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More Store Progress

The last few days have been a total blur! I’ve been working like crazy to get things done at the new shop. Because of that, my blog has been a little neglected. Sorry all! I have a few housekeeping things to take care of before I share some pictures of the new shop with you.

First of all, I’d like to thank MB from Down Home DIY for “Booing” me. I only recently discovered her blog and if you haven’t checked it out, you should. There is idea after idea that you can use in your home from rearranging furniture, choosing colors, and creative uses for materials. Second, thanks to Lilia from 2 Brown Eyed Beauties for awarding me the Kreativ Blog Award. She shares lots of beautiful pictures and inspiring decorating ideas that she uses in her own home. I love her foyer makeover. These are two great blogs, so make sure to check them out!

Onto the shop makeover! Girls, I am soooo thrilled with how it’s looking so far. I took a lot of pictures along the way and I have several transformations and tutorials to share with you over the next few days and weeks. I am so tired right now that I am just going to show you some pictures of our progress. There’s still a LOT to do, but almost all of the painting is complete.

We painted the main room a warm cream color called Venetian Lace. There is fluorescent lighting (which we’re hoping to be able to replace with chandeliers and lamps), so I wanted to make sure the walls would look warm when they are on. I then added large blocks of color that would act as a backdrop for furniture arrangements. If ever we get tired of one color, we can just swap it out! I chose colors that complimented one another and are found in a lot of my furniture pieces and the antiques that the shop owner and I are drawn to. She loves yellow & red and I love blue, white & black. Everything in the shop needed a coat of paint. The walls, trim, counter, radiator covers, doors, display space, everything!

The greatest improvement has been in the window space. We pulled down cheap doors, paneled walls, stained wallpaper, and lots of cobwebs. These windows were nasty! They are so bright, now…just a little more paint and a few buckets of Windex and we’ll be good to go.

 My hubby installed the bead board panels. 🙂 He’s getting a brand new table saw next in a couple of weeks, so I am expecting to show you great things that he makes for me.

 On the wall behind the counter we painted a chalkboard over magnetic paint. We can write messages to our customers to let them know about sales and upcoming events. I just bought a bag of goodies from Wal-Mart to make some cute magnets for us to use (and sell!)

 Our back room is going to be our clothing/baby & kids room, so we went with pink, brown, and white for a French Boutique kind of feel. I then added decorative painting in an “illustrative” style. I wanted it to look like the background of children’s book, so it’s very loose and retained a hand drawn quality. I’ll do a tutorial on the decorative painting I rendered in this room later this week. Because it’s a loose style, this is an easy job for a novice painter to tackle. And I love how the bathroom door turned out!

 My husband framed out a chalkboard/magnet board for a children’s play area. We’re going to add a table and chairs in front of it and provide magnets, chalk, and some toys to keep little ones entertained while mom is shopping. As a mother of two toddlers, I always appreciate when stores have that!

 I added some painted scroll work at the corners of the color blocks and around the phone. (Don’t you just love the classic style of this phone?) The hand painted touches soften the sharp corners of the color blocks and give the space more personality. The blocks of color also disguise all of the exposed electrical and phone cords that run all over the walls.

 These were very easy to freehand and would be a great project for a first timer.

 There’s my mom! She just left to go back home and I cried. She flew here and rented a car…all to work like a dog for 3 days to help us get ready to open the shop. I need to get an extra nice mother’s day present for her.

 Lots of Diet Dr. Pepper was enjoyed over the past few days. I’m not a coffee drinker, so this is my vice and kept me going.

 In my last post, I told you that my husband pointed out how unflattering my pants were and I wanted to show you that he was not being unkind. These pants are hideous, not to mention the shoes. I finally dressed like a normal person today and I don’t have paint embedded in my fingernails or a bandanna on my hair. Sigh…I’m a tired girl. I can’t wait to share more details, before & after pics, and some of our solutions for the space. This process is a lot of fun!

Furniture Feature Friday favorites and a winner will be posted tomorrow. Also, I just received a box of goodies from one of my favorite products. They noticed my little blog and wanted to sponsor some giveaways, so check back to make sure you enter.
Miss Mustard Seed

Marian Parsons 

Paint Enthusiast | Writer | Artist | Designer

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17 Responses

  1. love the progress you are making! always dreamed of having my own shop someday — congrats!!!
    looking forward to following along to see the store when it's all finished!

  8. I cannot WAIT to see it loaded up! How sweet your mom came to help! I'd bet although it was a tiring weekend, it was probably a blast all the same. Girl time and paint. And Dr. Pepper of course. What else could a girl want? 🙂

    Donna

  9. Dear Miss Mustard Seed:

    I was directed to your site by an old Navy guy who just happens to be your father-in-law. He is very proud of you and your work, and it's easy to see why now that I have had a chance to review your portfolio and read through your blog. Hopefully, when you and your family next head South for a visit, we will have a chance to chat. Best wishes for continued success with your many talents.

  11. It looks great so far. I can't wait to see the whole thing with your furniture moved in. Just a few suggestions:
    Use newspaper (black and white – like classifieds, colors make a mess sometimes)) to clean your windows, trust me just try it, you will never do it any other way. It will get all sorts of nastiness of even layers and layers of bug guts and dust (trust me) Just spritz on your windex and then scrub with a crumpled up page of newspaper

    The other thing is to be careful about what toys you put in the kids section, you don't want to put anything choke-able over there, you mentioned magnets, better be careful that the kids can't choke on anything they can put in their mouth.

    Norma

  12. Ohhhh. It is looking wonderful. Definitely a place I would love to shop. And I agree about the children's area. With soon to be 2 and 3 year olds I can appreciate the thoughtfulness of such a space. I look forward to seeing everything in the shop!

  14. You are living my dream as well! I've wanted my own shop for as long as I can remember. Congrats, you totally deserve it. It's shaping up wonderfully with your artistic hand.
    Lisa

  16. Hello my friend…

    Your shop is divine!!! I just love everything that you've done so far…"You've come along way, Baby"! Hehe! I love that old saying and it's so appropriate here! Love, love, LOVE the chalkboard painted walls behind your desk, my friend! What a GRAND idea!!! Your baby and nursery area is charming…love the pretty pink and all of the faux painting…so fun and so whimsical! It's lovely!!!

    I can't wait to see more…what a "cliff hanger"! hehe! I bet you are tired, Darlin'! Don't wear yourself out too much and get some rest! Girl, your pants and shoes are darling and the perfect attire for painting and remodeling! No worries!!!

    Thanks so much for the update…I am really enjoying seeing the process!!!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

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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