100 Ways to be Elegant ~ An Update

/5 Comments/in /by

 

 

Good Morning,

Well, we have had our first half week of school and it is going well so far. Golf season begins next week and it is going to be a busy time for us. We will have at least 2 golf meets a week and that is always hard but Lauren needs the activity so here we go!

In today’s post, I wanted to talk about a post that I share the first month that I started my blog in 2014. It was called “100 Ways to be Elegant”. Now I of course did not write this list but still love reading it.

While reading it I noticed that this list was created 11 years ago! I can’t believe it’s been that long already. I started reading the list and I still do so many of these things but one of them stuck out to me the most this time and that was number 53 “be quietly self-confident”. As I approach 40 I find myself rethinking things a lot and re-evaluating my life. 

 

 

photo via Instagram 

 

Now that I have a new position at the office and I am in management I find that my expectations of myself are higher. I don’t want to get caught up in the petty office shenanigans. I always want to rise above things and it is not easy. But having quiet self-confidence is something that I am striving for now. 

Another tip from the list that is sticking out to me is number 74, “think before you speak and act. Ask yourself, can anything good come from this”? I have asked myself that questions a few times in the last few months. “Is it really necessary for me to address this?” 

Using wisdom these days is becoming an elegant thing to do. Using wisdom brings peace to the mind and emotions. As I continue to read this list, I am reminded that I do many of these items every day, and makes me smile. It lets me know that I am a woman of substance and I care deeply about beautiful living. How about you? Have you read this list more than once? Has it helped you in any way since you have seen it on the blog? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Also, I wanted to let everyone know that the boutique’s new arrival is ready for purchase. The Stella Bow Satchel is a new addition and comes in two colors, rose pink and grey. I hope you all enjoy the new arrival and don’t forget to share photos of you in your purchases! I would love to see everyone in their boutique item.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

 

July Favorites ~ 2021

/2 Comments/in /by

 

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

It’s Wednesday and the boutique’s new arrivals are here! I can’t wait to share them. It is also Lauren’s first day back to school. Oh my goodness, we are starting junior year. I pray for a beautiful year for her and us. It’s the end of July already so let’s get into my favorites for the month, shall we?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

First on my list is this beautiful fragrance by Bath and Body Works. I wrote about this earlier this month. I am still loving this scent and spray our bed with it often. You should get a bottle for yourself. 

 

The second was the beautiful and inspiring vlog from Hill House Vintage. I hope you guys are following Pauline. She is truly an inspiration! I hope you all enjoy the video. 

 

 

Third, on my list was our trip to the zoo. It has been a long time since we have taken Lauren but it was quite enjoyable. I wore the boutique’s green garden maxi, flats, and a sun hat. We also went with Lauren’s bestie and her parents. It was a great day!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The fourth was a huge surprise to me. Rosenda a wonderful blogger and Youtuber recorded a beautiful video of the boutique’s Claire dress! I have watched this over and over. I love it! I only have one dress left! Grab it soon!

 

 

Sixth was this gorgeous and I do mean gorgeous floral scarf from Tory Burch!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Isn’t it stunning? I can’t wait to wear it this fall and winter. I am sorry to report that this has sold out but she does have a second one. 

 

Next are my beautiful roses from Costco. These were especially beautiful and really fragrant this month. I enjoyed them tremendously. 

 

 

Seventh is my shockingly beautiful Amazon throw! It is super comfy and the pink is beautiful! It comes in several other colors and sizes. This is the shag texture. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Eighth is my super delicious dinner from the Cheesecake Factory. I normally get the parmesan-crusted chicken with mashed potatoes. This time I really wanted something different. So I got the parmesan-crusted salmon with lemon sauce. Oh, my word. It was wonderful! I said yum the entire time I was eating it. So darn good!

 

 

 

And the last item is this beautiful photo from Tuft and Trim. 

 

 

I am in love with the vintage couch! The chinoiserie pattern is stunning! You should read the blog post to get more of the details. I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for July. I can’t believe we are almost halfway through the year. Goodness, 2021 is going to be gone before you know it. Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

  • This post contains affiliate links. 

 

 

 

 

Antiquing on Saturday

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

I actually had a really good weekend! On Saturday I ran my normal errands, took Lauren to the hair salon, did some antique shopping, and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I will share my beautiful and soooo delicious dinner on Wednesday for my monthly favorites post. I tried a new dish. I tried the herb-crusted lemon salmon. Oh my word!!!! So good! I will share a photo tomorrow. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my recent antique finds! You guys know me I love going to antique stores. I went to my normal one in Beech Grove but then discovered that two more antique stores were right next door! Yay! Below is what I purchased….

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Here is my antique shopping loot so far! The first item was this beautiful gold and marble corner stand. I saw this in the first antique store and it was called Y Shop Vintage and More. I really liked the staff. The original price was $175 but he let me buy it for $110. I was so happy that he dropped the price for me. 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The top of it is real marble and that stand is vintage. He told me the year but I have since forgotten it. I think it was around the 80s or 70s but I love it! I will be going to my downtown office today. 

Now let’s talk about my goodies on top…

 

 

I purchased the blue and white tureen bowl and the white and gold small Lenox vase as well. Both came from the same location. The bowl is made by Johnson and Brothers and was a whopping $4.95! Can you believe that? The white Lenox vase was only $8! Steals!

The blue and white ginger jar was from a third antique store that we found and this lady had shelves and shelves of blue and white! I wanted to take a picture but I didn’t want to disturb her. She was working as I was walking around. I only paid $18 for that and it is real porcleain. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

I wanted to share an upclose photo of the legs of the stand. I do love this. It’s unique and no one will have one like it. I did purchase some vintage earrings from the store that had the blue and white porcelain. 

 

 

Aren’t they lovely? They were only a few dollars each. I love all of them! I have already pictured them with some of my dresses and cardigans this upcoming season. I hope you all enjoyed this post. Maybe one day I will get up enough courage and do a vlog. I am still on the fence about doing one but we will see. Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Own…

/4 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Morning,

It is Friday and it has been a very productive week for me at the office. I got my file organizational project done and I now feel like I can finally move forward with other things. Yay! Lauren starts school next week. The horror…. I am not even ready for this upcoming school year. There will be some changes for her. She now can leave school grounds for lunch and she will be driving. So exciting for her. 

I have my normal errands this weekend. I just want to sit. I feel like I need to but will that happen? Probably not but anyway I wanted to share this item with you all that I received from a friend years ago. I think I may have shared these on here before but does anyone own a set of these?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I think they are called Hospitality Snack Sets. Sometimes when I open my entertaining cabinet I pull these out and imagine what I would use them for. I think of a day in my sitting room with a friend just chatting away while we each have one of these in our laps or on the table eating sugar cookies and drinking tea.

 

 

They are beautiful pieces and I always feel bad for not using them when we have guests. But there have been moments when I want to pull them out but then I always have that “oh these might be too fancy” feeling. 

 

 

What do you guys think? Do you think these are too fancy?  Would you use them? I’ve got to find a way to use these this year. I hope I can figure something out soon. Let me know your thoughts below. Have a great weekend everyone! 

 

 

Easy Decor: Mary Kay Cup

/6 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to quickly share this Goodwill find from some years ago. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I don’t know when I purchased this but I have had it for some time now. It is a beautiful Mary Kay cup that I found and could not leave it in the store. 

 

 

At the moment right now I am using it as a pen holder and it sits on my desk but isn’t it the chicest thing you have ever seen? I LOVE it! I have found a few on eBay for some great prices. I found this one, this one, and this one actually has the original box. 

You could use it for your morning tea, coffee or use it as a desk decoration as I did. I hope you all like this “vintage” find.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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.

 

 

New Martha Stewart Show ~

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

 

And it’s Monday. These weekends I tell you go too fast. My weekend was pretty good. On Saturday my husband and I had the day to ourselves so we just ran errands and had dinner. It was really nice. On Sunday I went to get my nails done and puttered around the house trying to get small chores done. I did find some beautiful roses at Costco. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Aren’t they pretty? They smell wonderful too. I completely forgot to share a new show that I was watching last year and little this year. Did any of you hear about Martha’s new show called, “Martha Knows Best“? Martha started this show last year to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at her home projects while we were all required to quarantine. 

photo credit: Martha Moments on Instagram 

 

I really enjoyed the show. She still had celebrity guests (via Zoom) and would surprise average gardeners by calling them randomly and talking with them about their home projects. It was a really good show. 

 

photo credit: Martha Moments on Instgram 

 

I hope you guys are able to watch a few episodes online.  It is a great show (not surprised) and I think you would really enjoy all of the information and things that you could learn from our domestic queen. Let me know in the comments section below what show did you discover during the quarantine of 2020? 

Also, I wanted everyone to know that there is a coupon code available for the boutique. If you use JULY50 you will receive 50% off of your order. The only item that it cannot be used on is the new arrival. If you have asked to be added to my blog’s email list then you received that code on Saturday. I hope you all enjoy the discount! 

 

 

Have a great Monday!

 

Common Introduction Mistakes

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Morning,

Boy this week flew by. I don’t really have plans. Our daughter is going to Kings Island with her brother on Saturday so we will have the day to ourselves.  Mr. Shockley and I may have dinner and I may run my normal errands but we don’t have much planned. I do need to send my iRobot Roomba in for repair. It is not working right. I need little Alfred to help me keep the house in order. I do miss him and his daily vacuuming. 

Okay in today’s post I wanted to share more tips from my Emily Post Etiquette book. Have you ever screwed up an introduction with someone? You got nervous and asked something that you feel like you should not have? I have and love getting tips on what not to say and what to say. 

The first thing you should NOT do is look away. Eye contact is critical in an introduction. People who look over others’ shoulders and around the room while involved in introductions are saying by their actions that they really don’t care. 

I ALWAYS try to make sure that I am looking at someone when speaking to them. I want that person to feel like their presence is welcome and so is the conversation. 

 

photo credit: MainehouseBlogspot.com 

 

Next was making too-personal comments. This gets a LOT of people in trouble. Divorces, bereavements, job losses, illnesses, and/or rehab history are topics too intimate to raise during an introduction. I never ask personal questions. But I am always amazed at what people ask or feel like they have the right to know. 

The third is interrupting. When others are engaged in serious conversation, don’t break in to introduce someone else. Wait for a more convenient moment. 

 

photo credit: Pottery Barn.com

 

The fourth is deferring to one person at the expense of the other. Be sure that both parties are included in any conversation that follows an introduction.  The fifth tip is gushing. Most people are embarrassed by overly enthusiastic introductions. 

And the last tip is making someone wait to be introduced. When someone new joins a group already in conversation, put the conversation on hold and make the introduction. “Excuse me. Hi, Jane, nice to see you. Have you met Abby and Jack?”

I hope you all have found some value in these tips. It is always nice to have reminders. It is amazing how good manners do follow you. My husband went to the car wash recently and he was telling them that I was his wife and one of the team members said, “Your wife is always kind to us and we appreciate that”. 

People are watching. Have a great weekend!

 

 

Tips from Emily Posts Etiquette, page 18