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All Things Home

Parsons Chair Slipcover Tutorial | Part 1

The chairs that end at the end of our kitchen table are “the favorite chairs” for everyone.  They are comfy and therefore, often occupied.  Instead of sitting in rockers in the basement or snuggled on the sofa, I’ll often find my boys sitting at either end of the table, watching a movie, or playing a game.  This is where they are sitting for school work these days and, of course, for snacks, meals, and games.  These chairs have gotten a workout! And they look great in photos if you don’t zoom in or look too carefully… The seats are a total disaster.  Most of the mess is due to adhesive from my T1D son’s pod/pump changes.  We used an adhesive remover wipe to remove one pod before putting on another and that has left a sticky residue on the seats.  And that sticky residue then attracts any dirt or fuzz

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All Things Home

Live Painting Class | Clouds for beginners

Last Friday, we did another painting class!  It’s become a fun little part of my week to look forward to (and because I’m doing a live video, I am uninterrupted!)  I know I’m not the only one craving some time alone.  On Sunday, I requested that everyone clear out of the main floor for a little while, so I could clean and putter, listen to my music, and have some productive time alone.  This seemed like a perfectly reasonable request from my perspective.  It was a beautiful day, we have two whole other floors where the three other members of my family could go, and my kids are not toddlers.  But, alone time was harder to get than one might expect!  After seeing that mom might blow a blood vessel if people didn’t give me a wide berth for a little while, I got some time alone.  Anyway, let’s talk

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All Things Home

washing & mending

I have found the weekends during this time to be especially difficult.  I haven’t put my finger on exactly why.  Maybe it’s because there isn’t much distinction between weekdays and weekends?  We’re just all home all the time.  Safe at home.  Well and happy, but home nonetheless.  Maybe it’s because the week is too busy with work and school to have much time to dwell on anxious thoughts. Whatever the cause, I’m learning that I need to keep myself occupied.  There are a lot of things I can’t control, but I can do the next thing and then the next.  So, that’s what I did this weekend.  I wasn’t feeling motivated to start a large project, but I could knock out several smaller ones or do some prep work for larger projects.  I worked from one thing to the next and got a surprising amount accomplished. One thing that took

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All Things Home

studio DIY built-in shelf dimensions & cut list

Reminder – Always use caution and common sense when using power tools on all DIY projects including this built-in shelf.   There are some projects that go beautifully as planned.  It’s smooth sailing and there aren’t any hiccups or bumps.  This DIY built-in shelf was not one of those projects!  It wasn’t a disaster, but it sort of felt like that when we were in the middle of making it. The calamity that happened while building this shelf came down to a lack of precision, not following my own good experience, and being impatient while trying to build it in a messy garage on a cold and dreary day.  I just wanted to knock this thing out and that’s usually the mindset that leads to mistakes. You wouldn’t think it to look at the finished shelf, though, so all is well that ends well. Several people asked if I would share

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All Things Home

ruffled-edge farmhouse crochet dishcloth tutorial (for beginners)

I’m so excited to share another crochet tutorial!  I know a lot of you are learning crochet or dusting off that skill to keep your hands and minds busy during this time at home.  I, for one, thought I would have so much extra time, but it just hasn’t turned out that way!  What I need to do for my business day-to-day hasn’t slowed and Jeff and the boys are home, which requires more help on schoolwork, cooking, feeding, and tidying-up.  We’ve also been more intentional about spending quality time together – playing games, going on walks, and just paying attention to one another.  Teen and pre-teen boys aren’t the best at expressing themselves, so them asking you to come watch them do pull-ups might be their way of asking for reassurance.  In a way, this time has been so sweet.  We haven’t been running from one thing to the

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All Things Home

Furniture Dilemmas | Connie’s Queen Anne Highboy

Let’s talk about furniture, shall we?  That seems like a welcome diversion! Today, I’m going to share the step-by-step how-to for painting and finishing a piece like Connie’s Queen Anne highboy…. Here is how it looks in the context of her room…   Isn’t that a lovely space?  It reminds me a lot of my Opa’s house.  And I mean that in a good way, not in a way like it looks like an “old person’s” house!  It looks welcoming and traditional, but tasteful and stylish.  It’s collected and comfortable.  I think it also has something to do with the fact that they had a similar rug and an almost identical gooseneck rocker.  Anyway, I love her room! The dresser in the corner was a piece handed along to her and she feels like it’s a little dark in the room and just another heavy wood piece next to that

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All Things Home

Furniture Dilemmas | Marylisa’s French Chairs

When Marylisa sent me a picture of her chairs, I knew I had just the posts, tutorials, and examples to share with her!  If you’ve followed me for a few years, you probably know how much I enjoy buying and reupholstering French-style chairs.  Well, I don’t really enjoy upholstery, but I enjoy the results and this style of chair is much easier to upholster because of the wood frame.  If you’re considering diving into the world of upholstery, this kind of chair is a good place to start. So, here is what Marylisa’s chairs look like now… The last photo shows an antique linen sheet draped over one of the chairs.  She purchased a few at an antique store to use on these chairs.  I won’t ever argue with antique linen! These chairs are almost identical in style to the buffalo checked chairs in my kitchen eating area… But I

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All Things Home

painting checkerboard floors | part 2

When you last saw the floors, they were all taped off and ready to paint.  You can find that post HERE if you missed it. The taping was definitely the most time-consuming part.  After that, it’s pretty much smooth sailing for this project. I initially purchased the same color I used on my kitchen walls – Stonington Gray mixed at 50%.  I wanted the squares to be a very pale blue/gray, so the checkers would be subtle and not too high contrast with the bright white.  I painted the first row of squares, removed the tape and knew, even before it dried, that it wasn’t what I wanted.  The color looks very blue/gray in my kitchen, but in the studio, it looked like a pale beige.  I pondered it for a few minutes and decided I spent waaaaaay too much time and energy taping off those squares to settle.  So,

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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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