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Tutorials

All Things Home

how to make a ruffled bed skirt (with a no sew option)

I had several questions on how to make the ruffled bed skirt I had on the antique iron bed frame, so I thought I would make a tutorial.  In addition to sharing a tutorial on how to make a ruffled bed skirt, I am sharing a no-sew option for those who either don’t have a sewing machine (or sewing skills) or simply don’t want to bother.  Really, no one will ever know! Bed skirts are the kind of thing I’ve always preferred to make myself.  I feel like most store-bought versions are skimpy on fabric and are rarely exactly the right “drop” or length, so I’ve opted to make my own for years.  Even before I was sewing with any amount of proficiency. This is the kind of thing you can no-sew your way through and no one will ever know.  I’ll let you know the no-sew steps when we

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All Things Home

a new seat for the “bamboo” chairs

A few weeks ago, I traded for some furniture and ended up with these two faux bamboo chairs as a part of the deal.  They are very unique chairs and I felt immediately drawn to them, but they were problematic.  The caned seat on one of them was entirely punched through and the other one was damaged and sagging. I moved them to the to-do stash and put them out of mind for a while.  As I’ve shared before, upholstery is not my favorite thing to work on and I procrastinate.  Such was the case with these. Since I don’t do caning, the best way to deal with these was to make a new seat and upholster it. They’ll be sturdier and more comfortable in the long run, anyway.  I always hold my breath a little when I sit in a caned seat.  I’m just waiting for the day when

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All Things Home

slipcovered wing chair & grain sack ottoman

This poor hand-me-down wing chair has been hanging out in my stash for months.  I tend to procrastinate when it comes to slipcovers and upholstery, if you haven’t figured that out, yet. I can do it, but it’s not my favorite thing.  I do it just because I like the end result and I have a hard time turning down a piece that just needs a little cosmetic love. So, I gave myself a few pep-talks and worked on this chair slipcover in doses throughout the week until it was finally finished. Here’s how it turned out… It’s a really comfy chair with a pretty shape, but the fabric was the victim of some cat claws and looked a little tired.  I made the slipcover out of my usual, antique hemp sheets. This might be one of the hardest pieces I’ve slipcovered, because of the detail on the arms.  Those were tricky!  They

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All Things Home

the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart…

So, I was trolling craigslist one night and ran a search for “industrial” in the general “for sale” category and I spotted two of these industrial cleaning carts for sale… I closed the listing, dismissing it, and kept clicking around, but those carts stuck in my mind.  There was something about the shape of them…  AND they were dirt cheap.  Cheap enough that it was worth the gamble, even if it seemed a little nutty. I sent the listing along to my dad and he delivered them a couple of weeks ago to my studio.  When he drove up with them in the back of the truck, I realized they were much larger than I anticipated.  Carts that I thought would be about waist high were almost up to my shoulder! The gigantic wheels were cool in their own way, but not right for what I had in mind and

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All Things Home

oak buffet reveal & new matte Tough Coat

Unless you follow me on Instagram, you last saw this piece with the top stripped and one coat of paint.  It’s in the “ugly stage” – the stage when you want to drop it on the curb and let someone else look at it.  But, that would be a mistake. It may not look like it at this point, but this buffet is almost there. The graining on the top was so beautiful and I didn’t want to hide it with paint or stain, so I just stripped it down (see the in-the-works post for details on that) and applied two coats of Hemp Oil to bring out the natural beauty.   As it was drying, I could tell the piece was crazing and cracking, but I didn’t know the extent until I ran a sanding sponge over the surface and the paint just flaked off!  My mom, who does not

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All Things Home

oak buffet in-the-works

Last week, a reader left a comment asking for me to show more behind-the-scenes pictures.  It was a simple, polite request and it made me realize I don’t do that as much as I used to.  I think I always feel like the pictures have to be pretty, “Pin-worthy” images that will be liked and shared.  Pinterest, Instagram and the infamous Facebook algorithm really changed what bloggers (on the whole) share and how they share it and I am not an exception. But, that comment got me thinking.  As a DIYer myself, I love looking at the before and afters and inspirational pictures, but I also want to know the HOW behind it.  While I’ve written hundreds of how-oriented, tutorial posts, it doesn’t mean I can’t share the latest “hows” behind what I’m working on. For those who are new, it might be new information and, for those who have been

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All Things Home

the chair that didn’t need a makeover…

…but ended up getting one anyway. It took me months to get the nerve to rip the beautiful Pierre Deux fabric off of this chair… I loved the colors, the pattern and the upholstery was done very well.  There were a couple problems with it – it didn’t work with my Farmhouse White theme for the Lucketts Spring Market and the fabric was faded at the back and a little dingy.  You don’t really notice it in the pictures, but it looked tired. It was still hard for me to rip it off, so I had Kriste start on it while I worked on something else. When I started putting the chair back together again, with pieces cut from an antique hemp sheet and ticking, I was at peace with the decision. The chair is still its pretty, Frenchy self, but it feels fresher; less fussy. I finished it off

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All Things Home

a curvy chair gets a makeover…

It’s really hard to turn down free stuff, especially when it’s a curvy chair that just needs a little cosmetic work to make it special.  So, when my friend Traer brought this to my studio, asking if I’d take it off her hands, I couldn’t say no. In the flurry of activity, I didn’t get a proper picture before we stripped off the upholstery that it was wearing.   It was black tapestry with some purples, creams and green in it.  Not my thing. So, we stripped off the old upholstery (Katie and I took turns working on it) and then I sanded the glossy frame and painted it in two coats of Farmhouse White. The paint adhered really well, even without the bonding agent, so I didn’t get a lot of chipping, which I was glad for.  There is such a large contrast between the dark wood and the

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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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