Summer Purse Essentials

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Good Morning and Happy Memorial Day!

My family and I are keeping it simple today. We are just hanging out at home, we will grill a bit and wash the cars. Most of my house chores I finished yesterday so it will be nice just to relax. I picked up this most recent issue of Victoria magazine and there are quite a few beautiful articles that I can’t wait to read. I am looking forward to that. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my summer purse essentials. I shared my Covid purse essentials last year and thought this would be good to share now since it is June! Can you believe it? We are halfway through the year already! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Oh before I get into my list I had to share this photo. I stopped by JP Parker flowers again to pick up some more peonies. I could not help myself. 

 

 

Whenever summer arrives I always check my purse for my summer must-have products. I love the anti-bacterial hand spray from Bath and Body Works. This french lavender scent is my absolute favorite. I also add my small bottle of Caudalie facial spray. It helps me to feel refreshed after a hot day. I love spraying this on my face for a cool-off. I also always decant my favorite body spray in a smaller bottle. This is a small bottle of Amazing Grace from Philosophy. I have to have a small bottle of some scent in my purse. I hate coming into a building and have that “outside smell”, oh that drives me nuts!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now on to some items that are a little more personal. It gets really humid here in Indy and sweating is everyone’s problem. I love buying these Summer’s Eve personal wipes. They are great for your personal area and whenever I use them I feel so refreshed. I also love using this spray. You can spray it in your lower area and some of the scents are floral. They are wonderful. I have been using them for years!

 

Mrs. Shockley, home

 

I hope you all have found some useful and helpful information in this post. I know talking about summer sweat and personal products is never a fun thing but for me it’s necessary and it’s how I maintain being elegant. Let me know in the comments section below if you have used any of these products! Have a wonderful Monday and enjoy your holiday!

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

My Flower Garden Thus Far…

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Happy Friday and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Thank you to everyone that has served our country. We know what it costs to keep our freedoms so thank you!

 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my flower garden so far. It is always a struggle to grow flowers and learn about them. I am certainly not an expert but my husband and I try our very best and sometimes it works out. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

If you have been following the blog then the flowers above will not shock you. I am a huge fan of mandevillas and have to have them every year. They grow so well and I enjoy having them on my porch. It makes me happy when I begin to see the vines get longer and how they droop from the planter. It’s so gorgeous to me. 

 

 

My rhododendrons bushes are doing okay this year. For a few weeks, I didn’t think that they would bloom, but they surprised my husband and me. But I think we may be replacing them next year. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This year was the first year that I purchased roses bushes. I actually purchased these from Costco. I didn’t get a chance to put them in the ground because we couldn’t get over 30 degrees at night and we had snow! So I just put them in the planter because they had already begun to grow in the box!

 

 

They are doing well in the planter. I am beginning to have some rosebuds open, but I noticed that something has begun to eat the leaves! So frustrating! I have no idea what little bug is doing this. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This new azalea bush did excellent this year! This was another plant that we were worried about. We purchased this last year from the Biltmore and we didn’t have any flowering last year but this year it was beautiful! I was so happy with it! 

 

 

Next are my peonies and I am in absolute bliss with these! They multiplied! I couldn’t believe how many more blooms we had this year!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

They are so healthy and strong!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So happy!

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We only had a few white ones and they smelled like a dream. My husband just kept going over and smelling them. It was quite enjoyable! Well, I hope you all enjoyed my little garden tour. I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and enjoys the DRESS SALE for the boutique!

Some of the dresses are as low as $15! Head on over and grab a dress or two! No coupon code is needed! Thank you again in advance for your support and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Shares…

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Good Morning Everyone,

Today’s post is going to be short but I forgot to add my recent Youtube video to Monday’s post. I show my peonies, talk about my beautiful gifts from a subscriber, and show the Beverly tote from the boutique. I hope that you enjoy it. 

 

 

And one more thing, I wanted to share my recent order from Anthropologie. I ordered their peacock trinket tray and I could not LOVE it more! It has an incredible vintage-inspired look to it. It looks like a piece passed down to me from my grandmother. It is a wonderful item to have. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Isn’t it stunning? It is a beautiful piece. I believe that I will have this piece for a long time. I hope you all enjoy the video and have a great Wednesday!

 

 

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.

 

 

 

A Weekend with Peonies

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Good Morning Everyone,

It was finally warm here in Indy. We were in the 80s and it felt very nice. On Saturday I ran my normal errands and I went to JP Parker Flowers to pick up some peonies and they did not disappoint this year! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I always try to get a “bucket of peonies” photo when they bring it out to me. They always pull out the bucket and let me pick my favorite ones. I just love this photo!

 

 

Initially, they did not have the bucket of coral peonies out, but I ask for some, and I am glad that I did. They were gorgeous!

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I could not wait to get home and create my bouquets. It was such fun putting these together. The greenery I picked up at Kroger. It was only $4 for the greenery.

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I could not get enough of the coral ones! Goodness! The color is just breathtaking and the scent was amazing as well. 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I was so pleased with this years’ peony loot! I really want to go back this weekend coming up and get more. We will see. I also wanted to let everyone know that my new dress arrival is available for purchase. The Audrey Ruffle Maxi is a gorgeous addition to the boutique and is plus-size! The blue and white color is classic and the quality is wonderful! I was very pleased when I tried the dress on. This dress is available in 1x, 2x, and 3x. I hope you all enjoy this post and the new arrival. 

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

Staying the Course…

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Good Morning Everyone,

We are winding down the month of May and of course, this month flew by. My daughter’s last week of school is next week. I can’t believe we are ending her sophomore year and she will be beginning her junior year this fall. It’s incredible. I will be heading to JP Parker Flowers in Franklin, Indiana this weekend. They just got their shipment of peonies! I hope to buy a few. The downtown location closed during the pandemic. I was very sad to hear that news but very grateful to hear that their second location is still open. 

In today’s post, I want to talk about something that has been sort of weighing on me. It’s about running your own race. Since I started the boutique in March I noticed that there are TONS and I mean TONS of other online boutiques! I noticed this during my online search to make sure that no one else had my blog or soon-to-be business name.  I mean it is incredible! There are so many out there and what’s unfortunate is that it will leave you thinking, “well what’s so different about your boutique?”

 

photo credit: Micheile Henderson

 

As I scroll through other websites, Facebook pages, and Instagram accounts, I begin to think long-term about what I want to accomplish with the blog and the boutique. Do I want to continue to do this? Where do I see this going in about 10 years? Will I still be in love with the website and the boutique? Do I have the stamina to continue with this and honestly compete? Because let’s just be honest. I am competing. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I am going to be honest. Finding your own voice in this overly saturated area is hard. There are a lot of boutiques that are wonderful and there are a lot that are terrible. We all have our opinions. But finding your voice and being able to run your race is the goal. My goal for the website has always been to inspire, to learn, and to share. What I love is not always popular and what I share is not always loved. But what I am sharing is my honest self. 

I remember when I was a little girl. I loved beautiful dresses and accessories but I never had access to it because of my home life. Now that I am older I find myself trying to bring those daydreams to life. And what I want to do is to be able to encourage my readers and followers to do the same. Don’t be afraid to be a lady. It’s more acceptable than you think. Everywhere I go someone is always staring and wondering. I see it and that’s okay. I remember when I was walking in Kroger and I had on a pair of small heels. One of the workers heard me walking down the aisle and when I got closer he said, “It’s been a long time since I heard a pair of heels and I love it”. I told him thank you but my inner man said, “wow”….

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My goal for the boutique (right now) is to provide elegant options. I see many boutiques, and most of them I wouldn’t wear more than half of it! I am almost 40 years old. I don’t want a dress with graphics all on it and I don’t want a dress that I have to wear shorts under because it’s so short and I don’t want anything see-through. Now I know we will have those dresses where a slip is necessary (especially a white one) but for the most part, I don’t want to have to wear extra clothes to make up where a garment can not. 

Dressing in the mornings should be a wonderful treat. You should smile when you pull out a dress. My goal with my boutique is to help you produce that smile. I want you to smile when you pull out one of my dresses and know that you are going to be put together, that the garment can be trusted, and that you will feel a “simple elegance” to your appearance. Not over the top but just simple elegance. 

 

Mrs. Shockley, home. 

 

So these are the goals and now I must be able to find my voice in this boutique madness and run my race. I hope you all continue to come with me on the journey. 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

New Office Decor ~ Lady in Blue

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Hello Wednesday,

I hope everyone is well! I am really excited and please with the new dress arrival for the boutique. The Claire cream midi is a beautiful white dress in person. I hope that you all enjoy it. I do have two more dress arrivals coming. A new plus-size dress should be arriving this Friday. I should have it ready for purchase on Monday and it’s blue and white! So exciting! 

There are also some accessories that I would love to order from my vendor as well. There is a swan brooch that I have had my eye on for a while so we will see. In today’s post, I wanted to quickly share my recent Etsy order. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I recently ordered this watercolor painting called Summer Breeze by the Etsy shop called A Thing Created. Some of you may remember the stationery cards that I ordered from her. I love those things! This piece of art is so elegant and spoke to me the moment I saw it on Instagram. She does such a great job capturing a woman’s feminine ways. I love this piece in my office!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I think I shared on Instagram that I purchase old photos with gold frames. Even if the photo is quite ugly and I like the frame I will purchase it because I know that eventually there will be a piece of art that I will purchase that I can place in it. I purchased this frame about 5 years ago from a Goodwill store and now it looks lovely with “the lady in blue”. Well, that’s what I am calling it. 

 

 

Now a “sample piece” does come in addition to your order. She will print a smaller size on the back of your order card. It all depends on what size you order but instead of throwing it away, I decided to take a small gold frame that I had and place that print in my home office! Now I have two copies! So wonderful!

Thank you all for reading my post and for visiting the blog! Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Thinking… A New Breakfast Tray

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a good weekend. I just ran my normal errands and then came home to watch some movies. My new arrival is here. The Claire Cream Midi is available for purchase and is so beautiful for summer. It is the perfect white dress to me. It’s not a stark white color but a beautiful cream color. The dress is fully lined and I would recommend wearing nude color undergarments. I believe those always look great under white. 

I am gearing up for another busy week. I have a few new organizational projects that I have to start at the office and a few meetings. I don’t know why but having a picnic popped in my brain gain. We still have not had a picnic and that is still on my radar. It has been rather cold here but I think the weather is going to take a turn here soon and we should be getting into the ’70s soon. 

Now on to a beautiful new find. I recently saw a beautiful breakfast tray on Instagram. I don’t know about you but I am a huge fan of a breakfast tray. I use mine every morning on the weekends. During my time while working from home I used it. I think I may have even shared that on Youtube. 

 

photo credit: Anthropologie 

 

I am loving this Natasha breakfast tray from Anthropologie. I have seriously been stalking it for weeks! I go back often to see if it has gone on sale. I will be keeping my eye on it. 

 

photo credit: Anthropologie 

 

This is another beautiful tray that I found on their website. This is made of tropical hardwood and is easy to clean. I checked Amazon for a few trays and found this one and this one! 

Let me know in the comments section below if you use a tray of any kind. I would love to know where you got it and how long you have had it!

Have a great Monday! 

 

 

 

 

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.