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My House

All Things Home

Edging & Painting the Concrete Patio

Last Thursday, the weather was lovely.  It was sunny, wasn’t too hot, and there was a light breeze.  It was the perfect day to get the patio under our deck painted.  Oh, this patio was so sad and neglected.  It felt so good to finally give it some attention! Before we could paint, we had to get it all cleaned up.  We did the majority of that during one of our family workdays.  We burned the sticks, bagged the trash, put things in the garage that we wanted to keep (like the cinderblocks) and power washed the dirt and debris off. It looked so much better after a good cleaning, but the power washer (we have ) did not remove the paint splatters from when the previous owners painted the deck.  The best option was to prime and paint to achieve a nice, clean surface. I started by edging around

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All Things Home

simple footstool slipcover

Between gardening projects and everything else I’ve been working on, I’ve also been getting some sewing projects knocked out.  A couple of weekends ago, I cut out the pieces and made piping for this footstool/ottoman I picked up at an antique store a few years ago.  I buy these any time I see them for a good price ($40 or less) because they have so many uses!  Of course, they can be paired with a chair to make it a little comfier, but they can also be tucked under tables, or used as extra seating or a side table in a pinch.  This one was clearly wearing some fabric from another decade, so it needed a simple footstool slipcover to match my house… I used some leftover Aviary Toile since it was going in the master bedroom.  I wanted to tuck it under the melodeon to help hide the air

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All Things Home

blue toile daybed makeover

I hope you had a good three-day weekend!  We ended up doing a lot of work in our yard when it wasn’t raining.  It was hard, muddy work, but we got so much accomplished!  We dug up a bunch of plants and bushes to replace with hydrangeas and hostas, we moved and raked out a big pile of gravel, we built up some areas that were eroding, and I transplanted some perennials to new locations.  I even took the time to sketch out a plan and make a list of the plants I need to transplant and purchase, so I won’t be overwhelmed when I go to the garden center.  I took a bunch of pictures of the before and our progress, so I’ll share those in another post.  Today, I’m sharing about decorating mistakes and the newly-toiled daybed. In decorating, mistakes are sometimes made.  It’s not a mistake in

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All Things Home

linen fabric swatches & master bedroom progress

Remember my design breakthrough in the master bedroom that I shared a few weeks ago?  Well, I’ve been moving forward…little steps to make the plan happen.  And it feels good.  It’s a room that’s had me stuck for a while and I’m glad to have a clear direction that I’m excited about.  It’s definitely been a lesson in patience and playing. Since I shared that plan, I ordered a few more yards of the Aviary Toile fabric (by French General) in order to make the bed crown.  I also ordered some pleater tape to pleat the checked fabric and give it a nice, finished look.  Now, I need to get some specific measurements to draw out a plan for cutting and sewing the fabric before attaching it to a plywood piece cut into a half-oval shape.  The plywood will then be mounted to the ceiling.  I also need to figure

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All Things Home

parsons chair linen slipcover reveal

I know that my house usually looks clean and tidy in the pictures I share here and on social media.  And, I will admit, that I am a bit of a neat freak.  I generally like to clean and I love having a spotless, organized, and clutter-free home.  But, life happens here.  I have middle school boys, a dog, two cats, and a husband who has a higher mess tolerance than I do.  Trust me, there are parts of our house that are not pristine! One of the more visible non-pristine areas were the seats of the end chairs at our kitchen table.  These are well-loved and well-used chairs and they were looking pretty rough.  I was even a little embarrassed by them when we had people over because they looked so grungy.  That’s just my own silliness, though.  I doubt anyone ever really cared. The chairs are still in

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All Things Home

parsons chair slipcover tutorial | part 2

If you missed part one of this slipcover tutorial, you can find it HERE.  In part one, I show how to make the “body” of the slipcover.  This chair slipcover tutorial works for almost any armless chair, but is specifically for a parsons chair with small wings.  You can also find the link to the linen I used for this project in that post. So, in this post, I’m going to show how to make ties.  This tutorial can be used for pretty much any homemade ties.  They can be used on clothes, like aprons, accessories, slipcovers, etc.  I like ties for slipcovers because they add a “dressmaker detail.”  Since slipcovers are essentially dresses for furniture, it looks fitting to me.  If you want a more modern look and cleaner lines, you can always use buttons or even velcro. You can just cut the strips of fabric with scissors, but

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All Things Home

hanging the antique birdcage

Even if decorating comes naturally and you have a great space to work with, there is still the possibility of getting stuck.  It’s just normal and a natural part of the creative process.  Some things come easily and others take more thought, time, and discovery.  Such has been the case with this corner in my living room.  I think this wall is a little tricky because it’s a fairly small stretch of wall between a doorway and built-ins.  Whatever piece of furniture that is placed there needs to allow for the doors to open, work well with the built-ins, and also visually balance out the piece on the other side of the doorway.  In my case, that is an antique hutch… Shortly after we moved in, I hung a collection of ironstone plates over a wood dresser just to fill the space.  I always pictured hanging a mirror there that

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All Things Home

Parsons Chair Slipcover Tutorial | Part 1

The chairs that end at the end of our kitchen table are “the favorite chairs” for everyone.  They are comfy and therefore, often occupied.  Instead of sitting in rockers in the basement or snuggled on the sofa, I’ll often find my boys sitting at either end of the table, watching a movie, or playing a game.  This is where they are sitting for school work these days and, of course, for snacks, meals, and games.  These chairs have gotten a workout! And they look great in photos if you don’t zoom in or look too carefully… The seats are a total disaster.  Most of the mess is due to adhesive from my T1D son’s pod/pump changes.  We used an adhesive remover wipe to remove one pod before putting on another and that has left a sticky residue on the seats.  And that sticky residue then attracts any dirt or fuzz

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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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