June Favorites ~ 2022

 

 

Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I still can’t believe this is the last weekend in June! I had a wonderful time at the antique fair this weekend. I will be sure to share a few photos later!

Let’s get into my favs for the month of June. I had some fun favorites for this month…

 

 

My first favorite was the boutique’s Ballet Lace Cardigan. I actually kept a light pink for myself and loved wearing it with my blue dress to the office. It was so beautiful and super elegant. I really enjoyed wearing it and will be wearing it again soon. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Second was an antique trip that I took to a new store. It is called Vintage Whimsy and it’s a local store in Franklin, Indiana. My boss shared it with me this month and I had to take a look and I love this store! They have the prettiest things! I ended up purchasing two table cloths, a pair of vintage earrings, and my blue and white platter that I just hung. 

 

 

The earrings look great…

 

 

The third item is my new passport!!! Happy Dance! It finally arrived last week and it only took 3 weeks. I was not expecting that! I am so happy to finally have this. For years I have talked about traveling to Italy, or France and this year I thought, “you know if an opportunity presented itself I would not be able to go because I don’t have my passport”. Right after I had that thought I suddenly felt “lead” to get it started and I am so glad that I did. I’m ready Lord!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Fourth is my new leather quilted bag! I saw this in the store and loved the crystal bird as the button and the soft leather. This is called the Kensington soft bag by Kurt Geiger London. He has other bags like this and this. It’s quite lovely!

 

 

The fifth is my new swan cake topper from the Cake Bake shop. Now I have no purpose for this but at only $15 why not order one? I may place it on a dessert in the new future. Maybe my cake for my 40th but I am not sure yet. If you love it I would encourage you to order it now. In a few months they will go back up in price! Move quickly….

 

 

 

The sixth are my new grandmillennial inspired cameo bookmarks. Aren’t these great? They are so different and wonderful. The price is surprising as well. You may order it here or here

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Seventh has been my most recent fashion idea. I love tying scarves around my bags but I find that I don’t like the “tie” look. I love for a scarf to drape over the bag and around the straps but if I did that then I have to worry about losing it. I have lost scarves before… not fun. It then dawned on me that I had this vintage Anne Klein Lion scarf clip that I found on Poshmark a few years ago.  I am now using that to help with my drape look and provide security for my scarf.  I found some similar ones here and here. I love it!

 

 

Eight are my new chinoiserie journals that I found at the At Home store. I have tried multiple times to find these online but I can’t seem to locate them. If you have a store nearby I would go and check. These were by the cashiers and were under $10 each! Beautiful!

 

 

And the last item has been this book called Marella Agnelli The Last Swan. I have been reading this during my lunch hour and oh it is so good! I never knew who this woman was but I saw this book on Instagram years ago. It is such an interesting read. Marella was married to one of the Fiat leaders and she lived such a glamours life. I loved reading about her relationship with the Kennedys and Truman Capote. She also had a love affair with interior design and reading how she decorated the family homes was so educational. My daughter even loved the pictures in this book which is rare. 

Well those are my favorites for the month of June. I am starting to get really excited. Our family vacation will be coming up here soon. I will share those details when the time gets closer. Have a wonderful Monday!

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Hanging Plates ~

 

 

Good Morning,

The weather has been soo good! I just wish the humidity would stay away. I am looking forward to the weekend. I will be attending an outdoor antique fair on Saturday. This will be my first time going and I am hoping to find a blue and white chair or a floral arm chair for my downtown office. Wish me luck! 

Speaking of new things, I remember some years ago I watched a video from Martha Stewart about hanging plates and ever since I saw that video I knew that I wanted to try it some day. I could never find any plate wall hangers and I couldn’t really afford to buy a bunch of plates and honestly had no inspiration. But now with Pinterest, bloggers, and Instagram the inspiration is just over flowing. I went antiquing a few weeks ago and found this platter below…..

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I paid about $35 for it. It’s quite large and the colors were perfect for my home decor. I loved the blue, white, and gold. It has beautiful details and the size… I could not pass it up. 

 

 

I searched Amazon and found this super plate hanger for large platters. There are so many options but I wanted something that I knew would fit my platter and this was a perfect fit! It comes in a pack of two and the price was outstanding as well. 

 

 

I decided to hang it in our bedroom next to our mirror. Now I don’t have a platter on the other side and it might look unbalanced but I love the platter here. For some reason it just looks so good to me here. I may move it down the road but for now I am loving it in this spot. 

Please let me know in the comments section below if you have plates hanging on your wall in your home. Oh and I wanted to let everyone know that the boutique will have a new arrival soon! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

A Chicago Trip ~ Sarah Flint BA Meeting!

 

Good Morning,

Back into the swing of things and the heat has returned! Yuck! I hate humidity. It makes life very difficult but I always try to make sure that I have my essentials ready. Okay everyone I am still on Cloud 9 about my first brand trip! I still can’t believe that I am finally working with a brand. It’s been so fun and so far working with the Sarah Flint company has been a phenomenal experience. They do not put a lot of pressure on you to sell nor push content. I know it may seem like I am but it is me. I genuinely love the shoes. Honestly, I do. I wasn’t sure if I was going to attend the brand ambassador meet up in Chicago. I have never done anything like this so I did not know what to expect but something in me said, “just go” and I am so glad that I did. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The brand ambassador meet up and truck show was held at the Four Seasons Hotel.  As soon as I walked in I was in awe. It was marvelous!

 

 

Truly extraordinary…

 

 

I went in the bathroom to freshen up and wait for the other brand ambassadors. They all began to show up one by one. Most of the ladies were local. I drove the furthest. My drive from Indiana was about 3 hours. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Laurel who is apart of the “BA” team came down to greet us and to make sure that we were comfortable. Once enough people arrived they took us upstairs to the suite. I did not take a lot of pictures of the suite because I wanted to take in this moment. I did get a few photos of some shoes. Even though I am already married I still love these Wedding Parker Slings. They are just about sold out. I would wear them with my everyday dresses. I think that would look wonderful! 

 

 

I am lusting for this scarf. It’s called the Odette Scarf 90. I am still thinking about it… 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I could not resist taking a photo of this shoe. This is the Perfect Pump 85 in blue wisteria. I laid them on the table runners from the Sarah Flint company. I couldn’t find them on online but aren’t they lovely? 

 

 

Joseph who also works on the BA team loved my combination of my tote and scarf. This scarf is from the Sarah Flint collection and is called the hidden garden scarf. I love it! My tote is of course from MME.Mink

 

photo credit: selfie from Joseph

 

Here is the lovely Joseph…

 

photo credit: SF Content Team

 

Here is a photo of me and the other ambassadors along with some of the SF BA team! So much fun!

 

photo credit: Julie from Fashion Trends & Friends

 

I met this chic lady and her friend. Julie was such a hoot! As soon as she walked into the suite I knew it. I said, “okay I want to be her friend”. I loved her hot pink jumpsuit! The one thing that I loved about Julie is that she is fearless! She is fearless with her fashion and aims to have fun and enjoy being a woman! 

 

photo credit: SF Content Team 

 

I had such a wonderful time attending this event. I look forward to attending more events and being an influencer for the company. I love it so far. They are always sending out educational information and providing training constantly in order to help assist you with your content. 

 

photo credit: xoxoperfectjoseph

 

Doesn’t this look fabulous? This is a photo of some of the decor in the very first Sarah Flint store in Nashville! Isn’t it wonderful? It just inspired me to hang my platter that I purchased at an antique store. I will share it later. There are also framed scarves in this pictures. The hidden garden scarf is framed in the upper right hand corner. I thought oh I should frame mine?  

 

 

 

Here is the gorgeous store in Nashville, Tennesse! This is the store manager Vivian. I plan on traveling there in October when our daughter is on fall break. I hope they don’t change the decor by then. You can see all of the chic blue and white! Ohh I can’t wait!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and I am so happy to share this fun new journey with all of you. Thank you for reading my blog and for supporting!

 

This post is sponsored.

Here is my $50 off code (SARAHFLINT-BASMSSHOCKLEY) if you decide to order a pair. 

 

Eloquence Is…

 

 

Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We had a great time on Saturday celebrating Father’s Day at Daniel’s Vineyard. The weather was perfect I tell you perfect! It seems as though all of the humidity disappeared! I wish it would stay gone but that is not a reality for us here in Indiana. It gets hot! I will be sure to share our experience at the vineyard later. 

In early June I read this devotional before getting ready for the day and I had to share it….

 

photo credit: Whit & Whimsy/ Pinterest

 

The fact is most of the world’s makeovers don’t work very well. People keep trying to look better, do better, act better, dress better, smile better, all to gain self-respect and influence. 

But eloquence is a spiritual quality that comes from the inner person.

 

photo credit: Pinterest 

 

The grace and graciousness we need comes by faith, by walking with the Lord, by casting our cares on Him, and by living in the light of His love. He warms our smiles, lights up our eyes, softens our features, and brings joy to our personalities. 

I hope this uplifts you today. With all of the horrible news lately, I have been wanting a “refresh” from the word of God. Maybe I just need to be reminded that the Lord is still here. I hope you all of a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swans & Roses at the Cake Bake Shop

 

Hello three-day weekend!

I am so looking forward to having the extra day this weekend! It always helps with home chores, errands, and honestly getting caught up on blog posts. This weekend we will be celebrating Father’s Day of course with my husband. I really want to take him to Daniel’s Vineyard for dinner. It looks like a wonderful place to have dinner and it’s a family vineyard so you can bring kids. It will be a pizza and wine kind of night. I did want to order a charcuterie board. It has fruits, cheeses, and smoked meats. They do not offer reservations and they are about 30 minutes from our house. I really hope that we can go without a lot of hassle. I’ll let you all know!

Speaking of wonderful dinning, I mentioned on Instagram that I went to the Cake Bake Shop recently! I had to share the most recent decor. 

 

 

It was a beautiful sunny day when we went. It was just starting to get warm. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love these faux floral trees! I wish I knew where she was getting her faux flower arrangements. I would love these on my porch!

 

 

Isn’t it darling?

 

 

 

photo credit: L. Shockley 

 

I had to get a photo of me in front of the swans. The dress I am wearing is from Red Dress Boutique. My shoes are of course Sarah Flint. If you click on this link you will be taken to the website and if you add your shoes to cart and purchase my $50 off discount code will appear! The bag is from MME.Mink. 

 

 

Oh my goodness, once inside I could not stop staring at all the beautiful faux roses and crystal! It’s GOREGOUS!

 

 

The gift shop is always full of wonderful surprises. This season’s theme was swans. My favorite. Right now is the best time to order ornaments. They are half the price! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I seriously could not stop looking at the decor. It’s wonderful! 

 

 

For my dinner this time I got the parmesan crusted chicken, with arugula salad, and roasted potatoes. Wonderful as usual and for cake I chose…

 

 

Carrot cake! It was so moist and delicious! I think out of all of the cakes I have tried this is my favorite! I am still thinking about it. It was a wonderful evening out with family and I always enjoy the decor and food. If you want to read about my other visits and see the decor you may read here, here and here

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and celebrate the special men in your life! 

 

Also the Chrissy Ruffle Midi is on sale! It’s only $25 right now. 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Small Backyard Oasis

 

 

Good Morning,

I am back from Chicago and I had a great time! I met a lot of wonderful and beautiful people. Everyone was so nice and I am so glad that I took the time to go and network. I am not sure where it will lead but we will see. Sometimes taking small steps can lead to bigger ones. I will be sure to share my adventure soon! 

A few weeks ago I shared on my Instagram account a photo of me setting up for our Memorial Day grill with our kids. It turned out to be a great day and everyone enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised at how pretty my little oasis turned out to be. I have been wanting an outdoor area to eat meals and read. But with two dogs, now one, it has been hard to take an interest in my backyard. It is used primarily by our dog and it has been really hard trying to figure out what we can do since it’s his bathroom basically. 

I am hoping that in the near future we can create a concrete area for me to be able to set up furniture and have some big blue and white planters. But for now this little area worked out just fine. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I wasn’t sure how my umbrella would look with my table. I ordered it last year from Amazon and I am so glad that I did. I also ordered an umbrella anchor so that I can take it with me when we have beach adventures! 

 

 

The table cloth I found at the Goodwill ages ago! I only paid a few dollars for it. I did have to cut a slint in the middle in order to use it for my table. I really don’t mind. I have not used this cloth for anything and I am glad that I finally can. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The beautiful peonies are from of course JP Parker, and the blue and white ginger jar/vase was a Mother’s Day gift from my step-son and his girlfriend. Well done right?

 

 

The first day that I set it up it was early in the morning and I would not wait to get out there and have my breakfast and plan my week! It was so nice. 

 

 

It was a nice change of scenery, and the weather was perfect. I sat out there for hours. My husband could not help himself. He came out and joined me as well. 

 

 

 

I had to pull out some dishes and play around with it for a while. I decided on using my Aerin Lauder plates from Williams Sonoma. They are currently sold out but I did find these on sale that are similar. They were a perfect match with my green goblet glasses from my mother in law. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I also set up a little sitting area. This bench rocks back and forth and was quite cozy after I added the cloth and outdoor pillows. I could not resist putting my blue and white planter back here as well. We grabbed a few more chairs and everyone was able to find a place to sit and talk. It turned out well. I hope this post inspires you to use whatever you have. This outdoor furniture that we have is old and needs to be repainted but with a few lovely linens and pillows it gave the furniture a fresh look. Have a great Wednesday!

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Tulipiere ~ Do you own one?

 

 

Good Morning,

By the time you read this I will be in the road headed to Chicago for the Sarah Flint Brand Ambassador meet-up! I am so excited! I am hoping for a good turn out and a wonderful opportunity to network and meet new people! I will be sure to share my adventure once I return. 

Now on to a recent beautiful find…

Do any of you own a tulipiere? I have seen numerous versions of these and for the most part they are quite hideous. I haven’t seen one that I really love until Katherine from Peony & Pender shared this one on her Instagram feed.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love it! It is called the Artichoke Tulipere and it is stunning! It looks wonderful with the white tulips on top of my antique cabinet. Now it is sold out on her website but I found it on Wayfair. They also have it in a light blue and white. 

I do want to share this video of P. Allen Smith from Youtube sharing his tulipiere. This was the first time I had seen one. 

 

 

Isn’t his beautiful? Wayfair does have his version in white as well. Let me know in the comments section below if you own one. I would love to know how you use it! Have a great Monday!

 

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.