Monica and I both went to the Dublin Fire Co. annual flea market last week (went the same day, but not together. Boo!) This was the first flea market I had been to where I was actually looking for items to repurpose. I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted, but also found a few other things that just begged to come home with me. I went with my mom, and she is a great person to go with because she, like me, can see potential in anything! (It’s one of the perks of being an eternal optimist).

I got this awesome Pier 1 vase/urn for $5 (regularly $30) and it now graces my mantel.

One of the other things I purchased was an old workbench/sawhorse thingy. This was a little bit of a risk for me- I had an idea of where I would put it, but wasn’t sure it would work out. But for $20, I knew I could use it somewhere!

That little beauty fit perfectly in my entryway! I had been wanting something to make that space a little more welcoming (and I little less “go away”-like, as Monica says), and this fit the bill. I can’t get enough of the color, either.

Good, sturdy legs, huh?

This large pitcher caught my eye on the first table I went to. It was very country-looking with it’s red and white checker pattern (sorry, no before pictures, but trust me, it’s much better this way), but a little Rustoleum Painter’s Touch spray paint in glossy white took care of that.  I filled it with pussy willows from a local garden center and now it looks like it was meant to sit on that bench all along, and I just led it home.

Over on the other side I stacked a few books and an old lantern of my grandmothers. I love having a few of her things in my home as a way to remember her. That cute little plant is from Ikea and the mug was from a friend. (Thanks, Lindsey S. It’s getting good use!)

On a side note, the pictures have made me hate the color of paint on our walls in the entry even more than I already did. When we moved into this house, the walls were peach. Like literally peach. We said goodbye to those as soon as we could, but lo and behold, the color I picked to replace it has a pink undertone, as well. Definitely the color of swine. (Melissa, at the Inspired Room, dealt with an entire house of swine, and I realized that this is the PERFECT description of my color). Blech! It will be a nice, non-swine, beige soon. Add that to the never-ending to-do list for my hubs. Poor guy.

Some of you may be wondering about the frame hanging above the new bench vignette. My hubs and I made this out of reclaimed barn wood (my father-in-law has a treasure trove of barn wood in his barn. Go figure. 🙂 Kevin cut the picture holes (is that the right word?) and then mounted another board to the back that I painted black, so that I could attach the pictures to it. I then painted the entire frame black, then painted it again in a brick red color with a thick bristle brush and minimal paint so that it looked a bit distressed. Finally, I added the phrase that I bought from Uppercase Living to it. I am so in love with this frame, it’s not even funny.

Speaking of reclaimed barn wood, I have two big pieces ready to be made into frames (one holds four pictures, and the other holds one picture). If you’re interested in purchasing one, send me an email to let me know. You can totally customize the color and phrase. This piece never fails to get lots of “wows”, so if you want one in your home, give a holla!

Happy Monday,