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Favorite Finds

Favorite Finds

another alarm clock jackpot, a pet jug & other finds…

Kriste and I went on a shopping trip/field trip today as planned.  It was so fun having someone along to bounce ideas off of, to point things out and to brainstorm a bit.  (Mom, you’re great to shop with, too.  Had to throw that out there.) Anyway, we throughly combed every aisle at the craft store…filling the cart with things for seasonal projects, glitter projects, photo shoots, milk paint projects and the look book two.  We came up with some ideas that I’m pretty excited about. We also went to a local antique mall to look mostly for photo shoot props and things to sell in the online shop and at the Chapel Market In October.  Do you remember the alarm clock jackpot I hit a few weeks ago?  We were in that exact booth today and I started turning around to point out the spot where I last scored a bunch

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Before and Afters

silvertone finds a home & French chairs get a fresh start

I’ve been working on restoring an antique Silvertone phonograph for a few months.  I got into painting furniture, because stripping, refinishing and restoring is so tedious and takes forever.  Just give me a brush and a couple of hours and let it be done!  But, sometimes it’s worth it and I’ve found a labor of love is good for my patience every now and then. I have wanted a photograph for several years and finally got one in a furniture lot I purchased shortly before the Lucketts Spring Market this year.  It had good bones and still worked (yay!), but it had been neglected and showed some pretty nasty water damage. I cleaned, stripped, sanded, stained and refinished the piece and, I must say, I am super proud of myself and how it turned out.  We do still need to replace the veneer on the bottom of the sides and

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Favorite Finds

the last finds & best pancakes in the world

Over the years, I’ve shared a lot of pictures of treasures I found in my Oma and Opa’s attic and some things I got from their house after my Opa died.  A few months ago, I went with my mom to clean their house and prepare it to sell.  After all of my years of treasure hunting (with permission, of course), I left the house with my last finds.  It was a little sad that the days of poking through bug-eaten boxes with the hopes of finding something cool were over.  There would be no more discoveries made. As I was cleaning out my basement this past week, I found a paper bag of things I brought home from his house that I never unpacked.  It was a little taste of the joy felt when finding something in the attic.  To add to that feeling, I had totally forgotten what was

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Favorite Finds

le bon lait, a bed frame & peppers

I have to admit that this purchase was a total impulse buy.  A few weeks ago, I was looking through Furniture Feature Friday links to pick out my favorites.  As I was scanning through the thumbnails, I clicked on this table makeover inspired by Country Living by Kathy of South of Main… My eyes were immediately drawn to the Normandie milk bottle.  Oh, I would love that for photo shoots and to actually use!  It’s blue and white with cows on it and looks like a vintage French find…  It’s totally me.  So, I dropped everything I was doing and started searching for one.  They were apparently available at World Market, but I don’t have one near me, so I dug around online and bought two from Etsy. I did get so sidetracked that I missed posting FFF on time and I didn’t select favorites.  All because of a milk bottle… …and it was

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Favorite Finds

anthropologie finds

We just got back from a week in North Carolina.  We started out with three days at the beach, which was awesome. (I had crazy hair the entire time, but I just have to be at peace with that when I’m in humidity and wind.) My boys have never been swimming in the ocean before. They did some wading in Maine a couple of years ago, but it was way too cold to swim.  It was so amazing for me, as their mom, to watch them rolling in the surf, laughing, jumping over the waves.  We didn’t have the greatest weather, but we had just enough clear sky to build sand castles, collect shells, swim, stroll in the surf and just sit in some beach chairs with our toes in the sand. When the weather wasn’t cooperating, we hung out at the pool inside the hotel and the boys loved that

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Favorite Finds

finding an "antique" queen guest bed

I’m still sorting through all of the inquiries about the bed that I received in response to yesterday’s post, but I think it’s safe to assume I’m going to be able to find a buyer for it!  I also received a lot of interesting comments about the price of the bed, so I’m going to speak to that in another post. I think you’ll all be interested in know why I price some things so low.  It has a lot to do with who I am and where this business started.  That’s for another post, though.  This post is about what will be replacing the hand painted Bavarian bed.   Now that we’re switching the guest bed from a full to a queen, I wanted to find a proper frame for the bed.  Jeff didn’t understand this.  He said something like, “You just put it on one of those metal

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Favorite Finds

a quilt, petite typewriter, ironstone & more

I have a few more finds from my shopping trip last week to share.  I told you…when I go shopping, I don’t mess around.  I want to come home with a van full of stuff, so it’s really worth my time away from “the office.”  Here are a few more things I found… I love this blue & white quilt.  It spoke to me, so I had to pick it up. I’ve learned to listen to that gut instinct that says, “this is a great piece.” I love how the small squares of blue graduate from indigo to a paler shade.  This quilt was ombre before it was cool. French chairs always speak to me loud and clear. This one has a pretty wood frame and was a good price.  I know I’m in for a battle, but I am going to remove the nailhead trim and reupholster it.  It’s

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Favorite Finds

ask miss mustard seed & more finds

I am asked a lot of great questions in the comments on my blog. Some I answer in a reply to their comment and some I just shoot an e-mail to, because it’s easier.  I received a couple of really good questions over the weekend, though, so I thought I would answer them in a post. The first question was asked by a few people…  Do I worry about lead paint on the chippy old stuff I bring home?  Before I give you my thoughts on it, let me be very clear in saying that lead can cause serious health issues and shouldn’t be taken lightly.  If the piece was painted pre-1978, the paint most likely contains lead and should be handled appropriately.  You can read all about the dangers of lead HERE on the EPA website.  Since I am not an expert, I’m referring you to that material and

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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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