Cavendish Creations among artisans at Madison Street Festival

Mary Beth Jernigan and Katelyn Jernigan with Cavendish Creations will bring their re-purposed decorating accents to the Madison Street Festival. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Cavendish Creations, one artisan at the Madison Street Festival, revives past-their-prime household items into attractive, ‘re-purposed’ showpieces.

Mary Beth Jernigan and daughter Katelyn Jernigan started Cavendish Creations about three years ago when neither had a full-time job. They built an inventory for the Madison Street Festival. They used their street’s name in their business moniker.

“We love the street festival and have always participated in different ways over the years. We had a great time last year selling items, seeing many friends and making new ones,” she said.

Mary Beth’s parents encouraged her artistic ventures, plus she holds a fashion merchandising degree from Auburn University. Also an AU graduate, “Katelyn got the ‘creative gene.'”

“We consider ourselves artists. We take an object and make it completely different,” Mary Beth said.

For Cavendish Creations, they paint and re-purpose wood furniture, including tables, chairs, dressers, beds, desks and benches. They revive picture frames, trays and other household items. Using Jernigan-recipe chalk paint, they update out-of-date pieces with hardware, fabric and wax.

They paint unlikely items, like salt and pepper mills, lamps, napkin rings, trays and candlesticks. Customers like their picture frames and bulletin boards, given new life with fresh paint and decorative touches.

“We also (transform) old wood-like pallets, fencing, kitchen cabinets and drawers (into) trays, lap desks, hooks, jewelry organizers and decorative crosses,” she said. They embellish glasses with wire and glass stones.

Yard sales, thrift stores, Habitat for Humanity Restores and flea markets — even a trash pile — offer items that they re-define. “We usually distress … places that would have gotten worn, like handles, corners and edges,” she said.

Mary Beth’s husband Dave retired from the FBI and is Madison County’s chief deputy. Their daughter Sarah Jernigan is a social worker in Birmingham. Katelyn teaches at Montview Elementary School.

Shoppers can visit Cavendish Creations at Hartlex Antiques, 181 Hughes Road. For more information, call 256-682-9210, email to cavendishc104@gmail.com or visit Facebook/Cavendish Creations.

Madison Street Festival on Oct. 4 runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.