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Family Room
Family Room

“the sofa” update & explaining my shop

Well, my new sofa was supposed to be delivered tomorrow.  I received a call from Pottery Barn today to get my “delivery time window.”  I answered the phone with bubbly anticipation.  Will it come early?  Will I have to wait all day?  Instead of getting a time frame, I received the disappointing news that they had overbooked the route for tomorrow, so they couldn’t deliver it.  Bummer.  Okay, well, when can it be delivered?  It seems they only deliver to my area on Wednesdays.  It quickly hit me that next Wednesday is Christmas and the following Wednesday is New Years.  I’m not going to get my new sofa for at least three weeks.  It’s not a big deal, but I gave away our sofa yesterday and we’re hosting Christmas this year.  I took a moment to remind myself that it’s a small thing.  Some people have to go through the

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December 18, 2013 29 Comments
Family Room

how I saved for “the sofa”

It all started with a contest.  I was asked by Pottery Barn to be a part of a design challenge against some of my peer bloggers.  We received $100 Visa card to participate and the winner received a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn.  It seemed like fun, so I decided to participate.  In the back of my mind I was thinking – if I win this thing, that gift card is going towards a new sofa. Well, thanks to your votes, I won! So, the $100 Visa card and $500 gift card started my sofa fund.  I also sold my pine dining room table, so that gave me another $600.  $1200 was a great start, but the sofa cost $3200 total (including taxes, shipping and a surcharge.)  I still had a long way to go and I agreed that I wouldn’t pull from our regular household income to pay

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December 14, 2013 234 Comments
Family Room

speaking of…

I went to get my hair cut and colored today, which is always a treat, but it does take a lot of time.  When I got home, I was ready to make the most of the two hours I had before I needed to pick the boys up from school.  I walked into the family room and saw my new rug from Pottery Barn had arrived.  It’s the Heathered Chenille Jute Rug.  It was in our room at the inn we stayed at in Charlottesville and it was just what I was looking for.  Fortunately, it had a tag on the bottom, the rug was still available AND it was on sale!  It’s natural jute, so it’s neutral and provides great texture, but it’s also soft, so we can play on it and exercise on it, which is important.  I bought my other jute rugs off Joss & Main, since

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December 14, 2013 54 Comments
Decorating

Painting Trim, Sewing Pillows & More

 Between a sick boy and snow days, we’ve basically had a four day weekend, which is fun (aside from the sick kid), but it ‘s tough when I work from home and have things I need to do.  We snuggled, though, and went to see Frozen and built a snowman.  Today they were back in school and I was back to work.  My husband installed new trim in the family room yesterday, so I primed and painted it today… It’s just simple pine boards, but it ties into the 1940’s part of the house and looks a little beefier.  I like beefy molding.  Just putting that out there. We still need to add some shoe molding and 3/4 height wainscoting to finish things off.  This room is pretty big with a cathedral ceiling, so it would greatly benefit from some architectural detail.  I would love to add some wood beams

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December 12, 2013 30 Comments
Family Room

My upholstery machine & “the sofa”

With all of the slipcover and upholstery posts I’ve been sharing lately, I’ve received a lot of questions about the sewing machines I use.  I have two.  One is  $150 Kenmore machine that I’ve been using for about six years.  I have used and abused that poor little machine and it has done an amazing job and is still going.  I have never oiled it, never had it cleaned and have asked it to do way more than it was made to do.  One night, though, I was working on the channel back chair and the machine was choking on the layers of  thick, antique hemp fabric. I was working with grain sack and hemp more and more, so it was time to upgrade to an upholstery machine that was made for what I was doing. Enter machine number two – the Sailrite LS-1.  It’s on sale for $654 right now,

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December 11, 2013 No Comments
Family Room

familyroomgallery

With all of the slipcover and upholstery posts I’ve been sharing lately, I’ve received a lot of questions about the sewing machines I use.  I have two.  One is  $150 Kenmore machine that I’ve been using for about six years.  I have used and abused that poor little machine and it has done an amazing job and is still going.  I have never oiled it, never had it cleaned and have asked it to do way more than it was made to do.  One night, though, I was working on the channel back chair and the machine was choking on the layers of  thick, antique hemp fabric. I was working with grain sack and hemp more and more, so it was time to upgrade to an upholstery machine that was made for what I was doing. Enter machine number two – the Sailrite LS-1.  It’s on sale for $654 right now,

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December 10, 2013 51 Comments
Decorating

Boxwood & My Christmas Tree

I just did a photo shoot today for the MMSMP color of the month, Boxwood, so I thought I would share.  I think this may be my favorite non-blue/gray color in the line.  It’s so rich and pretty.  I’ve sold all of the pieces I’ve painted in Boxwood, but I have a dresser in my son’s room that is just begging for it.  I was hoping to get to that this month, since it is the color of the month, but with slipcovers and upholstering and decorating for Christmas and the family room trim and all of that, I think it’ll have to wait.  Anyway, here are some pictures to give you a good sense of the color… Can you tell I enjoy these shoots?  I really do.  I think the photography/styling aspect of my job has become one of my favorite things to work on.  If you want to

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December 9, 2013 56 Comments
Before and Afters

family room gallery

 Before I show you the chair and the rugs, I had to share a sweet gift I received in the mail yesterday.  It’s an ironstone thimble! Look at the little mark inside.  And it was wrapped with a paper tape measure bow.  I swear, I have some of the best readers.  Thank you, Susan. Now, on to the slipcovered chair.  Any guesses which one I pecked away at over the holidays? If you guessed one of the green velvet chairs, you’re right! I know a lot of you loved them as is and I’ve used them that way for a while, but it was time to change them up.  I don’t mind a touch of green in the paintings and from the boxwood, but I’m trying to de-green a bit.  Here’s the result… I know you perfectionists are looking at that crooked piece in the front.  You know who you

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December 3, 2013 57 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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