Painting for a Purpose [And Milk Paint!]

Date
Apr, 29, 2014

I was super excited when a friend of the family asked if I wanted to donate one of my pieces to a silent auction for a Gala that she helps organize. It’s for the Carol M. Baldwin Gala which supports the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. Aside from the fact that Carol Baldwin is the mother of the amazingly talented Baldwin brothers, she is also a courageous breast cancer survivor. After undergoing a double mastectomy, and beating her cancer, she began this fund to help raise the money needed to help researchers find the cause, prevention and treatment of breast cancer. She’s a native of Syracuse, NY, where her sons visit her often and have even been spotted in my little hometown 20 minutes away. 🙂 So I jumped at this opportunity to help support such a great cause and try something new: milk paint!

This is the brother table of my previous project that you can see here if you missed it. It only has one drawer and is slightly smaller. I definitely have mixed feelings about milk paint, and I’m sure most of it has to do with the fact that it was my first time using it and I really had no idea what I was doing. I am pretty in love with the end result though!

Here’s what it looked like before:

So to start out, I watched some of Miss Mustard Seed’s video tutorials to get an idea of how this stuff works. The store I bought the paint at recommended sanding first, but MMS said it wasn’t necessary if you’re using the bonding agent (which I was). I mixed that in with my paint and stirred it all up. I found the consistency to be quite watery, and ended up adding more powder. Much more. Probably too much. Oops.

I felt like I couldn’t get it to a smooth consistency but started painting anyway to see how it looked. You could definitely see some specs in it, but I figured I would just sand them out later. Not gonna lie, I was a little concerned after the first coat. It looked like a HOT MESS. (More so than you can see in this picture). :-p

The trickiest part for me was the legs, since there are so many grooves and small places to get into. I flipped the table upside down for the second and third coats, and painted them first and then once they dried, flipped the table back over and painted the rest. I think my main problem was that I was using too large of a brush for the legs and it was harder to control the splatter of the paint since it’s so thin to begin with.

I want to take a second to talk about this amazing product I discovered, that was SO useful with this project. Who’s a Shark Tank fan? If you’re not, you should be. It’s a great show that helps small businesses get deals with some pretty impressive investors like Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. My favorite shark is Robert Herjavec. Anywho, the hubs and I love watching this show together and a couple months ago I made my very first Shark Tank purchase! The guys behind the The Paint Brush Cover are genius. I mean, how did something like this not exist before? And for only $4.99 a pop?! I’m still kicking myself that I didn’t buy more than one.

I painted my first coat of milk paint and then placed my brush in the cover. It was about a week later that I got around to my second coat and opened up the case to find a very wet and soft brush. This thing is seriously amazing! You should go buy one. Or ten.

Ok so after I got 3 coats on, I was feeling a bit better. Although the texture was a bit rough, I was ok with that since you really couldn’t see it. I used some fine grit sandpaper to distress all the edges and smooth everything out.

I ended up buying some antiquing wax and I’m so glad I did. I was nervous about it when I first saw Annie Sloan’s but figured I’d give this a shot since it comes in a much smaller container. I used my Annie Sloan wax brush and applied it all over the piece, wiping off as I went, and buffing later. I love how it darkens color and really gets into the wood, especially in the distressed areas.

When I’m buying a new product, I always seem to get roped into buying the whole kit and caboodle. Anyone else? At least this haul was a lot cheaper than my Annie Sloan one 🙂 Naturally, I bought some hemp oil, because I was so impressed with the samples I saw at the store. They were SO smooth and I just loved the finish it gave the wood. I used a rag to apply it in a circular motion and per the directions, after a half hour, wiped off the excess. I repeated the process after 24 hours on the top only.

I think this is the first project that I’ve actually kept the original hardware and not replaced it with something new. I love the shape of the pulls and they go so well with the color and antiqued look of the table.

Who’s ready for some beauty shots?!

I definitely want to use milk paint again, and I’ll be a little more prepared the next time! I think this was a great first experience though and I’m glad it turned out so well. After all, there might be some celeb eyes on it 🙂

I’m so excited to donate this for the silent auction. Hoping it raises some big bucks for an amazing cause and finds a great new home!

 

brepurposed

35 Comments

  1. Reply

    avisiontoremember

    May 16, 2014

    Love that color! I am going to be decorating my baby boy’s nursery in the mustard yellow and gray colors and that paint color is PERFECT. Love it.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 16, 2014

      Oooh I love the gray and yellow combo! Can’t wait to see what you do!

  2. Reply

    Daniela Davis Walsh

    May 15, 2014

    You’ve been featured at Link’n Blogs! Come see your feature and link up more fab projects.
    http://iputabirdonit.blogspot.com/2014/05/linkn-blogs-25.html

    xo
    Daniela
    Put A Bird On It

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 16, 2014

      Thanks again for the feature and for hosting a great party!

  3. Reply

    Corey @ Tinysidekick

    May 10, 2014

    What a great opportunity to use your creativity for a good cause! This is beautiful. I need to try some Mrs. Mustard Seed paint cause I always love the outcome. Thanks for sharing at The Makers this week!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 13, 2014

      Thanks so much Corey! You should definitely give it a try, it’s fun to work with!

  4. Reply

    chiccalifornia

    May 9, 2014

    I’m a huge milk paint fan! Love the color, love the distressing, love the beauty shots! Thanks for linking up to the Be. YOU. tiful link party. Hugs:)

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 9, 2014

      Thanks! It’s so unpredictable but so fun to work with! Have a great day 🙂

  5. Reply

    Carie Spence

    May 8, 2014

    I’ve been dying to work with milk paint and planning on doing so very soon. Love that yellow color too, Awesome job!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 8, 2014

      Thanks Carie! I can’t wait to see what you do with milk paint, have fun!

  6. Reply

    Susan

    May 7, 2014

    The table came out beautiful! I thought the Baldwins lived on Long Island?
    If you can believe it–I had that same exact table! I painted in a blue milk paint color that was a little too bright for my taste. I think the color you chose is gorgeous!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 7, 2014

      Hi Susan, so glad you stopped by! From what I’ve read Carol Baldwin is originally from Syracuse but raised her family on Long Island. She moved back to Syracuse later on and I’m not sure where the baldwin bros currently live! So funny that you had the same table, I would love to see it! I was a little nervous about the yellow at first but I fell in love with it 🙂

  7. Reply

    distresseddonna

    May 6, 2014

    Good luck with the silent auction – this piece turned out fabulous. Love the distressing and the color.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 7, 2014

      Thank you Donna! Hoping it helps to raise some money for a great cause. Glad you stopped by!

  8. Reply

    Marty@A Stroll Thru Life

    May 6, 2014

    I love this little chest and it is the perfect shade of yellow. Great job and I love the accessories too. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 7, 2014

      Thank you so much Marty! I snagged that little camera from Burlington Coat Factory for $5! I’m in love with it. Thanks for hosting a great party!

  9. Reply

    Deborah

    May 5, 2014

    I’ve not tried milk paint. I have used my own homemade chalk paint and like that. Your table turned out beautiful and what a great cause to support. My friend just had a double mastectomy last week, so this hits close to home. Thank you for sharing at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great week!

    Blessings,
    Deborah

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 5, 2014

      You should definitely try it out! I’ve been wanting to do the homemade chalk paint as well, that might be my next project. I pray your friend is recovering from her surgery and stays healthy. It’s a long journey for sure. Hope you’re having a great day 🙂

  10. Reply

    UpcycledTreasures

    May 2, 2014

    How awesome for you to create such a beautiful piece for a great cause! I still haven’t used milk paint, but have wanted to for soooo long! I’m a bit nervous about the whole “lack of control” thing but love the results of every piece I see! Thanks for sharing at The Makers!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 5, 2014

      I was pretty skeptical about it at first too but you can’t deny the gorgeous results. Definitely a unique paint and something you should try!

  11. Reply

    Lindsey

    May 1, 2014

    Love this project. After using the paint brush cover, do you think it would work on smaller brushes? I hate always washing my brushes if I want to stop a project to make dinner quickly etc. Let me know!! Good work Bre. I’m such a fan of all of the fabulous things you have come up with!! xo

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 5, 2014

      I’m not sure how it would work with smaller brushes but you could give it a try! Glad you like it 🙂 xo

  12. Reply

    Amy @ Homey Oh My!

    May 1, 2014

    I love this color, and the antiquing wax really sets it off. GORGEOUS, and what a great cause.
    And yes I do watch Shark Tank and Robert is my fav also! He’s so nice!!! And that episode where he was in tears talking about his father being an immigrant worker… my face was melting.
    I’ve always felt the most annoying part about a long paint project was trying to save the brush. Thanks for the heads up on the cover- SO useful!!!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      May 1, 2014

      Oh my goodness don’t even get me started on Robert haha. He’s the best! And I seriously don’t know how this paint brush cover wasn’t invented sooner, it’s a game changer!!

  13. Reply

    Marie @ The Interior Frugalista

    April 30, 2014

    I saw your pretty table over at the Whimsy Wednesday party. Isn’t working with milk paint fun? I love the color you chose for this table – very pretty! I’m a Shark Tank fan as well and Robert Herjavec is one of my favorites too. I NEED me a half dozen of those amazing paint brush holders ASAP – thanks for rocking my world!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      April 30, 2014

      I’m excited to start experimenting more with Milk Paint, it’s such a unique medium. I’m so glad you stopped by and go get yourself some paint brush covers! Life changing!

  14. Reply

    Nicole B.

    April 29, 2014

    I neeeed that paint brush cover!!! I always wrap mine in saran wrap, but this sounds like a much better option!!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      April 30, 2014

      You have to get one! Seriously the best.

  15. Reply

    Kristi

    April 29, 2014

    This looks fabulous Bre! I absolutely LOVE the color and I really like that you kept the original hardware! I’ve been dying to try milk paint, but the thinner consistency has me a bit scared. So far, do you like it as much as Chalk Paint?

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      April 29, 2014

      Thanks girl! I like them both for sure, but each has it’s pros and cons. I really didn’t like the thinner consistency and felt like I was splattering it all over the place but I love the finished product. I need to keep experimenting with both!

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Meet Bre

Hi, I’m Bre! Follow along as we renovate our current home and share modern DIY ideas.
 

Currently Loving