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Sometimes when I have a huge stash of furniture to work on, I’m overwhelmed and find it hard to even know where to start.  That is definitely not the case as I’m getting ready for Lucketts this year.  ALL I want to do in the studio is work on furniture.  My e-mail inbox was being so woefully neglected because of it, so I had to pin myself down and get it cleaned out last night.  I’m really enjoying painting, upholstering and seeing the pieces transformed.  I hope you’re enjoying it, too!  There are a lot more furniture makeovers to come.

I bought this stool at an antique store a couple of months ago and it’s been hanging out in the stash since then.  I was planning to make a slipcover for it, one that laced down the legs and had a short, ruffled skirt.

The day was winding down last Thursday and I pulled out this stool/ottoman.  I could make a slipcover, which would take me 3-4 hours, or I could just upholster it in about 30 minutes and be done.  I chose the latter.

I upholstered it in an antique ticking pillow case and finished the edges with cream gimp trim.  If you’re new to upholstery, a little ottoman like this would be a great place to start.  You can usually just upholster right over the old fabric, which I did in this case.  The lines of the ottoman are also really simple, making it an easier project.  I believe in success in little DIY projects, so you build confidence to tackle bigger ones.

And behind the ottoman is a cabinet painted in Boxwood (interior) and Mora,  This is another one that Megan painted as I worked on other things.  I did the distressing and finished the piece with Hemp Oil.

(I wish I would’ve taken another minute when I was styling this piece to look at the bottom shelf!  It’s not balanced out very well.)  Anyway, back to the cabinet.  I have been really good about taking before pictures, but I totally missed this piece!  It was just old oak with a finish that was a little dull and flaky, probably from being kept in an attic, garage or barn.  That flaky finish make the milk paint chip in the most beautiful way, though.

Megan gave the piece a good sanding, but I didn’t have her add Bonding Agent to the paint, because I didn’t mind if it chipped.

If you want to get the chippy look on your piece of furniture, just know that it’s entirely unpredictable.  Every piece is different.  Some pieces chip off in big flakes, others small.  Some chip a ton and others don’t chip at all.  That’s part of the charm of milk paint, but it can also be frustrating if you have an exact look that you want and the piece of furniture didn’t catch your vision.  I always approach pieces with an open mind and, as hokey as it sounds, let the furniture have a say in how it looks.  I think taking a relaxed approach often yields the best results and you’ll enjoy the process more if you’re not fighting with your furniture the entire time.

This piece knew just how it wanted to look and it was spot on.

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The interior didn’t chip at all, which I like, and I decided to leave it unfinished.  I liked the matte finish against the slight gloss of the Hemp Oiled exterior.  (A few of you have asked about leaving milk paint unfinished and I’ll address that in another post.)

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This piece was missing its key, so I added a little glass knob.  I thought the person who buys it would appreciate being able to, you know, open it.  Without a pocket knife, dad.

Both of these pieces are now sporting hang tags and are all ready to find a new home at the Lucketts Spring Market (May 15-17.)  All of the accessories used for the styling will be for sale there as well.

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    29 Comments

    1. Amy

      This is beautiful! I adore the use of two colors. I also wanted to ask about the

    2. Amy

      This is beautiful! I adore the use of two colors! I also wanted to ask about leaving milk paint unfinished. I have tried this with chalk paint as I like the matte finish but it is somewhat dusty… Not ideal! Looking forward to your comments on this!

      Ps… You may or may not be aware of the adds that apear when reading through a reader… Just FYI in case it was unintentional!

    3. Pam

      I will be a Lucketts Spring Market for the first time…ever. I sure hope I get to take something of yours home with me. I’m so excited, I can hardly wait!!!

    4. Susan

      I really like them both, but especially the cabinet! I recently did a dresser in Boxwood then went over it with Mora after I decided I wasn’t loving the dark tone of the green on that particular piece. The Boxwood layer showing through the Mora is gorgeous and that dresser sold in just a couple of days! 🙂 Yes, Lucketts is coming really fast and I still have so much to do….

    5. Tracy@www.bluridgevintage.com

      I really love what you have done with the ottoman. The ticking pillow case was a great choice, I like the colors in it and gives it a pop. The cabinet will be a wonderful addition to your Lucketts stash. You have some really great pieces for folks to choose from and I would love to be there to see all of the goodies.

    6. Sue @ My Painted Door

      I love both the cabinet and the ottoman. Lovely work as usual Marion!

    7. Rita C at Panoply

      Wonderful work, Marian. This is the piece that caught my eye and I asked about the shelves. I love what you did with it, and was curious where your vision would take it. The stool looks great too.

    8. Jennifer green

      Is this a new design for your website? I don’t like it. It is cluttered and difficult to follow with all the ads interspaced through the articles. The amount of ads is astounding. I do have ad blocker on and still there is ad after ad. When I come across ad laden sites, I stop visiting. I am interested in sites for info not shopping. Anyway enjoyed your site for several years, bought your first book, and best wishes for your commercial future

      • katie near chicago

        Yes the number of ads is overwhleming. Sometimes an ad pops up to overlay a post I’m reading and it’s difficult to close. I love to visit with my morning coffee, but these ads are making it quite unpleasant.

        • katie near chicago

          *edit to read ‘overwhelming’. I was overwhelmed when posting!

        • marian

          If there is a pop-up ad or ad with sound, those are slipping through my filters, as I have my settings to block them. I have received a few comments about those (and I don’t like them, either), so I let my ad management company know and they are trying to find the source. Unfortunately, some advertisers try to sneak those in.

      • marian

        What you’re seeing is the mobile-friendly version of the blog, which is new. We haven’t fully designed it, so it looks pretty different from my regular blog. We’re going to fix it up to make it a bit prettier! My regular blog takes so long to load on mobile devices, so we wanted to make it faster and easier to read when you’re reading on a phone or tablet.

        Yep, ads are just a part of free blogs. Since it is the way I make my living, the only way to go ad-free is to make readers pay to subscribe and I really don’t want to go that direction.

    9. Quandie

      I had to laugh at your comment about adding the little glass knob. I have a couple similar cabinets at my house (that were meant to be opened with a key) that no longer have their key. I usually have to resort to long fingernails to get them open. A little glass knob is so much better 😉

    10. Rosalind

      I love how you used two different paint colors- one on the inside and a different on the outside. This piece, just like all of your other pieces, turned out wonderful!

    11. Pamela @ FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com

      You are so correct about the little successes creating more confidence. That applies even in my decorative painting lessons. Not only do you build confidence to move on to more complicated things but you learn how things work together with each step you take. And, just as importantly, how you can correct your mistakes!
      Though I am sure the slip cover would’ve been gorgeous, the re upholstery job is so perfect that it is hard to imagine it being any different.

    12. Cindy

      I really love the two colors you used on the cabinet. The green with the gorgeous gray blue is just perfect. So pretty with the bowl of boxwood clippings on top too. The little ottoman turned out adorable. Projects like that are the best… really quick and instant gratification!

      Cindy

    13. mary young

      Love the way you finished the corners of the footstool or ottoman. Sometimes they can be
      pesky to finish off and this is very professional looking. Will have to remember that pairing.
      Mary

    14. April

      Brilliant! Add a knob. I just finished a dresser/cabinet with a missing key and we rigged a key that didn’t fit to fit, but adding a knob is such a great idea. Off to see if that will work with my piece. Your iron stone looks lovely with all the MMS tags. 🙂 Looking forward to watching Lucketts come together. I can’t believe it is that time of year again already.

    15. Jelena

      Oh, I like how that cabinet turned out. I especially like the detail on the top shelf. Makes the whole piece look more elegant.

    16. Vickie Shields

      I just got back from Creative Finishes & Furnishings with my first haul of MMS Milk Paint, white wax and hemp oil!!! I can not wait to get home and try it out! I’ve used AS and CCC (the later is going in the trash tonight!) and I’ve been seeing more and more of MMS being used amongst my friends and I’m LOVING the colors and the look! I’m also signing up for a class at the shop to learn the essentials of MMSMP! #fallinginlovealloveragain

      • marian

        Oh, thank you, Vickie! I hope you love milk paint as much as I do! 🙂

    17. Jen Banker

      I just made over that exact same bench not too long ago! I painted it in boxwood (and got lots of chipping) and reupholstered it with a pretty Jacobean print. I love your addition of trim along the edges of the legs. My next upholstery project is a chair. I’ve been watching your video tutorials over and over trying to build up my courage!

    18. Robin

      I hate to be the lone downer, but I don’t really care for the ottoman. I don’t like the folded sides, they look DIY. Previously I was very impressed with your upholstery skills.

    19. teri

      don’t know what the wittering on about adverts is about – on my screen there are normal ads all down the right hand side & 3 at the end – no pop ups or sound. I deleted my Adaware free programme a while ago and just have McAfee virus protection. I’m on an old fashioned PC, and I love this blog and the pics ♥

      • marian

        If you look at my blog on a phone or tablet, it looks different and that’s what the comments are about. I have changed to a mobile-friendly version that loads faster, but it’s not as pretty. We’re working on making it prettier. 🙂 That’s how it goes sometimes. You solve one problem (slow load time) and cause another (it doesn’t look as pretty and the ads aren’t integrated as well!)

        • katie near chicago

          Thanks, Marian, for your response. My purpose in commenting was to let you know my experience. And I will continue to join you/read you over my morning coffee.

          • marian

            Thanks, Katie! I appreciate the feedback, because sometimes my readers are seeing something I’m not. 🙂

        • teri

          thanks for explaining. I avoid tablets & phones because I do like the lovely pictures to be big and glorious x

          • kristen

            Hi. Just wanted let you know that I am reading from my phone for the first time and everything looks great! Either the ads are few, or ny tolerance is higher! LOVE the cabinet and the island. Thanks for the inspiration.

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