Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 52 of 58

Artistic Endeavors

empire buffet project

Last week I started to get pieces ready for the Chapel Market (on October 25 in Pike Road, AL). I have a pretty nice stash and a plan in my head and now that I have space to work, I’m ready to go! I want my space at Chapel Market to have a cohesive theme this year. Last year, I brought mostly leftovers from the Lucketts Spring Market, so it wasn’t as pulled together as I wanted. It still looked like me, but wasn’t cohesive. I’m planning to work on photo shoots for the second MMSMP look book while I’m working on pieces to sell, so they are going to have a shared theme. And the theme is… French Blue | Farmhouse White I’ve used this theme before for curated collections, but I had to revisit it for a look book. Those who are familiar with me and my style are

September 7, 2014 25 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

adding casters to the counter

A couple of weeks ago, I found this amazing antique counter on Craig’s List. My mom and I cleaned it and then I sealed the paint to prevent further chipping. I want everything in the studio to be very easy to move, so we have a lot of flexibility with the set up and I can scoot things around by myself without shredding the floors. So, my dad came to the studio yesterday to put casters on the counter. We thought we might need to build a frame underneath to support the casters, but when we flipped it over, we saw that the wood was thick and in good condition to accept the screws required to hold the casters in place. Adding casters was as simple as lining the caster up and screwing it in. I bought some vintage casters, but we ended up using new ones, so they would lock

September 5, 2014 20 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

french ironstone compote

I had my second full day in the studio and it was awesome. I am loving getting up in the morning and heading out of the house to a place of business. I’m still a little scattered, because there are so many things I want and need to do and I don’t know where to start. I would go into the bathroom to get a trash bag and I’d end up cleaning something, then moving something else and then I’d entirely forget what I was supposed to be doing until I tried to throw something away and saw there was no trash bag! Welcome to my day. I know I’ll get settled into a routine soon and will find my stride. As I was working, Jeff brought in a package I was waiting for… Come on…it was mailed in a French potato box! I’m sure those are very boring in France,

September 3, 2014 52 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

moving into the studio part 2

I don’t mess around when it comes to moving into a new space. I want to get unpacked and settled as soon as humanly possible. I think it’s my military brat upbringing. Moving was just a part of life and something I anticipated. Maybe that’s why I like change so much? Anyway, I’m good at moving. I didn’t have a lot of time to plan for this move, though, so most things were thrown into paper shopping bags. Nothing was boxed or neatly labeled, but it all made it there. My mom and I got quite a bit done yesterday, but today Kriste and I were able to get the studio to point where it’s functional. Here’s how it’s looking… Some of these pieces are to sell and others are to use for photo props. The chairs are for workshop attendees. Jeff is building two farm tables for me that the

September 2, 2014 67 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

moving into the studio

When I say that the business was taking over our house, I wasn’t exaggerating. We moved three 14′ truckloads of furniture, tools, packing materials and stuff over to the studio today. It wasn’t tightly packed in there, but they were pretty full truckloads! We had four guys helping us and they worked incredibly hard. We had three pretty monstrous pieces to move, but they were able to get it done. I started to get even more giddy as I watched my stuff populate the studio. It was coming together even better than I envisioned. I used the oversized oak hutch and t-shirt counter to create a place to film videos and teach workshops. Most pieces will be on casters, but these will be fixed in one spot. (I need to clean out and organize the drawers in the counter.) I was not super organized for this move, so my mom and

September 1, 2014 82 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

sealing the crusty counter

I shared this crusty counter I bought off Craig’s List last week… It is a fabulous piece, but it was shedding paint chips all over the place and it was dirty and had quite a number of cobwebs hanging out in the drawers and corners. So, if I’m going to make it functional, it needed a good cleaning and needed to be sealed. Many of you ask how I deal with pieces like this, so I thought I would share. Before I get into the how, I want direct you to the EPA website for information about working on pieces with lead-based paint. I am not an expert, but I’ve worked on a lot of old, chippy pieces and I’m always mindful of the dangers of lead. Please educate yourself before tackling a project like this. This process is for pieces that do not contain lead-based paint. My mom and

August 31, 2014 45 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

the mustard seed studio

I signed the lease and got the keys for my very own studio yesterday. I’ve been talking and dreaming about one for at least two years. My business has always been spread throughout our house, wherever it will fit. It’s in the upstairs hall closet, the downstairs office, the entire basement, a corner of the family room and usually the living and dining rooms. It’s basically taking over. So, I absolutely cannot wait to get everything moved out of my house and into the studio, so I can start using it. Here’s how it looks from the outside… This is my view across the street… You had better believe I’m going to do a photo shoot or two over there! And here is the inside of my studio… Like I said…it’s just a big open space. White walls, wood floors, big windows and really a wonderful blank slate for photo

August 30, 2014 140 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

crusty counter & other finds

I went shopping with Kriste today and I kept pausing to declare how excited I am about the new studio space. I got a call while we were shopping, letting me know that I can sign the lease on Friday and move in. I feel like I’ve been let out of a box, but even so much more than that. Oh, to have a place to work that’s not my home! To have a place for boxes to be delivered and furniture to be dropped off and a dedicated space for videos and photos shoots and to teach workshops and have sales and whatever else I want to do! It’s incredible and I am bursting to be able to move in and get settled. I don’t want to have a ton of permanent furnishings, but I prefer to have pieces that I buy, fix up, use for photo shoots and tutorials

August 27, 2014 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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