Hi Friends!

Oh my, this week has literally blazed right by and I cannot believe that it's already Thursday.

How has your week been? With Veteran's Day this past Monday, we have had non-stop LIFE over here! Ha!

 

I've got projects out the wazoo that I need to complete, some for myself and some for friends and my list of wants just seems to keep growing and growing.

 

One thing I did have time for was adding a little something to our entry. Now, the foyer of our rental home is pretty small and can sometimes feel a bit cluttered and overwhelming at times but what better way to make it feel fresh and new than to add a little texture and greenery?

 

 

 

 

I picked up these two hanging baskets from Williams-Sonoma a little over a month ago and originally they were on our mantel just because I wasn't really sure about their placement. I knew that I would use them in some way though.

 

 

 

 

After the original ferns I'd placed inside eh, hm...died. I purchased some single stem greenery from a local grocer for $3.99 and the hanging baskets only cost me $10.00. So, with tax, this little refresh was less than $15.00.

 

I am thinking of just about any way I can to add a little personality to this rental of ours and who doesn't love fresh greenery especially when it has berries.

 

Um, yes please.

 

 

 

You will have to forgive me for so many pics. My hubby traveled to China for business last week and brought a sweet little gift back for me in the form of a new lens. This is my chance to play around with it a little bit. I have SO much to learn!

 

I thought I would also share a few inspirational photos and a few tips for all of you out there with small entryways like ours. I didn't share the entire view {mostly cause ours is a mess right now} but trust me when I say it's teeny tiny. I will share more photos of this space along with an update of how things are going with the living space in the next Rental Redo post.

 



 

TIP #1 | PAINT A WALL...OR TWO.

In this case, a chalkboard one. Isn't this just too cute and at an entry, it would be a great space to leave notes for the kids or for a spouse or even to make lists and special guest messages. I LOVE this!  

 



 

 

TIP #2 | ADD A MIRROR.

And not just any old mirror, make it a good one and be sure it's just the right size for the space. We all know that mirrors can make a small space look much larger by reflecting parts a room. Another great idea is to not just add one mirror but a collection of vintage ones, some of all shapes and sizes, etc. can add just the right touch to a small entry.

 

 

 

TIP #3 | STRIPES, STRIPES and MORE STRIPES.

Of course these are oh so trendy right now but they aren't just trendy, they are functional. Adding simple lines to a short wall can give the illusion of length hence tricking the eye into thinking that the given space is much larger and longer than it actually is.

 

 

TIP #4 | ORGANIZE  IT.

THIS is my next step in ours. If it's not organized but the rest of your home is put together, it can definitely give the wrong vibes to guests entering the home. Free the space of clutter and create a space that is not only pretty but functional.

 

 

 

 TIP #5 | WHEN IN DOUBT, PUT A FRAME ON IT.

This one is surely my opinion but you just can't go wrong with a gallery wall. The one below is more symmetrical but you could add just about any type of frame or wall décor to fit your home's style or your own personality.

All images can be found here.

 

 

I also just wanted to take a sec to say thanks to you guys for following along and for commenting, giving advice, opinions and thoughts along the way on this rental refresh. It's been so much fun to add a little bit of me to this place we are temporarily calling home all while sticking to a pretty tight budget.

 

I absolutely love sharing this adventure with all of you!

 

Linking up with:

Savvy Southern Style

DIY Showoff

City Farmhouse

Rain on a Tin Roof

 

 

  XO,

One of the best things about social media is the opportunity it has given me to meet so many cool people and blogger friends!

 

One of those people is none other than Meagan from The Charming Farmer.

 

 

 

Meagan is the author of The Charming Farmer blog but she and her family do so much more and you can read all about the adventures they have over right here.

 

Today, you have the opportunity to win this amazing reclaimed wood arrow.

 

 

 

Isn't it fun?

 

And for those of your bold enough to give it a shot, she's posted a tutorial on her blog here.

 

All you have to do to be entered is:

1. Leave a comment here at RHI and if you feel so inclined to thank Megan for the opportunity, head over to her blog and leave one there too! She'd love to hear from you!

 

2. If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow us here and here.
{p.s. you may really want to follow there...I just may be updating this giveaway and adding more there...you never know! }

 

3. Extra credit?  Yup, on Facebook...here.

 

 

And feel free to post this graphic everywhere! You have my permission!

 

 

 

Good luck!



During the holidays we put up an outdoor blackboard in a lovely sunny spot at the end of the verandah.  Miss J and I have had fun drawing under sea creatures and sailing boats.  Her favourite is the rainbow fish.  The best thing is every time it rains the board is wiped clean, ready for more art.

Make your own!
You will need: a sheet of marine ply, undercoat, and Rust-Oleum Chalk Board paint.  
I got the hardware store to cut the marine ply sheet for me.  Top tip: measure your car before getting the board cut to make sure it will fit.
Once you have your marine ply to size it is as simple as prime, paint and hang outdoors.  We attached ours to two metal garden posts which were hammered into the ground.

The Chalk Board paint goes on smoothly.  After a few coats let the paint dry for a week and then season the board by covering entirely in chalk and leaving for a few days.    Ta daa!!  You are ready to start drawing.

I put our board in a spot that gets afternoon sun in winter but is lovely and shaded in summer, now the chalk dust and the children are all outside.  Perfect.  

Rust-Oleum supplied the product for this road test but all opinions, as usual, are entirely my own.

Hooray! It's finally here! Milk Paint and More Mondays. 

I am so excited to party here with you and can't wait to share some of my favorite projects each week!

So, just in case you're wondering...here are the not so fun but oh so necessary rules:

1. You don't have to have a milk paint project to link up, pretty much any paint or DIY project will do but we DO love to see what you all can do with your milk paint. Feel free to link up any of your projects and tutorials but NO FOOD, please. 
2. Please LINK BACK to your actual post and not just your blog addy. Please be sure to include a link back to Milk Paint and More Mondays in your post.
3. LIKE Restoration House on Facebook and share the button below. 
4. Surf through other bloggers' entries and visit them on their respective blogs to spread the love. 

                        And heeeeeeere we go...a few features to get this party started off right! 

Atta Girl used MMS Milk Paint to bring new life to this stool. Super cute! 

I absolutely adore this spoon lamp from Miss Flibbertigibbet. So creative! 

Are you kidding me? Make Me Pretty Again made this from scratch. Love it. 

Wow! Love this revamp from East Coast Creative. 

Oh, and whatdya say...one more? 

Now, you know I couldn't leave her out! No words necessary. 

Now, let's party! 

Today I want to share my recent experience with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint with you and begin to delve into some of the differences between milk and chalk paints. This will be a series as I learn more about different techniques and fun things to do with this paint.

As most of you know, Miss Mustard Seed announced a few months ago that she would begin distributing Milk Paint with her signature on it! Of course, if you're like me, you were super excited about it after you finally got up off of the floor! Tee,hee!

Well, I pre-ordered my paint back in August through Amy at  Maison Decor. As I anxiously awaited its arrival I could only dream of all the lovely pieces I would refinish. I watched blogs (including Marian's) as many stockists received their trial samples and tested them out on their own pieces of furniture. Oh, how I longed to to touch it, feel it, smell it...wait, wah? We are talking paint here, right? Snap out of it, Kennesha...okay, back on task.

Fast forwarding a couple of months, I received my precious box of paints and extras in the mail YESTERDAY! OMG! I was beyond elated and couldn't wait to slap some of that stuff on something. Anything! I grabbed this table. It's tiger oak, not a smooth wood but it would do for the first test.

My order included three colors, antiquing wax, bonding agent and the crackle medium. Of the three colors I ordered I settled on testing out the French Enamel first.

In the photo above you can see that the french enamel looks a little bright. I will have to post some more pics later but it's really more muted than it looks. 

I'll take you through my process. MMS offers a bonding agent to help the milk paint adhere to the surface you are painting. This product is particularly used for non-porous materials like glass and metal. Since this was a wood table, I chose to paint  without the bonder. 

Normally, my first step with any piece that I am refinishing whether with milk paint, latex or chalk paint, I use TSP (Trisodium Phosphate). You can find TSP at just about any hardware store. I purchase mine from Benjamin Moore and it is an alternative called "TSP Wash". It is less harmful and more safe than the concentrated version you buy at most stores. 

After cleaning the piece, unless you're using a latex based paint, it's pretty much ready to go. 

I followed MMS's directions and mixed the paint according to instructions on the package. Just to be sure I was doing things right, I watched the video tutorial. You can find it here. 

One thing I like about this milk paint is that you can pretty much make it the consistency that works best for you. For this table, I left it a bit thinner. Believe it or not, you're looking at one coat application.    A little goes a long way...

After applying the paint over the entire piece, I let it dry for an hour. The recommendation is about 30 minutes but I was chasing around my 9 month old, finishing dinner and checking my Instagram account...so, it was about an hour. I noticed that as it was drying, the paint began to crackle even without the crackle medium. I was happy about that as it added texture in unexpected places.

I followed with a bit of sanding using a putty knife and my handy dandy foam sanding sponge. I then used the MMS Antiquing Wax to give the piece a little more depth and of course, add age. 

So, what do I think of my first encounter with MMS Milk Paint in French Enamel? 

 What I LOVE about MMS Milk Paint:

• Environmently Friendly: MMS Milk Paint is environmentally and packs a punch to most specialty paints on the market with NO VOC's. 

• Application: This paint is easy to apply and a great paint for just about anyone from a pro painter to the novice.

• Price: Coming in at half of most decorative paints out there ($22.00/pk) it saves the wallet and can treat yourself AND a friend to coffee.  

• Drying time: The drying time for this paint is comparable to ASCP (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) so you don't have to wait to long to complete your masterpiece.

• Sanding/Distressing: This paint loves to be distressed and for all of you out there who get a kick out of it, you'll enjoy doing it with this one. It chips easier than most paints and if you're going for that look, MMS Milk Paint delivers. You can also use a damp cloth to lightly distress if you want to cut down on sanding dust. 

• Color Selection: For now, there are 12 colors to choose from. Not a ton BUT you can customize colors by mixing (I am not bold enough to do that just yet) and you know MMS is already formulating more creative colors to send your way! 

• Availability: Like most specialty paints, you can't walk into your local Home Depot or Lowe's to purchase this paint but there are a ton of online stockists if you can't find a local shop near you. You can get more info about that here and here. 

Some things that would make MMS Milk Paint even better:

• Finishing/Sealing: The antiquing wax is not your typical wax. It is much lighter and less intense than ASCP dark or others on the market. I found that I had to apply a lot to get the results I was looking for. It also does not leave a hard coating like some other furniture waxes but does seal the surface well. 

So, there you have it...my first MMS Milk Paint review. I hope it was helpful to those of you who have  not tried it yet. Overall, it's really a great product and I am excited to learn and watch for more from this line. 

What I used for this project:

MMS Milk Paint in French Enamel (Maison Decor)

MMS Antiquing Wax (Maison Decor)

Purdy Paint Brush (Home Depot)

Putty Knife (Home Depot)

Sanding Sponge (Lowe's/Home Depot)

Staining Sponge for wax application (Lowe's)

p.s. Because I have had some technical difficulty with my camera and computer, consider this a sneek peek of this table. How many of you were waiting for a nice, pretty staged photo? Oops! More to come soon! 

This is quite the post for me since I'll be combining a tutorial, a simple story and more details on my new love affair with Annie Sloan Paints and products. 

Please be patient with me as I attempt to take you all through this process with me. 

I bought this buffet and hutch on CL a few weeks ago from an awesome lady on Mercer Island. Since I don't have a trailer or an open bed truck (our Tahoe has hauled just about everything!), she was sweet enough to borrow a truck from a friend and bring the top of this piece to me. Really sweet lady! 

Anyhow, in all of my excitement, AGAIN, I forgot to snap some nice BEFORE shots but I did manage to get some with my camera phone. 

BEFORE-ish
As u can see, I didn't get to take a pic of the raw piece but you get the idea.

BEFORE
Bottom of Piece

So, this piece was in great condition. Solid. Pine. But just needed some RHI love! And that I was surely ready and willing to provide! 

Of course, since I was using AS, there was no need to prime or paint. However, using this paint wasn't the original plan but it soon changed after my idea evolved and I realized I didn't have a ton of time to wait for paint to dry or sand and prime. 

For those of you who use AS on a regular basis or who have used it, you know exactly what I mean...this paint is a lifesaver! But enough about that for now...we'll take about "Annie" later! 

Here's what I am using  to refinish this piece (present tense, you will see why):

ASCP in Paris Grey

AS Dark Wax

Minwax Paste Finishing Wax

Hand brush

2 Foam Sanding Pads

Wax Brush (Just use a regular paint brush that's now only used for applying dark wax)

3 Soft Cloths 

SUPPLIES and WAX APPLICATION

As you can see from my list above, my supplies may be a bit different. Everyone has their own way of doing things. I'm still learning and part of that learning is discovering what I like and don't like to use to achieve certain finishes. Keep in mind, my supplies and tips are always suggestions...do what works best for you.

I use THREE, yes THREE different cloths for polishing my waxes. One for the Minwax Paste application, one for the dark wax and the last for bringing it all together. I have found that it works best for me that way. 

You will also notice that I am using Minwax Paste Wax for the base of my dark wax. That is because I had an entire can of it and I'm not into wasting money or making unnecessary purchases sooooo, I will use it until I run out and then purchase the AS Clear Wax. 

The pic below is an attempt to show you the difference in AS Dark Wax, Paste Wax and no wax. If you look closely, will see three different shades with the AS Dark Wax at the top, Minwax in middle and chalk paint only on the end. The pic's a little fuzzy but hopefully you can see the differences. 

I used my handy, dandy foam sanding pad before applying the wax just to make the surface a little more smooth.

And here she is in all her glory...well, part of her glory anyhow! I have completed the top and the drawers and am currently still distressing a bit and need to wax the body.

But, isn't she coming along nicely? 

So after beginning to finish this part of the piece, I started thinking that maybe instead of placing this in our dining area which was the original plan, I would use it at our entry way as a buffet alone but then I thought...what do I do with the top.







 I really don't want a hutch in our entryway although I am sure that some wouldn't mind...just not what I want. Oh, decisions, decisions...either way, I will finish both pieces and then decide where to place it. Phew! Was that last part overwhelming for you? It was for me! :)

Hopefully I will have this completed and ready to share in a couple of days.

I would love to know your thoughts...

Until then,

Partying it up with...

          

At the Picket Fence