I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of interesting people at the Flair party including Ray Attanasio who is one of the owners of Balsamo Antiques in Pine Plains, NY near Hudson. At first I thought it was just a antiques shop but after checking out their website, I realized that they also practice interior design. The style is much different from Flair but still beautiful and inspiring "eclectic mix of European antiquities for home and garden." Enjoy!
My favorite friends at Flair had a very chic little cocktail party the other night to introduce their Italian founder, Franco Mariotti, to New York and to celebrate the new exhibition of photography by Christopher Draghi. If you haven't been downtown to visit the store, you must stop in soon since they have all new fabulous funiture, art and accessories in the shop. You can also practice your Italian language skills while you are there! Ciao!
In my haste to get my fabulous flea market finds into a cab and out of the rain, I accidentally left my silver edged glass cake plates with Eddie's even more fabulous flea market loot. He was kind enough to send them over today and to my surprise he included a little gift, Martha Stewart's Good Things from Tag Sales and Flea Markets! Eddie called it his bible and I especially can't wait to read the tips for how to clean your treasures once you get them home. Thanks Eddie! You're a good thing too! 
I've always admired the design aesthetic of designers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams so I was in heaven when I found their Montauk Long Island home in World of Interiors September 2008 issue. It's definitely got a little flea market feel and Robin says that when they go to the Paris flea market, "we split up, but beforehand we agree to pick out three things each. In the end, two out of the three things we find are always the same." I wish I could find a straight man who wants to go to the flea market with me! Any takers?!
I would have been happy with receiving just an email from Top Design contestant and Martha Stewart Living Senior Style Editor, Eddie Ross, but to go to the flea markets with him was a both a treat and an honor! Eddie is so amazingly talented and knowledgeable that I joked that I was learning from The Master but it really was the truth! Luckily, we got to take a few photos and enjoy the outdoor flea market at 39th and 9th before the deluge began!
Eddie, not surprisingly, had already done a walk-thru before we arrived and had started making a pile! His partner Jaithan, who also couldn't have been sweeter, joked that when they are driving Eddie can spot a tag sale and be out the door and have things under his arm before anyone else is even out of the car and I believe it! It was amazing watching him find things that the rest of hadn't even seen! You gotta dig!
Not only does he find things that others over look but he thinks outside the box so a ceiling light fixture could become a cake plate if placed on top of a vase! He is a creative genius!
Some of Eddie's purchases included a fabulous bar cart and Christmas ornaments because he's already thinking about his holiday decorations! Somehow this doesn't surprise me!
I saw these great marble lamps on his blog from his visit to the flea market last weekend and to my surprise the dealer still had them this weekend so I scooped them up without hesitation! They were $100 for the pair and had already been rewired so now they just need new harps and shades. One will look perfect on my desk now and the pair will look great flanking a sofa later when I have a larger apartment! We saw a similar pair later for $150 that didn't have anywhere near as nice a patina as mine. 
The best part about Eddie is his incredible knowledge. He knows exactly what every utensil is to be used for like the cake fork and sugar spoons we saw today. I like to think I know a lot but being with Eddie made me realize that I need educate myself more about china and flatware! Anyone have any good book recommendations that would help with this task?
I loved all the beautiful wood, ivory and mother of pearl handled flatware on Eddie's blog and unfortunately we came across a treasure trove in the garage flea market on 25th Street after I had already spent well over my budget! Eddie was also great at teaching us how much is fair to pay for certain items at the flea market which was very helpful!
Another good rule of thumb is to think about a price that you are willing to spend on an item before you inquire as to how much they are asking. When I saw this fabulous box of gold Greek key bordered china from Heinrich & Co. of Bavaria Germany in a box on the floor, I was a little nervous as to what the dealer was going to say so when he replied $40 it was a no brainer! (I think I might have gotten an Eddie special though since he's a regular!) There were 10 dinner plates, 11 bread/dessert plates, 8 tea cups, 4 saucers, two different sized bowls and a creamer. More than you could ever get new for $40! The only problem is that I'm obviously missing some pieces and I can't figure out what pattern it is yet on Replacements Limited. If anyone knows or can figure it out, I would be eternally grateful! 
The china is so beautiful that I can't stop looking at it! I might have to start drinking tea just so I can use them everyday! There is nothing that sounds as lovely as the tinkling of a tea cup and saucer! I recently bought some gold rimmed champagne and wine glasses at Housing Works that could lean a little too Donald Trump with the gold rimmed china but I think they might actually look nice together. (I also styled this photo as an homage to Eddie and his professional looking photos on his blog!)
I also bought a few other odds and ends including these chic gold cuff links for $10! I might give them to the Bachelor or save them for someone else who might appreciate their elegant simplicity. I also found an old book entitled Furniture and Decoration from 1941 for only $7 and a few accessories for the Bachelor Pad.
All in all, it was a fun and educational day and I want to thank Eddie Ross for being so gracious and sharing all his secrets! I always say that the people I've met are the best part about blogging but it's really true! We have to wait until November to see who wins Top Design but it's clear that Eddie is already a winner in my book!!!
