The September Sale!

 

Bonjour from Paris!

The City of Light has been dormant for the past month for “vacances” but now Paris is definitely jumping again. Kids are back in school (thank God), restaurants are open again (merci Dieu), florist have re-opened their doors (hallelujah) and I am sure this first weekend of September the farmers market vendors and flea market vendors will have a fresh batch of produce and antiques (hot diggity)!

I always feel like September is the perfect time to regroup and… Decorate. At least that is what happens at our house. Decorate to get ready for the holidays. Call me crazy but this is how my mind works. I have even contemplated what tablecloth I’m going to use for Thanksgiving… And it’s only September. In case you are wondering, I’m going to use a thick antique paisley that I have had for years as the tablecloth. Now I just have to figure out how to find a Thanksgiving Turkey in Paris!

So here we are… September… and guess what? It’s time for another sale! This is a very exciting sale for me because I really think I have pulled some great pieces together for all of you. The September Sale starts Saturday, September 5, 2015 at exactly 10AM Pacific Standard Time!

This sale is all about collections. Adding to your collection or starting a collection. My mother always loves pairs and collections of three or five. I like collections of 15 or more. Why have one chinoiserie box when you could have 40?

This collecting enthusiasm is shared amongst some of the greats. Bunny Mellon was known for her vast collections including her circa 1775 Chinese “tobacco leaf” porcelain service. Jacques Garcia, the king of all collectors, cherishes his 18^th-century “oiseau” Sèvres dinner service. Timothy Corrigan collects obliesks and French earthenware. Jackie Kennedy Onassis collected 17^th-century animal drawings. The Duchess of Windsor had a charming collection of 11 needlepoint pug dog pillows. Martha Stewart collects… Well, everything but I’m particularly fond of her Fire King collection. Oscar de la Renta and interior designer Mark D. Sikes share the same glorious love of collecting blue-and-white.

Personally, I have always been drawn to chinoiserie… Boxes and trays mostly. There is something so chic about the black lacquer with the gold touches and the charming scenes. French and Chinese at the same time. Love! So for this sale, I have something for all of you. 19 pieces in all! Box collections, trays, scalloped dishes, even a candy box… All interesting shapes, sizes and beautiful scenery. One set even has a rare pink color. The chinoiserie tray is absolutely out of this world!

 

 

 

This was a particularly lucky month because I found a little treasure trove of my favorite 17^th-century blue-and-white faience platters with the little basket center design from Rouen, France. As many as I sell to all of you, I keep the same amount for myself. One for you, one for me. :-) I plan on covering the entire wall of my kitchen or dining room with these platters. I just love the “much loved” look of these platters… The cracks, the chips and even the staples. If you want to start your collection, rest assured that there will be more of it in my future sales also. Every antique vendor within a 300 km radius is on the lookout for more of these platters for me because they know I just love them. There are three sets in this month’s sale.

 

A third little collection we are amassing for the sale are these darling dinner bells. I consulted with my friend Heather (lostinarles.blogspot.com) who is an expert in all things Provence and she believes that these bells are definitely from Provence but the ones with the hat could be from Brittany. What she does know for sure is that they are definitely peasants in traditional dress. All of the bells are in perfect order and I don’t think anything could be more charming. This is a great start to a collection. There are two sets of three.

 

 

Continuing with our collecting theme, I found these Provençal yellowware plates with handles. They are stamped “Dieulefit” which means “God made it.” If you remember from the last sale, I had the coffee and tea set. If these don’t scream “country French” I don’t know what does. I thought that they would be a perfect salad plate. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for more of this mustard yellowware.

 

When I saw these turquoise blue opaline vases, I almost had a fleamarketing heart attack. These are very rare and difficult to find a pair of. In fact, I’ve never even see them at a fleamarket before. So of course, I had to have them… For you guys. :-) Can you imagine flowers in them! Gorgeous.

 

When my mother and I were sourcing antiques in France for our shop, the very first thing that we bought was an entire set of this green faience. When we brought it back to our shop in Santa Barbara, we opened our doors for our premier party and the dishes were bought within five minutes. They were the star of the show. A few months later, the interior designer who bought them displayed them at the Greystone Showcase House in Los Angeles and then, voilà, they appeared on the cover of Veranda magazine. Our very own dishes! So you can imagine how pleased I was when I saw this beautiful platter. I will definitely keep my eye out for more of these, so we can build a collection.

 

 

You know I always have my favorites and this month I have three. My first favorite piece for this month’s sale is a French manifest printed on a silk scarf. A wonderful piece of French memorabilia that will add instant charm.

 

My second favorite piece is this Art Nouveau bonbon jar. It is in perfect condition and I just loved the hand-painted gold with little flowers and a bee. Wouldn’t black licorice look stunning in this jar? I also thought it would be chic at your bar filled with ice for cocktails.

 

 

My third favorite piece is this sailboat painting. I just thought the colors of the sailboat and the sky were dreamy and you know this girl loves her paintings!

 

Fancy-ing things up a bit I found these chic black and bronze French Empire sconces. I would use a candle but they are also capable of being wired.

 

Continuing our hoity toity theme, look at these beautiful Art Nouveau bronze candlesticks. Love!

 

Getting back to our Provençal roots, one of my dearest items on the sale is this vintage French wicker glass bottle. Why is it so special? I started collecting these bottles when I first saw them at my favorite interior designer’s shop. His name was Dan Marty. I believe he was hands-down the best California style interior designer and has inspired me since I first saw his shop in Newport Beach, California when Gracie was in kindergarten! Unfortunately I just found out that Dan Marty passed away. A legend and a true gentleman has moved on. The interesting thing about this bottle that it was used in the 1940s to carry holy water from Lourdes, France. Love it!

Dan Marty Design. See the wicker bottles!

 

There is definitely something for everyone in this upcoming sale with every price point. I will be doing some sneak peaks on my Instagram so be sure to follow me HERE.

The sale starts Saturday, September 5, 2015 at exactly 10 AM Pacific Standard Time. Tell your friends, your neighbors… So fun so fun!

Illustration by Elisha.