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All Things Home
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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October 21, 2019 83 Comments
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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October 17, 2019 33 Comments
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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October 6, 2019 25 Comments
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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October 4, 2019 11 Comments
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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October 3, 2019 21 Comments
a slice of life

Paris 2019 | the fountain pen store

As I shared in THIS POST, I visited a pen & paper shop mentioned in the book A Paris Year on our first day in the hopes of finding a fountain pen.  While the shop was charming, it wasn’t what I was expecting and they didn’t carry what I was looking for.  I knew from walking around last year that there were tons of pen & paper stores in Paris and I just had to find the right one. I looked up fountain pen shops in Paris online and found an article on Fountain Pen Love sharing a list of John’s top 10 shops.  The description of Mora Stylos caught my attention, specifically because they carried vintage and used pens.  It wasn’t too far from the Marais district, so we decided to walk in that direction after our tour and lunch. John and Wendy hung around outside of the shop

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September 24, 2019 39 Comments
All Things Home

studio desk chair & the computer ban

Since I did the office/studio furniture shuffle in February, I’ve been sitting on makeshift desk chairs.  At first, it was a Fench cane chair that worked pretty well, even if it wasn’t the best height or the most comfortable.  But, I could slowly feel the cane seat loosening and it finally punched through (which was awesome for my self-esteem.)  So, in a pinch, I pulled in a dining chair.  It worked fine, but I noticed my back would be aching after a long day at the computer.  I needed a proper desk chair for my studio desk. I looked for months, but I just wasn’t finding what I wanted.  I had to be comfortable, not ridiculously expensive, and I didn’t want it to look like something from the set of Star Trek.  I wanted it to be adjustable, have arms, and the ability to rock. Let me tell you…I looked

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September 17, 2019 26 Comments
All Things Home

restyled hutch

I have never really been drawn to the color of Jadeite, to be honest.  It just wasn’t a shade of green I particularly liked.  But, my tune has changed when it comes to that color!  After using the in my green and white summer tablescape last month, I bought a few more pieces and decided to mix them into my antique ironstone and blue & white transferware.  I like how they tie into the colors in the wall mural… They offset the blue and white and look right at home alongside the antiques. I also added a few antique victorian inkwell bottles to tie in with the green. I love it when I can display pretty pieces that I own.  It seems a shame to have them hidden away in cabinets! If you missed it, you can see the green & white summer tablescape HERE. JavaScript is currently disabled in

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September 15, 2019 30 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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