Blog - A Home for Elegance

February Favorites ~ 2026

February 26, 2026/0 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Well, that went by fast. February is over. I honestly didn’t realize until last week that we only had one week left. Geez, I was going to post something else but then realized that I need to do my February Favorites. I have been trying some new things this month so here we go…

My first favorite is my Galentine’s Day lunch with my girls! We always have a great time at lunch, and it is so good to catch up with each other and spend time together! We had lunch at Restoration Hardware which is always a treat!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Next up is my new nightgown! Don’t you just love a new nightgown? I purchased this from Amazon and have been wearing it non-stop! It is so elegant and so comfortable! I need it in more colors. Then I decided that I needed a new hairbrush for my downtown office space. I found this leopard one on Amazon as well. It’s functional and chic!

Okay, don’t make fun of me but I got an email about two weeks ago sharing this Disney Princess castle candleholder from Bath and Body Works. The little girl in me took a gasp! I had to have it! Those of us with VIP access got to shop first so I ordered mine right away. Then it sold it in less than 48 hours! Keep your eye on it. They might restock it.

Next up are some office beauties. I will be sharing some more photos from my new space soon. I wanted a new sophisticated trinket box for my space and ordered this decorative box from Amazon. It is huge and so elegant! It comes in many different colors. I think I need a second. Then my husband sent me some pink roses my first week in the new office. That were so beautiful and smelled wonderful! He then sent a second bouquet for Valentine’s Day!

Speaking of elegance did any of you see Jennifer’s video about Elegant Planning? Oh, I loved it and hope you will enjoy it as well.

And last on my list is a new health product. I have been really interested in collagen and wanted to try some to help with my joints, skin and possibly help me get more protein. I found Quince’s Collagen Peptide Plus and it is sooo good! I have been putting it in my morning lattes for the last month and have really enjoyed the taste. In addition to the collagen, it has 20 grams of protein! I also saw that it is third-party tested which is a huge plus for me.

I add some warm frothy oatmilk and it becomes a real treat. Let me know in the comments below what collagen are you using. People have been stopping me saying, “your face is so radiant, and it is glowing”. Hummm I wonder if it is working?

I hope you enjoyed this month’s favorites. The newsletter should be coming out soon! Have a great week.

Affiliate links attached. This post is not sponsored.

Chinoiserie Desk- Another Dream Purchase

February 19, 2026/0 Comments/in Home Décor /by mrs.sshockley

Hello Everyone,

I am trying to start my day in a gracious way. It has been about two weeks since we have moved into our new space, and I do LOVE my new office! I will be sure to share a few photos soon. I have had some really nice outings recently. I attended the Great Gatsby play with some of the Guild members. It was really enjoyable! I love theatre. I had a Galentine’s Day lunch with my friends at Restoration Hardware, and attended our Guild sip and shop event at Midlands. Fun!

Can I tell you what else has been enjoyable? Walking down my stairs in the morning and seeing this beauty…

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Can I tell you how smitten I was when I saw this last month at the antique store? I purchased it at Consign by Design . When I walked in the sales rep greeted me with a smile. I smiled back and when my eyes looked around, I saw this in the background and immediately walked past her (sorry) and walked right up to it. I could not help it!!!

I apologized of course and she just laughed. She saw me foaming at the mouth trying to get to this desk. Now this is how I found it at the store. Just look at those details on the front! You can see the Geishas in the front and that beautiful green color. On the inside of the desk are lots of drawers and lots of options for storage. The chair has lots of details as well.

There is a glass covering the Geishas on the inside of the desk. It is truly a piece to stare at. When I asked the salesclerk about the details they could not tell me anything. Just that it came in from a consigner who was going through a divorce. No details about the desk. I really want to find out what year this is. I do know that the Geishas are made of mother of pearl but that is it.

When I was in the store picking it up a mother and daughter duo came in and immediately went to it. I just sat and watched them circle my desk and say where it could go. I then walked up and said, “sorry ladies, this is sold”. The daughter then looked at me and said no! I just laughed.

I plan on using this desk to write my pen pal letters and encourage more handwriting notes. This is such a beautiful desk. My daughter even loves it! She said, “mom it is fabulous”! That made me smile from ear to ear! She asked if it would be in her inheritance. I said yes! I am loving this. I love curating a beautiful life.

Be elegant everyone!

I actually found this listing. It is very similar to my desk, but I did not pay that! I got mine for a steal.

A Closet Update ~ Part 2

February 11, 2026/0 Comments/in Home Décor, Home Organization /by mrs.sshockley

I just had a lovely weekend. I had a show house shift this weekend, and spending time in it is quite lovely. You get to catch up with other members and spend time in a wonderful historic home. I also attended the Great Gatsby play on Sunday with a few members from the Guild. It was quite enjoyable. I always love supporting the arts and I find it to be enriching than the Super Bowl. Sorry not my thing.

I have been also waiting patiently for my walk-in closet to be finished. It has taken a few weeks because the cabinets that I wanted are a custom gray color. When my husband and I decided to go forward with my closet installation I knew that I just didn’t want a white closet. I wanted something with a pop of color.

This was my closet before. The last time that I added any new storage to my closet was in 2018. Over the years I have added items to help with storage and decor. I have changed the hangers so that they all matched. I have added multiple rugs, chairs, and table stands. But I have always wanted the feel of a dressing room.

OH MY GOODNESS! I love my new closet! It is just like the renderings that California Closets did in July of last year. This was installed by Meridian Closets. My husband had a friend there and they were able to provide a few more details to help with my vision.

Can we talk about my gray drawers and gold brass hardware? The color is a dream, and my photos are not doing it a justice right now. In the drawers are my scarfs, belts, purse charms, and other accessories.

I am loving my top cabinet drawer. They give me more storage for my space. I am storing my travel essentials in these cabinets. Since I don’t need access to them all the time, I figured those cabinets would be perfect for that.

I wanted wallpaper in this space but with the cabinet install I would never see it or enjoy it. So, I found these chinoiserie pictures/tiles on FMBP for only $40 and they look perfect! I have always wanted a floral arrangement in my dressing room, so I purchased this ceramic vase from Target. Other accessories include a new valet rod, foot stool, and push tap lights so that I can see my clothing.

Here is a glimpse of my closet. I will be doing a full tour on YouTube soon. Until then be elegant every day!

This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached.

A Before Look at the Show House ~ 2026

February 3, 2026/in Home Décor /by mrs.sshockley

A beautiful morning to you all. How is everyone doing? Cold right? Well, I am not trying to wish it away so soon. I find that I do that a lot and I am trying to take each day as it comes and each hill as it arrives. We are in our new space, and I am loving my new office. I will share some new photos soon.

In other news we have a new show house for the 2026 year, and I wanted to share a few rooms before the designers come in and work their magic.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

These two rooms are the living room and dining room. We have been doing house shifts, and it has given each member the opportunity to walk through the home and admire the bones of it. It is truly a beautiful house! I love the paint colors in each room and the wall paneling. I would love to try this in my home one day. That green in the dining room is so subtle yet elegant. I believe that chandelier is original.

The room on the left is the entry way. It has lots of room to add a table and beautiful colors and fabrics. The kitchen has lots of details as well and is immaculate! I can’t get enough of the crystal chandelier!

And the last room that I am going to share is the master bathroom. This is now my bathroom inspiration. I love the mirrors and the paint color of the cabinets. I see a beautiful floral arrangement in the center and lots of opportunity for storage. This house has lots more rooms and a stunning exterior. I look forward to sharing more about our show house this year. If you are local mark your calendars for April 23 thru May 10. That is when you can come and tour the show house and help us raise money for Eskenazi Hospital!

Our next event is posted to our website. Dash by the Past is a family-friendly 5K or 1 mile walk with a scenic route that takes participants past previous Decorators’ Show House and Gardens homes on Meridian Street. It is open to register!

Have a great week!

This post is not sponsored.

January Favorites ~ 2026

January 27, 2026/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Snowmageddon is here! It is so cold! We have had frigid temperatures all week. How are all of you doing in your part of the world? Is it cold? I have had a lot going on and hopefully will have some beautiful things to share soon. Like my new updated closet, updated laundry room, new office space, and a vintage chinoiserie desk but for now it’s time for my January favorites.

We started the month of January with a baby shower for our new granddaughter who will be arriving in February. We are praying for a safe delivery and lots of hair! We celebrated with a baby shower that my husband and I hosted. We had it at Something Splendid in Westfield. The staff was incredibly nice, and we really enjoyed the food. I loved how our balloon arch turned out. I ordered the backdrop, floral garland, and arch from Amazon. The balloons were created by Banzi Balloons here in my city.

Next is a little vanity love. Do any of you remember the Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan and seeing her mother Elizabeth James’ vanity? I remember the scene having a crystal item of some sort so I went on the hunt for something similar and found it! I ordered it on Etsy. It is beautiful! Then my husband found these gorgeous peach roses from Costco. It has been a long time since I have had beautiful flowers.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Speaking of vanities and beautiful vignettes, I was sitting in my home office and looked across the room and saw this. I realized how beautiful it was and had to snap a photo. Sometimes it is the little, small things in life that bring beauty and peace.

Earlier this month I went to my Mahjong studio to play a few games and ended up buying another Mahjong mat. This mat was inspired by the famille rose china design. This mat is stunning!

I love how it has the “Charleston” Mahjong instructions on it. The correct name for it is the Imperial Mahjong mat. I few places online have it. I also purchased this swan to keep my dice in. I was inspired by my Mahjong studio to buy the swan.

I know my list is a little small this month but that is okay. I have shared lots of great Amazon finds on my LTK. Like these slippers, and this scarf necklace. I hope you all stay safe and warm this week. Bundle up!

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Small Lux in my Powder Room

January 20, 2026/in Elegant Living, Home Décor /by mrs.sshockley

It is so cold! It has been so frigid this week! BRRRR! I have been trying to stay warm and stay at home. Goodness! This week will be hard because I have some meetings and we are moving buildings here shortly. I do look forward to decorating my new space.

In my free moments I have been doing things that relax me. I have been able to pick back up in reading some of the books that I ordered and purchased recently. One of them is called A Life in Good Taste by Caroline Gidiere. This book is so good! I have a lot of pages “bunny eared”. I wanted to share her ideas about the powder room since it inspired me around the holidays.

Most of you know that in 2021 I did a little powder room update and I still love it!

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

I still demand that the door stay open and I still love being in here. Around the holidays I always try to make sure that necessities are placed in here for convenience. Caroline says, “entering a powder room should feel like opening a little jewelry box and finding a hidden gem. I love to cover the space in pattern, even on the ceiling, for a luxurious and enveloping sensation.”

I believe that my stencil chinoiserie painting created that enveloping sensation in our powder room.

She goes to say, “to me it is the height of comfort to have a fragrant bar of soap and pristine hand towels close to the faucet.”

I found this vintage peacock napkin holder from an antique store and added to my powder room during the holidays. I loved it so much that it will now stay. Now I do have hand towels. They are not monogramed but I like to make sure that they are clean. I purchased this basket and placed it on the floor. Inside are fresh towels that I can just grabbed whenever we have guests at our house.

Caroline said, ” my favorites are floral hand towels from D. Porthault, whose offerings are so special that I often don’t pay attention to whether or not they match the surrounding elements.” I love the idea of having quality hand towels but sometimes you just can’t afford them. You can find great ones at affordable prices at HomeGoods or these that I found on Amazon.

Another thing that I love seeing in other powder room are the soaps that some families use. I have been able to try out or test other products because of what a powder room may have. I love the soaps at Bath and Body Works. This one is my absolute favorite! I also love the Nest brand. They have beautifully scented soaps. I purchased these soap dispensers from Amazon and have gotten compliments from all of our guests and added this jasmine scented lotion to the powder room. Everyone enjoyed using both products. We cannot forget about scents. I love a Bath and Body Works wallflower to add to the senses and to help alleviate any other smells. Again, it’s the small luxurious items that you can offer your guests for a wonderful experience. I know using the bathroom is not a fun thing sometimes but why not offer some elegance while using yours.

I hope you all found these tips helpful and will take a second look at your powder room. Turn it into your jewel box if you can! Be bold and enjoy.

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