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My House

Decorating

family room makeover | painted fireplace surround

I finally made some more progress on the basement family room makeover in the latter part of last week.  Jeff helped me hang the deer head and I finished painting the fireplace surround and mantel.  It didn’t look bad before, but it just didn’t look like “me.”  The shiny black granite tile specifically felt a little too modern for my aesthetic.  So, I used the same technique I used when painting the granite tile around the fireplace upstairs.  (You can find that tutorial HERE.) And, it works so much better for the decorating direction I’m heading. Here is how it looked before… The walls are painted in Oval Room Blue, Modern Emulsion finish by Farrow & Ball from Dreamy Whites.  I used a tinted to Oval Room Blue to prime the fireplace surround and the tile.  Once that fully dried over three weeks or so (I’m being facetious because I

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All Things Home

painting light switches

For those who have asked about painting the light switches, outlets, and trim in the same color as the wall in the basement family room, this post is for you!  Before I ever put a roller on the wall, I envisioned the walls and trim painted the same color.  The rest of my house has white trim as a frame to blue/gray walls or wallpaper/starched fabric, but I want this room to have a Gentleman’s Library sort of vibe.  I’m sure that many gentleman’s libraries have white trim, but I imagined this room with moody blue walls and trim.  There are a lot of different finishes and colors happening in the space right now and painting it all one color (but different sheens) will remove those visual distractions. As an aside, if I thought we were going to live in this house “forever”, I would want to clad the walls

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All Things Home

basement family room makeover | antique cabinet

In case you missed it, I wanted to let you know that the Feels Like Home book launch team is still open if you’re interested in joining!  You can find all of the details HERE, but in a nutshell, it’s free, it’ll be lots of fun, and you have a chance to win lots of goodies!  You can sign up HERE if you’d like to join and help me promote .  (Just a note to answer a question in the comments.  You do not need to have a public social media account in order to join.  We’d love to have you in the group to get your feedback on the book and there are other ways to support Feels Like Home, like leaving a review.  Please join if you are interested.  You are welcome!) Late last week, I made some more progress on the basement family room.  The work has

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All Things Home

GAP Home at Walmart

Disclosure: This blog post is sponsored by Walmart.  All words and opinions expressed about the are, as always, honest and my own. Did you hear/see that has collaborated with on a new home decor line? As a long-time lover of GAP’s classic style, I was excited to see the products in this collaboration.  GAP’s timeless aesthetic and signature blue & white color palette are definitely on display in this collection and, best of all, it’s paired with Walmart’s affordable pricing. I purchased for Calvin’s bed, but I also bought a from the collection.  If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I love dishes and particularly stoneware.  I was interested in seeing modern take on these tabletop staples. First of all, the dishes are sturdy and beautifully made.  They have a raw edge that gives them more of a handmade feel.  Each piece has clean lines, so

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All Things Home

the story of the antique copper bundt pan

Whenever I share my kitchen on social media or the blog, I almost always get comments about my pot rack and the collection of copper I’ve amassed over the past decade or so.  My love of quality cookware started with an epic Tuesday Morning find – a set of stainless steel pots and pans for 90% off.  My love of copper, though, started with an epic yard sale find – an antique copper bundt pan for $25.  I don’t think I’ve ever shared the story of when I found it here on the blog and it popped in my mind over the weekend, so I thought I would share it today. This is the gorgeous antique copper bundt pan I’m referring to… When Marshall was a baby, we had no expendable income.  And, when I say no expendable income, that is very literal.  We could pay the essential bills, but

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Decorating

Evolution of our Kitchen Makeover

Now that we’ve been living in our home in Minnesota for four years, I thought I would share how some of the rooms have evolved since we moved in.  I did an “evolution” series on my last home (you can see the kitchen evolution post of our previous home HERE) and received so many great comments and feedback in response.  It was fun for readers to see the transformation all in one place while also appreciating how long a real-world makeover can take.  Some rooms come together quickly, but most rooms in most homes just evolve over the years.  Room makeovers aren’t really a before and after, but more of a then and now.  They will continue to be dynamic and evolve.  So, here is our kitchen makeover as it happened over the past four years. This photo was taken the very first day we were in the house.  (You

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Art

feels like home | preorder bonus one | original art download

Now that the release of has been postponed (manufacturing & shipping delays are affecting so many industries including publishing), we are just over 10 weeks away from the launch date!  To make that time go a little faster (for me and for those who are anxiously awaiting its arrival), I have a fun countdown schedule planned!  It’s sort of be like opening advent windows as you countdown to Christmas.  This countdown will be filled with preorder bonuses, six amazing giveaway packages to thank my blog readers and social media followers for supporting this project, live online events, and a way for those who are super excited about the book to get involved in promoting it (and have even more opportunities to win amazing prizes.)  It’s all going to be so much fun. So, let’s kick this off with a preorder bonus.  This is a freebie for those who have (or

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All Things Home

basement family room makeover | 1800’s chandelier

Nothing quite says “relaxed basement family room” like an 1800’s chandelier dripping with crystals.  Am I right or am I right? Okay, not really.  In fact, when I shared the very meticulous sketch for this particular area of the family room, I drew out what is clearly a lantern-style light fixture.  Not an 1800’s crystal chandelier. Clearly, a lantern fixture. Buuuut, I looked around online for a lantern-style light fixture I loved quite thoroughly and they were either more than I wanted to pay or not quite the look/style I imagined.  A couple of weeks ago, I shared this quote from on Instagram … I actually had a chandelier and I hadn’t even thought of using it! The main reason I hadn’t thought of using it is it wasn’t what I envisioned.  And, it seemed like sort of a crazy idea to try it.  Those of you who have followed

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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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