afternoon flea-ing with eddie ross

it was as good as afternoon tea!! - i spent sunday afternoon with eddie and jaithan participating in one of their fun flea market outings. this one was at the new york garage flea market (just a few blocks away from home) which made it very convenient to join in. this is my go to flea market, but being with eddie and jaithan gave a fresh perspective. eddie is fabulous at thinking of creative and unique things to do with items you might normally overlook. he was bursting with suggestions. i was trying to take pictures, listen, and write down ideas, but i am sure some fell through the cracks.

here are a few that stood out in my mind.

first we stopped by a booth that is always full of fabulous silk scarves in varied colors, shapes, and patterns. eddie pulled out a vintage vera scarf in bright shades of blue, turquoise and lime green. He suggested using vintage scarves for throw pillows on a bed. this particular vera scarf would look fabulous on an all white bed or sofa to add a fresh flavor for spring. eddie suggested backing the pillow with a complimentary linen- maybe something in a nice green or turquoise.

another fun idea eddie had for salvaging the vintage fur you have of your grandmother’s that is tearing at the seams because it wasn’t well stored: cover a small bench with it. how amazing would a pair of fur benches be at the end of a bed? and what a good way to save the coat.

next we stopped by one of my favorite vendors. i have purchased several things from him before. here eddie came across this small side chair that was not in very good condition and was something i would have looked right over, but eddie was attracted to the shape of the chair. he mentioned how great this chair would be painted with a white laquer and reupholstered in terry cloth bordered with nailheads to put in a bathroom. he said that when upholstering something in terry cloth the upholsterer will line the fabric with a water proof liner to protect the inside of the chair from water. i thought that was a perfect new life for the chair!!

we made our way over to the cases of costume jewelry (and we all know we have our own random gold brooches, clip ons and pendants running loose in our drawers).

i thought eddie's idea to use fun statement pieces as curtain tie backs, as magnets on a refrigerator or in an office on an idea board, or...to collect a mix of brooches of about the same size and convert them into napkin rings!!! how festive for an oscar party, a birthday for your most vintage and glamorous friend, or a fun costume party.

(i found the following on etsy for those who don't have them loose in drawers) here, here, here here and here

one of the other participants in the outing gave eddie a quick test and asked what he would do with the spiral coils…

he would line them with parchment paper and serve french fries

(or sweet potato fries- healthier :)) out of them.

the above have so much more personality than these

he grabbed these glass funnels and said they used them when he was at martha to create hanging lights, or they are great for use in a gardening area for twine...

and finally we finished the day at a dealer's map collection. eddie mentioned how he would love to decoupage a powder room in old maps or do them on a ceiling of a kids room. both are such fun ideas especially if there is an area of the country or world very special to you. (this won’t work in a bathroom with a shower or tub as the steam will cause the decoupage to peel)

hope you enjoyed eddie ross' creative ideas. thank you again to eddie and jaithan for a wonderful outing to a favorite flea market...and be sure to visit eddie's website to see the blue house now listed on eddie's blog roll!!!

xoxo

elle.

{images via woman's day, martha stewart, house beautiful, remodelista, rex and regina, my home ideas, retrovius, design crisis}