Make Your Own Milk Paint and a Desk Makeover

I've been having so much fun redoing furniture for the upcoming Vintage Sale at my house on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21. I can't believe it's only 11 days away! I've been busily preparing some special treasures, and, today, I'm going to give you a glimpse into the transformation process of one of them.

I love how this painted desk turned out, and, yes, I'm tempted to keep it, but I won't. Here's the before picture...

of this cute desk and chair I found at a local thrift store and brought home to redo the same day. I've been waiting for my next order of Mustard Seed Milk Paint to be delivered, but I simply did not want to wait for it to do this DIY project, so I decided to make my own milk paint.

I mixed two cups of Plaster of Paris to one cup water and added two cups gray paint left over from painting my bathroom. I wanted the gray to be a darker charcoal, so I added black paint  until I had the right color.

I always stock my leftover paint in canning jars for later use.

It was a sunny day, and I was excited to transform this set. I removed the drawers and had Quinton remove the hardware. I used fine sandpaper and gave it a quick dusting, then wiped it down with a dry rag before painting.

I really like how fast the homemade milk paint dries, and I love how the color turned out!

I decided to leave the top its original color--white.

I gave the cabinet and drawers two coats.

I then used fine sandpaper to sand off the edges for a distressed look. The white paint underneath looked great with the gray.

Next, I used Miss Mustard Seeds Hemp Oil, rubbing it on with an old rag.

You can see what a nice finish it gives.

I painted the chair a nice, bright white to match the top.

I'm not sure why the picture above looks like the sanded part isn't smooth, but it is a nice, even line like you can see below.

I was going to wait until I got to Hobby Lobby to get nice glass knobs for it...

...but when I found the missing knob in one of the drawers, I decided to just use what I had since my days are numbered until the big sale. 

I took the time to paint a couple of details of gray on the chair and was happy with how well it completed the set.

So if you're in search of an adorable desk and chair set, make sure you mark your calendar for Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, and I hope to see you then!