Progress on the Red and Aqua Afghan and Milk Paint vs. Chalk Paint

Good Morning!

Today I get to share with you the progress I have made on my Red and Aqua afghan! I wish it was already complete, but half way done will have to do for now! I really like the Lark Stitch which is the name of this pattern. It looks more complicated than it really is and requires no counting. So I can just crochet with out really having to think about it which I like. Hopefully I can keep working on it and get it done in the next few weeks.

This weekend my awesome brother in law went on an adventure with me to go pick up some new pieces of furniture to work on! I added two more dressers a night stand and a mirror to the stash in my garage. These are some really awesome old solid pieces that I think will sell fairly quick. One of the dressers I will even get to keep for my boys room makeover! It is the perfect dimensions and will be awesome once its all finished! I also have received quite a bit of interested in my milk paint dresser. It sill has not sold but it makes me feel good to know that it is being well received by potential buyers and has only been listed for a few days which makes me feel that perhaps I may be able to keep doing this after all! I am totally hooked and have so many pieces just waiting around to be painted in my garage! So far I think I have done a pretty good job getting a few done each week and if I can keep it up they will all be finished in no time! I have another dresser that I hope to show you later this week. I just need to get some new hardware to finish it up! This is the first piece I have been commissioned by someone else to re-do. And also my first time using chalk paint.

Milk Paint vs Chalk Paint:

The winner for me hands down is Milk Paint. I like chalk paint for the fact that it is very opaque, it requires no prep work and that it has a smooth buttery finish. However I think that Milk Paint is better because it adds character to a piece that no other paint on the market is capable of. With out the bonding agent added to milk paint it crackles and it chips on the surface of a piece I also find the color varies throughout the piece just a little, adding more dimension. Each time it turns out different and it gives a very authentic vintage old feel to a piece. With chalk paint you really have to put in a lot of elbow grease to try and achieve the same "old" look and it is kind of hard to make it look authentic and not over done or underdone. Milk paint is not opaque so it takes more coats to completely cover a piece. That is unless you don't want it to be completely covered on every inch. On my recently finished milk paint dresser, there is a lot of variation between spots that are completely covered vs. spots that the darkness of wood underneath shows through which I really like. I will definitely be using LOTS more milk paint in the future and cannot wait to see what new colors are to come in Miss Mustard Seed's line in a few weeks! For this weeks projects I have a hutch I am painting for one of my sister-in-law's also in grain sack!! I cannot wait to see how the finish compares to my last milk paint project!

I hope everyone is having a lovely week! Catch you all later!
-Haely