Goodness do I have a lot of magazines at my home. I can't help it, I love a good magazine. As a teen I would get monthly issues of Seventeen Magazine and saved all of them. In high school and college I loved just about every Fashion magazine, well, still do. Right now though I LOVE Home magazines. My problem is that I like to save most of my magazines. I like to look back at them for inspiration, ideas or ripping out pages for different activities. Now I'm not so bad that I've saved by Seventeen Magazines, those are all gone. I have also gotten rid of about half of my fashion magazines, but my Home magazines are keepers.
So, when I came across an antique magazine holder for $9.99 during one of my many antique shopping trips recently, I snatched it up. I've also been itching for a painting project, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.
I decided to try my hand at a different type of paint, Milk Paint, which is becoming more popular. Milk Paint is completely green and does not have any harmful chemicals or toxins. The only down side is that it's suppose to be very unpredictable and have a mind of it's own. I like a good challenge . . .
I chose a blue/green paint called Sea Green.
The paint comes in a powder form that you mix with water. I found that it seems to mix a little better with hot water and the powder lumps seem to dissolve quicker. You want to make sure the paint is mixed thoroughly. I also mixed my paint throughout my project to keep it from clumping up.
I lightly sanded my piece just to get whatever might be sticking to it off and then wiped it down with a rag to get the dust off.
I wanted a distressed look to my piece so I did not add the extra bonding element that you would need to add if you wanted your paint to thoroughly stick to non-porous surfaces (not primed or sanded). This is where the unpredictable side comes in.
You can use a regular paint brush to apply the paint but I used a foam brush. I brushed on one layer of paint and let it completely dry. The paint will flake off in certain parts while drying, which will give you your antiqued look. I lightly sanded it to get the paint chips off , wiped it down to get the dust particles off, then added another layer of paint. I repeated with letting the paint completely dry, sanded the new paint flakes off and wiped it down. I then added a layer of wax. After waiting about an hour for the wax to dry I then buffed it with a rag. The piece has a little drawer underneath that opens up, so I added two brass knobs that I had bought at an antique store.
And voila . . .the finished project.
This is where the predicament of the "unpredictable side" of this paint comes in. Sometimes the paint flakes a lot, sometimes a little and sometimes not at all. In this case, mine flaked a lot! Actually, if I were to do it over again I think I would have stopped at the first coat and not applied the second coat. I liked the distress look of it with just the first coat, it was just the right amount. But right now . . . I'm still trying to decide what I think with the end result. It might be a little more shabby than chic.
It's growing on me though and it was definitely fun using something new. I also have a new organizer for my magazines. If you are interested in getting your own Milk Paint,
here is a list of where you can find a store near you.
Hope you are all having a lovely week!
