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Living Room
Decorating

shopping for a living room sofa

We’re going to talk about a room other than the kitchen today!  Now, it’s onto the hallway, dining room, and the room I’m sharing today, the living room/family room.  When we looked at this home with our realtor, we knew that the formal dining room would be reserved for my studio and that meant the den off the kitchen would be our only living/family room.  In our previous two homes, we’ve had a more formal/pretty living room and a separate family room for watching TV.  When we first bought the house, we considered the possibility of making a TV/family room in the basement.  That may still happen years down the road, but the truth is after living here for a year, we don’t really feel like we need it. But, making this room a combination of our semi-formal living room and our casual TV/hangout room is a bit of a

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August 17, 2023 21 Comments
All Things Home

Christmas living room 2022 | Christmas decorating

Since we spend most of our time in the living room, that is where I focused my Christmas decorating attention.  I would probably do that anyway, but my Christmas decorating is scaled back this year since we just moved into our house this fall.  While I love the Christmas season, it feels like it came early this year!  I have been more focused on working on the house and getting settled and I feel completely unprepared for moving furniture, putting things away, and getting bins of decorations out. There is comfort in knowing that Christmas will come no matter how much decorating I do and don’t do and that this season is about so much more than what is material.  So, as I shared before, I’m doing what I can do and enjoying what I can enjoy. You got a peek at our tree last week when I shared where

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December 12, 2022 41 Comments
All Things Home

framed antique indenture

When I shared the living room curtains earlier this week, a few of you noticed the framed antique indenture hanging on the wall over the sofa.  Well, let’s talk about this piece of custom-made art! First off, let’s talk about what an indenture is since most of us are familiar with it only in terms of servitude.  An indenture is simply a contract and the subject of that contract can be a variety of subjects including labor, marriage, property, settlements, and more.  Second, you can find for a wide variety of prices but can get bargains for around $25. The price is based on the age, size, quality, and subject of the indenture.  I bought mine from last year.  I know she has more, so send her a message on her Instagram HERE if you’re interested in details. My particular antique indenture is a marriage contract from 1842 and is

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November 9, 2022 28 Comments
All Things Home

custom living room blackout curtains

As I’ve shared over the past couple of weeks, I have to bounce between things that need to be done that aren’t super exciting (like organizing the basement and wiping wallpaper glue off the walls) and things that flex my creativity and are fun.  By jumping between the two, I feel like I’m productive, moving the needle in the things that need to be done, but I’m also staying motivated and feeling fulfilled.  It’s a delicate balance but it seems to be working.  Aside from a few boxes in out-of-the-way places, we are unpacked and able to live comfortably in the house.  We’ve made the sprint and can now slow to a comfortable jog for the next few years to bring this house to where we envision it.  One of the fun things (whether sewing is fun is debatable) I worked on last week was making custom blackout curtains for

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November 7, 2022 22 Comments
All Things Home

decorating process

Of course, there are a million practical things to do.  Unpack, strip wallpaper, paint walls, clean, and organize, but I have to give myself the gift of unstructured time to just play.  So, I bounce between things that need to be done and things that are completely unnecessary but are creatively fulfilling.  It gives me the energy to push through the things that are a bit more mundane and not exciting. So, yesterday I gave myself some time to work on some decorating things.  One of the things that are both practical and decorative are curtains and I’m looking forward to getting them made and hung for the living room.  Right now, we don’t have window coverings for this room and there is quite a glare on the TV.  This gave me a change to play with fabrics, which is great creative fun for me. I have picked a blue

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October 26, 2022 60 Comments
Living Room

the wingback recliner

Years ago, when I first had issues with my shoulder, I cracked a joke about recliners.  I was in the ER for severe shoulder pain from calcific tendonitis and the doctor suggested I sleep in a recliner to take some pressure off my shoulder.  I looked at him and said, “Do I look like someone who would have a recliner in my house?”  I just meant it as a joke and it probably wasn’t too effective given I was wearing an oversized hoodie, sweatpants, and Crocs.  I probably looked exactly like someone who would have a recliner.  Anyway, all of this is to say that I had to eat my words when Jeff was desperately shopping for a recliner I could sleep in after my shoulder surgery.  And, I had to admit two things.  First of all, recliners are pretty awesome.  Second, recliners have come a long way from looking

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October 24, 2022 35 Comments
1970 home renovation

James Farmer Inspired Corner

There are times when a design I see in a book or online sticks with me.  I keep coming back to it again and again and I find myself imagining it in my own home.  Most of the time, it just remains an object of admiration.  I just don’t have the space or things to pull it off.  But, this design by James Farmer has stuck with me and it was something I could emulate.  I just needed the right place to do it. James shared this picture in a 2019 Facebook post and this is what he said about it, “When I graduated from Auburn, I started helping some of my grandmother’s friends rearrange furniture, recover a chair and of course, hang a plate or two or three… or twenty. I guess some things never change! In an entry for a client’s hunting farm, the combo of brown transferware,

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October 20, 2022 88 Comments
All Things Home

the first thing I bought for our new house | antique brass andirons

Before we get to the antique brass andirons, I need to thank you for all of the words of encouragement yesterday! I think it can be easy to glamourize moving into a new home, but it’s a tough process even if it’s a happy move into a lovely home.  Things felt more settled and normal yesterday and I slept like a rock last night.  Despite the stacks of boxes waiting to be unpacked, I made biscuits for breakfast, which made the kitchen smell and feel homey.  I sat at the table in the room that will be my studio and wrote a blog post.  I hung some of my clothes in the closet, did a load of laundry, and went to the grocery store. It was a few steps towards a new normal in this house and that felt good. Before we go forward into this new house and some

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September 20, 2022 31 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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