Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle Red

I found this dresser during an weekend trip away with my two oldest boys. We drove to St Louis to do a little sightseeing and just hang out. I said no computers, they said no thrift or antique stores. Whatever. 

I did pretty well in St Louis, even though my van automatically turns in to every Goodwill it sees, I was restrained. On the way home, however, I could no longer control my van and we stopped at an antique shop where I found this dresser. I loved the boxy, almost masculine shape. I knew as soon as I saw it that I would paint it with my sample of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Tricycle Red. SOLD! Now to explain to the grumpy teenage boys waiting outside that they would need to help me rearrange the van and load a dresser...

As soon as we got home, one ran off to shoot hoops and the other to the computer,  I went to the garage to sweat. Kansas City has had a crazy hot summer and this day was no exception. 

I mixed the paint according to the directions and stirred and stirred and stirred, waiting for all of the lumps to mix in, or, for the paint to thicken, or, for a choir of angels to appear and tell me that I was doing this right. Or really, for a choir of angels to appear and tell me anything. If angels show up, you had better put your paint down and listen! Sorry, for a minute I was actually imagining angels in my kitchen! 

The lumps never fully disappeared and I was tired of waiting, and I thought I had heard something about this being ok, so I started painting. What is the worst that could happen? It was a piece of furniture, not brain surgery, I would really be a lot more careful if it were brain surgery. I promise.

I am used to the thickness and coverage of Chalk Paint. The milk paint was pretty watery and the first coat didn't give great coverage. Not really knowing what to expect,  I thought the first coat might do it's milk paint thing and start chipping, but it seemed to dry so quickly that I was able to give it a second coat almost immediately. And then I waited for the magic chipping, I grabbed a Diet Coke and sat there and watched. And nothing happened. I finally left, that garage was HOT! After a few hours, I came back and there were a few chippy spots, but I was hoping for lots and lots of chipping. My chemist brain (seriously, I studied science in college) decided that maybe I had not waited long enough between coats of paint and that the reaction was minimized by this. So I got out my spray bottle and wet it down and waited. And the paint started to form cracky, peeling places right in front of my eyes!! Amazing! 

As I sanded it down, large flakes of paint came off in some places and smaller chunks in others. There was definitely no controlling this and I loved it! As a Type A personality, this was very freeing! I just  sat back and watched the personality of this piece take shape. Ridiculousness.

I finished it with two coats of furniture wax and buffed to a soft shine. It went to Restoration Emporium for the sale in August and it sold in the first 15 minutes. Someone else agreed with me that it was super cool! 

I am really excited about this paint! Tricycle Red is a fabulous color, a good red. I can't wait to see how many things can be done with milk paint by just experimenting a little. Mixing colors, spraying it with water, who knows what else? It all sounds like fun to me!

Linking up here...

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

French Country Cottage

My Romantic Home 

Redoux Link Up Party 

Funky Junk Interiors SNS

Savvy Southern Style WOW

Restored it Wednesday

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