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Photo by J. Peter Hvidsten 04. APRIL 2012.2 finalindd 17 (Crave Bye Local artisan has an eye for injecting new life into beat-up old furnishings There is redemption happening in a grey, peeling barn, down a long driveway off Hwy.12. Old is made new. Broken is fixed. The discarded is reclaimed. Justine Vikse is a single mother of three, and an emerging artist and wood-smith who transforms old pieces of furniture into new creations with paint, wax, nails, stain, glue and an eye that allows her to see beautiful, locked-up potential. She sees the possibilities in sideboards inherited from great grandmothers, in cup- board doors coated in Brady Bunch shades and in huge mirrors like the one leaning against her workshop wall. It was once painted a “Look At Me!” gold. Today, it is a soothing, elegantly scuffed dove-grey, ready to lean against the wall in a country home in France. But of course, the mirror is destined for the home of a friend who lives much closer. And it was Justine’s friends who encouraged her to take her craft and build a business in the first place. “Thad always loved doing this, and 1 realized I was relatively good at it. Some friends who I had done pieces for encour- aged me to pursue it, especially with the whole shabby chic thing happening,” says Justine. Originally from Toronto, she arrived in Port Perry with her family four years ae 380, after living in Oshawa and Whitby. “Ths ‘burbs were not for me,” says Justine. “ i re- ally liked Port Perry. I like how quaint it is, how relaxed it is and the community feel. There is no pretence about the town.” Justine, a psychology major who had her eldest, 13-year old daughter just as she was finishing up school, is now well on her way to transforming an old hobby into a new enterprise. Justine’s business, “Serendipitous Old Stuff”, is gradually growing — piece by piece — and by word of mouth. Last year she was invited to be an exhibiting artisan at Country Living magazine's fair in Colum- bus, Ohio. Justine couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, but she’s keeping the event on her business radar for another time. Billed as a fair that “brings the maga- zine to life,” simply being invited is a nod to what Justine can do with her vision and her paintbrush. Laura Francis knows Justine’s abilities well. When Laura’s Port Perry family pur- chased a cottage, Laura bought furniture for it at an auction. “A lot of it was in poor shape, but I loved it,” says Laura. “There was this old jam jar cabinet that had sat in a barn for about 20 years. It smelled bad and it looked like it had been in a barn for 20 years.” Justine looked at it and said: ” ‘I know this is going to look great ,and I know what I'm going to do,” remembers Laura. “She totally transformed it. Now, every time I have something. I trust her to do whatever she’s going to do. She’s that good.” Justine will visit a client’s home so she can understand their vibe and their style, and then search for just the right old fur- niture to build things like a kitchen island — one of her favourite pieces to build. She scours auctions and antique stores looking for pieces that can be made into something ew. Often, she is working with something her clients already own, like a sideboard or a hutch, “typically with really ugly brown stain on it, but people don’t want to part with it.” Justine sets out to transform it, so “it will still be great for more generations,” she says. “I like seeing how I can trans- form something. When I drop it off and they’re elated, it is the best feeling. They are happy with it again.” Dropping off the re-imagined, re- created furniture is, in fact, a lot like she imagines delivering flowers must feel like. “It’s that happy feeling, when someone shows up at your door with flowers. And it’s magical,” says Justine. Interested potential customers can reach Justine at farmchicksos@live.ca or call 905-767-0417 By Karen Stiller Focus on Scugog FOCUS - APRIL 2012 17 120049 o92an| |