I am one of “those” people. Those fleamarket people. It’s
like a little band of gypsies. Rising early, traveling to sometimes slightly
seedy destinations, usually a field, sometimes still dark outside, wearing a
uniform of jeans, T-shirt, warm sweater, usually a scarf, coffee in hand, extra
bags, rolling cart, extra newspapers for wrapping… It’s not exactly glamorous… Oh
but yet, it is.
Have you ever actually felt happiness? I have and it’s
usually at a fleamarket/brocante. It’s a very euphoric feeling to be the first
one at a fleamarket… The thrill of the hunt is intoxicating. For the past month
I have been going to every fleamarket and brocante that I can find. My new
favorite website is Vide-Greniers.org. The Vide-Greniers website gives you a list
of every fleamarket/brocante/vide-greniers in all of Europe. You just type in
your location and a list pops up. There is also a list of icons to tell you
what types of flea markets there are… I only go to brocantes or marche aux
puces. There is something called vide-greniers which basically translates to “empty
your attic “ which basically translates to “shit that you drag out of your
house that you don’t want any more onto the street to sell.” I don’t do these.
After a month of hunting, bargaining, negotiating, and searching
from Normandy, Provence, the French Alps and Paris… I have a new collection for
all of you on the shop!
I love all of the pieces equally but there are a couple that
really stand out as my favorites.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned to all of you that I
have a slight obsession with obscure serving pieces. Sometimes, during my day,
I will research antique serving pieces on the Internet. I love to know what a
particular fork or spoon is used for, historically. Oysters server, bacon fork,
bonbon server, marrow scoop, tomato server… Pieces like these actually thrill
me. Imagine my delight when I came across a plump little Frenchwoman in the
French Alps who had the most beautiful collection of obscure serving pieces.
They were all so beautiful that my heart actually started racing. A macaroon
server? Yes, please! A Chantilly cream server? Yes, please!
I have a little love affair with French paintings… Not fancy
ones… Just unostentatious ones (except if you offered me a Delacroix, I
certainly wouldn’t refuse it.) Today I have two modest yet utterly charming
paintings for you…
A couple of old favorites? Yep, I found the partner to the
chinoiserie breakfast tray! What are the chances of that? I also found another
Provençal bull’s head. This one is from the 1970s and it’s wicker!
I have a great collection of vintage French enamelware also.
The salt cellars make my heart swoon. These are highly collectible items and I had
to run over like 10 people in my wheelchair to get these. It’s okay, I won.
Ever since I started design stalking my favorite decorator,
Dan Marty, I fell in love with antique bamboo furniture. Dan Marty always had
the best collection. From bamboo armoires to bamboo headboards, I love it all.
It feels English, French and Chinese all at the same time. It belongs in a
beach cottage as easily as it does in a Parisian apartment. Today I have two
different mirrors for you!
There is nothing better on a cold early morning than
wrapping your hands around a piping hot bowl of café au lait warming you body
and soul. The first set I have for you is porcelain with a gold decorative rim
and a secret surprise on the bottom… A peacock! The second café au lait bowl is
enamelware with a charming bird. I think this bowl would be great as a key/coin
dish or even a planter.
All this and lots, lots more!
All right, now that I have wet your whistle… Shop away! The
store is open! Click HERE!
Here we go…
First of all, my mother has been calling Gracie the dog’s
name.
Then, my mother explained to Gracie that she cannot
pronounce the word “Sephora” or the word “oxygen” no matter how hard she tries.
Next up, my mother said the following sentence to Gracie…
“Leonardo da Vinci bought a house in Palm Springs.” We are assuming she meant
Leonardo DiCaprio but who knows.
Lastly, for today, Gracie told me that my mother goes to the
gym every day to do her 100 miles on the treadmill and she listens to an
audiobook… That audiobook is the Bible.
How hard are all of you laughing? I’m laughing at it as I
write it! There are so many of these that I could write a book. Wait till I
tell you about the first time my mother traveled to Europe.
A toute!
I am so excited that I am practically hyper-ventillating!! Oh my goodness gracious, this is all just so perfect...well, of course it is...you picked it out!! It is going to be fun watching that little "sold out" button light up. :) But truly? Just one wee little thing? You have lost your mind for selling those Chinoiserie brackets. Lost. Gone. Poof! But that is just you spreading the Love.
ReplyDeleteI am sending it right back tenfold with a shot of Strength too,
You are amazing. Lovely. Funny. Smart as a whip. Have incredible taste plus Iron Will and charm that could tame any dictator...
xo
Heather
Ellie,
ReplyDeleteLove your finds for the shop! At this point all I can do is look and dream, but that is OK, I am enjoying it so.
My family sounds a lot like yours, and my darling daughter is a master of the verbal faux pas.
My favorite: Several years ago when she was in junior high, she was telling me about a news story she saw on TV where they were reporting an uprising in a South American city. She said the people were throwing "flaming margaritas". Uh... I said... you mean, "Molotov cocktails"? She keeps us in stitches! So nice to have a family that doesn't take themselves too seriously (me included). We all laugh together.
This is priceless and the imagery even better - I might try throwing one next time I am in Rick Bayless's fancy restaurant
DeleteEllie, I love your mother!! She reminds me so much of my good friend, neighbor and backpacking buddy!. What started out as a marmot became a mammoth and then became a wooly mammoth. What started out as ramen noodles became Roman noodles and then became Roman numerals. What has always been rattlesnake plantain (a wildflower here in the South) became rattlesnake platinum. I could go on and on. We call her our Mrs. Malaprop. Your tresors are wonderful! Wish my favorite painting wasn't snatched before I even had a good look at it. Keep on shopping, girl!!
ReplyDeleteFalling over laughing here please keep the stories of Gracie and your Mom coming!
ReplyDeleteYour shop is exquisite as always and while I missed out on the swan toast rack (which I adore!) I found some things which I will treasure for always: the serving pieces? Beautiful! And also the little red chinoiserie decorative fluted wall cups? For either side of a gilt mirror imagine them with holly tucked inside at Christmas. Well that's what I'll be doing.
Thank you Ellie for bringing your gorgeous taste to us. We are so fortunate. XO
Your mom is so funny - I just laughed out loud! Families! What are you going to do?
ReplyDeleteEllie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the best laugh I will have today. Your store is wonderful. Now we can see your exquisite taste, and discerning eye. When I go to these sales, all I see is someone's junk. Maybe I've been going to the wrong ones. But I am learning a lot just looking at what you've purchased. Tell us about your bargaining techniques one of these days. And keep pushing those other shopper out of the way!
Ellie your stories are amazing and I can picturing you rolling someone right over to get these treasures. Your Mother, don't get me started, of course I am one to talk as sometimes when Isabella is with me I call her Miss Belle (my Himalayan cat's name) and vise versa!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Hahaha! I have a feeling the dogs in your mother's house have the highest rank. So to be confused with them is rather prestigious. the items in your shop are all so pretty! I love obscure serving pieces too. My favorite are little tiny oyster forks. They're so cute! I have like 25 of them, despite being repulsed by oysters. May I never be that desperate for an aphrodisiac. But the oyster forks work wonderfully for macerated berries.
ReplyDeletePS-my phone tried to correct macerated to masturbated. Did your mother write the coding for autocorrect? :)
A mom who is (unintentionally) funny and can laugh at her self - jackpot!
ReplyDeleteLove all your fleamarket/brocante treasures. Your passion is contagious.
I was HERE Yesterday but got SO carried away with the SHOP I forgot to COMMENT!Everything is lovely..........everything I NEEDED HAS SOLD!I too have set up shop in a COLLECTIVE and today is my FIRST day of WORK!I better get off this computer and get going!!YOU and ME always on the same path!!!!!!XOXOXO
ReplyDeleteYour Mom is a stand up comedian & what's charming about her is she doesn't even know it. Beautiful pieces you've added. I hope your day is a good one. X
ReplyDeleteI think many of us have the same mother! Some of my late mother's best: "She was one of those rich women with perfectly chauffeured hair", "That child is just a prawn in their divorce war", "You know, that nice looking Italian actor Al Cioppino".
ReplyDeleteHi Ellie, all beautiful stuff. My favorite are the 18th century chinoiserie wall shelves. Your mom is hilarious and reminds me of my husbands late grandmother. She would say manitaki for manicotti and feeta for feta. We never corrected because we always knew what she was talking about. Can't wait to hear more.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your store Ellie, everything looks lovely and such great pieces you found, no wonder it's flying off the shelves so fast
ReplyDeleteSharon
xox
Here's a great shop story for you. I came home from a dinner out and looked at this post and excitedly went to see what was for sale. I wanted the Sel salt cellar...but it was sold. Darn. Next morning off to swim class where my friend who intro'd me to this blog asks me, "have you seen Have Some Decorum lately? The shop?" "Yes", I replied and she said "I bought something", and I sure enough - it was the salt cellar! Lovely stuff, all of it. cheers,
ReplyDeleteHope in Calgary