Well Hello 2016!

That was a fun year! I always consider it a good year if I don’t die. Mission accomplished. I don’t really have to make New Year’s resolutions anymore on the grounds of I don’t give a f*ck but I do think it’s important to make New Year’s goals. Goals are good. I also think it’s important to set your goals high. Why not? No one gets anywhere with mediocrity. For 2016, I have given myself 3 goals. Wanna know what they are? Here goes…

#1-Cure myself of ALS. I’m totally bored with it. It has been six long years and I have quite frankly had enough. It is time for me to get up and walk again. This is the year I try to figure it out. That is about as possible as me becoming an astronaut but I’m going to give it a shot. I will drink more green juices, take more medication, research more, explore more and basically just will it out of me. Stay tuned for that.

#2-Finish my book. This has proven difficult for me so far because I don’t know what to add, what to keep out, what you would like to know, what you don’t want to know, what lessons can I share etc. Let me know your thoughts on this. Whenever I start to work on the book, I proofread the chapter about how I had to tell Grace that her gorgeous mother has ALS, and I cry so hard I can barely breathe so I stop working on the book and go eat about 500 cookies. Emotional eating at its best. But I promise, this is the year that I finish!

#3-Expand my little shop. This will be a fun goal and I have already been working on it for the past few months! Knowing that not everything can be antique, I decided to add products to the shop that are not antiques but have all of the charm of an antique. This brings me to the topic of today’s blog!

With great enthusiasm, I am going to open the shop on Thursday with all of the new products! More than 100 pieces will be available!

When my mother and opened our antique shop in Santa Barbara, California our motto was, “Only sell what we love.” And we did just that. Everything that was in the store was something that we would want in our homes. That means we were incredibly discerning and only the best made the cut. And this is how I decided to expand my online shop. I want to offer everything that I love to all of you. Lamps, pillows, blue and white chinoiserie, accessories and of course, antiques. And in the near future I will begin to offer furniture! My ultimate goal is to re-create our shop, Circa, online. I have even brought on an employee named My Mother. I won’t pay her, will make her work overtime, no lunch breaks and she will probably sue me for workplace verbal harassment. Just kidding! I will only verbally harass her a smidge! :-)

So, shall we take a look? The shop is now organized into categories: Antiques, Lamps, Pillows, Accessories, Blue and White Chinoiserie and Porcelain Flowers. (Furniture will come next month.)

Let’s start with the lamps. My mother and I are obsessed with lamps. Decorating is like baking a cake. You start with the batter mixing in all the good ingredients, baking the cake, adding the layers of icing and finishing it off with a cherry on top. In decorating, you start with finding quality base pieces (sofa, chairs, tables), arranging them just right and then start adding the layers (rugs, curtains, lamps) and then add your cherries on top (pillows, decorative accessories). Lamps are in the layering so therefore they are crucial! A lamp can make or break a room. That’s why it’s important to choose wisely. We have lots of lamps for you to choose from, all sizes, all shapes and all dropdead gorgeous! Let’s take a look…

 Mr. Wynn Lamp

 

Porter Lamp

 

 



White Alabaster Lamp

 

 



Horn Lamp

 

 



Art Deco Sunburst Lamp

 

 



 Griffin Lamp

Next up we have pillows. The pillows on the shop are fun pillows. These are not pillows for your living room! We will have those later next month. The pillows on the shop are perfect for less formal rooms. Let’s take a look…

 

Natural History Cricket Pillow

 

 

 Miro Chicken Pillow

 

 

 London Map Pillow

 

 

 Simply Paris Pillow

 

 

Mediterranean Sea Pillow

 

 



The next category on the shop is simply stunning. Porcelain flowers! I have discovered a woman who was inspired by the 18^th century tradition of porcelain flowers and has created hand-made, one-of-a-kind floral bouquets. Porcelain flowers, tole leaves, terra-cotta pots! Nothing could be more exquisite. Take a look…

 

 Porcelain Lily of the Valley

Porcelain Cyclamen

 

 



Porcelain English Rose

 



 And knowing that no house could be complete without blue and white chinoiserie, I have added loads of blue and white to the shop! Lamps, vases, jars, orchid pots… All sizes and shapes! Remember, one piece of blue and white is never enough. Take a look…

 

 

 Foo Dog Lamp

 

 

 Ming Lamp

 

 

 Peacock Jar

 

 

Chinamen Jar

 



Now, don’t worry, I would never leave you without antiques! This month on the shop I have some very special items. Take a look…

 

 French Riviera Yellowware Platter

 

 

 circa 1870 French Champagne Coupes

 

 

Geisha Ware Tea Set

 

 

Chinoiserie Box

 



Voilà! The new and improved shop opens Thursday, January 7, at exactly 10 AM Pacific Standard Time. Everything except the antiques will ship from the US and the shipping is included in the price. January is always the best time to start decorating for the New Year so start your creative engines!

As always, I will be showing sneak peeks of the shop on Instagram every day. Follow me HERE!

What are your New Year's goals?