Before and Afters Archives | Miss Mustard Seed

Before and Afters

All Things Home

slipcovered recliner | take two

I shared a couple of weeks ago that my parents gave us an old recliner that was much better than the Facebook Marketplace recliner we’d been using. I was hesitant to replace it simply because I spent so much time making a slipcover for it, but it wasn’t the best recliner ever. There was a reason it was listed for $50. The recliner my parents gave us is very comfortable, but it’s also bulky. The padded back and wider arms aren’t as graceful as one I would select new, but it was hard to turn down a comfortable free chair that’s been well cared for and still has a lot of life left. I felt like a slipcover, and a blanket folded over the back would camouflage the padding that isn’t to my taste. I could retain the comfort while making it work better with my aesthetic preferences. So, my

July 27, 2026 23 Comments

All Things Home

adding a new shelf to an antique pine hutch

When it comes to knocking projects out, I have learned that it helps to pay attention to the tools and materials I have out and try to hit projects that need those same tools and materials. For example, while the sewing machine is out and threads are all over the floor, it makes sense to work on several sewing projects on my list. If I have ceiling paint out, let me complete a couple of ceilings instead of just one. It can add a lot more time to a project that might’ve been short and sweet, but it does save time and sometimes money in the long run. So, when we were buying pine boards for the mantel project and had our job site table saw set up on the driveway, I decided to pick up a rough pine board to make another shelf for the antique pine hutch in

November 28, 2023 28 Comments

Before and Afters

the vintage Drexel dining set & recovering a chair seat

A few of you noticed the new dining room set when I shared the fall tablescape earlier this week. We bought an antique dining set last year just a few days before Christmas off of Facebook Marketplace for $40. I had been searching for a dining set since we moved into the house and I just wasn’t finding the one. I was feeling a bit bummed about not having a table and chairs for the dining room for Christmas, though, so I jumped at the chance to get a set for $40. That was less than we would spend on a dinner out for our family so it was worth it. We made a few initial repairs to some of the chairs as well as to the stretchers on the table and it was good enough, but the table was just a little bit too wide for the room and

September 27, 2023 25 Comments

All Things Home

slipcovered living room ottoman

As I’ve been sharing about the soft furnishings in our living/family room this week, several people have asked about the coexistence of our cats with upholstered and slip-covered pieces. Having lived with cats most of my life, I know they can be destructive and it was one of my primary reservations when we considered bringing some kittens into our home almost four years ago. But, my lap was aching for some cats and I enjoyed their company, antics, and humor so much that I was willing to put concerns about our furniture aside. We gave our cats cardboard scratchers and plenty of toys and engagement early on, so neither one of them are big furniture scratchers. They even leave our jute rugs alone as well as other textures that cats might naturally be drawn to. There is a piece that they have favored, specifically Violet. They like the ottoman in

September 7, 2023 17 Comments

All Things Home

making a slipcover for a recliner

Shortly after we moved in, I bought a manual wingchair recliner off of Facebook Marketplace for $40. I had a feeling it would be a “placeholder” for a nicer recliner in the future, but it seemed like a good tester piece. We could see how much we used it, see how it fit in the room (while fully open), and help us make a more informed decision in the future. I intended to make a slipcover for this recliner, but after using it for a few weeks, it became clear that it wasn’t worth the effort or the cost. The chair wasn’t comfortable and piece by piece, the mechanism was falling apart and got to the point where it would just randomly pop open. So, for almost a year, I looked around at recliners. I looked at new and used and was very wishy-washy and undecided. I didn’t mind saving

September 5, 2023 29 Comments

Before and Afters

reviving an antique wood hutch

I’m not sure if you were aware, but we do have rooms in our house other than the kitchen! We’ve been talking so much about the kitchen lately, I’ve still been doing a little bit of this and that in other rooms and, as the kitchen renovation is coming to a conclusion, I’m already excited about transforming other spaces. The projects will be much smaller, though, and we’ll be doing all of the work ourselves. It’ll be a good long while before we tackle some of the other larger outstanding projects, like renovating both bathrooms, replacing more windows, etc. While the big projects are flashy, the smaller ones are honestly more my speed. Just me and a paintbrush and a sewing machine. Organizing, rearranging, decorating, fluffing. I still need to paint the dining room walls and figure out exactly what I want to do in the room (another mural is

August 7, 2023 22 Comments

1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | the antique baker’s table island

You’ve been seeing little peeks of it, but let me show you the refinished antique baker’s table and how it looks in the kitchen. As a reminder, I found this antique baker’s table at the Lucketts Spring Market a few weeks ago. I had purchased a pine counter from a blog reader for $200 (you can see that HERE), but I wasn’t convinced it was the island. It was worth picking up, though, so I had something to use until I found just the right one and I wouldn’t feel pressured. Plus, it will make a fantastic folding counter for the laundry room or in the garage as a workbench. It was a no-lose purchase. But, when I was at Lucketts, finding the kitchen island was still on my list. As I shared in my post about shopping at the Lucketts Spring Market, I initially looked at antique shop counters,

June 15, 2023 77 Comments

All Things Home

my French dining room chairs

If you’ve followed me for while (even through this most recent move out of our MN home), you know that I’m pretty game to sell just about anything. I can’t tell you how many times Jeff has come home to an empty space where a piece of furniture once sat. He’s gotten to the point that he just shrugs and goes about his day. But there are a few pieces that I haven’t parted with, even with some pretty good offers being extended. Four of those pieces are the French chairs I’ve had in my PA dining room as well as my MN dining room. They were chairs that I hunted down for years, customized, and I can’t imagine myself selling them. Since I got them years ago and they went through a slow transformation that was documented over several posts, I thought I would share the full story of

July 25, 2022 21 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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