antiquesdiva.com

We expected new and nearly new dealers but I didn’t expect 2nd and 3rd generation antique dealers and antique dealers who had been in the business 20, 30 years. The Antiques Diva, and Margaret Schwartz of Modern Antiquarian in New York City for a small group 2-day training for antique dealers. January 4-8, 2020 Email me toma@antiquesdiva.com or #WatchThisSpace for details on how you can join me next year for a #DivaTrip to #OMBAS Speaking of our famous #NoPassportRequired Antique Tours, I’ve not had a chance to write about our recent Antiques Diva Charleston Antique Tour as part of Southern Style Now. A few of our Antiques Diva Favorite Antique Dealers in Charleston include: While not on King Street, there is another antique dealer in town that I MUST MENTION AS BEYOND FABULOUS

They didn’t know to Google ‘Antique Buying Tours’ because they didn’t know such tours existed. I may not have had many clients, but I knew that I know things other people didn’t know, and I know people who know more than me, and I know that together that we could help those people by giving them access to our contacts and my Diva Lifestyle. When I started the company I thought it was for people like me who merely liked antiques; what I didn’t realize was that I was building a B2B business serving primarily the antiques trade. When you buy antiques you don’t just buy antiques – you buy a story.

Along with my friend and co-host Steven Moore of the Antiques Roadshow who is visiting for the New Years celebrations I’ll be serving ‘cicchetti‘, small Venetian tapas-like hors-d’oeuvres, and of course, my Paris favorite: caviar on toast with a dollop of crème fraîche; served #DivaStyle from my antique  17th-century Spanish secretary which I’ve styled as a bar cart! You do want to cover all your beverage bases, however, so we suggest you start with the following: Once you’ve taken stock of what you need to mix up some classic cocktails, like a French 75 or an Old Fashioned, add what you like to the above essentials. We all want a home bar that’s welcoming and appealing to our guests, but make sure it’s fun and easy for you. We turned the center section into a bar to store our collection of antique French ice buckets and antique and vintage glassware, and called on Santa’s elves at Barri Thompson Interiors once again to sip and style the day away just in time for the holidays!

I use a good Nestle dark chocolate (I prefer Nestle Dessert Corse – 65% Pure Cocoa Dark Chocolate,) and French marshmallows, also called guimauves, purchased in a Paris pâtisserie, sandwiched between Lu Petit Beurre biscuits. If you have a small home or studio apartment, I’m going to show you (with a little help from my friends at Barri Thompson Interiors) how to get creative and host a fun holiday soiree picnic-style around your coffee table. The luxurious look and feel of the natural undyed, mid-century Turkish Angora woven blanket from Paige Albright Orientals that Barri chose to cover the homeowner’s custom-made chunky white coffee table was just what we needed to spice up our picnic, along with a spiced rum cocktail, of course. Since the S’mores Maker, filled with graham crackers, white chocolate peppermint bark, and marshmallows, had to be in the center of the table, Barri used gold mercury glass votives to magically light up the space.