Running a Business Archives | Page 12 of 49

Running a Business

Dear Reader | to the one who feels like it’s too late

I recently received this e-mail entitled “The turning of the tide?”… “Dear Marian, I wanted to pick your wonderful, creative brain for a moment and not as a reply on your webpage. I began painting furniture not too long ago, my style is what I would call French farmhouse with an English twist. Recently I have noticed that things have slowed down a bit for painted furniture and wonder where you see the trend going? I believe even you have taken a small step back for reflection. I have a lot invested and have a booth I am about to open this month and would like to think I am on the right track to building a business I can continue when I retire in the next 4-5 years. I would appreciate any insight you may have.” Dear Reader (to the who feels like it’s too late), I get asked a variation of

October 15, 2016 79 Comments

a slice of life

things have changed…

I’ve been needing to write this post for a while now, but the words were just never there. I have felt stuck with my blog for a few weeks, though, and I knew I would feel stuck until I made myself sit down and write. I need to tell you, my readers, that things have changed. Don’t worry. It’s all good stuff. I’m not dropping any bombs, here. I just need to put it out there, maybe more for myself than anyone else. After Lucketts, I had a lot of ideas on the “what’s next” list. I had some plans in the works that would involve tons of hands-on work – furniture painting, shopping, putting rooms together, styling, photography, etc. Those plans meant loads and loads of blog content, like the weeks leading up to Lucketts. I was headed towards those plans at a steady pace and then, like I

September 16, 2016 137 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

fall porch photoshoot

Thursday morning, I hit the snooze button a few times and then lazily scrolled through Instagram with one eye open until I felt like I could function enough to coax myself out of bed. My throat had been sore for a couple of days and now I could feel that I didn’t just have a dry throat from the A/C running or from a couple of short nights of sleep (from getting up to check blood sugars and make corrections in the middle of the night) I was getting sick. I had slated Thursday for a fall porch freelance photoshoot, but I just didn’t think I could swing it. The sky was threatening rain on top of my stuffed sinuses and it seemed like everything was pointing to rescheduling. Netflix, soup, and pajama pants were beckoning. Well, I tried my best, but I couldn’t fit it in another day to

September 6, 2016 9 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

Running a Business

ideas are like sea turtles

Our family has been watching through the series Planet Earth on Netflix. Our world is so intricate and fascinating and bizarre and majestic. We were watching a segment on baby sea turtles – how the eggs are laid in the sand and, at just the right time, they break free from their shell and race towards the ocean. I’m watching these little turtles scurry in the sand, focused on their destination, hopeful and determined. Their scurrying does have a joyful quality to it in my estimation. And then, they confront the waves. They are going full speed ahead in their joyful scurry and a wave pounds into them, turns them upside down, pushes them back, and disorients. They recover and repeat until they either make it or they don’t. As I was watching those sea turtles, it struck me… Those sea turtles are like my ideas!! There they are, described in nature

August 19, 2016 27 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

behind the scenes | producing videos

I have been asked several questions about the videos I make, so I thought I would answer them all in one post, for those who are interested. Videos have been an on-again-off-again thing for me over the past few years. I started them initially when I wanted to share how I made slipcovers. I tried to write posts detailing how, but once I got into the thick of “pin the inside arm piece to the side piece…” it just got overly complicated. Some things are just easier to show. I also like video, because I can really talk to you, my readers. I write the way I talk. I have a running conversation going on in my head and I just type it out. But when I can talk directly to the camera, you’re getting to know me even more. I often leave in mistakes and when I crack myself

July 27, 2016 10 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

styling tips | for photo

Welcome to the third and final part of this “styling tips” series – styling for a photo. If you missed the first two parts and want to catch up, the links are below… styling tips | for home styling tips | for retail In this part, we’ll talk about styling for photography. This is the one that I do most. I think even when I’m styling for retail or in my house, I’m thinking about how photogenic it will be! I think, when you are a photography enthusiast, professional or amateur, you start to see most things through the lens of a camera. You can find all of my camera gear, lenses, lighting, and accessories HERE. Photo styling is a pretty broad topic, but I’ll focus on the kind of styling I do, which is to show a product, a project “beauty shot”/vignette, or a room. photo styling | products

June 15, 2016 15 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

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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