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Crochet Potholders Tutorial for Beginners

I have another crochet project for you this week crochet potholders for beginners! A couple of weeks ago, my mom requested that I figure out how to make a pair of potholders similar to the ones my great-grandmother made her over 50 years ago. I didn’t even have to ask which potholders she was referring to. I knew the pair well, as I witnessed them being used and used them myself my entire childhood. Through every move, in every military housing kitchen, those potholders were a constant. These crochet potholders were thick, white, and made with tight stitches and a loop on one corner that was frayed from time and use. So, I went to my yarn stash to see if I had a cotton yarn that would be suitable for the project. I selected the Cotton XXL by Yarn Bee. I have worked with it enough to know it

February 10, 2020 22 Comments

All Things Home

My Paint Colors | Rochester House

One of the most commonly asked questions on social media and here on the blog are about my paint colors, so I thought I would share them all in one post! That’ll make it easy for me to refer people to one source, especially because some of the colors are custom-mixed. I’ll also take this opportunity to talk about what it means to have a color mixed at 50% and why I like utilizing that option. All of the colors are Benjamin Moore unless noted. For the walls, the type of paint I used is Aura in a matte finish. For cabinets and trim, I used Advanced in Satin. Let’s start with the color I’m asked about most – Stonington Gray! I have typed that response so many times that my phone auto-fills the words for me! It is definitely a blue/gray, but the color is a bit of a

February 7, 2020 50 Comments

All Things Home

Savannah’s Awkward Kitchen | Decorating Dilemmas

In this Decorating Dilemma, we’re going to take a look at Savannah’s soon-to-be kitchen. We’ll talk about working with dark granite that you might not love, but you don’t want to replace, unifying a disjointed space, adding shelving for style and storage, and more. Here’s what Savannah says about the space… “I need help! Lord willing, my husband and I will be moving into my parent’s old home when they finish building their new house. But I have a serious decorating dilemma. The kitchen has me stumped!” The kitchen was renovated about 10 years ago and Savannah was able to help with that process, so she’s not picking on her parent’s choices! She’s just ready to take this look in a different direction when it becomes her home. These are the things Savannah wants to address… She doesn’t like the dark granite but, understandably, doesn’t want to spend the money

February 6, 2020 85 Comments

All Things Home

stainless steel cleaner comparison

Before we enter the exciting and somewhat nerdy world of cleaner comparisons, I wanted to let you know that the tie-up shades I designed for Decor Steals are being offered as their steal today! Some of you have asked me about them, so I didn’t want you to miss it. Click HERE for the details… So, I did this comparison for my own sake because I was so frustrated with one stainless steel cleaner I bought. Despite my cleaning and buffing, my appliances were streaky and it was driving me crazy! I ordered two different stainless steel cleaners to see which one worked best. Since I was making this comparison already, I thought I would share the results here. These are the products that are going head-to-head in this very unscientific, completely preference-based, nerdy test… The first one is Magic Stainless Steel cleaner. This is the one that I want

February 4, 2020 66 Comments

All Things Home

styling the living room shelves

As I was fiddling around with the accessories in the living room, I finally decided to rework the built-ins on the right side of the fireplace. I painted them white shortly after I moved in and filled them up with one thing I have plenty of – . (You can read about painting the built-ins HERE.) It was just easy, pretty, and something I could call “done” when I had so many other things I wanted to work on in the house. But, I wanted to revisit styling these living room shelves… I have wanted to add some warmth and interest there for a while, but even though it’s a fairly small project, it was too much to do when I was having issues with my shoulder. Earlier last week, I started just moving things in the space…a few books, a couple of pieces of blue and white transferware, just

February 3, 2020 126 Comments

All Things Home

fiddling in the living room

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been very productive in many ways, but I haven’t been able to work on some of the things I really want to work on like house projects and painting! I try to plan my weeks, though, so they are “front-loaded.” I have all of the meetings and heavy computer days at the beginning of the week, so I have the last half of the week for more creative pursuits. It’s a strategy I’ve used for several months, but I am admittedly still finetuning it. I’m still trying to figure out how to get all of my work done and have a life and quality family time and paint and workout and cook… I know many of you get it. Aren’t we all trying to figure out how to fit it all in? So, after hitting the gym this morning, I carved out

January 31, 2020 75 Comments

All Things Home

last week’s antique finds…

Last week, I just needed to get out and away from my desk. I had plenty of work to do and the weather was terrible, but I was determined! I had planned it and I was going to stick to my plans. I’m also finding that if I use “I have work to do” as an excuse, then I won’t ever leave the house! There is always some sort of work to do. So, I went to my PT appointment to have my shoulder worked on (it’s getting so much better) and then I hit a few of my favorite antique and second-hand shops. There is not a ton of antiquing right here in Rochester, but there are a few spots I like to hit every now and then. I have been looking for a few things…a mirror for the living room, a large basket, and a buffet-sort-of-piece for a

January 29, 2020 29 Comments

All Things Home

Reviving Hydrangeas

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up some hydrangeas and a few other flowers from Trader Joe’s to use in upcoming photoshoots I had planned. Right after getting them home, I plopped them in a bucket of water in the laundry room sink and left them there until I was ready to arrange them the next day. The next day, though, three of the six hydrangea blooms were wilting! Oh, the disappointment! I love hydrangeas, but they can be unreliable sometimes. I huffed about it a bit, but I needed to get the pictures done, so I used the good blooms and filled the arrangement in with some other flowers. But, I still was hoping to be able to use the wilted hydrangeas, so I put them in a sink filled with cold water. I’ve tried this trick in the past and it works well if the flowers aren’t

January 27, 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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All Things Home

Crochet Potholders Tutorial for Beginners

My Paint Colors | Rochester House

Savannah’s Awkward Kitchen | Decorating Dilemmas

stainless steel cleaner comparison

styling the living room shelves

fiddling in the living room

last week’s antique finds…

Reviving Hydrangeas

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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