Her Story

She first came to my home after I purchased another cabinet which now holds all my Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint product on display. The owner was moving house and had been trying to sell this dresser as well as the cabinet I had just purchased. I wasn’t looking for a dresser, and the price she was wanting was not in my budget, so I politely said, “No, thank you,” and went on my way with the original cabinet I bought from her. I later received a phone call from the lady saying, “You know, I really like what you are doing, with the furniture you’re restoring, and this piece was special to me, but I have no room for it in my new home. I want you to have it.” 

WHAT?! I know, right?! I was so grateful for her kindness, and returned to pick it up on her moving day. I must admit it has sat in my workshop for probably over a year. It had been varnished and it is made from some kind of oak, so I had the hardest time deciding whether to paint it all or just the frame and leave the drawers, or just the base and not the top – argh! Decisions. Even though this piece is old, I could tell by its craftsmanship that it wasn’t the most valuable piece of furniture. It is structurally sound, and has aged well, but I finally plucked up the courage to show her some Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint love!

She did come with a mirror fixed to the top with a back board trim, but the mirror had some age spots so I’ve taken it off for a neater look.

Farmhouse White & a Stencil Named Nancy:

We sanded her back to raw wood on top and simply used Miss Mustard Seed’s Antiquing Wax to finish it. Just rub it on with a wax brush, wipe off any excess and then buff to a lovely sheen!

Then I mixed up some Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in one of my favourite neutrals: Farmhouse White. You can get some tips on mixing Milk Paint here. I painted the entire base of the dresser and the drawers in this colour.

I wanted to dress the drawers up a little, so I used one of Miss Mustard Seed’s brand new hand painted stencils, “Nancy”, to add some dimension to the drawers. I used this month’s Colour of the Month, Trophy, for the stencil. Learn some key tips for stencilling in my blog post HERE, so you don’t mess up those edges!

What would you call her?

And here she is all pretty, but without a name … don’t you think she needs one? I’m open to suggestions. What would you call her? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.

More awesome news from Miss Mustard Seed:

Look what I just found out! Did you know that Marian Parsons – aka Miss Mustard Seed – has just released her brand new inspirational adult colouring book?!

Marian says, “I had such a fun time designing the quilt squares, trying to be inventive, but rooted in traditional designs as well. Some of the designs are intricate, others are moderate, and a few are very simple.  The idea is that you can pick the page depending on your mood or the amount of time you have for that coloring session!  We also talked about the idea of kids wanting to color in “mom’s book”.  Some of the simple pages would be perfect to “share” with your budding artists.”

How cool is that?! You can find it on Amazon here.

BUT WAIT, there’s more – I also saw this … and I want one:

Here’s the back: This would be so awesome to collect and paste in inspirational pics, journal, sketch and get creative about my own home decorating ideas! I’m not sure where else they may be available, but I saw that they are listed as the #1 New Release in Amazon’s Interior Painting & Wallpapering section. You’re welcome! 😉 Here’s the link for more info:

The Home Design Doodle Book – with Marian Parsons