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Running a Business

Artistic Endeavors

antique shoe cart reproduction & inspiration

Over the years, I have bought and sold more antique “shoe carts” than I can properly remember. These antique shelves on wheels are called shoe carts because they were often used in shoe factories to transport shoes around the factory. I have found carts that are all different shapes and sizes and made in different styles. Some have spindles making the “shelves” instead of a board (like the first shelf.) I always preferred the ones that had solid shelves (or could be adapted with boards) so they were more versatile. I’ve mostly used these antique shoe carts for retail display or storage in my old studio in PA, but I did use one or two in my home over the years in my kitchen and home office. When I was an antique dealer, I bought and sold a lot of ironstone, so these carts were fantastic for displaying stacks of

February 13, 2024 8 Comments

Antiques

Lucketts Spring Market 2023

I feel like I’m going home in a way! The Lucketts Spring Market was a big event in my business for almost a decade and it’s so fun to be back. I’m just going as a shopper on VIP day, which is a lot less work than being a vendor! In case you have never heard of Lucketts or you need a refresh (or just some interesting backstory about gritty entrepreneurs), let’s rewind. The Old Lucketts Store is an antique/home decor/everything store that probably never should’ve been a success. It is an 1800s general store/boarding house in a one-stoplight town on a pokey two-lane road in the farms and vineyards of Loudon County, Virginia that will never, ever get foot traffic. At the time the old building became an antique store in 1996, Loudoun County was still mostly cornfields. It wasn’t the bustling DC suburb that is one of the

May 11, 2023 13 Comments

a slice of life

walking again

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau As some of you know, I broke my foot back in May. While it was a frustrating inconvenience during packing and a move, over time, I found the greatest loss for me was not being able to go on my daily walks. Yes, it’s exercise and working towards a 10,000-step goal. Yes, it’s taking Sebastian out, enjoying the sunshine, and getting some fresh air. But, it has become an important part of my creative process over the years. And I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was able to start going out on long walks again. I’m slow (we’re talking a sad 25-minute-mile), but I am walking again and it feels amazing. I use my time walking mostly to listen to audiobooks and podcasts about creativity, creative work,

January 10, 2023 29 Comments

Photography

my DSLR camera gear & tips | creative business

This week, I was asked to give recommendations for a “real camera” and lenses. As I started answering the question, I decided digging up an old post I wrote about my camera gear and sharing that link would be a more thorough answer, but then I saw that post was 11 years old! Yeah, I need to write an updated post sharing about my camera gear, why I have each piece of kit, how I use it and offer some tips when you’re shopping for a DSLR camera and using it to shoot interiors and products. To start off, let me say that I shoot Nikon, so those are the products I will recommend. I know many people prefer Canon, so if that’s your preference, you can find comparable camera bodies and lenses. Both brands are excellent and it really does come down to preference. It is nice to

August 25, 2022 13 Comments

my business story

feels like home book launch team

Thank you so much for all of the enthusiasm and support for my new book, ! Writing a book is such a long process and you never know how it will be received, but the feedback I’ve been hearing on the sneak peeks and previews have been so positive and encouraging. I can’t wait until the physical book ships out to all of those who order it! For those who have preordered the book and are super-excited about it, I’d like to invite you into something really special – The Feels Like Home Launch Book Team! Since I’ve never launched a launch team before and you may have never been on a launch team (or heard of one), let’s do a little Q&A. I’ll answer the questions I think you’ll have and then I’ll answer them, too. You can just sit back and read! So, basically, just like usual. What

August 19, 2021 7 Comments

book reviews

youtube & book reviews

As an entrepreneur in the ever-changing world of technology and social media platforms, I’m consistently assessing and reassessing what I do, where I share, how I share, what I spend my time on, etc. Pinterest and Instagram weren’t even around when my blog launched! And I shared on YouTube and Facebook in the pre-algorithm world. Let me just take a minute to remember the good-ole-days when I just had to post in one place… Okay, done. The good news of all of this change is there are more ways to reach a wide audience. The bad news is you have to pick and choose which platforms you’re going to focus on and how you’re best going to use them. Unless you have a large team of people, you just can’t do them all and do them all well. So, my focus over the past few years has been my blog,

July 20, 2021 41 Comments

a slice of life

what I do all day & five tips for running your own business

I will admit that my job isn’t a normal one. I often say to my boys, “I know it doesn’t look like I’m working, but this is what my work looks like today.” Sometimes it’s painting. Sometimes it’s doodling in a notebook, working on ideas or designs. Sometimes it’s doing photo shoots or editing photos. Sometimes it’s playing on social media. It’s working in the garden, it’s organizing, it’s hanging wallpaper, it’s building something, making something, writing something. It’s working on a computer. It’s working on my phone. It’s recording a podcast. It’s reading. And, to make it even more complicated, my hobbies and business are so intertwined that even I sometimes can’t tell when I’m doing something for the fun of it or because I’m being paid to do it. Because you (those who read my blog) have a front-row seat to this unusual occupation, I thought I would

June 29, 2021 12 Comments

Running a Business

getting out of a creative slump

If you drew out the first five years of my business on a graph, it would show a pretty consistent line that started at the bottom lefthand corner of the page and disappeared off the top right corner. There was so much new, so much growth, and there really was nowhere to go but up. But after those five years, things started to settle into a cycle that is much more typical for businesses and creative work. It became cyclical…a straight line up morphed into a line that curves, loops, and zigzags. I went from feeling like the wind was at my back to feeling like I didn’t know which way the wind would blow. Sometimes it filled my sails and things were easy and other times, I was pushing with full force against a resistance I couldn’t see. Sometimes that resistance even came from me. (Shaunna and I chatted

May 18, 2021 14 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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