Loving Textures….

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Good Morning,

I am really excited about this weekend. Tomorrow we are headed to the Ayres Tea Room for lunch! I have not been in about 2 years and I really wanted to go last year but Covid happen and that was all she wrote. So I made reservations and we are headed there tomorrow for an early lunch or brunch. Then on Sunday afternoon Lauren and I are headed to the Nutcracker! I hope it is good this year. I believe that the dancers have to wear masks and I really hate that. I want to see everyone’s beautiful face and I want to see those smiles. It has been really hard this year but I am hoping for the best for both events. I will share next week how everything went. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my recent change in home decor interests. 

 

 

Captured at La Mirande on Feb 08, 2020 by Stacie Flinner Photography.

 

I am starting to fall in love with textures! I don’t know why but every time I see a room that is filled with different textures and colors I just begin to study it. I really don’t like all of the white rooms. That takes no effort to decorate. Not to me anyway. How you layer things and pull colors together says a lot about your imagination. 

 

Captured at on Oct 13, 2020 by Stacie Flinner Photography.

 

I love these photos from Stacie Flinner’s blog. She does a great job capturing textures and colors. It inspires me so much!

 

Captured at on Oct 02, 2020 by Stacie Flinner Photography.

 

Isn’t this stunning? I love the reds, greens, corals, and creams. There is so much richness in this photo. Some of the textures even have history and I love that aspect. It’s wonderful to hear of someone’s vintage rug coming from their great grandmother, or a china set belonging to a great, great aunt, or furniture that has been in the family for years. I adore heirlooms and history. 

 

Captured at on Oct 13, 2020 by Stacie Flinner Photography.

 

I am really loving how designers are now incorporating textures and fabrics in their designs. I adore the Brocade pump from Tory Burch and the Mademoiselle pump from Sarah Flint. I love how sophisticated and premier they look. The fabric gives them such character. 

I hope this post inspires you today. Let me know in the comments section below if you are an “all-white room” person or a “texture person”. I think for the most part we all love a little color in our lives. 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.

 

Mrs. Higgins’ Room Tour

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Oh goodness, it’s only one week until Christmas! I can’t believe it! We still don’t have snow here in Indy but there is a rumor going around that we are expected to have some this weekend. It has been so warm here which has made the holidays a little sad to me.

For this week I have been trying new recipes. I have been bringing my own salads to work this week for lunch and making my own dressing. It has been delicious! I have also been adding apples with roasted chicken (my chicken from home) and that has been a wonderful combination. I wanted to try and make Nicolas Fairford’s cranberry sauce. Seeing that on those turkey tea sandwiches that he made had my glands salivating. Oh yum!

In today’s post I wanted to talk about the Mrs. Higgins home in My Fair Lady. 

 

photo via Pinterest

 

I adore this room. Whenever I watch this movie I replay this part over and over so that I can get a glimpse of the details. I learned that the room was decorated by Cecil Beaton. I believe he was inspired by C.F.A Voysey. I also believe that there is a little bit of William Morris inspiration as well. 

I love the chairs, table, just everything about this setting. I still can’t believe that people actually lived this way…. 

 

 

I paused the movie at this point and tried to take in all the details. I looked at the wallpaper, the blue and white dishes at the top of the cabinetry. Just look at the cabinetry! It’s timeless. I see cabinets in homes on Pinterest like this now. Oh and did you get a peek at the chandelier? It’s blue and white!

 

 

I tried to take up-close photos of the movie. There are so many wonderful details in this room. How about that beautiful brown wood floor? 

 

 

Oh, I did notice this section in the room as well. This beautiful white secretary desk with a stunning blue and white chair! I couldn’t find any information on this furniture. I think the lamp might be Wedgewood. It sure does look like it. 

Let me know in the comment section below if you know anything about Mrs. Higgins’s room. I would love to know what you love about the room or dislike. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. 

 

 

 

 

A New Pen Pal

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Good Morning!

I’ve got a busy day today! Of course, I have to head into the office and have my normal workday but I made an appointment to meet with our Indiana Department of Revenue to make sure that I am all ready for the upcoming tax season for my boutique! This will be the first year that I file returns and pay sales tax for the boutique and I want to make sure that everything is in order. I am really excited about this meeting. I always enjoy things like this. I just hope that I get a “seasoned” individual that can answer all of my new business owner questions. 

Later on this week I will begin wrapping presents for family, friends, and staff. I will be finishing up my Christmas Eve dinner list and I plan on writing my pen-pal for the first time! 

I mentioned it before that I was a part of Jennifer from The Daily Connoisseur Chic Society. I love being a part of this group and I do enjoy the Zoom calls we have. So Jennifer had a pen-pal sign up recently and I signed up to receive a pen pal. Well, I was assigned to one recently and I wanted to have some new customized stationery to use when writing her. So where do I head to? Etsy of course!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered this set from Chickadee Cottage Company on Etsy. This is called the stationery letter writing pen pal set. You can customize it to your preference. You pick the color of your envelopes and the color of your letters and font. I love the way my set came out!

 

 

I can’t wait to start writing her! I will be sending my first letter this week. I hope everyone has enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments below if you have a pen pal. I haven’t had a pen pal since 5th grade! My teacher at the time Mrs. Belmont became friends with another teacher in Phoenix, Arizona and they came up with the idea of their students becoming pen pals. I thought it was great! I wish I would have stayed in touch with her. My pen pal’s name was Victoria. Classic right? Have a great Monday everyone! 

 

Oh, I almost forgot! The boutique’s new plus-size arrival is ready. I decided to name this dress Maxine. The Maxine Balloon Sleeve Midi is super soft, comfy, and is the PERFECT mauve pink. It’s available in 1x, 2x, and 3x! 

 

This post was not sponsored.

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.

 

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Style Chicken ~ New Recipe

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Good Friday Morning! 

I’ve got a busy weekend plan. Tomorrow I have to visit the BMV (sighing) to transfer my plates over to my new vehicle. I hate going there but it is what it is. While I am there I will have Lauren take the learner’s test again to see if she can pass it this time. Things have changed so much since I was a teen trying to get a license. The current learner’s test has about 50 questions! I remember our test only having 20! Seems like a lot to me but the kids today have more things that I can distract them from the road. 

In other news, my new plus-size dress will be arriving today! I am always excited about new arrivals but also fearful. You never know how things will look in person versus online. I always pray that my items are beautiful and are of good quality. Fingers crossed! 

Have any of you watched Jennifer’s latest video called Elegant Holiday Dinners?

 

 

Well, I did and wanted to try her slow cooker rotisserie-style chicken recipe! And I must say it was a crowd pleaser!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The prep work was pretty easy. So I gathered all of the ingredients for the rub to put on the chicken. I also did place the aluminum foil ring under the chicken that Jennifer suggested. 

 

 

This is what my chicken looked like after I rubbed the seasoning mixture on it. 

 

 

 

 

I let my chicken cook on high from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm in the slow-cooker! I probably should not have done that but I didn’t see the harm in letting it cook that long. I then took it out of the crockpot and placed it on a tray and put it in the oven for another hour. It came out crispy, juicy, and perfect!

 

 

I roasted some potatoes and broccoli and we had the most delicious family dinner! I was so pleased with this new recipe. I will definitely be making it again. Let me know in the comments section below if you have ever placed a whole chicken in the slow cooker. I want to know how it turned out. Have a great weekend!

Also please don’t forget about my free gift with purchase. If you purchase the Stella Bow Satchel you will receive the Rose Shell Purse Scarf/Scrunchie for free! 

 

 

The Chinoiserie Scarf

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Good Morning Everyone!

Yesterday was a wonderful day in the office. I treated the staff that I supervise to a small Christmas luncheon! I made reservations at Capital Grille in the Conrad Hotel and it was amazing! The food was exceptional. I ordered the roasted chicken breast with mushrooms and parmesan risotto. It was so delicious. I am still thinking about the risotto!

Last week one of my glamour wishlist items arrived. A few weeks ago I shared my glamour wishlist and this item was on it. I saw this chinoiserie scarf and had to order it only it was sold out!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I tagged the company in one of my posts in my stories on Instagram and they reached out to me and told me that they had a limited stock and that I could order one! I shrieked and ordered one right away! Once it arrived I could not get over the customized packaging. It came beautifully wrapped in this blue paper. 

 

 

It had my name on it! Now, how wonderful is that?

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Once I opened the wrapping I just stared at the scarf. The illustrations and colors were so exquisite. It is made from 100% Italian silk from Lake Como (a dream destination for me), and is a timeless design. The illustration was inspired by the Renaissance and did you look at the tag? It’s thick and is tied to the most beautiful blue velvet ribbon. 

 

 

I ADORE this scarf! I have tied it to my bag and have been carrying it all week. It’s stunning as a bag scarf! I think luxury and beauty should be everywhere. Put it anywhere you can. Life is so short and many of us have learned this past two years. Enjoy your beautiful things and use them! Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

Word of the Year

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Good Morning Everyone!

It’s Monday, oh goodness. I want another day to stay home. It’s dark around 5:30 and I find myself not wanting to leave my home once I get in from work. It’s hard to drag myself out again. My husband loves to eat out all the time and it drives me nuts! I keep telling him once I am home the answer is no! I want to eat at home geez! 

It was a quiet weekend and very warm for December. It was in the 50s! A little scary if you ask me. But let’s move on…

I have been reading Paula Sutton’s new book Hill House Vintage during my lunch breaks and I must say she is an excellent writer! It is so well-versed and informative! There is one section in the book that stood out to me and that was her page called, “Word of the Year”. 

 

photo via Pinterest

 

She said, ” A few years ago, I stumbled across a blog post where writer Cat Bude mentioned choosing a “word” for the year every January. She would write down the word and try to live by it throughout the next 12 months. Inspired by that post, I started to implement my own word of the year. 

One year, I wrote down the word “YES” on my vision board. My intention was to remember to say yes to opportunities that came my way- even the ones that seemed scary at first. That year, I was offered several opportunities to style at events and to host panels where I interviewed people who shared my love of interiors and gardening. Prior to that my gut reaction would normally have been to shy away from anything outside of my comfort zone, in preference for the easy life that appealed to the more reclusive side of my nature.” 

That made me think…. what would my word for 2022 be? 

 

photo via Pinterest

 

I think that I am going to have to take my time with this. I do have a few phrases in my head like, “run your own race” or ” rise above it” but I do just want one word. You know it may just be the word “RISE” or “TRUST”.  After reading this what will your word of inspiration be for 2022? Please share below if you are willing to. I would love to know. Enjoy your Monday!

 

Also, the boutique is having a free gift with purchase event! If you purchase the Stella Bow Satchel you will receive the Rose Shell Purse Scarf/Scrunchie for free! It’s a great Christmas gift. 

 

(paragraph taken from page 45 of Hill House Vintage) 

 

November Favorites ~ 2021

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Good Morning Everyone!

I for one am planning on a very quiet weekend! I seriously just want to stay home and look at design books and watch My Fair Lady! I am going to make every effort I can to make this happen.  Alright now time for my November favorites…..

First is my beautifully scented Tory Burch candles. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love both of these scents! The lettuce ware candle is inspired by the iconic potter Dodie Thayer. The scent is jasmine and gardenia. It is so lovely. The second candle is called the Normandy Rose Candle and it smells just like a bouquet of roses. The candle does come out of the gold case so you can use it for anything you like. 

 

Second, on my list is… 

 

 

This stunning travel case from Aerin Lauder. I actually ordered this two months ago and forgot to share it! This is a limited edition Aerin, Colefax and Fowler collaboration. I love the delicate hydrangea motif and romantic hues. I just purchased the travel case and I don’t think it’s available anymore by itself.  I believe the round cosmetic bag is still available. 

 

The third is my new carpet in my home. Goodness, I could not love it more!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Fourth are my holiday shoes for this season. I can’t believe all of the beautiful purchases that I made. I have certainly enjoyed wearing all of them. 

 

 

Fifth are my new boutique arrivals! I adore the rose pearl shawl. I did not know this but it is 20% cashmere! I was so happy when I read the tag! And the Charlotte Velvet Midi is such a classy holiday dress. You will be able to wear it for years to come! There is a lot of stretch in this dress. I actually had the sizes listed wrong! Oops sorry, but I have extended the Black Friday sale. Use code blackfriday21 for 20% off!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And the last favorite are my ginger jar tea sticks from Simply Jessica Marie.  

 

 

 

 

I love them both! I purchased this set here and I love them! My favorite is the Wedgewood vase with peonies. Isn’t it beautiful? These are so cute and different. I love finding different items for the home or to assist me in any kind of elegant living. That means a lot to me…. elegant living.

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites this month. Have a wonderful 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.