Surprise! Surprise!


I can’t even tell you how much it makes me smile to hear from all of you dog lovers! I don’t think I’ve ever received so many comments. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and your sweet stories about your own pets that provide you with comfort and love. Teddy definitely has a personality, going from chair to chair in our house. We started his own Instagram account because we are dorks but if you want to follow Teddy’s trail you can follow him on Instagram : @teddyinprovence.

We have been having some great adventures in Provence that I will write about this week but first…

I have received a lot of emails from readers asking me if I’m going to have a December sale. The answer is no but the good news is that I decided to have a Thanksgiving Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Who doesn’t love to shop the day after Thanksgiving! It would be un-American if I just ignored Black Friday! So, a sale we shall have!

This is going to be a very special sale. It is going to be threefold. Let’s talk about the first part of the sale…

I have been scouring the flea markets of Provence and I have to say they are F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.! Beyond fabulous. This sale is going to have over 35 items that I have found here in Provence. Let’s take a look…





The good news about Provence is that there is black lacquered chinoiserie here just like Paris. May be even more so none of us will have to go without!

I thought it was time we all recognize my majolica obsession. For those of you who don’t know what majolica is click HERE for a complete history. I did a little sleuthing myself and learned that artichoke and asparagus plates were in high demand and were a sign of wealth and prestige back in the day. King Louis XIV even had a special garden for asparagus alone at Versailles. Of course, one could not just serve beautiful artichoke and asparagus on a plain plate so these majolica plates were born. Take a look…




Look at this little well for sauce!

 

You all know how I feel about antique French gilt mirrors. #Love. I don’t offer too many on the shop because usually they are trés expensive but I met a charming gentleman in Provence who collects and sells antique French gilt mirrors that will not break the bank! Take a look.






 

With great happiness, I discovered that the flea markets of Provence share my love of antique French faux bamboo from the 1800s. Mirrors, coat racks and three very special items that I never saw in Paris… Take a look.

 
 A bamboo bathtub towel rack!
 
 Bamboo chairs!
 
 A bamboo kitchen towel rack!
 


Another one of my favorite items for the Thanksgiving sale was inspired by Carolyne Roehm. For years I have been lusting after a bronze planter that she showcased in her book. Take a look...

 
 Carolyne Roehm's bronze planter!
Isn't that the most gorgeous bronze planter for flowers that you've ever seen?
 
Guess what? I found an almost exact replica but without the million dollar price tag.
Your bronze planter!
 

And the linens down here in Provence are off the charts! Not fancy, just every day usable, with complete charm. Take a look…

 

And that is just the beginning of what I have found here in Provence. I really think you’re going to like this sale as there is something for everyone in every price point.

The second part of the sale is going to be a sale sale. Items from the previous sales will be ON SALE! How many times can I say sale in this paragraph? Sale sale sale! Take a look…

Remember that dropdead gorgeous mustard yellow soup tureen from the previous sale? Well, this month it is on sale! 30% off!

 

Remember that set of apothecary jars? 30% off!

 


Remember that antique French manifesto? 30% off #PrayersForParis

 


The third part of the Thanksgiving sale is the most exciting! For the past year I have been working with a company to offer you… THE GREATEST CHINOISERIE BLUE AND WHITE PIECES! I know better than anyone how hard and how expensive it is to collect antique blue-and-white Chinese porcelain and it’s getting harder year-by-year because there are some definite blue-and-white hogs out there, myself being one of them. Reproductions are usually horrible. But the good news is that I have working with a company that produces the most incredible blue-and-white you’ve ever seen. They are not antiques but these pieces are handcrafted, handcarved and hand-painted using a centuries-old technique. Each piece is fired in China’s oldest firing kiln using the same methods as those expensive antiques! The company goes the extra step as well to make these pieces “look” like antiques because who wants a brand-new looking blue-and-white vase! No one! We want the blue and white porcelain that looks old but doesn’t cost a fortune and that is exactly what will be on the Thanksgiving sale!

I am very particular about my blue-and-white. I like a bird and flower motif the best. And it’s got to be just right. I have two Pinterest boards titled: good blue-and-white and bad blue-and-white. You can check them out HERE and HERE. I have been collecting blue-and-white my entire life and it takes a certain eye to know the difference between good and bad blue-and-white. I have taken the guesswork out of it for you and am offering you the best blue-and-white. I have for you three lamps, three different sizes. You can do these as singles or pairs depending on the placement. Each of the lamps has a Lucite base because I love the juxtaposition of an antique lamp with a modern base. The lamps have a basic white shade that is easily replaceable with a custom shade which I recommend. A custom shade takes your lamp to a whole new level.

 

In addition to the lamps, I will be offering vases and jars! No one can live without a blue-and-white Chinese vase/jar! I have put together a great collection. These are great in sets of three. A tall one for branches like cherry blossoms or tall flowers like delphiniums and the smaller ones for flowers. In actuality, you can never have too many of these vases. I have also included an orchid planter. So excited I can barely stand it!


 





 

For this Thanksgiving sale, I will be offering 10 of each but if they are sold out and you still want one or two or three or four, just email me and I will make it happen for you. The delivery for the blue-and-white Chinese porcelain will be approximately three weeks. They are shipped within the United States so no overseas shipping charges or customs. Yay!

So how’s that for a surprise! I have kept all of the prices very reasonable because I’m cool like that. I know times are tough for a lot of us, me included, but I know that we all still want pretty pieces for our house and I hope I can offer that to you. Is it weird that I love you guys?

The sale starts Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, at exactly 9 AM Pacific Standard Time. I will be giving lots of sneak peeks on Instagram this week to whet your whistle! Follow me HERE!

27 comments:

  1. I just skimmed through because im on my way out but those dishes..shut.the.front.door...Fabulosity! I'll be later. .xo

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    1. Aren't those dishes to die for!

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    2. Yes & everything else too! My brother vlived in Pariscfor ten yrs and won't part with anything he moved back to the states with although one christmas he did give me stained glass hangings from a church :) he has a pair of ram heads that he simply will not part with :) I hope i can make something happen Friday..J

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  2. I'm not even going to look at bad blue and white because I know I'm a perp of bad blue and white. It's an area where I'll say "close enough" and keep moving. Teddy will quickly be Instagram famous. Let's just hope he doesn't end up with body dysmorphia and thousands in credit card debt for accessories to feature in his posts.
    Happy Thanksgiving, can't wait to see! I need to go steal my mom's keys so I can lock her in her studio until the tablecloth is finished. Wish me luck!

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    1. We can already tell that Teddy will be an overeater.

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    2. Only if you keep feeding him scrambled eggs, Ellie! :)

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    3. Has Teddy met Ben and Kipling yet? Happy Thanksgiving all, Leslie

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    4. I'm worse a perp of worse than bad blue and white: my painted lacquer pieces are Russian (Palekh, obtained in the USSR). Good luck with the completion of the tablecloth...I'm still clearing piles off the dining room table. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  3. Oh I can't believe it, your blue and white is going to be fabulous. Obviously I'm booking Friday off so I don't miss this sale, sale sale, and the best blue and white sale. This is so good and I need a couple of things to finish off my decorating before Christmas... every single thing I have purchased from your shop has been beautiful in my house, I feel like you are here decorating it for me. Thank you so much Ellie.
    Meeting Teddy has been one of the happiest things to happen during these last weeks, love him and his new life in Provence with you. It's just perfect. XOX

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    1. Thank you so much! So glad you like everything. The blue-and-white is going to be so much fun! We are so happy that Teddy is here as well. XOXO

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  4. Dear Ellie, I love blue and white porcelain and other blue and white. However, I do not have sufficient funds to be very discriminating :-)) I will have to make do. I do love your shop offerings, though. Will you share your Thanksgiving efforts with us? I'm trying to imagine sourcing all those ingredients overseas. Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful. I have always liked to think of all the women ( well, men too nowadays ) getting up early, early, and putting their turkeys in the oven all over the. U. S. I like to picture it in my mind.

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    1. The blue-and-white pieces are going to be very well priced. I will definitely share the Thanksgiving efforts. It's not easy in Provence or France for that matter to celebrate Thanksgiving. XOXO Ellie

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  5. ayyyyyyyyaaaayyyyy those chairs, those lamps...I am going crazy, I want them!

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  6. For crying out loud! You just moved to Provence one second ago, and you've already scoured the flea markets and are ready to offer your findings? No moss grows under your feet. ;)

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    1. Right? That is so Ellie. Trust me, I have been living down here for ten years and it would have taken me TWENTY to find what she did in a weekend. She also announced "I am going to get a dog on Friday" and I wanted to be like "Oh, ok sure" but not only did she but she came home with Teddy the Wonder Dog. I have now learned that she is going to change the rules of "Provence Time."

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    2. Eeeeeee!! I am so excited for these sales!!!! I can't wait to see what else you have found but really I just want to watch EVERYTHING sell out. I live vicariously through the awesome people like DaniBP who know great things when they see it. Which gives me an idea...what about a post where your readers send in photos of the pieces that they bought now installed in their homes? Hmmm...

      Ok, I have to fess up. Like our charming Prince (Stephen) Andrew, my education in blue and white was at Pearl River Mart in Chinatown in NYC. Ooops. :) But I am willing to learn and frankly even an uneducated eye can see how unbelievably amazing this collaboration is. I LOVE the touch of modern with the lucite base.

      Ellie, you blow me away - your energy, your determination, your spirit, your taste. We are lucky to have you in Provence.

      With much Love,
      Heather

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    3. You know I love a fleamarket! And Heather if you say Pearl River Mart ever again, I will shave your eyebrows off. Heather, I am lucky to have you! The ultimate Welcome Wagon. Don't know what I would do without you. XOXO

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    4. Oh you'd get along just fine of that I am absolutely 100% sure. And methinks your family would be relieved to not have to hear my "suggestions" every two seconds. #bossypants But I need my eyebrows (I barely have any left as it is, ah, the 90s), so will say no more!

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  7. What beautiful things, Ellie. I don't think it's weird that you love us - after all, we love you! Off to follow the beautiful Teddy on instagram! XX

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  8. Perhaps a post about the good, the bad and the ugly of blue and white .... I have seen your boards, but would love some specifics. The sale looks fabulous - will they ship the Blue & White worldwide? Best wishes Ann

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    1. Great idea, Ann. I will start working on that for the blue and white tutorial. Yes the blue-and-white will ship worldwide. No problem. XOXO Ellie

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  9. So I just had a comment that either disappeared or published about seven words too soon. Premature publication.
    Anyway, I am struggling to decide on napkin folding for Thanksgiving. If you're accepting post requests, I'd love your insights. But don't feel too much pressure because I don't think anyone else would care that much about it.

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    1. Napkin folds have always interested me, so if Ellie doesn't post, I hope you will. I'll be doing a simple "Empire" fold with a small love note tucked inside. Keep us posted on your final decision.

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  10. Ellie a truly fabulous collection for sale this Thanksgiving!!
    Thank you for making the season so special for your dear friends!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  11. omg i soooo want a lamp. those are gorge. you have amazing taste. i just told the people at the One Kings Lane studio about you and your fabulous history/decorative arts lessons.

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  12. You found some VERY nice majolica and quality bamboo pieces. I'm guessing you claimed the linens with E G initials for yourself (Ellie, Gracie) ;) It's comforting to know that Teddy will be endlessly entertained in his new home and you in the flea markets of Provence.

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