Circa: Troisième Partie. Antique Sale





Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!
 
Ring the bells! It’s finally warm and sunny in Paris!

I am so happy!

I have a little bit of good news/fun news for everyone. Remember when I told you a few blogs back that I had a little “surprise” for all of you regarding my former antique shop, Circa? If you missed those blogs click HERE and HERE. Well, I do have a surprise!

I have been working on it for the past few weeks getting it all organized. Organized for what, you ask?

I am having a Circa Sale via the blog!!!!

I will be selling (over the next days) a total of 8 items from my former antique shop, Circa. 8 very special items.

The sale will start Thursday at 10 AM, Los Angeles time. I will notify everyone of the start of the sale via Instagram and then it will be live on the blog. Follow me on Instagram for the announcement: @ellieod

These are all very special pieces that I think you will all love. Why am I selling these pieces? A couple of reasons… First of all, unfortunately, my caregivers don’t work for free and I have to pay them. Secondly, the pieces are in Los Angeles and I live in France. They have been in storage for the past two years and I do not have any plans to bring them over to France so why not share them with all of you!!!

Starting Thursday, I will put one piece on the blog every two days (so it has time to marinate and you all have time to view it) with all of its details. Each piece will have the following:

Description

Photos

Price

Place of Origin

Materials

Period

Condition

Size


I thought it would also be a good idea to also show you (each day with each of the items) some inspiration. Even though these are antiques, they can find their place in any type of house or apartment … Parisian Apartment, Seaside Cottage, Spanish Villa, Modern Townhouse, Victorian House, Palm Springs Desert House, Traditional House, Tudor House, Provençal Mas House, English Country House, Brooklyn Brownstone, New York Upper East Side Hoity-Toity Apartment, Downtown West Village Townhouse, Texan French Inspired Manor House, Big ‘ol house in Missouri, Classic Pasadena House, Malibu Beach House, Hamptons Beach House, Aspen Chalet, Midcentury Modern House, or your little château in Normandy.

These pieces could also go other places… A restaurant, a retail space, a gallery, an office, your summerhouse, guesthouse, or winterhouse. My, oh my, so many choices!

For each piece, I have put together a Pinterest board so you can see how the pieces can work in different environments. You can follow me on Pinterest HERE. Oh my God, so fun.

Don’t forget, decorating is about the juxtaposition. Just because a piece is a 19th century French rococo style giltwood mirror doesn’t mean that it has to stay in that environment. It’s all about the way your eyes travels through a room and you don’t want the eye to get bored. Throw in a pop. Throw in something unusual.

And don’t forget about scale! Big pieces in a small room work.

And don’t forget about placement! You don’t have to hang a mirror, it can rest on the floor leaning against a wall. Super chic. You don’t have to keep that fancy chair in the living room… Put it in the bathroom! Garden pots don’t have to stay in the garden. Put that big garden urn on the entry table and fill it with seashells. Think outside of the box! That’s what makes a house interesting and unique.

I’m going to be honest with you and forewarn you… None of these pieces are inexpensive. These are not crappy bric-a-brac, tchotchke garage sale items. These are the real deal. These are your investment pieces. You can layer later with the cheap stuff, like I do. However, all of the pieces are extremely well priced. I cross-referenced all the prices with the foremost authority of antiques, 1stdibs.com. My prices are a fraction of their real value. What I’m trying to say is… You will be getting a great deal. Not cheap, but a great deal. There’s a difference.

All of these pieces are antiques, so with that, some of the pieces have a little bump or bruise. That’s the nature of an antique, sister. It’s called character. I have documented each flaw, if any. All of the pieces are in very good condition.

I sourced all of the pieces with my mother in France. We were very selective about our choices. We did our research and our homework and relied on our personal taste to decide. We consulted with dealers, negotiated the prices, curated the whole collection and shipped everything at our expense back to the United States. These are all very special pieces.

Please feel free to ask me any questions. You can ask me 400 questions if you want to, I am happy to help.

All of the pieces are in Los Angeles at my best friend’s house (Jenny). (For the record, Yolanda is my other best friend. They like to fight about it.) I will help coordinate the pickup between you and Jenny. You have to be really nice to her and tell her how pretty she is and give her a big hug for me. That’s the rule. :-)

You can organize your own transport if you would like but I usually use a company called Vintage Transport. They also ship long distance and are very reasonably priced. I have used them for years.

All of the pieces will be sold on a first-come first-serve basis. If you like the piece, email me and it will be yours. Email me at: havesomedecorum@gmail.com and put the name of the piece in the subject line.

Please feel free to tell all of your friends, your family, your interior designer or anyone that you like about the sale. :-)

You will be able to make payments by the following:

PayPal

Bank Deposit at Wells Fargo

 

So, get ready for Thursday!

 

*Something you don’t know? Even if none of the pieces that I am selling on Thursday work for you, I have good news.

For the past five years, I have sort of been out of it. ALS is fun like that. I had to put everything on hold… My job at 1stdibs.com , my interior design career, my interior design TV show that I was working on with my friend, Diandra, the antique shop I was planning on opening, everything… Including my future. I didn’t know that I had a future. Suddenly though, in January, I thought to myself, “You know what, Ellie? After five years, you are still here so you need to trust yourself and believe in yourself and think that you do have a future, for fucks sake.”

So, I have been quietly pondering my future. I have asked myself what makes me happy? I think it’s quite obvious that decorating/antiquing makes me happy. I decided that, through my blog, I will start (on a very small scale) my antique shop again. I want to start fresh so I’m going to call it something new… Not sure what the name will be yet.

I don’t know much but what I do know is that it’s going to be fun. I’m just going to put my ALS on the back burner because it’s totally boring me and I’m going to get back to “The Ellie Before.” That girl liked to work.

Don’t worry, I’m still going to work on healing my ALS. I’m still going to take all of my medicine, drink all of my green juices, eat fattening foods like beef bourguignon and my favorite meringue cakes, get plenty of rest, do my kinesiology, meditate and stay stress-free.

So, with this new little online shop, I’m going to sell “smalls.” Pieces that are not too expensive and are easy to ship yet will be full of charm and character. I will try to bring a bit of my style and my France to you.

So, stay tuned as I get this all up and running. Let me know what you think. In the meantime, get ready for Thursday for the big stuff!

45 comments:

  1. Did I just hear about twenty thousand people gasp with excitement? I think that yes, indeedy I did.

    Fellow Friends of Ellie, by now you don't really need me at ALL to back up Shazamista when she says that her goods are the goods...but just in case...from the point of view of a fervid antique lover who also lives in France? It is harder and harder to get the really good stuff. The investment pieces. Seriously. Most of it left for the good ol'USA at about when? That same time when Ellie and her Mom were buying up for Circa. And if you CAN somehow buy it, do you realize how much it costs to ship it? So this is, quite simply, an amazing opportunity.

    Oooh, I am going to get all Bette Davis about this when I say: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" Let the games begin... ;)

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  2. I am so glad you're doing this. This will be such a fun way to learn more about antiques even for someone not shopping. But I get the impression your readership is comprised of many good shoppers, so I believe the sales will flow.
    Please do a TV show! if you're still determined to be a stoner, I'd love to see a marijuana themed cooking show. also I'd like to submit 'bitch a brac' as a store name. Or maybe Rococo Chanel (though I'm sure that's already taken by a drag queen in a hoop skirt).

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  3. OMG!
    HOW UTTERLY FANTASTIC!!!!
    UNTIL THURSDAY...............XOXOO

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  4. How thrilling! Oh my gosh I can't wait to see the items! And how wonderful that you are going to start a shop selling "smalls", Ellie I wish you every success in the world and I'm so excited that you'll be bringing your exquisite style to all of us!! xox

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  5. Ellie - hooray for the Ellie Before making a comeback! I am so excited to meet her. And to see your new shop. Now if only I hadn't left a career behind two years ago and followed the Mr maybe I would have had the cash to buy one of your treasures on Thursday. Le sigh... But I can't wait to follow along and dream! I can't wait for your new shop. 😍

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  6. Fabulous idea! Look forward to it.

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  7. What a brilliant idea. Looking forward...

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  8. Eliie - This sounds like such a great idea! I'm thrilled for you to have this project and opening another small shop, or shop for smalls. It's lovely to hear the enthusiasm in your voice. I'll lift a glass of vino this evening (or afternoon) to your fabulous new venture.
    xoxo
    Joanne

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  9. You really are just too much - the BEST kind of much ! Even with a pesky 'ol thing called ALS , you get more accomplished in a day than most of us do in a week . Hats ( feathered helmet ) in your case , off to you ! Love you Insprationista , A

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  10. Ellie.
    Fantastic idea. You are a prime example of the power of positive thinking.
    Love everything about you!
    Alex

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  11. Leave to you to get others to hook onto your dream, Pietra Pan.....
    we are all waiting with baited breath for Thursday and the forthcoming
    newly installed smalls...You are always such an inspiration...here am I
    tearing up over woe is me tax prep and you manage to shake me positive
    about how lucky I am....bless you, dear one.

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  12. Ellie I am so excited and I can feel that your store is going to be my new and latest addiction!
    Fuck ALS you go girl you have a lot to offer and we are all happy that you are going to share it with us!
    Xoxoxoxo
    Lourdes

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  13. So excited for you! O'k and me...I hope to land some interesting pieces. xob

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  14. How fantastic! I can't wait to see what you'll be showing us, and love hearing the enthusiasm in your voice for this new adventure. Your online shop will be as fabulous as you are.

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  15. OHmy GOSH, OHmy GOSH, Ohmy GOSH....O.O...***eyes bugged out***

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  16. I can hardly wait!

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  17. Ellie, you are an inspiration to us all and a blessing to your loved ones. ALS has met its match! I will enjoy perusing your hand chosen items in your new store. Keep kicking ass......

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  18. Ellie, this is such exciting news!! I'm looking forward to Thursday!!

    Renee in Northern California




    Renee in Northern California

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  19. WOW!!! I can hardly wait! I love to learn about antiques, their provenance, etc. AND, I hope to be able to purchase some treasures, too.

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  20. Ellie this is fabulous news. I'm so delighted that you decided to screw the ALS and get on with the business of living and planning your future ! On a selfish note.. will you be able to deliver to Canada?

    Bonnie

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  21. Yay! I can't wait! You are amazing!

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  22. PLEASE sell little vintage paintings like the ones you bought the other day! I loved looking for them myself when I went to France regularly, but unfortunately I'm not able to go anymore.
    Love love love your blog & am so excited about your new smalls shop. - Nancy B.

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    1. Oh yes... those would be fantastic.

      Bonnie

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  23. Ellie this is such exciting news. Both the antiques sale and the resurgence of your business in a new form. You are living for today and that is the best way there is to believe in life and all it has to offer! I am astounded by your bravery!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Interior Designer Matthew Patrick Smyth

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  24. I love the enthusiasm in your voice! A new old chapter in your life. Can't wait to see the items. Best always. -- Olivia

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  25. I think this is such exciting news! You are an amazing woman Ellie.
    Selling the big ticket items before the smalls and following your passion will give you such joy.
    I'm looking forward to seeing your new shop online...I feel a bit like there is a change in you, like you are reinventing yourself and saying to ALS I am so over you, move out of the way so I can get on with living my life.
    XO

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  26. Hi Ellie!!! Yes!! this is a fantastic idea. We just do not know what the future will bring; so better not waste it. At least that's what I attempt......Can't wait to see what your sale has up it's sleeve. Being an antiques dealer (in Los Angles) and in love with the entire business, I know your passion. Go Girl! xoxo Mary

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  27. For fucks sake is right!! Excited to see you back at work and the eight items for sale. This will be fun.

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  28. Congratulations! Getting back in business will be excellent for you. I just want to say though, that you are creating an immeasurably important and meaningful gift to the world through your blog. The most important thing you ever do - besides Gracie, etc., etc., may be the inspiration you give to all who read you. You, all by yourself, are an amazing spirit but when I think of you WITH ALS in your wheelchair with your breathing tube and still so full of joy and passion for life it boggles the mind. You are a mentor for triumph over life's difficulties, for joy no matter what, and taking no prisoners along life's path. It's hard to get upset when life doesn't go my way now that I know about you and that has to be the case for anyone who reads your blog. You are doing really good work here - and we're all being delightfully entertained along the way. Merci mille foie.

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  29. In retrospect, it’s no wonder you were drawn to the Picasso Bull and Helmet - Your inner bullfighter was calling! And you're taking the "bull by the horns" and running with it - OLE! BRAVO!

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  30. Great, Great, Great news!!!! So excited for you, so excited for me, so excited for all of your fans!

    Can´t wait for your new shop!

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  31. I'm so happy for you! I can't wait!

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  32. Brilliant idea! You Go Girl! Still think you curse more politely than anyone I know! That is a really rare and impressive talent….and very amusing, just like you:)

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  33. Love your style and attitude. Looking forward to your sales.

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  34. Woohoo!!!....can't wait! So happy you've reclaimed your "inner Ellie"!
    Rho

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  35. Yes! Yes! Fuck Yes! I can't wait! I am setting my alarm!!

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  36. I got chills reading your blog! You are very inspiring! Although I won't be buying any of the items because I just left my douche bag leeching husband and am rebuilding my life... I am excited just by the idea of all of these items finding their way to new homes to be adored. It would be awesome if some of the purchasers sent in photos of where they placed the pieces.

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  37. Brava Brava! I am going to write about it on my blog! If anyone reads it; they will go peek!!

    XXOO

    Honestly, I will repeat. Rarely have I gone into a store and LOVED absolutely everything! Circa was that!!

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  38. Love your spirit and good for you!! Sad I am just getting to read this on Friday :( shame on me for not prioritizing!

    Here's to Ellie!

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