About
The Antiques Diva™
The Antiques Diva™ is the nom de plume for Toma Clark
Haines, an American expat living in Europe whose life story has been liberally sprinkled with Cinderella dust.
As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Toma dreamed of global adventures. While other kids drew houses with picket fences,
Toma drew gondolas with men in striped shirts. After studying abroad in London in university, Toma returned home on the range
to marry her college sweetheart. After saying “I do,” she immediately began whispering in his
ear words of far-away places and before long her dream became his. When a serendipitous opportunity arose,
offering them a chance to live and work in Europe, they moved to Paris for 5 years and then Amsterdam for 4. Along
with her husband and well-traveled pet Catpuccino, Toma currently resides in Berlin nearby Brandenberg Gate and the Reichstag.
Having lived in Europe for almost a decade, Toma has traveled and antique-shopped in over 30 countries
and has learned how to live a life without borders. With The Antiques Diva blog she’s setting out her
shingle, sharing secrets from her travels and offering some fabulously fun recommendations of places to flea market and
antique shop, stop, eat, or stay. But the recommendations don’t end there – The
Diva prattles on about anything that catches her interest. Whether she’s sharing advice on entertaining diva style,
sharing websites or the best blog she’s discovered lately, telling you the latest home decorating trends (or creating
new ones), The Antiques Diva™ isn't just a blog, it's a lifestyle!
The tenant Toma designs her life by is “People should walk into
your home and know who you are, where you have been, what you feel and what moves you.” Turning her hobby into a
career, Toma started her own business - The Antiques Diva™ Exclusive European Shopping
Tours. Taking a clue from Napoleon, she crowned herself, coming up with quite possibly the coolest job title in the
world - Chief Executive Diva. She works with 3 international guides offering 1-day and multi-day "antiques,
vintage, home decor and
lifestyle shopping tours" in 5 languages and 4 countries – The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.
Toma is an international public speaker and writes regularly about antiques and travel shopping. She's been
involved in numerous women's organizations, having served as Chairman of The International Women's Club Amsterdam and Director
of Paris' popular Bloom Where You're Planted expatriation program, going on to serve as the Director of the Governing Board
for that program. Toma has a passion for women's causes and is actively involved in the expat comunity, volunteering
a significant amount of time. Additionally, Toma works as a Life Style Expert for Chat, Chew and Chocolate and serves alongside the likes of Sir Richard Branson as one of "Suzanne's Insiders" on Spire's social networking resource, targeting people interested in travel, gourmet food, wine and cultural
events.
Email toma@antiquesdiva.com to book The Antiques Diva™
for a fabulously fun, fact-filled, frivilously-inspired speaking engagment. Or consider The Antiques Diva™ for spokesman services, product
development consulting, television, product endorsements and publishing. Amidst all this, perhaps we've forgotten
to mention that Toma's roots run deep in a career in "her former life", working in marketing and advertising with
big name clients such as Dunkin' Donuts, Linen-n-Things, Pearl Vision and Target.