A Reader Inspired…

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Good Morning,

I think I finally got things organized in my new phone. I like it so far but I think there is always a huge adjustment when getting a new phone. The trees are blooming here. It’s such a beautiful sight when driving into our subdivision. I love it in the mornings as well during my walks. It’s quiet and I can just stare at the blooms. 

I picked up the recent issue of Victoria Magazine. I love reading the reader-to-reader section. There was one letter that stood out to me and I thought I had to share it….

 

photo credit: Style Me Pretty

 

“Victoria magazine has instilled in me an appreciation for everyday life. Inspired by its pages, I have begun to notice daily blessings that come in many forms: the rising sun illuminating the sky, the first sip of morning coffee, the scent of lavender in a warm bath, a songbird’s music, a home-cooked meal, or a full moon rising before bedtime. 

However, the most unexpected gift came when I found myself accompanied by my best friend on a small plane to Victoria, British Columbia. Neither of us had ever flown out of the U.S., but articles from the magazine prompted us to book a stay at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. There, we experienced the unparalleled elegance of teatime at the Empress. We also re-energized at Willow Stream Spa and shopped the delightful local boutiques. 

My friend and I still can’t believe we flew to another country to have afternoon tea. We surprised ourselves on that Canadian getaway with our sense of adventure, sparked by the pages of Victoria”.   ~ Janice Allee (Depew, Oklahoma) 

Now how wonderful was that? I was so motivated by this letter. I even looked up the Empress Hotel myself! I love hearing stories like this. Women being bold to take an “elegant adventure”. I am telling all of you I have had this urge in me to do the same. 

Let me know in the comments below how you have been inspired by anything you read or have read recently. With everything going on in the world, letters like this give me hope!

Have a wonderful Monday! 

 

My Office…

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Good Cold Friday Morning!

Goodness, I still can’t believe how cold it is here! So frustrating. We are suppose to finally climb into the 70s next week. Hallelujah! I have been m.i.a. from the blog and social media a bit. I had to upgrade my phone and it has literally taken 2 days to get everything transferred from my old phone to my new phone. I still have to move some of my videos! 

I like my new cell. It is a huge upgrade to my old one. I have a better camera for photos and videos! So we will see….

In today’s post, I wanted to share a few photos from my downtown office. I know I have not shared much from this space. I have a different position now and wanted to give it some time before I did. I still won’t be showing the entire office but I thought a few photos would be okay. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is the doorway to my office. When you open the door this is the first thing you see. It is a little bigger than my last office but the downside to this space is that I do not have a window view. I do miss my view in my old office but this location is soooo much better. 

I have my faux flower arrangements, my blue and white ginger jars on my wall, my beautiful “lady in blue” picture, and beautiful antique items on my desk. I love my chinoiserie tissue holder, ginger jar vases, and family photos. 

 

 

Here is another view from the door. These items were in my previous office. The tall brown piece of furniture in the distance is a coat closet.

 

 

 

 

Here is another view of the sitting area. I do love this area. All of the colors that I have just seem to blend together so nicely. I am still loving the painting that I found at the antique store. I stare at it every time I can get a moment.

I do hope that you enjoyed this tiny tour of my office. I hope that it provided some inspiration for your very own office space whether downtown or at home. Have a wonderful Friday!

 

 

 

The Elegant Wisteria

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Good Morning,

It’s been a quiet weekend. I am hoping that the temperatures will get better. On Friday, when I was out going for my morning walk snow, began to fall! I felt myself growing frustrated. It’s almost April for crying out loud! Last weekend my husband and I went to Lowe’s to look at some new lantern lights for the sides of our garage. While we were there I found some more peony bulbs to plant. I am hoping that it will get warm soon.

In addition to the snow, we have had nothing but cold rain. I recently saw an elegant umbrella on Instagram and could not resist!

 

 

Isn’t it stunning? I stared at it for days and then saved the photo to my wishlist on my phone. I then did the inevitable. I ordered it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

It is so stunning! It is also so well made! I love Sarah’s products. You can tell that she takes TIME to create things. That is something that I dream of doing in the future.  This umbrella came with its own carrying case. 

 

 

Beautifully crafted. The handle is authentic Italian leather in navy. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The details are impeccable. The gold tones and navy are a beautiful combination. I love how the wisteria print peeks above the navy canopy. 

 

 

 

 

And here is the inside…. it’s like a dream!  I love the print! It is such a beautiful design and is timeless. I know that this umbrella is so expensive so I found some similar ones on Amazon. I placed them on my favorites page if you are interested. I have not used it yet but I am looking forward to it. I did bring it to the office last week because we had rain and one of my co-workers saw it. She just stared and said, “oh my”. It does have that effect when you see it. 

Let me know in the comments section below what your thoughts are on interior print umbrellas. Also, the boutique has a beautiful new arrival. The Ballet Lace Cardigan is available in light pink and mauve as well as 1x, 2x, and 3x. It’s a great addition to church, weddings, and other ceremonies. You can also wear it with jeans!

 

Have a great Monday! 

 

 

March Favorites ~ 2022

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Good Morning,

It’s Friday! It is also a very cold Friday. Our trees and flowers are beginning to bud. I hope everything can survive our 30-degree temps. I watched the entire first season of Bridgerton. Have any of you watched it yet? There were a few scenes that caught me off guard but other than that I loved the story. I am not sure if I want to dive into Season 2 yet. I need to take a break because I stayed up past my bedtime 3 times this week to watch the episodes. I am paying for it now because I am so tired. Let me know in the comments section below what your thoughts are if you have any. 

It’s now time for my March favorites!

The first is my new blue chinoiserie canvas from At Home! I love this so much and so does my family. It fits the decor in my sitting room as well as everything downstairs. It’s a wonderful addition to my home decor. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The second is my new pair of Lulus sandals. These are a wonderful dupe to the Loeffler Randall sandals. They are much more comfortable to me and the heel height is easier on my feet. I would recommend buying these to anyone!

 

 

Third is this super comfy dress from Red Dress Boutique. I wore this to the office a few weeks ago and loved it with my heels. Place a cardigan over it and it becomes a wonderful wardrobe item! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The fifth is my recent antique find. I took a few days last week and went antique shopping and purchased this below.

 

 

Now the funny part is I purchased the stand sometime last year from the same store. This large porcelain planter was the same planter that was on it but I didn’t want to pay for it just yet. The stand alone was almost $100!  I thought well if it is meant for me to have this then when I come back it will still be here. Well, I went back and it was still there! So I asked the store owner if they would take less and they did! Yay me! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The sixth is this lovely photo from an Instagram account called French Lilac. I saw this in my feed and had to save it!

 

 

The vanity….. wow! 

 

 

Seventh is Victoria Magazine’s upcoming book release. The Art of Collecting: Personal Treasures that Make a Home will be released next week and I already have it saved to my Amazon list to order! I can’t wait to see this book!

 

 

And lastly is my new leopard laptop case from Notiq. I reached out to them to find out if they had any more of the 15-inch laptop cases and they wrote me back with a yes! I ordered it right away and could not be happier!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I hope you all enjoyed this month’s favorites. I have a new arrival for the boutique. The plus-size lace cardigan has arrived and I am hoping to have it added to the boutique this weekend! I hope you enjoy it! Have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

 

 

 

The Grandmilliennial Style of Ms. Rhimes

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Good Morning,

I am loving this quiet week at the office. Yesterday I did leave early so that I could run to the antique store before they closed to buy some antique crystal salt and pepper shakers. When I got there she had closed about 30 minutes early. Sighing…. I am trying to decide if I want to wait until this weekend or try again today. We will see….

In today’s post, I wanted to share a recent photo that I saw in Architectural Digest magazine. 

 

photo credit: Michael Mundy 

 

Have any of you seen this gorgeous photo of writer Shonda Rhimes in her NYC apartment? O.MG.! When I saw this photo I thought oh yes! This sings to my soul! I had to read the details about this apartment. 

 

photo credit: Michael Mundy

 

So the wallpaper is from De Gournay (not a shock), the mirror is a Regency gilt mirror and it hangs above her custom Jasper sofa in Clarence House damask. Her pillows are from Fortuny, Claremont, and Chelsea. The room is a complete dream. The best part is there is a video on Youtube of her giving AD a tour! Watch it below.

 

 

I hope this left you feeling inspired or gave you some inspiration for your home. I can’t wait to show you guys my recent antique purchase! It’s grandmillennial of course! Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

 

A Glorious New Arrangement

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Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I enjoyed my days off. I feel like I need more. Those 3 days went by so fast but I enjoyed sleeping in, taking my morning walks, and just puttering around the house. I did go antique shopping and I will share what I got later this week. I also got some beautiful vintage earrings from Poshmark. At night I read my new Estee Lauder book and watched Pretty Woman. I forgot how much I love that movie. It was a wonderful few days off! I so enjoyed it! 

I did want to share my most recent new faux flower arrangement. We took our daughter to JoAnn Fabrics recently. We got her a new sewing machine for her birthday and she wanted to pick out some fabric. While she was looking for her fabric I went to the other side of the store to look at their new spring and summer faux flowers and saw these beautiful bouquets. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Aren’t they beautiful? These are called anemones and they are pretty affordable at JoAnn Fabrics. I love how they look in my downtown office. They look so real and elegant. I went and purchased the last ones at my location. I really want to go and get more!

 

 

I went and got a second bouquet for my nightstand table. Do you see my new black and white Jasperware vase? I actually found that on Poshmark for only $25! I was going to take it to my office and use it as a pen holder for my desk.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The anemone bushes actually remind me of my butterfly ranunculus that I found in 2020. I LOVED these and have not seen them since! For the last two years, I have been hoping that my local grocery store would order these again but they have not. So disappointing! 

Let me know in the comments below if you have gone to JoAnn Fabrics for their home decor and faux flower arrangements. I actually love their arrangements more than Michaels or Hobby Lobby.  I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Oh and speaking of beautiful things a new arrival has been added to the boutique’s page! The Jasmine Pearl Brooch is gorgeous and would be a wonderful addition to your wardrobe. It is only $15 and is worth every penny! I hope you order one soon! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Lavender Perfume…

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Good Morning!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! The up and down temps continue. Saturday was freezing and then Sunday was beautiful and sunny. This is never fun but we are used to it by now. I did my normal chores this weekend and then I decided to call my local Ulta to see if they have the new scent from Philosophy that I saw on their Instagram page. Did any of you see the new lavender perfume that Philosophy just launched?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Oh my goodness! I love it. I adore it just as much as the jasmine scent that I picked up last year. The scent is so light, floral, and subtle. It is a wonderful addition to my feminine wardrobe for sure. 

Let me know in the comments section below if you intend on going to smell this new fragrance. I would love to know what you all think, good or bad. I am also going to be taking the rest of the week off from the blog. Our daughter is on spring break and I want to take a few days to spend some time at home and get some things done. If I do anything fun or find some wonderful things I will be sure to share it on the blog. The boutique is still open for business. I do intend on ordering a new item for the plus-size section. I really want to order the lace cardigan for the plus-size section below. What do you all think? I want to order it in this beautiful mauve color and the light blush color.  

 

I love it! But let me know your thoughts below. I hope you all have a great week and I will talk to you all soon!

 

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.