Gypsy Pink's Debut

When the opportunity arose to partner with the folks at 

THE REAL MILK PAINT COMPANY

to create our own Limited Edition Color Collection,

we were elated and so excited!

They're super nice folks

and so fun to work with!

(They've been sponsors of ours for several months!) 

We exclusively use their milk paint because we really love it that much...

so the chance to develop our own colors was a dream come true!

As you are probably aware, we LOVE color...

so narrowing the field to five or six was difficult

We focused on the colors we always WISH we had

and end up mixing ourselves...

Our most requested color formula?

Hot Pink

So it was a NO-BRAINER to make that our first color!

It's rich, very saturated and vibrant...

Allow me to introduce you to 

Gypsy Pink

Available in Pint, Quart, and Gallon sizes

through our

Etsy Shop

and available soon from 

The Real Milk Paint Company

More vibrant, saturated hues coming soon! 

Trading Junk

We bought a set today that wasn't quite up to our standard of quality

It was Broyhill, circa 1981

that composite type of faux bamboo...

had a great look

We're so particular about quality 

but it was a great price and in terrific shape

I know the picker down the way from us at the studio 

would be able to make some money on it, 

so I bought it and traded him for some things I wanted...

 first and foremost, this dresser with two mirrors

 Mirrors are coming off, and of course, it's all getting painted

I have a vision for this...such a departure for me from what I usually want to paint!

Thinking glossy, vibrant color and shiny hardware

We also got a beautiful side chair and a Chinoiserie headboard

(sorry, no pics!)

So we ended up doing pretty well!

Milk Paint Madness (Color Madness, that is!)

It's no secret, we're BIG fans of color...

one of our favorite styles is to put a vibrant, "in your face" color

on an unexpected piece of furniture...

Although we LOVE the glossy look of lacquered pieces

in bright colors,

there is something really appealing about a 

more rustic finish...

It's unexpected and really grabs your attention, you know?

And while we LOVE a variety of paints, each has their best use...

Nothing achieves this rustic, distressed finish like Milk Paint

So you can imagine our JOY when 

we had the opportunity to create a custom line of colors

with The Real Milk Paint Company

The colors are Limited Edition 

and will be available for order through 

Stiltskin Studios and Real Milk Paint Co.

Keep an eye on our Blog for updates on the colors

as they are released, but let us just say

they are vibrant, saturated, and GORGEOUS!

In the meanwhile,

here's a bit of color inspiration

that shares the same vibrant tones

Photos courtesy of Pinterest

You can find these images, as well as more glorious color inspiration

on our Board

Diversifying

It seems whenever I start *whining* about not finding anything wonderful, 

I find a ton of great stuff...

(maybe I should whine more often!)

We expanded our repertoire, so to speak

beyond French and Cottage

I've been smitten with Hollywood Regency lately

High gloss finishes, bold colors

Chinoiserie

and even some Mid-Century Modern

Of course, we still love Frenchy goodness

and the comforting appeal of Farmhouse pieces

Here's a sampling of the newest pieces we purchased this weekend..

lots of variety!

(excuse the seller's photos!)

 Gorgeous Drexel Touraine III Bedroom Suite

 Super sweet little Cottage/Farmhouse dresser

 Hollywood Regency Glam meets Chinoiserie

Love the details on this piece

And this little bit of Mid Century goodness

(diggin' the hardware so much!)

Watch for lots of new listings all week

As you  can see, it will be a little bit of this, a little bit of that!

Common Sense

It's no secret...

we paint furniture

Now, we also appreciate furniture...

all styles from all eras

We appreciate the craftsmanship

the details, the wood...all of it

We exercise good judgement when selecting a piece to paint

Pristine Tiger Oak?

Not getting painted.

Marquetry or inlays that can be saved?

Not getting painted.

A tabletop that can be salvaged?

Not getting painted.

We intentionally seek out the damaged, distressed, troubled furniture...

you know, the stuff stumbling down the road to ruin 

or perhaps gasping it's last breath

We're not painting fine, precious antiques here, folks. 

So, you see, it annoys me to NO end

when people comment about how we should NOT paint this or that

How do YOU know we shouldn't?

Are you looking at the damage? 

Do you see the chipping, peeling veneer?

Nope. 

You're just looking at a snapshot

 The quick snapshot you see doesn't show all the details...

I've been told more than once that we are "ruining" antiques...

no sweetie, we aren't! 

The person that allowed it to arrive at it's current "before" state ruined it

We are giving it CPR!

We take SUCH good care of each piece...

we sand and restain inside every drawer

clean them up till they sparkle

then lovingly apply a gorgeous finish befitting of the pieces' history 

And here is the part that I REALLY don't understand...

It's just paint!

It comes off!

The wood is still there!!  

So if you are a wood lover

(we do love beautiful wood!)

think before you speak

and know that, at least in our studio,

nothing precious or with great provenance

is getting painted 

Give us some credit, will ya??

 

A Successful Day Shopping

My "big" plan for today was to go to some sourcing on my own

(sourcing = pickin'...I just hate that word)

while Kenny finished spraying two dressers that are getting a lacquered finish

The weather had other plans, however, and the humidity was crazy high

The painting got put on hold, and we both took off to shop..

(which is great, because it also means lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant)

Here's what we found:

(and a few other pieces I'm not sharing yet!)

A pair of crushed velvet Tangerine tufted heaboards (twin size)

Not sure if I'm going to recover or just steam clean

The velvet is in great shape and I sort of dig the color

I can picture it in a girls room, paired with cranberry or aqua

This King size caned French Provincial headboard

( I see a rich, glossy color in it's future!)

This gorgeous pair of nightstands with great details

solid, heavy wood

AND...

(drum roll please....)

The gorgeous matching dresser!

Beautiful, right?  

Looking forward to painting these pieces!

What color/colors would YOU paint this dresser and nightstands?

Paper Street Market

Our friends, Sean and Celesta

are the proprietors of the coolest shop...

Paper Street Market

Now, you might assume we love their shop because they are our friends...

but we became friends AFTER we fell in love with their shop

because the shop,and the owners, are awesome

Paper Street Market is hard to describe...

it's like a hodge-podge collection

of things you didn't realize you wanted

but now MUST have

A super cool, hip collection of vintage goodies...

Things you're unlikely to see anywhere else

Eclectic and fun, the merch at PSM 

doesn't take itself too seriously

 A giant S for Stiltskin Studios!

Mixed in with painted pieces

(drive around back and you'll likely catch Sean painting...

most pieces never even make it to the sales floor!)

PSM also stocks the full line of CeCe Caldwell Paints

Lucky me, I won a quart of paint on FB

and today, I claimed my prize...

Emerald Isle

If you find yourself in St. Petersburg

make sure you swing by PSM

You'll be REALLY glad you did! 

Not close?

You can follow them on FB

Tell them a little birdie sent you :0)