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Guest Room
Decorating

3 minute, no-sew bolster pillow cover

I was working this weekend on my guest room, getting it ready for a photo shoot.  I was in a bit of a crunch, because of some unexpected delays, so I wasn’t able to put this room together in a leisurely way.  The mattress was delivered and I had to put the room together in two days.  I didn’t have time to shop, so it had to come together with what I had. It was like old times and I think it brought out the best in me.  For years, I had to make my home look the way I wanted it to without buying a lot of new stuff.  That’s how I learned to thrift, sew, paint and refinish in the first place!  Now that I buy and sell things, have a home decor business and this blog, I’m able to constantly shop my own inventory to get what I

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August 25, 2014 20 Comments
Favorite Finds

le bon lait, a bed frame & peppers

I have to admit that this purchase was a total impulse buy.  A few weeks ago, I was looking through Furniture Feature Friday links to pick out my favorites.  As I was scanning through the thumbnails, I clicked on this table makeover inspired by Country Living by Kathy of South of Main… My eyes were immediately drawn to the Normandie milk bottle.  Oh, I would love that for photo shoots and to actually use!  It’s blue and white with cows on it and looks like a vintage French find…  It’s totally me.  So, I dropped everything I was doing and started searching for one.  They were apparently available at World Market, but I don’t have one near me, so I dug around online and bought two from Etsy. I did get so sidetracked that I missed posting FFF on time and I didn’t select favorites.  All because of a milk bottle… …and it was

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July 30, 2014 26 Comments
Favorite Finds

finding an "antique" queen guest bed

I’m still sorting through all of the inquiries about the bed that I received in response to yesterday’s post, but I think it’s safe to assume I’m going to be able to find a buyer for it!  I also received a lot of interesting comments about the price of the bed, so I’m going to speak to that in another post. I think you’ll all be interested in know why I price some things so low.  It has a lot to do with who I am and where this business started.  That’s for another post, though.  This post is about what will be replacing the hand painted Bavarian bed.   Now that we’re switching the guest bed from a full to a queen, I wanted to find a proper frame for the bed.  Jeff didn’t understand this.  He said something like, “You just put it on one of those metal

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July 21, 2014 47 Comments
Before and Afters

the hand-painted German-style bed

I never really showed off the finished hand-painted German-style bed for the guest room, so I thought it was high time. To recap, this is the German-style hand-painted bed I used as inspiration.  I found it in a magazine about ten years ago and always loved it. I knew the chances of finding a bed like that were pretty slim, so I looked for one with a shape that could work and I planned to paint it myself.  I found this bed at an antique store for $100.  The high headboard and curved footboard were about as good as I was going to get, I think.  It was beaten up and the finished was crackled, probably from being stored in an attic, barn or garage, but that worked to my advantage when it came to creating an authentically antique-looking finish. I painted it in MMS Milk Paint French Enamel. I

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May 30, 2014 71 Comments
Guest Room

Guest Bedroom Progress…

I spent some time in the guest room today, getting the space cleaned up, hanging up the lights and curtain rods, moving the furniture and hanging a few things on the wall.  Here’s how it’s coming along… I’m going to make a cover for the bolster pillow, but just wrapped it in fabric for the visual. I found a pair of pretty antique original German oil paintings on Ebay and knew they would be perfect for the space. I was a little nervous that the sconces from Pottery Barn would stick out too far, but they really look fine.  My only complaint about them is that the on/off switch is almost on the floor, so it’s going to be a pain to use them. They are so pretty, though. I cut the fabric for the curtains, folded the excess for hemming over and clipped them up…again, as a visual until

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March 31, 2014 58 Comments
Favorite Finds

Guest Room & Ironstone

Last night I asked Jeff if I could leave early for handbell practice, so I could pick up some paint on the way.  He gave me a look.  “What do you need paint for?”  I answered casually, “The guest room.”  Usually me buying paint isn’t a questionable event, but I have a lot on my plate right now and painting the guest room doesn’t really need to be on that plate. It can be served with the cheese course or dessert if there’s room left when the entree is done. But, I really want to shoot the bed for the MMSMP look book and my in-laws would like to visit eventually (if it ever stops snowing around here) and I need to get the room put back together for them. There’s DIY shrapnel everywhere at the moment. Deciding to paint the room started with patching the walls.  This room was

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March 18, 2014 38 Comments
Guest Room

guest room in the works…

After finishing the hand painted “Bavarian” guest bed last week, I could hardly wait to get it up in the space.  Swapping out the beds is a job I needed help with, though, so I had to be a little patient.  Well, I did carry up the bed myself and started swapping them out, but I ended up balancing the footboard on my hip while holding a rail on my foot.  Then I called for help.  Anyway, we got the bed in place and I took a few minutes to make the bed, try some different bedding options, and play with some fabric I had in my stash.  I love how it’s coming together. I found a vintage crystal chandelier on Etsy (the crystals were removed for shipping and I haven’t put them back on, yet.) I’m going to replace the builder-grade light that’s been in there for years with

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March 7, 2014 63 Comments
Guest Room

Painted Guest Room Bed |

The weather has been amazing over the weekend!  Just a couple of sunny days in the 40’s and 50’s and I’m ready to throw open the windows and go out for a hike.  There’s still a lot of snow on the ground, though, so I had to settle for a walk instead of a hike.  It’s given me the shot of energy I need to finish home and work projects.  I was moving furniture around and cleaning out closets.  That’s what warmer temperatures and sunshine does for me, so I’m ready for Spring.  Bring it. So, here’s where we left the bed yesterday.  It’s fully painted, but the paint looks pretty bright and a little flat…definitely not like it was painted a couple hundred years ago like the inspiration bed. It’s the distressing and antiquing that’s going to bring this piece to life.  For distressing, I didn’t want to take

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February 23, 2014 92 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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