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Art

Art

color samplers

Thank you so much for sharing your prayer requests with me and each other yesterday.  My heart aches for those who are already in crisis and have had all of these new developments added to the stress and worry.  I was also moved by my readers who wanted to help, encourage, and pray for those who left comments.  This is a good group of people.  I have been and will continue to pray for all of those who left comments and, of course, for our first responders, healthcare workers, all of the people who are serving us at the grocery stores, business owners who are facing tough decisions, and our leaders. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I want to explore playing with combing yarn/thread and paint.  I know there are so many amazing artists already combining different mediums, including yarn and paint, but I want to find my own

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Art

bottling pigments & other creative rabbit holes

“But to be quite oneself, one must first waste a little time.”  – Elizabeth Bowen In this busy season, I have found more of a need to fiercely protect time that is unhurried; when I permit myself to chase some creative rabbits down a few holes.  It’s in those unhurried times that we find our creative selves and discover new things.  The other day, I did just that.  I bounced from pouring artist’s pigments into pretty cork bottles, labeling them with thin masking tape, to cutting flowers, and then arranging and taking pictures of all of it. It was necessary time; gloriously well-spent, wasted time. It wasn’t about the act of bottling the pigments, although it put pretty things into pretty containers that I can display.  It was about interacting with pretty things and seeing where we went together. I played and arranged and took pictures while I sang with

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a slice of life

creative retreat | feb 2020

I went on my first creative retreat almost two years ago.  It wasn’t a conference that was packed with classes and activities.  It wasn’t a family vacation where I was wrangling kids between pockets of relaxation.  It was a time away specifically for the purpose of filling my creative tank and stepping outside of my daily routine, so I could think without distractions.  I came back from that first retreat with clarity and excitement and I immediately knew this had to be a regular thing. Since then, I’ve done a few creative retreats and they’ve all been beneficial in different ways. Last week, I went down to Panama City Beach to spend a few days with Shaunna at her parent’s condo.  We had a to-do list, but it wasn’t so aggressive that we wouldn’t have free time to read, journal, paint, walk on the beach, or just go to bed

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Art

color charts on linen & an art giveaway

I was checking my DMs on Instagram and saw that one of my followers had forwarded a post to me.  She had a feeling I would like it and she was absolutely right.  My jaw dropped and I clicked on the link quickly to learn more about these beautiful swatches of color painted on linen.  Were they, by chance, for sale?! This is the post that got my heart fluttering… Cathleen of @815vintagegoods found these amazing color charts at an estate sale.   Unfortunately, they were already spoken for, but I knew immediately I wanted to try to replicate them.  I had never seen color charts on natural linen – only on a bright white surface like a gessoed canvas or oil paper.  Those are pretty, too, but the linen is yummy! Not only do I love the look of the colored squares on linen, but creating the charts on a

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Art

#indexcardartproject take two

Since regaining the use of my right arm,  I have been working on getting back into oil painting.  It’s been a challenge to try to fit it into my schedule.  It’s not just busyness with work, but with family, church, and personal goals (meal prep, exercise, language-learning).  When I’m trying to fit it all into a day, something has to give and that something is usually time at the easel, mostly because I know I’ll get lost in it.  I completely lose track of time when I’m painting, drawing, or creating, so I get stuck in the mindset that I need a large, uninterrupted chunk of time…which rarely comes. So, I decided to do another “index card art project” to get myself going again.  I did one last year and it was such a great challenge to get me painting consistently and to help me paint more relaxed.  You can

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a slice of life

My Europe Sketchbook

Just an FYI to those who might be thinking about Mustard Seed Mentoring, but you’re on the fence.  We close our doors tonight (Thursday) at midnight, but before we do, we’re offering the opportunity to have a full membership for ONE WEEK for $1.00!  You can snoop around, join us for a live session and see if this group is right for you and your business. You can get more details about Mustard Seed Mentoring HERE. When my mom and I traveled to Europe a couple of years ago, I brought all sorts of art supplies and sketchbooks and ended up doing two sketches at the airport.  (Insert eye-roll at self.)   I did keep a journal, but I was so disappointed that I let the fear of not living up to my own expectations get in the way of a dream-come-true experience.  See how that worked?  I was scared of

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All Things Home

mini landscape “place cards” & a giveaway

While the boys were at the climbing lessons, I mingled around the nearby , looking for inspiration and pieces to use in an upcoming post about a summer table setting.  I found beautiful as a great launching point, but I wanted to add a whimsical element to the table beyond fruit, flowers, and a pretty cake for the pedestal.  This particular Walmart has a pretty robust art supply section and, of course, I meandered through there to see if any new art supplies caught my eye.  I found some mini stretched canvases and cute wooden stands and the wheels started turning.  What about painting mini landscape “place cards” as a little takeaway for guests? I put them in the cart and couldn’t wait to get started on them the next day. are the mini canvases I purchased for the landscape place cards  They are about 2 x 2″. I wanted

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All Things Home

cow/calf pair

A couple of weeks ago, I painted a cow-calf pair.  If you follow me on Instagram, you would’ve seen some of the process as well as the final painting shared on the grid.  For those who don’t follow me there, here is the underpainting… …and then the finished work… I didn’t have plans to keep it when I first started this one.  I’m pretty good at selling my works.  It’s partly a hobby, but painting was absorbed as a part of my business pretty early on, so I try not to get too attached.  I paint with the intention of selling.  But I was in love with this one as soon as I rolled my chair back and viewed the painting in its entirety.  I was so excited that I had an antique gilded frame that fit it, so I tried it on before the painting was even dry.  It

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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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