Preorder Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

Miscellaneus

Miscellaneus

French Charmed Giveaway!

A few months ago, I received some beautiful paper from one of my sponsors, French Charmed.  I don’t normally get all swoony over paper, but this stuff is gorgeous.    The French Script Paper is almost like vellum with beautiful writing and a design similar to a ledger.  And guess what?  They’re going to give a roll away to one of my blog readers!  Yay!  This isn’t a tiny roll of paper like one you’d by at Target or the grocery store, either.  It’s a huge roll of this lovely paper.  (Retails at $78.95)       (The paper they’re giving away today is like the one on the bottom of the picture above.)  They also would like to include a Jeanne d’Arc Living Recipe book ($36.00 retail).  It is filled with all of the best recipes from the first three years of Jeanne d’ Arc Living Magazine.     These items

Read More
Miscellaneus

meaningful scribbles

I painted a wall and the back splash in my kitchen with chalkboard paint a few months ago. It was for an HGTV article and I figured I could paint over it after the photo shoot if I didn’t like it. Well, I loved it.  It’s funny how black was the bold “punch of color” my kitchen needed against the white cabinets and pale blue walls.  For a month or two, I quickly erased all doodles and scribbles.  The neat freak in me didn’t like graffiti on my wall.  One day, I decided to fight the OCD urges and leave the artwork and words.  I found that I really liked them. A little historical quote from my niece…  (She also wrote “Go Giants!”, but I had to erase that nonsense.)   …some scribbles from my kids and an inside joke from one of the teens in our youth group…   …a

Read More
Miscellaneus

Decor Steals MMS Pick of the Month & Giveaway!

It’s time for another Miss Mustard Seed’s Pick of the Month for Decor Steals! I always love doing these and this month’s pick is extra special, because it’s vintage!  I love things that are old and prefer them over reproductions or modern pieces in almost every case.  Here’s my pick… It’s a metal olive basket from Turkey.   I love “container” pieces like this that can be used for so many things.  I immediately thought it would look cool filled with paper products.  It would also be great for magazines, small toys, potatoes and onions, shoes, whatever.  I decided to use it as a waste basket in my office…     It’s the perfect size and looks so much better than the woven one I had.       And here’s a preview of tomorrows Decor Steal…     ….a pair of large pharmacy jars made out of recycled glass

Read More
Miscellaneus

Ask the True Value DIY Blog Squad

I’m so excited to be a part of the True Value DIY Blog Squad again this year.  One of my “duties” is getting to answer some of your DIY questions in an Ask the Blog Squad session on the True Value Facebook page.  The session starts tomorrow, July 24, 2012.  If you’d like to jump in and ask a question, come on over!

Read More
Miscellaneus

Sutton Place Designs Giveaway

***This giveaway is closed.*** I really mean it when I say I have the best sponsors. The companies hanging out on my side bar are ones I love, shop from and am happy to promote without hesitation. That’s the way it should be, right? So, it’s always a pleasure to highlight one of them with a giveaway.  Today I’m highlighting Ann Drake, a woman with mad-sewing-skills, and her Etsy shop, Sutton Place Designs.  Not only do I have her pillows and runners and other sewn goodies in my home (and a lot of my photo shoots), but I sell them out of my space at Lucketts. The first thing I notice when I receive a package from Sutton Place Designs is how much of a perfectionist Ann is.  Each item is carefully wrapped in layers of tissue…     …and when I start pulling things out of the tissue, her perfectionism shows in the

Read More
Miscellaneus

10 lbs of glitter & other things

I’m constantly overwhelmed by my readers and how amazing all of you are.  Really.  In response to my post on Monday, I received tons of sweet comments, encouraging e-mails and even several offers from people volunteering to help me when things get super busy.  I do hope you know how much a part of this amazing story of my business all of you are.  One day I’ll have to find a way to put it all into words. Anyway, I haven’t had a ton of time to work on work stuff this week.  I couldn’t eek out a blog post yesterday and had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find some pictures to post and things to write about.  It’s VBS week and I’m on snack detail.  My brother and his lovely wife and mother-in-law have been visiting as well and I’ve been suffering from/getting over a sinus

Read More
Miscellaneus

lest you think…

…I have my act together. I don’t.  I mean, I’m not a hot mess or anything, but I don’t ever want people to read my blog and walk away with the idea that I am churning out furniture while my hair is perfectly styled and my home is perfectly clean and my laundry is perfectly folded and put away and my children are playing perfectly together and I’m eating perfectly healthy and then getting a perfectly adequate amount of sleep each night.  That level of perfection isn’t going on in the mustard seed household and I’m sure it never will. I told my husband the other day, “If I knew this milk paint thing was going to involve so much work and so many other people, I would’ve waited until I was ready for it and the boys were in school!”  He pointed out that there was no way I

Read More
Miscellaneus

$300 Vintage Skye Giveaway!

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you may be familiar with the Vintage Skye Etsy Shop.  It’s packed full of vintage style clay knobs and tags handmade by the very talented Kristi.  I’ve used her knobs on a lot of my pieces and her clay tags have made it into many of my photo shoots.  I also sold some of her wares in my space at Lucketts. Here are some of my favorites in her shop right now…       (Wouldn’t that cow knob look amazing on one of my milk paint dressers?  Hint, hint…umm…Kristi….)         …and there are pages and pages of handmade goodness in her shop. Would you like the opportunity to win a huge giveaway?  Kristi is offering up $300 in credit to spend at Vintage Skye to one of my lucky readers.  Awesome, right? ( I think this may be the

Read More

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.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

Recent Video

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest