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My House
Kitchen

new kitchen sink

The measurements were taken for our new counters last week and they are currently being fabricated.  I am just about bursting to see them installed.  I know it’s going to make a big difference in the look of our kitchen and it’ll be exciting to see such a large piece of my design plan finally in place. As with many decorating decisions, one decision leads to another and the decision to install new counters lead to needing to make a decision about the sink.  Would we keep the existing one or select a new one?  (I guess the post title takes out the surprise element!) Yes, we decided to get a new one. I actually love this sink, but that is mostly for the functionality of it.  Having a large basin for storing dirty dishes and a smaller sink for washing is a good design, but I’ve never been a

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May 7, 2018 55 Comments
All Things Home

dining room | new arrangement & plans

This squared-shaped dining room has been a little tricky to figure out, but I think I’m getting a little closer. The primitive blue hutch has felt wrong from the beginning, but it’s what I had and I needed time to live in the space and think about it before I bought anything new or made any big decisions.  After thinking about it for a while, I decided to try something free…swapping around the furniture.  I had an oak sideboard that I moved up to the master bedroom, really as a place-holder more than anything else.  I decided to move it back downstairs and try it out in the dining room… Obviously, everything is low and the space is a little naked, but I really like this option better than the hutch.  It seems to open up the room a bit more and the pieces of furniture, while found secondhand on

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May 4, 2018 78 Comments
All Things Home

painting the stairway wall

A couple of weeks ago, I finally started painting the wall and trim in the back stairway.  It had been bugging me for a while, but the idea of painting those spindles and taping off the carpet seemed like an annoying, tedious project and I kept putting it off.  I knew that once I pinned myself down to start working on it, it wouldn’t be as bad as I had built it up to be in my head and that was exactly the case.  Why was I so whiney about taping off carpet when it took about 3 minutes?! I find myself doing that often…talking myself out of starting on a project, because I’m fairly certain it might be torture (or require a small amount of patience.)  There have only been a couple of times in my full DIY career that have turned out to actually be miserable, so I

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May 1, 2018 32 Comments
All Things Home

small changes

I knew that attending Junk Bonanza would be fun, but I didn’t realize what a creative pick-me-up it would be!  (Well, after I slept for 12 hours and lounged around for half a day.)  Once I was rested, that creative spark got me going.  I was ready to rip up carpet and jack out some tile!  But, those are all pretty big projects that involve some amount of planning, a budget, and permission from my husband!  So, I figured I should take that energy and work on changes that were small and free and wouldn’t get me into any trouble. The first change I made was something I’ve been thinking about for a while… I swapped out Eulalie’s frame! She’s been in a gold leaf frame from the very beginning and that worked great in my last house, but it felt a little off in this room.  I think it

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April 23, 2018 86 Comments
All Things Home

counter selection | compromising nothing & gaining everything

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by HanStone Quartz.  All words and opinions expressed in this post are, as always, honest and my own. As I’ve shared before, replacing the countertops was on our to-do list for this house before we even bought it.  These are nice granite counters and they really don’t look bad at all, but they aren’t my taste.  We would also like to install a tile backsplash, which would look a little odd coming off of the little backsplash that is currently a part of the counters.  We plan on being in this house a long time, so we decided it would be worth changing them out. So, I had my heart set on marble.  I love the look of it and the “soul” of marble.  It’s such a beautiful material.  I know the issues, though, and I’ve spent months reading reviews and asking friends who have

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April 14, 2018 73 Comments
All Things Home

studio form & function & $200 arhaus giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Arhaus.  I have worked with this brand before as an influencer and a paying customer and I am an Arhaus fan.  As always, all opinions and words are honest and my own.  And, there is a giveaway, so you might want to stick around! As I’ve been using my sunroom-turned-studio space over the past few months, I have learned what’s working and what’s not and I’ve slowly been adjusting things here and there. One of the glaring pieces that needed to be addressed was the drafting table.  It worked okay, but it had been stripped for parts, so it was missing some key pieces for adjusting it and locking it into place.  I couldn’t adjust the height of the table and I had to rest the top on my legs while I was working.  The move from PA only made it worse.  I found that

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April 3, 2018 507 Comments
All Things Home

decorating dominoes

Yes, cleaning can be a drag.  I don’t always look forward to going through the routine of picking up, cleaning toilets, mopping floors, etc., but I have found that it can actually be very stimulating to my creativity.  I know it sounds crazy, but cleaning can be a good time to think and interact with my surroundings in a way that makes me look at them in a fresh way.  Sometimes I get my best decorating ideas when I’m cleaning!  Really! Last weekend, as I was cleaning, I started to feel that creative spark.  I was motivated to take care of some things that have been hanging out in corners since we moved here…  a stack of pictures, ironstone plates, a chandelier still swaddled in bubblewrap.  We’ve lived here for several months and it’s time to take care of some of this stuff.  Yes, it’ll probably change again down the

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March 22, 2018 43 Comments
All Things Home

Butler’s Pantry Plans

Before I share about the butler’s pantry, I wanted to give everyone a head’s up that my latest round of paintings are for sale and the auctions end today.  You can view and bid on the paintings HERE. There is still snow on the ground and it was in the 20’s today, but it still feels like spring is coming.  It will be here eventually, anyway!  I don’t feel antsy for spring, but I am starting to get the itch to work on more home projects again.  We’ve kept things moving along over the winter with painting, having the wood floors installed, working on organization, sewing curtains, etc. but I’m ready to dig into some bigger projects. Once it’s warm enough, we really need to get our garage cleaned out and organized.  We have some boxes we still need to unpack, even!  It’s a bit of a mess and a

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March 15, 2018 25 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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