If you have not encountered Miss Mustard Seed in your wanderings around the web, or when browsing home/diy magazines, you have been missing out! I first found her when I began to search the web for others who were doing custom slipcovers. I found her blog post about slipcovering a wing chair with dropcloth and I was hooked :) Then, even before I ventured into this crazy, wonderful business, she generously featured my own slipcovered wing chair on one of her Furniture Feature Friday posts. We share a love of blue and white, recycled furniture, and family-friendly budget-wise home decorating. Have you read her new book, Inspired You? Very inspiring :)
It has been fun to watch her business grow and change in the last couple of years. When she announced she was developing a line of milk paint (with a Canadian company, no less!), I couldn’t wait to try it. I had the perfect piece in mind…
I found this little cupboard/side table on Craigslist. It has been the perfect piece for this spot next to the fireplace (and it handily stores my stack of “to read” magazines). Structurally it was in good shape, but you can see that the finish was definitely showing its age and not in a good way. I had a difficult time choosing what color to use - our family room mostly has shades of cream, sand, and blue (with some black courtesy of our tv and console), so a number of her beautiful shades would have worked. In the end I decided to go with Typewriter…
I love the way it turned out! The color is the perfect counterpoint to the black technology stuff on the other wall, but it somehow soft enough to not be stark.
If you haven’t tried milk paint before, Miss Mustard Seed’s video tutorials are very helpful. Since this was a small piece, I just ordered a sample size of paint. Then I was concerned I wouldn’t have enough, so I think I added too much water; it ended up being more of a “wash” than a solid covering of paint. I was hoping for some of the natural chipping that the paint is famous for, so I didn’t add any bonding agent. But, no flaking happened! I think I did 3 thin coats, distressed it (it distresses like a dream!), and finished it with her furniture wax. And, I think it looks perfect without the chipping :)
I replaced the knobs with some that I found at Hobby Lobby. They are not traditional, but the metal tones complemented the wood tones that peak through and the maps pay homage to my husband’s love of all things geographic. And, in a happy “accident” the green in the knobs picks up the green of the lamp that sits on the table.
So, would I use milk paint again? Yes! In fact, I have a table in the works… and it is more than making up for the lack of chipping on this project. I am still deciding how to finish it – I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready to show :)
Have a great week!
Sherri
P.S. Slipcover post coming next :)