Welcome to biyt! - Inaugural post

Welcome to biyt's inaugural post! I'm looking forward to showing you my love of all things vintage, by posting about my refinished furniture projects and the vintage decor items that I find for my Etsy shop. I'll pass on some hints and tips about sourcing, buying and transforming long forgotten pieces that will brighten up your home without blowing your budget, and I will share some lovely vintage products from other Australian sellers out there. It's a work in progress so I hope you'll join me on the journey. Lisa xx

Vintage Dressing Table Transformation

There is just something so exciting about seeing potential in a piece of furniture that no-one looks twice at in its original state. I was browsing through this auction house a couple of months ago and came across this little beauty sitting under a heap of bric-a-brac , it did have a mirror but it was damaged and I forgot to take a photo of it before removing it.

At first glance it wasn't much, but on closer inspection I was really taken with the decorative mouldings on the drawer corners and the very attractive feet.

So it looked pretty but what really sold me was the dovetail drawers and the solid quality of the piece. I was the lucky bidder...yay!...actually there were only two of us bidding...still yay!

I couldn't wait to get it home and try out some newly purchased milk paint on it.

First job though was to remove the mirror and purchase some moulding to cover the screw holes at the back of the drawers and provide a nice back feature. I usually learn things the hard way but on this occasion I remembered to put something between the clamp and the wood so it wouldn't mark, some styrofoam did the trick nicely.

This is the paint I was looking forward to trying out. It is Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in a tricycle red. I purchased it from the US here but I am looking for a similar product here in Australia...so far I'm yet to find one that has the range of colours and the economical price...please let me know if you know of a local milk paint supplier.

The beauty of this paint is that it comes in a powder form that is mixed with water (economical for postage) and it requires little or no sanding and doesn't require priming, and only 30 to 60 minutes rest between coats. This was the first time I'd used it after a lot of Internet research. It was sooooo easy to mix and apply!

You may notice my lovely workroom...yep that's right it's actually my kitchen! Having a small home I paint wherever I can find some room, particularly in the winter when the weather is inclement. I chose the kitchen this time because I read that this milk paint is eco-friendly and non-toxic. I found its odour to be very low and although I had the exhaust fan on I felt quite comfortable painting inside.

Once the two coats were on and dry I finished the piece with the same company's dark antiquing wax. It polished up a treat. I was very happy with how it turned out!