Office/Craft Space Sources

I've had some questions about paint colors and sources for other things in my office, so here you go.  I aim to please. 

The interior of the rustic pine cupboard is painted in Celestial Blue by Pantone.  The over sized glass jar that houses my German glitter is from Wal-Mart and the MMS letters are from Wuslu.  The ironstone pitchers, locker basket and sorting rack are antiques. 

The armoire is painted in a mix of equal parts Louis Blue and Paris Gray by Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  The detail is painted in Old White. 

The mirrored armoire is an antique I purchased at a junk shop.  The basket above is also from Wuslu and the "MAKE" letters are $5/each (on sale) from Hobby Lobby. 

The wall color is Behr's Reflecting Pool at 25% strength.  I liked the color, but wanted it to be super soft, almost white, so I had them only mix 25% of the tint mix into the base. 

The plank wall was done for about $100 using a thin, pine tongue and groove paneling.  I primed it first, then painted it in Behr's Bright White in satin. 

I bought the frames at an auction and then gold leafed them and matted the magazine covers and features.  Both cost less than $5 total.  The lamp was purchased at Target eons ago and the antique pine table was purchased at a yard sale for $50.  The amazing artwork is by Dee from Red Letter Words.  I made the glitter letters.  You can watch my video tutorial if you're interested in making some yourself. 

The wool rug is from Target. I bought it on deep discount for under $100 a couple of weeks ago.  If you want one, I would suggest dropping what you're doing and hit your local Targets to try to find one.  I doubt they'll last long! 

(To help a few people out on this, the name of the design is Azul Floral and my rug is a 5x7, but it comes in other standard rug sizes.  It's a hand hooked wool rug from India and the DPCI is 066 04 0007.  If that still doesn't help, send me an e-mail and I can take a picture of the label.

I hope that answers all of the questions!

more of my office

My office/craft room has always been a "make do" space. It started in a spare dresser and closet and then took over half the guest room.  When I started my business, it became clear I needed more room.  My kitchen counters were always covered in paints, papers and projects.  It drove me crazy and it was incredibly impractical.  My mom suggested moving things around, so I moved both boys into the guest room, the guest room into my older son's room and my office into the nursery. 

I now had a permanent space, but I still just made do.  Furniture has come and gone.  I organized and reorganized and did it all over again.  I was finally ready to turn it into a proper craft room and office. I already showed you a small section of one wall...

Here's what the room looked like when I first took it over as my office...

...and here's what it looked like when I really settled in (well, after I cleaned off the shelves a bit)...

...and here's that corner now. 

I found this tall, mirrored armoire at an antique store for a great price and was immediately in love.  It's an old piece that's in great condition, so I just left it as is.  It has a few scuffs and such, but I'm cool with that.  My husband put shelves inside, so I could store my fabric, pillow inserts and sewing notions. 

It's a good size and it sets limits.  I can only have what will fit inside and when it's full, it's time to work on some projects and make room. 

Oh...grain sacks.  How I love looking at you in all of your folded and stacked glory. 

Ahem. Excuse me.

Did you catch a peek at the wool rug and the French armoire?  I'll share much more soon, including how I organized myself, letting things go, the clad wall, colors used, etc.  All in good time.

The winner of the Vintage Market Giveaway is...

Congrats!!

red letter words, a $4.50 custom framing job and a sneak peek

First, I'm so sorry if my side bar is looking a little funky or if you notice other technical glitches.  We're in the process of moving my blog over to WordPress and it's a bit more involved because my website was on the URL my blog is moving to.  A lot of my graphics and sponsor buttons were stored there, so just hang in there and we'll get it all sorted out soon. 

This January, I had the pleasure of attending Blissdom, my very first blog conference.  The best part was meeting and hanging out with bloggers I knew well and getting to know those I had only "seen" in passing.  One night at dinner, I ended up sitting next to Dee Kasberger, the artist and designer of Red Letter Words.  I had seen her work all over the place and so many of her pieces struck a chord with me.  Just a simple phrase printed on a canvas, "She knew that she was created in His image."  Such a powerful statement. 

As we chatted at dinner, I knew I wanted to work with her on a custom project.  I wanted a canvas with "my" verse on it.  I was able to pick the color scheme and paraphrase of the Matthew 17:20 verse that inspired my business name and tag line.  Here's what came in the mail a few months ago...

I get the chills reading it.  It took me so long to share it, because I had to wait until it was hung in the perfect place.  I've had it on a wall in our home office, but it wasn't perfect there.  It's now found a proper home on the newly clad wall in my office/craft room. 

I hung it next to the framed covers and insert pages of my two first magazine features.  I had extra copies, so I cut each of them apart to frame.  It was a dream of mine for almost ten years to be featured in a magazine, so this was a big deal for me. 

You might think I spent a fortune on custom framing (well, unless you read the post title), but I only spent $4.50. I have a mat cutter, so that might be "cheating" a little. I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago. The mat board cost $3.50 and the frames were $1.00 at an auction. I used gold leaf to transform the plain wood frames and make them match. I like that the sizes and styles are a little different, though. 

I made a glitter letter banner for myself and hung it over Dee's art.  I can't wait to show you the rest of the office, but it's not quite ready.  Until then, here's a peek at the French armoire my parents hauled up from Florida for me. 

 

I also got my new camera bag in the mail today.  This is proof that giveaways drum up business.  I saw a giveaway on Funky Junk Donna's blog and salivated over Jeanne Oliver's Ellison Camera Bag.  So, I waited until more were available and bought one for myself.  It's bigger, cushier and even prettier than I expected. 

 

I spent a lot of money on my camera and lenses and I need a chic way to protect them when I carry them around with me.  This is perfect. 

Speaking of cameras, I've had a lot of requests to share what kind of gear and processing I use on my pictures, so I'll be sharing that soon.  I'm headed to Lucketts again tomorrow to drop off some new furniture, get some art on the wall, pick up some new pieces in need of my help and do a little shopping.  I'm going to let Mini Mustard Seed tag along as well, so it should be a fun day. 

a peek at the new mustard seed interiors office

My office has been getting an overhaul over the past week.  I finally got sick of the wall-to-wall wire racks, the door to nowhere and the mess.  Oh, the mess.  So, I've been purging and cleaning and painting and working my rear off to make my office/craft room a place that's inspiring and practical for my work.  Here's a peek at one of the cabinets...

We're getting there.  I can't wait to share it all, but there is still a lot to do. 

If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the Alice and Jay Giveaway.  It's a good one. 

After writing about things that are so small and trivial I need to share one last thing.  My heart goes out to Anna from An Inch of Gray.  I've "known" her through her blog and comments for the two years I've been blogging.  Yesterday, she lost her precious son, Jack, in a flash flood.  Please pray for her and her family as they cope with this tragedy. 

the mural that started it all

I am such a bad blogger.  I've been so busy on other things that I forgot to announce the winners of Miss Mustard Seed's Wuslu Pick of the Month (the small pedestal with glass cloche) 

 

The winners are...

Miss Kitty of Miss Kopy Kat

DeeGeeRN

and

Melanie, anonymous, but left an e-mail. 

Congratulations!  Yasmin from Wuslu will be contacting you about your prize.

About 3 1/2 years ago my friend, Laura Dreyer (who also painted Adele for me), came over to my house to help me out with a project.  I wanted to paint a mural in my son's nursery.  After looking through children's books for a few months, I settled on a page from Guess How Much I Love You.  It's a beautiful story with illustrations that are perfect for a mural.  So, we took an afternoon and she painted the hares and I painted the scenery. 

As we painted, chatted and sang along to the musical Wicked, a thought came to my mind.  "I could do this...for other people.  This could be my business." 

I had never thought of myself as a painter, but I enjoyed it and it felt natural to me.  I kicked the idea around in my head, but didn't feel confident to take the plunge.  My mom finally pushed me into it (thankfully) and my family supported me and Mustard Seed Creations was born. 

 

This eventually evolved into Mustard Seed Interiors.  I don't paint murals anymore and my focus has now shifted to my true passions - antiques, decorating, refurbished furniture, writing and photography. 

I never wanted to paint over that mural, though.  It's so sweet, first of all, but it's also a reminder of the spark that eventually led me here.  So, in my office makeover project, I decided to cover it instead of painting it.  It's still back there, but it's now covered in pine tongue and groove paneling.  I finished it when it was dark, so I don't have any photos, but here's how it started.  

 

I needed to create a "faux wall" to cover the door frame, so I used 1 x 3 pine boards as "studs." This way, the wall can easily be removed if we (or a future owner of the home) want to use the doorway again.

I got to pull out the big guns for this project and I did it all by myself.  I'm pretty proud, I must say. 

I'll share more soon.  I also finished a couple of dressers over the past few days and will be delivering them and a few other things to Lucketts tomorrow.  I was pretty cleaned out last weekend, so it's time for a refill. 

...and so it goes...

the most frequently asked question

I get a lot of e-mail and comments asking questions, but the most common one I receive is, "Where did you get your curtains?"  Since I originally posted about them over a year ago (Has it been that long?), I decided to share the tutorial on how to make them again.

When I was looking for a fabric about 18 months ago, I wanted a large-scaled paisley print in blue and white.  Well, I didn't find it, but I found this Waverly print and thought it would read the way I wanted it to.  It was even better and, a year later, I still love them.  They have been the backdrop of many photo shoots and have become a bit of a trademark of my style. 

 

 

Here is the original tutorial I shared last July...

Don't be scared if you're new to sewing.  If you can cut, measure, and sew a (semi) straight line, you can make these.  They are very forgiving.

First of all, these curtains are "dummy panels", which means they are non-functioning drapes. My fabric is 58" wide and that was ample for my windows.  If you need the curtains for privacy, you'll want to measure to make sure they will close and provide you full coverage. 

Cut your fabric to the desired length.  I wanted to hang my curtain rod at 88" from the floor, so I cut the fabric to 94" long in order to leave enough fabric for a hem, seam allowances, and a 2" ruffle at the top.  Lay your fabric out on the floor with the pattern facing up.  Put your lining fabric on top of the curtain fabric with the right side facing down.  I used a twin flat sheet that I purchased at Wal-Mart for $3.00.  Smooth the fabrics out and line up the edges.  I then cut the sheet/lining to match the curtain fabric.  Pin the top and two side edges together, leaving the bottom open.  Imagine you're sewing a huge pillow case.  OK?

(There's my old watermark!)

Sew along the two sides and top, again, leaving the bottom open.  It's OK if your sewing is not perfectly straight.  Just do your best.

Now, turn your curtains right-side-out and press the seams.  (Sorry for the blurry picture.  Do you know how hard it is to take a picture with your left hand while you're ironing with your right?  Is that an Olympic sport yet?)

As a side note, have I ever shared my 1940's ironing board cabinet? 

It has the original glass knob and everything. 

Once you have your edges pressed, lay your curtain panel on the floor (or work surface) with the right side down. 

I used a piece of the sheet I trimmed off my lining to use as the sleeve for the curtain rod.  I pinned it two inches from the top of the panel, turning the sides under to hide the raw edge. 

I needed about a 2" wide sleeve to fit my curtain rod, so I measured 2" down from my pin line to sew a second line, which will complete the sleeve. 

So, I'm going to sew along the pencil line and the stitch line (that was originally the edge of the sheet, so it was already sewn.)

Nobody is going to see this, so it's OK to leave the edges raw.  Simply slide the rod into the sleeve and...ta-da!  A curtain panel in about 20 minutes.  The first one may take you a little longer, but you'll get quicker as you move along.  So, what happened to the bottom edge of the curtains?  Well, nothing yet.  I like to let my curtains hang for a few days before I hem them.  So, we'll be hemming our curtains together when I can get to it. 

As a disclaimer, this is the totally wrong, but totally easy way to make curtains.  You don't have to mess with fusible webbing, header tape, rings, and all of those little things that add time and money to a project. 

I purchased my fabric on sale from JoAnn Fabrics and online at Fabric.com using a coupon code.  Here's where the money-saving part came in.  I loved this print, but it was $36/yard or something crazy like that in the decorator fabric section (linen and cotton blend.)  There was no way I could afford that, even with a discount or coupon.  Then, I spotted this same print in Waverly's Sun-n-shade line (canvas fabric.)  It was on sale for $10/yard AND I had a $55 gift card for my birthday.  The fabric is called Tucker Resist Chambray by Waverly and it's based on a block printed fabric found in Williamsburg.  It's a little less than $10/yard at fabric.com right now and is even less with a coupon code!

There it is!  I hope it inspires you to find a fabric you love and make some simple drapes.  I'm going to use this same technique to make curtains for my family room...one of these days.  The bolt is leaning against the wall...mocking me. 

And, in case you were wondering, I have never hemmed those curtains...and the world is still turning.