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real simple interview & craigslist tips

A few months ago, I was interviewed for an article for Real Simple about buying furniture secondhand on a variety of online marketplaces. That issue is now available on newsstands (July 2019) if you’d like to grab a copy. While we’re on the topic, I thought I would share my tips and tricks when it comes to shopping for furniture secondhand, specifically off of craigslist. I’ve been shopping off of craigslist for over 10 years, so it’s my go-to place, even though other online marketplaces have cropped up and are just as good. It’s just what I’m used to and I’ve found some amazing things just by search regularly. These tips are primarily from a post I wrote a few years ago, but I’ve made some updates and additional comments. HOW I SEARCH CRAIGSLIST I search all “for sale” categories. You can often find furniture, antiques and cool pieces with

July 28, 2019 7 Comments

a slice of life

two years ago today…

Two years ago today, we moved from Biglerville, PA to our current home in Rochester, MN. Can you believe it’s been two years?! In some ways, it feels like we’ve been here longer than that and, in other ways, it seems like we just got here. There are certainly things I miss about PA. I miss living close to my parents and an easy 6-7 hours away from Jeff’s family. There are, of course, people that I miss. And, I miss my favorite antique stores. I had some pretty sweet honey holes and some great business connections who consistently helped me find good stuff. (If you’re in the PA/MD/VA area, you can check out my list of favorite places HERE and HERE.) Even with those things that I miss, I’m so glad we moved. This is the right place for us in this season of life. Jeff loves his job

July 24, 2019 25 Comments

All Things Home

Hand Painted Mora Dresser | Part 2

In case you missed part one of this dresser makeover, you can check it out HERE. At the end of yesterday’s post, I said I would show how the dresser turned out as well as how I distressed and finished it, so this post is fulfilling that promise. And here it is… I did a light distressing with 120 grit sandpaper, just to “knock down the newness” of the fresh paint. I also wanted to soften the decorative painting. You can see how I did it in the video… I also replaced the broken caster, added new glass knobs, and finished the piece in MMSMP’s Hemp Oil… This piece still followed my tradition of scrolly decorative painting on drawer fronts, but I changed it up a bit by adding the folk art animals as well as some different strokes. I love the rabbit and I think I need to play

July 23, 2019 50 Comments

All Things Home

Hand Painted Mora Dresser | Part 1

Last week, I finally got around to painting a dresser that’s been hanging out in my garage since October! I put it off originally because the winter weather set in, but then this spring has been busy and it’s been out of sight, out of mind. Jeff cleaned out the garage a few weeks ago and I promised I would paint the dresser and get it out of there. Well, I finally did and I made a video of the process. So, here is how the dresser started… It’s a pretty little piece, but the finish was a bit dinged up. A part of me wanted to sand it all down and do some kind of a whitewash or bleach the wood or something, but a reader of me asked if I would paint it specifically for her. Since I was just going to sell it, anyway, I was happy

July 22, 2019 23 Comments

All Things Home

quartz counters one year later

Last May, we had Hanstone Quartz countertops (in the pattern Monterey) installed in our kitchen and I thought I would give an update now that we’ve been using them for over a year. Of course, a review after 1o years or 20 years would hold more weight, but well…I don’t have a time machine, so you’re getting a one-year review! The original posts about these counters were a part of a sponsored collaboration with Hanstone, but this follow-up post is not. I will go ahead and destroy any suspense that may have existed and let you know that I love these counters and they were a great decision. If you remember when I was in the process of selecting new counters, quartz felt like a bit of a compromise. I had my heart set on marble. Or so I thought. What I actually had my heart set on was the

July 18, 2019 56 Comments

All Things Home

office shutters

I was combing through some photos taken earlier this year while I was working on cleaning up my hard drive and making backups and I realized I had pictures of a project that I never shared! I took the picture right before my mom visited in March, so there were more exciting things to write about, like the guest room makeover and the picture frame molding in the living room. This project wasn’t as dramatic, so the pictures remained unedited and the project was never shared. I did share that we installed plantation shutters in the large window of my office… This window faces the street, so it felt like a fishbowl and some sort of window treatment was required for privacy. But, we left the small window, which faces the side of the neighbor’s house, untreated. I wanted a shutter on that window, too, though, so the windows looked

July 17, 2019 21 Comments

All Things Home

a new home for the $50 dresser

Last week was such a blast. I ended up spending it with my dear friend, Shaunna. We became fast friends about 9 years ago when we met at the blogging conference, Blissdom. We are two peas in a pod, as they say. We’re just alike enough and just different enough. Shuanna flew up to Minnesota, so we could spend the week working on our new collaborative project, which we’ll be launching within a couple of weeks. There was lots of laughing and a lot of deep creative conversations. By the end of the week, I was simultaneously full to the brim and drained. I can’t wait to tell you what we’ve been up to. Until then… I took the weekend to rest and catch up. I slept in, journaled, did my morning walk, hung out with Jeff & the boys, painted, and got back into some of my normal routines.

July 15, 2019 29 Comments

a slice of life

Maison

I will admit to being a bit of a book junky. You would think, then, that I love frequenting the local library. But, the books I read are typically for reference, so I want to be able to make notes in them and fill them with sticky bookmarks. I want to be able to revisit them again and again. So, one of my favorite places to hang out is the local Barnes & Nobel. A trip there is almost always included in an afternoon out of the house or when Jeff & I are on a date night. And I often come home with a bag heavy with a book or two and maybe a magazine. In our most recent trip, I came across a delightful book I had never heard of – Maison. My interest was immediately piqued because it was a collaboration between a watercolor artist and an

July 11, 2019 21 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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All Things Home

real simple interview & craigslist tips

two years ago today…

Hand Painted Mora Dresser | Part 2

Hand Painted Mora Dresser | Part 1

quartz counters one year later

office shutters

a new home for the $50 dresser

Maison

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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