Now that spring is here, time to deep clean and redecorate!

Have you always wanted to try and refurbish, reclaim or rejuvenate an existing possession or a new find?

Milk paint may be just what you have been looking for.  It's a simple, fun and versatile way to express yourself and kids can participate too.

Milk is the principal ingredient and it acts like a binder for the pigments-just like polymers do in latex paints and oils do in oil-based paints.  This type of paint has been around forever-it has even been found on ancient Egyptian finds.  It was a favorite of the Colonial settlers and can be used on wood, terracotta and other textured surfaces.  

Materials:

1 lemon

1 quart skim milk

sieve

cheesecloth

4 tablespoons dry pigment

Instructions:

1.  Mix the juice of the lemon with the quart of milk.  Leave it overnight, at room temperature, to curdle.

2.  Line your sieve with cheesecloth and strain the milk mixture.  This will separate the curds from the whey.

3.  Add your dry pigment to the whey (liquid part) (dust from the pigment is likely, so wear a mask!)  Mix thoroughly-it is ready to use

4.  Prep your piece to be painted

5.  Milk paint spoils quickly, so you should use it within a few hours of making it.  The sour smell will disappear when the paint dries.

6.  You can sand or further distress the finish, decopage on it, add a coat of clear crackle finish, antiquing stain or embellish it in  other ways to create a unique and custom piece.