Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Archives

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

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

Decorating

painting a vintage dough bowl

I’ve had this vintage wooden dough bowl for a few years. My mother-in-law gave it to me when they were cleaning out Jeff’s grandfather’s house. She thought I would like it and she was right. It is a practical size and shape and has a pretty patina. I’ve always thought it would look pretty with some blue paint on the bottom and, so I finally pulled it out and painted it a couple of weeks ago. I was in a mood to work on a project and this was one that’s been on the to-do list for far too long. Here’s how the vintage dough bowl started… I love how wooden pieces wear over time. Can’t you see some color on the bottom? I adore primitive wooden bowls and trenchers wearing their original milk paint, but they are always so expensive. This is a nice way to get that look

August 18, 2021 18 Comments

All Things Home

Hand-Painted Ceramic Christmas Ornaments

I know that I’m slipping this one in at the last minute, but I wanted to share one more Christmas craft! You can scrape together the materials for this year or hunt and peck at some after Christmas sales for ribbon and unfinished ceramic ornaments to have some handmade gifts and decorations in the hopper for next year! Here is a tutorial for hand-painted Christmas ornaments using Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint with acrylic and gouache accents… This hand-painted ceramic ornament tutorial was easier to show in a video as opposed to pictures and words alone, so here is a short video tutorial showing how I painted the first one… I actually filmed four of the ornaments that I painted, but my hands were out of the frame! That’s happened to me a lot lately, so I really need to pay better attention to that. Anyway, here are the materials

December 21, 2020 19 Comments

All Things Home

farmhouse white chair makeover

A couple of months ago, I picked up this sweet vintage chair from a local antique shop for $25. It was just the kind of chair I had been looking for to use at my sewing desk. I don’t typically sit and sew for hours on end, so it didn’t have to be super comfortable. My sewing desk is also vintage and smaller in scale, so I needed a vintage chair that would be sized appropriately to pair with the desk. I liked the idea of how the cutout in the back of the chair would stand out against the pine desk. It was a little grubby, though, and the paint could use a refresh, so I gave this chair a quick and simple makeover with Farmhouse White Milk Paint. I started out the makeover by wiping the chair down. It had clearly been stored for years and would benefit

October 14, 2020 23 Comments

All Things Home

milk painted dresser makeover

I know that my followers love a good furniture makeover and I have a good old fashioned painted dresser makeover today! This is a dresser I bought in the spring of 2019 when my mom and I were working on the guest room makeover. We went out to a few local antique and consignment shops to see if we could find dressers to use as storage/nightstands and we ended up finding one for each side. This is one of those dressers that was now replaced by an almost identical dresser we found when they were visiting a few weeks ago. Are you tracking with me? We ended up swapping out the one we bought last March with the recent find because the drawers work just a little bit better. Since Jeff will be using it daily as a nightstand, it made sense to use the slightly sturdier one. Be also

September 9, 2020 67 Comments

Furniture Makeovers

A huge announcement about Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

I wrote a post almost 10 years ago entitled “Everything is for sale“. At that time, I was becoming known for selling pretty much anything including furniture we were actively using in our house. It was a common occurrence for Jeff to come home to a large hole that a piece of furniture occupied that very morning. Maybe it’s the military brat in me that learned not to hold onto things too tightly. Maybe it’s the optimist in me that believes that something else will come along. With all of the things I’ve sold over the years, I never even considered the idea of selling a portion of my business. But, a couple of weeks ago, that’s exactly what happened. Let me back up for a minute… Over eight years ago, almost nine, I sent an e-mail to a milk paint company in Canada, presenting the idea of creating a

June 30, 2020 83 Comments

a slice of life

milk paint backdrops, blueberry ink, & creative community

Last week was the first week that I felt like I was settling into a new routine. The previous weeks were about figuring out this new normal…the stress of feeling like I’m bringing toxic waste into the house when I order groceries or check the mail, the struggle of learning how to do school from home, the worry of the unknown, trying to sleep after reading the news. I know so many of you can relate to the upheaval. But, I’m settling now, just as one would after a move or starting a new job, having a baby, or some other life-changing event. I’ve grown used to having groceries delivered and wiping them all down before bringing them into the house. The boys have gotten into their own routine and have been doing schoolwork with more independence. We’ve been able to treat ourselves with one outing to Home Depot to

May 11, 2020 16 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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