Whether you call it stylin' with junk, recycling with pizzazz, eclectic but elegant, the shabby chic decorating genre forcefully demonstrates that everything old is new again. And it is so right now. Many shows on TV like "Design on a Dime" and "Decorating Cents" are showing homeowners how you can remodel your home and stay within an affordable budget. One of the ways to keep it within an affordable budget is by using inexpensive objects or "junk" to decorate your home!


The Junk Market Girls pride themselves with the ability to keep pressing the refresh button; always creating and recreating to meet the shifting demands of the public. Their ideas provide an outline for design, allowing for personal integration. They believe in liberating individuals from the traditional rules and regulations so many designers tend to enforce. They cater to innovative expression.

"Junk is for everyone and anyone willing to take a plunge into the possibilities for creative self-expression. There are no boundaries in what we do. Junk is the past reintroduced to the present, and establishes a legacy for future generations. With ever-growing environmental concern, JUNKMARKET has emerged as an exciting way to reuse and repurpose junk. Sustainability is at the heart of our craft". Here are ten home junking tips!


10 "Junking" tips from the Junk Market Girls!

1) Early Bird Special. The early bird catches the worm. And so it is with junking. Many flea markets offer early entrance options for a small price. Remember, first come, first serve.

2) Search first, rescue later. This is our "straight jacket" defense to over-paying. Take a loop-de-loo around the entire market before making any purchases that you'll regret later.

3) What you see may not be all there is. Leave no stone unturned. Vendors will disply their favorite junk first, but the best items may indeed be underneath the table saved for later. Don't be afraid to ask "what else you got?"

4) Let's talk turkey, the art of negotiation. Pre-determine what you can afford to pay for something you like. If the price is higher, ask the vendor if he or she can do better. If not, walk away. Don't say, I'll be back. Often a vendor will call you back and say he/she will make an exception this one time.

5) Cash and carry. Forget your credit card. Take cash. Don't leave home without it. Cash is still king in the junking world.

6) Never believe the weatherman. Be prepared for sunny days, rainy days and everything in between. Make sure you have that rain poncho and galoshes in the car ready and waiting. And when storms send folks running for cover, you'll be left with the goodies. But please take cover in case of lightning. Even we fantanic junkers have to draw the line sometime.

7) Inside/Outside. As much as we like the comfort and coziness of the indoor flea markets, you will more than likely pay the price for the comfort factor. We're not saying ignore these inside vendors, but the real deals are probably outside.

8) The back forty. Literally head out to the back of the field. You'll be surprised what cool stuff is out there. What's even cooler are the price tags, or lack of, inviting you to do a little "back forty bargaining."

9) Yes, you can hold a candle to it. If you like something, but don't know exactly how to use it or what do with it. Make it a candle holder. Trust us, everything can be made into a candle holder.

10) Find a welder. This is perhaps the biggest junking tip of all. Find yourself a welder. Suddenly all that junk in the salvage yard can become one of a kind furniture and accessories with the assistance of a welder!

Want to know who The Junk Market Girls are and how they got started?

Ki Nassauer and Sue Whitney met while watching their sons play hockey, and soon realized they had something else in common: a passion for junk. They discovered that while others went to flea markets to find pretty antiques, they were the ones digging, scraping and crawling on their hands and knees to find the junk no one else wanted. But, then, they didn't see junk; they saw one-of-a-kind furniture, whimsical accessories and renewed uses for recycled nostalgia.

In 2000, Ki and Sue started JUNKMARKET, a successful retail business that sources, transforms and sells good junk. Together, they traveled the country in search of junk to take back to their workshop in Minnesota for re-purposing. That workshop soon became a haven for junkers from around the United States who not only wanted to buy JUNKMARKET creations, but also wanted to learn how to create and style with their own junk décor.

Today, the JUNKMARKET hosts two annual sales that draw thousands, some coming from as far as New York and California. More than 30,000 avid US and Canadian junkers are on their mailing list. You could say these two JUNKMASTERS are on the cutting edge of a movement that's ready for their expertise.

Not only have the JUNKMASTERS succeeded in the retail business, the rest of the country has now discovered them. Ki and Sue have been editors-at-large and columnists for Country Home Magazine since 2003, and appear regularly on HGTV's "Country Style." They have made numerous other television appearances including the Today Show. Their book "Decorating Junkmarket Style: Repurposed Junk To Suit Any Décor" was released on March 8, 2005 and is available in stores and online. The ladies' next book is scheduled to hit the shelves Spring 2008. The premier issue of their magazine hit newsstands on May 2, 2006. Ki and Sue designed unique home accessory products that were sold at Target stores. What's on the horizon? They are working on a television series, crafting a nationwide junking club, and are sought-after public speakers on junking, transforming, and styling junk.

From the beginning, the JUNKMASTERS had a mission: to pursue their passion and share it with others. And, that's something they'll never transform

Want to meet them?

Ki and Sue will be at the Remodeling & Home Decor Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Friday September 21st- Sunday September 23rd! Go to www.CapitalHomeShow.com for more show info and to buy online tickets at a discount!

Want ticket to the show?

Register To Win four passes to the REMODELING AND HOME DECOR SHOW at the Dulles Expo Center Friday, September 21st - Sunday, September 23rd!

One lucky grand prize winner also gets to go shopping with The Junk Market Girls and a $250 Gift Certificate for Habitat for Humanity Prince William!