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My House

Before and Afters

the hand-painted German-style bed

I never really showed off the finished hand-painted German-style bed for the guest room, so I thought it was high time. To recap, this is the German-style hand-painted bed I used as inspiration.  I found it in a magazine about ten years ago and always loved it. I knew the chances of finding a bed like that were pretty slim, so I looked for one with a shape that could work and I planned to paint it myself.  I found this bed at an antique store for $100.  The high headboard and curved footboard were about as good as I was going to get, I think.  It was beaten up and the finished was crackled, probably from being stored in an attic, barn or garage, but that worked to my advantage when it came to creating an authentically antique-looking finish. I painted it in MMS Milk Paint French Enamel. I

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Favorite Finds

Barn & Willow

A few months ago, I decided I was ready to change out the drapes in my family room.  I had wanted to for a while, but the idea of actually making eight drapery panels (the proper way…lined and hemmed) was overwhelming and prevented me from actually doing anything. Enter a timely e-mail from Barn & Willow.   Barn & Willow’s founder, Trisha, contacted me to see if I would be a guinea pig for their new drapery line. When I learned that French pleats and Belgian linen were involved, I was happy to sign on.  I also loved the idea of working with and supporting an entrepreneur who was pushing towards her goals.  Trisha wasn’t new to textiles and drapery and home decor, but she had a vision that finding the perfect drapes for your home shouldn’t be difficult, so she launched her own company. I know exactly what she means, because I’ve been

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My House

my house hunt sound track

A lot of you have asked about how the sale of our house is going as well as the house hunt.  I haven’t been ignoring those questions, but I’ve just been busy talking about Lucketts stuff and furniture makeovers.  It felt like too big of an answer to squish in at the bottom of another post, so I’m dedicating an entire post to an update. For those who missed it, we put our house on the market a little over a month ago.  We really love our current home and have put a lot of work into it, but our business is growing out of our basement and has taken over a lot of our house.  I didn’t realize how many closets and cabinets are filled with things that are for my business, not our personal use.  We would rather expand into something we own instead of leasing a commercial space.

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My House

"I'm beautiful inside"

This all started a few months ago when Jeff and I started talking about getting more space for Mustard Seed Interiors.  It started with frustrating declarations from me as I tripped over a piece of furniture in the basement or had a pile of inventory sitting in my living room.  “I need more space to work!!”  It developed into the desire to host workshops, events and sales.  It progressed into the serious conversation that this business is growing and the workspace in our home is bursting at the seams because of it.  Ideas are limited and put on the back burner because of it.  It’s time. So, Jeff and I started looking into commercial spaces.  We were just testing…sticking our toes in…to see what was out there.  That turned into the struggle – rent a commercial space or move to a home with property and outbuildings that can accommodate our

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buying & selling antiques

cleaning the basement & a stool for Lucketts

Today, my mom and I spent a few hours cleaning out the basement.  After all of the project-finishing, organizing, cleaning, shopping for Lucketts, shipping for the online shop, etc, the basement was a mess.  I can tolerate a messy basement for a while, because I can close the door and not look at it.  There comes a time, though, when I’m tripping over things and can’t find things and it feels like things are everywhere and they are crowding out my productivity and creativity. We worked really hard and both the old and new parts of the basement are cleaned and organized. Everything that’s finished for Lucketts is priced and packed…   …and we have a holding area for pieces I’m still working on.   It feels amazing to have those spaces cleaned and ready for work!  Next week I hope to get some of these pieces finished, so I

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Family Room

the right lamp shade

A few months ago, I bought this pretty alabaster lamp at an antique store.  I loved the shape of it… It came with a shade, but I didn’t think it fit the lamp very well.  I ended up hanging onto it without a shade in the basement for a while and finally moved it up to my desk when I was working on the family room.  One day my mom and I went out shopping and I was planning on hitting Target to find a shade.  We weren’t able to make it to Target (we always run short on time when we’re out and about), but we did make it to Lowe’s.  I took a quick look at the lamp shade assortment and immediately knew this was the right one when I spotted it. And I picked up a lamp harp and a simple nickel finial to go with the

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Before and Afters

Finishing Projects…

Over a year ago, we installed wood floors in our bedroom and family room.  We ripped out broken closet doors and baseboards.  Then, we got busy.  I mean, painting a piece of furniture or installing wood counters is a lot more exciting than priming a baseboard or putting in a threshold.  A few months later, I was hired to do some freelance projects that involved work in the master bedroom and bath.  We finished everything that would be in the photos…and nothing more.  So, one half of our bedroom looked like this… …while the other half looked something like this… I’m learning that things are always going to be busy and having these unfinished projects hanging over my head was a bummer and a drain.  This weekend, we had beautiful weather, a clear schedule and great motivation, so we got some things done.  I mean, a lot of things.  Our

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Family Room

Showing off the wainscoting…

I showed off my new family room wainscoting a few days ago, but the hutch in the corner was bugging me a little.  Even as we were moving the furniture back, I said to Jeff, “I think this hutch looks too squished into that corner and it hides all of the wainscoting.” “Oh no.  I think it looks fine.”  I think that was code for I don’t really want to move furniture right now. A few days later, I was ready to move the hutch and other things around, so he helped me. We moved the hutch by the front door in the living room and brought in the small MMSMP Grain Sack dresser that was under the living room window.  I topped it off with the small antique hutch.  I like how it opens things up more and allows the wainscoting to be seen and appreciated. I tried a

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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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