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Furniture Makeovers

Before and Afters

Dining Chair Slips & New Curtains

Believe it or not, sewing is not something I really enjoy.  It’s something I do, so I can get the look I want.  And I don’t hate it so much that I’m not willing to do it.  Sometimes I get in a mood to sew and then I have to take advantage of that.  I’m in one of those moods now, so I got three out of four of the dining chairs slipcovered and I just love how they turned out. I know they are frilly.  I know they have bows.  I love them anyway and embrace that they are graceful chairs that deserve nicely tailored skirts! Here’s how these chairs started out.  I bought the four on Craig’s List for $300 and had them stripped for an additional $200 for all four.   I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them, so I left them stripped for

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FURNITURE FEATURE FRIDAY – Favorites & Link Party

Today was a packed day, so I didn’t have the chance to pick favorites, unfortunately.  I’ll go through and pin some on my FFF and Furniture-spiration Pinterest board, though.  Enjoy the party! Here are the rules for our furniture get-together… 1.) Your post has to be about furniture. Please, please, please…just furniture. If you find your link has been deleted, it’s not because I’m mean, it’s because your post was not about furniture. You can share makeovers, awesome finds, favorite pieces, furniture arrangements, or even pieces on your wish list! Built-in furniture like kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities qualify as furniture. 2.) Post a permalink (the link to the post), not the link to your blog. 3.) This party will close Friday at midnight PST and I will choose my favorite(s) and feature their piece(s) on next week’s FFF. Enjoy the party!

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FURNITURE FEATURE FRIDAY – Favorites & Link Party

Today was a packed day, so I didn’t have the chance to pick favorites, unfortunately.  I’ll go through and pin some on my FFF and Furniture-spiration Pinterest board, though.  Enjoy the party! Here are the rules for our furniture get-together… 1.) Your post has to be about furniture. Please, please, please…just furniture. If you find your link has been deleted, it’s not because I’m mean, it’s because your post was not about furniture. You can share makeovers, awesome finds, favorite pieces, furniture arrangements, or even pieces on your wish list! Built-in furniture like kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities qualify as furniture. 2.) Post a permalink (the link to the post), not the link to your blog. 3.) This party will close Friday at midnight PST and I will choose my favorite(s) and feature their piece(s) on next week’s FFF. Enjoy the party!

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Before and Afters

the old, new dining room table

I’m reading the book Five Love Languages right now (which is a really awesome book, by the way) and I just finished a chapter on the phenomenon of being “in love.”  As I was reading it, I actually thought of how that same phenomenon happens in decorating.  Or, at least, it happens to me.  I make a change or buy a new piece and I get flutters and I walk in the room just to look at it.  I want to show it off in my pictures and I feel so warm and fuzzy and happy about it.  Then after a time reality sets in.  Sometimes reality proves that it was a good move.  Sometimes it reveals all of the things I didn’t notice when I was all googly-eyed over it.  I see that it’s impractical, it’s wobbly, it doesn’t fit the style of my home, it needs more work

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Before and Afters

Turning Attention to the Outside

I spent most of my childhood in military housing, usually an apartment, so I didn’t have to help with gardening or raking leaves or pulling weeds on a regular basis.  Most of my married life has been spent in apartments and then a condo-style townhouse where all of the mowing and yard care was handled by the neighborhood.  So, when we moved into our current single-family home a few years ago, my inexperience with lawn care, gardening and exterior-decorating showed.  My husband mows our lawn…and I use that term very generously, because it’s mostly weeds and clover…and every spring, I get a little inspired to get something done to make the yard look nicer.  We’ve pulled out some overgrown bushes, cut down a few trees, planted a few holly bushes in the front garden beds, but it was all half-heartedly done and anything planted was forgotten about once the heat

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Before and Afters

Master Bathroom Details & Reveal

Yesterday, someone asked me about my master bathroom in a comment and I realized I have never shared the details on that makeover!  I finished the bathroom and immediately went on three trips in a row and then hopped right back into the school year routine.  Also, we haven’t finished it totally.  We did a lot of projects over the summer for HGTV.com and we got just enough done for the photo shoots, but now it’s time to really finish everything.  So, I’m sharing photos I took this summer (before my new camera) and the bathroom isn’t 100% finish, but that’s just life, right? Here are the before pictures of the space we were working with.  It’s a small master bathroom (about 6′ x 8′, not including the tub recess) and an interior room without windows or natural light.   There was nothing wrong with the bathroom, but it just

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FURNITURE FEATURE FRIDAY – Favorites & Link Party

Alright, alright!!!  I confess!!  I ate wheat!!!!  Yes.  I did.  My husband wanted to go to Olive Garden tonight with my boys and dad and I raised the white flag before we even got there.   My mouth started watering as soon as the breadsticks hit the table and I caved.  I hold my head in my hands.  On a bright note, though, I had two breadsticks, but I had salad for dinner and some potatoes that my son didn’t eat.  So, it was a little failure and a little victory.  Let’s move on, shall we?  Here are my favorites from last week… I love the washed finish on the drawers of this French provincial dresser by Fab Rehab Creations.  Finishes like these can be tricky and I think this turned out beautifully!   It’s easy for dark waxes and antique waxes to run away from you, so this tutorial

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FURNITURE FEATURE FRIDAY – Favorites & Link Party

Alright, alright!!!  I confess!!  I ate wheat!!!!  Yes.  I did.  My husband wanted to go to Olive Garden tonight with my boys and dad and I raised the white flag before we even got there.   My mouth started watering as soon as the breadsticks hit the table and I caved.  I hold my head in my hands.  On a bright note, though, I had two breadsticks, but I had salad for dinner and some potatoes that my son didn’t eat.  So, it was a little failure and a little victory.  Let’s move on, shall we?  Here are my favorites from last week… I love the washed finish on the drawers of this French provincial dresser by Fab Rehab Creations.  Finishes like these can be tricky and I think this turned out beautifully!   It’s easy for dark waxes and antique waxes to run away from you, so this tutorial

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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