May Favorites ~ 2023

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Good Morning Everyone,

It is so good to be back home and finished with traveling. I had a wonderful time in South Carolina. I got the management training that I needed and networked! I met more people and got more connections. Networking is so important, and I didn’t realize that until the last few years. I would encourage anyone to try to network. Get people around you to help you with succeeding and training people if you need to. It helps! Trust me it does!

Lauren graduated on Saturday, and we are so excited for this next chapter for her. It was so nice seeing her with her friends’ taking photos and making memories. Now we are in open house party planning mode, and I hope to get that list completed here soon.

Now let’s get into my favorites for the month of May.

 

 

First on my list is another bathroom organizing idea. I found these simple, yet beautiful bathroom storage containers from Amazon. They have been just wonderful having and using on my vanity. I have my cotton balls and reading glasses wipes in them. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Second on my list is my new lunch bag and card holder from Notiq. These two items have been on my wish list for some time now. I have been getting lots of compliments on my lunch bag. It is so elegant and chic. It will inspire you to grow in your meal planning and be an elegant lunch companion!

 

 

Third are my new candles. There is a new candle collection at Bath and Body Works created by Chiaki Nomura. I absolutely love this new collection! It is rare for me to like all of the scents and I love all of the scents from this collection. What I dislike about Bath and Body Works is that most of the scents smell like foods and are just a little on the juvenile side to me. I want scents that are light, beautiful and classic. I purchased all of the scents that I could and will enjoy them. This collection will not be around for long so go and give them a try. 

 

 

The fourth item was my Mother’s Day gift to my mother-in-law. I saw a beautiful advertisement for these on Instagram and decided to take a look at their website. What I discovered was a company that made these giant, lifelike floral bouquet cards for all kinds of celebrations. I ordered the Nantucket Hydrangea card and she loved it! It was all she kept talking about. I also ordered the Cherry Blossom one for myself and the Sunflower card for a friend. I hope you order one for someone! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Fifth on my list is my new Sarah Flint Royal Kingdom Scarf! My husband got this for me as a Mother’s Day gift. I love it! I remember when Sarah was sharing this on her Zoom call with us. I fell in love then. Right now, there is a 60% off sale going on with an additional 20% off markdowns! And don’t forget about our brand ambassador codes that you can use and are now $60 off instead of $50! You can get a lot of elegant pieces with these sales. Use my code: SARAHFLINT-BASMSSHOCKLEY for your discount. 

 

 

And the last thing is my newest adventure, eating Vietnamese food for the first time! So on my recent work trip, a group of us wanted to go have dinner but one of our friend’s has severe food allergies so she mentioned Vietnamese food. I thought, “oh dear unknown territory for me”, but I felt my heart open to it and so I agreed. We went to a place called Pho Viet. I ordered the beef noodle soup and some spring rolls. It was so delicious!!! I immediately came home and began to Google places near me. I found one and will be going next week. 

That is all I have for my favorites lists. There are more items to share but they will be put into separate posts in the upcoming weeks. Also if you have subscribed to my newsletter please make sure to check your spam folder. I have been checking the reports and some of you are not getting the newsletter because they are going to spam. Please make sure to check that folder. I hope you all have a great day!

 

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Indiana Decorators Showhouse ~ 2023

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And Happy Sunday!

I am heading to Columbia, South Carolina in the morning for management training. I am looking forward to networking with other paralegal supervisors in the DOJ. I attended the peony festival here in my city yesterday. I got the most gorgeous peonies this season! I hate to leave them!!! I am begging my husband to keep an eye on them while I am gone. I hope that I can enjoy them a little when I get back. I will be sure to share some photos when I return. 

I did purchase some new chairs for my front porch and a small table. It has turned into a little oasis for me. I also got a new garage cabinet organizer for my gardening supplies. I am so in love with it and so happy to finally have an area to put my items.

In boutique news, I am trying to find a new plus size spring/summer dress. It has been really hard for me to find something that is a good fit. When I find a dress I either like the top part and not the bottom, the bottom part but not the top and if I like the entire dress then it is sold out! I am trying but it is hard.

Now that the Showhouse is over I feel like my schedule has gotten a little lighter. Being about of the Guild this year has been really fun. I am hoping to become a designer liaison next year so we will see. But let me show you some of my favorite rooms from this year’s Showhouse!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was the outside of the house this year. It was tucked away in a quiet part of the Meridian Kessler area here in my city. This beautiful historical home called “The Failey House” was built in 1928 and was owned by the same family for over 80 years until recently. The total square footage of the home is 7,000. It is huge! 

 

 

When you walked into this home you would have seen this beautiful wallpaper from the Great Masters Collection from Historic Royal Palaces from Cole & Son. It was truly a work of art. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

The living room had a lot of things that I loved about it. It was designed by Cornerstone Interiors. The floor was herringbone wood floors and marble fireplace are original to the home as well as the scones are the walls which were from France! The furniture and accessories were Asian inspired. 

 

 

My next favorite room was the kitchen. Now the orange wall color was not for me but the accessories and furniture really pulled it together. I loved this green settee! 

 

 

I loved the wonderfully large island that was quartzite countertop and had walnut cabinets. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And I cannot forget my dream stove which was this La Cornue range. Goodness, it’s beautiful. 

 

 

I really liked this piece that was in the kitchen. I believe the artist was Carolyn Bradley from Ohio and this was from the collection of Christel De Haan. 

 

 

Wallpaper is making a huge comeback. This bathroom was off the kitchen and near the butler’s pantry downstairs. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The master bedroom was another favorite of mine. It felt like a spa. I actually got to docent this room during one of my shifts and the actually designer Jill Holt Dale was there with me the entire time explaining the process which was great!

 

 

 

I should have taken more photos of the master bathroom but I really just wanted to enjoy my docent shifts without the camera. I wanted to absorb everything that I could about being apart of the Guild, learning about designers, and understanding the process of these designer homes coming together. I just wanted to enjoy it and I did. It felt a little different being behind the scenes this time. If you want to read about the first showhouse that I visited and the second I have linked there for your reading pleasure. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I will return with some new posts and hopefully a new arrival for the boutique!

 

 

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Always Elegant Living- 5 Hobbies that You Need

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Good Morning Everyone,

My busy month of May is halfway complete. I still have lots on my calendar! I will be leaving this upcoming Monday. I am headed to Columbia, South Carolina for a work trip next week. I will be networking and getting training with other paralegal supervisors. I am really looking forward to that. Then Lauren will be graduating! I can’t believe it! It will truly be a celebration for her!

I have been meaning to share my recent favorite podcasts with you all. So I started to search for podcasts that I would enjoy and I put in certain search words in my Spotify app. I put in the word “elegant” and “women’s health”. I ended up finding “Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50″ and “The Always Elegant Living” Podcast with Ashley Brown. Now I listen to both of these completely free and have been enjoying them on my morning walks. 

Last week during one of my walks, Ashley Brown from the Always Elegant Living Podcast mentioned a meme that she saw regarding “the 5 Hobbies that you need and I just had to share it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The first hobby is to have something that makes you money:

I thought about this and asked myself, “do I have a hobby that makes me money”? I do! Well the blog makes a small amount each month, my commission on the LTK app, and the boutique. Now all of these hobbies are not making me a fortune, but they help keep A Home for Elegance running. The money is used to pay for my website fees, orders for the boutique, taxes, business fees, and supplies. I don’t take a salary from any of these but it keeps my small business running! 

 

The second hobby is something to keep you in shape:

My hobby is of course my morning walks. I started walking in the mornings in 2021. I don’t know why but I thought I would give it a try. My workout before then was some workout videos on Youtube but I just got tired of them and being in the house. I wanted a new setting but I refused to go to the gym. I hate the gym! It’s just a meat market and if I do go I want a trainer so that I can stay focused on my workout. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Royal Kingdom Scarf 90 (Sarah Flint)

 

 

The third hobby is something that helps you stay creative:

I have so many activities that help me to stay creative. This blog for one was the number one thing. I started this in 2014 as a way to share beautiful things that I love and to document it. I always come to my website and search for things that I have written about to remind me of my ideas. I love my blog! I love antiquing and this helps me to create a beautiful environment at home. I love having a beautiful home and antiquing is a way for me to create it. Instagram is another platform for me to be creative. It’s hard work trying to make sure that your content is different from everyone else but it keeps me inspired. 

 

The fourth hobby is something to build your knowledge:

I read and listen to lots of things. I read my bible and lots of other books. I listen to podcasts every day! Building your knowledge is something that we should take seriously. I have always wanted to be someone who could talk to anyone or listen. I read a lot of self-help books, leadership books, magazines, and home decor. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

Teatime Discipleship 

 

And the last hobby that you should have needs to be something that grows your mindset:

For this hobby I would agree with Ashley that listening to podcasts has been helping me to grow my mindset and networking. I remember going on one of my morning walks and I spoke out loud, “I want to network”. Once I said that the gates were opened to me. I joined the Guild, got accepting on the DOJ EARS Evaluation Team, have been asked to attend lunches, joined the state’s Paralegal Association, and lots of other things have happened. In regard to podcasts, I have been listening to Women in the Middle, Maxwell Leadership, The Career Contessa, The Wall Street Journal, Suze Orman’s Women & Money, and a few others. 

All of these resources have been growing my mindset and educating me on so many things. One of the podcasts from the Women in the Middle talked about farting! Yes farting and honestly I learned so much about health and laugh while listening to that podcast. It was great! 

I hope these tips will help you to look at your life and encourage you to add some of these hobbies to it. Life can be beautiful if we live it with purpose. Enjoy! 

 

 

This post contains affiliate links. 

 

 

Beauty Lessons from Living in Paris ~ Thoughts on Elegance Series

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Good Morning,

I am so ready for the weekend! Tomorrow is my last Showhouse shift. I am looking forward to it. It has a really bittersweet kind of feeling. On one hand I am so excited to be there and on the other hand I am so tired! My weekends have been so full because of the schedule. Sunday is Mother’s Day and I really don’t even want to leave my house! But I will. There are some things that I need to get from Lowes. I really need to get my porch cleaned up and I really want some new furniture for my porch. I will be sure to update you all if I purchase anything! 

 

In my quest to find information for my “Thoughts on Elegance series”, I recently stumbled on to this article about what living in Paris has done to this antiques owner from America. I have been following the author of this article since 2020 and I am in love with her antiques account Madame de la Maison. 

 

Aki with her signature red lips.

photo credit: Ajiri Aki

Ajiri wrote a wonderful article about how living in France has changed her views on beauty. I especially loved how honest she was in the beginning of the article. She said, “In 2011, I moved to Paris with a $700 weave and green contact lenses camouflaging my dark brown eyes. I was chasing the superstar-meets-supermodel look I aspired to throughout my twenties when I lived in New York City. I lusted after luscious flowing locks like Beyoncé’s and a long, lean body like Naomi’s. (I tried each and every fad diet to attain that body—most of which required severely unhealthy calorie restrictions and pungent elixirs that left me in a rotten mood for days). What’s more: I hated my wide nose and gap teeth and spent hours researching possibilities to change them”. 

Wow…. I read that paragraph over and over. I think we all have been there. Trying to be something that we are not. You have to finish reading the article. It is truly eye opening and inspiring. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered Ajiri’s new book called Joie A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life. I have been reading it for a week. You guys it is so good! She is really honest about her life in France.

She gives tips and locations on how to enjoy Paris as well. I hope you read the article in Vogue and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

My Third FBMP Purchase ~ Pale Green Settee

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Good Morning Everyone,

What a busy weekend! We had our neighborhood HOA sale this weekend. A few things have sold out from the boutique and have been removed from the site. Lauren went to prom and she ended up having a great time! On Sunday I had another showhouse duty shift. It was very crowded despite the pouring rain that we had. I am completely wiped out! This week at work will be pretty busy as well as my upcoming Saturday. It will be my last showhouse shift. We take a break off for the summer. I do plan on having lunch with the ladies in my group once a month and next year’s house has already been chosen! I can’t wait to see it. I will be sure to share some photos from this year’s home. 

As you can see by the title, I have found another treasure on Facebook Marketplace! I have been looking for a new settee for office as well as a new desk chair, and bookcases. I have a few things saved on my list but saw this beautiful settee and had to reach out!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

When it appeared in my newsfeed, I took a big sigh! I was so beautiful, and the price was only $175! I could not believe it! I messaged her right away! As I waited for her to message me back, I began to study the color and the beautiful wood. I love the pale green color. It’s something different and unique yet elegant. When she reached back she told me that it was available and that I could come by her warehouse to pick it up. Wait a sec? You have a warehouse? There’s more!???

 

 

She told me to come to Violet Vintage Rentals and when I walked in my mouth hit the floor! So many beautiful, vintage pieces, and china! Turns out that her and her husband have a party rental company that allows you to rent their beautiful furniture for your parties. I have my eye on those white and gold shelves. 

 

 

Isn’t it stunning!? I can’t believe that I found this by buying an item from Facebook Marketplace. 

 

 

There were rows and rows of vintage teacups, china, elegant vases, vintage mirrors, and other elegant props. You can borrow it all for your parties. 

 

 

And every so often, they have garage sales! They had one this past Friday, but I could not go! I was so frustrated. These two pale green chairs are for sale on FBMP right now. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course, I could not leave without my pale green vintage settee. There was a man there by the name of Richard who worked on their restoration projects. He restored this settee. He told me that it was from the 1920s! I could not believe my ears. I could not wait to get it home and put it in my office. It fits perfectly and I love looking at it from my desk. 

 

 

The scallop detail on the back is amazing! I wish I had a better way of showing it but I don’t at this time. This settee has hardly any damage to it. I adore it with each passing day. 

All I can say is FBMP is becoming my source to find furniture for my home. I usually can’t find things in the store. It’s usually too modern or has the farmhouse look which is something that I am not interested in. 

I have about 10 more items saved on my FBMP list. I will be going back to Violet Vintage Rentals for their garage sales. I don’t think that I could continue to pass those up! Let me know in the comments section below if you have purchased from FBMP! I am curious about your finds.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I only have a few more dresses in the boutique. The inventory is getting very low on some of the dresses. I only have two Daphne Flutter Dresses, and only two of the Maggie Stripe Mid Dresses. I did add a size 3x to the list in the mauve and white. It does have a sewing defect on the right sleeve and is on sale for $15. I do plan on trying to get some more inventory, but we will see. Enjoy our day! 

 

 

My Feminine Workweek Outfits

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Good Morning Everyone,

Goodness we are back in the 40s! It is freezing here! So disappointing but oh well. On Friday, my husband and I went to our first Guild cocktail party! We had a really nice time. 

 

I wanted to be comfortable, so I wore my fav blush lace blouse, shimmer skirt, Ann Taylor pumps, and Ann Taylor pearl clutch. My husband wore is white blazer and navy slacks. I told him that he had a “Great Gatsby” look. Do you also notice the Sarah Flint scarf in his handkerchief holder? 

 

 

We had a great time! I also finished my first shifts as a docent. I will be sure to share the Showhouse for this year later this week.

In today’s post, I am sharing what I would wear to work on a normal basis. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

In this photo you will see a pink blush blouse. It is the same blouse that I am wearing in the photo with my husband. I try to have pieces in my wardrobe that I can wear to multiple places. I actually have this blouse in cream and blush. I love it! It is from Express (last season). The skirt is actually from Amazon and I have it in 3 different colors. The floral tote is from Express . It’s still available and only $47! The cream sandals are from Ann Taylor and are so chic! 

 

 

One of my favorite work week perfumes is Aerin Lauder Rose de Grasse. Every time I wear it people follow me and ask what it is! It’s lovely!

 

 

Next is this beautiful lace top that I found on the Express clearance rack! I paid only $20 for it and I normally wear it with a cardigan if the office is too cold and I brooch to close up the chest part. My skirt is from H&M. I purchased it about 10 years ago. My shoes are the beautiful Rose’s Parker Sling from Sarah Flint and my handbag is the Louis Vuitton On the Go tote. 

 

 

I would wear these vintage clip earrings with this outfit to the office. They add just enough sparkle to my outfit. 

 

 

This is a third example of what I would wear to the office. My blue blouse is from Ann Taylor (last season). I have it paired with a regular black skirt, my Sarah Flint Perfect Emma Gracie. My handbag is from MME.Mink. Everything in this photo is sold out. 

 

 

I would pair this outfit with my earrings from Nicole Bathie. 

 

 

Here is a fourth example. I love this sage green blouse that I got from Ann Taylor about 4 years ago. The skirt is the navy version of my pink skirt from Amazon, the heels are from T.J. Maxx, the pearls are J Crew (you can find these on Poshmark), and the floral tote is Tory Burch which I found at the outlet mall 2 years ago. 

 

 

I have paired this with one of my favorite scents, Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan. 

 

 

And my last outfit inspiration is this blue and white dress that I found at Old Navy last summer, my Sarah Flint Perfect Emma Gracie, my Mme.Mink tote and J Crew pearls. I have never been afraid to mix colors and patterns. I believe mixing colors and patterns makes your wardrobe fun and you will wear more of it. I am not matchy-matchy and never will be. Wear what you love! 

 

 

With this outfit I wore my favorite scent from Bath and Body Works, Night Blooming Jasmine. I hope they bring it back. I adore it! 

I hope that you found some wardrobe inspiration from my looks. Let me know in the comments section below what your favorite items were. I would love to know. Have a great day!

 

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.

 

 

 

 

April Favorites ~ 2023

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Good Friday Morning,

It has been a very tiring week for me. I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and had to do a glucose test which was awful. In addition to drinking that extremely sugary drink, the nurse could not find my vein, so I ended up getting stuck two extra times! Not ideal for me but I got it done and now I can talk about some options with my doctor next week. I just hope everything goes well. 

This evening my husband and I will be attending our very first cocktail party! It’s the opening party for the Guild’s Showhouse and I am a little excited about it. My first shift as a docent will be this weekend so wish me luck. I will share a few photos of the home in addition to last year’s home and the year before. Now let’s get into some favorites for the month of April. 

 

 

My first favorite was our daughter’s college visit. It turned out to be a very pretty day and I wore a dress, beautiful scarf, and my glitter pink sneakers! I am so glad that I did! I was so comfortable, and I still felt chic. I also ordered this lace slip shorts to wear under my dresses. They are so good! I need more! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My second favorite is this beautiful room in a church where we have our Guild Meetings. This is one of the other rooms. I just love the decor and paint color! It’s the “perfect pink” for me. 

 

 

Third on my list is my new Nespresso machine! I adore it. I can now make my own chai tea lattes! I have had it for a week now and love making my own foam oatmilk. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Next are my lilac bushes! They are in full bloom. I wish these lasted forever!

 

 

Fifth on my list are my new mules from Ann Taylor. Now how elegant are these? These have been my weekend go-tos! They go so well with my dresses and cardigans. I still feel put together comfortable and elegant. 

 

 

 

Sixth is a new organizational find from Amazon! I saw one of the influencers that I follow have this in her bathroom and I had to order it. It’s outstanding! Everything fits on it and I still have room for other beauty items. It’s great and look at the gold buttons! 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier the Guild Showhouse starts this weekend. This stove is in the kitchen at the Showhouse. It’s my dream stove. I love it so much! After I heard the price on it I now know that it will stay a dream stove!

 

 

And lastly are these new tea bag filters that I found on Amazon! I have teatime every day and some of my tea bags fall apart and I don’t have a filter to pour tea. So, I ordered these and could not be happier! You get both the silver and the gold. 

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for the month of April. The monthly newsletter should be going out soon! Have a great weekend!

 

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.