Using Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint - Finally!!!

i don't know why it took me so long to try my hand at distressing a piece of furniture using milk paint. most everyone i've come across who live in the world of furniture distressing/refinishing has heard of and used the hugely popular annie sloan chalk paint but milk paint, that red-headed stepchild, not so much; even though it's been around much much longer, like...thousands of years longer. or, maybe, i've just been living under a rock. that said, i finally decided to redo a little antique dresser i recently got a hold of using miss mustard seed's line of milk paint. after much deliberation, i chose the color "dried lavender" and also picked up a jar of her white wax.

here's my piece. from the 1920s and still with the original hardware. score!

i ordered my milk paint online. the directions for mixing or self explanatory. i mixed the entire contents though i could have easily gotten by with just mixing half. if you're a careful painter, you probably don't have to tape off your piece but i did as i tend to get a little over zealous with the brush which, by the way, doesn't have to be fancy but should be decent quality.

be sure to take care of any needed repairs to your piece before you paint such as re-gluing, tightening or filling. like chalk paint, milk paint doesn't require any surface prepping prior to use (which is awesome!) though you might need to do some depending on the look you're going for. oh! disposable piping bags (i got mine from my local cake decorating supply store a while ago) work GREAT for getting wood glue into tiny little spaces!

now you're ready to paint! first coat coverage is pretty decent though two is best, especially if you're going for the "chipped paint" look. and, from what i gathered on the blogoshpere, when you're going for this look: two coats of paint with 24 hours of drying time after the last coat to get the greatest possibility for areas of resisting that will then chip off. the waiting is the hard part but just hang in there. you'll be glad you did.

when i was learning about milk paint, specifically from Miss Mustard Seed's line, i saw that she also offered a white wax that could be used with it to give a particular look, much like the annie sloan dark wax - which i LOVE - can be used to age and define particular parts of a piece. and where the dark wax will deepen (and can completely change) a color when applied, the white wax does much the same, though in reverse. i used it to highlight details of my dresser, especially pushing it into seams and creases and even some areas that i left unfilled with wood filler.

here i used the wax on the feet, covering them completely and giving extra attention to creases before wiping it off. a little side note, if you use a clear wax first, you won't get the color or adhesion of the white wax so keep this in mind when you start waxing your piece.

love love love how it finally turned out and yes, i will definitely use it again. in fact, i have a large trestle table and chairs that i want to tackle next and i already know what colors i want to use. definitely give milk paint a try sometime, especially if you like the "chipped paint" look.

if you've already used milk paint, i'd love to know about your experience with it so be sure to leave a comment.

A Sewer I Am Not...

yesterday was a day spent in crafting hell. or, rather, sewing hell. i don't know why i attempt it. i'm just not a sewer. tried making a relatively simple little reversible bag (purse) today. pattern was fairly self-explanatory. i messed up the straps (she did warn about them). misjudged the amount of one of the fabrics i had. not enough. so i had to find a replacement. then everything was supposed to be turned right-side-out through one of the straps. an entire bag through a little strap?!? um. no. had to rip open part of a seam to open it in a much more do-able spot. to top it off, my machine kept breaking. must have spent over an hour of sewing time on this alone. UGH!!!!!!!! i absolutely HATE when a craft day that starts with promise ends like this. 

i am not a sewer. i am not a sewer. i am not a sewer. a bit of hand work....no problem. patterns and darts and hems and top stitching and button holes. oh my. i will stick to refinishing furniture. i will hone my knitting skills. i will bake and cook and make jewelry. sewing by machine i will not do. not often, anyway and not when my machine keeps snagging. i think it has something to do with the bobbin tension and stitching in reverse. i don't know. my machine probably just needs to be serviced but it was working fine when i made the rice warmies last month. who can say? and while the little bag i made came super close to ending up in the trash from pure frustration, i made myself finish it and i will use it to carry small knitting projects, or as a little beach bag or just to knock around with. 

i told my daughter that it wasn't so much the bag i was frustrated with, it was the process that stung. it was spending the day completely immersed in something and feeling like i'd done absolutely nothing at the end of it. "mama said there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this mama said." i don't think my mama ever said that but i'm a mama and i'm saying it today. to all my fellow crafters, when you have a day like this - i feel you, i commiserate with you and i raise my big fat glass of wine to you!

then i did what any self respecting crafter i often do to lift my spirits...logged into pinterest. i know. i know. i feel you on that, too. i really do. here's some fun/lovely/yummy things that i just had to pin:

 how cute is this from atypicalenglishhome? a receipt from the tooth fairy! pure genius!!!

i love love love a good croque monsieur! can't wait to try this recipe from poppytalk.

sweet polaroid magnets from sugar and cloth. perfect gift  & easy tutorial

 

mmmmm....i just want to turn this chai spice smoothie into a popsicle

definitely making these sugar hearts from sweet society for my valentine's day party.

ok. better now...

Handmade Rice and Lavender Warmers

one of the absolute best things that i bought for myself when i was pregnant with our youngest was one of those heating pads that are filled with rice. you know, the kind that get heated in the microwave and provide a good hour's worth of gentle warmth. used it all the time and loved it! loved it so much, in fact, that it's been my go too "warmie" ever since. sadly, friends, said warmie has since soothed it's last tired muscle and had to be retired. not to worry though. making a replacement was easy and inexpensive and, as it turned out, the perfect last minute christmas gift this year.

i wanted mine to have covers that could be thrown in the wash if need be so i picked up a canvas painters drop cloth to make them because i love its "shabby" look and the light, solid color is perfect for personalizing. the materials don't cost much (well, they don't have to) and you probably have some of them lying around the house already. technically, all you need is rice and fabric but if you want to glam them up a bit, like i wanted to, you can get crazy. and, by the way, don't be daunted by the amount of things i used. you can certainly do less and it will still be fabulous!

the what
canvas painters drop cloth (the smallest size available - you'll still have lots left over)
1 yard unbleached muslin - 45" (i was able to make 8 with this amount)
rice (i used brown. the 99¢ store is a perfect resource for this, especially if you're making several)
dried lavender (i already had some on hand and also purchased some from world market)
loose leaf herbal tea
lavender essential oil
jasmine absolute essential oil
acrylic paint
foam alphabet stamps

start with making the insert that will hold the rice. cut the muslin to the size you want (mine was approximately 14"x9"). using 1/2-inch seam allowance and beginning with a short side, sew a straight seam that starts1/4 of the way up from the bottom right edge and sew around entire piece ending 1/4 of the way down from the top right edge (above your starting point). this will leave an opening. turn it inside out so that your seams are facing inside. press all around, turning in your opening and pressing as well.

after you've pressed your seams, top stitch 1/4-inch in from the edge all the way around, except for the opening. now, this next step probably isn't necessary, but i went around and zig-zag stitched over my top stitched straight seam because i wanted my edges really secure.

now comes the first fun part - filling the insert with the rice. i mixed the essential oils and herbs into my rice a couple of hours before i started because i wanted the smells to really hang out and scent the rice. there's no rhyme or reason to amounts here. just add as little or as much as you like until your satisfied and feel free to experiment with aromas.

i used 4 cups of rice per bag which filled it about half way. be careful not to over pack it. you want it to be flexible enough to mold to your body. sew up the open edge.

now for the covers. be sure to have already washed and dried whichever fabric you're going to use.  for me, this was the canvas. i searched pinterest for ideas and came across two that i liked: this one from V and Co and this one from The Tangled Nest. i went with the latter for the mere fact that i liked the design the best and it just felt more simple. no pictures of the process here so just follow the tutorial or come up with your own design.

i made some of these for our kids and wanted each one to have a personal touch. for me, that meant stamping on their name in their favorite color. you could do this before or after you construct your cover but if you do it after, be sure to insert some kind of cardboard behind the area that you stamp to prevent any paint from leaking through. after they were dry, i covered the name with a scrap piece of muslin and went over it with a dry iron to heat set the paint. i have no idea if this will make a difference when washing it in the future but seamed like the thing to do. heat set ink or fabric paint may have been the better option here.

after that, sit back and admire your handiwork! these smell wonderful and the kids loved having their very own warmie to use whenever they want. to use, just remove the insert from the cover and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave and how hot you want your warmie to be. please be careful when removing and placing the insert as it will be hot.

just a little note. don't feel that you have to purchase new fabric for the insert or cover. old sheets and pillow cases are great alternatives to muslin and i also made two covers from an old quilt and some upholstery fabric that i had on hand. it's a great way to upcycle.

enjoy! and happy new year!!!

Feathery Salt Dough Ornaments

a while back, i wrote a blog post about the most humble of craft mediums - salt dough; that unpretentious little ball of clay formed from salt, flour and water. apparently, people got excited about it because not only has it become my most popular post, it's also the one most pinned. and what with christmas practically in our back yards already, i thought i'd play around with the stuff a bit and use it to make feathers. some pretty snazzy ones at that.

the salt dough ornaments i made previously were done by rubber stamping an inked image onto the dough and then using cookie cutters to get my desired shape. these feathers were made free-form with a knife, a pastry cutter and my imagination. and really, it's the embellishing that makes them come to life. i think several of these would be lovely on a big green tree (nobles are my personal favorite) with lots and lots of white lights and some silver mercury glass ornaments here and there.

i sure hope you give them a try!