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All Things Home

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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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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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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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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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

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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

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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

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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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