Furniture Makeovers Archives | Miss Mustard Seed

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

dusting off the sewing machines…

It’s been a minute since I had my sewing machines out. I had to reacquaint myself with winding the bobbins and getting the needles properly threaded, but I slowly figured it out. The funny thing is that I needed to wear reading glasses over my contacts to thread the needles this time. As an aside, I started writing this blog when I was in my early thirties and both of my boys were in diapers. Now, they are in college, I’m wearing readers to thread a sewing machine, and I just noticed streaks of white in my blonde hair around my temples a few months ago. How did all of this happen? Oi, back to sewing. It was my parents getting new chairs for the living room that kicked off this sewing project. The chairs they were replacing were still in great condition, but they were ready for a refresh.

June 29, 2026 11 Comments

All Things Home

Giving an antique whirligig a makeover

A few months ago, I decided to check out an antique store I hadn’t been to in a while – the Fayetteville Antique Mall in Fayetteville, PA. I used to go there regularly when we lived in PA, but I noticed more vendors were leaving over and the quality of the merchandise was going downhill. But, I’ve learned with antique malls that it’s always worth checking it out. Even one or two new vendors that carry things I like can make a place worth visiting. Well, they have really stepped up their game since I was last there. There were more vendors with quality antique pieces. The store was tidier and more pleasant to shop. I bought a nice collection of things and liked many pieces that I just didn’t have the right spot for. I’ll definitely make regular visits! Anyway, one of the things I bought was this antique

August 21, 2024 13 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

antique shoe cart reproduction & inspiration

Over the years, I have bought and sold more antique “shoe carts” than I can properly remember. These antique shelves on wheels are called shoe carts because they were often used in shoe factories to transport shoes around the factory. I have found carts that are all different shapes and sizes and made in different styles. Some have spindles making the “shelves” instead of a board (like the first shelf.) I always preferred the ones that had solid shelves (or could be adapted with boards) so they were more versatile. I’ve mostly used these antique shoe carts for retail display or storage in my old studio in PA, but I did use one or two in my home over the years in my kitchen and home office. When I was an antique dealer, I bought and sold a lot of ironstone, so these carts were fantastic for displaying stacks of

February 13, 2024 8 Comments

All Things Home

adding a new shelf to an antique pine hutch

When it comes to knocking projects out, I have learned that it helps to pay attention to the tools and materials I have out and try to hit projects that need those same tools and materials. For example, while the sewing machine is out and threads are all over the floor, it makes sense to work on several sewing projects on my list. If I have ceiling paint out, let me complete a couple of ceilings instead of just one. It can add a lot more time to a project that might’ve been short and sweet, but it does save time and sometimes money in the long run. So, when we were buying pine boards for the mantel project and had our job site table saw set up on the driveway, I decided to pick up a rough pine board to make another shelf for the antique pine hutch in

November 28, 2023 28 Comments

Before and Afters

the vintage Drexel dining set & recovering a chair seat

A few of you noticed the new dining room set when I shared the fall tablescape earlier this week. We bought an antique dining set last year just a few days before Christmas off of Facebook Marketplace for $40. I had been searching for a dining set since we moved into the house and I just wasn’t finding the one. I was feeling a bit bummed about not having a table and chairs for the dining room for Christmas, though, so I jumped at the chance to get a set for $40. That was less than we would spend on a dinner out for our family so it was worth it. We made a few initial repairs to some of the chairs as well as to the stretchers on the table and it was good enough, but the table was just a little bit too wide for the room and

September 27, 2023 25 Comments

All Things Home

slipcovered living room ottoman

As I’ve been sharing about the soft furnishings in our living/family room this week, several people have asked about the coexistence of our cats with upholstered and slip-covered pieces. Having lived with cats most of my life, I know they can be destructive and it was one of my primary reservations when we considered bringing some kittens into our home almost four years ago. But, my lap was aching for some cats and I enjoyed their company, antics, and humor so much that I was willing to put concerns about our furniture aside. We gave our cats cardboard scratchers and plenty of toys and engagement early on, so neither one of them are big furniture scratchers. They even leave our jute rugs alone as well as other textures that cats might naturally be drawn to. There is a piece that they have favored, specifically Violet. They like the ottoman in

September 7, 2023 17 Comments

All Things Home

making a slipcover for a recliner

Shortly after we moved in, I bought a manual wingchair recliner off of Facebook Marketplace for $40. I had a feeling it would be a “placeholder” for a nicer recliner in the future, but it seemed like a good tester piece. We could see how much we used it, see how it fit in the room (while fully open), and help us make a more informed decision in the future. I intended to make a slipcover for this recliner, but after using it for a few weeks, it became clear that it wasn’t worth the effort or the cost. The chair wasn’t comfortable and piece by piece, the mechanism was falling apart and got to the point where it would just randomly pop open. So, for almost a year, I looked around at recliners. I looked at new and used and was very wishy-washy and undecided. I didn’t mind saving

September 5, 2023 29 Comments

Before and Afters

reviving an antique wood hutch

I’m not sure if you were aware, but we do have rooms in our house other than the kitchen! We’ve been talking so much about the kitchen lately, I’ve still been doing a little bit of this and that in other rooms and, as the kitchen renovation is coming to a conclusion, I’m already excited about transforming other spaces. The projects will be much smaller, though, and we’ll be doing all of the work ourselves. It’ll be a good long while before we tackle some of the other larger outstanding projects, like renovating both bathrooms, replacing more windows, etc. While the big projects are flashy, the smaller ones are honestly more my speed. Just me and a paintbrush and a sewing machine. Organizing, rearranging, decorating, fluffing. I still need to paint the dining room walls and figure out exactly what I want to do in the room (another mural is

August 7, 2023 22 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.

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