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1970 home renovation

reno recap three | new toilet, shelving, doorknobs & more

We have a bit of catching up to do on the renovation recap (since I missed a couple of weeks), so I’m circling back to share some things we did over the past month on top of what we did this week.  While there was plenty of activity happening in the house this week, it was a little bit quieter than previous weeks.  Jeff is getting into his work routine, I’m getting into mine, the boys are in school, and we have a bit of a break between specialists coming in to work on projects. So, here is what’s been happening in our 1970s brick rancher renovation… new toilet When the guys from Two Men & a Truck unpacked our moving containers, they couldn’t help but comment on one of the things they moved into the garage.  “You moved a toilet?”  I started laughing.  The toilet was a point of

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November 4, 2022 39 Comments
1970 home renovation

refrigerator shopping with forté

Disclosure: I am working with Ilve and Forté as a part of a long-term partnership on my kitchen renovation.  As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Now that the roof is done, it’s time to turn our renovating attention to the kitchen.  In fact, my renovating attention has been on the kitchen, but it’s just been sketches, ideas, and standing in the space staring at it for long periods of time.  It has been nice to use and live in the kitchen for a while before any firm plans are put in place, though.  I’m learning where I work, what I use most, how the light moves, and what I’m missing from my previous kitchen.  Since we intentionally looked at homes that needed a complete kitchen redo, I knew that I would be starting from a blank slate on everything, including the appliances.  So, as I started to

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November 2, 2022 36 Comments
Decorating

thrift store ribbon holder

In between the unpacking, painting, and projects, Jeff and I have taken a morning or afternoon here and there to hit a few local second-hand shops.  One afternoon, we made the rounds to a few of the thrift stores just a couple of miles from our house.  At one of those thrift stores, I spotted a wooden rack.  At first, I wasn’t sure what it was…a towel bar, maybe?  Whatever it was, I liked it and thought it was interesting.  It could have dozens of different uses and it was only $10, so I decided to pick it up.  When I got it home and interacted with it more, I decided it was a paper towel holder.  I could’ve used it as that, but I decided to have a bit more fun with it and make it a ribbon holder in my studio. I have some gorgeous ribbons that I’ve

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November 1, 2022 35 Comments
All Things Home

tour of my new art studio

It’s the room tour that many of you have been asking for – the art studio!  Of course, it’s not finished yet, as is the case with our entire house, but it’s getting there.  It’s settled enough and looks enough like an art studio to welcome you into the space and give you a little tour. As we were looking at homes, this was a big question that needed to be answered.  Where would my art studio be?  In some houses, there was an outbuilding that would’ve worked for a studio and/or workshop and in others, I’d have to appropriate a room originally intended for another purpose.  In some houses, there really wasn’t an option and those were crossed off the list.  It was a must.  I could be flexible with the size, location, and other details, but I had to have a space to work and create. When we

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October 31, 2022 67 Comments
1970 home renovation

weekly reno recap | new roof, new range & more

Someone asked where the weekly reno recap went… Ummm.  Yeah.  So…you see, when you’re in the process of moving in and major renovations are happening as well as normal life stuff, well, things just slip through the cracks.  Hence, no recap. The inquiry didn’t feel like an admonishment at all but like an encouragement.  We want to hear what’s going on and be a part of it!  So, here is a recap of things that have been happening in the house over the past couple of weeks.  (You can read my first reno recap HERE.) The wood floors were finished, which meant we could move into the studio, family room, and primary bedroom.  That was an awesome day. Several people have asked how we moved our things in so fast.  We opted for a water-based finish, so the dry time was just a couple of hours and we could move

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October 28, 2022 38 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

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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