Office Inspiration ~ Part 2

/in , /by

The last time that I wrote a post about office inspiration was in 2014. The very first year I started blogging. I must admit my taste in decor has changed slightly…..


I was reading another blog and she mentioned this inspiring office space on the One Kings Lane website.  Now I believe that most of us have heard of them. They sell some of the most beautiful furniture, art, and home decor that I have ever seen. I couldn’t tell you how many times I have wanted one of their vintage Hermes scarves!


I clicked on the link and it was like I could hear a beautiful chorus. So much inspiration…


This is the office of Stellene Volande’s. She is Editor in Chief of Town & Country.

photo credit Tony Vu

Okay, can we start with this beautiful chinoiserie desk? How gorgeous is this? I actually saw one of these in an antique store last year. I wish I could have purchased it but it was really expensive! 



But don’t worry it has not left my list! I will own one of these or something similar to it!

photo credit Tony Vu
Now opposite of the desk is this beautiful gold mirror from Ralph Lauren, a gorgeous photo of Babe Paley and I love the glass desk with gold accents and ranunculus. 

photo credit Tony Vu

I think that it is wonderful that she is using the glass desk as a double table. I really like the lacquered bamboo chairs. 
photo credit Tony Vu
This etagere is gorgeous! Do I spy a silver tea set? I believe this is the Darian Tea Set by Ralph Lauren and one’s office could not be complete without blue and white. 

photo credit Tony Vu

Here is a look at the office with the desk cabinet open. Look at all of that wonderful storage space! 
photo credit Tony Vu
And what an elegant conference room? I would sure love to have meetings in this space. 
photo credit Tony Vu

I love, love, love this space. One could get so many ideas from this. I know one thing is for sure. I am definitely going to keep looking for a chinoiserie desk. I think a piece like that would be wonderful to own. If you wish to read this article you may view it here. There are so many details in this one room. Enjoy it!

(photos via One Kings Lane)

New Gray Weekender

/in , /by

Hello Monday and hello new chapter in life. My second step-son graduated from high school this past Saturday morning. Sighing…. Honestly, I can’t believe it. I never thought we would get to this point.


My husband and I are dreaming of Napa Valley trips, dinner in Santa Barbara, walks around Provence, bed and breakfasts hotels. You know… things you can do without children. Our daughter will be a freshman in high school in just a few weeks so that countdown will begin soon.


I was online shopping again… and saw this wonderful weekender at Target. Since my recent online shopping adventures have not been fun, I decided not to order it but take my chances trying to find it.




I searched the Target locations near me but to no avail. Then last weekend I needed to get some thank you note cards to have my step-son fill out and mail so I decided to go to a Target a little further away.


And as fate would have it I saw it in person!

Now when I shop for bags I always carry them around the store to make sure that I like the way it feels and I like the ways it looks on me. I carried this around the entire store and was going to put it back but then I imagined my purse scarf from H&M on it and I thought, “oh that would be pretty on”. I was sold then!

It is a wonderful weekender and can hold everything! I got to see it in black too and it looks really chic. I will warn you these totes are enormous so make sure that this is something you want.







I hope that you all enjoy this wonderful find. It’s very affordable and has a strap for cross-body carrying. It would look wonderful with any suitcase.

Enjoy!!!!








(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




A Dining Room Update

/4 Comments/in , /by

Well, the moment of truth has finally come. Back in 2017, I posted a blog entry about dining room inspiration. Last week we finally purchased a dining room table and chairs and I am so excited! 

This was our dining room table and chairs. It has served its purpose. I only purchased this back in 2008 because it was within our budget and it was the only table (at the time) that had 6 chairs. 

I will NOT miss this table. I hate the bar room style dining room table. The chairs are not comfy and I hate that I had to buy chair cushions every year because the chairs are too hard. Not to mention, this past Christmas when I hosted, my husband’s 88-year-old grandmother tried to sit in one and it was too high for her and she slid right out of it!

Nightmare….

This is going to my step son’s house. He will enjoy it more. I believe it fits more of the bachelor lifestyle. 

(In the store)

This is our new table minus the chairs. Our table arrived on Thursday (see below) and I could not love it more. My other four chairs will not be available for delivery until June 11th and they are Queen Anne style chairs. 

(Now in our home)





(My new host chairs)



I can’t wait until my dining room is complete. I will post more photos once my set has been delivered. It’s been a long journey waiting for this and I hope that everything comes together as it should. 

Enjoy your weekend!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

May Favorites

/4 Comments/in , /by

It’s the end of May already and time to share things that have captured my heart for this month. It’s been a really busy month because of my mother’s recent knee surgery and my step son’s upcoming high school graduation and pending college departure. Lots of changes to come. 


There have been a few things that I have been able to enjoy this month. It’s been a great month for our yard! Everything is blooming and our grass is so GREEN! It’s lovely. 

First has been this wonderful faux floral spring wreath that I found at At Home. It’s a home decor store here in my city. The flowers are fake but the sticks are real which helps pull the look together. It looks great hung up on our porch. 
Next, are my crystal jug dispensers that I found at TJ Maxx. They looked so great on the table and worked wonderfully! I loved having my fruit infused water! It was a big hit at my step son’s Open House! 

Third, was filming my faux floral arrangements video. I loved having all my arrangments in one place. It was glorious if only for a moment. If you have not seen my video you may view it below. 
Fourth, are my Chanel inspired brooches. Boy, these are head turners. Every time I wear one of these someone is always staring at it. I don’t know what they are thinking but they sure do stare. I think they are so elegant and elevate an outfit quickly. You should check out Etsy to find one. 
Fifth, is the new decor items in my office. I adore my new Ralph Lauren floral pillows.  I wish I could share a link for these but I found them at Homegoods. 




Sixth and I think I may have mentioned this before has been my at home salmon, lime and dill meals. Oh my goodness, after a long day at the office, I love coming home lighting my candles, putting some french bread in the oven, munching on that and then putting my salmon and veggies in the oven to cook. It is a wonderful way to end my work day and start my wonderful evening at home. 

Seventh on the list are my new purse accessories. I love these and have been putting them on pretty much all of my handbags. They look great on all of them. I hope some of you were able to purchase these. They are a great and elegant find. 
And last but not least is a quick update on my recent Ann Taylor orders. So I received my pink skirt and it was way too short so I went to Ann Taylor this weekend to exchange it for something else. I found this great embroidered polka dot scarf. It was only $12 in the store and these striped leather slingbacks were also on sale for only $35! 
I also picked up this drapery cami and this great boyfriend cardigan. Both are very chic and will be great additions to my wardrobe. I am much happier with these purchases than with the pink skirt. It was lovely but a little too short for me. 

May was a great month. I hate seeing these months slip away like this but I am trying to embrace my moments more and take it all in. Enjoy life!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

A Few Pieces for Spring

/in , /by


My office at work





Oh my goodness, next week is June. June! This year is flying by. Last weekend we had my step-son’s Open House party and it turned out great! This week was their last week of school so in about 8 weeks our daughter and our last child will be a freshman in high school. Wow…..


I have been so busy that I almost missed the 50% off sale that Ann Taylor had. I barely made it! I only purchased about 3 from my wishlist of 15. I try to get items a little bit at a time. Sometimes I get them and sometimes I don’t! 


I try to buy pieces from my wishlist that are “singing to me” and cut down on the bogus shopping. I wanted to share the three pieces that I ordered and I thought about sharing them on my Youtube channel this weekend but we will see. 


The first item is…

This beautiful midi skirt in this stunning blue color called windswept. My package arrived yesterday and I was a little apprehensive about this skirt. I love skirts and have been trying to find an elegant blue one for years now. I have not tried it on yet….. but I will.  

The second item that I purchased from my wishlist was this dusk blue metallic cardigan. It does have a bit of shimmer to it but looks very comfortable and I think I will love it this spring and summer in those freezing office rooms. 
And the last item purchased was this powered rose A-line skirt. It is in a beautiful color and it has been years since I have been able to find a pink skirt. It’s a little short compared to my other skirts but I was willing to give it a try. I have not tried it on yet but we will see. 

I don’t know about you but I love light blue and pink together. I don’t know why but I do. I hope that you enjoyed these recent finds. I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I have finished most of my house chores this week but my mother is having a cookout and I have to make banana pudding. I also want to visit the furniture store again. I really need to get my daughter a bed. She still has her twin size bed and each morning I go in to check on her she is literally hanging off of it! It’s horrible. Also, I really want my dining room table and new chairs. We have not been eating at our current table because I just can’t take it anymore. The bar chairs and table are just so uncomfortable now! Also, I really want a new dresser. So with Memorial Day coming, I am hoping that the store will have a sale and it’s great having that extra day to take my time to shop. 

I hope you all enjoy your holiday and thank you to all of you who have served. My husband served during Desert Storm and talks about how he made wonderful friendships during that time. Serving in the military is so vital today and the older I get the more I see how keeping our freedoms are so important. 


Enjoy!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Ann Taylor.com)

Everything Beautiful in its Time

/4 Comments/in , /by



I was recently in the car with my husband and I started thinking about certain events, foods, and flowers that I enjoy throughout the year. For instance, it’s peony season!!! I love this season and I went a few days ago to check and see if they were available at my local florist shop and I was able to get a few bouquets!


 My peonies

I told my husband about a vintage Martha Stewart video that I have about weddings and how the florist in that video was talking about how he loves to WAIT for certain seasons to come for certain flowers. He said, “I don’t want lilac when it’s not in season, nor do I want roses. I love waiting for those seasons to come around so that I can enjoy those flowers in their proper season”. Now this DVD was from 2006 so I was about 23 years old.


My peonies at home




I recall thinking, “No, I don’t want to wait!” I want these flowers now! I want blueberries now, I want grapes now!


So now that 13 years have passed and I am a little older I can now appreciate why that florist said that and why it’s a wonderful thing to wait for things until it’s their season. For instance, I used to buy blueberries all the time and when it’s not their season those things tasted awful! So I would waste money! Same thing with certain flowers. They would die and I would be so mad!

My sitting room full of my faux arrangments

So now I have learned and realized that everything is beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11, he has made everything beautiful in its time…..




Last year’s peonies

Each year I calendar in advance what events I want to attend, when is the best time to buy this or that and I enjoy doing this. Blueberries taste blissful this time (April to late September). Peonies are from now until June. Grapes are good from now until October but the peak is September. Lilies are beautiful in late summer.

During the summer I look forward to the  Lunch Break at the Symphony. I have already purchased my ticket for the first show which is music from Romeo and Juliet. This is a wonderful time for me to enjoy the symphony. I grab a salad on my way there and sit in the audience and eat my lunch while listening to the orchestra. It’s fantastic and only in June each year! 











My desk last year

I started growing peonies in 2017 and I believe I will have my first blooms in a few days! I still volunteer at Dress for Success and love doing the personal shopping during the summer because of all of the beautiful new donations we will have.


So everything is beautiful in its time and I am learning that slowly. You don’t have to have it all now. Honestly, I am still furniture shopping for a new dining room table and chairs. But I don’t want to settle and I know when it’s time it will be there in the store waiting for me.


Our bedroom 


He (God) has made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time. The blueberries, strawberries, peonies, the symphony, lilies, the weather, everything about life. And I want HIS time. That’s all I want. Enjoy your Wednesday!










(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Pinterest)

Beautiful Morning Rituals

/in , /by

Rituals and routines are my favorite thing in the world. It’s how my mind operates. I live by these and I have shared them on the blog (see here and here). I believe in order and consistency. Most of you know that I reading a book by Martha Stewart and I am now in a section called “Welcome the Day”. 








Photo by judith girard-marczak on Unsplash









Martha gives lots of wonderful tips on how to start your day. The first tip is to lie quietly for a few moments before getting out of bed and give thanks for this new day. Being grateful for your life is a great way to start your day. Dab a few drops of an uplifting essential oil (grapefruit) on a cloth that you’ll use solely for this ritual, and breathe in the aroma. 



















Photo by melethril on Unsplash

The second tip is to get up and stand in front of a mirror. Smile at yourself and affirm that this will be a good day, full of blessings, opportunities, and wonder. Say aloud, “I look forward to a wonderful day, “or any affirmation with personal significance. I do this every day!!! I love saying affirmations to myself about my life. If there are difficult meetings or decisions ahead, affirm that you will tackle these with ease. “I will take the challenge of this day in stride”.  

photo via Pinterest 

And the last tip is to make a list of all family members, friends, and pets that matter the most to you. You could even include material things. By writing one or two reasons why each is important to you, you’ll clarify your thoughts and honor the people and things in your life that shouldn’t be taken for granted. 


Wonderful and pretty simple tips. It is so easy to get away from being grateful. That is always one of the things I write in my day designer. BE GRATEFUL! Once that is in your heart, I believe the Lord will honor that and bless your life. 


Have a great Monday everyone! 






(tips via Living the Good Long Life, page 176)