She had a paintbrush, he had a chop saw, and since they met at the Bradenton Convention Center shabby chic market and married three months later, their talents coalesced into a furniture salvage business they called Saw Blossom.

Together, Jeannie Vazquez and Bill Dolinski have owned the Bradenton shop in Village of the Arts for about a year and find joy in “transforming something old and making something new, functional and beautiful,” Dolinski says.

In large part, the couple works on wooden dressers and cabinetry, and while Vazquez does finishings and adds color and art to surfaces, her husband reinvents furniture pieces like turning an old headboard into a bench.

Vasquez says pieces brushed in white with natural wood tops are popular as are coastal themes in which lots of blues and soft colors breathe new life into previously dingy pieces. Sometimes she applies faux finishing for a rustic look. Items for sale at their shop are often done in neutral tones to appeal to a larger audience, but the couple takes on custom projects that veer toward the dramatic. “A lot of times people aren’t sure of what they want so we end up talking it out and help fulfill their vision,” Dolinski says.

Vasquez initially kneaded her creative streak in baking school, but after working at Pastry Art in Sarasota and as a cake decorator at Publix, she wanted to do something for herself.

Looking for a sign, “I painted my own furniture and brought it to a community yard sale. I thought if I sell something, it means I'll pursue this,” she says. Her furniture sold, and she did. Now she wants to share that creativity with others.

For the first time, Saw Blossom is organizing a workshop Friday, March 26, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., to teach beginners four techniques they can apply to canvas or furniture. If all goes well, it will become a monthly event.

Interested? Sign up here.