Preorder Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

Preorder the Book
Facebook Instagram Youtube Tiktok

Tutorials
home improvement

painted cabinets revealed & a video tutorial

First of all, thanks so much to everyone who bore the hardship of going to TJ Maxx to look for pillows for me.  I think they will order more of those pillows after all of the phone calls about them!  You are all such wonderful ladies and I really wish I could hang out with all of you!  Two readers found a total of five pillows.  My goal was to find four, so I am totally set and the hunt is officially over.  Boy, you girls are fast!  However, don’t let me stop you from taking a trip to Home Goods or TJ Maxx.  If you must, you must. Now to what I have been slaving over the last few days. In case anyone was in doubt at all about the power of paint…this post is for you. Here are my kitchen cabinets before… …after… …before… …after… I didn’t get new appliances, counters

Read More
June 22, 2011 133 Comments

Can you help a blogger out?

Alright all of you wonderful readers out there…I need your help.  Remember those mossy green pillows I purchased at TJ Maxx a couple of weeks ago? I used them on my living room sofa and now I want more.  In usual bargain store fashion, though, the ones that I passed by are no longer there.  If you think of it, would you check out your local TJ Maxx or Home Goods to see if there are any available? They are a cotton pillow cover with a feather insert made by Ralph Lauren Home and I think they were $19.99/each. There is a RLL monogram at the bottom right corner. They came in square and lumbar and I would like any they have…well, I only need four more, so if they have twenty, you don’t need to buy all of them.  Please send me an e-mail if you find them and I will

Read More
June 19, 2011 53 Comments

the greatest tool ever made

This post does is not about pretty pictures.  I am tearing my home apart to paint my kitchen cabinets and family room walls and ceiling after all.   I bought some pears today for my next Cottages and Bungalows photo shoot, lined them up on the window sill and snapped some photos.  I just couldn’t help myself. Now that I’ve gotten the pretty picture show-and-tell out of my system, here’s the practical stuff.  For those who don’t know, I am in the process of painting just about every surface in my family room and kitchen.  I’m in the thick of painting the cabinets, now, and there are lots of them.  Fifty one doors to be exact.  Today one of the teenage girls in our youth group came to my house to help me out.  She hadn’t been able to find a summer job, so it worked out well for both of

Read More
June 16, 2011 49 Comments

my farm table & cabinet painting prep tips

I received a few comments about the farm table in my kitchen.  You could see peeks of it in my kitchen accessories post, so here is a full view.  (Ugh…excuse the floor!) I bought it a few months ago at an antique store with every intention of selling it.  I even put a tag on it at one point.  I set it in my living room.  It was totally the wrong size and scale for the space, but I really liked it.  I stained and waxed the top and held onto it to use for the farmhouse chic wedding I styled.  Afterward, I decided to try it in my kitchen, which is not really an eat-in kitchen, but I thought it might work. The size worked perfectly and now there’s a place in the kitchen where my family of four can sit together to eat… …and it gives me a good

Read More
June 15, 2011 56 Comments

The story of Annabel & Rupert

This is a story about love.  A man who loves a woman.  A woman who loves a blog.  A designer who loves to create.  I received an e-mail last week from a gentleman…let’s call him “Rupert.”  Rupert had a request.  His wife, let’s call her “Annabel”, loves my blog and he would love to surprise her with one of my hand painted signs for mother’s day.  Unfortunately, all of the signs he was interested in were sold.  It’s one of my busiest months, but I just couldn’t say no to creating a custom sign just for them. He wanted something French, related to ice cream or candy.  I found a vintage French chocolate label on The Graphics Fairy and designed a sign around it.  Rupert wanted a graphic, so I used the crown image from the label. …and he wanted blue and white, so I used Annie Sloan’s Aubusson with Old White

Read More
May 6, 2011 75 Comments

market sign & my pavilion

I finished this sign the morning I brought it to Lucketts, so we didn’t have a chance to do a proper photo shoot together.  Sorry!  I really love how this one turned out, though.  The bead board door was already painted a cream color, so I simply painted over it with Antibes Green with lettering in Old White and shadow in Graphite (all chalk paint.)  Once dry, I used a palm sander to use and abuse the sign until it looked how I wanted it to.  The piece was finished with a mix of clear and brown wax.  Check out my Waxes 101 video if you’d like to see my technique.   I just bought some huge barn doors today to paint some signs on.  They sell well and it’s fun to create my own “art” to sell in my space.   Some of you were a little confused about the “pavilion” idea, so I

Read More
April 3, 2011 52 Comments

Waxes 101

So sorry! I planned to have this video to you last week and I even filmed one, but I was tired and it was half-heartedly done.  You deserve better than that, so I made a new one yesterday morning in my very best painting outfit.  Believe it or not, I actually go out in that ratty, paint splattered sweatshirt.  Someone call “What Not To Wear” on my behalf, please.  I wanted to post this video last night, but it was still converting after midnight, so I had to turn in and post it this morning. Without further delay, here is my opinion piece on waxes!  (A transcription of these videos is available HERE for the hearing impaired.) The wax I’m using in the video is called Fiddes and Sons and I purchased it from John Millen Hardware.  (They lowered the price of the wax to $14.00 for my readers!)  I use the Clear and

Read More
March 30, 2011 132 Comments

Wordsworth Pillow Tutorial

A few days ago, I got a new toy from Artograph and I couldn’t wait to put it to work.  I’ve been eyeing a light box for a long time, but it was always bumped down the priority list after lenses and sewing machines and other tools of my trade.  My new Artograph LightPad A930 arrived on my doorstep last week and I knew my days of taping things to a window to trace were over.  Can you hear the angelic choir?  I have loads of ideas for how to use this, but I started out with something simple.  A hand painted poetry pillow. I started off by selecting a pillow, fabric, poem and a font.  I chose the very last paragraph of a Wordsworth poem called “Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.”  I printed it in a free downloadable font called “Jane Austin.”  Once the poem was

Read More
March 22, 2011 68 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.

Facebook Instagram Youtube Pinterest Amazon

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Get Early access →

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.
Explore the shop →

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.
Shop Now →

Recent Video

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest