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My recent trip to the Springfield Extravaganza Flea Market inspired this post. There is a monthly flea market at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield, OH, and they host the Extravaganza twice a year (May and September). It is a flea market, plus vintage and artisan makers of crafts, furniture, decor, and just about anything you could want or need. It’s been a few years since I have gone, but I have quite a few treasures over the years. I thought I would share 4 ways we have repurposed some of our vintage finds!
Why Repurpose?
I love old things (hence our 100-year-old home). They have history and tell a story. I love that in several of the design styles that I love the most (coastal, farmhouse, and industrial) that they each can make something old look incredibly beautiful if used the right way, even if it is a little crusty and worn.
There is something to be said about the details in older items. They have intricate patterns and timeless lines. The colors, or lack thereof, in any piece, can make a room feel cozy and inviting. I am a sucker for anything with a rich patina.
VINTAGE and repurposed decor
You can make just about anything a piece of decor these days. And with something that is older and has a story to it, it becomes a focal piece.
Here are a few items we’ve purchased over the years at the Extravaganza and beyond, and what we use them for today.
Extra Touches
In our dining room, we have a corner with this vintage-looking cabinet. Rory actually made this on-demand when I wanted additional storage.
The drawer knobs are actually old glass doorknobs that I found at Extravaganza. They were unused for a while until they found their home in this cabinet.
The 2 items hanging on the wall are painted tin tiles. They have moved to various walls in our house until landing here. I like how the wall color brings out the slight patina on the tiles.
Here’s a closer look at both of these items.
Simple But Beautiful
We have a few vintage finds tucked into the decor of our front room. First is the decor right next to our entryway.
The shelf here has 2 vintage pin insulators. What on earth is a pin insulator, you may ask? It was something used on telephone poles to keep the wires from touching the wood or metal that was holding them up. They used to make them in beautiful shapes and shades of glass to tell the different types of wires that were being used. Check out this link to see how cool they are!
Most of the colors remind me of coastal decor and sea glass. There was a manufacturer in Cincinnati, so you can find these all over vintage markets in Ohio.
Now that we’ve dropped a little knowledge on you, let’s look a little closer at these beauties.
Practical Purposes
Back in the day, most storage devices were made of some form of lightweight metal. This made it durable to hold and carry heavier things. These storage devices have stood the test of time and aged beautifully. Here’s how we have used a few Extravaganza finds in our home.
In our front room, we use this vintage olive bucket to hold a dried floral arrangement. These buckets were made to harvest and clean olives. The slits allowed them to strain water through once the olives had been picked.
You can really use these for just about anything! We’ve folded up blankets, filled them with toys, you name it! Once our front yard hydrangea exploded with blooms, I could not get enough so I started drying and arranging them here.
This old wash bucket found a home in our half bathroom. We use it to keep a stock of toilet paper handy in the bathroom. It is a small space, with no cabinet, so this was a add a little vintage/industrial flair while giving us a much-needed storage solution.
You could really use this to store just about anything! Towels, books, toys, and pillows. It all depends on where you need it most and where you have the space. A little creativity goes a long way when you are searching for a vintage find like this! Sometimes you just like the look as I did and you find a place for it once you get it home.
Outdoor
The last piece of decor that we purchased at the Extravaganza was this wooden frame. It mimics a classic window frame. While I believe it was made by the dealer selling it, they finished it with a distressed painted look, and that was. I debated on hanging this both indoors and outdoors, but because it was so big, I thought the exterior wall of my oasis was the best spot.
Repurposed Lighting
Some of our favorite repurpose ideas for our vintage treasures have been for lighting. We just recently finished adding the lighting to our mudroom stairs. I knew I wanted some swing arm lamps, but when I saw these two lights at the Extravaganza they stopped me in my tracks.
We have 2 small sets of stairs and these lights are exactly what I was looking for. They are still quite crusty, but we did wipe off some of the major dirt and grime. Rory attached them to a metal face plate and wired them into the wire. I LOVE these lights.
We also used an item we purchased to serve as our pendant for our front porch. This cage sphere is a pale green patina, with some white chipped paint, and touch. of rust on the side. I think it will be better suited with an Edison bulb, but it still gives a cool vibe to our front entry.
vintage finds In The Garden
With my love of the outdoors and planting, I certainly could put many vintage finds to use. A few of our favorites include this small trough bucket. I use it as a planter from spring through fall. It’s empty now but will have some new flowers soon.
I also found a use for some pretty egg baskets. These were used to collect eggs from chickens in a hen house. They are rusted, and chipped with white paint. I have recently started using them to set smaller planters for a rustic look.
reimagined Furniture
Last, but not least, the thing that started my trips to the Extravaganza. I first went because I was in search of old furniture that I could refinish. I was looking for something that needed reviving or a second chance at life!
My first find was this half-round table. It was in our dining room until recently when I put it up for sale on FB Marketplace. I had a moment of hesitation when selling it, but the new owner absolutely loved it when we met.
It was originally a dark brown stain. I used my newfound love for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, at that time to make my first shabby chic piece.
This chair was from a set of 4, and sadly the only one that survived. They were in pretty bad shape when we picked them up from a 4th of July Flea Market. I loved the cane look of the legs and seat back. It came with a gross white damask-type fabric that I replaced with this fun green Ikat print that matched the color of our built-in office desk.
The biggest project we took on came from a hutch top, converted into a tv cabinet. To start, it would not fit in my car, and I was shopping alone that day. Extravaganza has wonderful valets that will help wheel your larger purchases to your car. Once there you should be on your own.
I struck the jackpot with my valet that day, because not only did he wheel the cabinet to the car, he helped me get it on the roof of my car when it would not fit inside and then waited about 20 minutes as I ran around the flea market trying to find something to secure the cabinet to the roof. After I purchased 8 bungees, we were in business. Rory was so proud of my bungee job to secure this thing to the roof for the 40-mile highway drive.
One More Step
The next roadblock was discovering the paint on the cabinet was indeed lead. I bought a lead testing stick at Home Depot, just to be sure. I used a paint stripper and sanded the best I could, then sealed the cabinet with polyurethane to trap in any remaining paint.
Then, I was finally able to put a coat of chalk paint, in the exact worn-out spots as the cabinet as it was purchased. I then painted the interior a dark aqua-green paint mix. We removed one upper shelf so the tv was fit, and use it in our front room as an extra tv space.
Go Find Your Treasures
I hope this post gives you a little bit of inspiration the next time you have the chance to visit a vintage store or flea market. You just may be able to find the next greatest piece of decor, lighting, furniture, or something for your garden! Happy Shopping!
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