Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 48 of 59

Artistic Endeavors

a calico, a black sheep & gwendolyn

On Thursday, Kriste, Katie and I all worked together to finish up the second 9 x 20′ mural backdrop for Lucketts. I painted a second coat on the lettering and Kriste added the grommets on the sides, top and bottom, which we’ll use to tie it to the tent poles. (Someone asked how we’re going hang it and that’s how!) And all three of us worked together to add the finishing touches. Well, we got a little over ambitious and added a farmhouse, cows, and sheep, so if you can call those “finishing touches”… Katie “sketched” out the placement of the farmhouse and I finished painting it. Kriste added the little calico cat at the back step. We just couldn’t resist. Kriste also painted the sheep and I painted the little tree to give them some shade. One of our readers suggested adding a black sheep and I loved

May 7, 2016 28 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

bed foundation, the other mural & a slipped wing chair

As I was putting together the low profile foundation we used on the full-sized antique iron bed, I had a fleeting thought that I should take pictures of the process. My thought that no one would really be interested in the foundation was totally wrong! Most of the comments I received on the bed were asking about the foundation, so I thought I would share a bit more about it. I have worked with enough antique beds to know that most modern mattresses and box springs totally overwhelm the small frame…to the point where you can’t even see the headboard anymore! So, I got a low profile foundation, instead of a box spring. I shopped around and decided to purchase The Classic Brand Low Profile 4″ Foundation from Amazon. The full size was just over $100. It’s under that skirt, but it’s not much to look at, anyway! It gives you an

May 5, 2016 35 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

shoe cart reproduction

In case you missed them over the weekend, I listed a few more antique hemp sheets in the online shop! So, remember this antique shoe cart I found and sold last fall? It was such a neat piece and so functional to use for retail display. It’s lightweight, the shelves are removable (and can be configured in a variety of ways), and it can easily nestle over a dresser, so it doesn’t take a up a lot of room in transit. Despite all of these things, I sold it. And…I sort of regretted it. Not because it was such a special piece, even though it was, but because of how functional it was. That regret tapered off when I realized it would be pretty easy to make something just like it. Jeff and I were planning to design and build a couple of them and then I received

April 12, 2016 15 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

controlling the studio chaos…

As you may have guessed from all of the furniture reveal posts lately (and there are still more to come), the studio is getting pretty full! We have a lot of space (about 2500 square feet), but we have “areas” for different tasks…shipping, storage, sewing, a counter and our desks, workshop area, and a work/staging/photography area. I just realized as I’m typing this out that I should do a video tour! It’s on the to-do list now. So, the work/staging/photography area is the side of the studio that receives the best light and it’s where we are most often. It’s where all of the painting, upholstering, refinishing and staging has been happening and it’s gotten a little out of control over the past few weeks. Okay, a lot out of control. It’s quite the maze. Kriste has been getting twitchy just looking at it. She’s the girl who usually puts all

March 31, 2016 48 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

building a mobile shop counter

A few of you noticed the counter in the background of the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart post. It is actually a mobile shop counter I designed and Jeff built for me! I wanted a counter that had a vintage look and feel, but would be mobile and reasonably lightweight to take to the Lucketts Spring Market and any other future events. While I would love another large, antique counter, they are usually not mobile and definitely not lightweight. Building a new one was really a much better option. So, Jeff and I went shopping for materials, discussing the design elements I wanted to incorporate as well as the practical aspect of how this mobile shop counter needs to function. I wanted beadboard and a wood top. Jeff had the idea to put it up on feet, in case the ground is wet. We also needed a shelf on the

March 25, 2016 30 Comments

All Things Home

oak buffet in-the-works

Last week, a reader left a comment asking for me to show more behind-the-scenes pictures. It was a simple, polite request and it made me realize I don’t do that as much as I used to. I think I always feel like the pictures have to be pretty, “Pin-worthy” images that will be liked and shared. Pinterest, Instagram and the infamous Facebook algorithm really changed what bloggers (on the whole) share and how they share it and I am not an exception. But, that comment got me thinking. As a DIYer myself, I love looking at the before and afters and inspirational pictures, but I also want to know the HOW behind it. While I’ve written hundreds of how-oriented, tutorial posts, it doesn’t mean I can’t share the latest “hows” behind what I’m working on. For those who are new, it might be new information and, for those who have been

March 22, 2016 36 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

the studio is full of possibilities

I was down to just a few things in my to-do stash and that lasted for about two minutes. Kriste and I went shopping on Monday and brought home some great pieces AND my dad scored a few things on craigslist AND I received a few shipments. You know when you get home from the grocery store and dump all of your bags on the kitchen floor? Now, imagine that with furniture and boxes and bags of antiques and home decor. That’s what the studio was like today – stuff all over the floor and in no particular order. It was a little chaotic, but it was exciting, too. And, oh, the possibilities! From our shopping trip, we brought home this pretty oak buffet… It’s almost exactly like one I bought and painted for Lucketts last year… We also got this sweet highboy. It has such a pretty and

March 17, 2016 85 Comments

All Things Home

making a “vintage” chalkboard with milk paint

As I shared yesterday, the past couple of weeks in the studio have been devoted to getting things finished that have been hanging around for way too long. I’ve ignored some of them, because I knew they would be a pain-in-the-rear to work on, like the French chair with nailhead trim (yet to be revealed), and I ignored others because I just didn’t know what to do with them. I knew they had potential and I wasn’t quite ready to give up on them, so they languished in “the stash”. This oversized Eastlake mirror frame, minus the mirror, was one of those pieces, but it was a perfect piece to repurpose. Here’s how I went about making it into a vintage chalkboard with milk paint. Before we get into the tutorial on making a vintage-style chalkboard with milk paint, a bit of history… I picked it up at a yard

March 12, 2016 43 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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