Showing posts with label Miss Mustard Seed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miss Mustard Seed. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

What to Expect When You Visit RDFCo.

We try to stick to two rules when stocking our shop: offer handcrafted, restyled or found items. And, it must be something we would put in our own home. If we don't truly love it, how can we be passionate about it and sell it to our customers? These might sound like easy rules to follow, but they are hard to stick to as we build a curated selection. 

So, what the heck does all that mean? Here's what you can expect to find when you visit our Frenchtown shop:

handcrafted

From rustic wooden coasters to unique pillows to dining room tables, we offer a variety of home furnishings for every budget. Our tables are handcrafted from old doors we source and find around the St. Louis area. Each one is completely one-of-kind -- no two have ever been alike and each one holds it's own story!





If you are interested in a custom table, we also carry a selection of doors in the shop. We will work with you to select the right door for your table, whether you want a sofa or entry table, a buffet or bar, coffee table or dining room table. You get to choose the door, and be a part of the story.



We are adding other handcrafted items daily, including bread/cheese boards, candle holders, unique signs, soap bars, and more. 


restyled

We are not against painting furniture to bring new life (and love) to it. Some of my favorite pieces in our home have been passed down to us and given a new life with a coat of paint. They are no longer hanging out in someone's garage or basement, but are used and appreciated every day.

So of the items we carry have had many years of love, but they still have many more in them! They've been restyled into a unique piece you won't find anywhere else.


Red Cross Dresser




Our favorite line of paint is Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. It's what most of our furniture is restyled with. We offer the entire line of milk paint in our shop, including 18 colors, waxes, brushes, hemp oil and more. Our inspiration boards are on display to help you choose the perfect color for your next project. We also offer monthly hands-on Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint workshops where you can work with the paint and learn all the techniques you need to create your own one-of-a-kind piece.



found

From vintage trunks and typewriters to antique metal boxes and shoe forms, we have a unique stock of found items. They add an interesting touch to that empty bookshelf or coffee table you might have.



So, in a nutshell, that's a little taste of what you can expect when you visit. We are now open at 1105 N. Second Street in St. Charles, MO (Wed-Fri from noon-5 p.m. and Sat & Sun from 11-4 p.m.) Our selection will constantly be changing...to stay on top of what we have on-hand, follow us on Facebook. We hope to see you soon!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

How to Use Milk Paint as a Stain

I'll admit, I'm fairly new to milk paint. I was always a little hesitant to use it, because of the whole "you don't know where it will chip" factor (Don't worry, we have things to help with that). And, the fact that you mix it yourself was always a little overwhelming.

During the last couple of months, I've been experimenting and using it more. I've discovered colors that I would never have chosen for a piece of furniture before, are now among my very faves. I have my preferred methods of mixing the paint. And, I love that I'm able to control the amount of coverage. For instance, did you know that by mixing in more water, you can use it as a stain? Which leads us to....

Milk Paint Stain

This is not an exact measurement and it doesn't have to be. I filled my container with water and then added a couple of scoops (tablespoons) of Miss Mustard Seed's Curio. Here's the coverage when mixed with the recommended ratio (1 part milk paint to 1 part water):


Here it is when mixed as a stain. You are looking for a watery consistency. The mix below had no "thickness" too it, like paint. It was a dark, watery mix. I mixed the milk paint and water in a container with a lid. Just put it all in, add the lid, and shake it up.

Milk Paint Stain

We used Curio to stain the workshop table we'll have in the shop. Jeff built the table out of Douglas Fir. I gave it a very light sanding to smooth it out. Here's what one brush of paint looked like:

Milk Paint Stain

And here's what it looked like as it soaked into the wood. Once I got it all painted, I took a rag and wiped it down. However, most of it had already soaked in.

Milk Paint Stain

Here's the finished product. I LOVE it. The finish doesn't resemble paint at all -- it totally looks and feels like it's been stained. We finished it with Howard Feed-N-Wax. It deepened the color and will help protect the top. Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil would also be beautiful on this (I opted for Howard's because it's such a huge table).

Milk Paint Stain


If you are interested in using milk paint as a stain, we carry the entire line of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in our shop. Stop in and visit on Feb. 1 at 1105 N. Second Street in St. Charles, or send me an email at info@reddoorfurnitureco.com.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Shop Update & Preview

Let me start by apologizing for the following crappy photos. My favorite little camera decided it was tired of my incessant need to photograph furniture painting, food and my dogs, and has decided it would rather live in the world of dead cameras. May it RIP.

Besides my crappy iPhone camera, my only other option is our DSLR. I know I need to start using it more, but, it's kinda a pain. This sounds like something I shouldn't be complaining about, so I'll move on...

Things are moving along at the new store front. We spend last weekend painting the walls. We chose a light gray (although the pics make it look dark...it really isn't).




We bought the two dividers you see below from the previous owner. We'll be using them to section off our work space in the back from the rest of the store. I'm painting them with chalkboard paint, so I can keep them updated with upcoming classes, special offerings, love notes, etc.


 Today I started staining crates we'll be using to create a shelf/wall. Here's the inspiration:

Source / Source
AND, here's where I am. I've discovered that staining 14+ crates is a very tedious chore. But, they are going to look pretty cool when it's done. (Well, it's what I repeat to myself anyway).

 Red Door Furniture Co.

In my spare time, I've been painting furniture and running around St. Louis and St. Charles counties looking for super awesome finds for the shop. There's already a few things that I'm going to have a hard time parting with. But, that's what it's all about!

I'm hoping to take some pics this weekend of more stuff...but, here's a peek of a few things.


Red Door Furniture Co.

Red Door Furniture Co.

Red Door Furniture Co.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

30 Days Til Store Opening {And a Giveaway}

Me: "I've gotten us into quite a pickle." 
Hubbie: "Yes you have."

We picked up the keys to our shop on New Year's Eve. 30 days until we open. Our to-do list lists are pretty long. If I think about it too much, it's paralyzing. We have to just put it aside and plow through it all.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing updates as we get ready and previews of what we'll have to offer. We've got a ton of painting to do (I'm heading out to start on that today), lots of product to build, paint and get ready, and more picking and shopping to do. I'm really excited about what we've found so far!

In the meantime, we're kicking off the new year with a little giveaway. In addition to the one quart bags of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, we'll also have small sample sizes for sale. These are a great way to try out a color. A little goes a long way, and a sample will cover a small end table, stool, a couple of picture frames. Head on over to our Facebook page (or leave a comment below if you aren't on FB) and let me know what YOU would paint if you won. We'll pick a winner on Friday who will receive one sample of Ironstone (the color of the month), Mustard Seed Yellow (in honor of MMS) and Tricycle (had to giveaway a red!).


Friday, December 13, 2013

Righting a Wrong

When it came to our dining room table, I had a vision. I knew what I wanted it to look like. At the time, I didn't want to paint it and stripping it was out of the question (I try to avoid that at all costs. I'm very impatient). I sanded a little...but, it pretty much remained that same.

So, I just went ahead anyway and applied liming wax, and ended up with this:


I wasn't entirely happy with it. It remained in the garage until about a month ago when we moved. Now, I see it every day. I glare at it. Sometimes I call it names. I had to do something.

First, I added some dark wax to the top. It covered and cleaned up the liming wax quite nicely. It's not back to it's original state, but it looks much better. You can see the difference in the pic below.


Then, I painted it. I used the Mustard Seed Yellow again from MMSMP. I've painted one other piece this color and it was a nice way to introduce yellow in another area of hour house (it also goes well with the chairs we painted and recovered). I didn't get much chipping at all, but areas sanded off really easily with a sanding pad.

Mustard Seed Yellow
Mustard Seed Yellow | Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Mustard Seed Yellow

Sooo much better! We'll be changing out the rug eventually, but it fits our home so much better now. Which is one of the things I love about painting furniture. It's ok if your original vision doesn't turn out as planned. Just pick up a brush and try again!

Mustard Seed Yellow

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Exciting News: RDFCo. to Open Shop in Frenchtown

You know how it feels to be holding back a secret...and you just can't wait to blurt it out? But, you want to wait until all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed? Well, everything finally came together this week and tonight we officially wrapped things up: We are excited to announce that we'll be opening a brick and mortar shop in February 2014! Eek!

Our shop will be in the historic Frenchtown area in St. Charles, Missouri (it has the largest concentration of French Colonial style architecture in the Midwest, and is on the National Register of Historic Places). We'll be joining an awesome mix of antique shops, a country market, vintage rentals, bridal boutiques, florists, home decor shops and more.

We get the keys on Jan. 1 and will have one month to get our new space ready. (Oh, and build up an awesome stock). Here's what it looks like right now:

Frenchtown, Missouri

The space has some great hardwood floors and I love the exposed brick on the front wall. We have alot of cosmetic work to do to get it ready...but, that's all fun anyway, right?

At a little over 1,000 square feet, it has plenty of retail space and room for a small work area for Jeff and myself. Oh...and room to hold furniture painting classes. Because we are also excited to announce that we are officially a Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Retailer. Yay!


I've been a fan of Marian's style and paint for while and cannot wait to work more with it and bring it to the Frenchtown area. I'm hoping to attend formal training in Feb. so we can offer workshops and DIY classes right away.

We've posted some additional info on our website (opening date, hours, what to expect). Of course, we'll also be blogging about our journey here.

We are so thankful to everyone who has supported us. This is a huge leap of faith for us. We are nervous. Excited. Maybe a little scared to death. But, we know that if we don't give it a try, we will never know! We hope you can come visit us in February.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Playing Around with Mustard Seed Yellow Milk Paint

The countdown is on...28 days until we close on our house. And, I have no less than five pieces of furniture to paint and seven chairs to recover. First up, this sideboard. Here it is in it's natural state.


It's from my mother-in-law and I painted it for the first time last year (painted sideboard reveal). At the time, in blended in with our walls and decor. I was only a little thrilled with it.


Now that we are moving into a new space, we are trying to work in some color. We've gone back and forth on palettes. Our first purchase was a navy, velvet couch. Next up, an earthy, green chair and blue/natural chevron rug. We contemplated orange for an accent color. Or, purple. Finally, we settled on yellow. Miss Mustard Seed Yellow to be more specific.

Mustard Seed Yellow

 Mustard Seed Yellow

Since this paint is know for it's unpredictable chippiness and I didn't want any of the former finish to come through, I gave it a coat of paint. (Oh...and stripped the top).


 Also, since I am totally impatient, I painted it almost immediately with the milk paint. This ensued...


In some areas, the milk paint stripped the paint right down to the original finish. In other cases, it stripped off the last coat I put on, down to the coat I hoped to hide. In all cases, it took off the last coat I put on (I'm guessing I didn't let it cure long enough?). Lesson learned.

Here's what I was left with. I did no distressing. Just flaked off the chips and gave it a coat of dark wax:

Mustard Seed Yellow Sideboard


Here's a look with the newly stained top (please forgive me for the poor lighting).

Miss Mustard Seed Yellow
Miss Mustard Seed Yellow

Miss Mustard Seed Yellow
 
Miss Mustard Seed Yellow
Miss Mustard Seed Yellow

 Miss Mustard Seed Yellow

The wax deepened and darkened the yellow and I love it. It will be the very first thing you see when you walk in our new house...I can't wait to move it in!

Linking to:
http://www.elizabethandco.blogspot.com/
Wow Us Wednesdays

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

From a First-Timer: Three Tips for Using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

This post first appeared on my other blog, Vanilla Bean

As promised, here are my lessons learned, or three tips, for getting started with using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. I'm not going into a ton of how-to detail below...MMS and others out there do a great job of giving milk paint tutorials. The tips below highlight the biggest "pains" (for lack of a better word) I had. I'm just the average furniture painter...with some projects under her belt. Looking to branch out. So, here we go...

1. Watch Miss Mustard Seed's video tutorial. Alot.

I watched the first tutorial three times. Okay...maybe four. But, that last time was solely just to hear that catchy little intro music she has. The videos are helpful and reassuring...mixing your own paint can be scary. And, the texture is unlike any other paint. It's best to be prepared... 

2. Use a mason jar to mix your paint.

At first, I tried the "mix in a plastic cup" method. There's a couple possible reasons why this wasn't working for me. I put in waaaay too much water. Like a 3 (water)-1 (milk paint powder) ratio. Due to the lack of a nice wooden stick like MMS uses, I used a knife to stir the paint. Then the end of my favorite wooden spoon (may it RIP). I'm also a very impatient person. After mixing for what seemed like 5 agonizing hours, I still had this:


So, I put the proper amounts (1:1 ratio of milk paint powder and warm water) in a mason jar and shook away. I added a tad bit more water (technically, the suggested ratio is 1 part powder to 1 1/2 parts water). MUCH better. While the texture of milk paint is alot different than other paints (it's grainy), it was smooth, mixed and much easier to paint on.

Super cute jar you won't see a trifle in later this week.

 3. Throw caution to the wind.

For the most part, once you put milk paint on, you don't know what's going to happen. While MMS does have a bonding agent that prevents the chippiness; for me, the purpose of buying this paint WAS the chippiness. The paint on your piece might chip and flake off easily. There might not by any chipping at all. Or, there might be a little. With a some effort. But, that's what makes it so fun.

The dresser below was stained and looked like it had a layer of poly on it. I didn't sand it. I barely cleaned the dust off it. In some areas (mostly the sides), the chippiness took alot of work with a putty knife (and even then, I barely had any). There were areas on the top and on the dresser drawers where the paint cracked and were easier to chip off with the putty knife. It wasn't an easy scrape...it took some work. But, I know that was just this piece. Other people have different results. Which is the cool part about this paint.

Also, once the milk paint was dry and adequately flaked off, I was freaking out a bit. I used the color Tricycle. It was a dull red. I was a little mad. Look at the drawers below. Dull!


I finished the piece with Annie Sloan's dark wax...simply because I had some on hand. MMS  has a whole line of finishing products that I look forward to using soon. I should have known from my experience with chalk paint, that once the wax is applied, the real transformation begins.

The colors popped. The chippiness stood out. And, the entire piece is sooo smooth.

I was in love.

{Please standby for an obscene amount of photos of the same dresser. It's mandatory}.


Miss Mustard Seed Tutorial

Miss Mustard Seed Tutorial

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Tricycle

Miss Mustard Seed Tutorial Tricycle

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Tricycle

So, that's it! Here's the before and after. Technically, this piece is slated to be in our closet (Mr. VB thinks it's a shame). I'm starting to think so too.

If you haven't jumped onto the milk paint bandwagon yet, I hope these tips help you! I would love to hear your thoughts on your first time with milk paint!


City Farmhouse
The 36th Avenue