I feel like I could write for a week straight and still forget to share things I want to share about the time leading up to Lucketts and the event itself. The recap and tutorials and before & afters and stories and pictures and lessons learned will come…but not in this post.
Yes, we had some stinky weather.
Despite that, this was my most successful Lucketts Fair ever. By a lot. And in more ways than can be kept in a money box and counted at the end of the day.
I took enough to Lucketts to fill a 20 ft truck and my van. I came home with a van load and a few things in the back of a pick up. I met amazing people, cried with some of them, laughed with others.
It was all amazing and I can’t wait to share more about it.
Tonight, though, I think it’s fitting to thank my family, who supported me. My dad picked up and repaired furniture for me and was the “master packer” for our customers on Saturday. My husband fixed furniture, watched our boys when I needed to work in the evenings, secured my tent on Thursday (not a drop of water touched my stuff), and delivered furniture and bulky items to customer’s vehicles on Saturday. I could not have pulled this weekend off without those guys.
As I got to the end of this marathon, though, and I was tired and ready to quit, it was my mom who came jogging beside me, telling me that I could do it…pulling me by the hand…towards the finish. There have been a few times when I’m getting ready for Lucketts and I hit a wall. I can’t crawl around on the floor anymore or sew one more pillow or mix one more batch of milk paint. My mom, every bit as tired as I am, crawls on the floor for me, sews the pillow I pinned or figures out something she can do to help me finish as strong as I can.
My family carried me to the finish and cheered me on as I took the final step over the line.
85 Responses
You did a beautiful job. Your dad packed my purchases (which were many!) and I could have traveled overseas and not broken a thing! I love how your family supports you and all the work you do.
You did awesome and it truely is a feat! Yeah you!
So wonderful that you have such a wonderful family to support you! Looking forward to your upcoming posts and hoping for a ton of photos.
What an awesome FAMILY you have!!! Happy to hear that the show was your best so far.
Blessings,
Linda
So glad all your hard work paid off, in more ways than one. It was a pleasure to meet you on Saturday afternoon. Many thanks for autographing my new copy of your book–that makes it particularly special.
I missed you this year, thought about you many times this weekend, even went over to the china cabinet and touched that beautiful piece of ironstone I bought from you last year…maybe next year!
Dear Marian,
Just a note to tell you that i smiled reading this and felt warm inside because we have similar families it sounds like to me. How wonderful. Reading your blog and seeing your amazing work inspires me so. Thank you. For all that you do, all that you share with us, and making us all feel capable of doing at least some of all you can do. I love that your family all rallied round you. I will keep reading. After many years of wanting to work on my own from home and being inspired by YOU I opened my own little shop out of the barn in our yard. I sell antiques for a dear friend who is moving cross country, and am collecting things from yard sales and auctions to resell as well as getting ready to try my hand with milk paint on furniture. i have done pieces in acrylics in the past. cannot wait to sample your paint line and watch and learn from your tutorials. I feel excited and that what is happening with the barn (midnight barn) and selling one of my own paintings and begining some much anticipated projects to sell and help support my family of three. I am working on my website with a friend to be able to sell some of the pricier antiques on line since in the Hanover, Gettysburg and Westminster area there is a shortage of places to sell. We are probably close to you off route 97 n on the maryland side. i am off humbert school house road at the top of turkeyfoot road 4832.
I am learning from mistakes and know i sold some things too low the first two weeks. this is week four for my new business. my biggest customers have been others who buy and resell at their own stores and booths. but it is good. i am getting my feet wet and think it is possible as you say to “move mountains in your home.” My husband saw you on television several months ago and told me about you. I have enjoyed your blog and site so much.
Rest well from this awesome weekend you had. i look forward to reading your blogs and watching you succeed over the years to come.
Most respectfully,
Laura Hewitt
Midnight Farm
What an awesome blog! People sometimes do not realize just how much work it takes to do a show or event. Or how much it means to have that helping hand. Thanks for the inspiration to all of us to carry it through, to make our dreams come true.
I have a million things I would like to say. I want to say thank you for just being you. Your family, your friends, your customers…there is a reason you are loved the way you are, you give back and are so generous in every thing you do. Time for you to get some well deserved rest. Sending an extra hug your way. The one you shared with me today will never be forgotten, thank you, kindness matters…you are the best!
What a blessing to be able to do the work you love, with such support from the people you love ~ and who obviously love you very much. It’s a gift for sure. Enjoy a rest; you deserve it.
oh my gosh. I got carried away writing a comment to your lucket’s weekend and talked too much about what my own aspirations are and what is happening with me after being inspired by you. i am sorry for this. i actually tried to delete my comment but could not.
Laura, I think sharing your aspirations and successes with the one that inspired you is totally awesome! I enjoyed reading about it. There are those of us that think about putting our toes in the water, but just aren’t quite sure! 🙂 You GO, girl!
thank you. <3
Laura, I, too, enjoyed reading your comments and agreed with your sentiments of how Marian inspires us all to do more creatively — and to be transparent with our heart songs. Blessings on all your work. Leslie
thank you. i appreciate that. i got carried away writing to marian a little – cannot believe i added where we live. not a smart move. was hoping that marian would delete my message or respond to me. but i am sure she is super busy. i admire her very much and am grateful for all the information and stories she shares. marian – if you read this – please delete my address or post. thank you. and sorry.
I feel so grateful I got to meet you! Side story: earlier on Saturday, I drove 40 min to the nearest baby store that sold rain shields for my stroller so I could bring my baby with me. Every time I walk by the mustard yellow dresser I bought, I am giddy with excitement. Thanks for chatting with me and also a very special thanks to your husband and the young man who helped load the dresser into my car. It was a great experience all in all!
That was a beautiful tribute to your family! You are very blessed! Thanks for sharing!
Thought about you a lot this weekend Marian! I was working my booth at the Springfield Extraveganza here in Ohio and I had the sweetest neighbors – they use your paint to paint their gorgeous furniture 🙂 So glad you weekend was such a great success! Woo-Hoo!
Marian, you have earned a lot of rest. When you were posting your preparations last week, I thought then that you candle was burning at both ends already! We all appreciate all that you do and I think it’s awesome that your family is so supportive. What would we do without them, right? I’m going to make Luckett’s one of these days. I need to know early on when it is as I’m coming from Texas and can hardly wait!
I’m so happy to hear you’ve had a great weekend! And Thank God for your family being by your side. I’ve been so bummed this weekend for having to put that trip off. I’ve stalked the blogs looking for pics and updates! Lol and today (since I’m under Drs order to pretty much do nothing!), I’ve re-read almost all your archives! LOL. We have a LOT of the same likes and loves of things. My favorites in my house are my old antique step back cubboard, and my vintage rocking horse who could be the twin to yours! I can’t wait to see some pictures from your sale. I may be sad I missed it, but I keep telling myself next year will be just as great! Also my dad lives in North Carolina and I’ve actually been to the Luckets store before while visiting him, probably 6 or 7 years ago. So during this summers visit I will make another stop in there. Maybe ill get lucky and find a MMS antique chair!! 😉
Marti
OK, that settles it. I am going to have to do some serious planning ahead and make a trip up there next year! Following on the blog is great, but I think a trip to Luckett’s just made it onto my bucket list. I am from PA but live in Alabama now…am sure it would be well worth the trip. Marian, I so love your book! You are so real and instill passion and confidence in others. God bless you! Now…you deserve a loooooong nap!
kimberly, i have no other way of contacting you other than to leave a reply on MMS blog. i, too, live in alabama and would LOVE to go to luckett’s next year! i’m sure we could round up a car full (or rent a van) to make the trip. if you see this message, please contact me via e-mail at jdy277@aol.com and let’s see if we can make this happen!
What a blessing to have the support of your family every step of the way. When you described your mom and the help she’s given you, it sounded as if you were describing mine. She’s my biggest fan and has always helped me in big and small ways when I need it. Thanking God you have such a wonderful family and had a successful market.
Blessings,
~Angie
I don’t know how you even write a daily blog with young children! Let alone do all the things you have accomplished in just a few short years. It has to be God, right?
I wish I could have made it to Lucketts, I ended up spending a lot of the weekend watching my grandson whom I also babysit during the week. Seeing those baby dimples is the highlight of my day.
You are such an inspiration and so is your family:)
Sunday seemed to turn out much better than predicted. Rain early but then turned out very well rest of day. I was so glad for all of the vendors with their wonderful furniture. There were some great pieces and good prices as well. You had such a nice variety of pieces—none of which lasted long and most were sold within the first 5 or 10 minutes!!!! The milk paint is wonderful and very easy to use. All of your piece were done so well. Loved seeing you and having my book signed.
Congratulations Marian, you work so hard and your talent is so great,you deserve every good thing that comes your way.You have a wonderful support system and that is worth more than anything in the world. Blessings to you all.
Hi Marian! Just wanted to let you know how sorry I was that I didn’t get to say hello and meet you today. By the time I made my way to the Hometalk tent and yours, my daughter and I had just a few minutes before having to leave to relieve her babysitter. There were so many people in your tent that I didn’t want to interrupt. I hope to meet you another day soon! I did include you in my post about the market with a link to your blog, however. Glad you made it through this tremendous labor of love! Hugs, Leena
Hi Marian- I love to read stories of families pulling together to make things work. It was very touching to read this post.
I can imagine how exhausted you are!
Marian, it was wonderful meeting and talking with you and your lovely family. My mother and I had such a nice weekend away. It was such a good time despite a little bit of rain.
Thank you for talking me out of upholstering my chair. Remember I am the one just learning to sew. LOL Both my mother and I enjoyed talking with you while you signed our books. Your Dad did an amazing job wrapping up two the two ironstone pitchers. I proudly displayed them on top of my china cabinet within 10 minutes after coming in the house (I had to kiss the husband and one of the boys first, the other was out on a date).
Your booth was beautifully done and loved the bowls filled with “stuff”. Everything looked amazing and I got to meet some wonderful ladies (hi Gina from WV) that love your style and stuff just as much as I do too. Women were excited getting furniture and talking about what it meant to them to get a piece. One lovely lady gave one of the smaller boxwood wreathes to my mother. Gina from WV husband even found another smaller one for my mother (thank you). There was a lot love in that tent!
So glad to hear that it was very successful for you and hope you are resting today! Thanks again for everything. I loved your post.
Blessed you are!
What a lovely post about your family. I feel the same about my parents and husband and two little boys. They always have my back! Thanks for sharing this. Can’t wait to read more of Lucketts.
I admire your strength, your attitude and of course, your family! Wish I could make it to a Luckett’s weekend but I know it will never happen (long drive from Texas, especially at my age which is probably older than your Mom!!). But, I live vicariously through your posts and enjoy each of them. I can imagine the hard work that went into this weekend and as others have said, you are blessed to have such a wonderful family. They, too, are blessed to have you as a mom, wife and daughter! Glad the weekend was a success in more ways than one.
You’re blessed with a supporting family…the lessons your boys are learning from them are huge. My own family works hard together and we are always there for each other, bending over backwards to help. I’ve always felt bad for those who aren’t fortunate to have family close to them, either emotionally or physically. I think that’s why we frequently find so many others gathered around our farm table when there’s a really big project; people like being a part of our weird but loving family! That or my mom’s amazing cooking…
Family is what makes it all work out 🙂 So glad your weekend was a successful one! My mom is my rock and cheerleader all in one- I know how important that relationship is. It takes a village 😉
Congrats, Marian! It was so wonderful to meet you yesterday. And I meant to tell you that you looked fabulous! You can really tell all your hardwork is paying off! 🙂
So glad the rain didn’t spoil any of your sales! I looked up the weather for you area on Friday and thought “oh no!” we also got a lot of rain this weekend. Congrats on another successful Lucketts!
Your warm and supporting family is such a blessing! And I know they are very proud of you! Glad the weekend was a success, in spite of the weather. I never had a doubt that it would be perfect! And as always, nice to say hello to you again!
Dear Marian,
Will you please turn your website into a store so all of us can buy your fabulous treasures?
Hire a bunch of people to ship out glass glitter, wreaths, linens, dishes, books, tags,
string, spools, cow pictures, rugs,…you name it, we’ll buy it.
I speak for thousands who can’t make it to Luckett’s. We want in on the fun too!
We love you!
Kelli Girsch – Buybabydeals.com
I think her Dad is going into the shipping business :). Web store coming soon
Wonderful post, Marian! I am so happy for you and your family that Luckett’s was such a success for you (though I never doubted it wouldn’t be). As an artist and entrepreneur, I think it is absolutely crucial to have the support of your family and friends, and it is very evident that your family is right there with you every step of the way! Just a great reminder, that at the end of the day, regardless of rain or shine physically or metaphorically, family is the most important thing in our lives! Thanks again for a great post, have a wonderful day! I hope you get some relaxation in this week, you deserve it 🙂
Such a true blessing to have a family that is so helpful and supportive – plus it just makes it all more fun! congrats to you!
I am so impressed with all you have done. But the most impressive is the support from your family. You are a very lucky woman!
Awwwww… now THAT’S success. Doing what you love, working hard, making some money doing it, having support from family and friends, crying, laughing… that’s a life well lived!
Cindy
You are blessed! I have to tell you as I was standing in line to get into the show, a few women were asking Henry (from Lucketts) about where you were located inside the gate. My husband who was standing next to me was just taking this all in. As we went through the gate, as is my normal routine, I head to the back of the show and work my way back towards the gate. And there you were, my husband followed at a slower pace, looking in different booths. But as we met up later, he asked me what this Miss Mustard Seed all about…lol! He had come up to your booth a few times and there was a line coming out. After my second time through, and a beautiful Silver water pitcher later, he was out there chatting it up with your father, I’m sure he still doesn’t understand. 😉 As always, everyone in your booth, friendly and helpful! Rest today, kick those feet up and congratulate yourself on a job well done!
Aww, I choked up a lil reading this post! You are so blessed! My 2 sisters and I take a trip every year and we decided to do our annual trip to Lucketts next year! I’ve never been and I’m so excited!!
You guys are a wonderful team! It was great to be there and see you all in action. Mr. Mustard Seed helped carry THE CHAIR to my car, which was a fair distance away, and I so appreciated his help. You’ve got a great family, indeed. Glad it was a success in so many ways for you.
It was indeed a pleasure to meet and talk to you yesterday, if only for a few minutes. Your mom is absolutely adorable and she kept me entertained as I waited to have you sign my book. After reading this post, I feel so ashamed for feeling so drained today after doing the show. My poor husband, who was with me working our booth the entire weekend (and did so much before and after), had to get up and go to work early this morning as I got to sleep in. He will get a good dinner tonight! 🙂 You are truly an inspiration to so many people and your posts always give me that kick-in-the-behind that I need to carry on. Thank you so much for being a positive role model to us all. XOXO
It was such a pleasure seeing you again this year at the Spring Market! You are always so personable and pleasant. Thank you for the inspiration!
I think what I like most about you is your ability to motivate others to find their own “mustard seed” and do what they want in their home. Copying you defeats the purpose of your story. Motivating people to find their own style and their own voice is your true calling. You truly are an inspiration and have given me the confidence to refinish furniture for my bathroom vanity, put that rusty gate on my wall as art, and take what others deem as old throw aways and use it for a new purpose.
I’m sure it was all so awesome but even greater is to have friends and family to support you in every way. I most certainly can’t do half of what you are doing so here’s to you for pulling it off yet again. Now put your feet up for a bit, lady!
What a blessing to have such a supportive family!
Marian, it was great seeing you again and meeting your mom….You are blessed with such an incredibly supportive family…and I am so happy that this year’s Lucketts event was such a great success…and it was the result of your hard work and the hard work of your family…Hope you are enjoying a much needed rest!!
I wish I lived near you. California is just too far away. Best of luck, keep up the wonder work and blog for all of us to enjoy. ENVY, written all over me.
Love
Linda
Inside Etc & Design
from the
OC, California
Hello there Miss Mustard Seed!
I am so very happy for your success! Also for your blessing of a supportive family. I’m not really sure why, but I got a little teary-eyed just reading this post. Last year I had gallbladder surgery and was confined to bed for a time. So in order to not go crazy, I began reading blogs. Yours will always be the “Original” blog for me and this now love affair/obsession I have. I subscribe to many blogs and hope to have my own someday – I even pretend I have talent and revive tired furniture pieces to stand tall in their beautifulness :). You will always be an inspiration to me and I wish you many many more years of success, family and Lucketts!
Thank you for bringing us into your lives.
🙂 Your booth looked great as usual! Sorry I didn’t stick around and chat. I always feel bad monopolizing people’s time when other customers are behind me or waiting to talk to you. Glad it was a success! I had no doubt it would be. 🙂
I am so happy that you had an amazingly successful weekend! You do so much for your readers with your posts and tutorials and just by being you! What you said about your Mom reminded me about how my mom was always my biggest fan. You are so fortunate to have your Mom, Dad, husband and boys around you to cheer you on! Looking forward to more tutorials!!!
I am so thrilled you had such an amazing . weekend. I am even more thrilled to see families working together, lifting each other up, and providing a lending hand through it all. You are so blessed in so many ways:) Congrats and can’t wait to see all your posts to come regarding this trip. The pictures shown are gorgeous. I saw that bookcase and pictured it being torn apart within 5 minutes and all of it sold–yet we would always treat MMS work with delicate hands!
God Bless you dear girl, this post is really what life is about, family being there beside you thru thick and thin. So glad that your event was your most successful yet and that you have the clarity to realize that you have such an amazing family. Take a break and rest up, I am sure all of you need it and then I cant wait to see what you have for us next…I do so love everything you do, and yes when you sold ‘the chair’ I did do a HUGE gasp!! it was so funny!
As a young woman to consider and be so sure to thank your family, realize how much they are there for you is saying a great deal for you Marian. I’m not a regular commentor but do read them, follow your progress. I am so proud of the person you are let alone what else you do in your life. Please keep your humility no matter how successful you are.
Very glad to hear how wonderfully you did at the Luckett’s show. You’ve worked hard to get where you are and I’m pretty sure have had to make sacrifices you might not have had to if you’d taken a different path in your life. God is indeed in your heart. Your family must be so proud of the person you are let alone what you’ve achieved along the way.
There’s just so much of you to go around so try to rest and let things be except for your wonderful family. God bless you Marian and all you love.
Can hardly wait to see what you’ll have up your sleeve when you get back at it.
I am so glad you had such a successful sale. I never doubted it for a moment. You are so blessed with angels for family . Your mom is a jewel and treasure her everyday. This made me cry because I miss my mom everyday. She was so talented and could do anything. I just wish I had taken the time to learn to sew, knit, crochet, build things and upholstery just to name a few. There was nothing she and I would not try. My dad died when I was 20 and I wish I had been by his side learning carpentry. He was also very talented. He built furniture (and without all the fancy tools of today) and he and 2 or 3 of his friends built our farmhouse. It was beautiful – fireplace, hardwood floors – you name it. I am so sorry it was torn down. We still have our old barn that I spent so much time playing in and pretending I had a horse. It is beautiful – the next time I am home I plan to take a picture and have it blown up very large.
I am so happy to hear you did so well at Luckett’s. Not that I ever had any doubt you would be successful. You are truly an inspiration. As I am struggling to motivate myself to make a drop cloth slipcover for my couch(thanks to you tutorial) I keep thinking of what you accomplish every day with 2 small children. That is all the motivation I need.
Looking forward to all the upcoming tutorials and posts.
Your post made me a little teary — you are one lucky lady to have such a loving and supportive family. Congrats on your sales at Lucketts. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it. After you’ve slept for a week, and had a few cocktails.
Your post brought tears to my eyes. You so lovingly acknowledged your wonderful family and when so often family is just taken for granted. I just thought you were great for doing that.
I too am teary eyed after reading your initial summary and appreciation to your family for all they did for you. God is so good and his plan for families sounds like it’s definitely working in your household. Love makes it all happen and respect for one another. I so appreciate the others comments of your weekend success, but most of all I love and honor the woman that you are. God Bless You and your family….Miss Mustard Seed. That’s all it takes isn’t it, is just a grain of mustard seed! Love you……from Texas.
You made it! Loved reading the fitting tribute to your family. I loved “watching them in action ” on Saturday. 🙂 Rest up dear Miss Mustard Seed. You deserve it.
Wow! What a post! Your writing made the atmosphere of the weekend palpable. It is wonderful that you have such gratitude for your amazing family and their sustaining support. You are deserving of all successes! Break a leg, girl!
Congrats on having a successful sale! Can’t wait to see pics and hear more.
One day I’m going to make it to Luckett’s. Sounds like it was well worth all the hard work. Congratulations on another success.
You are ridiculously lucky to have that kind of support. I get a lot of lip service, but rarely that kind of hands on support. You are one lucky girl!
Yay for families! I am so blessed to have an awesome supportive family too. So wonderful to hear you sing their praises. Well done team. 🙂
Thanks for the reminders on what is really important !! Support from family ( and friends) is so terrific Glad you did well at the fair, knew that you would. It is very, very tiring doing a show like that, I have a little antiques business( really a hobby) and have done outdoor shows too.Have a good rest this week and will look forward to your online store!! God Bless
God bless family!!!!!
We had a blast helping our baby girl. It was such fun preparing and then being there. Marian has the best fans any blogger could have. So thank you to all who cry and laugh with her and share Your stories and read her journey each day . We have met such wonderful people and are blessed to now live nearby. Job well done Miss Mustard Seed!
Mom and Dad
You have such a way with words. I can’t wait to read your blogs. Thought about you Sat and Sun and hoped all went well and glad it did. You bring out so many emotions in all of your faithful followers of which I am proud to say I am one of them. Thank you for being you!
God bless your family, Marian. It’s so nice to know that families are still there for each other!
You make sure to get some rest now for a while. We all are willing to wait to hear about it all while you rest!!
I loved this post, for all the news of great results and the tale of the love of family. You are an inspiration, Miss Marian, in so many ways! Can’t wait to see all the posts to come!
Bravo Marian!
Now it is time to kick back and let the world turn without you for a couple of days.
We’ll be waiting to hear all about your Luckett’s stories just as soon as you are rested and are ready to write, again.. Very pleased for you that it went so well..
Oh Marian …what a sweet post. You are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and I know they are very proud of you. So glad you did well and had a good time. Not now, but later you will look forward to another Lucketts.
Hugs,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
Reading about your mom made me cry. My mom, prior to her diagnosis of Alzheimers and her death, use to come over prior to shows and sew, pin, paint, whatever I needed and never once complained. Even when my temper would grow short of her lack of expertise she was quiet and kind and giving. I would do well to live up to her image for my children. At shows she always came around, offering to get food, watch the booth, whatever. This was in my pre children crafting days. Now that I’m getting back into it I sure could use her help but more than anything would just love to hear her soft voice and feel her hugs again, letting me know that it would all work out. Cherish your parents.
You are blessed, truly blessed. You have a wonderful family; the kind money can’t buy. So glad you had such a successful show. Hoping you are getting some good rest now.
WOW!!! What an amazing testimony of family! I absolutely LOVE IT!!! ‘When people BELIEVE in you enough to BE your sidekick, support & strength, there can Never be a better of LOVE or Self Esteem builder than that! That says it all! And you my Sister ARE BLESSED!!!!
Well done, well said. We do hardly anything in life, without the help of another. Some way, some how. This is family at its finest. That all by itself is enough to celebrate, in a very big way! Lucky girl!
I have to say, reading your post today brought a tear to my eye, seriously. So glad you had a successful event though it was so nice to hear/read that your family was there beside you, with you all the way through. That’s what life is~our precious families.
Look forward to reading more about your time at Lucketts.
And that is one of the characteristics I really like about you Marian. You love your family and work with them, listen to them and appreciate them. Woo hoo on your best ever Lucketts sales! I love it when a plan comes together and glorifies God and family.
Oh my goodness, I love the tribute to your family – especially the last few lines about your mom. Lovely. Made me cry, too because I have been that tired before and felt as though I could not go on. One of these years I am going to make it to the Lucketts show and visit your booth(with lots of money) because I love everything you do! What a blessing you are with your God given talent!