Normandy State of Mind Part Deux

Like I said, the best thing to do in Paris in the summer… is leave. For my husband’s 48^th birthday (I think he's 48 but I never really asked), we took a quick 1 hour drive outside of Paris to beautiful Normandy, the little village of Étretat specifically. I wanted to see the famous beautiful cliffs that inspired so many of Claude Monet’s paintings… and that is just what we did. My voice is still weak so I cannot do a long blog so I am just going to let the photos do the talking. If you want to read Normandy State of Mind Part 1 click HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing is for sure, as I looked out to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean my only thought was, “Ahhh, America, land of the free, customer service and Dairy Queen.” My second thought was, “I want to come home.”

 

*Something you don't know about me? I hate the French. More on that later.

Who You Callin’ a Tart?

Its finally beginning to feel like summer here in Paris. However, I wish I were in Provence. Yes, I am remorseful that I had to leave my soon to be first summer in Provence because my stupid ALS forced me back to Paris. Woe is me, right? But honestly, Paris sucks in the summer. But as usual, I will make the best of it. The best thing to do in the summer in Paris is to leave Paris and that is just what I plan on doing as much as I can. For David’s birthday last weekend, we hightailed it out of Paris to a very special place that I will tell you all about next week. Next week, my new eye tracking software should arrive and after I learn how to use it, I will be back to blogging on a regular basis.

It is difficult for me now to blog because my voice is weak and my caregivers don’t give a shit about my blog. They care about keeping me alive and getting paid… not necessarily in that order. But, if there is a will, there is a way and by God, I will be back to blogging soon.

In the meantime, let’s look at some gorgeous tomato tarts. I put together a whole Pinterest board dedicated to tomato tarts HERE. I cannot really eat much so Pinterest has become my food porn. All I do is look at food. So, this next week is going to be all about food… summer food.

Let’s start with tomato tarts…
 

Tomato Tart with Blue Cheese 

 

Tomato Ricotta Phyllo Tart

Cherry Tomato Tart with Feta

 

Puff Pastry Tomato Tart with Macadamia Nut Pesto

 





 Fresh Tomato Tart

Follow my Tomato Tart Pinterest Board HERE.

*Something you don’t know about me? Even though I am a devout Real Housewives fan, I am proud of my friend, Yolanda Hadid, for exiting the show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, gracefully. Yolanda intelligently wants to focus on restoring her health, continuing to mother her children and regaining some privacy… and for that, I admire her. Just for the record I will never watch the show again… yes I will.

The Shop is Open!

 

 

The shop is open! 

 

To shop click HERE!  

https://store7082140.ecwid.com/

You can always shop 24/7 on the homepage by clicking the SHOP icon on the right sidebar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have Some Decorum Home Shop June Sale Preview

It’s June and you know what that means! The Have Some Decorum Home Shop sale! I get excited for every sale but this one is extra special. I feel like after months of being ‘bout to die… I feel like I have my mojo back… sort of. I am doing the best I can to stay alive. Isn’t that a weird sentence to write… “trying to stay alive”? I never imagined that I would have to “try” to stay alive. But, here I am, age 46, willing myself to make it through another day. Every morning when I wake up, I laugh. I laugh because it’s hysterical that I am still here.

As you know, I try to make the best of my situation and that means doing what I love. My whole life has been about interior design and antiques. I am going to continue this love affair until my cold dead body is in the ground. Isn’t that a nice visual?

So, this month with the June sale marks the 1-year anniversary of my little shop. We have come a long way and I want to continue to grow the store… now to include furniture! Don’t’ be scared… shipping furniture from France is a piece of cake. I take care of everything for you with the help of my shipper that I have been using for 10 years. I want to start small with the furniture and then if all goes well, I will add more pieces every month. But don’t panic, I will still have my accessories as the main attraction of the shop with every price point.

We will still have our golden standards… Chinoiserie, mirrors and other small unique pieces from France.

Let’s start our preview. The shop opens Friday, June 17, 2016 at exactly 10am Pacific Standard Time.

Black Chinoiserie is not easy to find but red chinoiserie is even more difficult but have no fear, I have found some. The red chinoiserie is so special and the colors are so beautiful. They throw a pop into every interior. Let’s take a look.

This tray is phenomenal and so so rare. It is huge and was most likely used as side table. You could do that but I would use it as a bar tray or it would be perfect for cocktails and appetizers. When you are not using it for a party, it would be beautiful on your coffee table!

Red chinoiserie flower vases? Be still my heart!

Mirrors are always my weakness and I would buy hundreds if I could. I am obsessed with sunburst mirrors right now.

Remember this mirror from the previous sales? Well, here is the story behind them. A grand old Chateau was having a sale and I was fortunate enough to acquire 4 of the mirrors but guess what? The owner of the Chateau must have liked me because he offered me his entire collection and I have them for you on the June sale. Now you can use them as ceiling ornaments, a single mirror, a pair of mirrors or a whole grouping!

I also have 3 other sunburst mirrors available.
 

This one is divine. It has mirrored baguettes!

 

This one has gilt feathers and is tole (metal)! It is not too heavy at all so don’t worry about the shipping.

 

I also have this set of small sunburst mirrors!

 

Next up, a whole collection of Opaline flower vases! I am obsessed with these vases because I love the blue and because every flower looks stunning in the vases! Purple delphiniums, garden roses, peonies, lilacs… anything!

 

The most exciting piece on the shop this month is… are you ready for it? A Black Lacquered Antique Circa 1900 Chinoiserie Bed! Can you believe it? I have never ever seen an antique chinoiserie bed this beautiful. It is both masculine and feminine. Beautiful gold details of roses and daily scenes of Chinese life. Make sure you look at all the photos because you will just die at the beauty. Don’t worry about the shipping. The bed consists of a headboard, 2 side rails, and the footboard. Not heavy and super easy to assemble. The size is a full size bed so it would be perfect in a guestroom! Beds like this only come around once in a blue moon.

There are many more items on the sale but I want to surprise you with the rest!

The sale starts Friday, June 17 2016 at 10am Pacific Standard Time.

As a thank you for making my little shop a 1-year success, I have marked all of the prices 20% off! Thank you to all of you for making my dreams of a somewhat normal life come true.

*Something you don’t know about me? I was officially diagnosed with ALS June 16, 2011… My husband’s birthday! Isn’t that awful and hysterical at the same time? I will never forget the day… I was at Colombia University Hospital in the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center and my sweet doctor, Dr Mitsumoto, was starting to re-do every test he could think of that every other doctor in New York had already done. My husband, David, was arriving from the Red Eye flight from Los Angeles to New York. David walked into the hospital with all of his luggage and was with me through the whole horrible moment of Dr Mitsumoto telling me it was 99% sure that I had ALS. I ruined David’s birthday forever. So here we are again, June 16, David’s birthday, and I decided to do something super special to make up for the fact that I ruined his life…Stay tuned.

Cha Ching!

Well, even though I couldn’t attend the big fat Zeineb et Jean-Pierre Marcie-Riviére Christie’s auction, at least we can ogle and awe at the results. Let’s start with the grand total of the auction. Ready for it? A whopping 32,498,488 euros! That’s 36,585,160 million dollars! The first thing I thought of was, “God, I wish they were my parents!”

Ok, let’s take a look at the results!

 

Remember that Francis Bacon Man in Blue VII? It sold for $6,882,554! I purchased it and it is hanging in my entry.

 

 

The Cy Twombly? The estimate was between €500,000-€700,000 but it sold for €1,381,500! Let this be a lesson… A Cy Twombly never disappoints… I don’t care if you think it’s a bunch of scribbles.

 

 

That drop dead gorgeous Nicolas De Stael? It sold for €2,169,500! Let’s not forget that this is just ONE of the paintings that this glorious couple had at their Parisian apartment!

 

 

The Pierre Soulages? It doubled its estimate of €200,000 and sold for €421,500! Don’t worry I will find a great replica of this at the flea market.

 

 

Colombe en Terre Cuite… The Hellenistic Terracotta Dove, Circa 4^th Century B.C?  The little dove that I would have given my liver for? It was estimated between €500-€800 but it sold for €8,750! Do I have a good eye, or what!

 

 

The Torse de Faune Dansant en Marbre (A Roman Marble Torso of a Dancing Satyr, Circa 1^st Century B.C). The estimate was between €200,000 - €300,000 and yet it sold for €2,897,500! I am not too worried because my friend, Diandra, has one that I am sure she will give to me.

 

 

The François-Xavier Lalanne Rhinocéros ? Estimated between €120,000-€180,000 and it sold for €397,500! Remember this is from the same designer that did the sheep in Yves Saint Laurent’s apartment.

 

 

The Black Louis XV Chinoiserie Commode sold for €61,500, doubling its estimate! If I were rich, this would be my bedside table tonight. I would keep my beloved pain killers in the top drawer... All special like.

 

 

The 19^th Century Berlin White Porcelain Metal-Mounted 21 light Rococo Chandelier? The estimate was between €30,000-€50,000 and it sold for €37,500. Not to be a snob, but this is kind of doable. I would have bought this for my shop before ALS stole all of my money. And then, I would have sold it for $100,000. Don’t laugh, I would have.

 

 

The Matched Pair of Louis XV Japanned Tables-en-Cabaret, Mid-18^th Century? You know how I feel about chinoiserie. And red chinoiserie? Be still my heart. The estimate was between €15,000-€25,000 and they sold for €103,500! Let this be a lesson in chinoiserie… Always buy it. A little scoop… this month on my sale I will have red chinoiserie!

 

 

The Francois-Xavier Lalanne Colombes de Zenib that were designed especially for Madame Zenib Marcie-Rivière? The estimate was between €20,000-€30,000 and sold for €103,500! Jeez Louise!

 

 

The Lalanne Chandelier and Sconces? The chandelier sold for €1,833,500 and the Sconces sold for €721,500! Fabulous !

 

 

And lastly, The Ensemble de Dix Valises & Une Boite a Chapeau en Toile Enduite Monogram, Garniture en Laiton Doré… otherwise known as the LOUIS VUITTON Luggage sold for €15,000… totally worth it!

Well, my friends, that was the auction results. For more results, you can go HERE to check out all of the sale results. God, I love Christie’s!

I also just saw that the Joan Rivers Christie’s auction is in New York June 16-23. Can we talk?  I am going to reserve judgment until I see everything but trust me… It ain’t Paris… No matter what.