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All Things Home

All Things Home

blue onion jackpot

If you don’t know what “blue onion” is, well, let me introduce you! Blue onion is a blue & white transferware design found on dishes and serving pieces.  The Rice jar in the back left is the classic blue onion design and the rest are variations, but can be referred to generically as “blue onion”, although the pattern is a little different. Anyway, I found an amazing collection of it when I went out antiquing last week.  I went to an antique mall I’ve never been to and, while they can be hit and miss, I love that I’m scouring a place for the first time.  You just never know what you’re going to find that’s been overlooked by other people.  I strolled into a booth that was packed with shelves and a lot of vintage clothing and accessories.  But on one of those acrylic shelves, I caught a glimpse

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All Things Home

Room Refresh & Renew with Birch Lane

I have shared in the past that rugs are my nemesis when it comes to decorating.  It’s just so hard to find a rug that works with everything happening in a room.  I threw in the towel and had pretty much all jute and seagrass rugs in the house.  I love the look of them and I have found certain styles that feel comfortable underfoot, but the one that was in our bedroom was not one of those.  It was scratchy and rope-like and definitely not comfortable.  The problem was that I needed a large rug, 9 x 12, and it had to work with the fabric wall and I didn’t want to spend thousands on it. I’ve been looking for a long time and haven’t found anything that I loved for a reasonable price. When I was asked by Birch Lane if I would like to work with them on

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All Things Home

top 5 tips for decorating on a budget | part 1

When I was in New Hampshire, speaking at the Sage Farm Antiques Market, I gave a presentation on decorating on a budget.  As I prepped for that and then as I was teaching, I was reminded how passionate I am about the subject. Yes, it’s nice to have a generous budget when you’re decorating and yes, there are things that are worth saving for and splurging on, but oh, the creativity you have to have when your funds are tight!  And honestly, while most of the “million dollar homes” I’ve seen are beautiful and there are some amazing amenities, they don’t look like “home” to me.  Some of my very favorite decorating ideas came out of thrifty necessity and make-do-itive-ness. So, I decided to take that presentation and turn it into a series here on the blog. And tip #1 is… SHARPEN YOUR DIY SKILLS I think it’s a no brainer

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All Things Home

baker’s table & hutch top

And so it begins…the shopping marathon for the Lucketts Spring Market was officially kicked off with a late-night scouring of craigslist that yielded four pieces already with a few more that we’re scheduled to pick up.  It feels good to have furniture coming into the studio again and to see a queue start to form. Two of the pieces that were just rolled in on a dolly are these primitive beauties… A baking table and a hutch top. The owner sold them as a pair, but they actually weren’t made to go together and I plan to sell them separately.  I reserve the right to change my mind mid-project, but that’s the plan. Both pieces need a good cleaning, since they’ve been sitting out on a porch, but otherwise I like the white paint with the alligator crazing.  I will repaint the sage green hutch interior, though, seal both pieces with Tough

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All Things Home

Decorating Dilemma | Marie – Hélène’s Kitchen

Remember Marie-Hélène?  (Look! I figured out how to do the accent marks above her name.  That actually came about compliments of my broken E key.  I had to hold it down to coax it and realized that other E options would pop up!)  Anyway, I featured her family room in a Decorating Dilemma post just before Christmas.   I received an e-mail from her the next day sharing that she was up to her eyeballs in furniture rearranging, mood boards, and creative energy!  I hope she’ll send some updated pictures, so I can share her progress. Today, though, we’re going to take a look at the other half of the room – the kitchen.  Here’s a little tour… The first thing I noticed right away, as well as the thing Marie-Hélène shared puzzled her most, was the window/mirror thing.  She calls it a “mirror mantle”.  Don’t you just love weird little things

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All Things Home

double-welting tutorial

Well, it only took six months, but I finally finished the “deconstructed chair“!  If you think I always plow through my to-do list and nothing languishes, well, the fact this took me six months should make you feel better.  There are times when I drag my feet, lack motivation, or I’m simply not in the mood.  And upholstery is something I really need to be in the mood for. So, for those who haven’t seen this chair along the way, here is how it looked shortly after I acquired it. It was upholstered in a tattered, threadbare pink silk fabric that was stripped off pretty quickly.  I really liked how it looked with just the muslin and burlap, but it was just a little too far gone.  It was shedding horse hair stuffing and burlap fibers like crazy and just wasn’t going be functional at all.  Despite what my husband thinks,

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a slice of life

Christmas 2016 recap

For the second year in a row, I actually took a break over the Christmas holidays.  I did some inbox maintenance and spent a little time on business stuff here and there, but I didn’t write any blog posts and I didn’t work at the studio.  I was even pretty quiet on social media. I spent a lot of time, like entire days, in my jammies.  I played video games and board games with Jeff and the boys.  I watched TV at night without a computer in my lap.  I was a general unproductive loaf, which is not usually my style, but it was welcome and needed. Unfortunately, I seem to be coming down with a cold or something, so I’m not feeling ready to hit my stride at full speed just yet, but it’s time to start at least heading in that direction. Before I get into my plans, changes, ideas, and

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a slice of life

Christmas Song 2016 | Born is the King (It’s Christmas)

It’s become a tradition here on the Miss Mustard Seed blog to share a Christmas song.  It started with me sneaking into another room and playing a song on the guitar with a camera propped on a chair.  One year, Jeff and I did a duet, written by a friend of ours.  Last year, I extended a last minute invitation to my family and Kriste & her husband to join in and we recorded Oh, What a Glorious Night. It was so much fun, that we decided to do it again. I picked out the song in November, though, so we were all able to actually practice before hand.  My brother, who owns a recording studio, was also able to bring some better recording equipment. We introduced some new instruments this year, too.  My mom played a toy xylophone last year, but we needed a real one for all of

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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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