Mixing it up with Milk Paint

Thinking of a color between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale. Can you guess what it is?! Well, it's a little bit blue teal and a little bit green and a whole lot of pretty!

What a difference a little Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint can make, huh?

After refinishing the top on this mid-century dresser, I couldn't decide on the bottom color.  I was back and forth between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale.  So I did what we do at my home when we're out of this or that ingredient.   We mix what we do have and make something delicious!

This is not the actual dresser, but the night stand that went with.
Sorry, in all of the photos I take, this one had disappeared, but
you get the idea:)

After sanding the bottom part with a high grit sanding block, I wiped it down with TSP and then started the mixing of the colors.  In a cup, I added 3 large tbls of Kitchen Scale and 2 of the Luckett's.  The key to mixing the Milk Paint is to remember once you think it's mixed enough, mix it some more.  I found this out the hard way.  After I put on the first coat, I noticed the paint getting a little thick in the cup, so I added a bit of water and with my spoon I began to mix, but found that on the bottom of my cup was a bit of dry milk paint.  The color seemed to be mostly Luckett's, so I added more Kitchen Scale in hopes of evening it out.  Was I lucky in matching to the first coat, nah!  It was totally off, but I just went with it and made sure to cover the whole piece with at least a coat of this new color.

The result was this gorgeous blue-green that I'm sure I will probably not be able to replicate, but what makes this piece all the more unique.  When the whole piece was dry, I noticed it was chippy in a few areas, but for the most part was a solid finish.  I painted the drawer inserts in Linen and distressed the corners and edges.  Since there wasn't  much chipping, I seal with Hemp oil and tada, a tired old dresser transformed into a breath of fresh air!  Wouldn't this look lovely as a buffet or entry way table?

Now onto project #2. Remember last week when I was so excited about the French Grain Sack Settee going in the shop?  I just couldn't wait to see it together with the Queen Anne side tables and the coffee table I painted with the French typography.  Well, there was one more piece I wanted to add to this ensemble for a complete sitting room, this french upholstered arm chair.  Although the settee found a new home right away, I think this chair will still look beautiful with the Queen Anne side tables.

Before the ripping began....

 I found this chair in perfect condition at a resell shop, and although it was in great shape, it just wasn't speaking to me.  Yes, I probably could have stuck as is in the shop, but what fun is that?  I needed to add that special touch to it.  Do I just paint the frame and leave the silky pink upholstery on it?  Nope,  that would be way to easy. Of course I'm going to jump right in! Out came the staple remover, and the ripping began.

After I took off the back, I was a little hesitant to carry on,
after all I am not a professional upholsterer, but we
must always carry on.

As I took the old upholstery off,  I made sure to label each piece to use as a pattern for the new upholstery.  Next came the painting of the frame.  Since it was a black shiny finish, I chose to use Old White by Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I knew I didn't want to distress through the Old White because I felt the black beneath would be to bold.  So I opted to use a mix of clear and dark waxes to manipulate the patina.

For the graphics on this chair, I again used my favorite graphic web site,
The Graphics Fairy.  I chose the French Grain Sack monogram.
I used the Citra-Solv transfer method, since it worked so
well on the other grain sacks graphics I used on the settee. 

I used the same linen like fabric on the chair that I used on the settee. It really gives a authentic grain sack look.  The back part of the chair was probably the hardest to do.  After a couple of hours of stapling and tugging with a dinosaur of a stapler, my carpal tunnel finally called it quits.  I threw my hand in the air and went straight to Home Depot in search of new "more powerful" stapler.  An hour later I was back at it.  This time with an air stapler that attached to our air compressor, much better.  I had the remaining pieces on in no time.  Sometimes, it just pays to buy the more powerful tool right away, even it it may cost a bit more.  It can get the job done faster and with out a throbbing hand.

I used a simply delicate white gimp for the trim.  It really defined the
chair and gave it a clean crisp look.

The finished product....may not be as perfect as
a professional upholsterer, but it won't
be as costly as a one either, my kind of chair!

This week was full of lots of new experiences for me and for my daughters who have now joined me at the shop during summer break.   I absolutely love having one or the other there with me. They are growing and learning more and more everyday about the joys of crafting and refurbishing.

  

Have a blessed week everyone, may all of your projects be inspiring not only to you, but to those around you.

Linking to: The Three Mango Seeds
and The Graphics Fairy