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All Things Home

Christmas dining room 2025

I wasn’t sure I’d get my dining room decorated before Christmas this year, but I took some time Friday morning to finish it up and photograph it.  Until then, the tree was up, but I was using the table and corners for incoming packages, storing bins of decor as I worked on other rooms, and wrapping presents.  So, I tidied up the mess and finished decorating.  We have our Christmas brunch in this room, so it’s nice to have it ready! velvet curtains | curtain rod | rug | tablecloth | pillows | mural details To add a seasonal touch up high, I put a faux pine garland mixed with an eucalyptus garland on top of the antique cabinet.  To me, it’s an easy surface to decorate that doesn’t interfere with functionality and is well out of reach of the cats. velvet curtains | curtain rod | rug | pillows

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December 22, 2025 36 Comments
All Things Home

Christmas 2025 Living Room

If you missed it, I shared the details about our 2025 Christmas tree HERE.  In this post, I’m sharing how the rest of the living room looks dressed for Christmas this year.  Here is the view through the doorway from the kitchen… curtain rod | curtains | rug | pillows | sconces | paint color I do need to say that we don’t usually have this many pillows on our sofa!  I learned a long time ago that sofas and chairs photograph better when they are generously styled with pillows, quilts, blankets, and throws.  This is the room where we watch movies and hang out, so the sofa is usually in disarray, styled for comfort instead of photos! Anyway, it is fun to play around with the styling and make the room look nice, even if those pillows will be on the floor as soon as I give the guys

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December 16, 2025 16 Comments
1970 home renovation

building a custom propane tank screen

The only problem with cutting back the abelia hedge on the left side of the house earlier this year was that it exposed all of the work that needed to be done to this side of the house.  You could see the staining on the brick from ivy, the trim that was long overdue for a fresh coat, and all of the weeds and refuse that needed to be removed.  We’ve been working on it bit by bit, and we finally wanted to address the other thing that was previously hidden by the hedge – the propane tank. While this is the least visible side of the house, it is still pretty visible.  Our house is situated on a suburban peninsula where two pokey neighborhood streets meet at a Y.  That means we have curbs on three sides of the house, allowing you to see every side from the road

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September 29, 2025 8 Comments
1970 home renovation

how to install vinyl shutters on brick | tutorial

Over the weekend, we installed shutters on the left side of the house.  That was the last side of the house that needed shutters, so I can finally check that project off the list!  This home had wood shutters on all the windows originally, but they had rotted and were removed.  Before we bought the house, vinyl shutters had been installed on the front and right side of the house, but the windows along the back and left sides were left without shutters.  We wanted to bring that architectural element back in, so we ordered, painted, and installed shutters this summer.  You can find a tutorial on how to prime and paint vinyl shutters HERE. In this post, I’m sharing a tutorial showing how to install new shutters on brick. Let me start by saying we built this project up in our minds as one that was going to be

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September 23, 2025 8 Comments
Exterior

hard pruning a mock orange bush

One of my favorite things in our yard is an old mock orange bush.  I had no idea what it even was when we moved in, since it had bloomed months before the home was put on the market.  I was surprised our first May in the house when the large bush was dotted with dainty white blooms.  It was beautiful and so fragrant. Every May since, I have eagerly awaited the mock orange blossoms to make an appearance. Here is the problem, though.  It was so overgrown that it had fallen over on itself, and it was getting worse each year.  On top of that, honeysuckle, ivy, and other weeds and vines were mingled around the base and in the branches, and a white mulberry tree had grown right in the middle of it.  This summer, it grew to the point that it was towering almost six feet over

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September 17, 2025 15 Comments
All Things Home

small guest room updates

Painting the guest room is still on the to-do list, and it might be there for a while.  As is often the case, decorating the guest room isn’t usually a top priority.  I’ve always loved working on the guest rooms in our homes, though.  Since I’m not in these rooms daily, I feel I can take a departure from my usual color palette and try something different.  The style remains the same, but I step outside my predominantly blue and green palette.  In our previous guest rooms, I’ve featured yellow, and I think that will carry into this room as well.  I already have the upholstered bed and the pretty gold quilt, so it makes sense to work with that. This week, I swapped out the rug and made a couple of small tweaks while I continue to consider wall and trim colors as well as window treatments.  (Disclosure: The

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September 16, 2025 17 Comments
1970 home renovation

sweet autumn clematis

I recognized it immediately when we first looked at this house.  It was hanging over a rickety fence that would need to be replaced, but my heart lifted when I saw it – sweet autumn clematis.  I had planted it in my Minnesota garden in the hopes it would grow up around the porch, adding some charm to our beige suburban house.  After a few seasons of nurturing, it finally grew along the porch, just as I had hoped.  And then we moved.  This sweet autumn clematis on the fence felt like a little gift to me. Maybe even a providential indication that this was the house for us. What I didn’t know about sweet autumn clematis is that the cold Minnesota winters keep it in check, but it thrives in Maryland and is considered invasive.  I have my hands full fighting invasive weeds in this yard, but the sweet

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September 8, 2025 27 Comments
1970 home renovation

installing shutters on brick | 1970 home renovation

When the weather first started warming up this spring, I had a long to-do list for the back exterior of the house.  New windows, paint, and install shutters, build a custom A/C surround, paint the trim, power wash the patio, and work on the garden beds.  We’ve been chipping away at these projects over the spring and summer, and I finally checked the last one off the list – hanging the shutters.  They had been sitting in the garage for almost a year.  I primed and painted them in early summer.  They were just waiting to be installed and, now that it’s done, I don’t know why we waited so long!  Actually, I do know why.  Jeff and I both had the notion that installing shutters on brick would be a tedious project. We have installed a few things on brick before, and it was a real struggle to drill

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September 3, 2025 18 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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