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All Things Home

a slice of life

lucca antique purchases

I already shared about the brown leather oxford shoes that I bought from an antique dealer at the Lucca fleamarket, but I wanted to show you the other things I bought as well as shoe the shoes up close.  I am not really a shoe person per se, but I have always been attracted to wingtips.  I think it is the old soul in me. When I initially spotted the shoes, I thought they looked like my size, but I wasn’t sure.  I slipped them on and they fit almost perfectly.  They are 39 1/2 and I usually wear a 39 in European shoes.  They are just a little bit too big, so I can either wear them with tights or put a rubber heel pad in the back.  They weren’t so big though, that they were slipping off as I walked. The gentleman who sold them to me told

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a slice of life

apples, gifts & cozy white cottage giveaway

While I’ve been healing from my surgery, people have been so generous to us.  We’ve been brought meals and I’ve received notes, cards, and gift cards to get takeout.  It’s all been such a blessing.  It’s just an arm, but it was major surgery and requires lots of time and rest in the first few weeks.  I’ve still just been working part-time, but I’ve been up and about more…going on short walks, out to run errands, to church, to small group, and to the climbing gym to watch the boys lead climb for the first time. My mom left on Saturday and it was hard to let her go.  She’s been a tremendous help!  She’s taken care of Sebastian, ran me to appointments and on errands.  She did dishes, cooked, picked the boys up from school, and helped me blow dry & style my hair.  Friday, she spent the day

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a slice of life

thrifting & antiquing in Tuscany

This was the day I was waiting for…the day of shopping and antiquing in Italy.  I found so many fun things last year and enjoyed the day admiring the abundance of European antiques.  It was a little slice of heaven…well, except for the heat!  It was so hot last year!  Thankfully, it was a little cooler this year. Unlike the US where markets start early, the antique market in Lucca isn’t at full swing until about 11:00 am, so we didn’t leave our hotel until about 9:00 am to give ourselves time to hit Dana’s favorite thrift store prior to going to the flea market.  It’s a small shop called Ti Riruso Mercantino about 15-20 minutes outside of Barga.  Or group shopped there last year and we were all frenzied over the chandeliers, textiles, and other vintage and antique finds loosely grouped on thrift store shelves. This year, I knew

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All Things Home

sofas : neutral vs. bold

Happy Monday, everyone!  I spent the good part of my weekend resting my arm, hanging out with the family, doing a little bit of cleaning, and looking at some new magazines I picked up at the store.  I love decorating, but the last few months have been busy and I haven’t had as much time to do sewing and furniture rearranging and projects as I would like.  Now that I’m in a sling and restricted from doing these things, I am itching to do some decorating!  Isn’t that how it is? Anyway, as much as I love color and pattern, I must admit that it’s much easier to go neutral with an investment piece like a sofa.  And, historically, that’s what I’ve done.  I will then add color, texture, and pattern with pillows, quilts, and accessories.  I think that is a good decorating strategy and there’s nothing wrong with it,

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All Things Home

1961 vs. 2019

A few weeks ago, Jeff asked me a dangerous question.  “Would you like to go to Barnes & Noble?”  Well, of course, the answer was yes.  I am so glad we moved to a city that has a good bookstore.  Now, we do have an even larger library, but I must admit that I love owning my books.  I want to have the freedom to put Post-it notes in them and to revisit them for inspiration and information time and time again. I purchased several books and magazines on this particular outing and one of the books I bought was a 1961 Better Homes& Gardens decorating book.  It might sound a little odd, but I love looking at old decorating magazines and books for inspiration.  These dated decorating guides are a great indication of what decorating choices are timeless.  If there is a thread that ties good design from 1961

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a slice of life

linen bee napkins

Just before I left for Europe, I received a package from .  I have worked with them for years as a sponsor and a paying customer.  I’ve worn their dresses to China, Europe, and all over the US. They are my favorite custom-made linen clothes.  So, I’m always excited when I get a package from them! In this order, I received some shirts and a dress to wear on my trip, but I also received a preview of some new fabrics… …a smock-style apron, and some napkins. Isn’t this stack just yummy? I wore the shirts, dresses, and apron throughout my Europe trip… I love the weight of these napkins (they are a little lighter than my vintage linen napkins) and the blue and white striped pattern.  I do actually use cloth napkins, so it’s nice to have a few more to add to my collection.  Most of my napkins

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All Things Home

how to clean paint off fixtures & a tub

As I was prepping the boys’ bathroom to paint, I removed the old towel bar and TP holder.  I knew I was going to replace the towel bar, which always looked messy, with a ring.  I was also planning to replace the TP holder because it was smeared and splattered with paint. Once I took a good look at it, though, I acknowledged that I didn’t need to buy a new one.  What I had would probably clean up nicely.  So, I used a scrubby sponge and Bar Keepers Friend (what I use to clean my stainless steel pots and pans) and gave it a good scrubbing.  If it didn’t clean up well, then I could revisit buying a new one. I squirted the paste onto the holder and scrubbed it gently with the sponge… After a rinse & dry, it looked brand new.  I don’t mean it looked cleaner,

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All Things Home

decorating a mantel for fall in the living room

Disclosure: This post on decorating a mantel for fall is sponsored by Walmart.  As always, all words and opinions expressed are honest and my own. I have resigned to the fact that decorating for fall isn’t going to be a priority this year.  Each year, I think I’ll just put out a couple of pumpkins or something, but each year, I’m wooed by the cool temperatures, the crunching of the leaves, and the piles of heirloom pumpkins at the market.  But this year, I have bigger fish to fry.  I have to recover and heal from shoulder surgery. Not wanting to ignore fall altogether, I decided to add a few simple touches to our main living area by decorating our mantel for fall before I’ll be in a sling for a few weeks… The mantel is the obvious focal point of the room, so I dressed it up with a

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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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