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Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

Furniture Makeovers

Painting Wood | More Product Shoots | Trophy

I shared this dresser on Facebook yesterday, stating that I would be painting it and I didn’t expect the freak-out that resulted. I didn’t feel like I needed to defend myself or anything, but I wanted to explain why I was painting it to educate a little and to keep wood-lovers from losing sleep.  Here was my reply… “I had no idea I was going to cause such a stir with the dresser I posted a picture of yesterday! It’s now sanded and yes, ready to paint. Sorry! Here’s why – 1.) The wood grain on the top three drawers is lovely, but the bottom drawer looks a little strange, like it doesn’t belong. 2.) It has a very orange look about it and I don’t like orange wood. 3.) It’s a piece from the 1920’s at the earliest, so everyone can stop panicking about devaluing a high end antique. I’ve

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Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

wonderful by-products of being organized

A few weeks ago,  I set out on the task to get my house organized and purge everything I don’t need, want, use or love.  It’s been quite a process and I still have a lot to do, but I have to tackle one space at a time.  I also have to keep my family and business running, so I can’t drop everything and just work on my little pet project. With a few key spaces cleaned and organized, I’m noticing some really amazing by-products. 1.) I am so much happier in the organized spaces.  I don’t feel crowded or rushed or overly-busy. 2.) The spaces are much more functional.  I can actually use things as they were meant to be used.  I can not only sit in my office chair, but there is nothing hidden behind it or stacked in front of it.  Glorious! 3.) I feel freed up

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Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

New Product Photos

I have a confession to make.  When I announced last spring that I was coming out with a milk paint line, I thought it would be a fun little side thing.  I was wrong.  It’s become a huge, overwhelming, awesome thing.  The line that carries my brand and color designs is now carried in over 200 locations in the US, Canada and Europe (and hopefully Australia soon!)  So, after a year of me pretending like it’s this little thing, I have finally realized that it’s a big thing and I need to treat it like that.  Welcome to the party, Marian, right? Taking my line and brand more seriously meant not doing everything myself in a “this is just a small thing” fashion.  This included getting photos of the products captured from a different perspective.  I didn’t want anything that looked the slightest bit corporate.  I wanted the customers (or

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Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

first tethered photo shoot

Oh, it’s wonderful…  I finally have my real computer back.  I have the software all set up to work with my new camera, so I was very inspired to have a photo shoot this morning.  When I got my camera a few days ago, I was so excited about taking pictures, but I was editing them on a super cheap laptop and I really missed my bright & big laptop screen.  I felt like I couldn’t really see the sharpness of the pictures to edit them well.  And the workflow was ridiculous.  Lightroom 3, which I’ve been using for a few years, couldn’t open my RAW Nikon D800 photos, so I had to use a DNG converter.  So, the workflow was something like – copy pictures from camera to computer, convert in DNG converter to a DNG file, upload to Lightroom 3 and edit, export to Windows Live Photo Gallery to

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Apron Strings & a Fog Horn

First of all, thank you so very much for all of the amazing ideas for color names. I was blown away with the creativity, thoughtfulness and just how many of you pay attention to the things that are important to me. It was touching.  I wish I could express it in a more articulate way, but the words are getting muddled.  So, anyway, thank you. The color name I decided on was… Apron Strings  …in honor of Diane’s grandmother’s “company apron.”  There were so many names I loved, but this one fit so well with the rest of the names in my line and those two words immediately evoke a feeling or memory.  Neither of my grandma’s had aprons this color or even wore aprons, but I can imagine a grandmother mixing some biscuit dough or crimping a pie crust with beautiful coral apron strings hanging down the back of

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Miscellaneus

coralgallery

First of all, thank you so very much for all of the amazing ideas for color names. I was blown away with the creativity, thoughtfulness and just how many of you pay attention to the things that are important to me. It was touching.  I wish I could express it in a more articulate way, but the words are getting muddled.  So, anyway, thank you. The color name I decided on was… Apron Strings  …in honor of Diane’s grandmother’s “company apron.”  There were so many names I loved, but this one fit so well with the rest of the names in my line and those two words immediately evoke a feeling or memory.  Neither of my grandma’s had aprons this color or even wore aprons, but I can imagine a grandmother mixing some biscuit dough or crimping a pie crust with beautiful coral apron strings hanging down the back of

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Decorating

Wax Puck Tutorial

I’m just getting in from enjoying the beautiful Collegiate Peaks in Colorado, so I’ve asked our MMS Milk Paint Primary Educator, Abbe Doll, to share a tutorial with you.  I haven’t had a chance to shoot or write a tutorial on using Wax Pucks, one of our new products, so Abbe, who is a machine, made one for me!  Enjoy! Let me just start by saying I love this little thing! It fits so perfectly in the palm of your hand and creates such fun effects. Here are some benefits of using the wax puck: You can create smooth, precise distressed lines on edges. If you want to expose color under color without sanding down to the wood, this allows you to control the amount of distressing you get It will allow you to expose or bring out the details of that great wear and tear of an old piece,

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Hand Painted Furniture

waxpuckgallery

I’m just getting in from enjoying the beautiful Collegiate Peaks in Colorado, so I’ve asked our MMS Milk Paint Primary Educator, Abbe Doll, to share a tutorial with you.  I haven’t had a chance to shoot or write a tutorial on using Wax Pucks, one of our new products, so Abbe, who is a machine, made one for me!  Enjoy! Let me just start by saying I love this little thing! It fits so perfectly in the palm of your hand and creates such fun effects. Here are some benefits of using the wax puck: You can create smooth, precise distressed lines on edges. If you want to expose color under color without sanding down to the wood, this allows you to control the amount of distressing you get It will allow you to expose or bring out the details of that great wear and tear of an old piece,

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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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