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

All Things Home

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

White Wax Tutorial

This summer has been a little nutty for me, so I haven’t had to chance to do as much painting as I would like.  I’m really looking forward to school starting, so I can get back into a groove and get in my workshop a bit more often.  Since I have been so swamped, one of my amazing retailers and our primary educator for MMS Milk Paint, Abbe Doll, has really stepped up to help me introduce the new colors and products in our line.  Today, she’s going to show how to use the White Wax. It is available to purchase from our retailers right now, if you want to give it a try! Take it away, Abbe… White wax is here! It’s still has the buttery smooth finish we love about the Furniture Wax, but with a soft white pigment, that will give your finishes a soft, muted, white-washed

Read More
Antiques

New Door, Getting Ready & Fun Mail

The next couple of weeks are craziness.  I would make an entire list of all of the things that need to be done, but it would probably stress you out reading it and it would definitely stress me out to write it, so I’m just going to focus on one thing at a time and try not to get too overwhelmed.  It’s doable and it’ll all work out.  It always does.  Thankfully, my family has been coming through big time.  (Don’t they always?)  My parents played with the boys at the pool almost all weekend and brought them home with full tummies and ready for bed.  My husband spent hours in the workshop making a good dent in the built-ins for the bathroom.  I had time to work on the trim and finish the shower curtains. Today, my dad came over to help me install the new front door.  Let

Read More
Decorating

Mustard Seed Yellow Kitchen & Updates

One of the amazing things about having a line of paint is seeing what people do with it.  Sometimes people send me pictures of their work and it just knocks my socks off.  When I received pictures of this kitchen by Atelier Du Vieux Pin (I can’t tell you how much I would butcher their name if I had to say it and not write it…) done in Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint…well, let’s just say that I was barefooted after looking through the pictures.   Pretty amazing, right?  I was blown away.  Not only is the space, custom cabinetry and flooring amazing, but the milk paint finish is perfection.   The Atelier Du Vieux Pin makes and designs French Canadian antique furniture reproductions and kitchen cabinets and they are true masters. Anyway, I thought it was amazing and worth sharing. Speaking of MMS Milk Paint, I do have some updates to share.  First

Read More
Antiques

The Original

I had a conversation with my husband last night that went something like this… “Oh!  I think I forgot to tell you about the new dining set.” “Oh no…” “No, this is really cool.” “Well, I heard the words dining set, so…” In case you haven’t been reading my blog for a while, we are on dining set #5 in as many years and this story is about dining set #6.  Why so many dining sets?  Well, set #1 was given to us for free and I knew I wanted to replace it when we could afford to.  (I don’t have a picture of set #1.)  I held a yard sale and sold some things on e-bay to buy set # 2 off Craig’s List.  The table in Carlisle, PA and the matching chairs in Richmond, VA.  I only had the set for about a year and someone coming to

Read More
Antiques

More Fabric

We’re having a lot of visitors through the end of June and early July.  For those who are lovers of Civil War history, you know this is a key week in my neck of the woods.  It’s the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg and today was the anniversary of Pickett’s Charge.  My dad went on a commemorative march across the same ground the Confederates (including a great, great, great grandfather) did 150 years ago.  There were thousands of people there – tourists, guides and reenactors and he said it was awesome. Anyway, so one of those visitors was my aunt and uncle.  They wanted to visit, check out some of the events and pick up my old dining set, which she bought from me just before the Lucketts Antique Market.  She drove up to our house and I noticed she had a ton of stuff in her SUV.

Read More
Favorite Finds

fabricgallery

We’re having a lot of visitors through the end of June and early July.  For those who are lovers of Civil War history, you know this is a key week in my neck of the woods.  It’s the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg and today was the anniversary of Pickett’s Charge.  My dad went on a commemorative march across the same ground the Confederates (including a great, great, great grandfather) did 150 years ago.  There were thousands of people there – tourists, guides and reenactors and he said it was awesome. Anyway, so one of those visitors was my aunt and uncle.  They wanted to visit, check out some of the events and pick up my old dining set, which she bought from me just before the Lucketts Antique Market.  She drove up to our house and I noticed she had a ton of stuff in her SUV.

Read More
Furniture Makeovers

Painted Bar Stool Tutorial – Part 2

Welcome to part two of the painted bar stool tutorial.  In case you missed it, or just for future reference, you can find part one HERE.  In part two, I’m going to share how the do the distressing and finishing to achieve the final look… We’ll also chat about the kind of sand paper I use for distressing. So, I painted the bar stool in two coats of MMS Milk Paint in French Enamel (with the bonding agent added) and let it dry overnight.  I didn’t have to let it dry that long, but that’s just how it worked out.  You can start distressing once the paint is dry to the touch. I prefer to distress most pieces by hand.  Sometimes I’ll hit a piece hard with the orbital sander, but it’s harder to control, especially on a piece with lots of corners and edges.  The orbital sander is really best for

Read More
Antiques

Some Favorite Finds & the Online Shop

 There was an antique market this past weekend in New Oxford, a small town in PA.  They close down the cross streets on the center square (it’s a circle, really) and bring in antique vendors to set up and sell their wares.  My mom and I set out on Saturday morning to see if we could find some goodies. Overall, the prices were pretty high and I didn’t find a ton of things I was excited about, but I did find a few things.  Since the prices were on the high end, I mostly shopped for myself. My favorite find was this blue & white quilt.  It’s a little worn in a few places, but the hand quilting is intricate and beautiful and I love the design.   I also found a couple of ironstone sugar jars, a milk pitcher and a bowl… I was smitten with this German tea

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

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

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

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest