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Running a Business

a slice of life

Back to School Week!

Well, the day has finally arrived and I just sent the boys off to school. When I started my blog, both of my boys were in diapers and now they are started 5th and 6th grade. It is crazy how time flies, but I am enjoying their current age. I never was much of a “baby person”, so the younger years were more of a struggle for me. I’m loving watching their personalities and sense of humor bloom as they grow. But, I also love that I’m sitting in a quiet house right now! Since it’s only half a week, I don’t have any grand plans, but I will work on deep cleaning the house, finishing up some small projects (like painting the door trim in the laundry room), and start to get myself focused and organized for fall. I have design projects lined up, freelance work (for magazines and

August 29, 2018 21 Comments

buying & selling antiques

A walk down Lucketts lane

This weekend is the Lucketts Spring Market and it’s the first time since 2010 that I am not there. Lucketts has been such a huge part of my business since the beginning, but it’s now over 1,000 miles away. It’s hard not being there, but I’ll admit that it’s nice to have a break from all of that physically taxing work and stress! I know that many who read my blog love watching the furniture makeovers and frenzy as we prepared for this event each year, so I thought I would share one big walk down memory lane, starting with my very first Lucketts event. Old Lucketts Fair 2009 (August, shared 10 x 10 space) This actually wasn’t the Lucketts Spring Market, but the Old Lucketts Fair, which is a craft event with some antique dealers held on the grounds of the old Lucketts Schoolhouse, across the street from the

May 18, 2018 37 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

rugs & quilts & other things dreams are made of

As my business has grown and hit milestones over the years, I’ve learned that things seem to come in waves. There will be a lull just before another swell. Right now is a swell. My first fabric line officially launched just a few weeks ago and in April we launched a new MMS Milk Paint color and I just got through the final approval stages of the two rugs I designed for Dash & Albert. Never thought I would string a sentence together like that. So, let’s start with the rugs. Here is the one I received a couple of weeks ago… It is still surreal seeing it in person. Even when I look at the picture, I have to remind myself that it isn’t a mock-up! This rug is beautiful. It has a thick, soft pile that feels so comfy underfoot. I think it works well with the pattern and

May 3, 2018 52 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

no-sew custom dinner napkins & fabric launch

After years of design work, coordinating, learning, waiting, and creating, my fabric line is finally going to be available for sale (find a store HERE), so this week kicks off the official launch of Bunnies, Birds & Blooms by Free Spirit Fabrics. I have partnered with some talented creators and Instagrammers to show off the fabrics. They are amazing quilters. I am not. They will be showing the super-fancy sewing projects. I’m going to show the super simple, no-sew project for my non-sewing, non-quilting readers. As I was thinking about a good, no-sew project, I was also working on a table setting for a photo shoot and I realized I had sold the majority of my colorful cloth napkins when we moved. I had a moment of inspiration. My fabrics would be perfect with my table setting and cloth napkins would be ridiculously simple to make. That’s the project I

April 2, 2018 41 Comments

a slice of life

the big three

When I worked in the corporate world (can you even imagine that?), I would keep a running to-do list on a legal pad. Each day, I would work through the list until it was “quitting time” and, whatever was left on the list would get transferred to a fresh piece of paper as the start of my to-do list for the next day. That method worked well when my job was over the minute I left the office to start my commute home. I was never nagged by what was undone. My work very rarely came home with me. Since I started my own business, I’ve used the same method of keeping a running to-do list. It seemed like a good business practice. Here’s the problem… my running to do list made me feel like there were never enough hours in the day and like my work day couldn’t end

March 20, 2018 42 Comments

a slice of life

open-handed recklessness & practical plans

My time of retreat felt like flight. Not the kind we’re used to these days when you’re herded like cattle through security and shoved into a seat appropriately sized for a nine-year-old. It was flight that was light and swift, like a blue jay. The wind was in my hair and I glided, soared, and soaked in the view. The landing has been a little rough, though. I thought I was prepared for it. I knew that coming home after having completely uninterrupted days in 70 degree weather and sunshine would be a jolt. It’s been more than that, like there are literal forces at work against me, trying to siphon all enthusiasm from a completely full tank. I ended up in a mix of tears and manic laughter at my small group last Thursday, when I was asked to share a prayer request for the week. Even though I was

March 14, 2018 36 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

the process of designing textiles

In case you missed the happy news, Free Spirit Fabrics, the maker of my fabric line, was bought out by Jaftex and saved! That means Bunnies, Birds & Blooms will be available for sale and I’m finishing up my second collection! Since I’m in the throes of color ways, I thought it would be a good time to share my design process and how much it’s grown from where I started. When I was first approached to design a fabric line, I was thrilled about even the thought of it. I’ve loved textiles for a long time and this was a dream come true. When I actually sat down to put design ideas on paper, I realized I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. No clue. The designs were there. They were in my brain. How do I put them in a format that can be shared with

March 12, 2018 43 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

words that rocked | podcasts & books for creatives

It’s hard to follow-up a heart-on-my-sleeve kind of post like the one I wrote yesterday. I am still reading through the comments, savoring each one like the little gem that it is. Some have already made me teary in our camaraderie and others have given me more to ponder as I strive to bring my creative retreat home and hang onto the energy it injected for a little longer. I know that I will have to fight against falling into the same old patterns and mindsets. I’ll have to grip tightly to the things that inspired and motivated me. A large part of that is going to be keeping creative encouragement on tap. I have to continue to read books, listen to podcasts, read articles and blog posts, and allow the wisdom and experience of others to prod me along. I use to do that a lot, but it fizzled

March 8, 2018 49 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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