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Running a Business

Tag Tutorial & Creative Eggs

In preparing for Lucketts, I’ve been trying to make things that are interesting to display around my booth and sell.  I bought some papier mache eggs and thought I would experiment a little.  So, I tried decoupaging antique sheet music on a few… …and painted a few in chalkboard paint. They’re just a little different and fun.  We’ll see if they sell. I had several questions about my tags, so I thought I would show how I make them.  These are super easy and I can make more any time I need them. First of all, I am blessed to have a great friend and designer who designed the style and layout of these tags for me.  She fit nine on a page, so I can print them up by the sheet on card stock. Using a paper cutter, I trim the tags into strips, so they’ll fit in a

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Lucketts Love Seat & Something’s Missing

As most of you know, I’ve been working like a maniac to get as much done for Lucketts as I possibly can.  It’s next weekend and the anticipation (and pile of stuff) is building.  This is the latest addition. This is how this love seat looks underneath the slipcover.  It reminds me of something that would furnish a dentist’s waiting room.  You know that textured pastel wallpaper that is in almost every doctor/dentist office?  Yeah…this looks like that.  The curvy French Provincial shape was perfect, though.  I made the slipcover out of bleached drop cloths and used some grosgrain ribbon to tie it onto the wood frame.  I love how it turned out and how it looks with my feed sack pillows.  I found this folding camping table in my grandparent’s attic and painted it in a soft, distressed gray.  I purchased the balance scale at a yard sale this morning.  This

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A Fine Line?

A couple of days ago, my dear blog friend, Funky Junk Donna, left a comment for me. “You are indeed SMOKIN’! I’m so inspired I feel jittery. Maybe I should stay offline until school’s back in. Nah… I can handle it. Smelling like coconut sunscreen while reading isn’t a bad thing. 🙂 Seriously, that lampshade is killer. LOVE that idea! I also commend you on building your entire line. Most would purchase and resell. You’re crafting it all! Oh my gosh… You will be so successful! Donna “ She’s always encouraging to me, but this comment really struck a chord.  I created a line?  Me?  I’m not a big designer.  I never went to design school.  I’m just me.  A mom of toddlers, who was stepping on Cheerios, changing diapers and making bottles while I worked on this stuff.  I thought about her words and strolled into my dining room/Lucketts

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Busy, Busy Girl

I just primed five pieces of furniture, sanded three doors, installed some hardware, glazed a chair…and the list goes on and on.  It’s nuts, my finger nails look dirty 24/7, and I’m tired.  Here are some of the things I’ve completed over the past week.  I bought this dresser almost a year ago at Goodwill and it’s been sitting in my basement.  I love the lines of this piece, so I’m not sure why I’ve neglected it for so long, but I’m glad I finally finished it and I’m hoping the right buyer comes to Lucketts to give it a good home. I refinished the top in its natural wood tone and painted the base in a chippy grayish blue over white.  Distressing, an antique glaze, wipe on poly, and glass knobs finish it off. I also hand painted this “Haystone Manor Farm” sign.  It is so tempting to keep this one,

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We Are the Women Who Blog

Do you realize how awesome we are?  I’ve been thinking about all of the hats we wear as DIY bloggers and I was pretty darn impressed with us as a group.  We sew and slipcover… …design rooms… …and take pictures all along the way. We repaint, refinish, reinvent, and repurpose. We build… …by ourselves and on a budget. And we inspire others to get out their big-boy power tools and follow in our footsteps. We rescue, reupholster, and renew. And then we teach others how to do it, too. We are our own stylist, photographer, writer, editor, publicist, tech team, marketing firm, and sales force. And most of us are moms, hold full time jobs, and/or own a business. We are the women who blog.  And we are a force to be reckoned with.

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Everything is for Sale

Guess what is on its way to Canada right now?    Did you guess correctly?  It’s my antique chicken feeder that I found at a killer yard sale.  I wasn’t planning on selling it, but someone asked to buy it, so it’s on the way. And guess what’s getting on a bus on Monday to find a new home in California? It’s my sheet music dresser.  Again, someone spotted it on my blog wanted to buy it.  This happened to be for sale in our shop, anyway, but I hadn’t planned on shipping it across the country.  It turns out we could ship it through Greyhound for only $60.00! Have you seen something on my blog that you would love to have in your own home?  These are some furniture pieces that are still for sale and are all small enough to ship through Greyhound. The bird and branch cabinet – $140

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Starting a Business – The Nitty Gritty

If you missed my previous posts on Starting A Buiness, My Story and In the (Very) Beginning, make sure you check those out before you read this post. Before we get going, I want you to understand that this post is only a guide.  The process is going to be different for every state and every business, so make sure you do some of your own research as well.  Ok?  This is also just a “fly over.”  We’ll go over some of these topics in more detail and feel free to ask any questions along the way.  Here we go with all of the Federal, State and Local stuff you need to take care of… Register Your Fictitious Name (State) What is a Fictitious Name?  It’s the name of your business.  I am the sole proprietor of my business, so my “Enterprise Name” is my full legal name, but Mustard Seed Creations is my

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Starting A Business – In the (Very) Beginning

“What about http://www.mms2.wpengine.com/?  That’s available.  You could be Miss Mustard Seed.”  When my brother said these words to me almost two years ago, I was not very thrilled at the idea of being Miss Mustard Seed.  I pictured “her” as being a short, squat cartoon gardener wearing a straw hat and holding a sunflower.  I’m not sure why, but that’s what I imagined and that is not me.  Now I am Miss Mustard Seed, so how did that work out?  This brings me to my first post about starting your business.  Have a dream. Before you look into any of the nitty gritty details, you need to dream.  What do you want your business to look like at the end of a year?  How do you want you and your business to be perceived?  How much do you want to grow?  Then, dream really big.  Imagine a magazine feature, being interviewed by Oprah, 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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