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All Things Home

All Things Home

Arhaus Pillow Giveaway

Disclosure: furnished the pillows and throw featured in this post along with the prize for the giveaway.  I received no additional compensation for this post. While I was eagerly awaiting the delivery of the new sectional, asked if I would like to select a few and a throw to go with it.  I could imagine Jeff’s eye-roll at the idea of me ordering more pillows!  He just doesn’t get pillows!  I, however, love pillows and that the featured colors for the new Arhaus catalog were blue and white.  That sounds right up my alley! I do already have an ample supply of pillows, though, so I just picked three that I thought would look nice with the new sectional (the ) and one throw.  I also selected pillows that I can use in other rooms if I want to change things around. The first pillow I selected was the I

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All Things Home

Other Living Room Plans

Sometimes I have trouble sitting back and enjoying what I’ve accomplished in the light of the size of my to-do list!  I’m sure many of you can relate!  I realized as I was putting this post together that there is a to-do list a mile long made up of all the little and big projects I want to do in the house.  Some of them are as simple as repairing a tear in a cushion or slipcover (I have a few of those) or as involved as installing wainscoting and crown molding. But, I just need to remember that #1 – it’s not a race and #2 – that list will shrink one project at a time.  Little steps to get big things done. So, one thing that I want to do is change out the fabric on the backs of the French chairs.  The fabric worked great in my

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All Things Home

How to Crochet a farmhouse dishcloth (for beginners)

Just so you don’t miss it, I’m giving away a set of three of these dishcloths towards the bottom of this (rather long) post!   Ever since I started showing my crocheted dishcloths, I’ve been asked by readers and followers if I could share a tutorial for how to make them.  Since I’m a beginner myself, I have been directing them to YouTube to find tutorials from people who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have!  But, I’ve learned over the years that blogging is about sharing my journey and what I’ve learned along the way.  And I’ve also learned that my audience wants to learn from me.  And I get that!  I like learning from people I know and trust.  Maybe I helped you make a slipcover for the first time or planted the seed that you could start a business.  So, why not teach

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Artistic Endeavors

How to Crochet a farmhouse dishcloth for absolute beginners…

Just so you don’t miss it, I had to crochet this farmhouse dishcloth three times for the tutorial, so I am giving away a set of three of them towards the bottom of this (rather long) post!   Ever since I started showing my crocheted dishcloths, I’ve been asked by readers and followers if I could share a tutorial on how to make them.  Since I’m a beginner myself, I have been directing them to YouTube to find tutorials from people who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have!  But, I’ve learned over the years that blogging is about sharing my journey and what I’ve learned along the way.  And I’ve also learned that my audience wants to learn from me.  And I get that!  I like learning from people I know and trust.  Maybe I helped you make a slipcover for the first time or

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All Things Home

foyer refresh & slate update

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to share that Mustard Seed Mentoring is now open to new members!  You can get all of the details on group and one-on-one mentoring HERE.  I am offering an early bird gift to those who JOIN TODAY – a pocket-sized version of my favorite journal/notebook.  It’s the one I use every single day for notes, sketches, and journaling.  It’s a leather notebook that can hold three inserts, which can be changed out when they are full.  It’s just a little bonus from me. I’ll be sending out e-mails about Mustard Seed Mentoring this week and if you are not starting/running a creative business, you can opt-out of those specific e-mails at the bottom of each e-mail.  Opting out will not unsubscribe you from my blog feed.  I want to let people know about it, but only the people who need it and

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a slice of life

how I make grab & go salad jars

I’ve learned that when it comes to healthy eating, I need to make it easy.  If I have healthy food on hand that’s visible, fresh, quick, and tasty, I will make better choices.  Well, editing the fridge and pantry helps, too, so I don’t have a stash of something that’s going to derail my efforts. For the last few years, I’ve been making salad jars to keep in the fridge, so it’s easy and convenient to eat a quick veggie-loaded salad for lunch or as a side with a quick dinner.  I’ve also found that the glass keeps the lettuce and other veggies crisp for several days. When I shared these salad jars on Instagram, I received tons of questions!  What do I put in the jars?  How do I eat them?  When do I add the dressing?  Etc.  So, I decided to make a video showing how I make

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All Things Home

Arhaus Outerbanks Sectional

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Arhaus.  All words and opinions are honest and my own. It’s here, it’s here!!  Well, if you follow my Instagram Stories, you know it’s been here for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to get Christmas cleaned up before I took pictures of the new sectional and shared it here on the blog. Back in the fall, I ordered the Outerbanks Sectional from Arhaus in a beautifully textured blue & cream checked fabric (called Ponder Lakeland) and it was delivered just a few days after Christmas.  Leading up to the delivery, I had the usual doubts that come with ordering such a substantial, cornerstone piece off of the Internet.  Would the check be too busy?  Would the sofa be quality and comfortable?  Despite measuring, would it fit in the space?  Would it fit through the front door??? I’ve ordered pieces through Arhaus before,

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All Things Home

Styling the Studio Bookcase

Some of you might remember when I purchased this pretty oak hutch to act as storage in my studio… I filled it with my decorating and design books with just a small handful of art books mixed in and I remember sharing that I was hoping to build my art resource book library about the time this photo was taken. Well, I made short work of that goal!  I’ve collected dozens of books on the masters, oil painting, impressionism, watercolors, sketching, portraits, figurative work, landscapes, clouds, plein air, still lifes, and books filled with reference images.  The collection has grown to fill most of the first two shelves of the large bookcase in my studio. I pick them up here and there.  Some are new from bookstores (even a few from Shakespeare & Co and the Musee D’Orsay in Paris), many are bought used off of Amazon, and a few

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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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