Guest Post: Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Tutorial by All Dolled Up

Hi Chic on a Shoestring-ers! My name is Abbe, I am a self taught painter, crafter, and budget lovin' decorator. I bet I am in good company! I author my blog, All Dolled Up, where I blog about painting, and owning a small business, The Cottage Collective. ( A sweet little shop full of vintage, antiques, and handmade wares) Another hat I wear, is educator! I am the National Primary Educator for Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!I get to teach MMSMP retailers in workshops, as well as contribute to the MMSMP blog, writing tutorials and inspirational posts. I have been a painter for awhile, and began selling my pieces about 4 years ago now. Milk paint has become one of my favorite mediums, considering all the fantastic different finishes I can achieve with it! Today I wanted to give you a little taste of my Milk Paint 101, class, and encourage you to try it yourself! And if the tutorial doesn't get you excited, than perhaps the give away I am offering Chic on a Shoestring readers will! First of all, the paint comes in powered form, something that might seem intimidating at first. I encourage you to look at this bag of paint as an endless possibility of finishes! You GET to mix your paint. If you want a washed effect- use more water- if you want a thicker, textured paint- use more powder. For the best coverage, use an equal parts water to powder ratio. Milk paint will naturally chip on surfaces that have been previously finished. Where as we LOVE the chippiness it gives, if you have a high shine or gloss piece, you might want to add our bonding agent to your paint. This will give you better adhesion to finished surfaces. Milk paint on raw or porous surfaces is super strong- and will actually soak in deep, giving you a great durable finish. The piece I painted here was finished with an old goldish paint. Not too shiny- but not raw either. It was my friend Jen's, and she loved that it was a piece her grandmother had, but didn't love the 70's finish! Let's get started: You can mix your paint with either a small stir stick, mini whisk, or one of our milk paint mixers. Just be careful to not over mix- giving you a milk paint latte! Use room temperature water. Once your paint is mixed, let it sit for a few minutes. This will give all those great NATURAL ingredients a chance to dissolve. That's right- did you hear that! Natural. Non-toxic, no VOC's, and 100% safe to use with children, pets, and even pregnant! (Nesting moms rejoice!) After you get all your paint on, you will be surprised how quickly it dries. It is common to get to the end of a project and where you started is dry! Milk Paint will dry much lighter- with a chalky finish. Don't fret! This is the nature of the paint- you just need to add a top coat- but before you do- grab a sanding block and watch the magic happen! You will notice how smooth you paint will feel after a light sanding with FINE grit sanding paper. Also, any paint that might want to chip will do so once you glide that fine grit over it. Some places will chip and other's will stick, depending on your finish you are painting. That's the fun in milkpaint- it's not contrived or forced- it looks naturally aged! The paint will distress with a fine powder, just wipe it off before you top coat. The line offers several top coats- Furniture wax (clear wax top coat) Antiquing Wax (aged, old dark staining wax) White wax (gives a limed or white was finish) and Hemp Oil. Hemp oil is a fabulous way to seal and richen up your paint. I love it on old wood tones too- it gives your tired old antiques life again. It is great for butcher blocks and cutting boards too! On this piece, I chose furniture wax, to keep the color true. MMSMP furniture wax has a buttery consistency- that glides on effortlessly. No need to emulsify it! (Achy joints rejoice!) You will notice the color seems richer, and a soft low sheen will appear from the wax. You can rag your wax on as well, no need for a brush if you don't have one. Just remember- a little goes a long way! Give your wax a day to cure- and you are ready to use your new "old" piece!
 I just love the natural chippiness it gets- no way could you get that look with latex and
sandpaper. This project was done start to finish in the time my daughter was in preschool (3 hours)! Gotta love that! Another great part of this paint is keeping your waste down. You only mix what you need! So a chair or small side table only needs about 1/4 cup, a 4 drawer dresser is about 1 cup, and a large hutch or table is 1.5-2 cups. See, not so hard, huh? I have a fun giveaway for just you guys today! How would you like to win some MMSMP goodies? I am giving away everything you need to start a project! Also, you can shop my online store HERE! Make sure you check out my blog All Dolled Up, as well to see more projects and fun tutorials. I am about to start a series on how I turned my builder grade house into Farmhouse charm! Thanks Kate, for letting me pop over, Happy Painting Friends! Here's how to enter the Milk Paint Giveaway! 1. Like All Dolled Up on Facebook 2. Subscribe to Chic on a Shoestring 3. Subscribe to All Dolled Up4. Share this giveaway with a friend! 5. Make sure to leave a comment on this post telling us you did! Winners will be chosen  on Feb 24th, Contest Ends at midnight on Monday, the 23rd. a Rafflecopter giveaway -- Abbe Doll Furniture painting | Milk Paint Educator | Creative Director www.alldolledupwichita.com