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a slice of life

fear is not the boss

Confession time… The last 2-3 years have been a bit of a struggle for me.  Maybe more than a bit, if I’m completely honest. Before you roll your eyes and wonder what on earth I could be struggling with, hear me out.  (And stick with me, because there is a happy ending.) The struggle has been an internal one and has been fostered by fear and nurtured mostly in silence.  It crept up with such stealth that it was hard to name or put my finger on.  It was an unexplainable, literal lump in my throat that would manifest itself almost daily.  It was moments of panic that would overwhelm me at times, a sense that things would come crashing down.  It was just a matter of time. These feelings, all circled around my business and blog and creativity, have made it harder to share with vulnerability, harder to take

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March 6, 2018 184 Comments
Art

Bunnies Birds & Blooms

I have been keeping a secret for almost two years and now, finally, I can spill it! I am so proud to introduce my very first fabric line – Bunnies Birds & Blooms presented by Free Spirit Fabrics!  Whew!  It’s good to get that one out into the world. So, for those who aren’t familiar with Free Spirit Fabrics, it’s a quilting fabric company owned by Coats (as in Coats & Clark thread). And, you might be wondering, how I got connected with a quilting fabric company.  I’m not a quilter. Well, to make a long story short, one of my readers has a sister who started a fabric company – Free Spirit Fabrics.  When they would get together for vacations, my blog reader would tell her sister all about Miss Mustard Seed.  Fast forward to a couple of years ago and her sister (who retired, but she was working

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January 26, 2018 114 Comments
All Things Home

customizing a house | painting interior doors

I’ve been contemplating a way to describe my current house and the changes I’m making.  It’s not outdated, it’s not ugly, it’s not run-down, it’s not in poor taste…  In fact, it’s a beautiful home.  So, how do I explain why I view this perfectly nice suburban home as one that is ripe for a makeover? Then, it hit me.  It’s not customized.  That’s one of the reasons why it appealed to me, but it’s also why I view it as a home that’s perfect for a makeover.  It’s a great foundation that could use some color, texture, and choices that reflect some personality! One simple way to customize a blank-slate home is to paint the interior doors.  I didn’t think this was that crazy of an idea, but my mom made me think it’s a bit more unusual than I thought.  She was opening the (painted) door to my

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January 25, 2018 61 Comments
All Things Home

how to refinish a kitchen table | part 1

Before we even moved in, before we even knew this house was ours, I knew a new kitchen table would be on our list of furniture to hunt for.  We’ve been using a small pine table, which fit our last house well, but it’s always felt too small for the four of us at meals.  And it was definitely too small for this new space.  So, let me take you on the journey of finding a new table as well as how to refinish a kitchen table. (The current table was buried under there somewhere!) If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the table is heart of the heart.  It’s where the family gathers for meals, homework, crafts, household business, and devotions.  It’s an important piece of furniture and I wanted it to be solid, properly scaled for the room and how our family will use it.  I

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August 14, 2017 82 Comments
All Things Home

studio transformation | part 1

Believe it or not, we’re not trying to get the entire house completed in two weeks!  We are making a push, though, to get a bunch of big things checked off the to-do list.  One of those big things is painting the studio…all of it.  The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the trim.  Buckets and buckets of paint.  And painting like that is better done with help. But first, this is a room that wasn’t insulated or climate controlled.  That’s just not going to work when it’s 2 degrees outside.  The climate control is coming, but earlier this week, we had it insulated.  The floor and ceiling were both easily accessed, but the walls under the window had to be removed, insulated, and replaced.  This may have been a more advanced DIY project, but we decided to hire it out, so it was done quickly and professionally. The wall on

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August 11, 2017 74 Comments
my business story

best of 2016

The first week in January is usually when I hit the ground running, but I’ve been in a post-holiday, pre-head-cold funk and have just wanted to curl up under a blanket and ignore the world!  I’m starting to come out of that, though, and it actually helped me a lot to put this post together and see everything that happened over 2016.  It’s sometimes easy to get lost in a daunting to-do list or pick out the things that didn’t happen as planned or dwell on shortcomings.  This post was a great reminder to me to celebrate the victories, accomplishments, and fun stuff!  And there was a lot of fun stuff. So, here are the highlights for 2016… We launched Farmhouse White in January and it has been our best selling color by far.  It was definitely a home run. I worked on my hardest piece of upholstery ever, a tufted sofa.

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January 6, 2017 31 Comments
All Things Home

cross-stitching on linen

I have fallen in love with an old-school craft…cross-stitching. I know it has a reputation for being dated, but that has a lot more to do with the patterns and the cross-stitch kits available than it does the craft itself. So, this renewed interest in needlework came about when I noticed that my favorite antique textiles were those that were monogrammed.  And then I noticed that most of those monograms were simple cross-stitching, using the natural “grid” pattern in linen to make the X’s. And then I had the thought that I usually have before tackling a DIY project… “I can do that!” So, I did… …and the results looked so authentic that it had me giddy with excitement to stitch some more. I have been looking around at various cross-stitch letters online to find the style that will look original on antique linen.  I found a “P” that I liked and

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June 17, 2016 70 Comments
All Things Home

using old quilts every day

I definitely have a thing for old textiles.  I love table linens, fabric, clothing, embroidery, quilts…you name it.  I’m always drawn to the “linen lady’s booth” in antique stores.  I like to look through the stacks to see if anything catches my eye.  I’m usually looking for blue and white, of course, nubby linen, pretty monograms, crochet trim…things that will compliment the decor of my home, but also pieces that I can use as-is or repurpose.  Because what is the point of having stacks of linens if you don’t ever use them? True, a stack of linens can look pretty in a cabinet, but did you know linens can get stained as much from not being used as they can from being used?  That’s a totally unscientific statement, but I have observed that they can turn yellow from starch, acquire “dust lines” at the folds, or fade in the sun.  So, use

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June 13, 2016 36 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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