Flea Market Flip: Finding Fabulous

Turning trash to treasure isn't just for the particularly eco-chic anymore. Now you too can become a do-it-yourselfer with some tips, the right tools, and some inspiration from these creative crafters.

by Kristin Baver

September 26, 2014

1:40 PM

photo by Rose Rossello, Rossello Photography

ReStoration Nation

Renovation work is not for the faint of heart, but Linda Lori's years of working on old homes and helming a children's clothing line in the 80s have given her the tools to tackle almost any project (and a paint collection that requires its own room). Maybe that's why her philosophy on creating beauty from what would otherwise be discarded is so fearless.

Lori, who teaches repurposing workshops at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore in Temple, revels in what others might see as a hopeless case. Bring her your tired, your broken down, your roughed-up furniture. “The more battered they are the better,” she says. “That’s what makes the challenge the most rewarding.”

Lori's passion for the distinct began when she was bitten by the antique bug as a teen, and it continued into adulthood as she worked in home restoration. “I had eventually learned how to work with wood, paint, stone, tile, wallpaper, tools...you name it,” she says. “When I come up against something that I can’t personally make work, I find someone who knows how to. The learning process never ends.”

She brings that gusto and her wealth of knowledge to her monthly classes at ReStore, where students start with a pile of supplies and go home with their own “wonderful, unique and functional piece” a few hours later. The shop is also where Lori gets many of her own project supplies. “They have some great finds for upcycling that you probably won’t find at a flea market,” Lori says. “I just picked up a load of old broken up pallet wood and lattice that was headed for the dumpster.” After some brainstorming, she'll find a way to reimagine the rough materials into an upcoming class project.

Shabby Chic

Ellie Vanderbeck credits her mother for teaching her how to see past a peeling paint job and musty upholstery to really see the “bones of a piece.” She still uses that wisdom when she's scouring for her next big repurposing project.

The owner of Ain't too Shabby, which has showroom space inside Junk to Jazz in Shillington, became a DIY entrepreneur serendipitously. When her brother, an antiques auctioneer, invited her to help him clear out his Cape May summer home, she jumped at the chance. Whatever he was ready to toss, she salvaged, heaping a truck full and hauling it to her Muhlenberg garage. “I felt like we were like Sanford and Son coming back,” she jokes. “I just hate to waste.” Vanderbeck had already taken a refurbishment class at Junk to Jazz, but never had much time to pursue the hobby. Three weeks later, she was laid off from her job as a secretary at Reading Hospital.

Vanderbeck set to work, plucking a bureau from her stash and giving it a fresh blue finish and new glass knobs. The piece was on loan at Junk to Jazz for just a few days before it sold. “I had no idea that that’s how fast it would happen.” Keeping her garage supplied means constant vigilance, scanning yard sales for pieces that have a solid structure — like a table she bought for $5, refinished and sold for $65 the next week — and finding the occasional roadside freebie. “I always just have my eyes open,” she says. “I found three tables in the last month in the trash.”

Once Vanderbeck purchased a table and chairs set that was in such poor condition it was unrecognizable. “I couldn’t even tell it was a dining room table when I saw it,” she says. Despite its dilapidated condition and sagging horsehair seat cushions upholstered in ratty silk, Vanderbeck snapped the set up. Her first attempt at rejuvenating the piece was a disaster. “I hated it. I came in in tears.” She had tried to paint the entire set, but the matte finish and dark hue didn't fit. “I felt like it was ruined.” But with some help from her husband, the top was sanded down past several layers and refinished with stain, and the set became one of her favorite finished products.

Frugal Fashionista

Jeannie Edfort's affinity for vintage textiles has earned her the admiration of a legion of fans, including the undisputed “Queen of Grunge” Courtney Love. The savvy seamstress and deconstructionist takes old fabrics, trims them apart, then reimagines the pieces as contemporary décor and accessories.

Edfort sells her Reading-based “Glory by Jeannie Lee” line via Etsy, where the rock royal snapped up one of Edfort's purses, and also has a home inside Morgantown Market.

She got her start in bridal design, which still makes up the bulk of her business. A bride-to-be approached Edfort to remake her mother's wedding gown into a special accessory for her own big day. “She was looking for someone to use the lace from her mother's wedding gown to make a bolero for her wedding as a surprise to her mother,” Edfort says. Harvesting the delicate lace brought its own set of challenges. “I had to fit the pieces together like a fragile lace puzzle and attach them in such a way that they would hold up during her wedding,” Edfort said. “After that, I began buying up old wedding dresses and taking them apart to make other beautiful things.” For another client, she married three different dresses to create one new wedding gown, with the bodice from an 80s gown, a 70s skirt of dotted Swiss with lace appliques, and a ruffle salvaged from a thrift shop find.

In Edfort's skilled hands, bulky broaches became sparkling napkin rings, dust-collecting salt shakers were strung up to decorate a Christmas tree, and broken China dolls known as Frozen Charlottes were excavated and reborn as necklaces.

Edfort favors thrift shops in her hunt for affordable raw materials, exhuming a gold mine of beautiful fabrics at the local Goodwill to create one of her most beloved pieces — a ruffled bedspread quilt. To gather her materials, Edfort made almost daily excursions and spent long hours ferreting out colorful floral print sheets.

Beginners in Luck

Rejuvenating an old piece can be daunting for newbies, Chris Kimmel knows. The owner of Five & Divine in Wernersville remembers furnishing her first home 20 years ago with a truckload of antique auction deals. “I kept many of the items just like they were because I did not know how to refinish things,” she says. The whole process just seemed like too much hassle and too much of a mess. Then she discovered Chalk Paint, a game changer that left her hooked on repurposing projects, which is now stocked and sold in her shop.

Her fervor for the special paint stems from its simplicity, allowing users to skip sanding and priming if they so choose and head right to the first coat. But it doesn't skimp on effect, with soft and bold hues, an essential step in taking a bland piece of furniture and making it the center of attention. An old doctor's exam table became the focal point greeting patrons entering the shop after Kimmel stripped off its bright blue vinyl padding to reveal the old wood of the unfinished base below. She painted the legs in striking Antibes Green Chalk Paint, swiped the top with a dark wax and left the old nail heads exposed along the edge. “It is now a beauty just inside the front of my store,” she asserts.

Usually Kimmel sticks to more traditional pieces, wooden and laminate décor like tables, dressers and buffets. “I just buy things that I like and then I play with color,” she says, choosing from a rainbow of 31 standard Chalk Paint colors and custom mixes.

Innovative Thinkers

Best friends Melynda Wagner and Brenda Shirk don't embarrass or give up easily, which makes them an unstoppable, innovative repurposing team. As yin and yang, they work together to transform oddities into unique décor. Think a chicken cage-cum-coffee table, just add casters.

After Wagner opened French Creek Boutique in Elverson, the two friends turned their attention toward stocking the shop. “We started by curbside picking and embarrassing a few husbands along the way, as our SUVs and minivans were loaded down,” Wagner says.

Wagner is the picker of the pair, earning the nickname “Dig-a-row” from her mother and shop co-owner Lucinda Royer because of her penchant for hunting. Shirk brings her own Renaissance woman style, as an avid sewer, decorator and painter who's not too shy to wield a reciprocating saw when it’s called for.

Although the pair primarily works with wood pieces, like traditional desks, dressers and shelving units, experimenting is key. When a client needed bedside lighting but had no table space to spare, they came up with a quaint country solution by adding industrial galvanized lamps to a pair of old shutters.

To channel their transformation techniques, start by forgetting everything you think you know about a piece's purpose, Wagner says. “One thing just leads to another when you change your perspective — that's when you can see other opportunities in repurposing things. Take a 'what if' attitude and imagine the possibilities of a piece.” For one project, they saved an old bookcase from the dumpster and equipped it with brushed nickel coat hooks and open storage spaces for its second life as a mud room hall tree. “It looked like it came straight out of the Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware catalog,” Wagner says proudly. “It sold at our boutique in one day.” Another favorite was the chicken cage coffee table, a perfect fit for a fan of distressed, rustic pieces with a wholly one-of-a-kind flair.

Words to the Wise

Ready to tackle your own repurposed project? For beginners, our DIY mavens suggest taking a class to stave off the frustration of going it alone. Junk to Jazz, Five and Divine, ReStore and other local haunts offer one-off courses. Also, Pinterest is about to become your new best friend. “It’s one of the best online sites for upcycling inspiration,” Lori says. “It has thousands of ideas and project tutorials for just about anything you can imagine for beginners through advanced.”

Painting itself may seem simple, but finding the right formulas, choosing a sealant, and learning to apply wax can be tricky, says Vanderbeck, who along with Kimmel favors Annie Sloan's soft Chalk Paint hues and non-toxic bases. They're gentle enough for antique high chairs, which Vanderbeck then seals with hemp oil, the same thing used on cutting boards to make the tray tops safe to eat from.

Estimating the time, effort and cost of a project is difficult without experience. “We usually think, 'yeah, we can knock this out in no time,' and then life happens and the project can just drag on,” warns Wagner. Practice makes perfect and patience and perseverance are key. “When it starts becoming work or stressful, you have to sit back and reevaluate it. It should always be fun,” she adds. “It's still a hobby for us even though I also have a business.”

Stick to your comfort zone and don't try to salvage a large, dilapidated piece if your skill set is more suited for something that only needs a little TLC. And realize that repurposing has limitations, Kimmel says. She steers clear of anything that's completely warped from being exposed to moisture and mildew. Not everything is destined to be remade.

For DIYers who plan to take their wares to market, Edfort advises taking a hard look at budgeting materials. “Make sure you are leaving yourself room to make a profit on your items,” she says, admitting she hasn't always taken her own fiscally sensible advice.

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