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Tutorials
Before and Afters

Grain Sack Chair

I’m still plowing through my list of freelance articles (all 30 of them), so today I worked on a tutorial showing how to reupholster a small armchair.  See that yellow French chair under the window?  That was my subject.    It took a couple of hours to get her all stripped down and ready for a nice new look.  I decided to leave the wood frame as it was.  It was a pretty, dark wood and there really wasn’t a reason to paint it.  (See…I do leave some things alone!  Well, I did reupholster the chair, but you know what I mean.)  …and here it is in all of its grain sack glory…      …with a little surprise on the sides and back…         The full tutorial will be available on HGTV.com in a while and I’ll link to it when it’s live.  I also still

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February 27, 2013 89 Comments
home improvement

Installing the tile back splash

I woke up today, ready to get to work on the tile.  I had the tile saw (borrowed from a friend), the tile, the supplies and my dad lined up to help.  The morning was cold, but sunny.  So, I started to get everything set up and it started to sleet.  Okay.  No biggie.  We have to use the saw outside, but I’ll just set up a canopy tent.  By the time I gathered the saw horses and brought the canopy to the deck, it was like a blizzard outside.  Uh-uh.  I am tiling my back splash today and that is that.     My dad and I got a nice cozy setup on the deck and got started.  (Yes, that’s a kiddie pool on the deck that has one big ice cube in it.)  I got about 2/3 of the way through the project and realized I was woefully

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February 20, 2013 53 Comments
home improvement

Some things about a planked ceiling…

I did the plank ceiling A.) because we had some sloppy drywall and a strange textured ceiling, B.) because I was hired to write a tutorial on how to install a planked ceiling and C.) because I love the look.  I know a lot of you have questions about the installation, but you’ll have to wait for the tutorial to get most of those answered.  I will definitely link to it when it’s live.  I did want to share some things now, though, that I won’t be sharing in the tutorial.  These are some things that are good to know when deciding if a planked ceiling is right for you.     1.) This is the kind of project that looks bad when only the first few rows are done.  All of the imperfections are really obvious.  By imperfections, I mean gaps, boards that are warped, knots in the wood

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February 16, 2013 68 Comments
Before and Afters

chandeliers, boxwood, fluff & stuff

This post is a little blog buffet of a bit of this and that of my day.  Enjoy the randomness…   As I’ve mentioned the past few days, I have a lot of big projects coming up for freelance tutorials.  Some of those projects are tied to others.  (Remember the “decorating is like dominoes” thing?)  For example, two of the tutorials I’m making are on installing a plank ceiling and crown molding, so I’m going to remove the ceiling fan, move the junction box and hang the new chandelier as a part of that project.  So, today, I worked on getting the chandelier ready and while I was working on one chandelier, I might as well work on the other one, right?   This small chandelier above my vanity had sleeves that were too short and they were shiny plastic.  Two things that weren’t working for me.  I bought new

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February 5, 2013 101 Comments
Photography

tutorial on making tutorials

I currently have a huge to-do list of tutorials to make for HGTV.com, so I thought while I was in the middle of making all of these tutorials, I would share some tips with you on making a tutorial.  A tutorial on making tutorials, if you will.   Good tutorials to be exact. 1.) Pick a good project.  Try to show how to make something that’s totally original, a hack of something really expensive or take the mystery out of a project that seems complicated.  Tutorials like these will get the most views, pins, comments, thank yous, etc. 2.) Do your research and know what you’re talking about.  I’m going to admit that I have sometimes figured things out as I’m making the tutorial (and I really wish I could go back and redo some of those), but I usually do a lot of research and practice what I’m going

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February 2, 2013 33 Comments
Painting & Refinishing

Topcoats Updated

I wrote a post a long time ago about the topcoats I used and it’s been hanging out in the painting section on my side bar ever since.  A reader sent me an e-mail a couple of months ago asking me to update it.  I went back and read the post and she was right!  I hardly use any of the products anymore.  The main reason for that is soft wax.  I started using wax and I didn’t need to use other topcoats.  I occasionally use something else, but wax has stolen my furniture-refinishing heart.    Here’s a breakdown of the topcoats I use now and how I feel about the ones I used to use… Soft Wax – How it’s applied: Apply the wax in a thin coat with a wax brush, bushy paint brush or soft cloth.  Work it into the surface until the wax is absorbed.  Allow it to

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January 24, 2013 87 Comments
home improvement

DSC_6068 (640×424)

You can read part one of laying a floating floor HERE.  It shows how we stripped the carpet and installed the underlayment.  Today, I’m going to talk through how we installed the actual floor.  As I said in part one, we’re not professionals at this, so this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive tutorial, but more of a testimony of our experience.   I was a very good blogger and took lots of pictures as we ripped out the carpet and installed the underlayment and then I got tired and the sun set (so my natural lighting went away) and I just wanted to finish, so this was the last picture I took.  When we lay the floors in the bedroom, I’ll take more. As I said in part one, laying the floor was the easiest part of the project.  Since it is a floating floor, there is no gluing,

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January 11, 2013 12 Comments
home improvement

laying a floating floor

You can read part one of laying a floating floor HERE.  It shows how we stripped the carpet and installed the underlayment.  Today, I’m going to talk through how we installed the actual floor.  As I said in part one, we’re not professionals at this, so this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive tutorial, but more of a testimony of our experience.   I was a very good blogger and took lots of pictures as we ripped out the carpet and installed the underlayment and then I got tired and the sun set (so my natural lighting went away) and I just wanted to finish, so this was the last picture I took.  When we lay the floors in the bedroom, I’ll take more. As I said in part one, laying the floor was the easiest part of the project.  Since it is a floating floor, there is no gluing,

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January 11, 2013 38 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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