buying & selling antiques Archives | Page 2 of 23

buying & selling antiques

All Things Home

the doodle book & an empty studio

Just in case Lucketts wasn’t exciting enough, this weekend is also the launch of my newest book – The Home Design Doodle Book! This book was such a labor of love, partly because of the content, but also because it was drawn/written entirely by hand! I had no idea what I was getting into when I made that suggestion, but it made this book so much more personal. (In the end, we did have to use a hand written font for some of the text, because we realized editing a hand written book was ridiculous! But, the first draft was written entirely by hand.) It’s different from any of my other books. It’s part journal, part decorating book, and part encouragement. I wanted this book to feel like a conversation we would have if I was in your house, holding your hand through finding your style, reworking your rooms, putting together

May 17, 2017 31 Comments

All Things Home

two full weeks until Lucketts…

I was looking at the calendar today and it had me sweating! I only have two full weeks to finish getting ready for Lucketts!!! Ah!! And, Kriste, my trusty sidekick, has gone on maternity leave. Slacker. So, the pressure is on and it’s time to put the pedal to the metal. Since it is fast approaching, I wanted to share a few details and reminders. The main thing to remember is that the Lucketts Spring Market has moved! If you show up at the grounds of the Lucketts Store, the market will not be there. You will be sad and lonely and will end up making a mad dash to the Clark County Fairgrounds in Berryville, VA, so you can join all the rest of us. There will be over 175 vendors this year, plus a lot of fun new things, like paint demos, a glamping expo, crab pickin’, old

May 1, 2017 24 Comments

All Things Home

my favorite craigslist search terms

If you haven’t picked up on it, yet, I am an avid “craigslister”. It started with one dining room table about 9 years ago and it has become my go-to place to browse for furniture and other miscellaneous things. I love that I never know what I’m going to find. I love that you can weed through all of the junk and find some real gems for a good price. I love that I can shop from the comfort of my sofa. I think it’s all-around awesome. I shared a bunch of my best tips for shopping craigslist HERE, but I wanted to update and expand the search terms I use, since I was asked and that it can change depending on trends and what I’m into. Before I share the terms I use, I want to mention that I aways search in all “for sale” categories. People put stuff in

February 23, 2017 55 Comments

buying & selling antiques

my five “secrets to success” when selling at an antique market

Many readers have asked, through comments or e-mails, if I could share some of my tips and “secrets” to being successful at an antique market, so I thought I would write a post and share my answers with the whole group. Here they are, my top five (off-the-top-of-my-head) secrets to success… Create a Cohesive Look Remember, as you’re curating for your booth, that you’re not just an antiques dealer selling individual items, you’re a designer who is selling a look. If your booth is all over the place, stylistically speaking, it’ll be harder for customer to envision certain pieces in the context of their home. If your space is carefully curated and styled to show each piece in a context, customers are not only more likely to purchase a piece, but more likely to purchase multiple pieces, because they love the entire look. It’s up-selling without having to say a

August 30, 2016 17 Comments

All Things Home

soda crate + dress form display

When it comes to creative display ideas, I try to “keep my head down” or “keep my blinders on” to some extent, so that my ideas aren’t too heavily influenced by trends or other creatives. But, sometimes I feel a little stuck in a rut and I need to cruise for some fresh inspiration. It’s definitely a fine tightrope to walk! As I was getting ready for Lucketts, though, I needed some fresh inspiration and I came across one that was so cute, I decided to replicate it. The idea is from one of my milk paint retailers, Kathe of Warm & Weathered. She created a display for a dress form out of an antique soda crate. It looks sort of like the holder worn by the guy selling peanuts at a ballgame. Are you tracking with me? I hunted down an antique soda crate that worked with my brand…blue

June 14, 2016 19 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

behind the scenes | online shop

Since the online shop has been a big focus in the studio for the past couple of weeks, I thought I would share a little bit of the “behind the scenes” for those who are curious about our process. Our process has been a bit all over the place, since we don’t do this regularly, but we’re getting into a groove and are becoming more efficient. In fact, Kriste and I spent the majority of the day cleaning, purging, and organizing in order to make better use of the space. There have also been a lot of things just hanging around the studio that we really didn’t need to keep. We ended up hauling 5+ contractor garbage bags full of stuff to the dumpster, packed Kriste’s little car with a load of fabric rolls, home accessories, and craft supplies to take to the thrift store, and we have a

June 8, 2016 35 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

back to work & other things…

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend. My three day weekend was actually an eight day weekend, since I took a week off to recover from the Lucketts Spring Market (and months of work leading up to it!) I still did computer work…e-mail, blog posts, social media, etc., but I took a break from going into the studio. I really needed that time to step away and recharge. I had some appointments. I got a massage. I spent one entire day in my jammies. And I started to do a bit of gardening. When the weeds in your window boxes are dying, it’s time to do some gardening! I also put together some plans. I tend to be a bit unfocused after a big push towards a deadline, so I decided to put together a clear list of priorities and to-dos to keep me on track. Most of those plans were

June 1, 2016 26 Comments

All Things Home

styling tips | for retail

I’ve written several posts about styling over the years, but I’ve grown a lot and learned a lot along the way and it’s probably time for an update. (I have also received a few comments and e-mails about it lately.) Styling is a broad topic, so I’ll break this up into a series. In my work, I do three kinds of styling – for photography, for the home, and for retail. They all have similarities, but I approach each of them differently. Let’s start with styling for retail… This is a “retail vignette” I put together using furniture and accessories that I brought to sell at Lucketts… As I’m pulling and arranging things, I’m aiming toward three main goals… styling for retail | tell a story Whether it’s a story of color, texture, a specific space, theme, season, geographic location, etc., I want to curate a group of items that relate to one

May 28, 2016 25 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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