Thank you so much for all of the wonderful feedback on my very first MMS Milk Paint “commercial”. It was so fun to put together and I was proud of it, but your comments were a confirmation, so thanks!
The bar has been set for the second one!
Today, I thought I would share more about the dresser makeover and how we made the commercial.
I was always planning to paint the dresser in Mustard Seed Yellow, but I only picked out the dress to create the “story” for the commercial the morning we filmed it. I also decided that day to shoot outside instead of in the studio…another decision that ended up being perfect. The feel would’ve been totally different if it was inside.
We’re fortunate to have this amazing old mill right across the parking lot from the studio, so we could literally wheel the dresser over there with the dolly. The tripod and camera were set up almost in the middle of the road, but just a few trucks come through there each day. I would run and stand by the tripod when they did and the driver would wave or give me the thumbs up, assuring me they could make it around okay. We did get some funny looks, though.
Yep. That’s me painting in my dress. I did wear an apron, though!
We’re in an industrial park in a very tiny, two-stoplight town, so a girl painting a dresser in a yellow dress with a camera set up to record it is a little out of the ordinary.
I bought this dresser off of Craig’s List a little over a year ago. It is in great condition and I actually didn’t paint it for a long time, because it looked pretty nice as is. The finish was painted, not wood, but it was done very well.
It was brown, though, and I wanted to make it a little “happier.”
As we made the video, I took pictures along the way, so I could show how a painted piece usually looks worse before it looks better.
The first coat can be pretty scary. This is when I get freak-out e-mails from people who are using MMS Milk Paint for the first time! I seriously do.
I put the paint directly on the dresser without sanding or adding the Bonding Agent to the paint. I was okay if the paint chipped or flaked, but I had a feeling it would stick okay. The finish wasn’t glossy or oily, which is usually a good indicator. Milk Paint can be unpredictable, though, so if you want some certainty, sand first and add the Bonding Agent to the paint. (I’ll share more about sanding and the Bonding Agent soon.)
Yeah, it looks pretty bad. So, if your piece looks like that, don’t stop at the first coat! It gets better.
It was just Kriste and I working on the shoot and we were trying to get it all finished in one day, so we both painted the piece to move things along quicker.
It was a hot day , so the paint dried fast and we were able to put three coats on pretty quickly. We may have been able to get away with two coats, but the third light coat gave it a nice, even finish.
I actually liked the dresser as it was, but decided to add some decorative painting to tie it into the dress a bit more. As you can see in the video, I chalk out the design first and then paint the design. It’s very imperfect and free-form, but I like it that way.
Many of you have asked for more tutorials on decorative painting and those are coming soon.
Once all of the paint is dry, we distressed the dresser using a combination of 80 and 120 grit paper. I like to use a heavy grit paper for the edges and then a finer grit to rub across the flat surfaces.
The idea is to make the distressing look natural…like it happened over years of wear.
This piece was finished off with a coat of Hemp Oil, which is an all-natural finish, that provides water-resistant protection and brings out the luster of the paint color and wood underneath.
The distressing adds character and the finishing brings a piece to life. You really do have to see the project through. Trust me on that.
Here’s a fun graphic showing a few steps in the process side-by-side.
I originally thought the crackled texture happened, because the paint underneath was crackled. That would give it some texture, but the cracks weren’t in the same places, so I think the crackling actually happened because we were painting outside on a really hot day. I think the rapid drying caused the paint to crackle. That’s just a theory right now, so I’m going to test it out and see.
I did not enjoy painting outside on a hot day, but I do love the look!
Because we were trying to get everything finished in one day, we only applied hemp oil to the front of the dresser for now…just for the video and pictures. We were getting a little crunched for time at the end of the day.
From start to finish, it took about four hours to paint the dresser and film the commercial.
If you missed it the first time around, you can see it here…
And here’s the new 40 second version…
This is our last full week of summer and the boys will be home the entire time, so we’ll see how much work I actually get done!
I found an amazing antique cabinet on Craig’s List for Megan’s office makeover that’s calling my name…
21 Responses
I love what you girls have done with this dresser. You took a nice dresser and made this a real star!!!
It’s beautiful. You could do a million tutorials on decorative painting and I still wouldn’t be able to do it, but I love watching you do it! Just a question – will tung oil create the same look as hemp oil?
You used hemp oil for this dresser and it turned out fabulous, will boiled linseed oil have the same durability and effect? Thank you in advance
Absolutely fabulous!
The dresser looks fantastic! I’ve been following the blog for a while now and would love to read more on how to do decorative designs and how to decide what type of design / treatment a piece should receive.
You probably know this already…but in case not…. be sure to get the proper clearances to use the music or you could be subject to a lawsuit. I used to be involved in conference planning, and we had to get clearance just to play music at a convention hotel. Apparently, the music industry is really cracking down on this. Hopefully, this doesn’t apply to you since you have musical friends who likely performed the tune (which was perfect, BTW). I can easily see your ad as a perfect fit for HGTV!
Yep, all of the music I use is either original or free music available to You Tube publishers.
“… so a girl painting a dresser in a yellow dress” — I love how you still refer to yourself as a “girl”.
And I love your blog. I have a handful of blogs I check every day. I used to “save” yours for last (save the best for last). And yours is still my favourite. But I have to say with all your recent changes and the various storylines that are running through it right now, I find I can’t wait ! I read yours 1st every day now. Then sometimes I don’t even read the others. I love the variety on your blog … the surprise of not knowing what you’ll be up to or sharing today.
Just perfect! Tutorial and explanations are perfect.
Thank you!
Anne.
I love how this dresser turned out. I have never tried milk paint before but this has got me thinking. Also, as a side note, I really, really love your dress.
Very nice commercial..Love it and your cute dress to match. Awesome….
So excited for you to do a tutorial on the decorative painting.
This summer my teen daughters painted a dresser and night stand for their room using grain sack.
And then they helped me paint the dining room table with it using the bonding agent.
We are loving the pieces we have painted and plan to paint more in the future.
Can’t wait for what you share next.
Tasha
Your theory on the crackle effect is right! When I first used your paint, I painted the piece outside on a hot day and it resulted in a crackle finish. I was surprised because I didn’t expect that to happen. All the other times I’ve used Miss Mustard Seed paint has been indoors and there hasn’t been the crackle finish. It will still randomly chip but no crackle.
So, I do think your theory is right! 🙂
Love the commercial. I usually don’t watch videos on line, but this was well worth it. It was snappy and well edited. Perfect!
I’m one that did not get to watch the full length movie so I watched the short one and thought,” This is good.” I tried to watch the long one but some four random movies showed and obviously they weren’t your movie in a longer version! What’s a gal to do? Read the article which helped as I did not notice how many coats you did, that you freehand drew the design, that you used hemp oil, nor that paint cracked!! Then your two minute movie appeared!! I like it better. The 40 second one maybe an ad on TV but if I’m really curious about your product it did not seem long and really showed up close a lot of the steps. Thank you for helping me understand how to do your product so that I may someday be brave and try!! This was great info on your product!!!
I actually DID miss it the first time… ( I can’t believe it!) but I loved the commercial!! 😀
I love the picture showing all the stages of redo! So cool I pinned it.
love it all Marian especially your advert. perfect music too. well done xx
Marian,
This is the cutest video I have ever seen. I love it. I love everything about it too. From the looks of it, you are a fan of old movies. I listen to jazz, blues and big band quite a bit. You had me hooked with the music. Great Job! Btw, what is the name of that tune? Speaking of videos, I need to catch up on your Youtube series soon.
Olivia
Great job on the dresser, it looks great and I love the yellow paint!!
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
Your advert is such fun, what a ureka moment to paint in a mustard dress! You are such an inspiring lady, who seems so very down to earth. Wonderful job!