EXAMINE YOUR BUYS FOR BUGS

Examine your flea market or house sale buys for bugs. The bottom of a piece of furniture may have little fuzzy white balls attached. They are spider eggs that will hatch in a warm house. Also look out for spiders and their webs. If you find them, they are easy to wash off.

TEST YOUR VASES

Before you use the vase you just bought at a flea market, test it. Fill it to the top and put it on a dry spot on your kitchen counter overnight. If it leaves a ring of moisture or a puddle, it can't be placed on a good piece of furniture. Get some paraffin wax, melt it, and swish it around the dry inside of the vase. Make a thick-enough coat of wax to be sure there are no holes. It will be leak-proof for many years if you are careful not to scratch the wax with hard stems.

REPURPOSING ANTIQUES

We like this dealer's idea. He is "repurposing antiques" by making antique architectural pieces into lamps. There is a lot of repurposing going on now at flea markets. A unique garden stake was priced $15 at a show. It was a long copper pipe, topped by a cup and saucer held together by epoxy.

SIX-INCH RULER

Six-inch ruler

When you want to measure something at a flea market, reach in your pocket for a U.S. dollar bill. It is six inches long. You are always carrying a six-inch ruler.