Elegant Party Protocol

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Many of us get invited to parties or have office functions but for the most part, most of us will not be invited to state receptions or official balls.

Mr. MacPherson did however give great advice on how to have excellent etiquette and how to handle important events.

* Be on time (of course): When it comes to important events, there is no such thing as “fashionably late”. Be a few minutes early if you will have to check your coat or if you don’t know exactly where to go. 




* Do not lobby: An official event is not the time to lobby for your cause, no matter what cause it is. Use the event as a social time to get to know people, and contact your new connections on specific matters after the event is over. 

Photo by Mat Reding on Unsplash

* Never ask for more food: Asking for a second helping of something will draw unwanted attention. Large events are generally planned down to the minute. By asking for more food you may upset the timing of a dinner, and insult your host or hostess.





photo credit Marchioness Instagram account
* Connect with your host and hostess: Make an effort to speak with your host and hostess. Remember to take only a few minutes of their time. They do have to entertain other guests. 





Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash




And last but certainly not least…..

* Leave gracefully: Usually, once the guest of honour has left it is your turn to do so. Finish one last dance or cocktail at the bar, then say your good nights and head for the door. 


These are some great tips and reminders from our great butler. I know that I will be adding these to my mental memory. I hope you enjoyed them. 

(text Charles MacPherson)











Tips for First Impressions ~ The Butler Speaks

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Okay, I have pulled out my book The Butler Speaks book once again. I shared some blog posts about this book, see here, here, and here. Now I am on etiquette and these tips from Mr. MacPherson are very interesting.

Mr. MacPherson believes that a good butler has much to teach us about how to make a good first impression and wants us to consider these pointers as a first-impression success no matter what the circumstance.

*  When meeting someone for the first time, repeat his or her name in your conversation. A butler will call the guest Mr. or Mrs. plus their last name. He will never address a guest by first name. 


*  Use the appropriate amount of formality depending on the circumstance, but whenever you’re uncertain, err on the side of being more formal, at least at first. Most people will tell you if they’d prefer a less formal style of address, but few will tell you when you’ve erred and gone too informal. 


*  Listen carefully when you meet someone, not only to the words a person uses but also to their underlying meaning. Respond when appropriate, and be generous and gracious. 





























Photo by Matthijs Smit on Unsplash

*  Always maintain eye contact

*  Be careful of using humor. If you are meeting someone for the first time, you do not want to offend them.

*  Check your ego at the door. Wait until you have established credibility before you even consider challenging someone you’ve just met. 


*  Choose your words carefully because, rightly or wrongly, what you say will be used to judge your intelligence, education, culture, and abilities. 



I have really enjoyed these pointers and hope to be sharing more.

My Favorite Spring Candles

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I know it is really early but the stores have been releasing things so early that it is hard not to purchase your favorite items when they are available.

I stopped in White Barn Candle during their semi-annual sale and saw that some of my favorite spring scents were available.

My candles at home



So I figured why not….. I purchased White Gardenia, Lily of the Valley, and Fresh Cut Lilacs (my favorite). I hope that they will come out with some hand creams and body lotions in these lines. That would be great! I still miss my favorite scents from my college years. I loved sheer freesia and night blooming jasmine. 
Go and check them out soon. They are quite wonderful.

(photo via Mrs. Shockley)

My Visit to Williams Sonoma

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After my husband and I visited Restoration Hardware we decided to walk down to Williams Sonoma. When we walked in we saw their wonderful new dinnerware collection called The Japanese Table and oh is it pretty!


My husband even liked it!! I wish I had taken pictures but I was so busy looking at everything. 








This was our favorite.
Garden Dinner Plates

We did however end up purchasing the placemats. 

Cherry Blossom Place Mats

The next beautiful set I saw was the Citrus Dinnerware Collection.






This was so pretty in person.











Smoke Goblets


I wish I had taken pictures of these. They are much prettier in person.




Glass Candlestick Holders






This collection was really pretty in person also.






Kate Spade New York Collection








It would be great to organize your kitchen with…





Blue and White Ceramic Cachepot





And last but certainly not least this new floral scent called White Gardenia. I did not get a chance to smell it but I will be going back soon. 








Well, I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have a moment to visit your Williams Sonoma I hope that you will share your finds as well!




(photos via  Mrs. Shockley)

Tilly’s Tea Room ~ A New Tea Room Find

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Okay, so for those who know me they know that I love a good tea room. I have been to about two so far. My first one was the Ayres Tea Room, see here.  The second was called the Cakebake Shop, see here.

Now, when my husband and I went shopping for dinner tables this past weekend we ended up finding another one!  I was really excited. I have never heard of it.

Tilly’s Tea Room

Here is a little bit about the owner:
Tilly’s opened in February 2015 and brings the traditional English tearoom to suburban Fishers with a modern-day spin. Owner Sharon Moore, originally from Newcastle, England, came to the states 12 years ago as a television producer for Champ Car. Putting the brakes on her career after having her children Max and Tilly, the tearoom’s namesake, and no longer wanting to travel for work, Moore created a tea room that combines her English sensibilities and enjoyment of good food in a child friendly atmosphere.
Tilly’s uses traditional english recipes to serve a menu consisting of soups, salads, sandwiches and panini’s as well as a Traditional English Afternoon Tea. Home made fruit scones are served with strawberry jam or lemon curd and real Devonshire Clotted Cream. Tea’s are imported from England and feature favourites like Ginger Peach,  Blueberry Elderflower and Chocolate Superberry. 
After spending two years coming up with the styles and ideas for the tea room. Tilly’s features a play room for children and hosts special events such as birthday parties, bridal and baby showers and open house events

Love the table!

A great space for a bridal shower.

Okay, love the silver.
My husband actually found this spot and has already said that he will take me to lunch there soon. I am really excited! I hope you enjoyed this post and for those of you who actually live in my city I hope that you will go and take a look at it soon. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley,info about the owner from Tilly.com)

Their website is here.

Champagne Truffles

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One of my fav bloggers, and author Jennifer L. Scott shared a small video about her dinner rotation meal schedule several weeks back.

In that video she talked about these truffles that her husband purchased in London and came home with them. They looked so good in the video.

While me and my husband were shopping in our Keystone at the Crossing mall we came across them! I was so excited and remembered them from the video. Now these truffles are really expensive. For the two layer box it is $74 but on the day that we found them they were 70% off so we only paid $21.40! We ended up buying 2 boxes!

And Jennifer was right they are so good…..

Milk & Pink Marc De Champagne Truffles
Here is the video from Jennifer. She talks about the truffles in the first 5 minutes of the video. Enjoy!

(photo via Mrs. Shockley)

Inspiration for a Dining Room Table

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I mentioned that I am on the lookout for dining room inspiration. We have had our current dining room table for about 7 years. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s just that the table and chairs are just to high.

Honestly, it has a bar room table feel and I loathe it! The only reason why I purchased it in 2010 was because it was within our budget, it had six chairs and it was practically indestructible. Now that I am getting older I wanted something a little more sophisticated and something that will last. I want something timeless.

So my husband and I went to Restoration Hardware to get ideas and samples for the kind of table we want.


Of course, I had to take a picture of the chandeliers. They are just mesmerizing. 

This is an actual photo that I took inside the store. This is what we want. We both love the color and shape. 

It was a great visit and we really enjoyed it! We got a table sample of what we wanted and some paint colors. I love shopping for furniture and I just love home decor. Really, I just love being a woman. If you want to read my blog post about my first visit to Restoration Hardware see here.


(photos via Mrs. Shockley )