Before and Afters Archives | Page 44 of 51

Before and Afters

Feed Sack Chair & Finds

First, I need to give a shout-out to my friend Becky from Infarrantly Creative and her new-ish blog, Knock-Off Decor. I know you girls love flipping through the pages of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, not to see what you can buy, but to see what you can make. This blog is a place to show it off and get even more inspiration. If that’s your thing…check it out! Next…I had no idea how often I used my dining room for photo shoots and now that my dining room is a staging area, I am having a tough time finding places to take pretty pictures! I finished a dining room set…picture it with me…antique European grain sack seat covers, white distressed French provincial chairs, a hand waxed table top in a warm wood…I love it. Anyway, I can’t get pictures of that and the other things I’ve finished to take

May 7, 2011 39 Comments

Table Makeover

I have so many things in the works and so few things finished at this point. I have babysitters coming for the afternoon over the next few days, so I can get some things in the “finished pile.” Here’s the first piece… I found this pretty table at a yard sale last week. Funny story…I was paying for this table and a few other things when I spotted a really cool antique shelf leaning against the barn. It had a $10 sticker on it. “Oo! I’ll take that as well.” I grabbed it and added it to my pile. “Oh, I’m sorry, but I think that gentleman set it aside.” Total bummer. Oh well. The gentleman looked over at me. I couldn’t resist asking, “Are you sure you reeeally want it?” Eyelashes batting (not really.) “Yeah. Yeah, I do. I’m going to put it in my workshop.” I had an

May 4, 2011 65 Comments

A Painted Desk

I worked incredibly hard today and I am incredibly tired tonight. The day started at 6:30 am when my sons woke me up. The entire family got ready and we headed out for a morning of yard sales. I found some great things, which I’ll share in another post, and came home about noon. After hanging out with the boys for a bit, our babysitter came over and the painting frenzy began. I have lots to share, but it will all happen in another post. Tonight, I’m going to share a desk I finished last week. This is how it started… I painted it in Annie Sloan’s Louis Blue with Old White on the body. The top was stripped and refinished in a dark walnut stain and Fiddes Wax. I chose to keep the original hardware, since it was in good condition and still worked with the painted piece. Some light

April 30, 2011 43 Comments

Cherry Blossom Dresser

Here’s the latest dresser… …and how it started. For those of you who have “known” me for a while know that my business started out as a decorative painting/mural business. That eventually evolved into my true passion – antiques and refurbished furniture….well…and my blog and freelance writing and photography and sewing and designing… Do you know what a nightmare it is to try to classify my business? Anyway, I wanted to get out of the decorative painting only business, because I felt like everything had to have painted embellishments on it and some things just didn’t need that. I don’t know why I felt that way, but I did. I hardly even think about what extra painted detail I can add to a piece now. For some reason…I just decided to do it on this one. I added some very simple white cherry blossom branches to just the drawers of

April 29, 2011 54 Comments

a dresser, a story and a decision

I find my furniture all over the place. Yard sales, consignment shops, auctions, estate sales, curbs, thrift stores, friends, family, antique stores… This one was found on Craig’s List. It looked like this when I picked it up. The shape is gorgeous, but the peeling veneer and missing details had the old girl showing her age. Instead of trying to repair and hide all of the quirks, I decided to celebrate them. This is an old dresser and it doesn’t need to look new. A heavily distressed paint camouflaged all of the imperfections and played up the texture of the piece. I really love how this one turned out. One of my favorites and I really, really wanted to keep it, but it went to Lucketts. That seems to be a theme with me, lately. A funny story about this dresser…I drove out to pick it up along with another one

April 16, 2011 94 Comments

Secretary Before & After and Lucketts

I mentioned last week that I had painted a secretary to sell at Lucketts. Well, it made it to the Lucketts parking lot, but I had a buyer before I even posted the pictures. The before wasn’t too bad, but it was a little scratched and the finish looked a little dated (in my opinion.) I thought the fretwork looked a little busy and the wood tones didn’t match. A reader named Erin sent me an e-mail, inquiring about the secretary I mentioned. I sent her some quickly-snapped pictures and it was just what she was looking for. We met this morning at Lucketts and both left happy. I must admit, I left the interior natural wood out of laziness. It’s a pain to paint all of those cubbies and it’s hard to do it well, even with a sprayer. I ended up really liking the warmth of the wood

April 9, 2011 55 Comments

French Feed Sack Chair

This is the post where I take a perfectly good chair, rip it to pieces and make it something that is totally “me”. This is the perfectly good chair. This is me ripping apart said chair. …and this is the chair now. Totally me. Frenchiness. Feed-sack-ish-ness. I know this won’t be everyones cup of tea, but it’s my cup of tea. I painted it in Louis Blue chalk paint followed by a “dry brushing” of Old White and a coat of clear wax. The piece is upholstered in faded American feed sacks with a bright white gimp trim to frame it out. I love the traditional-meets-quirky look of it. Believe it or not, I’m going to let it go. I’m taking it to my pavilion at Lucketts on Saturday to sell. Sniff-sniff. This job is getting harder and harder. See you tonight at 10:00 EST for Furniture Feature Friday and our special

April 7, 2011 101 Comments

Night Stand Makeover

I am in a mad dash to refill my space at Lucketts. I was basically wiped clean last weekend, but I’m really energized and on a creative high because of it. I’m a strange bird, but I guess I’m in the right business! Here’s my latest project… In my flurry, I didn’t take a before picture, but it was a part of a set, so it looked like the dresser below. I painted it in Graphite chalk paint with Old White details, distressed, followed by a coat of clear wax mixed with dark brown. It’s a little different for me and I think it’s really striking. (Yes, I realize the top handle is a little askew. I just put the original hardware back on in the original holes…) It looked very cool with the fan and theatre seat that are going to the space as well. I’m filling up the booth early

April 5, 2011 63 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.