Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Archives | Page 23 of 42

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

Furniture Makeovers

say “hello” to Layla’s Mint

It’s time to say “hello” to another one of our new colors in the MMS Milk Paint European color line! You’ve already met Bergere and Arabesque and now here’s Layla’s Mint… Yes. It’s named after the Layla. Lettered Cottage Layla. It all started back in the summer when Layla sent me an e-mail, wanting a perfect minty green for a secretary in her house. I tried a few different ratios and came up with a lovely minty green… Layla tweaked the recipe a little bit and painted the secretary, which looks so pretty in her space! As I was collaborating with some of my retailers on the European color line, the request for Layla’s Mint kept coming up, so it became a no-brainer to add it in the line and, as a bonus, it already had a name! The colors in the line all have warm undertones and the original Layla’s

January 8, 2015 30 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Arabesque dresser | take two

I shared the first styling of the Arabesque dresser a few days ago. I brought in an heirloom wedding ring quilt from home and we played up the sweetness of the dusty pink color with some fun knobs and cheerful flowers. I think this is a pretty typical way to view pink. But, I wanted to show Arabesque as more of a “neutral” and here is the result… I swapped out the pink and yellow knobs with simple, vintage-looking glass knobs. This changed the look of the piece entirely. The oriental rug has hints of pink in it, but it’s grounded with rich navy and muted beiges. The wood chair and muted gold frames pull out the dark wood peeking through the chipped paint. We used the same flowers as the first shoot, but edited out all but the pale tea roses. I was styling the dresser and asked Kriste to make

December 29, 2014 50 Comments

Before and Afters

say "hello" to Arabesque

It’s time to say hello to another color in our new European line for Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint – Arabesque. (You already met Bergere in October and four more are coming soon…) I’m not generally what you’d call a “pink person”, so this color was harder for me to create than others, but what we arrived at just might convince me to use more pink. It’s a soft, dusty pink with lots of warmth to it, so it’s not sweet or babyish. It’s sophisticated and has a neutral quality about it, even though it’s pink. Of course, it’s named Arabesque after the ballet move. (via dance.net) As I was thinking of color names for the pink, I immediately thought of ballet and knew I wanted to use one of the French ballet terms. Arabesque just seemed to fit…graceful, feminine, seemingly effortless. Notice how Arabesque is almost the exact color

December 22, 2014 26 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

tough coat 101 video

We introduced the Tough Coat a few months ago as part of the MMS Milk Paint line. It was a product that was many months in the making. You see, I’m a pretty tough sell when it comes to adding new products to the line. I have to really love them, use them and being okay with them sporting my name. I never planned on carrying a water based poly product, because my preference is for oils and waxes. When I first started furniture painting, I used water based poly and was usually disappointed with the finish. It got so much better when I found smooth applicator pads and even better when I started using my sprayer. I never imagined going back once I started using waxes and oils, though. Then, I had to deal with this piece… I painted it with one coat of milk paint that almost all

December 17, 2014 14 Comments

crafts

block printed wrapping paper & snowball garland

I walked into the studio ready to work on Christmas things this morning. I told Kriste at one point that I wished I could work on five different things at once. There was a bee in my bonnet. I had a lot on the wish list to get done, but I knew it was way too much for one day, so we got started and just worked until we needed to stop. We started making a grain sack tree skirt, did some housekeeping things for the studio and played around with some papers and ribbon I have been collecting over the last few weeks. I also used an antique wooden stamp I bought at an antique store to “block print” some craft paper and I love how it turned out. I see these wooden printing blocks here and there when I’m at antique stores, but I never though to buy one until Kriste

November 14, 2014 24 Comments

Before and Afters

painted "swedish" bench

I always have a hard time getting refocused after a big event or project. I seem to work at my best when there is a date looming, but at the same time, I dislike the pressure of deadlines. So, I’m conflicted. I love and hate due dates. To combat the unfocused work approach, I decided to knock out a few projects that have been on my list for some time. I grabbed the bench at the table in our family room and dragged it out to the car, so I could take it to the studio to paint. (I have a knack for moving furniture by myself when I’m determined enough!) Remember this pine bench that we gave to my mom as a mother’s day gift when we lived in Germany? I like the shape of it, but the pine was a little too yellow and shiny for me. I

November 4, 2014 17 Comments

Favorite Finds

bunny pull-toy

I know…again with the kid’s stuff, but this bunny pull-toy was just too cute to pass up! I got it at a good price, because it didn’t have its original paint and, unfortunately, someone who wasn’t very artistically inclined tried to paint a face and spots on him. The eyes were big and black with Raggedy Anne styled lashes. It was just a little overdone and took away from the beautiful shape and legs of the piece. I can’t fault someone for trying, though! I decided to give the bunny a softer, less Tammy Faye Bakker look. I painted the body in MMSMP Ironstone. It took two coats to get nice coverage. Then, I used Shutter Gray to paint the spots, ears and very simple oval eyes. I left the cream paint on the wheels, because they had a pretty patina and I thought complimented the lighter shade of white

October 22, 2014 19 Comments

Hand Painted Furniture

child's cupboard

I definitely have a soft spot for things made for children. The small scale just melts me. My mom and I spotted this little hutch in an antique store and jumped at it immediately. It had been painted in a white latex over oil, so the latex was peeling off and it was a little dingy. We sanded it down and gave it a fresh coat of MMSMP Eulalie’s Sky with the Bonding Agent added and finished it with Hemp Oil. I forgot to take a before picture of this one, but just imagine it in white. Here it is now… I love the glass knobs and little latch on the cabinet. When I painted it in the pale blue, I immediately imagined it paired with a red child’s riding toy I bought the same day… I’ve been looking for a pretty red tricycle for ages for photo shoots, since the

October 20, 2014 26 Comments

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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