The Beauty of Collecting ~ 3

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s Friday and I have a few things planned for today. First I wanted to let everyone know that I am having an Easter sale on some of the items in my boutique! Some of my pieces will be $10 off! The items that are going to be on sale are the gray garden dress, ivory & pearl cardigan, pink mauve cardigan, the blue peplum top, and the preppy vintage dress! This sale will be for about a week and then these items will go back to the original price. So I hope that you all find an item that you will enjoy! 

A new dress will be arriving in the boutique and I absolutely love it! I will be posting it on the website today! I am also going to be headed out to do a little shopping with my daughter. 

 

photo credit: Cathi’s Place 

 

Well, let’s finish the Beauty of Collecting with Aerin Lauder. We are now down to her last two tips from her book Entertaining Beautifully. Aerin mentions, “Don’t be afraid to use your collections. My mother, who collects very fine antique pottery and glassware, actually sets the table with it. If there are pieces that are especially valuable (even for sentimental reasons), consider displaying them on the wall- as Daniel Romualdes does with his seventeenth-century delft plates- or on plate racks, as my mother does in the Hamptons. That way you can enjoy them every time you pass through the room, not just when you’re entertaining.” Again, I could not agree with her more. I love having the antique items that I collect out and around so that I can see them.

 

photo credit: Nicolas Fairford Instagram 

 

And the last tip from Aerin is, “by the same token, take good care of your collections. Store platters in cabinets with vertical tray dividers, or on secure plate racks. Place felt rounds or foam dividers between antique plates. Store silver in lined chests or bags made of anti-tarnish cloth. Fine crystal and glassware should be stored right side up, so as not to put pressure on delicate rims. Or invest in quilted, divided cases to store and protect infrequently used pieces”. 

I hope you all enjoyed these simple yet helpful tips from Aerin. I know that from now on I will be enjoying my mismatched pieces. I now feel like I have the freedom to enjoy those items as well. If you missed the other tips from Aerin you can read them here, here, and here.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and look out for my new arrival coming soon!

 

 

(tips and text taken from Entertaining Beautifully by Aerin Lauder, page 80) 

 

The Beauty of Collecting ~2

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Hello Wednesday,

I am actually working a half-day today. I need to pick up my contacts and I also want to take one of my recent Gal Meet Glam dress purchases to the seamstress. It’s a bit big and I need to have the top part taken in. This will be my 6th Gal meet Glam dress (I think). This is the Elsie dress and it’s in a beautiful green color and is very flowy. I am looking forward to wearing it this spring. 

Alright, let’s continue with our lesson on the beauty of collecting. Yesterday, I mentioned from Aerin’s book, Entertaining Beautifully, that your collections don’t need to be valuable but instill joy and have meaning to you. Aerin continues with her tidbits on collecting. She says, “once you start a collection, learn about it. You will get greater enjoyment from your collecting and will make better, more informed purchases. You can learn by talking to knowledgeable dealers or shopkeepers, researching online or in books, or connecting with other collectors”. 

 

photo credit: Aerin Lauder Instagram 

 

The second tip is, “don’t feel you have to find perfect matching sets (I was so happy to read this!!!). I love my collection of mismatched floral china in the Hamptons. The mix of floral patterns in similar colors, with touches of gilding, makes for a lively, individualistic table”. 

 

photo credit: Victoria Magazine Instagram 

 

My eyebrows raised when I read the comment above. I can not tell you how many china pieces I have walked away from because they did not match. I will no longer be doing that! If I love it, will use it, have room for it, and if it brings me joy, I will be buying it! 

 

I hope you enjoyed Aerin’s collecting tips for today. I will be posting the last two tips on Friday and hopefully will be sharing another new arrival for the boutique! Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

 

The Beauty of Collecting ~ 1

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The first weekend of Spring has begun. I went out to my front yard to check the progress of my lilac bushes. Everything is beginning to come in! I am looking forward to my blooms this year. I also went and spent WAY TOO MUCH money at HomeGoods. I wanted some new bed linens and purchases about two bed-in-the-bag cases. One is sage green and I am loving the way it looks.  Alright, so last Friday I talked about the beauty of collecting and shared how I was going to be discussing Aerin Lauder’s thoughts on collecting. 

One of her first tips is, “your collections do not have to be valuable (yay); they only have to instill joy and have meaning to you. Sometimes they start quite spontaneously- when you realize you’ve accumulated more than four sets of salt and pepper shakers or you’ve inherited your grandmother’s willow-ware china, or you start picking up antique linens at flea markets. Whatever attracts your eye, pay attention to it”.  

 

photo credit: Rodolfo Marques 

 

The second tip is to “look for meaningful additions to your collections on your travels, both to enhance your journey or conjure happy memories once you’re home. I’ve bought napkin rings on safari in Tanzania, colorful candles in London, and plates in Panama. I often find inspiration through travel”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Whenever we go out of town I always have at least one antique store or Goodwill on my list to visit. I have found some of my best pieces on my travels. My recent obsessions has been Facebook Marketplace. I keep finding the most beautiful vintage French provincial furniture. I really don’t have the room for it but it doesn’t stop me from looking. I am also learning that I have a small obsession with china. I love china and here again, I don’t have the room for it. Makes me so sad! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Another recent find at an antique store has been my Wedgwood piece. It is stunning! You know maybe in the near future I could add antiques to my boutique. It’s a thought, isn’t it? I hope you all enjoyed this post and I am happy to report that the new arrivals for my boutique have been added. You are more than welcome to purchase anything on the boutique’s page. I also have one more plus-size dress on the way and another regular-size dress. I am also trying to get a few more accessories. I will keep you all posted! 

 

 

Also, don’t forget about my favorites page. I do earn a small commission if you make a purchase and don’t forget to follow me on the LIKEtoKNOWit app. 

The Beauty of Collecting

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And here we are…. Friday again and fast! This weekend I have a few things planned. Not much. One of my good friends and co-worker is getting married but we can not attend.  She just wanted a small ceremony so we will be watching via Zoom. I am happy for her and will be smiling from afar. 

I have some new arrivals for the boutique coming soon. One of my dresses arrived yesterday and I am in love with it! I can’t wait to get it posted to the website! 

 

Well in today’s post I wanted to share the beauty of collecting. I have been reading my copy of Aerin Lauder’s book Entertaining Beautifully and absorbing every beautiful idea that I can. Every time I read her books I always wonder what life would have been like for me now if both of my grandmothers were still here. I miss them dearly. Hearing Aerin’s stories about her grandmother always puts me in a place of bliss. 

 

photo credit: Julia Newman Photography/ The Glampad 

 

On collecting Aerin says, “collecting is a very personal passion, sometimes connected to value, history, or rarity, but more importantly to meaning, memory, and pleasure. It’s all about embracing what you love and enjoying it”. I could not agree with her more! 

 

photo credit: Harper’s Bazaar

 

I will be sharing more of Aerin’s beliefs on collecting and ideas we can take as our own. In 2016, I wrote about collecting and feminine pursuits. You may read my post here about that. Until then have a wonderful weekend and “live elegant everyday”.  

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Simple Eyelashes ~ part 2

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Hump Day! Things are slowly starting to get back to normal here in Indy. Once the kids get back from spring break they will be allowed to attend school 4 days a week instead of 2! I am a little hopeful hearing that but our daughter is not. She likes only attending school twice a week. But I told her that she will adjust to the four days. It will be fine. 

We are still working from home for now. I know that may change here soon as well so I am trying to enjoy it. Last weekend I picked up some beautiful faux lashes at Ulta and I have been wearing them all week! They are so beautiful and glamourous! That got me thinking about the last time that I wrote about lashes here on the blog. It was in 2014 which was my first year of blogging! I am due for an updated post!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I picked up these from Ulta and knew that I need to get more of them! They are the perfect balance (for me) of lush and volume. 

 

 

I love all of the different sizes that each strand of hair has. They are lightweight and are so easy to apply. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This is how they look on me. Love them!

 

 

 

I thought they were a little expensive at Ulta so I found a value pack on Amazon and purchased those. They arrived yesterday. I am so happy with how they look. Here is a pack of two if you are interested.  I hope you enjoyed this little beauty find and read my blog post from 2014. It is amazing where I am now from when I first starting blogging. I am still learning along the way. Enjoy your 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.

 

 

 

 

My First FBMP Purchase ~ Haviland China

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Our weekend was pretty quiet. My daughter had a hair appointment and I just went to the grocery store. I wanted to go shopping so bad but I did not have a place in mind so I stayed home and did some house stuff. 

I have recently started doing searches on Facebook Marketplace for antiques and furniture pieces for my home. I am a member of the Grandmilliennial Style Facebook group and they are always posting wonderful finds that they purchased on Facebook so I decided to take a peek to see what treasures my city may have to offer. 

I was really surprised to see so many wonderful furniture pieces and they were great pieces! I have lots of items saved on my list. One of the items that I had saved was this Johann Haviland 56-piece china set. I also decided to look this particular design up and found out that it is called the blue garland design. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

After reading the history I knew that I had a great set saved to my favorites list. I also saw how much it costs and soon realized that I need to get this set soon! The gentleman selling the 56 pieces originally wanted only $70 which I knew was a steal! But I sent a message and asked if that was firm. He then responded by dropping the price to $50! OMG!!!! SOLD! 

 

 

All of the pieces are in great shape. There is some fading on some of the plates but no matter. I still love it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

I have a total of 8 dinner plates, 8 medium plates, 8 small plates, 8 teacups and saucers, 1 large bowl, 1 large gravy boat, 1 small gravy boat, 1 large oval plate, 1 large covered bowl with lid, and 1 small bowl with lid. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this set. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have to say that this piece is my favorite. I learned that it is called round covered vegetable. 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Everything is so beautiful. I could not wait to use the teacups and saucers for my morning breakfast and hot tea. 

 

 

I hand-washed every piece and used the plates and teacup and saucer for my breakfast. It was so nice and the quality is incredible. You can always tell if a china piece is good. I found a few pieces on Ebay. I did find this 40-piece set for $110 or you can make an offer. There was also this set. I also found this three-tiered plate stand that you can make an offer on. 

 

I hope everyone enjoyed this post and I have a few more items saved on my FBMP tab. There are some french style nightstands that I REALLY want to go and take a look at! I hope I can soon! 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.

 

 

Work from Home Lunch ~ My Simple Egg Salad

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Good Friday Afternoon,

We are already in the second week of March and the clocks go forward on Sunday. I hate when the clocks go forward. I always feel like I lose a part of my life. Lol, it’s always hard losing that hour. This weekend I just have normal errands to run, grocery store, Costco, etc. Thank you to those who made a purchase from my Boutique page. I do hope that you enjoy your purchase! Now on with today’s post. 

So we are still working from home and I have a feeling that more days in the office are forthcoming. I have loved working from home this year. This was needed for my soul. I have been able to help my daughter get organized for school and really asked myself what I want out of life. I have also been able to try new ways to create meals. I have been recently eating this wonderful but simple egg salad for lunch at home. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love this salad mix from Kroger. It is called Taylor Farms Everything Chopped kit. It is one of my favorites! 

 

I love all of the greens that it has. But I think my favorite part is the mini bagel toasts! Oh my, these are so good! It also has shredded broccoli, cabbage, and an everything bagel seasoning packet. So good! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

After I add my tomatoes, shredded cheese, cucumber, and mini toasts, I get my boiled eggs out of the pot and let them cool for a moment before peeling the shell and slicing them. 

 

 

My eggs have been sliced. I only cook about 2 eggs. That seems to be enough for me. I may add a little bit of salt and then I mix it up a bit. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now time for the most delicious part. The salad dressing. This could always make or break a salad for me. I am loving this dressing by Simple Truth Organic called French Dressing blended with celery seeds! It is so good! If you are a french dressing kind of person then I would recommend this. It has so much more flavor than the traditional french dressing. 

I hope you found some great salad work from home lunch ideas or inspiration from this. Tell me below what has been your go-to work from home lunch meals? I am curious. Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!