Create an eye-catching look that's all your own by introducing as-is flea market finds to your home and wardrobe. Harriet Dixie (who, Marie Moss quips, "is secondhand, like everything else in my house") rolls in well-loved floral linens. "Just wash them and make the bed," advises Marie, whose flea marketing philosophy is to use or wear everything she finds.



"Lately, we've been having fun picking floral-themed items," says Barri. "Flowers make everything look happy."



With flea markets in full swing, now is a perfect time to do some floral-themed shopping of your own. Silk flowers and floral decals, patches, and brooches can be applied as gift toppers or worn as fashion accessories. And linens of all types can be mixed and matched easily.



Barri and Marie, who books include Flea Market Fidos (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) and Flea Market Flowers (due out in 2008), recommend approaching every market with a sense of adventure and shopping with the heart as well as the eye. "If you see something with a mark or crack," says Marie, "view this as proof that it was loved!"



Seed packets slipped under forks at place settings make pretty party favors.



A cloth-covered clutch gets sparkle from a rhinestone brooch.



Colorful straw blooms radiate from a straw bag.



Patches from the '70s offer a fun alternative to gift cards.



Diminutive discoveries, such as this Czech glass place-card holder, add charm to a table.






photo credit: Aimée Herring