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Decorating

All Things Home

art studio organization

This art studio is totally different from my last one.  It’s about a 20th of the size, maybe even smaller than that.  It doesn’t have storage closets, rolling dividing walls, or many zones for different tasks.  This studio is designed specifically for small-scale creative endeavors and photography. No shipping, no office work, no big sewing or furniture projects. Even small-scale creative endeavors require lots of gear, though so art studio organization is vital! I am still figuring out how to maximize the space I do have, but this is what’s working for me so far… The large, antique hardware store cabinet is the focal point, statement piece, and most of my storage rolled into one.  It’s perfectly sized for art supplies – everything from tubes of paints and brushes to canvas and papers. (For those who missed it, I found the cabinet on Craigslist.  It came out of an old

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Art

studio organization

This studio is totally different from my last one.  It’s about a 20th of the size, maybe even smaller than that.  It doesn’t have storage closets, rolling dividing walls, or many zones for different tasks.  This studio is designed specifically for small-scale creative endeavors and photography.  No shipping, no office work, no big sewing or furniture projects. Even small-scale creative endeavors require lots of gear, though!  I am still figuring out how to maximize the space I do have, but this is what’s working for me so far… The large, antique hardware store cabinet is the focal point, statement piece, and most of my storage rolled into one.  It’s perfectly sized for art supplies – everything from tubes of paints and brushes to canvas and papers. (For those who missed it, I found the cabinet on Craigslist.  It came out of an old hardware store in Maryland.) Someone asked and

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All Things Home

Finishing Touches & $500 Arhaus Giveaway

We’ve only been in our home for a few weeks, so we’ve mostly focused on the big picture – painting the walls, giving the kitchen a makeover, and finishing the porch-turned-studio.  But, as we’re getting settled, I’m also looking for those finishing touches that can be added to bring a room closer to completion. I was able to work with Arhaus as a sponsor to bring in some of those finishing touches to a few of the rooms in our new home. First up, an ottoman to prop our feet and complete the seating arrangement in the living room. The Baldwin Ottoman in Trinidad Flax was the perfect size and, while the textured fabric isn’t exactly like the fabric on the sectional, it’s a close visual match and the color is spot on. The Arhaus product developers travel the globe working directly with skilled artisans to make sure their products

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All Things Home

decorating above the kitchen cabinets

Decorating above the kitchen cabinets is something I haven’t given dedicated thought to for years! I do remember the time, though, when above the cabinets was prime decorating real estate.  I had my kitchen looking like a Cracker Barrel with varying heights, carefully crafted vignettes, and lots of unique collectibles.  We’re talking a vintage Coke can tower, German Lebkuchen tins, baskets, and lots of fake ivy. I wish I had pictures. But then we moved to a townhouse with bulkheads above the cabinets, displacing all of my above-the-cabinet-goodies.  When we moved to our house in PA, I was over the whole idea and wanted to move towards a simpler, cleaner look.  So, my kitchen cabinets remained without tchotchkes topping them off.  (Man, I had to look up how to spell that one!) But, for some reason, in our new house in Minnesota, I feel like these cabinets need something.  Am

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All Things Home

counter & tile options & $30 shelves

Yesterday, I needed to run some errands and play some catch up, so I didn’t have a chance to start painting the kitchen island.  I must admit that it’s nice to have a break from cabinet painting, although I’m looking forward to having it done! While I was out, though, I picked up samples from Home Depot to “try them on” in my kitchen.  I can picture design elements in my head pretty well, but it’s nice to be able to see something in place and get a feel for how it relates to the colors and textures already happening in a space. I picked up a Grecian marble floor tile and beveled subway tile mosaic backsplash… When Jeff saw it, he commented how much be loved the beveled subway tile, but he raised his eyebrow at the floor tile.  “We’re not going to use floor tiles for our counters,

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All Things Home

Seasons of Home | Fall Porch

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by .  I shop from them regularly as a customer, so this was a natural sponsorship.  All words and opinions expressed in this post are my own. One thing that excited me about our new home was the porch!  I only had a small stoop at our last house, but this house has a nice front porch with lots of potential for decorating for the seasons. We still have some power washing and window cleaning to do, but the porch is coming along and looking cozy for fall. Decorating for fall is easy, because you can put out some pumpkins and mums and hang a festive wreath on the door and call it a day. I selected the , which is neutral and transitional.  I also saw potential to add things (and take them away) to make it suit specific seasons.  For fall, I added

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All Things Home

seasons of home | fall living room

I’ll be really honest here… The only reason I decorated my living room for fall was for this post.  And there it is. Before you bail on this post, though, let me tell you something more… As I started clipping eucalyptus and tucking it in around pumpkins, grabbing apples from the bowl in the kitchen and mini pinecones from the dough bowl in the dining room, there was a joy discovered that went beyond having a styled mantel for a blog post. I haven’t had a mantel for at least 15 years and I hadn’t even thought about the decorating possibilities beyond hanging stockings for Christmas.  I even had a “duh” moment when I was wondering where I was going to put the greens and gourds I bought. I fiddled and played and, when I stepped back, our mantle, and the whole room by extension, looked cozy and ready for

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All Things Home

(working with what you have) fall table

Last year, I participated in the Farmhouse Holiday Series and it was such a fun blog-hop to be a part of that I agreed to participate again this year.  I like saying yes to fun things and collaborations with creative people.  But then I realized that only about 2% of my house is finished in my colors and style… And I really felt that as I was working on this fall tablescape.  It was supposed to be in the dining room, but my dining room is dark beige right now with carpeting, so I decided to shoot in my half-painted kitchen on a half-finished table with chairs that are too big and, by the way, also aren’t finished. I was very close to bailing at the last minute, but I had to resist that urge. The seasons change and we can still decorate for them even if everything isn’t finished,

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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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