Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 22 of 111

Furniture Makeovers

buying & selling antiques

on the truck to Lucketts | the furniture

Lucketts week is finally here!! It’s been my focus for so long that it’s hard to believe it’s happening in just a few days. It’ll really hit me when I see my stuff in the tent. Since I have been shopping for and working on pieces for so long, I thought it would be a good idea to post a refresher of what we’ll be bringing. I have decided to sell the tufted sofa! I sort of can’t believe it, either, but I’ve photographed it and loved on it and I’m okay with selling it. I have it priced at $1,200, making it the most expensive piece in my booth. The other furniture pieces are priced from $110 (small tables & chairs) – $425 (large cabinets). I have two hardware cabinets… Both are painted the same and have chickenwire on the door fronts. They are also on steel casters to make

May 16, 2016 115 Comments

Furniture Makeovers

look book two & new t-shirts

I have a bit of a reputation for getting things done quickly. I can crank out furniture and whip through slipcovers. But, I will fully admit that I am slow when it comes to putting out a look book. It took over a year to get the first one out and about a year and a half to get out the second one! A part of the problem is that I can set my own deadline, so I just don’t set a deadline and allow the project to “come together organically”, which means it takes forever. So, after many meetings, e-mails, photo shoots, layouts, font options, painting, writing, collaborating, editing and proofing, Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint Look Book Two is finally finished and sitting in boxes in my studio. Kriste and Heidi did most of the initial legwork to set the style and overall tone of the look book and

May 14, 2016 29 Comments

All Things Home

a new seat for the “bamboo” chairs

A few weeks ago, I traded for some furniture and ended up with these two faux bamboo chairs as a part of the deal. They are very unique chairs and I felt immediately drawn to them, but they were problematic. The caned seat on one of them was entirely punched through and the other one was damaged and sagging. I moved them to the to-do stash and put them out of mind for a while. As I’ve shared before, upholstery is not my favorite thing to work on and I procrastinate. Such was the case with these. Since I don’t do caning, the best way to deal with these was to make a new seat and upholster it. They’ll be sturdier and more comfortable in the long run, anyway. I always hold my breath a little when I sit in a caned seat. I’m just waiting for the day when

May 10, 2016 30 Comments

Before and Afters

the rebuilt industrial cart

I hope you had a good weekend! And happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. We finally saw the sun in our part of the world, which was nice after a week of gray skies and rain. I’m hoping it gets all of the rain out of its system, so it’s nice and dry for Lucketts. I know it doesn’t work that way, but still… As I said we would, my mom and I worked on in the studio on Saturday. We make a great team and were able to get a lot accomplished. I upholstered two chairs, made a bedskirt and rearranged the furniture and smalls that are going to Lucketts. The pile was getting a little (a lot) out of control. My mom packed breakables like ironstone and glass cloches and jars while I worked on the sewing, upholstery and furniture scooting. (Thank goodness most

May 8, 2016 19 Comments

All Things Home

slipcovered wing chair & grain sack ottoman

This poor hand-me-down wing chair has been hanging out in my stash for months. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to slipcovers and upholstery, if you haven’t figured that out, yet. I can do it, but it’s not my favorite thing. I do it just because I like the end result and I have a hard time turning down a piece that just needs a little cosmetic love. So, I gave myself a few pep-talks and worked on this chair slipcover in doses throughout the week until it was finally finished. Here’s how it turned out… It’s a really comfy chair with a pretty shape, but the fabric was the victim of some cat claws and looked a little tired. I made the slipcover out of my usual, antique hemp sheets. This might be one of the hardest pieces I’ve slipcovered, because of the detail on the arms. Those were tricky! They

May 6, 2016 16 Comments

Before and Afters

antique iron bed makeover & a mattress in a box

I acquired this sweet full-sized antique iron bed frame from a reader/customer a few weeks ago. I have sold a few beds in the past, but they are tough to style without a mattress and don’t usually sell fast or for very much. This year, for the Lucketts Spring Market, I decided to go all out on styling a bed to sell. (And, if it doesn’t sell, we have a perfect napping spot in the studio!) Here’s the iron frame that started it all… Being a “blue girl”, I actually liked the color, but the rails weren’t blue, so I decided a fresh coat of Farmhouse White paint would do nicely to unify the pieces. We painted the frame in two coats of Farmhouse White and finished it in Tough Coat to seal it. My dad cut some bed slats for me and I ordered and assembled a 4″ foundation. (That

May 3, 2016 50 Comments

buying & selling antiques

the 9 x 20 landscape mural

When I’m getting ready for an antique market, most of the things my team and I work on are profit-earning projects. They are things I plan to sell. There are other things that we work on just because they make me satisfied as a business owner and designer. They are things that make for better display, better pictures, better shopping experience for customers, etc. They are things like branded tape and ribbon-handled bags and white pennant bunting hanging around the booth. Lugging an antique register along, despite a few eye rolls, just because it makes me happy. Usually, though, I don’t execute all of those extra ideas. They end up on the “cutting room floor”, because we just run out of time or energy. This year, we wanted to get started early enough, so we would be able to do all of the finishing touches we plan when our energy

May 2, 2016 55 Comments

Before and Afters

milk-painted wash stand

I was done buying furniture, but my friend Traer offered this old wash stand to me at such a great price that I couldn’t refuse. It’s sort of like fitting in dessert after a big dinner. It’s just a little piece of furniture, so we can find room for it! The finish was pretty messed up and it was dirty and lost its luster, so painting it was an obvious solution. This was another tag-team project in the studio. Kriste’s friend Leslie, who’s done some organizing for us in the studio, was hanging out with us for the day, so we put her to work. Turns out, that meticulous organizing translated very well to tidy painting, so I told her she can come paint any time she wants to! Kriste applied the second coat, we worked together on the distressing, and then applied matte Tough Coat to seal the chippy areas.

April 29, 2016 23 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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