Hi, friends! I’m Marty Walden, the DIYer, crafter and home decorator behind Marty’s Musings. I’m a southern girl who believes you can build a beautiful home and a beautiful next chapter, even when life looks nothing like you planned. You don’t have to wait for the perfect house, the perfect budget, or the perfect season. Let’s start where you are, today.

About Marty Walden

I’m just an ordinary woman who’s willing to try

I have no special training, only a willingness to try new things, mess up, and try again. Everything I know about paint, thrifting, and decorating I learned by doing it, and sometimes by doing it wrong. Yard sales and thrift stores are my jam. I’ve been hunting deals since college, and I love taking a secondhand find and giving it new life in my own home. Living on less doesn’t mean your home can’t be beautiful.

When the life I planned fell apart

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 my heart 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. And what I learned surprised me: owning less is freeing.

That little cottage became my healing place. Painting a wall, refinishing a piece of furniture, and learning one new skill after another gave me something to hold onto during a season of crippling grief. I had to let go of “what could have been” and trust that “what is” would one day be a beautiful story of God’s redemptive work. I didn’t have to understand why. I only had to believe that He is bigger than I can see.

Sharing my story and finding hope

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.

A next chapter I never expected

Not long after, I felt a nudge from God that my story wasn’t over. The idea of dating again terrified me, but it gave me hope too. After a lot of prayer, I signed up for eharmony, and I reached out to a handsome man in Virginia named Dennis. I grilled that poor man with hard questions from the very first message! I was looking for a man of faith and integrity, one who was kind, fun, and willing to step into my very public life.

Dennis was the sweetest surprise, and his love has healed my heart one day at a time. After ten months of long-distance dating, we were married on August 31, 2024. Three weeks later, I moved to Virginia, where we now share our Craftsman-style home and make it our own, one project at a time. You can read our love story in Part 1 and Part 2.

What you’ll find at Marty’s Musings

Easy DIY projects, budget-friendly decorating ideas, thrifty makeovers, painting tips, and seasonal decor for every holiday, all made to help you turn the home you have into one you love. I believe a beautiful home is one that feels like you, not one that looks like a magazine. And I believe a beautiful life works the same way.

None of us has a perfect home, or a perfect life for that matter. So I’ll walk with you as you take what you have and make it better. You don’t need any special skills. You may need to start small, and that’s okay. We can do this, my friend!

My heart’s desire is to be a real and transparent light for Jesus, with home ideas and inspiration thrown in. You won’t find fake here. God isn’t done with your story, and He’s not done with mine.

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