Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 46 of 55

Artistic Endeavors

All Things Home

decorating the studio & shop with me in Raleigh

I was home with a sick kid most of last week and, I have to admit, that once I get out of a routine, it’s hard to get back into it. I was ready to get back in the studio, but I was dragging my feet at the same time. On Tuesday, though, I had a full day to crank my music, create and take pictures, and my motivation started creeping back in. Sometimes I need to work on things that are totally not a priority in order to get myself going. On Tuesday, that meant rearranging furniture and getting fake snow in my hair and all over myself as I set up our studio tree. It’s the 6.5′ Flocked Alaskan Tree from Christmas Tree Market. So, here is the story with this tree. Christmas Tree Market asked if I would be interested in partnering with them last Christmas. I had just moved into

November 20, 2015 41 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

look book two cover shoot

It was almost two years since I had my last portraits done and, with as often as I change my hair, an update was overdue! I also needed some pictures for MMS Milk Paint’s Look Book Two, including the cover, that will be coming out in just a few weeks. I thought about just having Kriste and I do all of the pictures, but I think there’s a lot of value in bringing in other creative minds in a collaboration. Since Kriste knows a lot of people in the creative field, I asked if she knew any photographers. She immediately thought of her friend, Brianna Wilbur. She’s a very talented wedding and family photographer and happened to also be a MMS blog reader, so Kriste knew we would get along well. A few weeks ago, she came to the studio to snap some pictures. Many of you have already commented on my

November 14, 2015 24 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

photo shoot at the retreat

Let me go back to the Lucketts Spring Market a couple of years ago. Suzanne, the owner of The Old Lucketts Store and Design House, came and sat with me on a slow Sunday afternoon. We were chatting about all of the business opportunities we’re working on and the things we’re dreaming about. And she shared about a manor house she purchased and was renovating. She told me, “The woodwork in this house is so beautiful, it’ll make you cry. I just couldn’t pass it up.” It would be a vacation rental, a venue for small weddings and events and a place for creative retreats. And, it would be something that could be finished. Suzanne has described the antiques/home decor business as an “ice sculpture.” You find/finish pieces, put them together, they are sold, the room is picked over and emptied, and then you have to start over again. Again and

October 29, 2015 26 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

creative space

This week has been “one of those weeks.” Not a bad week. Just a very busy week and things kept getting shuffled around…a doctor’s appointment I forgot about, a kid home from school, cancelled and rescheduled meetings. Too much to do, not enough time, not enough sleep. I realized on Wednesday night that I hadn’t eaten a meal all day. I had just grazed on apples and cheese and crackers. And, by the time I realized it, I was too tired to do anything about it. I know so many of you can relate…busy families, demanding careers, full calendars. I find, that on the weeks that are really packed, I have trouble finding the time, the space, to be creative. Words don’t flow as easily when I’m writing. Ideas stall. Apathy creeps in. Everything is more of a struggle than it was last week, when I felt fresh and inspired

September 26, 2015 12 Comments

All Things Home

Workbench Revamp

Remember the workbench I revamped for Lucketts? I loved how it turned out and have since been on the lookout for humble handmade workbenches that others might overlook. When I was shopping last week, I found this… I dismissed it at first, because it’s a little clumsy, but in the end, the finger-hold handles won me over. I paid about $100 for it. I added the steel wheels to make it a little taller and more mobile. I’m keeping this piece for the studio for now and we have just about everything on casters or sliders. They somehow make the piece look a little softer, even. The top was a little boring and I didn’t want to just paint it, so I added some antique wood lath strips to the top. These are from the same bundle I used for my potting bench. I tacked them in with a brad nailer

September 11, 2015 27 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

cottages & bungalows photo shoot

Last fall, I received an e-mail I wasn’t expecting. I had worked with Cottages & Bungalows for years as a contributor to their DIY essentials column, but when the editor asked me to work for them as a photographer and stylist, it was a total surprise. I felt like I could do it, but I was really, really intimidated. I have had photographers come to shoot my house before and they had so much gear and knew exactly what they were doing. I was…just me. And my gear pretty much fits in one bag. And I had never photographed someone else’s home, dealing with all of the lighting and composition challenges that may come with it. It may seem silly to some of my readers that I felt intimidated. I do photo shoots in my own house and studio all the time. I did all of the photography for my book

August 31, 2015 34 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

BHG Kitchen Photo Shoot

Two whole years ago, a stylist and photographer came to my home to photograph my kitchen for the Better Homes & Gardens special interest publication “Kitchen + Bath Makeovers.” I was beginning to think the shoot ended up on the cutting room floor, but then it appeared in the Spring 2015 issue! …and now that it’s out in the world, I can finally share the details of the photo shoot. It’s always exciting to have a crew come to photograph my home. I take pictures of my spaces often, so it’s nice to get a fresh set of eyes on everything. I also love watching the photographers work… The one I worked with on this specific shoot, John, was so talented. I think I audibly gasped a few times when the image was relayed from the camera to the computer screen. With this particular shot, the head-on

July 15, 2015 17 Comments

All Things Home

how to custom mat a photo | video tutorial

I’ve shared before that I grew up an Army brat. Some kids really hate the instability of moving around, but I thrived on change and, despite crying when they were ripping up flower beds to work on WWII era pipes, I loved living on a military base. We could walk everywhere and had so much freedom as kids. There were also tons of programs to get involved in. I did theatre, baton twirling, tap dancing, basketball, soccer, baseball, ballet, tin-punching, rafting, hiking, ice skating and was a part of a ski club…it was a really cool way to grow up. My mom also got involved in the classes they offered for military wives. One of those classes was learning how to frame and custom mat a photo. I remember my mom taking family pictures to the frame shop to work on and, eventually, we had a beautiful gallery wall. So,

March 8, 2015 23 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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