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Decorating

All Things Home

a mirror, new plants & a sneak peek

When I was shopping for the Lucketts Spring Market, I found this amazing mirror at a nice price.  I think it was about $20.  I was planning to sell it, but I was just so smitten with it that I decided to keep it.  I didn’t know where I was going to put it, so I was breaking my own “rule”, but I figured I could sell it down the road if I couldn’t find a perfect spot for it.  I at least wanted to give it a try. I forgot about it after Lucketts, but brought it home during the photo shoot a few weeks ago.  The stylist asked if I had anything large to hang on the wall and this mirror came to mind.  We didn’t end up using it for the shoot, but it reminded me that I wanted to find a home for it. I decided

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All Things Home

UVA architecture & upcoming ironstone sale

I was cleaning out the pictures in my LightRoom file and came across these pictures around the UVA campus that I realized I never shared here on the blog.  If you’re ever in Charlottesville, VA, make sure you take an afternoon to stroll around the grounds of the University of Virginia.  The school was designed by Thomas Jefferson, so it is stunning down to the last detail. I especially love the dorms and professor’s housing that line the lawn. The doors, windows, shutters, columns, porches, porch rails, transoms, shutters, the symmetry….just get me a spoon, so I can eat them up!   One of the most beautiful aspects of Jefferson’s designs, is how he uses arches and columns to draw the eye through a space.  His architecture looks amazing no matter which angle you’re viewing it from.   I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. And, just

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All Things Home

design ramblings | who are you decorating for?

In the last episode of Design Ramblings, Kriste and I brought up the question, “Who are we decorating for?”  I was talking about my sons’ decorating their Christmas tree and how I had to restrain myself from trying to “fix” it…to make it “photo-worthy.”  As I jerked my hands away from the tree, I thought about what kind of message that would send to them. What you’re doing isn’t good enough.  Step aside and let mommy make it the way SHE wants it even though she said it’s YOUR tree. Ouch. Marian, back away from the tree. And I did.  I let them weigh it down until the branches were sagging under mis-matched garlands, Lego pieces, blinky colorful lights and three toppers.  And I cross my heart that I didn’t “fix” the tree the entire holiday season. I’ve had a lot of moments like that throughout my life as a

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All Things Home

lighting in our home

As I’ve been sharing pictures of my house in the summer home tour and the “evolution of my home” series, I’ve been asked a few times about lamps.  Or the lack there of, to be more accurate.  It’s not that I dislike lamps.  I think it goes back to the previous homes and apartments we’ve lived in.  NONE of them had overhead lights!  It drove me nuts.  That meant that you had to have eight lamps turned on in a room to get decent light.  So, unless you had an outlet on a switch, that involved walking into a room and click-click-click-click-click…you get the idea.  It also meant finding all of those lamps and shades to coordinate, which is challenging when your home decor comes from thrift stores and yard sales. In our townhouse, we addressed the issue by installing pot/recessed lights in the kitchen and family room.  I loved having that all-over

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All Things Home

evolution of my home | part 5 | the family room

And now it’s time to take an in-depth look at the history of my family room.  This is an awesome space for entertaining and hanging out, but it’s a bit of a tough one when it comes to arranging furniture.  It’s long and narrow, with a bit of a strange traffic flow, so when I start getting the urge to shuffle furniture around, this room is usually where I start. Here’s how it looks now… …and this is how it looked when we first moved in.   It was beige, beige and pinkish-beige.  I couldn’t wait to de-beige. When I had the chance to paint the kitchen, I took the color into the family room.  I went with yellow, because I thought it would work with the green kitchen counters and the stone fireplace. I made curtains out of a multi-checked fabric, white twill slipcovers for some French chairs I

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All Things Home

investment pieces for the fickle

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and well-wishes as I heal from having my wisdom teeth removed.  I am just now starting to feel a bit more like myself.  The surgery went well, but my two bottom teeth were impacted and, apparently, a little difficult to remove.  I was on a bunch of medication for pain, swelling and to prevent infection, so I spent several days teetering between sleeping and binge-watching shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime.  I’m still having trouble with chewing, speaking and smiling and I’m pretty sore as well, but I’m making slow improvements. I can type, though! A few days ago, I received an e-mail from one my readers and I decided I would answer the question in a post.   Debbie asked, “How do you decide what to spend $$ on and pieces to invest in if there is the possibility your beloved hunting scene chair

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All Things Home

design ramblings | seasonal decorating

I turned the camera and mic on and then I sat down on the sofa next to Kriste.  “So, what are we going to talk about?”  We sat in silence, thinking.  Sometimes we have topics or pictures lined up to talk about.  Other times, we just press record and hope inspiration strikes.  After a bit of toe-tapping and finger-drumming, Kriste suggests, “What about transitioning your decor from one season to another?”  I thought that was a great suggestion, so that’s what we talked about…How do you approach seasonal decorating?  

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All Things Home

a generous gift & hydrangeas

Well, I’m writing to you today with four less teeth than I had yesterday!  Yep, at 36 years old, I finally had my wisdom teeth removed.  So, I’ve had my mouth stuffed with gauze and a ice pack wrapped around my head (Jacob Marley style) for the better part of the day, but I’m doing okay.  Thanks so much for all of your prayers, well wishes and tips.  You’re all wonderful. I just took another pain pill, so I thought I would slip in a post while I’m feeling relaxed and very happy! So, if you remember when I took a trip to Wisconsin, one of the shops I visited was Harvest Home in Pewaukee.  I was so inspired by the way Brenda, the proprietress, used plants in her home and shop.  She put plants in just about anything, the expected and unexpected.  Baskets, tea cups, gravy boats, buckets and I even spotted a

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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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