Coach Handbags

July 18, 2014/in Fashion Posts, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I love this season’s new summer handbags. One of my favorite designers is Coach. Their bags are affordable and are made of great quality. I have about 5 leather Coach bags. One thing I love about Coach is their repair policy. They will repair any bag of theirs no matter where you purchased it for free!

I recently sent a bag there for repair. I purchased it last year from Von Maur and one of the straps began to tear. I went to the Coach store downtown in my city and they sent it off with no problem for repair. It took about 6 weeks but it was worth it because they put new hardware on my entire bag!!

I was so excited to have my bag back and that Coach stands behind their products. As long as they keep making fantastic designs and continue with customer service, they will always have a fan! Below are my Coach bags and a few of my new favorites from this season. Enjoy!!!

Me with my Coach Madison Lindsay Satchel

My Coach North South Coral & my Coach Cognac North South Satchel (similar here)

My Coach Saffiano Black leather tote (similar here)

My Coach Diaper Tote (similar here)

I sold this a few months ago.

My pink Coach diaper/laptop tote

(all photos are my own )

Antiques We Should Collect

July 16, 2014/in Home Décor, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I have been told that I have an “old soul”. Even as a teenager I never really dressed like the other girls in my school. When I moved out and got my own apartment I felt so free. I was free to try any decor I wanted without any criticism.

So I knew I wanted antiques for some reason but I didn’t know what to collect or why. Over the years I have gone to a few antique shops and watched a few shows on antiques. So for me it has been a learning process.

Recently, I read an article from the Huffington Post called “The 7 Best Things to Buy Vintage (& 3 to Skip). It was so helpful. I printed off the list and put in my binder. What I also noticed is that I have already purchased 5 items off the list! I was so proud of myself!

The list of vintage pieces to buy is art, wooden furniture, dishware, glasses, tablecloths, vases and silverware. The 3 items to skip were light fixtures that haven’t been updated, “free” upholstered furniture and appliances you can’t test out first.

I loved this list and encourage you to go and read it. The link is above. I have also included a video from the Antiques Roadshow called “What We Should Collect”. I really loved the video it was helpful. So good luck on your vintage finds and I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Here is my painting that I purchased from the flea market this year.

It is from 1983 so I got the “art” part completed from the list.

Here is our dinning room table. It is all wood.

So I completed the “wooden furniture” part from the list.

Here is my vintage champagne bucket that I purchased.

This is number 6 on the list.

My blue and white vintage plates. This is number 3 on the list.

Antiques Roadshow | What We Should Collect – YouTube

(click on the link to watch the show)

(all photos taken by Mrs. Shockley)

Cursive Writing ~ A Dying Art

July 14, 2014/2 Comments/in Elegant Living, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

A few years back my husband was attending his younger son’s parent-teacher conference. During the discussion about the classroom rules and the year’s subjects my husband learned that they would NO longer be teaching cursive writing.

I thought to myself how dumb is that! The teacher said that since everything is computerized writing would not be necessary. Hearing that really made me sad. If children do not know how to write in cursive then how in the world are they going to sign their credit card slips and mortgages?

So since the schools are no longer teaching that I decided to teach my daughter on my own. I went on the internet and printed off some cursive writing material and I have been having her practice. She is getting much better at it.

I loved learning how to write in cursive. I couldn’t wait to learn in school. I loved it so much that other girls would have me write their “love letters” to their boyfriends. It was fun but cursive writing for me added more beauty to my work. Teachers always complimented me on my writing as well as my assignments.

I still like writing hand written notes to people. I just hate that it’s not being taken seriously. I read somewhere that cursive writing awakens the creative part of the brain and believe you me some of our kids need it!

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog entry on “Penmanship” from Ted Kennedy Watson’s blog. It was absolutely fantastic and inspired me to write this blog entry. You must read it. Another place that I “subscribed” to on my Instagram is Word of the Day. They post a word, definition and use it in a sentence. It is great! We will be in the car and I will read the word of the day and ask my daughter about it. It’s another way to incorporate vocabulary into our lives. So please continue to write and teach your kids the importance of cursive writing!

Photo by John Jennings on Unsplash

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Aerin Lauder ~ Home Tour

July 11, 2014/in Home Décor, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I am becoming a huge fan of Aerin Lauder. If you don’t know who she is (which you should the last name is a dead giveaway) she is the granddaughter of the legendary Estee Lauder. Estee along with her husband Joseph were co-founders of the eponymous cosmetics company Estee Lauder Companies.

Aerin has started a luxury lifestyle brand for the home. I love the home decor! It is absolutely stunning! She uses gold in most of her pieces and believes that gold and leopard print are neutrals. I could not have agreed with her more.

Aerin’s new book Beauty at Home is an imitate look into the decorating world of Aerin. The book is an inspiring account of what it means to live beautifully. The cosmetics line is chic and simple and the home decor still has a sense of old world glam to me. I love looking at the website and I look forward to getting my very own copy of Beauty at Home.

So enjoy the photos below and watch the “At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and Aerin Lauder” video. It is from Quintessence Lifestyle Blog by Stacey Bewkes. It is a home tour of Aerin’s home. They also do a little of shopping at the South Hampton store and dine Al fresco! You will enjoy the video. The home is so elegant and inspiring and Aerin is so gracious and kind. Enjoy!

Photo by Won Young Park on Unsplash

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and … – YouTub

(click on the link to watch the video)

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Preparing for Guests ~ Guest Rooms

July 7, 2014/in Home Décor, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I have to admit it when I know we are having house guests I get kind of excited. I love having people spend time at our home. It doesn’t happen quite often but when it does I try to make sure each guest is comfortable.

So below is my go to list:

This list has been so helpful to me. It is from Real Simple.com. I hope these pointers can be helpful to you and also watch the How to Decorate a Beautiful Guest Room from the Martha Stewart Show with guest designer Bunny Williams! It is Fantastic! Enjoy!

Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

(list and text from Martha Stewart.com)

Blue and White Dinnerware

July 4, 2014/1 Comment/in Home Décor, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

Blue and white dinnerware has been on my brain since I first saw it on the Enchanted Home. Then one of the women I follow on Youtube did a video on her entire Spode collection of blue and white dinnerware. Once I saw that I was hooked!

I take a trip to the flea market every Friday after work. I have had my eye out on a few things. This past Friday I found some blue and white plates. I went home without purchasing them that night and could not stop thinking about them. So Saturday morning I got up and took my daughter with me. I was going to go back and get those plates!

Luckily they were still there. Yeah me! I have used them already and I love them. The look of blue and white decor is so sophisticated and chic! For me it takes you back in time. The texture and the colors just go so well together. There is a richness to the combination.

Below are some photos of my plates that I purchased at the flea market. Also, there is the Youtube video from Trina Leavers. She has a fantastic blue and white Spode collection! Lastly, visit the Enchanted Home website. It is utterly beautiful! Enjoy!

My table set for dinner

My plates; I purchased 4 for $4.99 each!

They are called the Currier & Ives “Harvest” collection.

The are made in England

Peonies in vases; just gorgeous!

The Enchanted Home

Michelle Nussbaumer, interior designer

spode blue italian china collection – YouTube

(Click on the link to watch the video)

(all photos from Pinterest and myself)

Comfy Outdoor Porches

July 2, 2014/in Home Décor, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I don’t know about you but this past winter has been the worse I have ever seen! I HATED Indiana from November until really about now! This winter just seem to drag for everyone! So now for the last few weeks, I have been on my porch just sitting and enjoying the weather and the scenery.

This is our first full year in our new home. We built it from the ground up last year and closed in July. So I really didn’t have much of a spring. But this year oh I have enjoyed it! I love my new home and the porch! My last home didn’t have a porch. I had to sit in the garage to watch my daughter ride her bike up and down the street. So when picking out the options for our home having a porch was at the top of my list!

My porch decor is really simple. I have some second-hand furniture that I received from my mother in law. It was red but my husband’s friend painted it black for us. I love it!! It goes well with the house. I have a few plants and I just purchased some pillows from my favorite flea market (see here about the flea market).

I think the plants and the pillows help my porch to feel more inviting. I would like to add some peony bushes, lavender, lilies, and maybe some hydrangeas in the near future but for right now I am just enjoying the fact that I even have a porch! So below are some photos of my simple porch and also is a Youtube video from Martha Stewart Lily Pond Garden and Porch tour. Lastly, Southern Living has a porch club! Just click here to watch the video and visit the website. Enjoy!