Reuse & Repurpose: Totally Rubbish

A pretty lady in a cowboy hat came to see me at a party that Theresa at Garden Antqs Vintage threw during the recent Texas Antiques Week to celebrate The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details. The hatted lady introduced herself as Donna Fussell and invited me to drop by her booth, Reborn Rubbish, at the nearby Hillcrest Inn.

So with book in tow, and The Vintage Laundress, LeAnn Stephenson, leading the way, we trudged off the following day and happily weeded our way through tables laden with fabulous finds, odd knickknacks, unusual "junque" and funny gee-gaws, until we spied Donna from the night before arranging her wonderful wares on the wooden front porch of the inn.

Donna, quite simply, is a master of repurposing, taking vintage objects and whimsically breathing fresh life into them. Nothing she offers is too complicated or too tricky, but what she proves is that a fresh eye and a mind full of ideas can turn one person's castoff into another's pride and joy.

Take for instance this silver tray and toile covered table. Basically, you could take any type of tray, silver, tin, plastic or wood, and paint it with blackboard paint to create a fabulous message board. And the lowly wooden table gets a beauty school makeover with an application of glorious toile paper.

Hanging from the ceiling is a fanciful wind chime/candle holder that's fashioned out of an old bottle that was cut and etched.

Nearby this tinkling treasure was a vignette absolutely teeming with innovative re-purposing ideas. A coppery metal base of an old Victorian lamp becomes the perch for a porcelain bird; a vintage church hymnal is decoupaged onto the surface of a glass vessel, and a wooden, Irish spool is smudged with a bit of pink paint and turned into a pedestal for a precious pair of antique baby shoes.

Everything in the booth had a re-purposed polish, from the crystal candle holder that's artfully affixed to a patina-packed table leg to handmade doilies carefully attached to make apparel pieces. There's no rubbish left here! It's all become a treasure-seekers dream.

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

The Elegant Thrifter

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The Object of My Desire: Take a Spin

While perusing the wares sprawled out for miles around during the recent Texas Antiques Week, I was captivated by this vintage stadium turnstile sitting among rusty old wheels and metal scraps in the middle of a field.

Even though this model probably dates back to 1950s, it still brought back so many memories of summer fun: waiting in line for a ride at Worlds of Fun, walking through the front entrance of the Kansas City Zoo, or even attending a Kansas City Royals game with my family. And I'm sure I even got into some turnstile trouble a time or two for hanging on the revolving arms or irritating my sister by trapping her inside. You know how kids are.

I think the vendor was only asking about $65 for this incredible piece, but I couldn't imagine hauling it back to New York where this lovely metal piece was made many years ago. And once I got it back North, what would I do with it? I don't have so many guests that I need to control the crowd. Hmmm, could I fix the turning device and make it into a table? Or could it be electrified and refashioned into a chandelier?

I passed on this glorious, eggshell blue memory maker, and when I went to visit it the next day, it had spun away with someone else! I wasn't disappointed, for I got to give it whirl in a field in the middle of Texas -- and take it's picture in this unusual locale. Now what are the chances of that ever happening again?

The Elegant Thrifter

Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!

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