Customer Reviews

Flea Market Makeovers: 25 Projects for Fabulous Home Furnishings

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Flea-market junkies-- here's help with fixing up the stuff you just HAD to have and now wonder how on earth you're going to do it. The 25 projects outlined in this wonderful how-to book are just the beginning. Use them as "jumping off" lessons in repairing and refurbishing the worn, but good stuff you have sitting in your garage waiting for your loving attention. Large, clear photos and step-by-step instructions make for easy understanding of each project. I've used it and I treasure it, it's a jewel!

I suppose I should start by specifying that I am not a flea market junkie, though I have been known to haunt garage sales and search for bargains that I could transform into something fun and wonderful for my home. This book does have a wide variety of projects in it, and the directions and materials needed for each project are laid out neatly and expertly. If you can follow directions, you should be able to accomplish most or all of the projects in this book.

That said, I was not attracted to the majority of the projects in here. You can, of course, customize each project to fit your home, and yes there are some decent tips in here as far as doing general fixer-upper jobs on old flea market finds...but in general the projects in this book appeared flashy, trendy, and too frilly for my tastes. I can flip through this book and my mind writes it off as 'just another fru-fru craft book', which I have an inordinately large pile of. :)

If you LIKE fru-fru craft books this would be a good one to get, because not only do you get a wide variety of projects, you also get handy tips on repair and maintenance, as well as a guide to tools and materials needed for this type of restoration work.

So go to it and good luck with those flea market bargains of yours!

This book provides a variety of step-by-step instructions, ideas and tips for refinishing bargain items you might find at a flea market, yard sale, Goodwill or even in your own garage. There are 25 projects in all, ranging from lampshades to shelves.

While some of the projects are a bit eclectic and might not be for everyone, you can still adapt the concept and steps to create something unique that suits your own taste. For example, you could follow the directions for rewiring an old lamp using the base of your choice, not necessary the pressed glass that the author uses.

The book includes excellent color photos and simple directions for each project. There are chapters on lamps/shades, chairs, tables and beds, storing/organizing (bookcase, Mission-style coat rack, metal storage bin) and odds & ends (picture frame, folding screen room divider, etc.), so there's something for the curious as well as the more ambitious.

If you enjoy watching home decorating shows (like Trading Spaces) or are just a DIY kind of person of beginning to intermediate skills, this book provides some great ideas and how-to advice. If you're a more advanced DIY person, this might be a bit too basic for you.