Find Inspiration & Encouragement
Welcome to the Miss Mustard Seed’s blog, where creativity, vintage charm, and farmhouse elegance come to life. Explore inspiring DIY projects, furniture makeovers, and curated vintage finds that infuse warmth and personality into your home. Discover budget-friendly ideas, painting techniques, and creative inspiration that will elevate your living spaces with love and creativity. Welcome to a haven of creative possibilities where you can create a home that tells your unique story.
to customize your house to feel like home
to nurture your creativity & artistic growth
to find new favorites & never stop growing
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Miss Mustard Seed’s
Most Recent Posts
four things | twenty-five
I'm ready for a beautiful spring day, but I'm watching rain fall and wearing a hoodie because it's a little chilly for April. I normally cheer on these last gasps of winter, but I am itching to...
the colors currently on my palette
I started painting with oils over seven years ago (in the fall of 2017), and my palette has evolved over that time. I think this evolution is a natural part of the process of finding oneself as an...
start where it’s easy | organizing
I shared a couple of weeks ago that I feel maxed out when it comes to my stuff threshold. (You can read that post HERE.) Given that we have an enormous basement and this house has ample storage,...
dining room options & taking creative risks
Last week, I shared that I was contemplating the fate of the hand-painted dining room mural and unintentionally posted it on April 1, so a few readers thought it might be a joke! It might seem a...
four things | twenty-four
I was sick in bed last week, and the gunkiness and low energy have been hanging on! Someone called it the yucks, and that's exactly what it is. I have been looking out my studio window at the...
beach photos with 70-200 Sigma lens
It's been over five years since I bought a new piece of camera gear. As I grew as a photographer, I kept upgrading my camera body and lenses so my gear could grow along with my ability. When I've...
Celebrating 3 Years
Feels Like Home
Miss Mustard Seed’s YouTube
This channel shows a progression of my business from my early years of painting and refinishing furniture and dealing antiques to my current passions of art, painting, and design. I just love all things creative and I love encouraging and inspiring other to discover and use their creative gifts.
Free Art Classes
While most of the world was under stay-at-home orders in the Spring of 2020, I connected with my online community by offering live art classes every Friday for a few weeks. It was such a pick-me-up for me each week! I received wonderful feedback from the class participants who joined me live or have taken the classes since, so I decided to put them into an online course format and offer them for free. Sign up and learn to paint with oils in nine classes that cover everything from making a color chart to painting a grazing cow…
Recipes, projects, and decorating ideas for Spring
The grass is greening up, I’m noticing the birds returning for a dip in my bird bath, and the days are lengthening. For me, Spring means spending more evenings in the garden and painting by natural light later in the day. It means the kick-off of home project season as we continue to renovate our 1970s brick rancher. The pleasant weather also means more consistent daily walks. Winter is my favorite season, but I still have a great appreciation for the season that fills the landscape with leaves and visible life.
Marian’s Home Tours
Maryland Home
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Marian shares her journey of transforming her new 1970s Maryland home into a modern marvel. Discover inspiring renovations that marry vintage elegance with contemporary flair. Explore her latest blog posts, featuring DIY projects, interior design ideas, and budget-friendly tips that breathe new life into this charming abode. Delight in the art of renovation and witness the magic of infusing every corner with personality and timeless allure. Join Marian on this exciting chapter of her Maryland home transformation and uncover a treasure trove of creativity and inspiration.
Latest Posts by Topic
All Things Home
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start where it’s easy | organizing
I shared a couple of weeks ago that I feel maxed out when it comes to my stuff threshold. (You can read that post HERE.) Given that we have an enormous basement and this house has ample storage, we still have plenty of room to accumulate more, but I find that I want...
Artistic Endeavors
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the colors currently on my palette
I started painting with oils over seven years ago (in the fall of 2017), and my palette has evolved over that time. I think this evolution is a natural part of the process of finding oneself as an artist. Being one who loves color, paint, and trying out new art...
Creative Business
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Traumwohnen & tips on being featured in a magazine
My very first magazine feature was thrilling. It was a small blurb about my blog in Flea Market Style magazine and I was over the moon. When I started my business, I was interviewed by the college student who designed my business cards, logo, and blog as a class...
Furniture Makeovers
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Giving an antique whirligig a makeover
A few months ago, I decided to check out an antique store I hadn't been to in a while - the Fayetteville Antique Mall in Fayetteville, PA. I used to go there regularly when we lived in PA, but I noticed more vendors were leaving over and the quality of the...
Slice of Life
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four things | twenty-five
I'm ready for a beautiful spring day, but I'm watching rain fall and wearing a hoodie because it's a little chilly for April. I normally cheer on these last gasps of winter, but I am itching to work on some landscaping projects! It will all happen in good time. ...
Tutorials
I love learning and sharing what I’ve learned with others. Since 2009, I’ve been writing and filming tutorials on everything from furniture refinishing and slipcovers to woodworking and crochet. What would you like to learn to do today?
Try Something New
Refinishing Furniture
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Fine Art
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Upholstery
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Knitting & Crochet
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Sewing
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