Preorder Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

All Things Home

All Things Home

wet bar refresh

Sooo…we have this wet bar in our basement family room.  It’s nice to have a little fridge down there for drinks and a place to put a coffee maker, etc. for guests (the guest room is right off the basement family room).  But, I have to admit, I haven’t really been treating this wet bar like it’s a part of my house.  It’s beautifully done and very nice, but it doesn’t feel like me at all.  It sort of feels like a part of a hotel room or something. So, I’ve just left it empty.  I didn’t even make an effort. I was cleaning the basement last week and decided I had ignored it long enough.  I had things that I could put inside the cabinets to at least make it look homey.  I filled the cabinets with some ironstone and coffee mugs.  I added some wooden breadboards to lend

Read More
All Things Home

artist’s guild, an engineering set & ironstone

I wanted to share a few more of my Gold Rush finds today.  One of them is so simple, but it’s one of my favorite finds of the day.  While I was touring the old schoolhouse/music hall, I found a stack of statement pads.  The top one had been nibbled at and was in poor condition, but the rest were relatively protected under the top pad and partially wrapped in paper.  I pulled out the stack and there were seven statement pads. What caught my attention is that they were for the Artist’s Guild in Rochester, MN.  How cool is that?  So, I grabbed four pads for myself and pointed out the three remaining to Cheri in case she wanted them.  (She did.) I’ve basically been using them as a large notepad, writing down quick to-dos and notes.  I mean, if you’re going to jot down a note, why not

Read More
All Things Home

custom seashell art

I decided to do a loose beach theme for the boy’s bathroom because it’s a classic decorating choice.  Also, both of my boys love the beach and have fond memories of family trips to my uncle’s Myrtle Beach condo.  My oldest son would live in the surf while we were there.  I also have a ton of shells that have been collected by me, the boys, my mom, and my Oma.  I have always loved beach-combing and I just keep bringing them home!  So, I have two large bins of shells and I had always planned to do something with them. I’ve thought about making some custom art with some of them and this room makeover was a good excuse to finally do it.  I considered getting some shadow boxes to frame larger shells, but I decided to purchase that had a double mat and a little bit of space

Read More
All Things Home

how to make a custom shower curtain

As I shared in boy’s bathroom refresh, I made a custom shower curtain out of a curtain panel from Calvin’s former room in our PA house.  And, as promised, I’m sharing how I did it! This is one of those sewing projects where you just need to sew a semi-straight line and you’ll be okay. For this project, I used decorator-width fabric, which was 56″ prior to hemming and a , which is 54 x 78″.  This is taller than a standard shower curtain, filling the visual vertical space better (in my opinion.)  It is narrower than a traditional shower curtain, though, so I will make two. One tip – it’s nice to use a fabric for this project that looks good from both sides.  That way, you don’t have to look at the “backside” of the fabric and/or you don’t have to make a liner. Start off by hemming

Read More
All Things Home

boys’ bathroom refresh

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by . As always, all opinions and words are honest and my own. Believe it or not, there are rooms in this house that have been furnished, but are otherwise untouched.  I haven’t painted the trim or walls or intentionally decorated them.  One of those rooms was the boys’ bathroom.  And, it was probably the worst room in the house.  The paint had been slopped on the walls, getting it on all the tub, floor, and all of the fixtures.  The faucets were crusted from 13 years of running without a water softener and the light fixtures were rusted. With some paint, repurposing, new fixtures, and a few new accessories, this bathroom feels like a completely new space.  The best compliment I received was when Marshall looked over my shoulder while I was editing the photos and asked who that bathroom belonged to.  (He hadn’t

Read More
All Things Home

French Market Basket

I love French market baskets and have bought several over the years, but most of them have been sold.  I have kept three for myself, though.  I like to use them on top of tall pieces of furniture to fill the space visually, add some texture, and provide some storage for rarely-used bulky items. Before setting out for Gold Rush, I had a fleeting thought that I would buy another one if I found one at a good price.  Well, wouldn’t you know…Cheri and I came across an entire stack of them.  They were $55/each, which is a good price for this style of basket. I ended up picking a basket with a pretty weave and wood runners along the bottom to put on top of the wardrobe in the sewing room.  It’s a perfect place to stash extra pillow forms. I haven’t shown this piece in a while, but

Read More
All Things Home

antique jelly cupboard

This antique punched-tin pie safe has always been one of those pieces I just didn’t want to let go.  I purchased it a few years ago from an antique store in Maryland with the intention to sell it, but I decided to keep it for myself.  I put it in the family room in our last house and we stored movies and games inside.  When we moved to Minnesota, I wasn’t sure where I would put this piece or how it would work in our new house, but I just wasn’t ready to let go. We hauled it over 1,000 miles and, as I suspected, I struggled with where to put it in our new house.  Not only did I struggle with where to put it, but I struggled with how these tall ceilings and new finishes made the piece look grubby instead of chipping and charming.  It just didn’t

Read More
All Things Home

the melodeon

You caught a glimpse of the melodeon I purchased from the old schoolhouse/music hall in yesterday’s post, but it was buried under a bunch of stuff.  Here is where it ended up in our house and how it looks after a good cleaning and polishing with some MMS Milk Paint Hemp Oil. I have been looking for something to go under the master bedroom window since we moved here and I haven’t found anything that hit the nail on the head.  I had a $50 thrift store desk there for a while, but it was more of a place-holder than anything else.  I moved that desk into the sewing room and put the melodeon in its place. (I wrapped some fabric around the seat cushion for now, but I’m going to fix the seat and upholster it.) The style of this piece fits much better with the French wardrobe and

Read More

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.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

Recent Video

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest