Guild Luncheon & Vintage Cabinet Update

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Hello Everyone,

I am back from my beautiful vacation in Buckhead Atlanta! Mr. Shockley and I had such a wonderful time. I have so many photos to share with you all. I will say this… Buckhead is beautiful! All of the beautiful homes! Oh my goodness! I hope you all enjoy my photos! 

Today I wanted to share a quick post about the Guild Luncheon that we had in August and my vintage cabinet update. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

So, the Guild has started back up again, and we had our Founder’s Day luncheon in August. When I walked into the Woodstock Country Club, I saw a difference. They had redecorated, and I was here for it! They added new chinoiserie wallpaper panels, and they were gorgeous! I wish I had taken more pictures. I will the next time. 

 

 

The luncheon events team did a great job setting up the tablescapes this year. I thought everything looked very elegant. I found out that I am on the events team that will be setting up for the Christmas luncheon and I am on the team that will be a docent at the Tiffany Skillings private home tour! I have always been a fan of hers and loved her work that she did at the 2022 Showhouse. I look forward to seeing her private home. I don’t know if I can’t take any photos but I will be sure to ask! 

 

 

In more decor news, I have finally moved my vintage china cabinet over to its permanent spot in my office. I have my books in it and could not love it more. Now I am trying to figure out how to decorate it. So my husband was going to paint the wall of the cabinet but then we looked at it and realized that I would not be able to see any of the decor on the wall because of my books so I am still on the fence about that. But I did mention that I could now buy more blue and white ginger jars to put on the top of it. My husband then said, “why not green and white”. I thought, “wow that might actually look beautiful and continue to go with my office because of my sage green settee and sage green vintage screen! What do you guys think? Blue and white or green and white? Let me know in the comments below! 

 

First Empty-Nester Vacation

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Hello Everyone and Happy Friday,

Of course, I am really excited for this weekend. My husband and I will be fine-tuning (well me) our agenda for our first empty-nester vacation. As I have shared with you all before, my husband and I have NEVER taken a vacation without the kids, so we are really excited for this trip and plan on just taking our time.

 

photo credit: Getty/Pinterest

 

I have always been fascinated by this home. I know that it is not big and does not compare to the homes in Newport but I still wanted to visit this gorgeous historical home. The Swan House to me is what my dream home would look like. There would be a few changes to the front but not much. 

But first on our list would be driving and stopping at Love Shack Fancy in Nashville. I have not told my husband yet but I would love to stop there on our way to Atlanta. I also wanted to stop at the Sarah Flint store but the Nashville location is closed! I couldn’t believe it but so happy that I got to see it last year. 

Once we got to Buckhead we are going to check into our hotel and then I hope that we have time because I want to go to the Sarah Flint store there, visit the Dior store nearby, Hermes, and then stop at a consignment store called Sac De Lux. 

For dinner I found a restaurant near our hotel called South City Kitchen and I really want to give that a try. I found a few other restaurants nearby to have dinner or lunch as well. 

The second day that we are there will be reserved for the Swan House and the Swan Coach House. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest 

 

I don’t think that we will be there all day, so I found some antique stores nearby to go and visit. One is called Antiques & Beyond and the other is 14th Street Modern & Vintage Home. I also found a HomeGoods nearby, of course, and another consignment store called Label Resale Boutique. 

I am really looking forward to this vacation and it will be so different without kids and not having to worry about our home either. We are truly in a different season of life. I’ll see you all when I return! 

 

 

August Favorites ~ 2023

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Good Morning Friends,

Empty-nester week 2! It has been going well so far. Lauren will be coming home this weekend because there are no classes on Monday so we will be so happy to see her. We do have some running around. She has a hair appointment and I have my first waxing appointment! Oh my goodness you guys wish me luck! I have never done waxing before, but I need to try it. Shaving is causing me all sorts of issues! And I mean issues! If you would like for me to share my experience, please let me know below. 

Okay, let’s get into my favorites for the month of August!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

First on my list is this beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas from my very kind neighbor. I was opening the windows to my home office and saw his huge hydrangea tree and thought, “oh I would love a few of those for my crystal vase”. I sent my husband over to ask and he cut me a few! How grand is that?

 

 

Second on my list is the new Aerin Lauder Rose de Grasse perfume called Rouge. I had to go and smell it and it smells just like red roses. It’s quite lovely. If you want to try a sample here is the link to order that. Enjoy! 

 

 

Third on my list is my new monogram tote from Abbot and Lyon! I have always wanted to try a monogram tote and I actually got to see this tote in person while I was in South Carolina in May. A woman walked by me, and I stopped her and asked about it. The quality is quite exceptional, and the price is incredible! I have no regrets ordering it. It is quite large and has lots of organizational compartments on the inside. 

 

 

Fourth was my delicious meal that I got at Ford’s Garage. It was a new restaurant that my family and I decided to try and it was really good. The lime vinaigrette was outstanding! Oh so good! 

 

 

The fifth is my new Kate Spade Leopard tote. I saw a beautiful influencer with this bag and went on the hunt for it. It is sold out everywhere. I managed to find it on Poshmark. Yay Poshmark! This is going to be perfect for the fall. 

 

 

Sixth on my list are these travel contact lense containers. I found these on Amazon and they come two in one pack! Great for traveling or keeping in your handbag for easy access! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Seventh is this incredibly chic white umbrella that I also found on Amazon. I love the gold handle and gold hardware. It is so elegant and comes in different colors. I ordered it and took it to my office immediately. It’s quite lovely.

 

 

The eighth item is this lovely goat milk soap from Beekman 1802. Now I have been watching this company on QVC for years and was always curious about their products. I saw a recent show of their bar soap and after seeing how it lathered on t.v. I had to give it a try, so I ordered it from Amazon. I have been using it for a month and I LOVE IT! Oh my goodness, it is so creamy, and the lavender smell is very light. I love using it. 

 

 

And the last item is my new lip balm from Elizabeth Arden. I found this on Amazon and wanted to give it a try and I must say it moisturizes my lips very nicely. I use it daily and carry it in my handbag. You should give it a try. I will be ordering the 8-hour hydrating facial spray, and hand cream as well. Those items will go nicely in my handbag especially with winter on the horizon. 

I hope you all love my favorites for the month of August. My monthly newsletter will be hitting your mailboxes soon! Please make sure that you check your spam folder if you are not getting it! Have a great day and…

 

 

 

 

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An Inspiring Mellody

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Good Morning,

Well, it has been an interesting first week as an empty nester. Rick and I have adjusted pretty well. We do miss the kids, but it has been nice this week. I will say that! On Wednesday, we had our Founders Day lunch for the Guild. I will share a few photos from that soon. I also went to Random Acts of Flowers and did some flower arranging training! That was really fun! I so enjoyed it. Also, I finally moved my vintage cabinet and placed my books inside! I so love it and will share photos later. I do want to go to HomeGoods this weekend to find some blue and white for it. 

On Monday I shared a beautiful and elegant women named Ann Getty. Today I am sharing another inspiring woman that I just found named Mellody Hobson. 

 

 

I stumbled on Mellody while on Facebook. An advertisement for a course on Masterclass appeared in my newsfeed and it was her discussing finances, so I just had to Google her. She is married to George Lucas! Yes the creator of Star Wars and the Indiana Jones franchise. I could not believe that when I read it. But not only that she is the chairwoman of Starbucks and was the chairwoman for Dreamworks.

What I found so fascinating about Mellody was her background. It was sooo similar to my own. I listened to this podcast called The Positive Leadership and it was an interview with Mellody. You have to listen to it. It is so good!

What I found so inspiring about Mellody was her drive to create a better life for herself and how she let no one stop her from doing that. I love hearing stories about women coming up through the ranks from nothing and becoming great leaders in the field. I hope you enjoy the podcast about Mellody and have a great weekend!

 

 

Quiet Elegance

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Good Morning Everyone,

I needed to take some time off from the blog, boutique, LTK and Instagram. Now I have been on there “liking” photos but for the most part I have not really been activate on it and it has been really nice. 

Lauren and her brother Ely are moved into college. My husband and I officially became “empty nesters” on Saturday. When we woke up on Saturday morning, we both were really sad. We do miss our kids, but we understand that this is simply a part of life. Lauren did call us that morning and I was so happy! She just wanted to tell us about her first night and how things were going. It was good to hear that she missed us! I just keep praying that the Lord is with them.

 I was cleaning up my office and found some old blog posts that I had printed out in 2016. I remember sharing this post called “To Meditate On” and I really enjoyed reading it. It will now be a part of my daily morning devotionals. It helped me to reset my mind as I start this new journey in my life. 

 

photo via Town & Country

 

Do you ever see a woman like this and just stare? I found this photo a few years ago and I had to go on a quest to figure out who it was. I found out that this elegant woman in this photo is Ann Getty. In this photo she was leaving her mansion in San Fransico in 1977 and was accompanied by her footman and butler. If you want to read more about her then read this article. 

When I saw this photo the phrase “quiet elegance” popped in my mind. I love seeing women like this. Where they don’t shout from the rooftop, “Oh I have money and this and that”. They just quietly go about their day living their lives with respect and beauty. They simply don’t see the need in drawing attention to themselves. Their elegance does it for them. I pray and hope that over time I can do that. Just live my life in quiet elegance. Enjoy your day! 

 

My Phone Gallery Wishlist

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Happy Friday,

This will be our last pizza dinner with Lauren for a few weeks. I am trying not to get sad about it. Goodness, I still can’t believe that we are moving her in her dorm room next week. I continue to pray that the angels are with her and her brother as they start their school year. I still see her little pigtails on her head. Time goes by too fast. 

Okay let’s move on. Today’s post should be a fun one. I am sharing my wish list on my phone. I keep a photo album on my phone called “My Wishlist”. I created it a few years ago. Every time I saw a place, dress, bag, antique, really anything that I wanted I would take a screenshot of it on my phone. I then realized that I needed to keep these photos in their own separate album. 

 

 

This is an actual screenshot of my wish list on my phone. You will see all kinds of things. These are all photos of inspiration. There are photos of rooms, movies, accessories, homes, antiques and honestly items that I would LOVE to create for my own brand. Oh dare to dream? What I also realized was that every time I took a photo of something, whatever it was, that item would appear, or that opportunity to visit it would come. I mean it has been very, very interesting for the last few years since I have created this album on my phone. 

 

 

I know that Habakkuk 2.2 in the Bible says, ” The LORD answered me: “Write down the vision; write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others.” With this wish list photo album, I am “writing down” my vision. I am making it plain for the Lord to see. 

And each time that I get something on this list, I just smile and delete it. But I thank the Lord in the process. Now I am not one of those, “fake it till you make it” people or prosperity, but I do believe that you can tell the Lord the desires of your heart. He already knows what they are but if you enjoy beauty like I do, then there is nothing wrong with having it in front of you. 

If you look in the upper right-hand corner of my second album you will see the Swan House and Swan Coach House. We just booked our room for next month to go and visit. I am so excited! Continue to write down your vision! Keep those dreams in front of you whatever they may be! 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Your Gratitude List…

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I am still busy at work, and we are now on our last full week of Lauren being home! I can’t believe it. It truly is amazing at how fast time does really fly. My husband and I have been sending each other pictures of the kids of when they were little. I still can’t believe that Lauren will be off to college next week. 

Having that thought pushed me into thinking about being grateful for things in my life. I was listening to another Tonya Leigh podcast and this one was called “2 Ways to Upgrade your Gratitude Practice”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I still can’t believe that I took this photo!! It is just so magical. I still remember standing in this garden last year in Newport, RH. It truly felt like a dream…. even now I am taking in this moment and being grateful that I got to see this with my family.

Tonya mentioned this in her podcast…

“I also think we can get into gratitude slumps, gratitude ruts. And for me, what that feels like is I’m going through the motions of being grateful but I’m not really feeling it. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Like, you write it down in your journal, “I’m grateful for my family. I’m grateful for my job. I’m grateful for my house. I’m grateful for the food. I’m grateful for my friends.” But you’re not really feeling gratitude. You’re not feeling the emotion of gratitude”. 

Oh yes, I have been here which is why I don’t have a gratitude journal. I always felt like that was all I was doing. Just writing things down just to be writing things down.

 

 

 

Tonya said, “When it comes to gratitude, I think it’s about quality not quantity. I don’t think it’s about the numbers of things that you’re grateful for, but the depth of the gratitude that you have for some things.

Deep gratitude is when you get into the emotion of gratitude. And the way I like to do that is to think of one thing and go deep into why I am grateful for that person or that thing.

I could not agree with this more. I have found myself in the past just going through the motions of making a gratitude list and found myself just blowing right through things. But if I take one thing at a time, I find myself exploring that item, person or event more deeply. It brings more quality to my thoughts of gratefulness more than anything. Let me know in the comments below if you have done this before. How do you apply gratitude to your life?

 

In boutique news, the Vintage Vanity Collection is now on sale. There are a few pieces that are down to $15! You may order on the website.