Peacock Blue Dresser

 Finally found a few moments to finish this dresser

 It's done with Milk Paint

 We custom mixed this gorgeous, vibrant Peacock Blue

 I consider this moderately distressed

although perhaps you'll disagree?

Really aren't any charts to go by, you know?

 Inside, a fun little surprise

Decoupaged drawer faces

in a lovely flora and fauna pattern

against vintage writing

You can find this dresser
in our Etsy Store

Peeling Paint

Every time I purchase a piece of furniture

that is covered in latex,

 I strip it down to bare wood...

Every time I say I'm going to do this

I get the genuinely interested folks that ask why...

and I love when people are genuinely interested

and ask questions

But I also get the folks that act like paint detectives 

who "caught" me red handed!

I've actually had this said to me;

 "I thought ASCP was SO great you 

ould paint over ANYTHING.

Guess that's just not true, huh?" 

I can just hear them...

"AHA, I KNEW IT!"

Sorry to disappoint those folks...

 

I'm not stripping off the latex

because ASCP won't stick to it

I'm stripping it off because  latex WILL, in all likelihood, fail

Someone once told me they've never seen latex peel...

This started as a little TEENY bubble...

 

It's the paint that was already up on the walls at our studio

The previous owners painted the room almost four years ago

 

I'm sure it was applied wrong, and they probably used cheap paint

 

but once I started, there was no stopping it...

it literally just peeled away

 

Of course, I had to sit and peel it off the entire section of wall

right up to the window...

(sort of gratifying, in a weird way)

It went pretty quick, because as you can see,

it is totally NOT sticking to the drywall

 

 

So, this is exactly why I strip latex off

before I paint a piece of furniture.

I have no way of knowing if the previous owner

used quality primer and paint...or if they applied it too thickly

without letting each coat dry completely...

might hold up....might not

My nightmare is that I paint over latex that appears fine, and years from now

a little bubble appears...

and soon, the piece looks just like this wall! 

I don't want to spend all that time, energy, and expensive paint

only to have the crappy paint underneath start to bubble and peel

down the road...

This isn't an anti-latex post...

as I mentioned, this complete failure probably has to do with

poor application of low quality paint...

but I think it perfectly illustrates why you should 

remove existing latex paint before painting

a piece you'd like to have around awhile

and DEFINITELY if you are selling it!

And while I'm on the topic of the folks that are always

telling me how there are products out there that compare to ASCP

but are less expensive or that latex is just as good

I say this:

Use what works for you. 

If you have a product you love, great.

No need to be disgruntled

or upset with us

because we prefer a different product

We use what WE love.

If you ask me what I use, I will tell you.

Ask me why, and I'll tell you...

We prefer Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products

because based on what we HAVE tried,

we've found them to be superior.

Have we tested every single option out there?

Of course not. 

Have a product YOU love

and think we should know about?

By all means, share the details with us!

We stick with what we know works.

I'm not going to spend my time, money, and energy

seeking out potential alternatives.

If they arrived on our doorstep, 

of course we'd try them.

If we loved them after we tried them, 

we'd tell you all about those, also...

 

If you don't agree, that's fine...

It's not a contest to see

who's favorite products 

are the most popular

USE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

 

 

Moving Right Along

Just some pictures of the studio

as it's progressing...

 This is about half of our mirrors

 I think I'm going to keep this one and put it in my bathroom!

 Kenny's genius idea...

eyelets with wire from leg to leg

so we can hang the chairs without risk of damage

 1/3 or our inventory

 This is the coolest coffee table and matching end tables!

Sadly, I'd forgotten I even had them!!

 Our store sign...

Keegan added the artwork...

clearly it will not be staying as-is!

 Isn't this a fabulous cabinet?

And  guess what?

It has a TABLE, too! 

We're making so much progress every day...

hoping to have a two day Open House

in two weeks time...

Stay Tuned...

Sharing the Love

As we were moving all our paint

over to the new studio

I realized I have much milk paint.

much. 

very much.

Like, a lot. 

 As you probably well know,

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint came along

and swept me right off my feet...

so there sat my former love 

(ok, at least "like")

getting dusty and feeling neglected

 I've been wanting a more vibrant

turquoise and decided I'd dust off the Milk Paint

I custom mixed this color

and had the PERFECT dresser for it...

it was not perfect at all

and that was the beauty of it...

bumps, bruises, scrapes and scratches

like I said, perfect! 

 As you can see from the photos

Milk Paint is a bit different than Chalk Paint

You have to really have the  right piece in mind

and let go of control a bit...

'cause you're never sure exactly what you're going to get

Sometimes, that's part of the charm!

These photos are after THREE coats...

with no manual distressing...

it's just how it covers. 

It's one of the best and 

one of the worst aspects of Milk Paint 

If I wanted full coverage, I'd be in for a long night!!

 We like to use an additive

(earth friendly!)

when using Milk Paint

and we chose to topcoat this piece

in a Milk Paint topcoat product

although you can certainly use

your ASCP wax instead! 

I won't be giving up my ASCP 

anytime soon

(ok, EVER)

But I do like to mix it up

every now and again...! 

No, there isn't an "after" photo...

we still have to sand and stain the top...

SORRY! 

Farm Fresh

Sometimes, simple really is best...

perfection would have done no favors

for this wonderful little

farmhouse pantry/server

We bought this piece from a lovely gentleman

who told us his grandparents

brought it to Florida

from their farm in PA

We decided to mix up a gorgeous

pale aqua blue

 With a fair amount of distressing

to reveal the solid oak

and white paint beneath

The white panels 

are crisp and fresh

making this piece

appropriate 

for so many styles...

Coastal Cottage Farmhouse, anyone?! 

This item is available in our Etsy Shop

Black & White & Glam All Over

Remember this desk/vanity?
It sure didn't sit around unpainted for very long,
did it?
It wasn't awful
the wood is solid cherry
and the lines are great
but it was a bit boring,
don't you think?

Here she is now...
all glam and ready for her close-up

Silver gilding on the hardware...

A bit of distressing around the edges
to keep it from being too perfect

The damaged mirror is now a chalkboard

The seat is a cool zebra pattern

with removable ties

I'm really happy with the outcome,
and I hope you agree!

Vive la Difference

All the pieces in this post
have been painted with Milk Paint

In our little Stiltskin Studios universe
there's only TWO kinds of paint
Milk Paint
and
Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint

Before we discovered ASCP
Milk Paint was our weapon of choice

Like ASCP, Milk Paint is environmentally friendly
and comes in authentic historical colors
you can mix and match

If I said I enjoyed using Milk Paint
I would be lying...
why do I use it, then, you ask?

I don't use it very often
but sometimes,
when I have an old piece
that's very "farmhouse" looking to me
and I want a very distressed finish
I choose milk paint

I only like milk paint
on very distressed pieces
because the coverage is not-so-great
(especially if you are accustomed to ASCP!)
and it can be a little messy
(ok, a lot messy)
Also, if you're mixing your own from powder
it doesn't hold...
you have to use it or lose it...

Milk paint is also very unpredictable
so on a very distressed piece, it's great

it may crack, chip, discolor...who knows...
but that's part of it's charm.

It's a poor choice for anything with a shiny surface
such as those 1950's repro French Provincial pieces
we all love...

It's also incredibly durable


For 95% of our projects,
ASCP is our one and only choice...
the finishes are lovely
the colors, divine
and of course,
the coverage and ease of use!

I'm not knocking on milk paint..
it certainly has it's fans
Heck, I'm a fan for SOME projects

But for us, ASCP makes painting
a much more pleasant experience!