Order Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

Antiques

Antiques

Lucketts Eve

I’ve been having a few technical difficulties this evening, so I posted some of these pictures and this information on Facebook and Twitter already.  It’s getting late and I know 5:15 am is going to come very quickly, so I’m going to keep this brief. Today was about all of the last minute details like making “sold” tags.  It’s one of those things that won’t make me any money and some people might not care about, but I think it just looks nice to have cute sold tags. So, if you see a craft tag tied on with a red and white string on a piece, you know it’s sold.  (I’m selling some of this string tomorrow, too.) Speaking of sold, here’s a look at the custom sign I made for Jami of Freckled Laundry.   She requested a lavender sign and this is what I came up with. See?

Read More
Antiques

Shopping Day for Lucketts & a Twitter Party

I took a step away from the painting and sanding and upholstering to do a bit of shopping for Lucketts.  Once I got the boys off to school, I got my P90X workout out of the way, showered, ate breakfast and packed a healthy lunch to take with me. (Balance, remember?)  I went to one of my favorite local shops… (The beverage cart was on hold for someone else, but I bought this stool…) …and then I went to an antique mall I had never been to before.  AWESOME!!  This place was huge and it took me about three hours to get through.  Towards the third hour, I was getting “antique mall eyes” where it was hard for me to see anything in the booths.  I had made a huge mess of a pile at the register and filled my van with all sorts of goodies.  Thanks so much to

Read More
Antiques

New Vanity & More Finds

I have been buying some furniture lately to sell at the Lucketts Spring Market, but I’ve found a couple of pieces that are keepers.  Now, when I keep something, especially a piece of furniture, then something else has to leave.  This keeps my inventory up and allows me to “trade up” for my home without becoming a hoarder.  Here’s the “keeper” vanity I bought last week in its new place… The vanity I used before is special to me, because it belonged to my grandmother, but it’s not really my style.  I have a lot of pieces that belonged to her that I really love, so I decided to let the vanity go. The new vanity has some issues…missing veneer and a missing knob, but I’m willing to work with those.   …and the wood is just too beautiful to paint…at least for now.   I’m starting to make some

Read More
Antiques

Craigslist Dresser & Eulalie’s Sky

 I am in major shopping mode for the Lucketts Antique Market, which is just over two weeks away!  Yikes!  So, I was cruising craigslist.com last night and found this beauty right in my own back yard.  (Well, not literally.)  My dad picked it up for me today and she is a beauty. Most pieces I buy are pretty rough, but this one is in perfect condition. It’s so beautiful, that I’ve decided to keep it for my guest room and I’m going to sell this one instead… That’s how it goes around here.  Out with the old and in with the older! I also wanted to give a sneak peek of some smaller pieces I painted for the fair in one of my new MMS Milk Paint colors…   I’m going to be introducing six new colors and will paint a dresser with each of them, as I did with

Read More
Antiques

The perfect candidate & the perfect match

 As you probably know, I’m on the hunt for things to fix up to take to Lucketts, especially furniture.  I have to be focused on building the stash, but a couple of pieces that I intended for the fair are staying in my house.  One of them, the vanity/desk is just too perfect for my bedroom to sell and this dresser… …is the perfect candidate for a project I was just hired to do.  I recently finished a round of kitchen and bedroom project tutorials for HGTV.com and now have been hired to tackle some bathroom projects. Our master bathroom was pretty low on the makeover priority list, but when it’s my job, it gets bumped way up the list!  Woohoo!  This dresser is not only beautiful, but it’s the perfect measurements to convert it into a bathroom sink vanity, so I can’t let it go.   Just imagine this

Read More
Antiques

A look at my stash…

Last week I worked on organizing all of the junk (and good stuff) in my basement.  I then worked on sorting and pricing and ended up with two main piles.  One is the pile of stuff that I need to do something to – paint, upholster, fix, etc… The other main pile is stuff that is priced and ready to go… …and now my basement is starting to fill up with things that are ready to be repaired, reupholstered and painted… I’m selling my dining room set, so we’re going to sure up a few of the chairs and I still need to put some finishing touches and upholster the seats of two of them. I just brought home this French settee to upholster with some of my Hungarian linens (I’m a glutton for punishment)… …and a dresser and the primitive cabinet from my office are waiting for repairs and

Read More
Antiques

The one that got away…then didn’t.

A few weeks ago, I got the auction itch.  I need to find things for Lucketts and auctions are a great way to get a bunch of things in one place…sometimes.  So, I browsed online to see what was up for sale at an auction I used to frequent.  I saw something that made me pick up the phone immediately and place an absentee bid – ironstone.  Lots of ironstone.  Three boxes of sugar bowls (sans lids) and two boxes of platters.  Since they were boxed, I knew they would be sold as a lot.  I placed a strong bid and waited; waited for the phone to ring the next day to tell me I had won.  The phone didn’t ring. I’ve actually had conversations about those sugar jars and how I can’t believe my bid didn’t win them.  I was really disappointed.  They got away and I was sure

Read More
Antiques

More finds for the fair…

Those of you who have read my blog for a long time are familiar with the weeks leading up to the Lucketts Antique Market in May.  It’s always a frenzy of shopping, painting/repairing/refinishing/upholstering furniture, getting together fillers and old standbys as well.   For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, it’s held once a year (the third weekend in May) on the grounds of The Old Lucketts Store in Lucketts, Virginia.  This year, they will have over 170 vendors, the design house will be open and they have lots of other awesome things going on. If you’re considering coming for the first time this year, here’s a little tip…  If you’re coming to do some die-hard, no nonsense, wait in line and run for the best stuff kind of shopping, show up early Saturday.  It is craziness from 10-2:00 and that’s when a lot of the best stuff is

Read More

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.

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

NEW ONLINE ART COURSE

Paint a Pet Portrait You’ll Love

Learn to paint pet portraits in oils with confidence, even if you’re a beginner. In this new course, Marian will guide you step by step through creating expressive animal portraits filled with color, personality, and your own artistic touch. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when the course opens.

Now Available

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

Recent Video

Fall Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest