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Decorating

a slice of life

favorite Ikea finds

We live about 90 minutes away from an Ikea, so I don’t go there often.  Maybe once every three or four years.  On Friday, my mom and I made the trek and spent the day “doing Ikea.”  It really is like a theme park.  Wear comfortable shoes, get your map, make your lists, so you don’t miss anything.  Make your plans, so you hit lunch at the right time.  It’s an event. I went with a pretty sizable list of things I wanted, mostly for home organization projects I’ve been chipping away at when I have the time. It’s the kind of store where it’s easy to keep throwing things in the cart, though, even with a focused list.  That’s just $5.00 or $1.50 and who knows when I’ll be back at an Ikea again, so I had better get it! (Those woodland cookie cutters were totally an impulse buy,

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All Things Home

Kim’s coastal bedroom | non-chippy milk paint

I love the look of paint that has been worn with time.  Chips, flakes, rubbed areas that reveal the warm patina of the wood underneath. It just speaks to me. But, I know some people look at those pieces and wonder when you’re going to repaint or refinish them.  It’s just not a look that is up everyone’s alley.  My mom is one of those people who doesn’t like the “chippy look.” I know!  Where in the world did I come from, right?! She does still ask her chippy-loving daughter to paint furniture for her, though.  It’s always a good challenge for me and forces me out of my comfort zone. For her bedroom makeover, that large oak cabinet was begging to be painted.  It felt massive and orange and a little dated as it was. I suggested painting it in Marzipan, to keep it light and fresh, but my

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All Things Home

Successful Houseplants

As many of you know, I discovered the joy of houseplants in the spring of 2015.  I went a wee bit overboard and bought way too many plants for my house throughout the spring and summer, but it ended up being a good thing.  I was able to see which plants thrived in my house and which ones didn’t. Many were lost along the way. A moment of silence for those who fell. I learned that some plants just aren’t suited to live in my house.  Or in the place I put them in my house and, once they were moved, they really thrived. This is probably my biggest success story… This plant just loves my living room. Here’s how it looked seven months ago… And now… It’s taking over. It is potted directly in an ironstone tureen, but there is gravel at the bottom for drainage.  I usually water

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All Things Home

$100 Kohl’s Home Giveaway

You know me.  I prefer to buy old things.  They just speak to me in a way that new things don’t, but it’s not always practical to buy old.  Sometimes you need a chair that people can sit in without wondering if and when it might give way.  Right?  Sometimes new things can work really well with all of the old, making your home a bit more functional. When Kohl’s contacted me, asking if I would work with them on promoting their home department, I was honestly a little unsure.  I’ve bought towels and sheets and a frying pan there before, but I never thought of it as a place where I would buy a piece of furniture of a decorative accessory for my home. I’ve always loved shopping at Kohl’s, though, so I decided to look around and see if I could find things that fit my style.  I

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All Things Home

farmhouse style sofas

In response to my post about Sally’s living room, I received this comment from my friend, Breida… “I have a hard time figuring out what kind of couch fits into the “farmhouse” style… I can’t wait to see what you find!” Good question!  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer it perfectly, but I’ll throw out my thoughts and you can, in turn, throw out yours and we’ll see where we end up. First of all, “Farmhouse” is definitely the trendy buzzword when it comes to home decor and I’m sure that comes as no surprise.  When a style becomes trendy, like country, primitive, shabby chic, French provincial and now farmhouse, the waters get really muddy.  Suddenly, everything is “farmhouse”, even stuff that really isn’t. To make the waters even muddier, there are many styles under the large umbrella of “farmhouse”.  There’s European farmhouse, prairie-style, shaker, New England, etc.

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All Things Home

the little things | wooden spoons

I think it’s easy to be intentional when making choices about the big things you bring into your home.  The big commitment items like sofas and china hutches and statement pieces.  I don’t think it’s quite as easy to be intentional about the little things.  Things that are utilitarian and inexpensive. But, if you’re going to buy something, anything, even something little, relatively cheap, and utilitarian, why not buy something you love?  Imagine your home filled just with things you love. Well, that’s the goal, anyway. I’ll be the first to say that I don’t love all of my kitchen utensils, but I’m working towards it.  I feel very neutral about my can opener and pizza cutter, but I love my wooden spoons. I look for ones of different shapes, sizes and tone of wood, so they each have their own personality and I can justify having way more than necessary.  (There is an

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All Things Home

Sally’s farmhouse living room | the before

I mentioned taking on a second makeover as I’m finishing up the one for my mom, but I haven’t had the chance to sit down, give it some focused thought (and edit the pictures I took back before Thanksgiving!)  As I said, my services are free, but slow. While I haven’t sat down with a blank piece of paper to draw out some sketches, I have a pretty clear vision for this room. Here’s how it looks now… Let me back up, literally.  Because you really have to take a few steps back to appreciate how cool this house is. Yeah, I know.  That wall!  I want to take it home with me.  Sally wants a fresh farmhouse style in her living room, which is fitting and perfect, since she lives in an 1800’s farmhouse.  It has a Green Gables-esque quality about it, doesn’t it? Anyway, they’ve done a lot

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All Things Home

decorating dilemma | Susan’s awkward fireplace

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to apologize to those who still want to buy hemp sheets, but they are sold out.  I was floored with how quickly my largest order ever was exhausted!  We do have some more from that shipment to list, but the weight is a bit different.  I will give everyone a head’s up before I list them (most likely early next week.) Also, I will place another order for hemp sheets when my source has them back in stock, so if you would like to be on a “waiting list”, just send an e-mail to marian@missmustardseed.com and let me know how many you would like and you can have first dibs.  They are $110/each. Now, to today’s decorating dilemma!  I think there are times when someone designs or remodels a space and they have an idea and implement it without really thinking through how it’s going

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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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