I’m sharing a lovely armoire I recently flipped for my even lovelier sister in law this morning on the SNAP! Blog, along with a reverse stencil tutorial. Check it out!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Emerald Green Milk Paint Side Table
I was sent some powdered milk paint by The Real Milk Paint Co., and I was so excited to jump in and give milk paint a try for myself after hearing some rave reviews from my fellow professional furniture painters.
The paint comes in powdered form that you mix with water. You can use the paint just like for some fantastic chippy, super distressed looks like this dresser from the fantastic Miss Mustard Seed…
…OR you can use the Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter if you’re going for a more traditional painted finish.
I started out with this cute little two-tiered side table I got from Craigslist.
I gave it a once-over with Liquid Deglosser to make sure it was good and clean and ready for the paint.
I loved this Traditional Blend Green, which was a lovely emerald color. When you paint it on, it dries chalky, but after painting I finished it off with the Dead Flat Burnishing Paste and the color deepened and intensified, and I just loved the result. The Burnishing Paste (which I would call more of an Egg Shell or Satin sheen rather than matte or flat like they describe it, which was actually better in my opinion) is an acrylic gel top coat. They suggest applying it with a sponge, brush or rag. I tried both a sponge brush and a rag application and would definitely suggest the sponge brush. I couldn’t get it as smooth as I would like with the rag application.
One of the real perks to using Milk Paint is that it is completely organic and ZERO VOC. I painted this little table inside my house with my baby crawling around under foot. There are no fumes and no worries about my health or the health of those around me when I’m working, which is great!
Great application, beautiful results, with an all natural and safe product makes me a happy camper.
Here’s how the lovely little table turned out. Do you like the cross-hatch stripes that pick up on the lattice design on the sides?
So I loved my first go around with Milk Paint! It’s so nice when something lives up to the hype, but then again, painters have been using milk-based paint since antiquity, so there must be something to it, right?
Are you ready to jump on the Milk Paint wagon? Check out The Real Milk Paint Co. I have to say, I’m a new fan.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Springy Chair Revamp
There’s something about springtime (which is too quick becoming summertime in Arizona) that makes me crave bright colors, especially greens, blues and yellows. Sometimes bold is scary in big doses, so small projects like chairs, side tables, or the like prove the perfect place for a pop of fun color.
I started with a very blah chair with a funky shape and some interesting details that I knew could benefit from a fun color scheme.
(As a side note, I’m thinking I should do a post entitled “The Art of the Crappy Before Picture”, including my tried and true tips on leaving bits of junk in the foreground, wading up your drop cloth under the back leg, leaving backyard toys strewn about in the background, making sure the seat is thrown on as wonky as possible, etc. You know what I always say: “The crappier the before picture, the more amazing the after picture!”)
I used the same vintage fabric I used on this set, which was a table cloth I picked up at a thrift store. I love the fabric and have only used about half the table cloth, so you might see it pop up again someday.
I pulled the bright blue from the print to paint the chair.
I love the little bird!
Hope you all are having a happy springtime before the dog days are upon us!