Liming Wax 101

I've been wanting to try Brimax's Liming Wax for awhile now. It promises to give an aged, whitewashed, "Restoration Hardware" look...without the hassle of the 1/2 paint, 1/2 water whitewash technique. All my searching online only brought up images of the wax used on lighter wood and not the darker stained table I was wanting to use it on. In the end, I decided to just go with it (and am now spreading it on everything I can get my hands on)...here's a few tips:

Liming wax is a smooth, white paste. It can be applied to bare wood, as well as stained and sealed wood. It works best when the paste can get into the grain, so some roughing up might be in order. Here's a before pic of the table I used it on. It had a good coat of gloss or poly on it, so I went over it with a sandpaper block. I also used a wire brush in a few areas to open up the grain and cracks.

Here is is halfway through. You can see how the liming wax is getting down into the grain and providing a whitewashed look to other areas.

The contrast of the limed top to the bottom.

Here's the finished top. There's one spot over on the right I want to add more to. They suggest putting a coat of clear wax on to seal it. I started to use my Annie Sloan Clear Wax and it acted almost like an eraser. So, I stopped.

I'm loving the driftwood, whitewashed new look it gives to the table. It took like 30 min. and I barely used any wax (it's a little pricey at $20/can. But, I barely put a dent in it).

Liming Wax 101

Then, I got this crazed look in my eye...what else could I put this magic paste on? We've had the table below for too long now. It's a simple coffee table on steel, hairpin legs. We've brought him to numerous shows, but alas, nobody wants to take him home.

Here's the top after a coat of liming wax and some of Annie Sloan's clear wax. What a difference! The white wax got down into some deep holes and cracks and the clear wax took away some of the hard edge of the liming wax. Leaving a lovely aged piece.

I would love to know...what do you think of the liming wax look? Would you try it?

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.

 

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

 

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

Upcoming Show Preview: Boulevard St. Louis Etsy POP!up Shop

In typical RDFCo. fashion, we're making a made scramble to get ready for a show next weekend. I guess it's just a part of our creative process :-) 

We're looking forward to trying out a new venue here in St. Louis. The Boulevard is home to tons of great little shops and restaurants and a whole new potential client base. And, I can't wait to team up again with so many great STL Etsy shops, including:

www.kakabaka.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/emkcreations
http://carriejeanhawkins.etsy.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewgoodandtrendy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Parsimonia
www.Etsy.com/shop/TheWeavingGuys
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PattySheppardArt
www.sticktoyourknittin.etsy.com
http://downzipper.etsy.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnaOurthJewelry?ref=si_shop

The Boulevard St. Louis Etsy POP!up Shop will take place Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Boulevard St. Louis Etsy Pop!up Shop on Oct. 12

We'll be bringing out a few pieces we've had on-hand, as well as bringing along some new things we've been working on. Here's a sneak peek:

Live edge coffee table on stainless steel hairpin legs

Gold and Blue Tray

Footstool with recycled grain sack

Sofa table with reclaimed boat wood

Side table from old Paris door

If you're in the St. Louis area, stop on by and say hi! It's a great chance to get a head start on all that holiday shopping.

Steppin' up to a ReDesign Challenge

There are so many great fall festivals and events around St. Louis this year. Sadly, we've had to limit RDFCo. to two. Trust me, it wasn't easy not applying to some of our faves. Somehow I managed to sit on my hands until the application periods were over.

We're currently gearing up for an Etsy Pop-Up in early October (we'll be sharing more info soon). A few days after that, we're taking on a whole new challenge. We were tapped to participate in a local fundraiser called Lost + (F)ound to benefit Perennial (a community workshop and store in St. Louis offering educational programming in creative reuse and sells creatively repurposed home furnishings and eco-friendly supplies for reuse projects.)

Besides the promise of wine, beer, pie and paper pinwheels, the event also features a ReDesign Challenge. Local artists, architects and designers are given three windows and have to transform them into a usable and functional piece for the home. The items are auctioned off at the event, with all proceeds benefiting Perennial. Since I love a good competition, I said hell yes!

Last week we picked up our windows. We aren't allowed to purchase anything new for them. We can take them apart and use fasteners to create a unique piece. They also provided us with green paint strippers and paint. We've already been kicking around some ideas & I can't wait to get started. Stay tuned for an update!

Pottery Barn Tivoli Table Knock-Off

As you may have noticed, RDFCo. has taken a little break these last few months, as we are in the process of building a new home. Typically, we do all of our work out of our house and garage and our two-room,  second-floor apartment doesn't lend itself to building. {insert frown here}

Last month, out of the blue, we got an email from the person who purchased one of our tables from our very first show, almost a year ago. She was wanted a table similar to Pottery Barn's Tivoli Console table. Of course, we wanted to make it happen!

The Tivoli table is long and skinny and measures 84.5" long x 17" deep x 30.5" high. She wanted similar legs and no drawers. Here's a pic of the inspiration:

Pottery Barn Tivoli Table

Jeff wanted to find one piece of wood that could be used for the top. Because the table would be so narrow and long, a door wasn't going to be possible. We found a large (and very heavy) piece of white oak at a local hardwoods store. It was harvested about 50 years ago in Ohio. It's supposed to be close to 100 years old!

Once we dug all of his tools out of storage, Jeff got to work!

Here's shot before it was stained.

 

And here's the finished product. Nearly perfect match!

Tivoli Table

The board came with a couple of cracks on one end. We opted to leave them in. Cutting it would have made the table too short, and, since we wanted a more worn, rustic look, it fits the table well.

Tivoli Table

Jennifer is coming tomorrow to pick it up -- we can't wait for her to see it!

5 on Friday: Best Interior Design Reads of the Week

I tell you what...TGIF! It's been one of those weeks. That's turned into one of those months! If you don't follow me on Instagram, here's a peek at our shenanigans last weekend. (Which, evidently involved lots of beer, waffles and a goat). On a side note, I'm going thru fried chicken withdrawals.

So, I'm back for another 5 on Friday. I'll be working on a new project to share soon (involving liming wax. yay!) Until then, I've got interior design on the brain. Not just for the new place, but I'm taking a couple classes this fall that I'm excited about.

Despite everyone being on vaca and taking a blogging break, I found a ton of great posts out there this week. Here's my top 5. I hope they inspire you as much as they have me!

1/ Because I'm Addicted: How to Mix & Match Art Wall

Mr. VB really wants a gallery wall going up our staircase and I'm all for it. Most of our artwork is in  classic black frames...but, I'm loving the mix of black, silver, gold, wood, black & white, color, mixed media, etc. that I've been seeing lately. I'm hoping to pull something like this off for our wall.

2/ La Dolce Vita: Defining Design: Eclectic Interiors

Eclectic Interiors

Paloma does a great job of helping you dive into creating an eclectic room in this article. It's a look I'm hoping to achieve in our house. The number one tip: it's all about layers! This look works good for couples who have different tastes...it doesn't matter! Mix it up -- it's more personal that way and truly "yours."

3/ Joy the Baker: Into Color

What an awesome workspace! Joy give step-by-step instructions on how she painted her walls (actually, it's a video) and I loooove how she uses her own artwork as the focal point. Mr. VB and I are pretty much against buying anything "cookie cutter" to hang. We try to stick to our own photographs, artwork we pick up on vacation, or something we've created. Our rule of thumb, it has to mean something to us. And, because it was on clearance at Target isn't a reason.

4/ Apartment Therapy: Let's Learn About Color

Let's Learn About Color

This is a biggie for me right now! My Pinterest board for the new place has lots of color...when we tend to lean towards light blues. It's going to be a huge step -- but I really want to brighten things up! This post broke down the feelings different colors have and explains the 80/20 rule.

5/ The Mustard Ceiling: Bam or Slam: Colorful Sofas

Colorful Sofas

What color is your sofa? Ours is khaki. Sand. Light tan. Blah. Our walls will be white. Ivory Lace, actually. We've already reached our budget, and while I enjoy painting furniture, I don't enjoy painting walls. The cutting in. The tape that doesn't work. The splatters and spills. My solution: a colorful sofa! BTW: The Mustard Ceiling also has a great recap of last week's Haven conference. I would love to go next year!
 
Do you have any good design reads for the past week? Let me know!

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 Milk Paint 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