Eight Hundred Updates
There's been a lot of activity in my part of the painting world during the last week or so. Let's start with the most recent events and work backwards, shall we?
First, I received a text yesterday from Marian of Miss Mustard Seed that simply read:
"Can I call you? I'm about to make your day!"
It took me all of two seconds to text back:
"YES!"
After a ten minute phone conversation, I was absolutely beaming and giddy with excitement. Marian let me know that a European home decor magazine wanted to use one of my Milk Paint tutorials in their next issue! Specifically, it was the tutorial I wrote when I made my Linen Sheet Music Washstand.
Marian said they loved the photos and the step-by-step instructions, so I will soon officially be in print! I'll let you know which magazine and I'll share the feature once it comes out, but how fun is that?! I never thought that I would be featured in a magazine when I started painting furniture. That's for people like Martha Stewart and Joanna Gaines...not me. It wasn't ever my goal to become super famous or for people to know who I am. Eight Hundred Furniture was born out of a desire to do what I was created to do - paint furniture. Where it goes and who finds out about it is totally up to God, in my opinion. I'm perfectly happy wherever He sees fit to take me and I'm so touched and beyond blessed that a magazine wants to share my work with other readers.
Prior to Marian's phone call, I spent yesterday updating my Milk Paint display at Painted Table Designs in Elverson.
If you've never come to visit, you definitely should! Painted Table is owned by home stager and interior designer, Brenda Shirk. I came on board with her recently and things have been going very well! I manage her gorgeous shop a few days a week and I'm now carrying Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint there.
Prior to this display piece, I had a rather sad looking "bare bones" cupboard with about one bag per color to tie me over until my Milk Paint order came in.
In the meantime, I searched high and low for an adequate display piece. I find that these 1920's - 1930's cabinets do the trick. They're just wide enough to fit all 24 gorgeous colors inside!
I scored this one from the Facebook marketplace for $50. I couldn't believe the price and I happily scooped it up. It came with tempered glass shelves that had notches cut into each corner and a gorgeous carved backsplash. The wood was beautiful but it needed to compliment the decor at Painted Table, so Brenda and I decided on Eulalie's Sky with Linen inside.
These colors were actually the MMSMP featured Colors of the Month for May. I gave the cabinet a quick scuff with 80 grit sandpaper. The wood was pretty close to raw, however the previous owner gave it a last-minute polish with Pledge before I could stop her. I wanted to make sure those oils weren't the first thing the Milk Paint encountered when I brushed it on. I wasn't opposed to chipping on this piece, but I didn't want oil spots.
Before I painted the inside, I made sure to layer on some Tough Coat to prevent any potential bleed-through.
Photo courtesy of Anna Alexander Photography
The piece took two coats of Eulalie's Sky on the outside and 3 coats of Linen on the inside before I was finished. Looking back, I probably should have painted a coat of gray on the inside, like Trophy or Shutter Gray. This actually helps reduce the number of coats of white needed to cover dark wood. (I'll learn one of these days!)
I emphasized the pretty scroll work on the top with one coat of Linen as well. Because it's just one coat, it almost looks like a lighter version of the Eulalie's Sky, doesn't it?
After loading up all of the MMS Milk Paint goodies, my corner at Painted Table was all ready to go!
Marian actually gave me her MMSMP sign that hung in her studio when we were together at Lucketts. I feel so fortunate to have a piece of her studio with me!
My copies of Look Book One are poised and ready to be browsed.
All of the finishes and extras are clustered together on this sweet round table with cubbies.
This chalkboard was another gift from Marian. She took a table leaf and coated it in the "vintage chalkboard" blend (3 parts Boxwood + 2 parts Artissimo) and used it at Lucketts. Now, it serves as my price board!
All of my sample boards are clustered together in this cute metal basket, ready to be sorted through.
Need an apron? I have them!
So that was Thursday of this week.
Tomorrow, June 10th, I'll be doing a free Milk Paint demonstration at Morgantown Market starting at 10 am. I'll be painting this diamond-in-the-rough pie safe for the owner, Stacey. It will be a fabulous chance for folks to see how Milk Paint works on an actual piece of furniture in real time.
Guess what color combination I'm using again?
In addition to a free demo this weekend, I'm also holding a PA state chalkboard workshop at Morgantown Market on Wednesday, June 14th from 11 - 1.
I'll be teaching folks how to use Typewriter or our vintage chalkboard mix to make their own chalkboards. I have little wooden hearts they can place wherever they call "home" in PA. How sweet!
There are a few more workshops and demos coming up in June, but I'll announce those as it gets closer to their date.
I have also assumed all of the social media for Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and I've been busy staging Facebook posts, commenting on all of the beautiful Milk Painted pieces on Instagram, running giveaways, and launching a new series on the Milk Paint blog titled, "MMSMP Featured Artisans".
The first post in the series features Donnie Galli of Designs by Donnie. I found him through Instagram and his reclaimed wood furniture is absolutely stunning. I've been reaching out to other talented artisans and it's going extremely well!
So between social media, two MMSMP retail locations, an antique booth, demos, workshops, and my own furniture makeovers, I'm quite busy.
Busy, but extremely blessed!
