Before and Afters Archives | Page 18 of 51

Before and Afters

farmhouse white table

It was one of those days when I went to the studio, put my music on, and painted. I love days like that. I worked on a couple of pieces for the next MMS Milk Paint look book, but I was also playing around with a new milk paint color we’ll be adding to the line, soon (early 2016)…Farmhouse White. It’ll get a proper “say hello to…” post closer to the release day, but I just couldn’t wait that long to share. I tripped upon this color as I was getting ready for the market and wanted a white that covered better than Ironstone. I loved it so much that I immediately sent an e-mail to my manufacturer, telling them we needed to add this new white to the line. I had some mixed for some metal bins I’m painting, so I decided to brush it onto a table that’s been on

October 16, 2015 25 Comments

All Things Home

zinc-top table gets a second chance

I brought this amazing zinc-topped table a few weeks ago to sell at the Market on Chapel Hill. I didn’t have time to fix it up the way I wanted to, though, so I was sort of glad when it didn’t sell. It was great as is, but needed a little TLC. And when it comes to furniture, TLC is something I can (and often do) do. Here’s how the piece looked when I brought it to the market… (If you get seasick, you might want to have a barf-bag handy. Yes. I just wrote barf-bag.) The front, left leg is an inch shorter than the other legs. To say the table was wonky was a bit of an understatement. The floors in our studio are so un-level, though, that I didn’t notice it until the day before we packed it. Here was my quick fix… …a stack of sticky

October 7, 2015 19 Comments

Before and Afters

workbench revamp reveal

Remember this work bench I picked up a few weeks ago? Here’s how it started… I almost passed it by, because it was a little clumsy. It was sturdy as an oak, but wasn’t a well-built piece, if that makes sense. You can tell someone wanted to build a workbench and figured it out as they went along. The finger-holds in the drawers are what pushed me to buy it. They endeared the piece to me. I added the wheels (new from Home Depot) and tacked on some antique wood lath strips to the top to add some warmth and texture. And I painted it in three coats of a custom mix of MMS Milk Paint – 5 parts Grain Sack to 1 part Trophy. It’s a beautiful soft gray that I’m totally in love with! I left the painted finish raw, but I did apply Hemp Oil to the lath

September 22, 2015 20 Comments

All Things Home

repurposed pram

Do you remember that baby pram I shared last week? Well, now it’s a side table! I spot these pretty carriages/prams regularly while I’m out shopping and they always tug at my heart. Those wheels, the craftsmanship, the generations of babies that may have been pushed in them. I almost always have to stop a minute and appreciate them, but I never buy them. The reason is that they aren’t functional at all! What in the world is the average person going to do with it in their home unless they have a doll collection to display. I’ve tried to think of practical uses for them, but I’ve never come up with one. A funny little story… a few years ago, someone gave me a beautiful 1950’s navy blue and chrome pram that was in almost mint condition. I was so in love with it, but I didn’t know what

September 13, 2015 31 Comments

All Things Home

papier mache horse makeover

You may have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for toy/rocking horses… I don’t find them very often (at a price I can afford), but I get very giddy about them when I do. When Kriste and I were shopping for The Market on Chapel Hill earlier this week, I spotted this one… I loved the wooden legs and I thought the shape was pretty. I originally thought it was made of plastic, but Kriste pointed out it was papier mache. I didn’t mind at all that it was missing the base. It reminded me a bit of an antique horse I spotted in Prairie Style magazine… The red wasn’t working for me, though. After some amount of debate with myself, I decided to paint over the red in MMS Milk Paint French Enamel. The paint looked a little too fresh against the

September 11, 2015 60 Comments

All Things Home

Workbench Revamp

Remember the workbench I revamped for Lucketts? I loved how it turned out and have since been on the lookout for humble handmade workbenches that others might overlook. When I was shopping last week, I found this… I dismissed it at first, because it’s a little clumsy, but in the end, the finger-hold handles won me over. I paid about $100 for it. I added the steel wheels to make it a little taller and more mobile. I’m keeping this piece for the studio for now and we have just about everything on casters or sliders. They somehow make the piece look a little softer, even. The top was a little boring and I didn’t want to just paint it, so I added some antique wood lath strips to the top. These are from the same bundle I used for my potting bench. I tacked them in with a brad nailer

September 11, 2015 27 Comments

All Things Home

new cabinet with old doors

My first year as a vendor at the Lucketts Spring Market was quite the experience. It started raining Saturday afternoon and didn’t let up until Sunday afternoon. Everyone was soaked, booths were waterlogged and it was pretty much misery. Sunday afternoon, though, the rain stopped and I had the opportunity to check out some other booths and score some real bargains. One of those bargains was a pair of glass doors with wood frames and really cool latches. I paid $40 for the pair. They hung for years in my dining room, flanking the archway that leads to the home office. (I couldn’t find a better picture of them hanging in the dining room, but you can see them on the right.) When we refinished the floors, took down the curtains and generally lightened things up, I removed the doors and kept them in my basement. My “rule” is to not keep

September 10, 2015 30 Comments

All Things Home

Megan’s office makeover | slipcovered armchair

If you saw the Craig’s List wardrobe makeover yesterday, you caught a peek at the slipcovered armchair… As I’ve shared before, sewing is not my very favorite thing ever in the world to do. I do it out of necessity, thriftiness, and the desire to customize. Such is the case with slipcovers. Unless I wanted to eat up our entire budget having this chair professionally slipcovered, I needed to do it myself in order to give Megan a cute and comfy armchair for her office. I got it done, but I did drag my feet. This chair was staring me down for a while. I told Megan that and she said she was glad it was staring someone else down for a change! I know how that is. Something languishes in your stash and you know it can be really great, but you just don’t want to deal with it.

September 2, 2015 24 Comments

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.