Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Florals, Promotion, & Boutique News!

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Hello Friday,

Yesterday I received some wonderful news. I was promoted! For the last 13 years, I have been grooming myself to become a paralegal supervisor in my office and I am proud to say that the hard work finally paid off! I have been on Cloud 9 for the last several hours and I am really excited to get started in my new position. I am still with the same office just moving to a different hall and I will be managing my very own staff of legal assistants. Very exciting!!! 

In today’s post, I just wanted to share this beautiful video that I have watched over and over on Youtube. It is a video of Rachell Ashwell on the Home & Family Show on the Hallmark channel. 

 

 

I love this video and thought it would be a great way to start the weekend. A little flower inspiration is always good for the soul. My favorite arrangement is the baby’s breathe with the few roses. I think that is exceptionally beautiful! 

Also and this is BIG NEWS! My Youtube collaboration with Rosenda from the Little Pink Casa is up on her channel!!! I am so excited you guys! The video is below. I sure hope that you all enjoy it! Rosenda looks wonderful in the blue swiss dot dress and the rose and dot dress. 

 

 

If you are a follower of the Little Pink Casa you are more than welcome to use the coupon code. Please check out Rosenda’s channel and subscribe! She creates wonderful, feminine, and vintage homestyle videos. I have been following Rosenda for quite some time and love her videos!

All of the information is linked in Rosenda’s video. Do enjoy it and subscribe! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

 

Linen Inventory ~ For the Table

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Oh, the weather has been fantastic here! I know we are suppose to get cold again but oh it has been so nice. It feels like spring is really here. My Canadian chokecherry tree is blooming and he is really pretty! I named him Murphy. I know it’s weird but I think it suits him. 

Okay, so we are finishing up our linen inventory discussion from Jane Scott Hodges book, Linens for Everyone Room and Occasion. Today is the tabletop inventory….

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Now I will be the first to admit that my inventory for my tabletop is okay. I have a basket full of linen napkins and I never have enough that match. But for the most part, I have the majority of the inventory that Jane suggests:

 

  • 1 casual tablecloth
  • 1 formal tablecloth
  • 6 linen guest towels
  • 12 casual placemats and dinner napkins
  • 12 formal placemats and dinner napkins
  • 24 cocktail napkins 

Now the items that I do not possess are the cocktail napkins but we really don’t drink a lot so I will have to think about that. 

 

 

I am trying to get into the habit of inviting people over for dinner more. The pandemic last year and this year has made that really hard. Last Friday, I invited my in-laws over again I used all of my linens. It is always a wonderful feeling to use beautiful things that you have. 

This was my dinner above. I made roasted broccoli, roasted potatoes, ranch and bread coated chicken, and a spinach, green, and apple salad. It was all so delicious and I had everything done in 1 hour 15 minutes! 

How is your tabletop inventory? Do you use tablecloths and napkins? Let’s chat below! 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.

 

 

Linen Inventory ~ For the Guests

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Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I did, it was rainy the entire time but I ordered some more vintage Weiss earrings from Poshmark, got a new purple plant for my blue and white planter, planted some beautiful purple stock in my new swan planter, and did some dress shopping for the boutique.

Have any of you started any garden work in your yards yet? What are your special projects for the spring? I did get some rose bushes from Costco and planted those so we will see how they do.

On Friday I talked about the linen list that author Jane Scott Hodges mentioned in her book. Today I wanted to share her linen inventory list for the guest bedroom and bathroom. 

 

photo credit: Jane Scott Hodges 

Jane suggested having the following to provide your guest:

Guest Bedroom:

  • 2 sets of sheets (flat, fitted, and pillowcases)
  • 2 blanket covers (styled for summer and winter)
    2 sets of shams to match the blanket covers
  • 1 duvet cover
  • 1 throw quilt
  • 1 boudoir pillow or neck roll

I still have not found a neck roll that I like. I am still on the hunt!

 

photo credit: Julia Berolzheimer 

For the guest bathroom:

  • 4 linen guest towels
  • 4 bath sheets
  • 6 bath towels
  • 6 fingertip towels
  • 6 washcloths
  • 2 bath mats

I hope this list was helpful to you all. You can use this as just a starting point to begin your linen inventory. My dream is to have a bigger linen closet one day. I hate smashing everything into my small hallway closet. I don’t understand why linen closets are still so small. Do any of you have large linen closets? I really would love to turn my step-son’s bedroom into a decor room but we will see. 

Thanks for reading and have a great Monday!  

 

 

 

 

 

Linen Inventory~ Thoughts?

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Good Morning Everyone,

The weekend awaits and again I don’t have much planned. My daughter has a hair appointment and I really want to visit a thrift store. I haven’t gone to one in a while and I have the “itch” to go and take a peek. I am in the office today and have a lot to do on my list so hopefully, everything will get done. I hope you all have had a chance to see my new arrivals at the boutique. I am really loving my new accessories and I am offering a first-time purchase coupon code. If you type in FTP10 in the coupon code box you will receive 10% off of your entire purchase!

I am also offering a 15% off code to those who have already made a purchase. If you would simply post a review on the boutique of your item I will email you the code. Okay, let’s get into today’s post. 

I am still reading Linens for Every Room and Occasion and yesterday I came across her linen inventory list. Now, this caught my attention because I have been thinking about this recently. I have been checking my linens and trying to decide if they need to be replaced. I did just purchase a new sheet and comforter set for our bed and it is so hard to get my daughter to commit to a new set. She doesn’t want anything floral…. so that limits me. 

However, I did want to share this list with you all and get your thoughts…

Master Bedroom:

  • 2 sets of sheets (flat, fitted and pillowcases)
  • 2 blanket covers (styled for summer and winter)
    2 sets of shams to match the blanket covers
  • 1 year-round blanket
  • 1 duvet cover
  • 1 throw quilt
  • 2 his and hers wedge pillows for reading (this sounds good)
    2 boudoir or neck roll shams (I really need one of these)

 

photo credit: Jane Scott Hodges (Paul Castello)

 

Now time for her Master Bathroom list:

  • 6 bath sheets
  • 12 bath towels
  • 12 hand towels
  • 12 fingertip towels
  • 12 washcloths
  • 2 bath mats

Okay, so I looked up fingertip towels and bath sheets. I found these fingertip towels on Amazon and these monogram ones as well. Do any of you own these? We do own a few bath sheets. We love them! They cover your whole body not just half.  Let me know in the comments section below if you already own most of these items. I am really curious. Next week I will be sharing her list for the guest bathroom, guest bedroom, and tabletop. Until then have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

fyi: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

 

Easter Evening at Home

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Morning!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! I did! The weather was superb and I did some shopping for the home. On Saturday I went to the grocery to get the rest of my items for Easter, took my car to the car wash, and then headed to HomeGoods. I found some wonderful items there for my yard!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This is a snapshot of my cart! I had some faux flowers, a basket for organizing, a swan for my yard (whom I have named Charlotte), and a gorgeous watering can! I love this watering can. I can’t wait to use it for my porch flowers!

 

 

This is a snapshot from my video. I recorded a small video while I was in the store. Save me from HomeGoods!

 

On Sunday we spent the day at home watching service online and preparing for my in-laws to come by for an early Easter dinner. I decided on meatloaf this year because I wanted something different. Most people have ham (I think) but I wanted something a little more savory so I made my favorite meatloaf recipe from Martha Stewart. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was so delicious! I have used this recipe twice and both times my meatloaf was sensational! It has carrots, onions, parsley, and celery. I also made roasted greens and tossed them with butter. 

 

 

This was the table setting. I purchased purple stock and baby’s breathe from the grocery store. I also loved using my Johann Haviland china that I purchased from Facebook Marketplace. It looked beautiful! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My mother-in-law made the mashed potatoes. I love her mashed potatoes. They taste so good! Then I put some southern style buttery biscuits in the oven from the Schwann man. He still delivers here in Indiana and I love their biscuits. 

 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

For dessert, my mother-in-law brought a vanilla whip cream cake with fresh berries in sugary syrup. SOOOOO good!

 

 

 

Oh mercy, it was delicious!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The cake was so moist, the cream was delicious, and the berries… oh my! It was superb! All in all, it was a wonderful dinner and a great time with my in-laws. Oh and we also tried a new wine. It was called Oliver Lemon Moscato Wine. Oh, I think I just found my new wine for the summer! It was so refreshing and just sweet enough. It was divine!

It was a wonderful weekend. The weather was great, the food, shopping, and morning worship remembering why we celebrate Easter and why we serve a wonderful God! Have a great Monday!

~ Oh and just in case you are not on Instagram I am having a giveaway that will end today. I will be picking a winner tomorrow. I am giving away my garden tassel pouch to a lucky follower. If you are interested in entering please comment below and I will put your name in. This is for US residents only. Good luck!

AND… my new rose shell purse scarf/scrunchie is ready for purchase! I hope you enjoy it! 

 

 

 

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 Beauty of Collecting ~ 3

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s Friday and I have a few things planned for today. First I wanted to let everyone know that I am having an Easter sale on some of the items in my boutique! Some of my pieces will be $10 off! The items that are going to be on sale are the gray garden dress, ivory & pearl cardigan, pink mauve cardigan, the blue peplum top, and the preppy vintage dress! This sale will be for about a week and then these items will go back to the original price. So I hope that you all find an item that you will enjoy! 

A new dress will be arriving in the boutique and I absolutely love it! I will be posting it on the website today! I am also going to be headed out to do a little shopping with my daughter. 

 

photo credit: Cathi’s Place 

 

Well, let’s finish the Beauty of Collecting with Aerin Lauder. We are now down to her last two tips from her book Entertaining Beautifully. Aerin mentions, “Don’t be afraid to use your collections. My mother, who collects very fine antique pottery and glassware, actually sets the table with it. If there are pieces that are especially valuable (even for sentimental reasons), consider displaying them on the wall- as Daniel Romualdes does with his seventeenth-century delft plates- or on plate racks, as my mother does in the Hamptons. That way you can enjoy them every time you pass through the room, not just when you’re entertaining.” Again, I could not agree with her more. I love having the antique items that I collect out and around so that I can see them.

 

photo credit: Nicolas Fairford Instagram 

 

And the last tip from Aerin is, “by the same token, take good care of your collections. Store platters in cabinets with vertical tray dividers, or on secure plate racks. Place felt rounds or foam dividers between antique plates. Store silver in lined chests or bags made of anti-tarnish cloth. Fine crystal and glassware should be stored right side up, so as not to put pressure on delicate rims. Or invest in quilted, divided cases to store and protect infrequently used pieces”. 

I hope you all enjoyed these simple yet helpful tips from Aerin. I know that from now on I will be enjoying my mismatched pieces. I now feel like I have the freedom to enjoy those items as well. If you missed the other tips from Aerin you can read them here, here, and here.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and look out for my new arrival coming soon!

 

 

(tips and text taken from Entertaining Beautifully by Aerin Lauder, page 80) 

 

The Beauty of Collecting ~2

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Hello Wednesday,

I am actually working a half-day today. I need to pick up my contacts and I also want to take one of my recent Gal Meet Glam dress purchases to the seamstress. It’s a bit big and I need to have the top part taken in. This will be my 6th Gal meet Glam dress (I think). This is the Elsie dress and it’s in a beautiful green color and is very flowy. I am looking forward to wearing it this spring. 

Alright, let’s continue with our lesson on the beauty of collecting. Yesterday, I mentioned from Aerin’s book, Entertaining Beautifully, that your collections don’t need to be valuable but instill joy and have meaning to you. Aerin continues with her tidbits on collecting. She says, “once you start a collection, learn about it. You will get greater enjoyment from your collecting and will make better, more informed purchases. You can learn by talking to knowledgeable dealers or shopkeepers, researching online or in books, or connecting with other collectors”. 

 

photo credit: Aerin Lauder Instagram 

 

The second tip is, “don’t feel you have to find perfect matching sets (I was so happy to read this!!!). I love my collection of mismatched floral china in the Hamptons. The mix of floral patterns in similar colors, with touches of gilding, makes for a lively, individualistic table”. 

 

photo credit: Victoria Magazine Instagram 

 

My eyebrows raised when I read the comment above. I can not tell you how many china pieces I have walked away from because they did not match. I will no longer be doing that! If I love it, will use it, have room for it, and if it brings me joy, I will be buying it! 

 

I hope you enjoyed Aerin’s collecting tips for today. I will be posting the last two tips on Friday and hopefully will be sharing another new arrival for the boutique! Enjoy your Wednesday!