CasaSugar

How-To: Elizabeth Bauer's Flea Marketing Tips

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:00:42 -0700

Interior designer Elizabeth Bauer has a true passion for flea marketing. She loves mixing eras, patterns, colors, and textures, and finds that flea marketing is a great way to find inspiration and great products. Her love of unusual, unique home goods, all things lucite, and feminine finds can be seen in her West Village store Elizabeth Bauer Design. The store is filled with vintage high-end furnishings and accessories for the home, almost all of which are one-of-a-kind, refurbished antiques that reflect her modern eye.

Elizabeth recently shared her favorite flea marketing tips with me. She notes that, "Flea marketing can be very overwhelming if you are not a regular, since there is so much stuff to look at and in no specific organized format."

Eager to hear Elizabeth's tips? Then read more.

Elizabeth Bauer's Flea Marketing Tips

Identify one or two items that you are looking for prior to arriving at the market. For example, I am looking for a great lamp and would like to add to my silver collection. By pinpointing exactly what you want, your eye is already trained to look for these items instead of getting lost in what sometimes can feel like a lot of junk.
Trust your eye. Since there is sometimes so much to choose from at a flea market, it can be very hard to make quick decisions. Always go for what you noticed first. I have missed out on so many great things because I changed my mind at the last minute and, for example, decided to buy the item right next to it only to go back an hour later and find that it was gone! These mistakes have caused me many sleepless nights as I’m always on the lookout for unique finds to sell in my store, Elizabeth Bauer Design.
The early bird gets the worm. If you are a serious collector, you must arrive at the markets early. Chances are you are not the only one out there collecting this certain something. I collect vintage, linen, cocktail napkins and trust me, they go fast! Last week, I arrived 30 minutes later than I normally do, at the Antique Garage, one of my favorite local markets (25th and 6th Ave in NYC), and lost out on a perfect set of six linen napkins with my monogram. They were one of a kind so I will never see them again.
Network with the dealers. If you are looking for something very specific within a certain genre, don't be afraid to ask the dealer if they have what you are looking for. Dealers have so much more than what you are seeing in their booths on any given Sunday morning. I have gotten so many great things this way. Even if they don't have it they may be able to send you to one of their dealer friends in the aisle over.

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Would You Like to Shop Your Favorite Magazine's Closet?

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

This coming weekend, June 6 and 7, as part of its Celebration Weekend, Sunset magazine will be hosting a flea market of sorts at its Menlo Park, CA, campus. They've cleaned out their prop closet, editor's sample closets, and Idea House furnishings and will sell a large selection of home and garden treasures which have appeared in the magazine to you! Prices will range from $1 to $20, and all proceeds will benefit charity.
While I certainly can't pass up a good deal on home décor, and there will be plenty of awesome finds at this sale, a part of me enjoys the hunt too much to shop straight from my design inspiration. How about you?

Before and After: A Tacky Chair Gets an Update

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:00:05 -0800

The other week, I asked you what projects you were working on, and I've got to say, you are all some busy bees. While some of you are painting rooms, stripping cabinets, and arranging home offices, I told you that I was going to reupholster a chair that I found for $2.50 at a flea market. Here's what the chair looked like before I switched out the fabric.

To see how it looks after I reupholstered it, read more.

I used Amy Butler Nigella fabric for the chair. This project took a little more time than I expected, since the back rest had a ton of staples in it. However, I'd gladly reupholster more flea market chairs in the future. I think the difference is really inspiring, and the monetary investment was so small: between the fabric and chair, I spent less than $10. Now that's certainly a way to go beautiful on a budget.

Before and After: Peruvian Pet Stairs

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:00:20 -0700

A celeb client of Danny Seo's had these cringe-worthy dog stairs by her bed, but her pooch couldn't part with them. So, it was unanimously decided that they needed a chic facelift. Seo hopped over to a flea market in Los Angeles, where he picked up a vintage Peruvian rug for around $30. A lot of trimming and stapling later, Seo had reupholsterd the stairs, giving them a bit of cheer and an ethnic vibe. To see the transformation, read more.

Pretty fabulous, right? It just goes to show that there's potential for style in even the most mundane household item.
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Casa Query: Flea Marketing This Weekend?

CasaSugar — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:01:57 -0700

I love a good flea market. Recently, I've been scouring flea markets for blue canning jars and antique planting containers. My favorite part of flea markets, though, is their sense of possibility. You never know what you're going to find. So tell me, are you heading to any flea markets this weekend? If you've recently shopped at one, what did you find? Tell me by commenting below!
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This Just In: Jayson Home & Garden European Flea Market Launches Online

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Today marks the launch of the Jayson Home & Garden European Flea Market online. Thanks to the keen eyes over at Jayson, these rare finds - a mix of timeless European furniture and lighting, antique prints and oil paintings, gilded mirrors, hotel silverware, and more -have made their way from Europe and beyond to Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The market has been running locally there since April 18^th, but that's no fun for non-Illinois folk, so I’m ecstatic to see it all just a click away in my browser. Abbe over at Jayson Home & Garden was nice enough to share photos of the market, which you can get a peek at below.

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To see the rare finds I’m craving the most, read more.
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Have You Been to a Flea Market This Summer?

CasaSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:00:04 -0700

I love getting up early on a Summer weekend to hit the flea markets for treasures. This Summer I've had some great finds, everything from midcentury pottery to diamond-in-the-rough dining chairs. Have you been hitting the flea market this Summer? Source: Flickr User IseFire

DIY: Upgrading a Flea-Market Chandelier

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:30:59 -0700

Chandeliers are all the rage right now, but the more ornate lighting fixtures can significantly lighten your pocketbook. So I was excited to find this refreshingly simple DIY project on Cookie Magazine's Nesting Blog (via Craft). After finding a $10 chandelier at a yard sale, this crafter gave it a hip update by coating the bronze finish with cheerful light-aqua paint.

Even if your craft skills are minimal, you can easily complete this project in under an hour. For step-by-step instructions, read more

DIY Chandelier Upgrade
via Cookie Nesting Blog

We all might dream of owning a Murano glass chandelier, but don't deprive yourself until that day arrives. This chandelier was a $10 yard-sale purchase and had a fairly ordinary bronze finish. With just a little spray paint, the chandelier was turned into a whimsical piece that fit seamlessly into a cheery kitchen. The body was painted sky blue and the bulb stems were painted gray, to give a bit of contrast. While this piece doesn't say luxe quite like Italian hand-blown glass, it's a perfectly beautiful stand-in that can happily make its way to another yard sale when you finally find (or can afford) the chandelier of your dreams.

Clean the chandelier thoroughly to remove dirt and rust.
To eliminate a step (roughing up the smooth finish with sandpaper to allow paint to stick) consider using Krylon Fusion spray paint, which easily sticks to slick surfaces like metal.
Tape off any areas that you do not wish to paint with painter's tape.
In a well-ventilated area, hold the can about 12 inches from the chandelier and spray using long smooth strokes to avoid drips.
Let dry for about an hour. Then come back and add another coat. Repeat as necessary until you have desired coverage.

Do You Shop For Homewares at Flea Markets?

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 05:00:03 -0700

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Home Library: Found Style

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:30:33 -0700

I love incorporating found objects and beautiful old junk into home decor, but this style can easily look unkempt or chaotic if not done right. That's why anyone with a weakness for flea-market scavenging and junk collecting should check out Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living by David Butler and Amy Butler.

The charming, almost minimalist rooms featured in this captivating coffee table book offer some of the sleekest, chicest ideas I've ever seen for decorating with found objects. Page after page, Found Style presents clean palettes that balance vintage-y pieces with ultra-modern accents for rooms that are welcoming and novel. The publisher is currently out of stock of the book, but you can find a new and used copies on Amazon. To see a gallery of photos from Found Style, read more

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