Milk Paint, Painting (Unicorn!)

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Milk paint! This is my first attempt at doing what i call a "real" painting using only organic milk paints. I wish when I went to school for art we had been taught more about our art supplies and less about outdated techniques & critiques. I never needed the technique lessons (or wasn't interested), but certainly it would have been eye opening to see how toxic paints were made, and learn some alternatives to them.
This milk paint is tricky to use as an artist paint, because of the way it dries and has to be stored, and used within a certain time frame. I happen to paint fast, but anyone who likes to take their time will most likely have to mix the paint each time in small batches... which isn't hard, just add (alot of) SUPER HOT water and stir it up. it is time consuming - but that can be fun too... i mean, the famous artists back in the days of old made all their own shit, they didn't pop over to the mass manfactured art store!
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This painting is done on scrap canvas/tapestry type fabric, using only 100% organic milk paint. The video below shows the process.







Xoxoxox

Up On The Roof (Scrap Wood, Handsaw & Milk Paint)

This is the BEFORE picture :::::
(Before I put the red scrap wood "sunburst" decoration in that triangle below the roof...)
I had some thin long pieces of scrap cedar that had been cut off larger pieces of wood used on my deck - I decided to paint them with red Milk Paint and use them for a lil' exterior cabin decorating. I was inspired by my longing for the ornate houses of my childhood in New Orleans - a city where people don't hold back on the splashy colors and elaborate carpentry work. While what I did so far isn't quite as fancy as the French Quarter, it certainly gives my Luck Cabin the funky flare I love to come home to!

SUPPLIES I USED::::

• Scrap wood
• Milk paint
• Handsaw
• Hammer & nails

This exterior beautification project cost me under $5 (some money for the paint) and only a few hours of warm tanning time on the roof - it took VERY little skillz. Pretty rad when it's cheap & easy, right?

So I brought all the supplies up on the porch roof - I decided to measure each one by eye'ing it artistically, then using my handsaw to cut the angles to make it fit. I was not a perfectionist about it, but I wanted it to look symmetrical and have a good flow.... aka: SunBurst-y feeling!

The easiest way to start this, is by placing the one in the middle first, since it is perfectly straight up and down - then 'burst' outward from the center point.

So the only skillz you really need, are to push the paint brush around to paint with the milk paint, and to push a handsaw back and forth - and to hit a nail with a hammer....

AND WA-LA.... totally cute & affordable home improvement! This idea can be added onto, while I was up there I began to think of shapes that could be added, variations on the pattern, and other colors I could add in too.... circles or squares, gingerbread decor - I may keep going with this.

Here are some photos of the end result from afar..... AFTER....

Compare them to the top photo for a full Before and After ::::::

I love it! Makes me wish the stupid power lines were not in the way.... anyone wanna get me some solar panels!?? ;)

Xoxoxo

Note From JuJu Tha' DOnkeee

She says she painted it all by herself.... using her tail dipped in milk paint.
;)

Xoxoxo

DIY Transformation: From Crusty Ole' Cabinet to Fly Lookin' Desk

When I moved into the Luck Cabin there was this one old cabinet that was no longer attached to the wall... just sitting empty next to my front door. At some point I had slid it across the room and started using the top as a spot to prop up my laptop and do all things internet related (like dis' blog!) After a while it dawned on me that I could add some legs to the thing and actually use it as a desk - and by flipping it over it would make the perfect flip top storage desk!
(Thanks to Bort for the idea of having it open on top, to resemble a kid's school desk.)

SUPPLIES I USED:

• a long tree log to cut four legs
• 8 screws (to attach 4 log legs to cabinet)
• old cabinet
• milk paint
• sponge brush & matte knife & paper cut outs (for decorating)

STEP ONE: The Legs!

My uncle helped me attach the legs to the cabinet - the best way to do this is to be able to set the cabinet up on something that is the height of the legs, that way screwing in the hardware to hold them in place is much easier.

The other thing that needs to be right is each leg needs to be the same length, and FLAT/parallel on the top & bottom --- this may take a little extra effort when you are working with organically shaped logs rather then perfectly straight manufactured wood.

STEP TWO: The Stencils & Drawings!

I used a negative or relief technique to get the shapes i wanted - in stead of using silhouettes, i cut out the shapes and taped them down to the surface of the desk. I wanted to keep the light green/mint/pastel color that was already on there - and used black Milk Paint as my top coat color to carefully paint over the shapes. (Most of ya'll know by now I am in love with milk paint!! It is interesting to work with plus totally non toxic and bio-degradable!)

As the surface of the black paint was drying on top the old toxic mint colored paint, I decided to use the black paint like a scratch board and cut into the slightly moist black color with a matte knife - in this way i could draw back into the paint!!! Super fun. (I think the scratch method into milk paint is something that could be taken alot further....)

I did three sides and the top with relief pictures/stencils and drawings-here are what they looked like (above and below) as I was working on them- with the paint partly wet....

(i was going with a nature/primitive drawing theme.)

Hell yeah :)

And I ended it with a vague quip on the front....

The top opens up, just as planned... what do ya'll think I should hide in my special desk?

FINISHED TRANSFORMATION:::::::

All done and shoved into it's corner in the cabin, ready to have a laptop on top and me sitting in front. I think it rocks!!

Xoxoxo

Re-Painting My Cabinets With Milk Paint

I finally got around to painting the old cabinets that were here in the Luck Cabin, although they were not fancy/special I decided they were still functional & good enough to use. I even liked the color variations painted on them, but now that I have discovered the fun, bright and non toxic colors of milk paint I can hardly help myself--- i wanna paint EVerYthinG!
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BEFORE THE MILK PAINT :::::::
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The cabinets were originally all in one weird kitchen set up - which I broke up into two rooms so that the Luck Cabin could have a bathroom. I left the cabinets where they were on the walls and included them in the rooms they ended up in. :)

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PAINTING WITH MILK PAINT::::::

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I took all the cabinet doors off and painted them "salem red" (see top pic)- using the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co.'s earth pigmented powders meant for covering up prior paint jobs, called Safe Paint. The safe paint is the same formula as the original & ancient milk paint recipe, with variations on the quantities of ingredients - this makes it so it is stronger, richer color, mold resistant, and can be applied over old toxic paints, glass, metal and plastic!

For my cabinets, I wanted a fun nature themed design added- so I decided to add silhouettes in "federal blue" against the brightness of the red. I used a sharp matte knife blade to cut them out of magazines and computer printed pictures.

Once I had them cut out I verrrrry carefully applied the paint through the cut out picture, making sure to hold down tight each little portion while applying the milk paint with a sponge brush. If you use something more stiff to trace and cut out your shapes you don't have to be as rigid, but with paper cut outs, the paper may stick to the paint, so it's important to go slow.

WaY Freakin' COooooL !!!

Each door has a different animal, and one has a tree! My bathroom is native animals and the kitchen is more exotic themed. :)

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AFTER THE MILK PAINT DRIED :::::::::

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LOve it! I can not really recommend this kind of paint enough - I dont know any paint that can do a job this beautiful that also has ZERO environmental effects on water, soil, nature etc... it is made from entirely natural sources, that I believe makes milk paint as clean and eco as it gets.

PS- I know my kitchen is kinda a mess, I swear I cleaned it up after I took this! ;)

Xoxoxoxo

Milk Paint Is the BEST Paint Eva'!

Ya'll like my wonder woman colored shutter doors for my bathroom? (My mom doesn't! ha) .... but I am in LOVE with the vibrant beautiful colors of milk paint. Yeah, for realz, that stuff is made of a simple ancient recipe using milk and powdered lime, with natural earth pigments..... AKA: Non toxic, No VOC, safe for the sensitive, and antique looking!

I didn't make the milk paint myself, but instead bought it for a good price online from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company. I knew milk paint didn't bother me once it was dry, but I had never had a chance to paint with it myself - and I found out that not only was it so non toxic it didn't bother me, but I actually had fun! SO much fun, that I started painting everything with it ----> bat houses, bird houses, little pieces of wood, I made a painting of a tree... I had to control myself from just painting all over the whole house and making a mess.

There are two formulas of milk paint you can buy and since I have been experimenting with both and leaving some stuff inside , some out in the weather, let me tell ya'll what the difference means in real terms:::::

***The Original Milk Paint - This stuff is awesome, and it holds up just fine inside even in an house with no air conditioning .... BUT my craft projects I used it on that were exposed to weather started to mold some. So use it inside, not outside where something will get wet.

***Safe Paint (Milk Paint) - This stuff is just as non toxic and VOC free, but they altered the formula so that it adheres to more surfaces, and let me tell ya it totally works without molding at all. Even in the rain. Milk paint used in a plastic bucket from last year that was left out in the rain still has the coating of millk paint on it, so does the metal pan - both left outside in the weather. Of all my birdhouses I painted, the "safe paint" version is the brightest colored and hasn't molded at all. The company told me this paint can be used on metal & glass surfaces too, which is really amazing.

I won't go back to using any other paint (not even the No VOC regular paints) ever again, I seriously love milk paint! Even though it takes more care, it's not all that hard to mix up.
It comes in a powder form and if you add hot/warm water it won't curdle. The deal is as it gets cold it can curdle and the company encourages using a cake batter thingy to smash it up or a electric paint mixer. I just used hot water and a stick and whooped it really hard. :)

I found that the colors mix really well together, almost like painting with acrylics! I plan on making some really cool art with this stuff - next project is going to be a mural on my bedroom ceiling of night turning into day, starting with the constellations, and ending in clouds & blue sky. yay!

Xoxoxo

(Milk) Paint The Town Red

I have yet to set up my room, you know like officially with decor and a bed (I am sleeping on a pad on the floor still). But I know ya'll wanted to see this rockin' milk paint on the walls and hear all about it, so please excuse the half assed nature of my bedroom. I absolutely love Milk Paint, I love it to pieces, I love it to death, I want to marry it and give it kisses... but that would get weird since it's not supposed to get too wet! Look though, I bought the Barn Red Milk Paint from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. and my good friend mixed it up and painted the room for me. He said it gets clumpy and mixing it wasn't so easy without an extremely powerful drill to put the paint stick on. However, the end result rocks my world.As you can see in the picture above the earth pigmented color is actually very bold and the paint leaves a certain amount of artistic texture - the amount of layers you put on would most likely change this, and possibly the amount of water added could change this also.

The room had previously been an "art" room and had spray paint graffiti, paint splotches and various other stuff on the wall to be painted over - milk paint will go over it, but it doesn't cover it up like the toxic acrylic paint does. It also may cause the paint to run some in those areas- adding various textures to the wall. Personally I love the character it gives, being I am from a generation & culture full of graffiti art. This last pic is a close up of the textures it gives. I want to note that the most brilliant feature of this paint is that it is totally non toxic, it has no VOC's, I came into this room the very next day and had no reaction (which is a miracle), the smell of it was a weird earthy smell (my friend called it a "circus tent" smell) which dissipated within a few days. The paint itself is only three organic ingredients: powdered milk protein, lime and earth pigment! I am going to say the best way to learn about this paint is to go read the testimonials on the website because people give great advice on how to achieve certain finishes and textures and tips on mixing - plus one guy told a crazy story about how his blue milk paint fell into his fish tank and he didn't even clean it up, but not one fish died and the water cleared itself up! I mean, the real question is... Is it all worth the effort to mix and play? YES! Totally. I give 5 stars, two thumbs up and highly recommend it to the chemically sensitive and the artistically inclined.

XOXO

Milk Paint Recipes & Suppliers

Why did we ever stop using it? Milk paint was the most long lasting and highly regarded form of paint for thousands of years until the industrial revolution brought about the mass manufacturing of goods. The paint can was invented, milk paint would have spoiled in the can, more chems & metals were added to paint each decade, and the rest is a history that now leads most people like zombies to the unhealthy paint aisle in Home Depot. Over 50 years of advertising from these companies & suppliers has people believing that toxic paint mixed with mildewcides, ammonia, metals (at one time lead), and formaldehyde is somehow superior to the long lasting qualities of how paint was originally made - safe and 100% natural. In reality chemical based VOC paints are of far less quality because of the serious health hazards involved with out gassing - these companies are ripping us off by trying to can their poison and save face by telling us these additives are making a better product for our homes, when it's only better for their bank accounts. Read more about how toxic VOC containing products in our homes effects our health & indoor air quality on the EPA's website HERE.
Luckily you can still buy completely non toxic milk paints or even make your own! This is probably the healthiest most organic choice of paint out there... if you know of something better (pretty) please share info about it in the comments section. :)

Here is list of DIY Milk Paint Recipes:
Milk Paint Recipe on Appropedia - One of the best tutorials!
Fabric Milk Paint Instructions at Helium
Powdered Tempera Milk Paint Recipe at eHow.com
Milk Paint Supplies at NaturalPigments.com
Milk Paint Recipes and Pigments at EarthPigments.com

1870 Milk Paint Recipe at Pioneer Thinking - I love this website!

This Old Crack House Milk Paint Recipe

Here are Milk Paint Suppliers Who've Made It For You:
Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. (see photo above)
The Real Milk Paint Company

Happy Painting!