Ahhh, red. It’s classic, timeless and eye-catching!

While we have been revamping our color palette, we decided to add a few more shades of red to round our collection. We’ll share them throughout the next few months with you as they become available.

Today, we wanted to share that our original shade of red, Tricycle, is being re-released in our new natural, non-toxic, no VOC, food-contact safe formula!

The Color Inspiration For Tricycle

When Miss Mustard Seed® first developed the MilkPaint™ line, she envisioned a red that tied into her love for all things vintage and antique. What better source could there be than a vintage child’s tricycle?

It’s the color of Radio Flyer wagons and the rough textured wood of a barn. Tricycle looks absolutely lovely when topped with our MilkWax™ - Antiquing. It quiets down the vibrant red, giving a gorgeous aged effect.

If you want Tricycle to really sing, then use our MilkOil™ - Indoor/Hemp Seed Oil to make it rich and deep.

Tips For Working With Tricycle

Tricycle is one of our more tricky colors to use. Because of it’s highly pigmented nature, it can get a bit messy. We’ve got some tips to help your Tricycle project go smoothly.

Lay Down A Sheet Of Paper First

We recommend laying down some sort of protective paper, cardboard, shop towel or drop cloth before you begin your project - especially if you’re working indoors on carpet. Tricycle powder is highly pigmented and can stain if it spills onto fabric or carpet.

Having a piece of butcher paper, wax paper or newspaper will help keep your surface (and floor) clean and make clean up a breeze!

Use MilkMix-EZ™

Tricycle’s finely ground powder creates a lot of surface tension with the water you’ll use to mix it. In other words, it will take a bit longer for the powder to dissolve into the water because it will resist being combined at first.

That’s where our MilkMix-EZ™ Anti Foaming Agent comes into play!

Add 1 or 2 drops to your mixing container, and watch as everything comes together right before your eyes!

Use A Battery Operated Mixer Or Lidded Jar To Mix

To cut down your stirring time, use a battery operated mixer (like the kind you use for frothing milk). It’ll do the work for you and give your hands a break!

You can also place your powder, water and MilkMix-EZ™ into a lidded jar (like a washed out jelly jar) and give it a good shake. It’s a lot easier (and let’s face it, more fun) to shake your MilkPaint™ like a margarita! Plus, because you added in the MilkMix-EZ™, there won’t be any bubbles!

When you’re finished mixing using whichever method you prefer, let your Tricycle MilkPaint™ rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, shake or stir again. This will make sure there isn’t any unincorporated powder laying on the bottom of your container. It’s kind of like mixing brownie batter!

Let Your Paint Brush Soak Afterwards

We have found that when you use Tricycle, your paint brush may need a few rounds of cleaning. We like using a grease-cutting soap, like Dawn®. Wash it a few times to get the majority of the paint off the bristles. Then, let your brush soak for a few hours in water. This will loosen any remaining pigment.

Check with your local retailer to see if our new formula is available for purchase. Many of our retailers sell online too, so if there isn’t one in your neck of the woods, consider filtering our list of retailers by those that sell online!

Finally, make sure you share all of your Tricycle projects with us on social media.

We love seeing what you’re up to!