We are so pleased to introduce you to February's MMSMP Featured Artisan.Everyone, please meet Jodie of Crooked Tree Studio!Jodie specializes in creating gorgeous woodscapes using salvaged lumber and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. We first saw her work on Instagram and we just had to know more about her and her business.Jodie’s  friend thought up the name "Crooked Tree " when they had an idea about 7 years ago to start a home décor business together.  Jodie agreed the name Crooked Tree had the character needed for the recycled and salvaged product they wanted to make. Shortly after planning out their business, their husbands both changed careers and they ended up moving to different parts of the country, away from each other. Jodie kept Crooked Tree Studio going in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and the name stuck!Jodie had her children at a young age, and chose to homeschool them. Throughout that time, she was always making, painting, building and thrifting whenever she had the opportunity. As her children grew older, Jodie had more time on her hands and started selling furniture and doing markets. While prepping for one of the markets she was attending, she made a bunch of flower boxes to sell.  She pieced the leftover wood scraps together to make her very first woodscape wall hanging!Jodie's woodscapes were the most popular items in her booth at that market, and she got requests for more. Crooked Tree's woodscapes took off from there! Now she uses salvaged old fencing or deck wood to make her lovely creations.Jodie and her family have been lucky enough to live in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies for the past several years and God’s beautiful creation surrounds her every time she steps outside. She draws a lot of her inspiration from the Creator Himself. When she looks at what God has designed and crafted - the abundance of green shades in the forests, the incredible blues of the mountain lakes, the flowing rivers and of course, the majestic backdrop of the Rockies, Jodie's creative juices start to flow!Jodie designs and finishes all of her creations, but she has a lot of support and help along the way. Her husband works as a firefighter and is a Red Seal Carpenter as well so knows his way around a workshop. He has taught her woodworking skills and pitches in when the table saw needs to be used. (That's not Jodie's favorite part!)Jodie's father is a retired high-school shop teacher and a carpenter, so he has taught her a lot of “tricks of the trade.”  She heads out to his workshop in the Kootenays when she gets the chance and they together. His experience is invaluable!Jodie's son is apprenticing to become a carpenter as well, so when he isn’t framing houses, he will pop in and lend a hand building when it gets busy. Jodie's daughter packs and ships parcels and helps keep all of the paperwork organized. She also pitches in at market events.Crooked Tree Studio started all over Jodie's house - in the basement, on the kitchen table, etc. She wanted to use a paint product that was safe to use indoors, which led her to Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. She loves not having to worry about fumes filling up the house and using a paint that washes up easily.Because Jodie uses a lot of salvaged wood when creating her pieces, milk paint is the perfect pairing. She can easily distress it and she loves the warm weathered feeling it provides. Jodie also loves that she can mix the colors to create whatever shade she wants! She has to control to make her milk paint colors translucent or opaque with the addition of more powder or water.Jodie also is fond of our Hemp Oil. It's a perfect way to seal everything in, and she can add depth or a lime wash look as needed with our Antiquing Wax and White Wax.We always ask our Featured Artisans what advice they would give to someone who has never used Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint before. Here is what Jodie had to say:

"Using MMSMP can be intimidating at first because it is different than other paint you may get in a can. Other paint is what it is, meaning you get the color on the little square you asked for - end of story. MMSMP can be thickened, thinned, blended with other colors, layered, distressed, oiled, waxed, etc. It has a personality and flexibility! If you want painting to be an adventure, not a chore, using MMSMP is the way to go. Once I figured out the proper amount of water to add to the powder to get the look I was after, it all just came together! There are many amazing tutorials online, if that is the best way you learn, or if you are like me, and just want to get a bag, start mixing and painting and learn as you go, that can be a lot of fun too!"

If you are interested in learning more about Crooked Tree Studio, you can find Jodie's works on her website at CrookedTreeStudio.ca or by emailing hello@crookedtreestudio.ca for custom requests. You can follow Jodie and keep up to date on Crooked Tree Studio's creations on Instagram, Facebook, or on her website.

Do you know an artisan who is using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in creative and unique ways? We'd love to hear about them! Send an email to hello@mmsmilkpaint.com and we'll get them featured!