Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Archives | Page 26 of 42

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

Living Room

repurposed petticoat, mini whisks & an apron

I moved around the furniture in my living room on Monday when the piano was moved out. Of course, moving the furniture in one room usually impacts another room as I borrow and steal from other rooms. Fortunately, all of my furniture is on felt sliders, so I just scoot things around until I like them and then scoot them back if something isn’t working. I have learned that I need to live with new arrangements for a few days to see how it works…aesthetically, functionally. Sometimes things that seem crazy end up working. Sometimes when I first move something, I start to question myself, but I think that’s because it’s change. It just looks different and I have to get used to it before I can look at it objectively. The living room is feeling larger, more open and inviting now, but I’m still playing around with it. I’ll share more

August 13, 2014 11 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Mixing Milk Paint Video Tutorial

I made several videos on using milk paint when I first launched the line, but they could use some updating. First of all, it was just me in my basement with a camera on a tripod. While I think there’s something approachable and real about those, you can’t always clearly see what I’m doing and that’s the whole point of a video tutorial! I was also very loosey-goosey about my instructions. That’s just how I am, but I know a lot of people need specifics and, when it comes to using milk paint for the first time, specifics are very helpful. So, we’re in the process of remaking our videos (and we’ll get to the slipcover videos and new upholster videos soon, too!) We now have a camera man, Jeff, a beefy camera, mics, lighting and a second camera to capture overhead detail shots. We also have Kriste. As crafty

August 10, 2014 22 Comments

Before and Afters

hand painted antique sled

Before I get to the sled (yes, in August), I wanted to give some details on the yard sale I’m having on Saturday, August 9, 2014. I’m actually piggy-backing on the yard sale one of my friends is having. I really want to flush some things out of my house and this is a great opportunity to do it. The sale will be at an old commercial building formerly known as Distelfink. (Locals will know what I’m talking about!) The address is 2710 Old Harrisburg Rd, Gettysburg, PA, which is just off the Rt 15 Hunterstown exit. I’ll be at the sale on Saturday from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, but my friend will be set up Wednesday – Saturday. She’s selling designer women’s clothing, kid’s clothing, toys, books, home accessories, luggage rack for the car…tons of stuff. Now, this is not an antique sale overflowing with ironstone, but I

August 4, 2014 35 Comments

Before and Afters

what I'm working on…

As I shared yesterday, after a week of dealing with a lot of details of doing business, I was really ready to do something creative. So, I headed to the basement to work on some pieces that were waiting for me. The first piece is a great old kitchen cabinet that belongs to Kriste, my online shop manager. She’s going to start working with me on some creative things as well, which is exciting for both of us. Anyway, her sweet husband scored this for her at a yard sale for $10. What a guy, right? They are going to use it as a TV stand in their new place, but the blue and the decals aren’t working for Kriste. She likes white, so we’re going white with it. I removed the hardware, sanded the piece and then painted it in a base coat of MMS Milk Paint Trophy. I wasn’t concerned

July 19, 2014 16 Comments

Hand Painted Furniture

a full look at the hutch

I shared a preview of the hutch HERE, but many of you were asking for a full view of it. So, here you go! It’s smack by my front door (in the living room) right now, so it’s not in a great place to be showcased. Now, my usual rule is that if I don’t have the perfect place for something, I don’t keep it. It’s getting a little tough now, as our house in on the market, so I have given myself some liberty to keep things that might work for our future home or studio. I have the perfect place for it in the house we’re hoping to buy, but we have to wait for our house to sell, first. Patience…patience… So, it’s just hanging out now, but I really love this piece. I did paint this piece in a custom-mixed MMSMP color, but had to be very

July 9, 2014 32 Comments

Before and Afters

hand painted wardrobe

I realized I had a furniture make over from Lucketts that I never shared! How in the world did that happen? Well, I’m fixing that today. This wardrobe was by far the worst piece of furniture I purchased to sell at the market. I bought it in a furniture lot that included two dressers, this wardrobe and a victrola. All of them showed signs of neglect and had some degree of water damage. This wardrobe seemed to be exposed to heat as well, that eventually loosened the glued joints. So, the back and sides were almost separated. It had good bones and a pretty shape and I have a handy husband, so I took a chance on it. Jeff and his dad glued, clamped and screwed that wardrobe to sure it up, which was not an easy task. The wardrobe was a little wonky and you had to pull it

July 7, 2014 32 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

finding layla's mint

A while back, I sent Layla some Shutter Gray MMS Milk Paint to paint a newly acquired secretary desk. The funny thing is that I had the identical secretary at one point. Identical, I tell you! Anyway, she painted it in Shutter Gray and it looked amazing in her sun/music room. It’s now been moved to the kitchen and Shutter Gray isn’t playing nice with her freshly painted island, so it’s time for a new color. (photo courtesy of The Lettered Cottage) We chatted about it a little and she requested a mint. I can do mint. I just need to find the right combination. So, I took some time to play around with that today. I grabbed Boxwood, Lucketts Green, Eulalie’s Sky and Grain Sack to start with. I tried a few different combinations with Boxwood, but it was just going too sage. So, I started over with

July 2, 2014 26 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

flow blue photo shoot

Whenever I hit an antique store…or really any store, for that matter…I look for props I can use in photo shoots. There are some things that are staples and I use again and again, but I really prefer to buy something that catches my eye, use it for a while and then sell it and buy some new props. It gives me new inventory and it keeps my photo shoots fresh. When we were in the Poconos recently, I found this pretty antique butter dish (minus the dome.) Since it was missing its other half, I was able to get it for only $6.00 and I knew it would be perfect for a MMSMP Flow Blue photo shoot for our upcoming look book. And here’s the result… I love how the water wakes up the blue pigments. It makes me smile every time! Now, I know what some of you

June 27, 2014 19 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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