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Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint

All Things Home

hand painted bread sign

Let me start off by saying this was supposed to be a tutorial, but it won’t be.  The reason is that I mindlessly deleted all of the process photos!!  Ah!  I try to keep my camera card “uncluttered”, so I delete all files once they are uploaded.  Well, I got a little overenthusiastic in my decluttering and deleted these files before I put them on my computer.  Not only did I delete these pictures, but also pictures for a freelance tutorial.  I redid those because I had to, but this will just be the tutorial that wasn’t meant to be. Anyway, I’ve been looking for something to hang over my range, but I just haven’t come across anything that is just right.  I even did some thorough shopping of my house and tried a few different platters, trays, breadboards, etc.  I would hang one and leave it for a day

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All Things Home

two-toned milk paint dresser | part three

The two-toned milk paint dresser in Layla’s Mint is finished and she is a beauty.  Well, in my opinion, anyway! Before we get into the details of the finish, if you missed the first two installments of this dresser makeover, you can find them here… Part 1 – Prepping the piece & applying the first coat of paint Part 2 – Using the Wax Puck, applying the second coat of paint, and distressing In this post, I’ll share about applying the Tough Coat finish.  Before I do, though, here is the before & after… I adore how this piece turned out.  You can still appreciate the beautiful lines and the age of this dresser, but it looks softer now.  And I am over the moon for the antique brass hardware that now pops against the pale green. When thinking about which finish I wanted to use for this piece, I

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All Things Home

two-toned milk paint dresser | part two

As I shared yesterday, I prepped this piece and painted it in MMS Milk Paint Lucketts Green… I wanted a two-toned look with some subtle variations, so I decided to layer Layla’s Mint, a softer green, on top with a rub of our Wax Puck in between. The Wax Puck is perfect when you want some differentiation between two different colors, but you don’t want it to be chippy.  The wax simply makes it easier to remove the paint when you get to the distressing stage. So, I rub the Wax Puck along the edges and lightly over the flat surfaces, so it can catch any “high points”. Since it’s easier to show you than to tell you, here is a video showing the Wax Puck in action, applying the coat of Layla’s Mint over it, and then distressing… (Just a safety note, it’s a good idea to wear a

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All Things Home

two-toned milk paint dresser | part one

A couple of weeks ago, I took advantage of a nice day and sanded down the pieces I found at a local consignment shop. You can find a tutorial on prepping a piece to paint HERE. Once sanded and prepped, I brought this oak dresser with a mirror into the studio to paint it… This piece was in nice condition, but the glossy and yellowed polyurethane made the oak look very orange and was giving it a bit of a 1980’s vibe.  The dresser has such pretty lines and I think painting it will accentuate the cottage style. I decided to go with a very soft color from the MMS Milk Paint line – Layla’s Mint.  To give that color a bit more dimension, I’m going to layer it over the brighter, more saturated Lucketts Green. The effect will be very subtle but will give the finish more character and

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Furniture Makeovers

Instagram Q & A | Milk Paint Line

As I shared last week, I invited followers to ask questions on my Instagram Stories and I received so many questions that I decided to sort them into categories and answer them in blog posts.  In the last Insta Q&A post, I answered home-related questions.  You can find that post HERE. I was asked a lot of posts about my business and creative business in general, so I decided to pick out the milk paint related questions, so that post wouldn’t be a novella.  This post on its own is pretty lengthy! How did you get started making paint? I’m so glad someone asked this question because it’s such a good story!  I feel like I can say that because it’s an opportunity that unfolded for me.  I was a participant and a character, but not the author.  I merely took a step forward each time there was room in front

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All Things Home

little black dresser makeover | part 4 | reveal

When I last shared the little black dresser, it was distressed and quite honestly wasn’t wearing it very well!  Blacks and dark colors generally don’t look great in a flat finish and they at least need a little gloss to bring out the richness of the color.   This piece was painted in MMS Milk Paint’s Typewriter, so it definitely fits in that camp.   There are three other posts in this series, you might want to check them out, especially if you’re looking for step-by-step video tutorials on prepping, painting, and distressing a piece of furniture.  These steps can work on pretty much any piece whether it’s raw, painted, stained, or wearing a poly finish. Prepping a Piece of Furniture to Paint Little Black Dresser Makeover | Part 2 | Painting Little Black Dresser Makeover | Part 3 | Distressing   In this post, we’re finishing up with a Hemp

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All Things Home

little black dresser makeover | part 3

We’re in the middle of this little black dresser makeover and in this segment, it’s all about distressing the paint.  If you missed the first two segments, prepping & painting, you can find them here… Prepping a Piece of Furniture to Paint Little Black Dresser Makeover | Part 2 | Painting Here is how the piece looked after 1 1/2 coats of MMS Milk Paint in Typewriter.  It wasn’t quite two coats, but more like one full coat with a light second coat where needed.  As I shared in part 2, it only took 6T of milk paint powder for both coats. Because I like distressing and do it to almost every piece, I think that there is this idea that distressing is a must-do step with milk paint.  It’s definitely not.  It’s just my preference.  I usually paint old pieces and I like to create the illusion that they’ve been

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All Things Home

little black dresser makeover | part 2

In yesterday’s post, I shared how I prepped this piece of furniture to get it ready for painting.  If you missed that post, you can find it HERE. So, this is what the dresser looked like after the hardware was removed and it was sanded to give the surface “tooth” (something for the paint to grip)… As I was debating what color this piece should “wear”, I decided to go with MMS Milk Paint Typewriter.  First of all, it’s been a long time since I’ve painted anything black.  It’s one of our most popular colors, so thought it would be nice to showcase it in a makeover series. I love the way black looks over dark and medium woods, too.  When a piece like that is distressed and finished, it is gorgeous and I envisioned that look working with the classic lines on this dresser. Another reason I wanted to

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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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