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Furniture Makeovers

Miscellaneus

mariammsmpgallery

A few weeks ago, I shared the new pictures that Maria of Dreamy Whites took for my milk paint line.  They are so beautiful and she captured exactly the feel I wanted to convey.  This picture was one of my favorites… She had painted one of her antique French pitchers in “French Enamel” milk paint.  She let me know she had sent a package to me containing the thumb drive with the high resolution version of the images, so I wasn’t surprised when a delivery truck pulled up and there was a knock at my door.  I was surprised, though, when I opened the door and saw a large box.  I know there’s more than a thumb drive in there!  When you get a large box from someone like Maria, you drop everything and open it.  The scent of lavender wafted out and I hurriedly dug through the tissue.  This

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FURNITURE FEATURE FRIDAY – Favorites & Link

Today was all about little tasks like shipping, bills, mail, e-mail, paperwork…all of that mundane stuff that I push aside, so I can paint and create.  It feels good to get that off of my plate, though!  Anyway, let’s get to the furniture… I know that super distressed pieces can sometimes be the most controversial, love-it-or-hate-it-pieces, but they can also be the most striking.  I think this piece by Kathy of Petticoat Junktion is definitely striking…in my opinion. I think this piece by Repurposed Gems is so pretty with the color, distressing and hand painted detail and, of course, the wood top. And I also love the white on wood dresser by Fab Rehab Creations.  The wood grain is fabulous and I love the casual nature of the rope handles.  Great makeovers! Here are the rules for our furniture get-together… 1.) Your post has to be about furniture. Please, please,

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crafts

Milk Paint Pumpkins

I received a lot of wonderful comments about my blue pumpkins and squash, but several people shared that they couldn’t find them in their area. Well, that gave me an idea… I’ve been itching to play with milk paint since attending the retailer training earlier this week, so why not test some custom mixed colors on a few pumpkins?  I know painting pumpkins isn’t anything new, but I don’t know if I’ve seen milk paint pumpkins out and about.  Given the natural variation in the pigmentation of the paint, I figured it would mimic the variations in the skin of blue pumpkins nicely. So, I started out with mini white pumpkins… …and mixed up six different custom colors.  They’re all variations made with Grain Sack, Boxwood, Shutter Gray, Eulalie’s Sky, Trophy and Kitchen Scale. I have found that these little ironstone mugs are my favorite to use for small paint

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Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Milk Paint Retailer’s Workshop Day One

Let me start by saying right off the bat that days like these overwhelm me.  I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.  A room full of about 30 of my milk paint retailers, people who invested in my brand and are excited about partnering with me in that way…all there to learn more, so that they can represent my line better.  It’s humbling.  After I was introduced, I looked out over these amazing women and it all hit me.  Why they were there…why I was there…  I had to gather myself for a minute before I thanked all of them for joining me in this amazing, crazy journey. Today was about painting, though, and training our retailers how to train you, the customer, to get the look you want from milk paint.  So, I kept the emotional speech awkward and brief and we dove right in. Our

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Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

WorkshopGallery

Let me start by saying right off the bat that days like these overwhelm me.  I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.  A room full of about 30 of my milk paint retailers, people who invested in my brand and are excited about partnering with me in that way…all there to learn more, so that they can represent my line better.  It’s humbling.  After I was introduced, I looked out over these amazing women and it all hit me.  Why they were there…why I was there…  I had to gather myself for a minute before I thanked all of them for joining me in this amazing, crazy journey. Today was about painting, though, and training our retailers how to train you, the customer, to get the look you want from milk paint.  So, I kept the emotional speech awkward and brief and we dove right in. Our

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Hand Painted Furniture

trophygallery

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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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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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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May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

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