Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Small Lux in my Powder Room

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It is so cold! It has been so frigid this week! BRRRR! I have been trying to stay warm and stay at home. Goodness! This week will be hard because I have some meetings and we are moving buildings here shortly. I do look forward to decorating my new space. 

In my free moments I have been doing things that relax me. I have been able to pick back up in reading some of the books that I ordered and purchased recently. One of them is called A Life in Good Taste by Caroline Gidiere. This book is so good! I have a lot of pages “bunny eared”. I wanted to share her ideas about the powder room since it inspired me around the holidays. 

Most of you know that in 2021 I did a little powder room update and I still love it! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

I still demand that the door stay open and I still love being in here. Around the holidays I always try to make sure that necessities are placed in here for convenience. Caroline says, “entering a powder room should feel like opening a little jewelry box and finding a hidden gem. I love to cover the space in pattern, even on the ceiling, for a luxurious and enveloping sensation.”  

I believe that my stencil chinoiserie painting created that enveloping sensation in our powder room.

She goes to say, “to me it is the height of comfort to have a fragrant bar of soap and pristine hand towels close to the faucet.”

 

 

 

I found this vintage peacock napkin holder from an antique store and added to my powder room during the holidays. I loved it so much that it will now stay. Now I do have hand towels. They are not monogramed but I like to make sure that they are clean. I purchased this basket and placed it on the floor. Inside are fresh towels that I can just grabbed whenever we have guests at our house. 

Caroline said, ” my favorites are floral hand towels from D. Porthault, whose offerings are so special that I often don’t pay attention to whether or not they match the surrounding elements.” I love the idea of having quality hand towels but sometimes you just can’t afford them. You can find great ones at affordable prices at HomeGoods or these that I found on Amazon. 

 

 

 

Another thing that I love seeing in other powder room are the soaps that some families use. I have been able to try out or test other products because of what a powder room may have. I love the soaps at Bath and Body Works. This one is my absolute favorite! I also love the Nest brand. They have beautifully scented soaps. I purchased these soap dispensers from Amazon and have gotten compliments from all of our guests and added this jasmine scented lotion to the powder room. Everyone enjoyed using both products. We cannot forget about scents. I love a Bath and Body Works wallflower to add to the senses and to help alleviate any other smells.  Again, it’s the small luxurious items that you can offer your guests for a wonderful experience. I know using the bathroom is not a fun thing sometimes but why not offer some elegance while using yours. 

I hope you all found these tips helpful and will take a second look at your powder room. Turn it into your jewel box if you can! Be bold and enjoy. 

 

 

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Becoming A Better Life Curator

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Good Morning Friends,

It is the middle of October already! I have printed off my Christmas shopping list and started thinking about my Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and decor. It just seems to be creeping up on us! Last week I had a fantastic hydro-facial at Restore Skin Therapy. I will be sure to share that next week. Now let’s discuss my topic… becoming a better life curator.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have been thinking about this phrase for a while, and it popped in my head while driving to work one day. I was thinking about how I wanted to live. How I wanted my home to be, how I wanted to travel, where I wanted to travel, what I want to wear, and how I want to spend my time. I said the words “curate” and then it just came to me. How do I better curate my life? 

 

My new Asian Chinoiserie secretary desk from FBMP

 

To curate means to select, organize, and look after the items in a collection or exhibition. I know recently (maybe in the last year), I have been trying to get better at selecting. When I am out shopping, no matter the price, if it is not a heck yes when I see it then I don’t buy it. My husband and I just went to the Cincinnati outlet mall, and we were in the Ralph Lauren store. He kept picking up things and I just looked at him and said, “is that a heck yes”? He got a little frustrated with me at one point, but I really wanted him to think. I did the same thing looking at a sweater that they had and necklace. I ended up buying only ONE thing in the whole outlet because I was asking myself that question. I want to do better at selecting when I shop. The first step to being a better curator.

Next up is organize. I have set my sights back on my closet. In July, I shared that I had a consultant come from California Closets to give me a closet design. I still love this design and want to do it but for now I have other home projects on my list. That does not mean that my current closet needs to stay the way it is, so I have another option in mind that I want to try. I will update you all of course. 

Third is to look after items in a collection. The photo above is a recently FBMP purchase. One of our interior designers, Blake Richardson, sent the link to me after I told him that I was on the hunt for an Asian Chinoiserie secretary. This desk is literally a dream desk for me. I spoke with my husband about it and looked at the measures. I thought it might be too big for my new office but four days later I could not stop thinking about it. That’s when I knew that this piece was for me and I only had a limited amount of time to get it. So I reached out to the seller. Turns out it’s over 40 years old; she and her husband traveled a lot and believe that it is from Spain. I told her that I would take care of it the next 40 years. I intend to look after this item. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I believe that being a curator of your life includes everything. It includes what you read and watch to what you eat. All things need to be carefully curated. It goes along with “building your life team”, to seeking life seasons, to etiquette, and past choices. I am currently trying to curate my vacation for next year. I want to go back to New York and have Lily of the Valley Afternoon Tea at the Lowell Hotel! I would like to see the Belizaire painting which is currently housed at the MET in New York and dine at La Mercerie. Of course, the Ralph Lauren store and an antique store are on the radar. But I am carefully curating it. We will see what we do. 

I know this living with beautiful things is a risk that I take daily. I risk it being stolen, broken, or lost. But I would have rather had it then not at all. And I truly believe that. Let me know your thoughts below. 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

My First Mahjong Class

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Hello Everyone,

Boy has it been a heavy week. I don’t want to repeat or talk about everything in the news but Lord you know our hearts and hear our prayers for EVERYONE!

Last week was a busy one for me and this past weekend was busy as well. We had our annual neighborhood HOA sale and a LOT of the boutique items sold! When you visit the page, you will see a lot of items gone and some marked down items as well. I hope to have a new arrival coming soon. 

But today friends I wanted to share how my first Mahjong Class went! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I found a company called Meet at Mahj and decided to sign up for their Mahj 101 class.  This group is run by a woman named Jamie and she was so nice and knowledgeable. She had a great team of women with her, and they were knowledgeable themselves and fun! They have a new studio in Zionsville, Indiana and offer lots of services. In my first class she explained the history of Mahjong which I appreciated and went to explain the rules. There is a LOT to learn. There were terms that I had never heard of in a game. 

We were taught how to plan American Mahjong. There is also Chinese Mahjong which I believe is a little more complicated. Each table had its own Mahjong tiles set and were so beautiful. I loved how she and her team decorated each table in its own theme. We sat down in groups of four and my group did not know each other which honestly, I like. I am in a chapter in my life where I don’t mind meeting new people. 

After she explained the history we went over what the tiles meant and each team member was assigned to a table to made sure that we all understood and could ask questions if we needed to. We were taught how to “wash the tiles”, the Charleston, how to deal, and how to pass which was interesting as well. We were taught how to push out our tiles and to make sure that the “dragon tail” faced a certain way. There was so much to learn during this class!

 

 

 

Once we went through the rules we started a game. I was not in a hurry to win or even understand it. I wanted to take my time and learn it. I wanted to enjoy the moment. I also wanted to be sensitive to the women in the room and not take a bunch of photos or videos. Some people may not want to be on camera, and I try to be mindful of that. 

Mahjong is a mental game I will say that. Each year a card comes out on how you should “create your hand” and I found that to be interesting! My table and I played our game and it took us a while, but we really enjoyed each other’s company and helped each other. I also brought my chinoiserie Mahjong set which the host of the game loved! She will be adding a Mahjong boutique to her game room which I loved that idea. Unfortunately, I did not win the game. My tiles were bad, words right from the teacher. I kept drawing tiles that were not helpful to my hand that I was trying to build but nevertheless I really enjoyed myself. 

The studio was decorated beautifully. I loved all of the pink, the wallpaper frames, chinoiserie fabrics, and tile sets. It was a great time! 

 

 

My Mahjong Set from Etsy

 

 

I will be returning to take Mahjong 102 and will be going to some of her open game courses. There is also a membership if you wanted to join and play all the time. I think that I am going to really enjoy this and look forward to meeting new women. Lord I need some Mahjong women in my life and hosting game nights at my home. I am speaking that into existence! 

Here is my set above. I adore it. I have my mat (mine is sold out here is one similar), tiles, tile racks, tile bag, and Mahjong bag. 

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below if you have heard of Mahjong, play it or have played it. I am also interested to know if any of you have a girl’s game night! Have a great weekend! 

 

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The Parlor PS ~ New Restaurant Discovery

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Hello Friends,

It’s still HOT! Now I don’t want to wish the summer away but I sure do want to wish the heat away. I really want to sit on my porch, read a book and maybe have a glass of wine. But it is still too hot! On Friday, Lauren and I went to see Freakier Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsy Lohan. It was really cute and Lauren loved it. I also worked on my garden a bit. I have not been able to put anything in the greenhouse this summer it has been far too hot. We also visited a new restaurant about 40 minutes from where we live. It is called the Parlor PS. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

A co-worker told me about this restaurant last week. She mentioned that she was going there to have tea and you all know that I love afternoon tea. But once she showed me the website, I knew that I had to visit myself! This restaurant just opened in March and is located in Mooresville, Indiana. As soon as I walked in I immediately loved the Victorian decor. 

 

 

I am a chandelier girl and this had them everywhere. I also loved the deep blue paint color. It looked so beautiful with the matching chairs. It was a beautiful balance of old world charm and the Victorian era. 

 

 

I loved the china and teacup sets. You can tell that the owners carefully curated their antiques for this space. The wallpaper blended seamless with the paint color. 

 

 

 

Now the menu had lots of southern food and comfort food options. We ordered the southern biscuits to share. That whipped butter that they gave us…. OH MY GOODNESS! I could have licked it out of the bowl. It was so good. I also loved the homemade apple butter. 

We all ordered the half fried chicken withe bacon jam. It was a tasty combination. The homemade garlic cream and mashes potatoes were perfect along with the green beans. Now their gravy had a hit of expresso to it. You may want to try that if you go. 

They also had a great list of mocktails all alcohol free. I really want to go back for a tea time. I think that would be quite enjoyable. 

 

 

I did journey upstairs to see their event space. It’s a great space for baby shower, bridal showers, and small events. 

 

 

 

I did enjoy myself and hope to return soon with my girlfriends perhaps. If you live in the Indianapolis area and want to give them a try then you should. My co-worker also told me that they have an antique store next door! I completely missed that. If you decide to visit let me know. It’s a really cute space. 

 

  • the post is not sponsored 

 

 

 

Visiting the Cake Bake Shop in Disney

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Good Morning Friends,

We have had a busy weekend. I had to get a new nail tech. My nail tech quit about 2 weeks ago, so it has not been easy trying to find a new place. I am trying a new location so we will see how it goes. My husband had surgery on Monday! He had to have some bone spurs removed from both of his elbows and the surgery went well. We are in the healing process now and hope that the pain will began to subside soon. 

I am trying to get caught up or work ahead on my blog posts. I have a work trip coming up here soon and will be gone for a week. I always like to make sure that I get my content ready to go. It helps me feel better. I started a new LinkedIn account for my business. It does not look like there is much going on, but I am getting a lot of views and impressions already! Yay! My friend and business mentor mentioned to me that I should start one so we will see how this goes. 

I feel like I am behind on sharing things in my life but that is okay. I am learning to pace myself with all of the things that I have going on. I did film a video for YouTube and I hope to get that published soon. Now without further ado let’s see my visit to the Cake Bake Shop at the Disney Boardwalk. 

 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I honestly expected nothing but the best from Gwendolyn. This location was just as beautiful as the other two. It did feel a little grander, but the beautiful details were there. The location is on a lovely boardwalk right off of the water. I bet this is so beautiful at night. As soon as you walk in you immediately look everywhere including up. All of the crystal and florals are tucked into every little location. 

 

 

We checked in the restaurant then we went to look around in the bakery. This is walking into the bakery. There is also a gift shop which is where I found the swan cup for my pens. There were so many items to look at. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we finished shopping at the bakery and the gift shop, they called our name, and we got to go into the restaurant. Walking in and seeing the gorgeous carousel table area was a real treat! I loved the design and all of the florals. 

 

 

In the carousel was a table for about 8 people. Now wouldn’t this be a lovely place to celebrate a birthday with some friends? I just can’t get over her chandeliers. I believe she designed those too. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

For lunch I got the chicken salad sandwich on a croissant with truffle fries. It was so good! My husband got truffle fries as well and a slider. For cake I got the red velvet cake. While eating I had to look around and noticed the ceiling. Looks like a work of art almost. STUNNING! 

 

 

 

This location had so many different areas of where you can dine, have a drink or cup of tea. The place was so pretty, and I am still in love with this paint color.

 

 

 

 

I told my husband that I had to get a photo standing under the chandelier and florals.  It looks like a dream! I had a wonderful time at this location and was so happy that we got to make time to go. I was not sure if I was going to be able to come because it was about 20 minutes from Universal and I did not want to leave the girls at the park by themselves but then I realized they were doing their own thing and was not thinking about me! 

 

 

 

We had a really great time, and it felt good to get away from Universal. It was so hot and being able to do something “elegant” helped me to dive back into the park once I had a day to take a break. I will be sharing my antique shopping while I was there and stores that I found. Above is my swan cup that I purchased while I was there. I got two. I needed one for both offices, right? They both look so charming in my offices. It a delight using them and seeing them in my spaces. Remember live with beautiful things. 

 

 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and found the Cake Bake Shop to be as beautiful as usual. I had a wonderful time there and hope to visit it again sometime in the near future. The boutique still has some beautiful pieces left to purchase. The photo above is how I styled Patricia. She is wearing the Lux Cardigan Brooch, Pearls and Chinoiserie scarf. She looks like lovely. All of the pieces are on sale. Enjoy! 

 

  • This post is not sponsored.

 

 

 

A Bathroom Decor Refresh

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Good Morning Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend! We just grilled and hung out with the kiddos. I did go to the fabric store to pick up some new fabric for my cane chair that I purchased on FBMP in March of 2024.  I hope to be dropping it off soon with the reupholster. I always look forward to his transformations when it comes to my furniture pieces and fabrics.  I am trying to plan a day to just stay home. I really need some “stay at home days”. I want to relax and get some things done around my home. I also just want to hang out alone and try to recharge.

I do have some exciting events this week. On Friday, I have a consultation with an organizing specialist from California Closets!  She will be coming by the house to look at my closet and hopefully the laundry room. I want to see what designs she can come up with to reconfigure my closet and laundry. 

I also have an influencer event. I will be sharing that next week. For the past few weeks, I have been working on a simple decor refresh for my master bathroom. I was inspired by my friend Nicole Blair’s bathroom revamp that she did for a client of hers in May. 

 

photos via: Nicole Blair Instagram 

 

Here are some screenshots of the bathroom refresh that Nicole did. I was so inspired by the wall of beautiful florals and art. I loved the small chandelier that she added in the space. I think it added the right about of elegance and luxury. This space for was an elderly woman and I tell you something changes in you when you update your spaces.

 

 

This was a screenshot of the video that Nicole posted. I fell in love with floral valances that she added to the window. I loved them so much that I went on the hunt and tried to find something similar. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Sorry I could not get a better photo of my new valances, but I found this blue and white chinoiserie inspired set on Amazon. They look so good in my bathroom. I originally had this green set of curtains up. They have been there since we moved in. I have tried multiple curtains for this space, but nothing seemed to work. It is exciting to have a curtain refresh after 12 years. The photo on the left is the first set of pictures that I purchased. I started building my wall of art in May. In this spot I had a giant print of a flower. I had that print for almost 20 years. I found these at HomeGoods but Amazon had a few here, here and here. 

 

 

 

As the weeks went by every time I went to HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx I would check their picture area and see if any new goodies appeared and I found vintage inspired photos and frames bit by bit. It was a process for sure. I wanted to make sure that each photo fit the section and blended well with the other photos. I added this starburst mirror in the middle. I bought that over 10 years ago and it has just been sitting in my decor bin. The landscape photo at the bottom was a T.J. Maxx find from a female artist. 

I then thought that a wall plate was needed so I search Etsy for one and found the blue and white platter for only $44! I found a small blue and white ginger jar at HomeGoods. The area was slowly coming together. 

 

 

 

 

Here is the final look. I may change the pink vintage photo. I do like how it ties in with the pink rose photo in the middle. I will be sharing a reel on my Instagram page if you want to take a peek. Honestly, I am glad that I did this. I needed a refresh in this bathroom. I thought about changing the wall color but I don’t know what I want yet so we will see. 

I hope this has provided some inspiration to all of you. Keep in mind it does not take much to add beauty to your life. It can come in small doses like this. Enjoy your week!

 

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The Act of Loveliness ~ Enrich Your Daily Life

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Good Morning Friends, 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day weekend. We spent ours at home with the kiddos. All three adult children were home and spent time with Mr. Shockley. He loved it! I also got him this practicing putting mat from Mark and Graham. He absolutely loves it! I was so happy to see him using it with the kids. 

Well friends my family and I will be heading to Florida next week. I will be taking a break from the blog. We will see what elegant adventures I can come up with while in Orlando but before I go, I wanted to share this lovely list from Victoria Magazine’s new book Gracious Home, Cultivating a Spirit of Welcome. Oh, and did everyone hear that Jennifer L. Scott has a new book coming out? OMG! So excited. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Author Melissa Lester wants you to consider these suggestions for cultivating a spirit of welcome that enriches your daily life.

  • Address areas that greet you upon entering your home, first clearing away clutter and then arranging vignettes that will delight your eye each time you open the door. 
  • Even when dining along, choose pretty plates, and flatware appreciating the glimmers of beauty these special pieces add to your meal. 

 

photo credits: via Pinterest

 

  • Display framed prints of favorite scriptures or quotes to remind yourself of wise and encouraging words.
  • Sleep on the finest bedding that your budget allows. And if your nicest sheets are hidden away in a cupboard for safekeeping, realize that most household textiles actually fare better with regular use and laundering. 

 

photo credits: via Pinterest 

 

  • Assess the scene that awaits when you open your eyes each morning. Would repositioning the bed afford a clearer view of the world outside your window? 
  • As often as possible, snip a few blooms to create a fragrant posy for your bedside table, desk, or bathroom counter. 

 

Photo credit: via Pinterest

 

And lastly

  • Develop routines that ease your into and out of the day. The benefits of a cup of tea in the morning and a stroll through the neighborhood at sunset can last from dawn to dusk. 

I really hope that you found some inspiration in this list developed by Melissa Lester from Victoria Magazine. It has all of the items that are in my daily routines. There is order, beauty, tea, flowers, home decor, and a view of the world. Enjoy your weekend.

 

The boutique has some accessories on sale. Shop here! 

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