milk paint & glaze

In yesterday's post I went over my preferred clear coat for milk paint.

I love the original green of the antique high boy I posted here, but wanted to give it additional depth and movement by applying a glaze.

My preferred glaze isn't a typical glaze or a tinted wax, but an oil-based wiping stain.  The Old Masters is my favorite and can be found at your local Benjamin Moore retailer.  Make sure to pick up a china bristled stain brush to use for blending while you're there.

  (You can find the step by step glazing tutorial here)

To deepen the movement of the glaze, I avoided applying the same amount to the entire side or drawer.

I wiped the stain on the outside of the drawers and used my brush to blend inward, creating a lighter glaze in the center of the drawers.

I did the same on the sides and top.

If you prefer the green without glaze, skip this step and apply your clear coat of choice.

I picked the shape of the hardware to keep the piece a little more modern looking.  I originally painted it a bright gray but ended up not liking the intensity next to the final green, so I brushed a light coat of glaze on those too. 

To finish it off, I wiped on two coats of oil-based poly and she was done.

milk paint & clear coats

A few weeks ago I finished my first milk paint pieces and I mentioned that I loved working with it.  It's the closed thing to a magical no-fail paint for anyone who wants to try their hand at refinishing.

Wax is generally used as a finish coat for milk paint and while I'm a fan of the paint, I'm not a big fan of wax.  I'm all about the hardest, most durable, long term finish and opted to use oil based poly instead.  (I know there are many devoted wax users out there - this is just my preference).

Instead of wax, I went with this oil based poly - hard, water proof and very durable.

The directions say this product is for spraying or brushing, but I reeeally like wiping it on.
Dip a lint free rag in the can and wipe away.

 See the difference of the richness of the paint in the drawers below...

Remember the table I refinished for 4 men and a lady last year? (Still my most difficult undertaking to date!  I can't tell you how many break downs Zac had to endure during that one :/).  I used the same wipe on method with amazing results and the same product, only tinted.  (I went over making your own DIY poly-stain here).

Most oil-based clear coats have an amber tint to them so I wouldn't recommend using them with lighter paints.  Go with a water based poly instead - I really like Benjamin Moore's Stays Clear.   Water based polys dry faster and don't have the same "open workable" time.  Because of this,  I wouldn't recommend wiping it on - spraying or brushing would be best.

And the finished dresser after two thin coats of poly...

Tomorrow, I'll go over how I finished the green milk paint dresser!

PS  Did I offend any of you devout wax users out there?  :)

Tutorial: DIY Maternity Jeans

I'm not a fan of maternity jeans - I'm too cheap to buy jeans that can only be worn for a few months.  I usually try to get away with the rubber band around the button trick and a belly band.  With this being baby number five, my spare tire has gotten out of control a little sooner than I'd like and between that and my baby belly I've been stopping to pull up my ill-fitting pants constantly.

Finally, after reaching my "waste-band digging into my belly" limit, I sat down on the internet to order a pair of maternity jeans.  Boy are they expensive…the cute ones, anyway.  Plus, who knows if they're going to fit.  Ordering jeans online is quite a risk. 

This is where the DIY maternity jeans idea was born.

Let me start by saying I didn't prewash my fabric, I didn't plan, I didn't research and I didn't use heavy-duty thread, but they turned out great and cost under $30.

Supplies:  $10.50 Forever 21 stretchy skinny jeans

                 $16.99 Belly Band from Target
                 black thread

I started by cutting out the zipper and stitching the fly closed.  (My sewing machine isn't heavy-duty enough to handle sewing over a zipper).

After sewing the fly shut, cut around the front.  I cut lower in front to accommodate the belly.

If it's easier to visualize this way - this is the piece that was removed.

Put right sides together...

…and stitch along the seam of the belly band.

Flip them right-side out and try them on!

I ended up washing them after the fact and they did fine.  The combination of the stretch in the jeans and the lack of zipper make these feel like sweats.  I've now worn them three days in a row.   Shhh…don't tell.

Holiday Lights

This post is quite late in the month to be much help for this year, but I know I'll be pinning if for next years outdoor decorations.  Jenna of Hey Homeslice had a really original lighting idea and put together a great tutorial for you.
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Hi everyone! Thanks for having me again, Natalie. Today I'm going to show you a project we worked on this month. I know it's close to Christmas- but this is a really simple job. You can knock it out in a few hours and have your own holiday lights star ready just in time for the big day!

Materials:

1 x 2" strips of mdf

Screws

Drill

Handsaw

Measuring tape

Paint/ stain

Christmas lights (we used 5 or 6 100 light strands)
Extension cord (optional)

Lay out your boards until you have a star shape, don't forget to measure to make sure your sides really are even. Nothing worse than finishing a project just to notice it's a little lopsided!

Mark your boards so you can realign them if things get a little wonky. Things always get a little wonky.

Next just drill some screws in where the boards meet, we did two at every intersection just to make sure it was really strong.

Now saw off any excess wood at each star point and in the middle so you're left with something like this:

We liked the wood raw, but I think it would be really beautiful painted in an extra trim/front door paint, or even stained! Now all you need to do is wrap a zillion lights around it, and it will be gorgeous!

So romantic and beautiful, and full of holiday spirit all at the same time. So, what do you think? Do you have a spot on your house/garage/barn/loft/apartment building/igloo for a giant star? It looks beautiful outside, but I think it could also be a fabulous statement indoors. It also makes a perfect last-minute gift for those who are hard to buy for!

Don't you just love holiday lights??

Poly-Stain DIY and Shelves for Madeline's Room

Remember that $12 remaining in "Madeline's room fund"?  I finally got around to spending it.  Well…adding a little to it, then spending that.

My #1 child (as in birth order) is my #1 pack-rat.  She collects everything and feels it all worthy of displaying.  Naturally, the last of the money for her room should be spent on shelving to display all this wonderful crap….err treasure.

I asked Zac if he could build a couple shelves for $12.  He said he could, but he was out-of-town for the week and I wasn't in the mood to wait.  A quick trip to IKEA's shelving department and I came home with the perfect solution for Maddie's "treasure storage".  They did cost $18, but that's what's nice about being in charge of the finances.  No one to answer to. :)

I started with two Ekby Tryggve shelves at $3 each and four Ekby Valter brackets at $3 a piece.  

My favorite method of staining is combining an oil-based polyurethane and a stain to make my own poly-stain in one.   (Water based poly also works, but I prefer the hardness and durability of oil).  Minwax sells a line of premixed poly-stains, but then you're limited to their colors.  Using a poly-stain saves on time and making your own allows the flexbility of creating your own custom colors.  (I mixed two stains together for this table here to achieve the desired color).

1.  I slowly mixed in ebony stain with the polyurethane until I reached my desired color depth.  There are many ways of applying poly-stain and mine happens to be wiping it on with a lint free rag.  Very simple, absolutely technique free.

2.  Lay out whatever it is you are staining.  I was using oil products, so I started at my kitchen counter just long enough to snap a few pictures and then moved to the back patio for better ventilation.

3.  Start wiping on your stain.  Start and one end and work your way to the other in long horizontal strokes.

4.  Then I stained my brackets.

If you're using this technique on something that is going to get a bit of wear and tear, you'll want to repeat the process.  Once you've reached the color depth you're looking for use only the poly so you don't end up with a darker color than you'd like.

Find your studs and install.

And style.

Madeline helped me style the shelves with things that are important to her and that she feels are display worthy.

I wanted the shelves to be low enough on the wall that she can easily reach her books from her bed for nightly reading time.

The last thing on the docket for Maddie's room is finishing up her gallery wall.  You can see the other posts on her room here, here and here.

How to Glaze

I just finished up an enormous king sized bed.  The owners gave me a photo of an Ethan Allen bed they wanted to copy - a very light glaze over a creamy white paint.  One of the things that can be hard with glazing is getting a light, streak free finish.  I have two huge suggestions in achieving this.  

One, Old Masters Wiping Stain sold at Benjamin Moore retailers.  It comes in half a dozen colors and the workable time is much longer than other glazing products I've used in the past.  It is an oil-based product, so make sure to apply it in a properly ventilated area. 

Two, a large china bristle brush for blending.  This brush works wonders and is a must-have for a streak free finish.  These can be found at any paint store and, to my knowledge, are not carried at your local hardware store.

First, wipe on your glaze with a lint free rag.  Second, wipe it off with a clean rag.  Third, blend with the brush.

Glaze away!

Customizable Paint Deck

Do you ever find yourself shopping for furniture or textiles for your home and wish that you had a your paint colors with you to refer to?  I know I do.  Here's an quick, portable, $2 project to remedy that.

Start by taping off a group of paint stirrer sticks from the hardware store.

Grab your different wall colors.  I keep a little of each one in labeled mason jars above my microwave.  They make for convenient touch up.

Paint the bottom portion of the stirrer sticks.  Let them dry and remove the tape.  An optional step is to cut some of the length off the sticks to make them more portable.  Then drill a hole in the ends.

Add a metal ring.  I picked up a pack from Walmart for under $2.

Write the names and brand of your paint on the backside of each stick.

Now you have your own customizable paint deck to refer to.  Throw it in your purse and you're good to go!

A Nifty Little Taping Trick

Do you ever have something you need to tape over before you paint, but because of it's odd shape you're not sure how to go about it accurately?  Enter:  A Nifty Little Taping Trick.  

Apply tape + outline edge with fingernail + cut with razor = a clean, accurate tape job.

Now go find something to paint so you can try this fabulousness on your own!