People have asked me how I started working with furniture. It really happened by accident. I had purchased a dining table from Craigslist. The table was very pretty with a French flair and turned legs, but the wood was dark and I wanted to lighten it up. I had no idea where to start, so I looked online. I searched painting French furniture and “Miss Mustard Seed” popped up. That my friends, is where it all began!
Marian Parsons, known as “Miss Mustard Seed” was just beginning her Blog when I found her. I was immediately drawn in by her talent of course, but also her honest straight forward attitude. Her home is beautiful, but you are not intimidated by it. She admits that nothing is perfect and shows you exactly what she means by it. Like the time a woman wrote in a comment that her house always looked so clean and put together. She followed up by showing a picture of the other side of the room. That side was where everything had been put to take that perfect photo and it was a mess. Another time she was talking about the drapes she had made a few months before and admitted that they had not been hemmed yet. This type of candor empowered me to try some of her ideas, but also encouraged me to attempt some of my own. Her Blog not only taught me how to refinish furniture, but it helped fill a void I did not know I had. It seems my creative self had been bogged down with work, parenting and life. She helped reignite my creativity and I will be forever grateful for that.
Since I have been following “Miss Mustard Seed” she has been featured in magazines, written books, started her own paint line, teaches online courses on running a business and painting techniques, has a podcast, and paints original artwork. She is an inspiration to all woman!
She wrote “Inspired You” in 2012, which I own a copy of. Her new book “Feels Like Home” will be released in October 2021.
Her home was a featured many times in magazines. Later, she herself would become a freelance writer for “Cottages and Bungalows” magazine and HGTV.
Owning her own line of paint started by finding milk paint in an antique store. She bought it and liked it. Instead of stopping there like most people would have. She reached out to a manufacturer to see if they would be interested in creating a line of “Miss Mustard Seed” Milk Paint. They said yes and she started her own line of products!
Some of the fun colors she created.
FYI: “Miss Mustard Seed recently sold her milk paint company. But, I am happy to say the products will still be available!
Some of her furniture transformations using “Miss Mustard Seed” Milk Paint. Beautiful!
This is a peek into her home in Minnesota.
Her dining room in Minnesota.
Some of her original artwork. Her talent seems to have no end!
I am so glad I found “Miss Mustard Seed” all those years ago! Here is the link to her Blog. Check it out!
I’ll be there! Hope to see all of you as well!