Cottage Love…

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My lunch break is a great time for me to sit down enjoy my meal and read. I was reading a spring issue of Country Living magazine and saw the best cottage ever!!!

This home is 125 years old and is only 970 square feet but boy is it lovely…..




 
photo credit Roger Davies  

 
 
 
 

photo credit Roger Davies
 
I love the gilded mirrors and antique hutch and desk.
 
 
 
 
 

photo credit Roger Davies
 
What a great way to use space. I love the open cabinets and farmhouse sink.
 
 
 
 
photo credit Roger Davies 
 
I love the fact that she added a chandelier, oil painting, and floor-length draperies to the kitchen.  So exquisite! Oh and the lamp on the counter in the corner and fresh herbs too! J’ dore!
 
 
 

photo credit Roger Davies 
 
They replaced the bathroom door with a toile curtain.
Very creative….
 
 
 
 
 
 

photo credit Roger Davies 
 
Can you believe she paid only $10 for her chandelier? She found it at a garage sale! I love the artwork in her room. It is inspiring…
 
 
 
 
 
 
photo credit Roger Davies 
 

Blue and white outside? Yes!

Plates on the wall outside? Double yes!

 

Oh, I hate that this tour ended but it was quite enjoyable.

If you wish to see the original article view it here.

 

 

 

 

So beautiful….
 
 
 
 
 
 
(photos via Country Living.com)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lamp Shopping at Hobby Lobby

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I was running a quick errand a few weekends ago and decided to stop in Hobby Lobby. It is a great store for home décor. I wanted to find some faux flowers for my office but didn’t see any that I wanted but I did see some great lamps.

I thought these were great. They are called the Cream flower on base lamps.
Very pretty!

Next is the white ceramic pineapple lamp. My favorite!
Gold Quatrefoil Metal Lamp
Very chic!
Gold & White Striped Square Lamp
Mediterranean Silver Tree Lamp
I hope you enjoyed my short little shopping trip. You never know what items you may find. I always seem to find great things when I am not trying.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Lovely Blush for Fall

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I know, I know, pink blush or dusty rose are not autumn colors but I could not resist leaving these items at the store.

I mean someone else could have gotten them and Lord knows I can’t allow that 🙂 But the good thing is all of these lovely items were at great prices. So great that sharing is a must.

 
 
I picked up this coat at Old Navy. It is called the Wool Blend Everyday Coat.
I managed to get it in pink. Yeah me!
 
 
 
 
 

 
Now, these I just adore! They are so comfortable and chic.
And the price is glorious! They are called the Sam & Libby Omni Ghillie Pump.
 
 
 
 
 
Aren’t these fantastic? I picked these up at Ninewest.
They are called the Fault Kitten Heels. Super comfortable and super chic!
 
 
 
The shawl that I have with it is from H & M.
It is called the Woven Scarf.  It is very large and comfortable.
 
 
 
It has been a wonderful month of “pink” finds. I have really enjoyed it.
 
 
My birthday was on the 28th of September. I love these flowers from my husband.
 
 
 
He does such a good job! Notice my shoes under the table. I do enjoy our bedroom.
Remember to enjoy your life and live it according to your beauty.
 
 
 
 
Well, I hope you enjoyed this post. As always thank you for stopping by.
#liveeleganteveryday (my hashtag on Instagram)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley )
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To Learn French ~ Duolingo

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A couple of weeks ago I heard my daughter speaking French to her phone. I turned around and said, “Oh my are you learning French”? She then told me about an app she downloaded called Duolingo.

I was so curious and impressed that I downloaded the app myself! And it was free! How great is that? Well, I am happy to report that I am 2% fluent in French (the report from my app) and loving every bit of it!

It sends you reminders when it is time for your lesson and each lesson is no more than 5 minutes! I do love it! I took French in high school but I don’t remember it being this fun. I do enjoy my daily lessons. Once I am finished with French I will move on to Spanish.




Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Even if you have never taken a foreign language in your life you should try. I mean why not…

I hope you give Duolingo a chance and if so please share your thoughts about the app. Thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time, be elegant my friends.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A Lush Georgia Farm

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Entertaining is always a wonderful thing. I love learning from interior designers about how they live and entertain family and friends. It was very rewarding to find this wonderful article in Veranda a couple of months ago.

Keith Robinson an interior designer shared his tips on entertaining. I love his home which is called Redwine Plantation located in the southwest part of Atlanta.

photo credit Thomas Loof
A feast for the eyes. | Photo: @loof39, Design: Keith Robinson:
photo credit Thomas Loof 

Robinson hosts family and friends under his lush magnolia trees. Oh, magnifique!



photo credit Thomas Loof 

He uses gleaming glassware, antique china and vintage flatware. “Using fine things in the garden creates magic“, he says. I couldn’t agree more… 
photo credit Thomas Loof 

Robinson grows every vegetable imaginable and uses them in his meals. When guests arrive he puts a drink in their hands walks them about the garden and takes them to the staging area where the meal is waiting. This table is set under blooming Lady Banks roses. Lovely isn’t it?



I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. It was just lovely….
( to read the original article see here.)
(photos and text via Veranda.com)

Feminine Pursuits

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Last month I shared that I am reading a book called Thirty Chic Days~ Practical Inspiration for a Beautiful Life and I am still enjoying this book. Last week I was reading a section of the book called “enjoying feminine pursuits” and in this section, the author Fiona talked about feminine pursuits or past-times that she loves to include in her life.

That got me thinking….. hmmm do I have any feminine pursuits that I enjoy? Well of course I do! So I decided to share my list of my favorite feminine things to do.

* Goodwill shopping ~ I love looking for great skirts and shirts to add to my wardrobe. See my blog post here about my thrift store shopping.




My blouse and skirt are from the thrift store.


* Playing the piano ~ I take lessons every Monday! See my blog post here about my lessons

* Buying flowers and flower arranging ~ Shocker, I think not!






















My weekend flower loot!

* Reading


* Watching old movies. See my favorites here.


* Manicures and pedicures


* Hearing influential women speak about life, failures, and careers


* Having tea with friends. See my post here about that. 







* Collecting silver and learning about it. See my blog post here about that. 


* Wearing perfume. See my blog post here about my favorites.


* Collecting blue and white plates. I have a serious problem… but I love the way they look.



























The blue and white plates I found at T.J. Maxx last month along with some of my other goodies.


* Wearing pink and red fingernail polish. There is just something so chic about those colors. 


* Wearing big curls in my hair every day! I love it! 


* Volunteer work. I recently volunteered as a fashion counselor for the Dress for Success program at my office! Yeah!


* Listening to my little girl every morning talk to me about life. 


* Before leaving my office making sure my daily to-do list for the next morning is complete. I hate coming to the office and not having my day planned. Drives me nuts!


And last but certainly not least, praying on a regular basis (sometimes hourly if I am truly disturbed) and working on my finance spreadsheet every other Wednesday. You should know what your monthly finances are. 


I hope you enjoyed this list. Keeping your goals and dreams in front of your mind is always helpful and will help you stay the course. 

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

The Butler Speaks ~ Starter Cleaning Calendar

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Good Morning, and today is the last post from my “The Butler Speaks series”. I hope you all have enjoyed reading them. I know I have enjoyed the comments.

For this particular section of the book, Mr. MacPherson talked about a simple “starter” calendar. This calendar ensures that you will deep clean one area of your home per month, instead of doing it all at once a couple of times a year.

You’ll notice that there are no tasks scheduled in December. This is a month for us to entertain and enjoy time with our families.

January
* Deep clean kitchen (post-holiday entertaining)


* Flip mattresses


February 
* Clean out all closets


* Deep clean master bedroom


March
*Dust bookshelves


* Deep clean all other bedrooms








photo credit the French Manoir Instagram account

April
* Flip mattresses

* Check all outdoor lights burned-out bulbs

* Deep clean hallways, front hall closet, linen closet

May
* Wash windows

*Clean garage (post-winter mess)

*Deep clean laundry room and basement area

June
*Clean all outdoor barbecue items

* Deep clean outdoor entertaining areas

* Deep clean the kitchen





photo credit the French Manoir Instagram account



July 
*Flip mattresses

*Deep clean bathrooms

August 
*Clean garage (post-summer mess)

Deep clean kids’ rooms; prepare wardrobes for school (this would be done in July for us!)

September 
*Deep clean family room

*Check furnace for the winter season
October
*Wash windows

*Flip mattresses

November 
*Clean silver (preparing for holiday entertaining)

* Install holiday lights before the first snowfall

December 
*Enjoy your family and friends!

photo credit French Country Cottage Instagram account
(list via Charles MacPherson)