Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Decor Evolving

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Dear June,

Please don’t go by so fast! I hope the Lord hears my request. I am ready for it to get a little warmer here but not humid. I hate the humidity! I don’t have many plans for the weekend. I did just order my first etiquette book! I know, I know… I don’t own one. Well, I don’t own an official etiquette book and I felt like it was time. So I ordered the Emily Posts Etiquette, 19th Edition: Manners for Today. 

I am really excited to see it and read it! Of course, I will share it once it arrives. In today’s post I wanted to share a recent photo that I found in my phone’s photo gallery.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was our living room in our first home in 2008! It’s funny, my husband and I were just talking about this house. I still remember the day we closed when we purchased it. I couldn’t believe that I was a homeowner at the age of 25! It was a great feeling. 

When I look at this photo I remember what I purchased, how much I paid, and why I purchased it. The two pink chairs should look familiar. I still have those but they are in my boutique/ home office now. My mother found those at a Goodwill store if you can believe it!

The gold curtains are from Walmart and I still have that giant floral arrangement. I paid only $10 for that thing! My mother-in-law’s friend sold it to me. I adored it and still do. I still have that as well. It should look familiar. It is in my sitting room on the left side of me if you watch my Youtube videos. I replace the flowers every couple of years. 

As I stare at it I realize that I was a “grandmillienial” at 25 and maybe younger. I remember sharing my bedroom in high school in one of my blog posts. I had “old lady” stuff then. 

But I do know that as time has passed my style has changed a bit. In this photo, you will notice that there is no blue and white. I didn’t own any.  I did start to notice it at this time. I see other things in this photo that are not there that I love now, and it just brings a conversation back to my mind. 

I had a dear friend tell me that every 10 years your style will change and I continue to believe that she is right. So what do you all think? Has your home decor style changed in the last decade? If so what did you love back then that you don’t now?

Leave a comment below. I would love to know. Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

Summer Purse Essentials

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Good Morning and Happy Memorial Day!

My family and I are keeping it simple today. We are just hanging out at home, we will grill a bit and wash the cars. Most of my house chores I finished yesterday so it will be nice just to relax. I picked up this most recent issue of Victoria magazine and there are quite a few beautiful articles that I can’t wait to read. I am looking forward to that. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my summer purse essentials. I shared my Covid purse essentials last year and thought this would be good to share now since it is June! Can you believe it? We are halfway through the year already! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Oh before I get into my list I had to share this photo. I stopped by JP Parker flowers again to pick up some more peonies. I could not help myself. 

 

 

Whenever summer arrives I always check my purse for my summer must-have products. I love the anti-bacterial hand spray from Bath and Body Works. This french lavender scent is my absolute favorite. I also add my small bottle of Caudalie facial spray. It helps me to feel refreshed after a hot day. I love spraying this on my face for a cool-off. I also always decant my favorite body spray in a smaller bottle. This is a small bottle of Amazing Grace from Philosophy. I have to have a small bottle of some scent in my purse. I hate coming into a building and have that “outside smell”, oh that drives me nuts!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now on to some items that are a little more personal. It gets really humid here in Indy and sweating is everyone’s problem. I love buying these Summer’s Eve personal wipes. They are great for your personal area and whenever I use them I feel so refreshed. I also love using this spray. You can spray it in your lower area and some of the scents are floral. They are wonderful. I have been using them for years!

 

Mrs. Shockley, home

 

I hope you all have found some useful and helpful information in this post. I know talking about summer sweat and personal products is never a fun thing but for me it’s necessary and it’s how I maintain being elegant. Let me know in the comments section below if you have used any of these products! Have a wonderful Monday and enjoy your holiday!

 

 

 

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 Flower Garden Thus Far…

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Happy Friday and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Thank you to everyone that has served our country. We know what it costs to keep our freedoms so thank you!

 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my flower garden so far. It is always a struggle to grow flowers and learn about them. I am certainly not an expert but my husband and I try our very best and sometimes it works out. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

If you have been following the blog then the flowers above will not shock you. I am a huge fan of mandevillas and have to have them every year. They grow so well and I enjoy having them on my porch. It makes me happy when I begin to see the vines get longer and how they droop from the planter. It’s so gorgeous to me. 

 

 

My rhododendrons bushes are doing okay this year. For a few weeks, I didn’t think that they would bloom, but they surprised my husband and me. But I think we may be replacing them next year. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This year was the first year that I purchased roses bushes. I actually purchased these from Costco. I didn’t get a chance to put them in the ground because we couldn’t get over 30 degrees at night and we had snow! So I just put them in the planter because they had already begun to grow in the box!

 

 

They are doing well in the planter. I am beginning to have some rosebuds open, but I noticed that something has begun to eat the leaves! So frustrating! I have no idea what little bug is doing this. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This new azalea bush did excellent this year! This was another plant that we were worried about. We purchased this last year from the Biltmore and we didn’t have any flowering last year but this year it was beautiful! I was so happy with it! 

 

 

Next are my peonies and I am in absolute bliss with these! They multiplied! I couldn’t believe how many more blooms we had this year!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

They are so healthy and strong!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So happy!

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We only had a few white ones and they smelled like a dream. My husband just kept going over and smelling them. It was quite enjoyable! Well, I hope you all enjoyed my little garden tour. I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and enjoys the DRESS SALE for the boutique!

Some of the dresses are as low as $15! Head on over and grab a dress or two! No coupon code is needed! Thank you again in advance for your support and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Shares…

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Good Morning Everyone,

Today’s post is going to be short but I forgot to add my recent Youtube video to Monday’s post. I show my peonies, talk about my beautiful gifts from a subscriber, and show the Beverly tote from the boutique. I hope that you enjoy it. 

 

 

And one more thing, I wanted to share my recent order from Anthropologie. I ordered their peacock trinket tray and I could not LOVE it more! It has an incredible vintage-inspired look to it. It looks like a piece passed down to me from my grandmother. It is a wonderful item to have. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Isn’t it stunning? It is a beautiful piece. I believe that I will have this piece for a long time. I hope you all enjoy the video and have a great 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.

 

 

 

A Weekend with Peonies

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Good Morning Everyone,

It was finally warm here in Indy. We were in the 80s and it felt very nice. On Saturday I ran my normal errands and I went to JP Parker Flowers to pick up some peonies and they did not disappoint this year! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I always try to get a “bucket of peonies” photo when they bring it out to me. They always pull out the bucket and let me pick my favorite ones. I just love this photo!

 

 

Initially, they did not have the bucket of coral peonies out, but I ask for some, and I am glad that I did. They were gorgeous!

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I could not wait to get home and create my bouquets. It was such fun putting these together. The greenery I picked up at Kroger. It was only $4 for the greenery.

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I could not get enough of the coral ones! Goodness! The color is just breathtaking and the scent was amazing as well. 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I was so pleased with this years’ peony loot! I really want to go back this weekend coming up and get more. We will see. I also wanted to let everyone know that my new dress arrival is available for purchase. The Audrey Ruffle Maxi is a gorgeous addition to the boutique and is plus-size! The blue and white color is classic and the quality is wonderful! I was very pleased when I tried the dress on. This dress is available in 1x, 2x, and 3x. I hope you all enjoy this post and the new arrival. 

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking… A New Breakfast Tray

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a good weekend. I just ran my normal errands and then came home to watch some movies. My new arrival is here. The Claire Cream Midi is available for purchase and is so beautiful for summer. It is the perfect white dress to me. It’s not a stark white color but a beautiful cream color. The dress is fully lined and I would recommend wearing nude color undergarments. I believe those always look great under white. 

I am gearing up for another busy week. I have a few new organizational projects that I have to start at the office and a few meetings. I don’t know why but having a picnic popped in my brain gain. We still have not had a picnic and that is still on my radar. It has been rather cold here but I think the weather is going to take a turn here soon and we should be getting into the ’70s soon. 

Now on to a beautiful new find. I recently saw a beautiful breakfast tray on Instagram. I don’t know about you but I am a huge fan of a breakfast tray. I use mine every morning on the weekends. During my time while working from home I used it. I think I may have even shared that on Youtube. 

 

photo credit: Anthropologie 

 

I am loving this Natasha breakfast tray from Anthropologie. I have seriously been stalking it for weeks! I go back often to see if it has gone on sale. I will be keeping my eye on it. 

 

photo credit: Anthropologie 

 

This is another beautiful tray that I found on their website. This is made of tropical hardwood and is easy to clean. I checked Amazon for a few trays and found this one and this one! 

Let me know in the comments section below if you use a tray of any kind. I would love to know where you got it and how long you have had it!

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.

The Kentucky Derby- Dream Trip

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I remember when I was in high school and a friend of mine was telling me about how she was going to the Kentucky Derby. This had to have been around the year 2000 so we were still juniors in high school. I went over to her house to see what she was going to be wearing and she showed me a very skimpy outfit that was very distasteful. Now in my mind, I thought what a minute from the pictures and from what I have seen on T.V. the women at the derby did not dress like that. So what derby was she referring to? 

As I got older I realized that there were different groups that went to the “derby” and she was not in the group that actually attended it. I have always wanted to go to the derby but I actually wanted to be inside the track not hanging around it with skimpy clothes on. 

 

photo credit: ocregister.com

 

Last week was the derby and I saw a lot of photos and videos on Instagram of people having “derby parties”. I thought what a fun idea. Especially now during the pandemic, this would be fun and easy to accomplish. But my heart still yearns to actually attend the derby so I have added it to my list of to-dos. 

 

photo credit: GardenandGun.com

 

Or should I just throw a Derby party? I don’t know. Honestly, most of the people I know would not even bother wearing a dress let alone a derby hat. I think attending the derby would be the best for me. I really want the experience. Please let me know in the comment section below if you have attended a derby party or have actually gone to the Kentucky Derby! I would love to know what it was like for you and some do’s and don’ts. Please share!!!

 

Have a great Wednesday!