Thursday, January 8, 2015

MILK PAINT FRAME PROJECT

Today, I'm going to be sharing a really great experience I had and a really less-than-wonderful one that turned out better than I thought.
You may recognize the name in the corner of this lovely sail boat painting.  Anne.  Yep, that would be the lovely Anne from DesignDreams by Anne. We go way back, at least in blogland terms.  One day, I went to her blog and she posted that she had begun painting.  Her first painting was beautiful!  I was a little envious, because I always wanted to try painting but am still way too chicken.  But I watched her as she posted several paintings and really admired her work.  I knew I would buy one of her paintings someday, but trying to decide which one became more difficult as each one seemed to be better than the last.  When we bought this house and began to renovate it, I began thinking about her paintings while I was doing my own kind of painting...walls...lots of walls.
The main inspiration for my bathroom makeover came from Anne, (I loved all of the blues) and one picture I found on pinterest. (You can click on her name below any of the pictures to read her posts.)
DesignDreams by Anne
DesignDreams by Anne
DesignDreams by Anne
Yeah....that last one right there...that sailboat picture had all of the colors I wanted in my bathroom.  Not to mention that little vanity/sink...I wanted a pair of them.
I browsed Annes "My Art" page and asked if one of the sailboat pictures was still available.  It was.  I asked her to hold it for me and then months went by while I was painting, scraping, and doing all the unpleasant things that renovation involves.  Every time I went in that bathroom, I didn't see the huge reno mess...I saw the bathroom inspired by Anne's picture.  She has no idea how much that helped me keep my calm. (Thank you Anne.)
Finally, I mailed Anne a check and shortly after, this came in my mail, all the way from Canada.

I could hardly wait to open it.  I ripped into it and found this...
Seriously, a pretty package, so pretty I grabbed my camera and took a picture.  Then I opened it very carefully because I loved that flowery paper and wanted to save it.  Glad I did...look at this huge circle of floral tissue paper with wonderful scalloped edges.  The silver box the picture was in was awesome in it's own right.  If you know me and you know my blog...you'll be seeing some of that later. LOL! 
So I hung the picture, frame-less, right on my bathroom wall and it was perfect.  I figured I'd know the right frame when I saw it and in the meantime, I'd enjoy it as is.  Wrong.  I could never decide on a frame.  Then my friend Donna, at Distressed Donna Down Home, posted about some crates that she painted.
Caddies and Crates of Mustard
It reminded me that I had a small crate or two that some cheese/meat stuff came in a hundred Christmas's ago and I couldn't throw it out.  Donna challenged me to paint one. 

As I looked at it, I thought this might make a cool background for Anne's beautiful picture.  Because the wall it hangs on is white, I wanted some shade of blue.  Now here is where this story turns ugly.  The only blue paint I had was a sample of milk paint.  I have never used milk paint before and I was worried.  I watched several videos about using and mixing milk paint.  I became even more worried.  The videos told me that milk paint will not give me a precise finish and that mixing milk paint was not a precise thing, more like a "do it until it looks right" thing.  Right.  It also said that milk paint can "flake off" for that special chippy look.  WTH???  I didn't want a chippy look.  Even with all of these alarms ringing in my head, I proceeded.  I mixed the milk paint in a mason-type jar.
Right away, the swear jar began filling up.  I never felt like I got it to "look just right".  I couldn't get the lumps out, which the video said would be okay, but it was not okay with me.  It made me crazy and more swears were said.  Finally, I just decided to paint it on.  The video said I did not need to prime or prep my crate.  I wished I had.  The paint did not go on evenly or smoothly..... but the swears did flow off of my tongue pretty smoothly.  I let it dry.  I did not like the way it looked.  More swears.  I gave it a second coat.  I got out a new swear jar.  I let the second coat dry.  I was not thrilled with it, but I decided that the picture itself covered most of the crate, so I called it good.  I threw the paint, jar, and brush right in the trash and vowed never to use milk paint again.  I wanted to wax the crate when I was finished, to give it a smoother look, but I was terrified it would "flake off" and I did not want that.  I'm sure milk paint is fine if you are not an anal person like me who thinks things need to look perfect and work smoothly.  In fact, I know this is true because I see plenty of lovely milk-painted projects out there.  However, for my personality and my DIY style, milk paint is not for me.  (Also, I can't afford to keep filling my swear jar.)
The good thing is, that crate was the perfect way to display Anne's beautiful picture....
Of course just looking at this picture, I had a great idea to embellish that crate a little, but I'll save that for another day.  In my next post...I'll share my finished bathroom renovation.  In the meantime, head over to DesignDreams by Anne and check out some of her art and see if there isn't something in there that inspires you or might look perfect in your home.  You can get there by clicking HERE.  If you're not inspired by her art, I know you'll be inspired by some of the many awesome DIY projects she does.  
Thank you Anne!  You inspire me constantly.
Thank you Donna, you challenge me on a regular basis.  
Thank you Swear Jar, you'll be paying for a nice vacation next year!  (I should probably cute up my swear jar and post about it sometime.)


26 comments:

  1. What a great idea! One thing you do exceptionally well is to think outside the box. Glad to hear about the chalk paint. I have no patience and am not a shabby chic kinda person. I will stick with the regular and less expensive stuff.

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  2. I can see why you fell in love with that painting, Danni! It is really lovely and I can't wait to see your bathroom reveal! I'm going over to Anne's site right now to see more of her beautiful work!

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  3. I can see your decorated "swear jar" trending and going viral! Happy New Year. I missed you and your humor.

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  4. Awww Danni you're such a darling! Thank you for all the shout-outs and the compliments. I'm glad I helped to keep you calm but I'll bet that if I kept a swear jar it would be at least twice as full as yours! lol Those projects that challenge us the most also give us the most satisfaction when we complete them, don't you find? Your frame looks awesome! xoxox

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  5. Gorgeous! Anne is very talented and the way you framed your beautiful painting is perfect! Happy day, my friend!

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  6. I love the painting too Danni. And, the painted crate looks great. Milk paint took a little getting used to for me, but now I love it. But, it does have its place...it's not for every project. It looks like it was meant for this one though.

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  7. Anne's paintings are beautiful and you are lucky to have found the perfect one for you. I use milk paint a lot which is why I am called "distressed". Please blog about the swear jar and them loose. Thanks for the shout out for the crates idea - love both the color and the way it fits the lovely boat.

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  8. Hahaha! Curses, curses, curses. In the end the two look beautiful together, so maybe it was worth it all. Great post, I think you need to start writing short stories because you are SUCH a good writer, Danni!

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  9. Milk paint has a high unpredictablity factor...when you want it to flake off, it doesn't, and when you don't want it to, it does. But if it gets you a nice vacation...

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  10. Oh gosh thanks for the chuckle this morning Danni. So I'm not the only one with a swear jar! LOL Anne's does beautiful work - paintings and otherwise and she's a fellow Canuck, eh. Don't give up so quickly on the milk paint. Here's a couple of tips for you. 1) add MMS Bonding agent to the paint and you will not get chippiness and 2) use a handheld strainer (I got mine from the dollar store) and run it through that and you will have no lumps. Hope this inspires you not to give up - it's awesome paint!
    Marie@The Interior Frugalista

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  11. I don't think I'd like milk paint. It's too unpredictable for me. That painting is so pretty! I'll have to give Anne a visit. Do you really have a swear jar?

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  12. That looks great Danni. What a beautiful picture. I can see why you fell in love with it. I went broke paying into a swear jar so I had to give it up!

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  13. Very pretty picture, Danni :-) I would be the queen of swear jars {if I could actually afford to put something in it!}

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  14. I love blues! Theat was a seriously great idea to transform the crate to hold the painting ! A match made in heaven! Love how it turned out!

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  15. That is a lovely painting.
    If I had a swear jar I'd accumulate enough to send myself to etiquette school. A couple of times.

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  16. Danni,
    I love Anne and the sailboat from her is perfect for your bathroom. The crate idea to hold the picture instead of a traditional frame is genius. Love it. You rocked it out with this one girl.
    Kris

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  17. Great idea for the framing of that picture, I think it turned out terrific, curious as to what you will come up with next for it. Good think you never through that away!!

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  18. For all your toil, trouble and swears, your crate frame turned out perfectly for Anne's sailboat painting. Anne's artwork and projects are always so inspiring, and I'm looking forward too being inspired by your bathroom any day now!!!

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  19. Love the painting (and follow Anne's blog regularly) and think the "frame" looks fantastic! Also, I think you should try painting yourself. I took my very first art class this week and was amazed at what I was able to create with a little guidance. I'll do a post on it soon. Also, I've nerve tried milk paint for the exact reasons you disliked it. I'm way too particular for chippy and distressed.

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  20. Danni, I love the "frame"you created for Anne's beautiful piece...you are amazing at finding new life for old items that many people would just discard!

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  21. I used to follow her and she seems to have dropped off my reader. Thanks for the reminder. I have her back on. You really have me laughing about the paint. I have no problem with chippy, chalky finishes but I can sure see they aren't for you. The idea of sitting the painting in the tray is fabulous and I'll be copying that for sure!

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  22. That's a great idea, to make a piece really individual, especially an original painting by a friend.
    I have tried milk paint and I didn't like the lumps and it didn't go on easy, but in the end (as my taste is shabby and the more distressed the better) it worked for me.

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  23. What a gorgeous painting! What a wonderful story behind what inspired your bathroom design and helped keep you calm during the renovation craziness. Looks really lovely!

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  24. Gorgeous Danni !
    And what a fabulous idea to frame it with a crate -looks beautiful !
    Love both Anne and Donna :)
    xxx

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