A day off & a final push

I spent my entire day yesterday at an "Adventure Farm" in Lancaster, PA, which is perhaps one of the prettiest, yet stinkiest areas in the country.  As most of you know, my husband is a youth pastor, so we took a bunch of teenagers to go through a maize maze, slide down a hill on potato sacks, and ride through a hay race course on pedal cars.  My boys had a blast and we were all tired when we got home.  I didn't get anything on my list accomplished and I didn't write a blog post and I'm ok with that.  Well, I did get one thing checked off the list.  I'm making a pumpkin topiary for HGTV.com and I needed some pumpkins.  When I saw the sign, "Fill a wagon for $10.", I knew I would be set. 

So, this afternoon is all about pricing, making a pillow for the French settee and making more sheet music wreath ornaments and tree toppers. And football (Go Skins!) and apple pie.  I'm taking everything to the shop tomorrow to set up for Christmas and the next barn show at Chartreuse. 

Once more, don't forget to vote for my bathroom makeover from True Value.  Click HERE to vote! 

French Settee Makeover

Alright, all of you Francophiles out there...sit down, take a deep breath and look at this baby...

Remember what she looked like a few days ago?  Things don't look too bad in this picture, but the fabric was worn and the finish was a dated blonde/pickled sort of wood.

I removed all of the upholstery except for the seat.  I knew I wanted to slipcover that, so it would be washable and durable.  

The frame received a thin coat of creamy paint, which was then sanded off. The result is a soft, aged and imperfect finish.

 

The back and arms were reupholstered in durable canvas drop cloth with a bright white trim.  I took my new pneumatic upholstery staple gun for a spin and that gadget is worth every single stinkin' penny I spent on it.  About 80% of the frustration experienced during my last upholstery job was alleviated with this staple gun. 

I know I would want to be able to wash the seat cover, so I chose a slipcover over upholstery, even though it meant a little more work.  I know whoever buys it would feel relieved they could throw it in the washing machine after their toddler does a face plant on it after eating an Oreo, which inevitably happens with white furniture.  I love the knife pleats on the mini skirt.  This girl's got great legs and I want to show them off.

Since the pleating was short, I could take it all the way around the legs and back and I love the flirty detail it adds.  The skirt is tied on with bright white grosgrain ribbon with some no-fray applied to the edges.

Oh, French settee, why do I have to sell you?

(Can you tell how much I love this settee?) This may be one of my favorites pieces ever.

To recap, before...

...and after.

Sigh.

Thanks so much to all who have voted to win me a bathroom makeover.  Please keep it up! 

Furniture Feature Friday - A Favorite and Link Party

Hey girls.  Well, I'm pooped.  You saw how much I accomplished yesterday and today was busy as well.  I spent about five hours out hunting for new treasures to bring to Chartreuse and Wild Rose.  I came home with a van stuffed full of goodies.  Ironstone, a couple of cabinets, a drafting table, an industrial wooden rack on wheels, a huge laundry basket, a large glass cloche, a bird and branch candelabra, a metal stool, a balance scale, and more.  All of the upholstery and painting is starting to catch up to me and I'm tired.  Anyway, I need to push through Monday and then I can take a little break. 

All of this to say that I browsed through the furniture entries last week, and although there were tons of really good ones, I just picked one favorite. 

This dresser painted and refinished by Between Blue and Yellow caught my eye, because one - it's French and two - it's different.  It's ochre.  Everyone, including me, is painting pieces in grays, watery blues and white and it's nice to see a pop of color. 

Yellows are very hard to do well.  They can look like a school bus, too lemony, or too bright.  This is a perfect warm and sunny shade.  And you know I love the dark top! 

Keep up the great work, ladies! 

Here are the rules for this get together...

1.) Your post has to be about furniture.  Please, please, please...just furniture.  If you find your link has been deleted, it's not because I'm mean, it's because your post was not about furniture.  You can share makeovers, awesome finds, favorite pieces, furniture arrangements, or even pieces on your wish list!  Built-in furniture like kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities qualify as furniture.  

2.) Post a permalink (the link to the post), not the link to your blog.

3.) The link party closes Friday at midnight PST and I will choose my favorite(s) and feature their project on next week's FFF.

Once you link up, click HERE to vote for my SOS True Value entry.

Christmas Ornament Pricing

I've had so many requests for pricing on my Christmas line, so I'm going to put it "out there."  If you want to buy something, just send me an e-mail with your order and your zip code.  I will package your order and charge you through Pay Pal (or you can mail a personal check.)  I will ship to Canada as well.  Heck, I'll ship anywhere as long as you're willing to pay the shipping!

Sheet music "star" tree topper - $35.00, but I will only sell this locally.  The star is large and I'm concerned about the paper being damaged in transit. 

Signature mini sheet music wreath ornaments: $10/each

Sheet music "pine cones": $10.00/each

German glass glitter stars: $5.00

Snowflakes: $5.00

Large snowflakes: $7.50

Hand painted and glittered papier mache ornaments - $6.00 for small, $8.00 for large.

German glass glitter letter ornament banners: $2.00/letter and I can make them to say anything you want.  a name, "dream", "Wish", etc.  The "Merry and Bright" banner above is $24.00 and I can make them to order. 

I also have large glitter letter banners and some hand painted canvas banners that run $5.00/letter, but I have not photographed them, yet. 

I make every ornament by hand and sign and date the ones I can.  I'm hoping to create a new line with a new theme each year. 

Just send me an e-mail if there's anything you'd like to purchase!

marian@missmustardseed.com

See you tonight for Furniture Feature Friday!

Christmas Line 2010 Preview

I must pat myself on the back and say that I got an amazing amount of stuff done today.  I priced all of my ornaments, glittered two banners, put magnets on the back of about 30 letters, hand painted two banners, upholstered the French settee, painted four dining room chairs, repaired a small chest, made two mini sheet music wreath ornaments, fed my kids and changed diapers, organized toys, and played some X-Box.  Craziness. 

I've had a lot of people ask me about my ornaments and Christmas decor, so I thought I would give everyone a preview.  My theme this year is sheet music and German glass glitter.  I designed and made every ornament and decoration you see, so I've been a busy girl.  My kitchen counter is covered with paper dust and hot glue strings and my entire house sparkles with glitter.  Such is my life.  Anyway, without further delay, here's a peek...

I must say, I am in love with my sheet music "star" tree topper.  This was one of those projects that just happened.  The idea struck me, I ran with it, and it kind of created itself. 

I have made dozens of mini sheet music wreath ornaments, which are the "signature" ornament of this year's collection

I also played around with "eyelashing" and made some sheet music "pine cones."  These are so quirky and fun, but a little labor intensive.

I made a ton of German glass glitter stars and snowflakes...

...and used the glitter to detail some hand painted papier mache ornaments.

Some German glass glitter letter banners add more sparkle and some horizontal visual interest to the tree.

So, there's the sneak peek.  If you're in the area and want to see it in person, Wild Rose will be fully decked out for Christmas starting Tuesday, Nov 2, and the Chartreuse preview party is Thursday, Nov 4 from 6-9 pm.  Check out my side bar and retailers page for more details.  My ornaments and banners are available for sale and shipping if anyone is interested! 

On a personal note, my poor three-year-old is so confused.  I set up my tree last week for a photo shoot and he exclaimed with bright eyes, "It's Christmas!"  How can I explain that it's not and mommy just needs to take pictures.  So funny!

Thanks so much to all who have voted to win me a bathroom makeover.  Please keep it up!  You're two clicks away...

Swanky Junk Swap!

and

invite you to a

SWANKY JUNK SWAP

When: Saturday, November 13, from 11am-2pm

Where: Wild Rose and Company Marketplace in Walkersville, MD

Who:  There is a limit of 30 spaces, so only those who RSVP can attend.

Cost: $15 for the cost of the space and lunch catered by The Corner Bakery.  You'll also get to enjoy yummy treats from Snickety Snacks.

What is a "Swanky Junk Swap"?

This is an opportunity for you to bring a couple of vintage or antique pieces that are really cool, but not right for you or your home and then get to leave with two pieces you (hopefully) love.  Details will be provided to those attending the event.

Why else should you attend?

Giveaways from The Graphics Fairy, Wild Rose, Mustard Seed Interiors, Beans and Buttons,  Sally, Ry, and Lala, Molly Susan Strong, Snikety Snacks, Frog Tape and more!

We're also a cool bunch of ladies and we'll have a blast together swapping our "junk"!

If you'd like to attend, please send me an e-mail at marian@missmustardseed.com to reserve your spot!

Don't forget to vote for me and my bathroom makeover.  I told you I would be a pest!  Click HERE to vote. 

The Jackpot

I bought a French chair at a yard sale a few weeks ago and the gentleman I bought it from mentioned having an entire storage unit full of his mother's furniture, much of it French provincial in style.  HELLO!  I handed him a business card and held my breath.  He called and we scheduled a time to meet at the storage facility to see if we could make a deal.  We had to reschedule twice due to rain, but we finally met last Thursday.  I was not disappointed. 

I bought this beautiful French settee...

...an antique chest of drawers...

...a small Bombay chest...

...a pair of French chairs (Don't even ask to buy these chairs.  They are mine.) 

...and a small empire shelf, a pair of nightstands, and a couple of luggage racks. I didn't drive off with any crazy steals (like a truck load of antique doors and furniture for $23), but we were both happy with the deals we made on the pieces of furniture. He had more space in his storage unit and I had a load of goodies to work on.

I started working on the settee tonight, so I can have it ready for the next Chartreuse tag sale.  I'm also working tirelessly on my line of ornaments and Christmas decor.  It'll be another late night. 

Some exciting news...my very first tutorials are live on HGTV.com.  You can get step-by-step instructions on how to make Grain Sack Bar Stool Cushions and Chalkboard Canisters for your kitchen.  These are not the run-of-the-mill chalkboard canisters, either.  If you ever want to check out my articles or tutorials, you will find them on my side bar in a list with links to all of them.  I just turned in four other projects and I have nine more on the way!  Can someone pinch me?

Don't forget to vote today!

Home plan and elevation -2367 Sq. Ft

Total Area-2367 Sq.ft
Ground Floor-1345 Sq. Ft
First Floor-1022 Sq. Ft

Architect : Praveen.M
moyacheri (ho)
kottakkal
vatakara(via)
Phone:9645457494,9388744505.04962275234
Email:praveenarchitect.m32@gmail.com

Glittered Letter Workshop Recap

First of all, the winner of the Eco Natural Soap is Ann (AKA Nutbird.)  Congrats, girl!  You'll have to send me an e-mail directly, so we can get your soaps to you.  Thanks to all who entered!

This past Saturday was our very first workshop at Wild Rose.  It was so much fun!  It truly was. 

We had eight participants in the workshop and we wanted to make all of them feel special.  A station with a box of chipboard letters, supplies, glitter, and a name tag were all waiting for the ladies when they arrived.

The ladies got to take the supplies and chipboard letters they made home with them.  We even had a small enough group that everyone won a giveaway!

We chatted, laughed, glittered, glued and ate. 

It was so fun to see what all of the women were making...spelling out the names of the children or grandchildren, planning for the holidays, or forming words that would inspire.

 I even got to hang with Sarah, The Thriftress!  She was such a delight and cracked me up when she shared that she told her husband she was going to "an important blog networking event."  What a riot! 

The first one was a success, so more are on the way. We're having a special event in November, that I'll announce shortly, and we're planning a Saturday in December to have a Sheet Music Wreath Workshop.  Some other workshops that are on the horizon are Slipcover Basics, Painting Furniture, Sign Making...and I'm open to other ideas.  Maybe even a workshop on photography or blogging. 

A glittered letter tutorial is on the way for those who couldn't make it in person!

Another reminder to please vote for my bathroom entry for the True Value Design SOS Contest.  Just two clicks will be a huge favor for me.

Click HERE to visit my entry and vote.  Thanks so much!