Walk in to Media Conference - Walk out with Furniture!!

I'm NOT joking! It's true ... no wonder my husband thinks furniture and junk just "follow me home."

Last week my husband attended and provided audio and video production for a Media Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland (Australia) which is about an hour away from us. I was given the opportunity to attend one of the days with him and when I found out the daytime keynote speaker was Australia's top blogger, Darren Rowse, my ears picked up and off I went to take notes!

During the morning tea break I went out to browse the various conference sponsor stands in the foyer, and among them were a non-profit organisation called "Open Doors". They had a booth in the corner which immediately attracted my attention because of the lovely antique dining chair that stood dishevelled in the corner and the vintage suitcases and wooden crates scattered around the small space.

They were depicting a family home in a war torn 3rd world nation where persecution of Christians for their faith, is a daily occurrence. Open Doors provides support and assistance for these people.

The lovely lady at the booth noticed me standing and looking over the booth (I hope I wasn't drooling!) and struck up a conversation that went like this:

Her: I love your jacket!

Me: I love your furniture!

Her: Oh really?

Me: Yes, I restore stuff like this all the time (I went on to tell her about my hobby)

Her: Do you want it?

Me: You're kidding!

Her: No, really, we drove it up here from Sydney, but we're flying back and so we were planning on finding a dumpster to throw it all in.

Me: Oh wow! Just wait till I tell my husband!

So can you imagine my husband's reaction when I walked back in to the next session and whispered in his ear: "Honey, could you take some furniture back with all your audio gear in your van when you pack up tomorrow?"

Ha Ha!! Priceless! He rolls his eyes with a look that said, "I can't take you anywhere!"

Oh, but he loves me!!

But WAIT, there's more ...

So I took some pictures of the booth and left with a promise to post some lovely pictures on my blog and that I would let them know when I had done so.

By the time I'd arrived home I knew in my heart what I needed to do.

So I called my husband the next day before he picked up the items from the lady at the Open Doors display. I told him to let them know that I would like to paint and restore what I can of their items and to donate everything from sales of these items to their organisation. They were overwhelmed.

So if you are local (Brisbane/Logan, QLD, Australia) and you see something that you might like, I will be selling these items on my Facebook page and on my Ebay store over the next little while, as I get the time to restore them.

So get ready to join me in supporting this wonderful charity. 

Nobody should be persecuted for their faith!

Study Desk Makeover - Happy High-schooler!

I happened to notice this wonderful antique desk in the school library one day, and of course, it grabbed my attention, so I enquired as to why it was there. Our library teacher had brought it in, in the hope of passing it on to a student from the school... and so, long story short, we inherited this lovely piece of furniture. My daughter was entering high school and we were moving her into her own room, which we had begun to decorate in a shabby chic theme. So we transformed this desk to suit her new room.

BEFORE:

Sanding back the varnish...

A fresh varnish with a darker walnut stain for the top, and we went with an Antique White paint for the bottom part of the desk.

 AFTER:            

I ordered new handles from an ebay store, and here's the finished result.

... and here are some pics of some other bits and pieces in her room:

Click on the video below to see another restoration project I've worked on:

(There are more on my youtube channel)

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint - Boxwood Green TV Cabinet Makeover

I enjoyed using MMS Milk Paint for this project. It was completed within the same day which is a big thing for me as I'm usually so busy with the kids and work and other things, that to get any project started and finished in a day is a miracle!

But the reason I think it was so easy and fast is because these Milk Paint and Chalk Paint projects need no sanding, or prep work and no sealing or priming paint! 

Just slap it on and you're done! I love it!

If you're using MMS Milk Paint, it comes with instructions, so follow them carefully for mixing quantities. I mix mine in a mason jar or similar. One big shake and it's done!

For my "One Step Mixing Tutorial" video, click here!

Today I used MMS Milk Paint colour: Boxwood

Half way there: I almost completed one whole coat with 1/4 cup of Milk Paint, so mixed up another 1/4 cup and I finished the project using a total of 1/2 cup of powder. (Australian measurements - which are apparently slightly different than US Measure)

And here's the finished cabinet after 2 coats and a light sanding all over the edges and some wearing parts to give it a rustic French country look.

I had a small bit of paint left over so I covered the bottom of this small bench stool with just one coat which gave it almost a washed appearance. I finished the top slats in Minwax.

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For my Australian followers, you can get MMS Milk Paint HERE.

NOTE: This is not a paid promotion and all opinions are my own.

How to Mix MMS (Miss Mustard Seed) Milk Paint in One Easy Step

I received my order of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint from Red Posie (you can order here: http://www.milkpaintretailers.com),

and couldn't wait to get started on something right away.

But first, let me show you a handy tip I came up with after mixing with a stirring stick the first couple of times. Some of you may have already thought of this, but it was like a lightning bolt moment for me after making my first tutorial video on using MMS Milk Paint.

You can watch my video tutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVl_c9ZOr4

It normally takes about 3-5 minutes to mix milk paint with a stirring stick.

I'm a busy mother of four, and have 2 part time jobs, so I'm ALL about saving time!!

Grab yourself a Mason jar or any jar with a screw top lid.

You can even use something like the Tupperware shaker below. 

Measure out your milk paint according to instructions.

MMS Milk Paint = 1 part powder + 1.5 parts water

Screw that lid on tight and give it a really good shake!

Seriously takes you less than 10 seconds!!

No lumps and great consistency.

Here I tested it on a piece of wood. 

With my sample pack of "Luckett's Green" which contains just over 2 tablespoons of powder, I painted a small table, 

a wooden serving tray,

 a picture frame which I'm making into a chalk board, and 

my piece of wood (above) which I'm creating a sign with.

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Watch my tutorial video here. You can also subscribe to my youtube channel if you click through to the Youtube link on the top right of this blog page.