Posts that inspiring an elegant life

My Christmas Decor So Far…

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Good Morning Everyone!

It has been a wonderful five-day weekend! I loved every minute of it. I did a present review this weekend to make sure that we have gifts for everyone and I am happy to say that I am officially done Christmas shopping. Yay for me! I am now working on my Christmas dinner menu. It will be about the same as Thanksgiving but I am trying a new dessert recipe. I will attempt to make a caramel cake. We will see how it goes. In today’s post, I wanted to share my Christmas decor so far…..

 

I was asked to share some of my Christmas decor this year. I really did not put out a whole lot but I do have 3 full-size Christmas trees up! 

 

 

This is the family room. I always have at least 2 trees in this room. The kids love it! I must admit so do I. There is something about having these in this room and watching a Hallmark movie. It provides peace and gives you a feel of coziness. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I believe I shared my Santa last year. This year he is camped out on my table next to the blue and white tree. I think he fits well in this spot. I still can’t believe that I have these gorgeous blue and white ornaments. They are so elegant and are of good quality. 

 

 

The family tree is always hard to decorate. I really didn’t have a theme this year. I just placed my favorite ornaments on it. I did want some really big ribbon to wrap around it but I could not find the color I wanted. I love the white poinsettias on it! I may add more next year! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is the Barbie tree. I have shared it before. It is in a different location this year but in the same room. I normally have it placed by the window but I decided to move it to the other side of the room. I do love having the little pink Victorian home under it and the feather tree skirt. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Isn’t it adorable? 

 

 

My nutcrackers are also making an appearance next to the Barbie tree. I think all the pink and glitter look great together. I have a dash of leopard around as well. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I also have some garland around our kitchen cabinets with lights. I added some garland around our mirror in our master bedroom. I did it last year and loved the way it looked. We have some stars in our windows that light up and our giant elk that I named Max is outside in our front yard. He lights up as well and looks so real! We’ve had people stop us about him because they thought he was real.  

Well, this is what my home looks like so far. I don’t intend on adding any more Christmas decor. I do want to go and get more poinsettias to add to my tree and stay on the hunt for ribbon. Let me know in the comments section below if your tree is up! Have a great Monday! 

 

 

 

 

A Quiet Thanksgiving…

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Good Friday Morning!

No Black Friday shopping for me! I plan on NOT leaving my house today. We had a pretty good Thanksgiving holiday yesterday. It was just me, my husband, and the kids. We sat, ate, and talked. It was really nice! I cooked the family favorites and we were finished eating before 5 which was great! I was done cleaning the kitchen by 7 and was in my nightgown by 9 and in my bed! I just sat in the bed and relaxed the whole time. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was my table setting for this year. I normally use my Christmas plates but I wanted something different this year. I used my china that I found on Facebook Marketplace and I loved the way it looked! I did find a set here and here on eBay. 

 

 

Most of my china is second hand and I love that! All of the pieces were purchased from an antique store, eBay or Facebook. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My reindeer are from Target and are sold out but I did find these. I also found my casserole dish on eBay if anyone is interested. 

 

 

I used my creamer as a small vase for the table and it turned out so well! I love the light pink roses with the babys breath. 

 

 

 

I also used my beautiful Wedgewood wine glasses. Oh my goodness I love these so much! They are so high-quality. I am so glad that I purchased them. I did find some similar on eBay here and here. The wine that we drank was Oliver’s Lemon Moscato.  It is so good and light. It’s low-calorie and low alcohol. 

 

 

 

I made my cornbread dressing. I just use Jiffy and I add raisins, cranberries, pecans, walnuts, and all of my seasonings. It is so good. Martha’s dried-fruit and nut cornbread dressing inspired me to do this years ago. It is always a big hit!

 

 

My herb-roasted turkey was outstanding if I do say so myself. I put parsley flakes, minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sage in a bowl and stir. After I butter the turkey, I rub this mixture all over my turkey. It is so good!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I also made the normal sides, homemade mashed potatoes, baked beans, green beans, and I made my cinnamon apple tea cake. There are tons of recipes for this online. My recipe is from 2014 and I have no idea where I got it from. I also made a banana pudding. The kids love that! Overall Thanksgiving was a success and we really enjoyed ourselves. I think for Christmas I may try a caramel cake recipe. We will see. 

 

I wanted everyone to know that the boutique’s Black Friday sale is still going on. Use code blackfriday21 for 20% off of your entire order and that does include new arrivals! Thank you to the lovely Rosenda for wearing the blue swiss dot dress in her latest video! I only have a few left and it is only $20. Use the code and it is only $16 plus shipping! It’s a great gift as well!

 

To watch Rosenda’s video click here. 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

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.

 

 

 

Wear the Red Velvet Shoes

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Good Morning,

Thanksgiving is this week! I can’t believe it. This year really zoomed right by us. I am looking forward to taking a few days this week. I am only going into the office today and tomorrow and then I am taking the rest of the week off. I can’t wait! I do plan on taking my morning walks this week and getting the house ready for the holidays. We just finished cleaning the carpets upstairs and we used a lavender-scented carpet cleaner from Febreze. It was so nice! My trees are up and I purchased a lovely poinsettia from Costco a few days ago.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Today I wanted to chat very quickly about wearing things that you love. Yesterday I got to participate in a lovely Zoom call with Jennifer from the Daily Connoisseur and the Chic Society! I love it when we can do the Zoom calls. They are so much fun and such a thrill to chat with everyone! If you are a part of the Chic Society, I hope you can watch it below! 

 

 

In yesterday’s Zoom call we talked about dealing with difficult people during the holidays and just wearing things that you love. I talked about how this past weekend I wore red velvet shoes to the grocery and loved every minute of it! Did I get stares? Of course, I did but who cares. I believe the stares did not come from a bad place but a place of “wow, I wish I could do that”. Here is the thing, you can! Life is so short and I think the last two years have shown us that. Life is so short… 

So wear the red velvet shoes or glitter ones if you have them! I wore glitter shoes last week and the stares continued but again… who cares. I enjoy being a woman and everything that comes along with it. Speaking of velvet the boutique’s new arrival is available!

 

 

I decided to name this dress Charlotte. The Charlotte Velvet Midi is ready to accompany you to your parties or family get-together! Also, my Black Friday Sale has begun! Use code blackfriday21 and get 20% off of your entire purchase and that includes new arrivals! I hope you all can find something that you would love or purchase as a gift! Have a great Monday and wear the shoes!

 

Note:

To my international buyers if you make a purchase please use the cheapest shipping offer! The Post Office informed me that no matter what you select it will take at least 15-30 days to get to you. I am so sorry but we have no control over it. Thank you! 

 

 

Elegant Living -Keith Robinson Inspiration

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Good Morning,

It has been a good weekend so far despite our loss last week. On Saturday my new carpet was installed in the family room and sitting room and I could not happier! It looks great! I am still waiting to get the stairs finished but we are off to a great start. We will finish the rest of the house next year. I will share some photos this week or next. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share this beautiful article about Keith Robinson. I talked about him on the blog in the past. In this article, they discuss his recent projects which include some new classes!

 

photo credit: Flower Magazine

 

One thing I love about Keith is that he did not let the history of his beloved plantation bother him. He mentioned that he has all of the tax documents and other papers discussing the property where he lived. He is fully aware of the 26 slaves that lived on the property and he did not let that stop him from turning the old plantation into a new home. I love that!

 

photo credit: Flower Magazine

 

I wish that I could take his homemaking classes. They sound wonderful! Keith is offering classes on cooking, gardening, and probably more tips on beautiful living. You should read the charming article about Keith and his work. See here if you are interested and be inspired. Have a great Monday!

 

 

Empress Stationery ~ A New Find

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Good Morning,

It is a cold Friday! We are forecasted to only get up to the high 50s today. Oh my… a little cold but still lovely. I am a little excited about this weekend. I have a hair appointment. I have not had my hair officially done since 2019. I think that I shared that the woman who was doing my hair passed away unexpectedly last year. She had a stroke in 2019 and then a massive stroke in 2020. Then she caught Covid and passed away. It has been very hard for me to let anyone do my hair. My loyalty was with her and it still is. I miss her so much! I was with her for 17 years. But I know that she is resting and it is okay for me to allow someone else to do my hair so we will see. It is the woman who does Lauren’s hair so I trust her completely. 

Okay, enough sad stuff.  In today’s post, I wanted to share this beautiful company that I found. It is called Empress Stationery and it is the most gorgeous stationery company that I have ever seen! I mean the work is beautiful!

 

photo credit: Empress Stationery.com

 

Isn’t it stunning? This is called the Louisa Suite collection. Honestly, I think that I am in love with all of it!

 

 

photo credit: Empress Stationery.com 

 

They offer custom artwork. All of the custom pieces are created with watercolors. Another section that you all should take a look at is the holiday section. 

 

photo credit: Empress Stationery 

 

These Christmas gift tags are my favorite. I would love to have something like this on my gifts this year.  I hope everyone enjoyed this fantastic find today. I love finding and learning about companies like this. It always makes me smile when I see a company create beautiful items for everyday living.

In other news, the boutique, blog, and Instagram page were shared on Inspired by Nikki’s Youtube channel! I loved being included in this video. My dresser vanity along with another subscriber’s closet was shared in her video. I think these are so fun to watch! I hope you get a chance to watch Nikki’s Video! I also have a coupon code for anyone who wants to make a purchase from the boutique. If you use code InspNikki20 you will get 20% off of your purchase. Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

New Painting in my Office

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Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It finally cooled off here in Indy. Sunday was a beautiful day! During the day I did a few house chores, wished my niece Happy Birthday, work on the blog, and took Lauren and her bestie to Harvest Night at Newfields. It was a wonderful evening. 

 

I have been wanting to share my new piece of artwork for my office. I found this beautiful painting at Manor House Antiques.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I learned from the antique store owner that this is the Chicago Water Tower. I thought it was a church but it’s the Water Tower. When looking at the back I found some more information. 

 

 

So on the back, there is a gold sticker that says, “Artistic Impressions Inc., Oil Certified, and a serial number”. There is also a stamp that says, “Genuine Lithograph Oil Canvas, Chicago, Illinois”.  I am assuming that this is an oil painting. There is also a handwritten date of 2-17-1994. This painting was completed by Eve Turner. I did find it online. Here is the link. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Now from the website link, there was an appraisal of $295! I don’t know when that was but that made me smile. I don’t think mine is the same. The frame is different but does that happen often? Does an artist paint more than one of the same painting? I certainly hope so. I only paid $34 for mine. The original price at the antique store was $100. Then it dropped twice in price.

 

 

I am loving it in my office downtown. I received tons of compliments on it. One of my co-workers mentioned getting it cleaned and said that it would be “spit cleaned”. I had never heard of that before but she said that a lot of people who restore antique paintings use that method. 

What do you all think? Have you ever heard of that method before?

 

 

I also added this glass pumpkin to my office. It is the cutest thing! The color is perfect and feels as though it is handblown. I hope to have my painting looked at by an appraiser. I do hope that the Antiques Roadshow returns to Indiana soon! I will be taking this and a few other things if I can. Have a great Monday!

 

 

My Staycation ~2021

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Good Morning,

I have quite a few things planned this weekend. I will be heading to the dealership to look at a new vehicle, well possibly, I don’t know yet. Cars are so expensive and I don’t really know what I want to do yet. We will be heading to Newfields again for their Harvest Night celebration and I am really looking forward to it. Last year we missed it because of Covid. I am also about to start looking for tickets to the Nutcracker this year. I am not sure what it will look like on stage so we will see. Okay, let me share what I did last week during my staycation….

If you follow me on Instagram then you would know that antiquing was at the top of my list. I visited my normal antique stores around my city. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

I really liked the dog but the dealer wanted a $1,000 for him. Umm I’ll pass…. 

 

 

Lots of china everywhere… 

 

 

This was beautiful but I did not have anywhere to put them! They only wanted $50 for the big one and $35 for the small one!

 

 

I stumbled on some blue and white! I did purchase the giant pitcher in the middle. I loved the handle. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I did purchase this lovely Jasperware vase. I loved having my purple roses in it from my husband. I paid about $35 for it. 

 

 

This was at the third antique store that I visited it. I loved this vase. I purchased it! It was handpainted. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I saw this gorgeous piece there as well. I was going to purchase it but I found something else. Isn’t it stunning?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

 

I could not believe that I saw this there. I thought, “oh we are getting close to finding my vintage Louis Vuitton trunk!” This was $900 and it was pretty old. I am not sure of the year but it was old!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did end up finding these gorgeous nightstands. He wanted $450 for both but then I asked if he would take less and he took off $100! Sold!! I also saw this gorgeous vintage lamp and substantial vase. I could not leave these items there. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I love these in our bedroom. I added the lamp, my new Jasperware vase, and other home decor favorites to the top of it. Inside I have my favorite books that I like to read in bed. 

In addition to antiquing we visited the Lume and here are some photos from that.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

It was stunning. This was the digital exhibit of the artwork of Vincent van Gogh. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This was my favorite…

 

 

And I just adored this piece. It is all stained glass and was created in 1904. It is called the “Angel of Resurrection”. Oh I just loved it! We went and walked around the entire museum and looked at more exhibits. 

 

 

I especially loved this settee from the 1800s. They don’t make furniture like this anymore! Later on in the week, we visit the Cincinnati outlet mall and it was great. It had a lot more stores than our outlet and was very empty. There was no waiting anywhere and it was nice just taking our time. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I did pick up these gorgeous vintage-inspired Tory Burch tote from the outlet store. I have been trying to find this all over the internet but could not locate it. It is stunning! I’ve never seen this print before. It is called the Tory Burch Blake tote. 

 

 

 

I also picked up these lovely and autumn-inspired accessories from the Coach outlet. These ballet flats are so incredibly chic and comfy. The red scarf is perfect for the upcoming holiday season and I love elegant keychains. 

After the outlet mall, we went and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and came home. In addition to all of the shopping, I did get some things re-organized around the home, got rid of old documents, and found a new carpet for some of the rooms that we want to replace. Since our daughter was away for a few days with her bestie my husband and I did have a few date nights which was very nice! 

Above all, I LOVED my staycation and want to do one again very soon! 

 

 

 

 

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.