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All Things Home

All Things Home

picture ledges for pigment bottles in the studio

My studio continually evolves as I use and finetune the space.  A couple of weeks ago, I was doing some reorganizing and realized I could utilize the space to the left of the large hardware cabinet.  Some picture ledges would give me a little more storage and would also be the perfect place to display my bottles of pigment. What was hanging there before was a pinboard with color swatches.  While I enjoyed looking at them, I didn’t really use them, so changing it out made sense. Sienna Counterweight Studio Easel | | painted checkerboard floor | Hare art print I purchased shelves from Target for $15/each and hung them in that space.  The dimensions were absolutely perfect for my collection of bottled pigments. | | antique palette I bought the bottles from Hobby Lobby, but I wasn’t able to find them on their website.  They are in the glass

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All Things Home

latest consignment store haul

Hey, everyone!  I enjoyed a few days off but really started to miss sharing here on the blog towards the end of the week.  I got so much done, though, and it was focused, unhurried, productive, fruitful…just what I needed it to be.  Towards the end of the week, I was feeling a bit fried and antsy to get out of the house, so I went to my favorite local consignment store (it’s Kismet for those who are local or passing through Rochester, MN.) I originally went in because I spotted a pair of chairs on their Facebook page.  I thought they would look nice flanking the hutch in the living room.  They were still available, so I went to the consignment store the next morning and they were even better in person.  They were both sturdy, in excellent condition, and it looked like the hand-tied caning had been redone

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All Things Home

ensuite bathroom makeover progress

Before I get into the post about our ensuite bathroom (master bathroom) makeover, I wanted to let my blog readers know that I’m going to take next week off.  I have had a lot of work on my plate outside of the blog (all fun and exciting stuff that I can’t wait to share with you) and I need to take a week to put my work focus solely on those projects. I’ve really been trying to do too much simultaneously and I’m feeling a little scattered.  I know it’ll help me so much to set a couple of things down in order to do other work with excellence.  So, I’ll pop onto Instagram here and there, but I’ll be quiet here on the blog next week. Our master bathroom (ensuite bathroom) is finished, but I haven’t shared very much of the process here on the blog, so I thought

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All Things Home

stripping & waxing antique pine

A few weeks ago, I dragged this old cabinet outside to sand it down.  It had been in Marshall’s room for a few years in this house and our PA house.  It had some water damage on top as well as sticker residue on the sides.  I mean, it has been living in a kind-turned-teen’s room for a few years and they aren’t the best at furniture care!  It was getting to the point that stripping and waxing this antique pine piece was going to be the best way to bring it back to life. Striping Antique Pine This cabinet had a very thin, yellowing finish on it that was easy to sand off with an orbital palm sander equipped with 100 grit sandpaper.  I opted to go that route instead of using a chemical stripper, which is usually my preference.  It would be faster and a little less mess

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All Things Home

make-do custom mattress for an antique daybed

Remember the antique Jenny Lind daybed I bought off of Facebook Marketplace a few weeks ago?  Well, I finally received the foam and batting I ordered to make a custom mattress for it. antique jenny lind daybed My plan is to make a french-style tufted mattress, but I starting wrapping the foam in the cotton batting I ordered and I realized I would need to make a cover to hold the cotton batting in place.  Poly batting is much easier to slide a fitted cover over, but I went with cotton because it gives a softer appearance to the cushion.  It was one of those afternoons when I was determined to get this done.  I knew it was irrational to think that I could finish an entire custom mattress in an afternoon, but I felt this push to try. I cut down the 3″ upholstery foam with an electric carving

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All Things Home

five things | fall decorating favorites

Because I’ve been busy with home and work projects, I haven’t done much fall decorating.  I did buy one heirloom pumpkin yesterday and some heather, but otherwise, I’m not going to do too much this year.  I may change my mind in a week or two!  The temperature was a crisp 40 degrees this morning on my walk and a couple of trees in our yard have turned a fiery red, so I’m definitely in the mood for fall.  It’s for that reason that I decided to share my five fall decorating favorites from the past few years. Farmhouse-Style Blue & White Fall Table As soon as I broke free from the idea that fall decorating had to include orange, I enjoyed it.  It could be blue and white and green.  This table was a celebration of that! I just used white pumpkins with green apples, some persevered yellow leaves,

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All Things Home

master bedroom bed crown & pillows

When I shared the milk painted dresser last week, many of you noticed that the bed crown was finished and up!  My mom and I worked on that as well as sewing some pillows for the bed in the master bedroom. Several readers have asked to see the entire bedroom and I will show it soon, but it’s not quite finished, yet!  I still have a few more finishing touches before the final reveal.  Here is a preview of the bed crown and the new pillows, though… Now, I realize that a bed crown is going to be far too fussy, formal, and French for some, and that’s okay.  If it is, then don’t put one in your room!  For my space, it’s the perfect solution to a tall, arched headboard in a room with eight-foot ceilings.  The space created between the bed and the ceiling was pretty awkward to

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All Things Home

How to Clean Stinky Furniture

One of the questions I’m asked most often is about how to clean stinky furniture.  Here is the most recent e-mail I received about that… “I have an older dresser that smells awful! I have no idea what to do to alleviate the smell. It was my mom’s and now it’s mine. There hasn’t been anything smelly stored in it but I’m stumped as to what to do to have fresh-smelling drawers without having to sand the inside of the drawers down or douse it with chemicals. My only other thought is to spray or paint it with KILZ. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?  Thanks for your time!” Having bought and sold thousands of pieces of furniture over the past 10 years, I have done battle with many pieces that were stinky, musty, smelled like smoke or animal pee, or were just completely dirty and gross.  Sometimes it’s

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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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