vintage art supplies have become one of my favorite things to shop for and collect.  As I’ve hunted for them, I’ve learned that they are not the easiest thing to find!  I think that makes the hunt even more exciting, but it can also be frustrating when you’re hoping to find something specific.  I have managed to acquire some beautiful pieces recently, so I thought I would share those as well as five things I’ve learned about shopping for antique and vintage art supplies. Warning: If you’re an art supply addict, as I am, prepare yourself for some gorgeousness… one | look often & everywhere I think this philosophy is true any time you’re shopping for antiques.  You just have to look everywhere and look regularly.  You never know when you’ll trip across some antique paint box that someone dropped off at the thrift store or an estate

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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