Scrumptious Shabby Chic With Old Fashioned Milk Paint

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Vintage dresser refinished in OFMP Sea Green and crackled Buttermilk. I also added floral decoupage and a floral raised stencil to create a wonderful mix of all things shabby chic.
Sea Green and Buttermilk Shabby Chic Dresser
I lightly sanded the entire piece for better adhesion of the milk paint to the surface which was fairly shiny from an ancient topcoat of sorts.


Next I mixed my Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Sea Green and added their Extra Bond to it so ensure a more solid finish as I didn't want this color to be too chippy.
I mixed the water and paint ratio then added the correct ratio of the Extra Bond into that. Simply follow the instructions OFMP provides.


I painted my base coat of Sea Green and then applied the crackle medium to the entire piece and original pulls also painted in the sea green.
This is how it looks slathered over the paint. Then, according to the directions, this sets for about two hours.
I then painted the one layer of Buttermilk by OFMP for my top color which would crackle and crunch up to reveal the green base.
It was working its charm all over the dresser and it was looking quite shabbily awesome. I wanted to really chic out the shabby so I added a raised stencil to the top drawer.


Begin by placing your stencil where you want it and then center it using a marker of some type. I used the centers of the drawer pulls, but you could also use any edge of your piece. For this design, I wanted the edge of the stencil to be 2 1/2" from the center of each side's pull holes.
After taping the stencil in place, I applied spackle with a very fancy tool. An old credit card. I love using these for this because they are easy to maneuver.
Smooth it over the entire stencil. be sure to over cover your area just as you would with paint so that little details and tips are not omitted. I don't mind if my spackle is not completely flat, but has a bit of swiping texture. I think it adds to the authenticity of the raised stencil affect.


It should look somewhat like this:
Wait just a couple of moments, then carefully peel back while lifting up.
I then layered the Sea Green milk paint and the Buttermilk colors until I had a tone which blended well but still stood out on the drawer.


I also decoupaged a beautiful floral print on the rest of the drawer centers. I tore my tissue paper into sections and then used a wet paint brush to pull the edges off for a ragged edge just as you find on old parchment documents. This technique is simple and does not need to be perfect. Just go with how you feel it should look.
I brushed a bit of paint over top of the decoupaged floral squares just to blend them into the dresser a touch. I finished by clear waxing the entire piece with Daddy Van's Beeswax...another green product just as is OFMP. And here is the dresser all shabbily so chic.
Thanks for viewing, and I wish you the best in your shabby adventures. For the full blog post with story, instructions and more photos please click the link below.


Sincerely,


Kara at Lilac Shack Furniture
Suggested materials:
  • Old Fashioned Milk Paint, Antique Crackle, Stencil, Decoupage
Kara - Lilac Shack Furniture
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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