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a slice of life

stories | 17-year-old me travels 6,000 miles

If you missed the first installment about my trip to Russia, you can find it HERE. Our first flight was from Orlando, Florida, to Miami.  It was a short flight and a small plane that had me blaring music in my headphones, closing my eyes, and gripping the armrests, pretending I was anywhere else.   I was relieved when we landed and had some time on the ground before we boarded our first international flight.  We would first stop in Shannon, Ireland, for a layover, followed by another flight to Moscow.  A couple of days of rest and brief sightseeing were planned in Moscow before catching a 24-hour train ride east to Izhevsk.  Everything was planned and timed with some breathing room and breaks, but the flights needed to go according to schedule.  Our quick flight to Miami was the last leg of the journey that went off without a

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July 21, 2026 5 Comments
a slice of life

stories | 17-year-old me goes to Russia

I’ve actually considered sharing some of my personal stories here on the blog before.  When I was organizing our house in Minnesota from tip to toe, I came across so many bits and pieces that brought stories to mind.  I considered writing a Summer Stories series about some of my childhood summers.  But, I didn’t.  I was still in the season of my business when my blog felt like something that needed to stay exactly as it was at all costs.  I was honestly too scared of straying too far away from what readers expected from me.  Or what I assumed they expected of me. One of the stories I wanted to write about, which has popped up time and again in my mind over the years, was about my summer spent in Russia as a teenager.  As I’ve been considering sharing stories, my memory of a July 4th spent

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July 13, 2026 28 Comments
Creativity

telling stories

I’ve been telling stories here on this blog since 2009, but they’ve mostly been stories about furniture, about my business, my work, and my creative endeavors.  About refinishing floors as a novice, about my first magazine feature, about the exciting firsts for my business that unfolded as I shared online.  As this blog continues to morph and I continue to evolve as an artist and a person, I have decided to start sharing some of my personal stories here. These are the stories I tell when sitting around a table with friends, ones that Jeff has heard repeatedly through our 27 years of marriage, ones I revisit because they are funny, memorable, or a part of what has shaped me to be the human I am.  While I do hope the stories entertain, encourage, and offer something to those who still visit long-form blogs like mine, I think I’m doing

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July 8, 2026 14 Comments
a slice of life

the notesbooks on my desk

I take a hybrid approach when it comes to running my life and organizing my thoughts.  I like paper, pencils, and pens for writing down ideas, planning, and managing my day.  While old-fashioned notebooks are my preference for most things, I rely heavily on a digital calendar and reminder alarms to make sure I don’t miss appointments, important deadlines, or even mundane weekly chores like putting the trash cans on the curb and changing the pool’s chemical cartridge.  (Yes, despite being the only female in our household, I am the pool boy.)  As I was looking around at the collection of notebooks I interact with each day, I thought I would share each one, why I like it, and how I use it. Practical Planning | Full Focus Planner This is the daily planner that I use to manage tasks and larger projects.  I also use it for meeting notes,

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June 8, 2026 10 Comments
Artistic Endeavors

Move Slow & Make Things Preorder Print Bonus

In case you didn’t hear, my new book, Move Slow & Make Things, comes out September 1, 2026!  We’re getting into the final weeks before the launch, so I’ll be releasing more preorder bonuses, running giveaways, and sharing more about it in the lead-up to the release date.  Of course, I’m sharing the book because that’s part of my job as an author, but I’m also sharing it because I am so proud of this book.  I loved writing it, and I hope it will be a great encouragement to those who read it.   If you weren’t aware of the ins and outs of the book world, preorders have become a key part of a book’s success.  Of course, you have sneak-up, surprise bestsellers, but booksellers rely heavily on preorder numbers to decide which books to put on their shelves and feature online.  Strong preorder sales get a book

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June 2, 2026 5 Comments
Art

Move Slow & Make Things Book Bonuses Available!

I am so excited to share that the preorder bonuses for Move Slow & Make Things: Pursuing the Delightfully Fulfilling Creative Life are now available!  If you’ve already ordered the book, thank you!  You can enter your order information on THIS to claim your bonuses. If you haven’t preordered the book yet, you can do that HERE.  I will be released September 1, 2026, so you still have plenty of time, but I learned through the release of Feels Like Home that preorders have become an important part of a book’s success in the current market. Preordering is one of the best ways you can support an author and champion their work.  It tells booksellers how much interest there is in a book, helping them determine how many to order for their physical and online stores.    It can also put books on bestseller lists once they are released. So,

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April 13, 2026 7 Comments
a slice of life

refillable ballpoint & rollerball pens

I’ve been promising this post on Instagram for a while, and it’s finally here – a round-up of beautiful, refillable, and relatively affordable ballpoint and rollerball pens.  I say relatively affordable because, like fountain pens, rollerball and ballpoint pens can get very, very expensive depending on the brand and materials used.  I never thought I would spend more than $20 on a “nice pen”, much less over $50 or $100, but I have been wooed into the world of beautiful writing instruments and now I’m hopelessly in deep.  I have come to believe that anyone who is an artist or writer should have at least one special pen that is a delight to use and speaks to them. A few years ago, I shared some affordable fountain pens ranging from $5 – $85.  You can find that post HERE.  I use fountain pens often for drawing and writing, but I

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May 7, 2025 5 Comments
Marian Parsons Miss Mustard Seed
Artistic Endeavors

my next big project(s)

After working as a creative entrepreneur since 2008, I have learned that projects come in seasons.  Sometimes those seasons last for years and sometimes they are brief, fleeting.  Some seasons I repeat, in new ways, over and over again because I enjoy them so thoroughly and feel called back to them.  Some seasons are experienced and then come to an end.  I’ve written and published two books, both in their seasons.  Both were a part of my growth, my story, and my body of work.  While both were about home, they were not a part of a series or a pair.  They were standalone books, chronicling my two previous homes, my work on them, and how they built into me. After the first book, Inspired You, I thought that might be it.  I wasn’t only an author/writer.  I did many other things and wasn’t sure how writing another book would

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January 15, 2025 37 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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Move Slow & Make Things

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