Tag: Milk paint

Armoire makeover for outdoor patio using Annie Sloan chalk paint

Published on by recoveringkristin2 Comments

My sweet friend Katie H. asked me if I would transform a beautiful armoire belonging to her mother, Gail.  Gail was looking for a piece that she could place outdoors under her covered patio where she could store things, such as candles, pool supplies, etc.  Katie and Gail found this piece and wanted it to be painted in a rustic way and chose Flow Blue by Miss Mustard Seed.

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Miss Mustard Seed makes a great milk paint that peels in certain places giving it a really natural old feel to the piece.  If you use a bonding agent in combination with the paint you will not get any of the peeling.  I mixed the paint and knew I would have to add the bonding agent because this piece was so shiny.  I applied the first coat and then waited for it to dry.  Upon returning I found this…..

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Insert SCREAM here!

Some things milk paint will just not adhere too.  I made an executive decision and scraped off all the paint.  Then I slightly sanded the piece.  I had to go with my old standby, which I know will stick to ANY surface….Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I chose a similar color to the Flow Blue called Aubusson Blue.  It is a gorgeous color.  I applied two coats allowing for dry time in between. Next I added a dark wax to age the piece and sanded off certain areas.  When finished I wiped the whole piece down and added two coats of Shabby Paints Vax!  This stuff is AWESOME.  No buffing required.

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Katie and her husband Ron came and picked it up today.  I was dying to know what Gail thought.  Katie sent me a picture of the armoir in its new home and Gail texted me, “It’s beautiful.  I absolutely love it!!  Thanks so much!!!”  Whew, another happy customer and another lesson learned…..not all paints are created equal!

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I’m seeing Coastal Blue

Published on by recoveringkristin3 Comments

I recently took on a job for a client named Sarah.  She was looking for something to go in her entry way, perhaps a chest or bench.  As most of you know I am a regular on Craigslist, so when I ran across thiss beauty I knew it would be perfect for her space.  I sent Sarah a picture and she loved it as well.

Entry way chest before

After I bought it, I met with Sarah at her home. She has a vision and I wanted to really capture that for her.  The entrance to her beautiful home is a gorgeous gray color.  We sat and talked about what she was looking to do.  Sarah mentioned that she would love to tie some navy into her color scheme.  I have worked with many blues before but never navy.  I love navy but had just never painted anything  with it.  So I consulted with the best painters I know, and they turned me onto General Finishes Coastal Blue.  Can I just say, “This color is amazing!”  I really wanted a dark, dark navy, and this is it!  As I was leaving Sarah asked me if I could do something with the table she currently had in her entry way.  It is such a cute table, and I knew we could tie it all together by painting both pieces.

Black table before

We decided to use a bright white for contrast on both pieces.  Sarah was great, though, and gave me creative license to do whatever I thought would look nice:-)  I wanted to jazz up the table and do a stencil or a stripe.

Navy table 2

 

Stripe

navy table 3

I lightly distressed the white part of both pieces using a fine grit sandpaper.  I waxed both pieces using a clear wax.

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chest bottom chest 6

I am thinking these may look too nice in my house to send home?  Just kidding Sarah……enjoy your new entryway furniture!  Thank you for trusting me with these beauties:-)

 

 

 

 

 

A little french country

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Recently, I decided my daughters each needed their own rooms.  My two oldest had been sharing a room for the last 5 years and it just wasn’t working anymore.  That’s what happens when one is clean and organized and the other can’t help her clothes find the dresser.  I decided I wanted to paint their rooms white.  I was finished with the crazy colors that once graced their walls.  I knew I could add color in other ways and then change it up as their tastes change over the coming years.

My oldest daughter wanted teal and orange and my youngest was requesting blue and yellow.  So we started by painting all the walls white!  I wanted a clean place to start.   I was over the neon colors that had covered their walls.   I was so happy to find this cute dresser on craigslist for my oldest daughter.  I bought it for 20 dollars!  I couldn’t believe it.  The woman had already stripped and sanded this piece.  So I got to work on it right away. Here is a little before and after of this makeover.

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Dresser before
grace dresser
Dresser after

 

Cool book clock from Aunt Kim….

Books
Fun clock hidden among the books

Next I had a bookshelf in my basement that had been given to me as well as this antique dresser that I had purchased off of craigslist, well over a year ago.  I decided to do my middle daughters room with a French Country flair.  So I got out my Yellow Rose Milk Paint from The Real Milk Paint Co. and started to paint.  When the piece was covered completely I just thought it needed a little depth so I painted the trim in a white color, giving it some dimension.  I finished the whole thing by distressing a bit and applying a dark wax glaze.  I then added a clear wax for protection (My daughter is HARD on furniture!)  I finished it off by creating a cute book banner out of twine and an old copy of Charlotte’s Web I had (one of our favorites).bookshelf top knob bottomNow the dresser in my basement that I had purchased off of Craigslist about a year ago.  I decided to paint it using the exact same method.  Here are a few pictures of it before and after.

dresser before full dresser dresser close dresser leg dresser mirror

I just love the way both of these turned out.  I feel like I am at a country cottage in France when I walk into her room….well after I pick up the dirty laundry she has strewn about.  🙂

 

Red Barn Milk Paint Table

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I recently acquired this table and sent my sister a picture.

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I asked her what color I should paint it and she sent me this picture back as inspiration.

towel

Sister has crazy good taste.  I will have her post some pictures of her house soon:-)  I chose to use Milk Paint from the Real Milk Paint Co.  I love their paint because when used without the bonding agent you get this naturally “chippy” look.  Because these types of towels are antique towels from the 1930’s I knew I wanted the table to have a vintage feel.  I cleaned the table first and then applied a coat of Parchment Milk Paint to the top.  The wood was bleeding through after the first coat so I applied a second coat.

I didn’t really like the table and sent Kim a picture.  She agreed and said the whole table had to be painted.  So, I went ahead and put two coats of Parchment on the rest of the piece.  After the paint had dried I taped the piece off and decided to do red stripes on both sides of the table.  I used The Real Milk Paint Co.’s Red Barn.  I applied two coats of the red as well.  Once the paint had dried I carefully pulled the tape off.  The paint began to chip upon drying and I love how it nearly took the stripe off on one side.  It’s like this paint has a mind of its own and knows what will look best.  I LOVE smart paint!  Once all the paint had dried I applied a dark wax glaze to the whole piece giving it an even older feel.  Finally I applied a clear wax protective coat to the whole table.  I just love the way it turned out.

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It is pretty and looks so sweet I don’t want to sell it but my house is turning into a furniture store.  If you know anyone in search of an adorable end table, let me know!

 

 

Farm house shabby chic headboard

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My sweet sister always brings me something special when she comes to visit me in St. Louis.  The last time she made the trip, she unloaded this beautiful head-board.  I just love it. and was inspired to paint it red based on the gorgeous red barns I see on the drive to visit her in Arkansas.  There is nothing more beautiful than an old barn nestled in rolling hills of green backed by the most amazing blue sky you will ever see.  I always look so forward to driving down to visit and checking out all the great antique stores in the area.  Sister takes me to the best places to shop!  I knew this little gem would look fabulous with a coat or two or Barn Red Milk Paint from The Real Milk Paint Co.

bed 2

I applied two coats of this beautiful red paint that is naturally “chippy”.  I did not add any sealer as I wanted the paint to chip in certain areas.  After I let it dry over night, I sanded the edges allowing some of the original yellow color to peek through.  I applied Annie Sloan Dark Wax to finish the piece.

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bed

I only wish I were hanging with my sister right now.  It pains me to sell this headboard because I just love it so much.  Sure wish it would go in one of my kids rooms.  I can’t wait to get my hands on my next headboard now.  I will be spending the day searching for another great headboard to paint…..unless of course my sister would like to bring me another one?

 

 

A friend’s cabinet makeover

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Hi there friends!  Recently we ran a little contest on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thespoonandthethimble

I asked for furniture submissions to transform for a guest blog I was asked to do.  Well, we selected one, and it is up and posted.  To check out what we did go to http://redposie.com/blog/milk-paint/shabby-cabinet-makeover/

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Also “like” us on Facebook for more contest opportunities!

Thanks for reading!

“Hope”ing to make this old chest new again

Published on by recoveringkristinLeave a comment

When I was 18 years old my Mom took me out and bought me a “hope chest.” At the time I picked it out I just loved it and thought, “Well,  this will never go out of style.”
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Fast forward 22 years later. It sits at the end of my bed looking so 80’s to me. However, it still serves a purpose. We store our warm blankets in there and sit on it to tie our shoes, so I wasn’t ready to get rid of it. But I did think it could use a little sprucing up or down as the case may be. I first decided to try and “white wash” it. It didn’t turn out exactly the way I had hoped.

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I needed to fix my mistake fast.  So I slapped some Milk paint on that bad boy and watched it begin to distress itself. I love the way that the Milk paint naturally bubbles up and peels off.  Here you can see what I mean.

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I was much happier with this finished product.  I do have to admit I have a bit of hesitation putting this post up in fear my poor mother will have a heart attack.  I love it, though!  Makes me feel like I have a new piece of furniture and my kids can’t do a thing to it to jack it up!

See what I mean?  Can’t even get the kids out of my pictures much less my room.

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