Chalk & Milk Paint Tips & Techniques. Helpful How-to’s & DIYs

Hello Little Star & Little Stork — Painting for Kids with Fusion's Tones For Tots

26/5/2016

I had barely come down from the high of winning the Fusion Custom Colour Mixing Contest when I was contacted to participate in a sneak-preview of the brand new Fusion Mineral Paint collection for kids, Tones For Tots.

Ohhhhh babbbyyyy.....I am ALL IN!

A little background on this awesome new range — Tones For Tots was created after the arrival of Fusion president Jennylyn Pringle's son Taylor. The seven new colours are cute enough to be inspired by favourite nursery rhymes but tough enough to pass rigorous testing and be declared safe for use on children's furniture and toys.

"We at Fusion™ wanted to develop a paint that was TRULY zero VOC and non-toxic for you and your loved ones," explains Jennylyn. "Through years of development we have achieved this without sacrificing quality and durability. Fusion is a best-in-class paint that features an environmentally and health conscious formulation."

tones-for-tots-natural-nursery-australia

If you know me, you know I'm a happy-chappy when painting with bright colours!

I fell in instant love with Little Star and the gorgeously complementary colour, Little Stork for my sneak-peek blogging project!

Here is Fusion's description of Little Star:
Add a large dose of sunshine to any piece with this punchy yellow.
As vibrant as a summer day,
this pop of colour quickly becomes the center of attention.

And Little Stork is described as:
The perfect warm shade of lavender.
A gentle match-made-in-heaven blend of purple and light grey.

The very same day my trial Tones For Tots paint arrived, I happened to be contacted by the most wonderful woman about one of my other favourite things — free furniture!

It was like my two perfect worlds collided — free furniture and new paint!

Here is the result...

And here is how it all came about...

It began with a borrowed ute, a rented trailer and a couple hours wondering what happened to the "furniture fast" I was meant to be on?!

But look at her. Pretty special, right? She needed some repair that included reattaching a foot screwing glueing and clamping the back panel into place and finding hinges and a stay.

She was obviously upholstered originally as there were tacks and nails still on the lid. I filled in some of the mess of the hard-carved channel on top. But it's me, so I prefer to leave a bit of the history and imperfection behind.

Before: A timber glory chest with carved detail and Queen Anne feet

Brand New Tones For Tots range

Little Stork

Little Star

The entire trunk was lightly sanded before the inside was painted in Little Stork.

I felt the lovely carved detail and Queen Anne feet needed preserving so the base was taped off with painters tape for a nice straight line when painting.

Three coats of Little Stork inside and three coats of Little Star outside.

The stain on the trunk was quite dark so three coats was needed for solid coverage. I originally planned to distress the finish but changed my mind as I saw the paint come to life. Really, I should've followed my own advice and used Concealer (formerly Colour Blocker) but I was having fun playing with this stunning colour so I didn't really think!

Remember, with all Fusion Paint you need a minimum of 12 hours between coats.

Next up Fusion Tough Coat Sealer was used to decoupage the inside of the trunk and lid. I appreciate any product that has multiple uses. Simply brush Tough Coat onto the surface as well as the front and back of the paper ...easy done!

Tough Coat Sealer can also be used for Mod Podge

An additional element of the new Tones For Tots range are the cute-as stencils that complement the collection.

This TO THE MOON Stencil begged to be used, the chest has the perfect little front panel and Fusion Metallic in Bronze brought the ideal amount of shimmer and sparkle to the project.

Tones For Tots TO THE MOON Stencil, $40

Putting the final touches, there's always a bit of paint to tidy. It's nice to give whatever you are working on a "once-over" before considering it finished!

One of the best things about the beautiful new Tones for Tots range is peace of mind.

Because babies and young children are more susceptible to the health risks associated with VOCs, Fusion Mineral Paint is lead free, phlalate free, formaldehyde free, ammonia free, virtually odourless and contain zero VOCs.

Fusion believes in the integrity of their paint and products, therefore Tones for Tots complies with both the lead and phlalate restrictions of the Toy Safety Standards of North America and Europe, as well as the ASTM D4236 LHAMA safety labelling requirements. You can read the fine print here.