Hi, friends! I’m Marty Walden, the DIYer, crafter and home decorator behind Marty’s Musings. Here you’ll find easy do it yourself projects and crafts anyone can make with inexpensive decorating tips and inspiration thrown in for good measure!

About Marty Walden

I’m a southern girl with a heart to help you find ways to make your home work for where you are RIGHT NOW. Don’t wait for tomorrow to find contentment where you live. Let’s do this TODAY!

As a lover of all things home related, I’m just an ordinary woman with no special skills except the willingness to try new things and mess up. I’ve learned a lot through the courage to attempt something new and fail. Or succeed!

Yard sales and thrift stores are my jam, and there’s nothing that excites me more than finding a good deal and repurposing it to work in my own home. Living on less doesn’t have to mean your home isn’t beautiful or good enough!

For years I wrote about all things home and family, the good, the ugly and everything in between. However in June of 2021 I was diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. There’s so much more to the story but I was faithful during 35 years of marriage and my husband was not.  The only answer for my health and emotional well being was divorce.

Except for family and close friends, I kept the real truth private. Instead I shared with my followers in July of 2021 I had purchased a “little cottage home” right around the corner from my previous home! At about half the size I had to speed declutter and ruthlessly downsize. I’m here to tell you owning less stuff is freeing!

We sold the ranch style home that I had lovingly shared on this blog. In the years following the divorce I learned to try my hand at many different skills around my new cottage home. It was incredibly empowering during a season of crippling grief and loss. I had to let go of “what could have been” and believe that “what is” would one day be a beautiful story of God’s redemptive work. I didn’t have to understand why all things happen. I just had to believe God is bigger than I can see and accept His ways are not my ways.

After two years of processing privately and leaning on family and friends for support I went public in June 2023 with the fact that I have HIV and AIDS. This was the first time I shared the the reason for the divorce. I also started a Youtube channel where I educate and share hope with women in hard places.

I couldn’t have asked for more support and kindness and yet the betrayal I suffered caused me to question if I could ever trust another man. The diagnosis relentlessly told me no man would ever be interested in someone with the stigma of this virus.

A couple of months after that I felt a restlessness in my spirit, a nudge from God that my story wasn’t over. I began considering dating again and while the idea terrified me it also gave me hope. I gave it a bunch of thought (and tons of prayer!) and with much trepidation I signed up for eharmony.com.

After sifting through all the prospects I reached out to a handsome man in VA and from that first message forward we basically skipped flirting and went straight to hard questions and answers. I grilled the poor man! I wasn’t on a dating app just to have fun and date lots of men. As I told Dennis later on, I was looking for the entire package: a man of faith and integrity; romantic; good looking; fun; financially stable and willing to enter into my very public life.

Dennis was the sweetest surprise I didn’t expect and his love and strength have healed my heart one day at a time.

You can read all the details of our love story in Part 1 (Surprise! I’m Getting Married!) and Part 2 (Love in our 60’s). After 10 months of long distance dating we were married on August 31, 2024. Three weeks later I moved to VA where I now share our Craftsman style home and God’s goodness in our redemption story.

My desire is to be a real and transparent light for Jesus with home ideas and inspiration thrown in. You won’t find fake here my friends. God isn’t done with either of our stories!

About Marty’s Musings

Here you’ll find fun crafts, inexpensive decorating ideas with a few larger DIY projects as well. I love to repurpose items I find at yard sales, thrift stores or even on the side of the road. Paint is my best friend and you’ll have your choice of dozens of painting projects to try on your own.

You’ll also find decorating projects for each season to help add a little love to your home for the holidays.

None of us have the perfect home (or life for that matter!) so I’ll walk with you as you learn how to take what you have and make it even better. You don’t have to have any certain knowledge to apply the principles I share in every post.

You may have to start small but I’m here to guide you along the way! We can do this, my friend!

To get you started on the road to creating your own beautifully authentic home, here are some of my reader’s favorite posts!

FUN FACTS

• I started yardsaling in college and haven’t stopped! As a young mom many years ago I relied on deals to keep my family clothed and in toys! As a homeschooling mom of 23 years I also used the same thrifty ideas to teach my kids life skills and living within their budget.
• The beating desire of my heart is to encourage women in hard places with hope. I want everything you find on my website to lift you up and help you find hope in the little things.
• If you had told me years ago that I would one day write a blog about home decor I would have laughed! I’m completely untrained except for google research and practicing what I’ve learned. I love what I love and don’t apologize for it!

I’ve Been Featured In:

Contact Me

The best way to stay in touch and not miss a single project is by subscribing below!

SaveSave

SaveSave