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I just uploaded my first three video tutorials on working with my Milk Paint! The milk paint won’t be widely available until August 2012, but I wanted to start putting the videos out there to answer some questions about Milk Paint and to show what kind of tutorials will be available. Enjoy! Subscribe to my You Tube Channel if you want to see the latest videos when they come out! More to come…
The number one question people ask me when I tell them about my milk paint line is, “What’s the difference between milk paint and chalk-type paints?” That’s a fair question! It seems like boutique paint lines are flooding the market and it’s causing a lot of confusion. Which one is best for your project? Why would you choose one over the other? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? First, let’s take a look at examples of pieces painted in milk paint… Now, let’s look at examples of pieces that were painted in a chalk-type paint… Now that you can see the looks that can be achieved with both of them, let’s talk about the similarities and differences. What is milk paint and chalk-type paints? Milk Paint: Is a 100% natural paint that’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s called milk paint, because one of the ingredients is
Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments and encouragement in response to my recent big announcement! I really do feel like I have a huge group of friends who have been with me through this journey and you’re cheering me on. It’s an awesome feeling and it means a lot to me. The next three weeks are going to be insane. I’m getting stocked up for the Lucketts Antique Market, which means lots of shopping, painting, pricing, packing, upholstering, sewing, glittering, gluing…whew! On top of that, I’m working on rewrites for my book and developing this line of milk paint. I need to find a way to duplicate myself, so I can get it all done and still make dinner and keep my guys in clean clothes! I know it’ll all work out. It always does. So, here’s the latest piece of furniture I just finished today…
Welcome to another “Best of MMS” post. A few of you offered up the brilliant idea of sharing some of my past posts while I’m busy working on things for the book, so that’s what I’m doing. (I’m sorry about the wonky spacing in the post. Something funny happens when I put code from my old blogspot blog on my new site.) I painted these French chairs before I had tried ASCP or Milk Paint and I thought I would share the makeover and technique again, so you can see a great look can be achieved with latex paint, which is less expensive and more readily available. I really love ASCP and Milk Paint, but latex shouldn’t be totally forgotten. Here’s how the pair of French arm chairs started… (I had two arm chairs, although only one is pictured.) The back of one was upholstered and the other was caned, but the
First of all, thanks so much to everyone who bore the hardship of going to TJ Maxx to look for pillows for me. I think they will order more of those pillows after all of the phone calls about them! You are all such wonderful ladies and I really wish I could hang out with all of you! Two readers found a total of five pillows. My goal was to find four, so I am totally set and the hunt is officially over. Boy, you girls are fast! However, don’t let me stop you from taking a trip to Home Goods or TJ Maxx. If you must, you must. Now to what I have been slaving over the last few days. In case anyone was in doubt at all about the power of paint…this post is for you. Here are my kitchen cabinets before… …after… …before… …after… I didn’t get new appliances, counters
I received a few comments about the farm table in my kitchen. You could see peeks of it in my kitchen accessories post, so here is a full view. (Ugh…excuse the floor!) I bought it a few months ago at an antique store with every intention of selling it. I even put a tag on it at one point. I set it in my living room. It was totally the wrong size and scale for the space, but I really liked it. I stained and waxed the top and held onto it to use for the farmhouse chic wedding I styled. Afterward, I decided to try it in my kitchen, which is not really an eat-in kitchen, but I thought it might work. The size worked perfectly and now there’s a place in the kitchen where my family of four can sit together to eat… …and it gives me a good
So sorry! I planned to have this video to you last week and I even filmed one, but I was tired and it was half-heartedly done. You deserve better than that, so I made a new one yesterday morning in my very best painting outfit. Believe it or not, I actually go out in that ratty, paint splattered sweatshirt. Someone call “What Not To Wear” on my behalf, please. I wanted to post this video last night, but it was still converting after midnight, so I had to turn in and post it this morning. Without further delay, here is my opinion piece on waxes! (A transcription of these videos is available HERE for the hearing impaired.) The wax I’m using in the video is called Fiddes and Sons and I purchased it from John Millen Hardware. (They lowered the price of the wax to $14.00 for my readers!) I use the Clear and
I have had a boat load of questions lately about top coats, so I thought I would dedicate a post to them. First of all, let me say that there are dozens, maybe thousands of techniques and products out there, so I’m just sharing the ones I use and like. It’s also pure coincidence that all of the products I am sharing are by Minwax. Those are just the images I found easily. Paste Wax – How it’s applied: Wax on, wax off. Rub the wax on with a soft/clean cloth. Allow it to dry to a haze and then buff it off. What I like it for: Natural wood, painted surfaces, especially when I want a soft luster to the finish, not a shine. I also like that it provides a hard finish and no brush strokes. What I don’t like it for: Pieces with a lot of texture or
I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.
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