HOW TO: achieve the "chippy" look with milk paint

First, let me start out by saying, these piece are still not finished... they are in my master half way done. This is because I wasn't pleased with the color. So I plan to strip them down and start over. BUT I would still like to go over the step by step for anyone who is considering doing a piece in MMS (Miss Mustard Seed milk paint) and would like to achieve the "chippy" look.

First, I started with the undercoat of a darker blue (Flow Blue by MMS) I would hoping to duplicate her technique using Vaseline to have the darker colors show through like natural distressing.

I only painted the pieces of the dresser I planned to apply the vaseline, because I cut corners from time to time and really I didn't have enough paint.

Then, because I like to jump around a bit, I sanded the tops.

Once this coat dried, I applied the light color (French Enamel by MMS) WITHOUT the bonding agent to the pieces of the dresser I wanted to chip. It began to react very quickly, as you can see below.

You can see the color difference below, halfway into my adventure, I realized I didn't have vaseline. A perfect example of why you should check for that kind of thing in advance. I attempted to use Vicks... don't. Didn't work.

After I was completed with that, I added the bonding agent to the paint and proceed to finish the top coat of the night stands. The color appeared thin... so I attempted to paint a second coat with a new batch of paint.

At which point I quickly learned that I did not add enough bonding agent to the second coat, and the dresser began to chip rapidly. I could not apply the wax fast enough! I ended up needing to peel back a good portion of the paint and reapply.

Quite disappointed to spend so much time, only to have them not match! ): The french enamel is much brighter and more "aqua" then I anticipated. I was hoping for a "french blue" that was more ashy.

Stay tuned for the new color I have picked out!!