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beep! beep! the shop is open!


 
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.

 First, a charming vintage French baguette slicer. This is the perfect piece to leave out on your countertop “for looks.” The good news is that it’s actually usable and if it doesn’t scream “Français” I don’t know what does.


 My second favorite piece in the shop is a pair of 18th-century, yes, 18th-century chinoiserie wall shelves. I almost had a fleamarket heart attack when I saw these. There was a lady in front of me slightly blocking my way to get ahold of these wall shelves and I might have told one of my caregivers to push her out of the way so I could get my greedy little paws on them. And I did. And now they can be yours. If these were for sale on 1stdibs.com, they would be in the thousands of dollars, trust me. Never have I ever seen anything as sincere as these.

 


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!

 *Something you don’t know about me? My mother has been an endless source of comedy for our family… Forever. My family kind of has a sick sense of humor and we like to laugh at tragedy… Like my ALS and my mother’s dyslexia. I mean, there’s nothing we can do about it so we might as well laugh, right? The best part about my mother’s dyslexia is that she mixes everything up into pure hysteria. As you know, Gracie has been with my mother, her grandmother, for the past few days in California. Gracie has been chronicling my mother’s faux pas’ and giving me updates so I can share it all with you. Don’t worry, my mother knows that I am sharing the comedy… She doesn’t care because she is the one laughing the hardest.

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!

16 comments:

  1. 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.

    I 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

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  2. Ellie,

    Love 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.

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    Replies
    1. This is priceless and the imagery even better - I might try throwing one next time I am in Rick Bayless's fancy restaurant

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  3. Ellie, 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!!

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  4. Falling over laughing here please keep the stories of Gracie and your Mom coming!
    Your 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

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  5. Your mom is so funny - I just laughed out loud! Families! What are you going to do?

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  6. Ellie
    Thanks 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!

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  7. 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!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  8. 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.
    PS-my phone tried to correct macerated to masturbated. Did your mother write the coding for autocorrect? :)

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  9. A mom who is (unintentionally) funny and can laugh at her self - jackpot!
    Love all your fleamarket/brocante treasures. Your passion is contagious.

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  10. 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

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  11. Your 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

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  12. I 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".

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  13. Hi 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.

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  14. Congrats on your store Ellie, everything looks lovely and such great pieces you found, no wonder it's flying off the shelves so fast

    Sharon

    xox

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  15. 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,
    Hope in Calgary

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