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crafts
crafts

how to make yarn pom-poms

I’ve been using a lot of handmade wool poms in my Christmas decorating and I didn’t even think about making a tutorial for them.  A tutorial was requested, though, so I thought I would oblige. I made these when I was a kid, to use on hats, hair ties, socks, slippers, etc.  I think most of the ones I made ended up as toys for our two siamese cats.  (A little wallet I crocheted out of wool yarn became one of our cat’s “baby” for a time, but that’s another story.) My inspiration for making these was some wool “snowball” garlands I bought from Anthropologie.  They were so fluffy…it was definitely a Despicable Me moment.  “They’re so fluffy, I’m gonna die!!“ I might not have thought that if I saw them online, but in the store they looked so amazing draped over an antique ladder and I bought one.  I

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December 10, 2014 27 Comments
crafts

glittered house & deer

Now that the floor sanding is behind us, I cannot wait to start decorating the house for Christmas.  I walked past live wreaths, garland, trim and tabletop trees at the store this week and was just longing to put one in my cart, but I’m waiting until Thanksgiving passes.  I don’t want my live greens to be dried to a crisp by the time Christmas morning rolls around!  I’ve been satisfying the craving with Pinterest, holiday magazines and some Christmas tunes.  I also started on a few projects, like the upholstered Christmas banner and the mason jar snow globes.  I also whipped out the MMS German Glass Glitter to use on a few things… I found this plastic deer at an antique store for $5.00 and knew it would look amazing glittered. It actually looked pretty as is, but you know how I am.  Can’t leave well enough alone! I brushed it

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November 26, 2014 20 Comments
crafts

block printed wrapping paper & snowball garland

I walked into the studio ready to work on Christmas things this morning.  I told Kriste at one point that I wished I could work on five different things at once.  There was a bee in my bonnet.  I had a lot on the wish list to get done, but I knew it was way too much for one day, so we  got started and just worked until we needed to stop.  We started making a grain sack tree skirt, did some housekeeping things for the studio and played around with some papers and ribbon I have been collecting over the last few weeks. I also used an antique wooden stamp I bought at an antique store to “block print” some craft paper and I love how it turned out. I see these wooden printing blocks here and there when I’m at antique stores, but I never though to buy one until Kriste

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November 14, 2014 24 Comments
crafts

black glittered pumpkins & more

Today in the studio, Kriste and I worked creating two very different Halloween/fall tables.  In the one I’m showing today, we went with a black/orange/spooky classic Halloween theme.  Neither of us are big on decorating for Halloween, but this was so much fun to put together and we both love how it turned out. We featured Flapper Black MMS GGG (Miss Mustard Seed’s German Glass Glitter) on several simple projects on this table.  We glittered live and wooden pumpkins (found at Target), some clearance plastic crows, pine cones and paper bats that we made into bunting.  We made them with the same glue & glitter technique most people learn in elementary school. Pick something to glitter… …have some glitter at the ready and work over some paper or a container, so the glitter can be reused. Brush on a white all-purpose school glue… …and immediately sprinkle the glitter on. Allow

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October 15, 2014 34 Comments
Before and Afters

glass glitter milk bottles

Before I get into the project, I want to share that Miss Mustard Seed’s Glass Glitter (used in this project) is the Decor Steals daily “steal” today!  They are offering Tiara Silver, Fallen Snow and 14 Karat.  I’ve partnered with them for a long time, so it’s fun to see them carrying a product with my brand on it.  As always, it’s offered at a discounted rate due to their savvy shopping skills, so this is a good time to buy… I’ve been browsing Pinterest a lot over the past few weeks and have been pleasantly surprised to find a lot of glitter projects and products out there.  Hmmm…is glitter trending right now?  Some of the glitter went a bit too far for me, but it was fun to see all of the ideas.  I love glitter, but I prefer it in small doses…as an accent that adds a little sparkle.

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July 15, 2014 43 Comments
crafts

german glass glitter letters & giveaway

I have been making German glass glitter letters for years.  See the old school watermark? I was so excited when I finally found German glass glitter and some great chipboard letters in amazing fonts.  I made them for myself in the beginning and then started making them to sell in my retail space and it was a staple for several years. Great chipboard letters have become harder and harder to find, though.  I am hoarding three sets of the original letters I used in the first picture, but otherwise, what I’ve found has been pretty run-of-the-mill.  I thought I found some great ones, but when they arrived, they were different than what was pictured.  Bummer!  So, I’ve been looking for some alternatives and I found a good option… These plastic letters don’t come in the prettiest fonts, but they are simple, cute and already have magnets attached, so it saves some

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July 9, 2014 1,101 Comments
crafts

HGTV.com Christmas Tutorials

The Christmas tutorials I wrote for HGTV.com are live now!  I know a lot of people have been waiting for these, especially the preserved boxwood wreath.  I promised I would link to them when they became available, so here they are… Preserved Boxwood Wreath Boxwood Topiaries Boxwood Kissing Ball I bought all of the preserved boxwood in bunches from a wholesale floral supply website, but they are currently sold out of the bulk boxes.  I’ll keep an eye out for them to come available again and order some for my online shop.  You can preserve your own boxwood…I just didn’t have any bushes to clip branches from!  I found THIS TUTORIAL on preserving your own, which is a much more economical option.  While purchased preserved boxwood is expensive, it will last for years if kept away from direct light and intense heat.  I give mine a spritz maybe once a

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October 29, 2013 24 Comments
crafts

Milk Paint Pumpkins

I received a lot of wonderful comments about my blue pumpkins and squash, but several people shared that they couldn’t find them in their area. Well, that gave me an idea… I’ve been itching to play with milk paint since attending the retailer training earlier this week, so why not test some custom mixed colors on a few pumpkins?  I know painting pumpkins isn’t anything new, but I don’t know if I’ve seen milk paint pumpkins out and about.  Given the natural variation in the pigmentation of the paint, I figured it would mimic the variations in the skin of blue pumpkins nicely. So, I started out with mini white pumpkins… …and mixed up six different custom colors.  They’re all variations made with Grain Sack, Boxwood, Shutter Gray, Eulalie’s Sky, Trophy and Kitchen Scale. I have found that these little ironstone mugs are my favorite to use for small paint

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September 27, 2013 48 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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