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Tutorials

My House

The totally wrong way to hem curtains

  I took the tree down a couple of days ago and it left me staring at my unhemmed curtains that I finished about two years ago.  I came to the realization that I am never going to hem these curtains.  There is always something more fun to do than pinning, measuring, ironing and sewing straight lines.  They don’t look bad without a hem, but I have to fluff them a lot to position them right and they puddle on the floor in an unattractive way, so the curtains don’t hang as well.   As I was looking at them I realized that they have not frayed at all.  The fabric is indoor/outdoor canvas that hasn’t been washed, so it has a nice stiffness to it.  Well, I grabbed a pair of scissors and just cut them off.     I felt a little bit like Chevy Chase in Christmas

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Painting & Refinishing

How to remove paint – part 2

I hope no one started a stripping project and then got stuck in the middle of it without part two of my video!  🙂  I finally had the chance to edit it.  In this video, I’m using Strypeeze, a biodegradable chemical paint remover, mineral spirits, and a putty knife.  All are available from your local True Value Hardware or their online store.   Enjoy part two…   The top definitely wasn’t perfect underneath, but I think the imperfections just add to the character of the piece.     You can see the part one of the video tutorial HERE and the finished dresser HERE. I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However,

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Painting & Refinishing

Removing Paint Pt 1 – A Video Tutorial

I remember the first piece of furniture I purchased at a yard sale to refinish.  It was a small 1950’s highboy that I scored for $10.  I slid it into the backseat of my car and couldn’t wait to get it home to test out my DIY skills.  I had never refinished a piece of furniture, but I was pretty confident I could figure it out.  We lived in a tiny apartment, so I lugged the dresser onto our porch and started to work.  It had a dark finish on it, so I decided to sand it all off.  Well, after about 2 hours of working with a palm sander, the finish was gone, my arms were vibrating and I was covered in dust.  It was glorious and I was hooked.  That dresser had five different looks while in my possession until I sold it a few years ago.  (I

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Decorating

Trickery | Vaseline Resist Technique

Well, I received another oh-crap-call from Lucketts on Saturday.  The Painted Empire dresser sold the day after I brought it in.   I guess I wasn’t the only one in love with that finish!  Here’s how I did it… I’ve heard about using Vaseline (petroleum jelly) as a paint resist for a while, but I never tried it.  On this empire dresser, I pictured layers of blue and wanted to have clear definition between the two colors.  This seemed like a good piece to test it out on.  I painted the first coat of paint in Flow Blue with the bonding agent added to all of the paint except for what I used on the drawers (I wanted some selective chippiness.)  I then rubbed some Vaseline over the edges of the piece and around some of the key holes and other random spots.   I don’t think there’s a specific

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Painted Signs

Making an “Antique” Sign

 I must apologize!  I posted a teaser about this sign I made for Cottages & Bungalows and said I would post the tutorial after the issue was off newsstands.  Well…that was in August, so I think it’s safe to say that those issues have been pulled.  So, at long last, here it is… What you’ll need: 12” wide pine board cut to desired length Acrylic craft paint (at least three colors) 2 ½” sash brush 1” artist brush, 1.0 liner brush, ½” angled shader Computer Printer and printer paper Scissors Tape Graphite transfer paper Ballpoint pen 80 grit sand paper Dark brown soft furniture wax Round brush or cotton cloth Clean cotton cloth Drill with driver bits Tape measure or ruler 2 D-ring hangers Hammer and nails   How to do it: Cut a piece of 12” wide pine board to desired length or use a piece of scrap lumber. 

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Furniture Makeovers

Stripping Upholstery

I finished upholstering one of the pink French chairs today.  Woohoo!  I even put a zipper on the cushion cover, so it’s legit.  With over twelve years of sewing under my belt, this is the first zipper I have ever done!  I don’t know why I’ve been so scared of zippers…ZIPPERS, people.  Really?!  I was determined to not be spooked by something as humble as a zipper.  I dissected the old cover and figured it out and the zipper works like a champ.  It’s the little victories.  Anyway, let’s get to stripping the chair. The upholstery was in perfect condition , but it was pink.  Nothing against pink, but it didn’t work in my house.   When shopping last week, I found this amazing fabric at Hobby Lobby…   It has all of the colors in my family room, so I bought eight yards for these chairs and some pillows. When I

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Running a Business

Today is THE day!

Today is a big day!  Not only is it election day here in the US, which affects a lot of people, but it’s a big day for me personally.  Today is the official release date of my book, Inspired You.  The book has actually been available for a couple of weeks, but now it’s widely available and the e-book is now available. The enhanced e-book will also be available soon through Apple.  The enhanced e-book is more than just the book in an electronic format.  There is a video for each chapter that shares additional tips and ideas.  I think Thomas Nelson also shows more of the pictures I submitted as well.  (I turned in over 500 and I think there are about 250 in the final copy of the book.)   To give you an idea what the videos will be like, here is the Chapter 1 video – How to

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crafts

how to make glittery pine cones

 This project is simple, but I was so happy with how beautiful and elegant these glittered pine cones turned out that I thought I would share a tutorial on how I made them.     I bought these over-sized pine cones from Hobby Lobby, but you can use freebies collected from your yard or an obliging neighbor. Insert a small screw eye into the woody end of the pine cone.  I just twisted it in with my fingers, but you can use a drill or a small nail to create a pilot hole, if necessary.   I then applied some Elmer’s School Glue with a 1″ wash brush to the tips of the pine cone.  (I have no idea what those things are called and I actually Googled “anatomy of a pine cone” and still couldn’t find the proper name.)   For some crazy reason, I thought, “This must be what it’s

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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