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My House
Living Room

Still playing & more for sale…

I’m still “playing” in the living room…trying different things until I feel I’ve hit the nail on the head.  I liked the door with the painting on it, but it didn’t feel 100% right, so I thought I would try something else. I pulled the mirror out of my bedroom… …to try it between the windows. There was a time when I had a mirror between the windows before and I liked the way it reflected the dining room and additional light.  It did extend the room visually a bit as well. It looked a little naked on its own, so I hung a boxwood wreath from a ribbon over it and that finished it off nicely. The mirror was a freebie from my uncle, so you can hardly beat that! When I’m working on accessories, I like to put something in a place and live with it for a

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January 6, 2014 56 Comments
Decorating

Living with what you love

The past few years have been a whirlwind for me.  Moving…two baby boys born 19 months apart and a new business right on the heels of that.  I’ve been so busy that cleaning out closets, cupboards, drawers, the basement, the attic spaces, etc. has been neglected.  Earlier this year, I looked in my kitchen cupboards and noticed there were still baby bottles on the shelves and my boys still had jammies in their dressers that were 2T (they are 5 and 7 now!)  It was time to make time to get things cleaned out and under control.  So, over the past few months, I’ve been cleaning, purging and organizing.  As I’ve shared, the more I get rid of, the more I want to get rid of more.  Getting rid of the obvious like the baby bottles and 2T jammies has turned into selling pieces of furniture I really love, but

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January 6, 2014 104 Comments
Family Room

benchgallery

Lest you think my primary job has been scooting furniture around my house, things have been moving a bit more than usual.  I moved furniture around when I did the family room reset.  Then I rearranged again to accommodate our Christmas tree and again when we gave our sofa away and the new one didn’t come and again when we took the tree down.  Now I’m moving things around to sell some pieces and make space for Jeff to work in my old office.  My mom’s even getting in on the action and is moving things around in her house, so she offered a displaced bench to me. As you have probably caught on, I’m not very sentimental about furniture, but there are a few pieces that are very special to me.  My Oma’s rocking chair that she had when she was a child.  We have a picture of her

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January 4, 2014 40 Comments
Family Room

mom’s bench

Lest you think my primary job has been scooting furniture around my house, things have been moving a bit more than usual.  I moved furniture around when I did the family room reset.  Then I rearranged again to accommodate our Christmas tree and again when we gave our sofa away and the new one didn’t come and again when we took the tree down.  Now I’m moving things around to sell some pieces and make space for Jeff to work in my old office.  My mom’s even getting in on the action and is moving things around in her house, so she offered a displaced bench to me. As you have probably caught on, I’m not very sentimental about furniture, but there are a few pieces that are very special to me.  My Oma’s rocking chair that she had when she was a child.  We have a picture of her

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January 4, 2014 No Comments
Decorating

Living Room Rearranged

When I start rearranging furniture, it’s like playing dominoes.  I move one thing and then everything else has to move.  As I mentioned yesterday, I’m approaching my house in an entirely new way.  I’m trying to be intentional about every piece.  Is it functional?  Is it beautiful?  Do I really love it?  Is it perfect for the space or am I trying to force things?  Or am I just keeping something out of a sense of obligation or even just laziness? New Year’s Eve I started working on my living room and family room.  I’m not spending any money.  I’m actually finding things to sell, so I’ll be making money and I’m moving things around that I already have.  I may take some of the money from what I sell to buy something perfect for a space if there’s a hole that needs to be filled, but I have found

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January 3, 2014 49 Comments
Before and Afters

living room sofa makeover

 I shared the new arrangement for my living room, but I thought I would share an “official” before and after of the sofa.  The sofa that was in my living room was a lovely piece my aunt let me “borrow long term.”  I slipcovered it in drop cloths and used it for about four years before I gave it back to their side of the family.  It belonged to my uncle’s mother and now that I have a steady stream of furniture coming and going because of my business (and that’s what I do), I offered it back to them and they accepted. So, I was on the hunt for a new sofa for the living room.  Since our TV isn’t in that room and it’s more of a formal space right off the front door, so the sofa can be a “pretty sofa.”  It does need to be comfortable,

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January 3, 2014 63 Comments
Living Room

What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

New year’s eve has never been a big deal to us.  One year I did go to a party with my Opa.  My Oma had just passed away that year and he didn’t feel it was appropriate to bring a date and he didn’t want to go alone, so he asked his granddaughter.  I drove up with him from Florida, got dolled up in a silver sequenced shirt (my friends called it my disco ball shirt) and I danced in the new years with people old enough to be…well…my grandparents.  It’s probably my favorite new year’s eve ever, though.  I even sang some standards with the band.  I didn’t intend to tell that story, but the memory popped in my head as I started this post, so I just tucked it in. Anyway, onto today.  I should start off by telling you I have been bed bound most of Sunday

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January 1, 2014 71 Comments
a slice of life

Magazine Features & a Risky Outfit

Before we go any further, I want to clarify that the outfit mentioned in the title of this post is risky, not risque, lest there be any confusion. So, several weeks ago, I received a few e-mails in a row from magazines requesting content for a feature.  I can’t imagine a day when I casually sigh and say, “Yeah, I got an e-mail from another magazine editor…” like it’s a boring thing.  It’s always a giggle-inducing, spine-tingling moment.  I have backed off on calling all of my friends to tell them immediately.  Anyway, each magazine had a different kind of feature in mind.  For American Farmhouse Style, they initially asked for some ideas of things to feature in my home, but I saw this as a great opportunity to pitch a MMS Milk Paint feature, so I sent along some of the gorgeous images Maria shot for me and they were

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December 29, 2013 No 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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