Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Using Your Best…

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Good Morning Everyone,


You know… it just dawned on me that I am starting year 7 for the blog. Wow… I have been doing this 7 years already. With all of the issues and concerns in the world going on today I think our minds are just on overload. 


While it seems that the world is going crazy, I am still trying to live my life the way I want to. The photo above is a little shopping that I did at Homegoods. I have not been to Homegoods since February. It felt wonderful just walking around. I have been on the lookout for hand towels for my home. 


I am still trying to use my best…. every day. 


These pink towels have been the rave on the LiketoKnowit app. I was very pleased to find them for only $10 when they are selling for $60 on Wayfair. 


I am a true believer in using your best things. I have written about it since I started this blog.




A beautiful Waterford table linen that I found at Homegoods for only $22. I love the hydrangea detail. 



I think that if your heart requests beautiful things you will receive them. 




I placed it on our table at home…. why not use it? 






I made a roasted chicken dinner and I pulled out my Royal Albert Old Country Roses dinner plates. My husband always says, “oh we get to use these tonight”. I tell him these are no different to me than the other plates we have. I want my family to get use to this. Use your best always…..



Enjoy your day!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



My Victoria Tea Set

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Good Morning Everyone,


I am actually in the office today. I have been given more days to work throughout the month so we will see how this “back to office” transition goes. 


I just had to share my recent order. I know most of you are avid readers of Victoria magazine and follow Jennifer L. Scott on The Daily Connoisseur so this should not come as a surprise to anyone that I ordered that beautiful tea set from the magazine. 


I am sure most of you have seen it. It’s stunning!

This is the April Cornell Blue Roses Tea Set and if you love blue and white this is something to swoon over. The delicate roses and gently scalloped surfaces is something to sigh about. The set is completely porcelain and is going to be a true classic. 

You can order it piece by piece if you like but I would recommend getting something from it. Even if it’s just the pair of tea cups. I guarantee you it will not be a regret. 
This was an excellent collaboration. Especially with such a classic artist like April Cornell.

I am going to enjoy this set for years to come. I only hope that my daughter will eventually begin to appreciate some of the items that I have. You know those teenagers….. 


They think differently then we do. 


Enjoy!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)





Home Life ~ Quarantine

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Well, I don’t think any of us saw this lasting this long. When this all started in March (for our city), I initially thought, “We’ll be back in the office in April”. Well, April has come and went and now May is gone. I really didn’t think it would last this long but here we are.


I know for me I have been trying to find the bright side of this madness. This has some similar feelings as the shutdown that we all went through in early 2019. I actually read my post from that and saw that I am doing the same thing I did then. Just being patient and trying to trust the Lord. 

I know the very first thing that I have been enjoying is my front yard garden. I have so many beautiful plants. My peonies this year look outstanding!


The second is the food at home. I love eating at home. I am not a restaurant person so when they said that they were closing them I did not feel bad for me but for the workers. I could eat at home any night and every night. I saw this packet of veggies at the grocery store. It was called “steak topper” and the ingredients were, mushrooms, parsley, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. I thought this would be great in spaghetti! 

So that’s what I made! It was sensational!
I am still reading magazines and following inspiring people on Instagram. I can’t remember where I saw this gorgeous room but I am taking notes! I definitely would like to find the 26×26 pillowcases with the tan trim. Gorgeous right? 

Of course, I have not stopped visiting my favorite resale clothing app. I love Poshmark and have been finding wonderful clothes, shoes, and home decor. Like these gently used and might I say extremely chic Coach flats. I paid only $30 for them. They are practically brand new and I am helping a fellow Posher make money. Everyone wins!

I found this gorgeous houndstooth JCrew tray and Kate Spade earrings from Poshmark!
For Mother’s Day, we spent a quiet evening at home but my mother in law did give me these beautiful vintage Christmas ornaments. I can’t wait to see these on the tree this year.


And lastly, I still get up every morning, work out, bathe and dress completely. Just because we are stuck at home doesn’t mean I can’t look good. This is a true testing time. This moment right now really lets you know if you dress for people or you. And I can truly say that I dress for me. I am still wearing heels to the grocery store! This virus won’t stop my show not if I can help it! 

Have a great weekend everyone! I am really excited and nervous. I dropped a dress off with my seamstress this week to make some alterations. I pick it up this weekend. We will see!!!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




Grace Rose Farm ~ My Experience

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Good Morning Everyone!


I hope you all had a great weekend. My goal was to get more rest. I felt horrible last week. I was going to be bed around 1 and couldn’t get up in the mornings. Then my legs hurt, I just don’t know. 


I am enjoying my new organizational tools. Especially my new free standing closet in the laundry room. It is wonderful. I do adore it. 


In today’s post, I wanted to share my recent experience with Grace Rose Farms. We all have been seeing their beautiful flowers on Instagram. It seemed as though every beautiful Instagram page that I followed someone was posting their bouquet from them. 


I decided to give them a try and ordered the Lovely Mother’s Day Bouquet. It was pretty expensive. The cost of shipping was $25 for the next day because the flowers are perishable.

 The Lovely Mother's Day Bouquet

This is the Lovely Mother’s Day Bouquet that was advertised on the website. 

But I wanted to see this for myself. So below is my box when it arrived…..

It arrived early in the morning to give you enough time to get it into water asap.

The beautiful instruction manual.

The instructions tell you to get them into fresh cold water as soon as you get them and let them soak for 2 hours before cutting them. 

There is an icepack inside the wrapping with the flowers. 


This is what they looked like when I opened them. 
Day 1: 

After two hours I cut the roses at a 45-degree angle and made sure that the plant food was in the water. 


Day 2: They have opened more. 

You can smell them more. 


Day 3: Gorgeous!

I was really shocked at how much they opened and how they changed by day 3. They were so fragrant. My husband kept smelling them. 

This particular bouquet came with this ribbon. I just tied it around my vase. 


Day 4: Stunning!

Day 6: WOW!!!


I truly enjoyed this bouquet. The beautiful mixture of the scented roses and the mint. It was just heavenly. 


My husband ordered a second bouquet. He ordered the Graceful Mother’s Day Bouquet.



The Graceful Mother's Day Bouquet
It arrived early in the morning in the same box, packed the same way with instructions. 

Day 1: What they looked like when the arrived. 
I put them in cold water, allowed them to hydrate for 2 hours, then cut them at a 45-degree angle, and just watched. 
Day 2: Opening more and lovely 

Day 3: Bigger and brighter

Day 4: More fragrant and now the smaller roses are opening.

Day 5: Very happy

I can’t tell you how pleasantly surprised I was with these flowers. They do look so scary when you first open your box. I must admit that I thought I was going to have to send a disappointing email but I didn’t. Their roses held up to the standard and quality that they promise. They are so gorgeous and so fragrant. It was certainly a nice process to watch.

I will be ordering some again. I love receiving flowers that are different. My husband and I were getting very bored with our flowers here in Indy. It is nice to know that there are companies such as this one that provides you with other beautiful floral options. You should order a bouquet when you can. 

Thank you for reading!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




Blue and White Teacups

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Good Morning,


We are finally in the 70’s. I have to admit it has been cold here in Indy. You would have never thought that it would be in the low 30’s at night in May. 


Next week more businesses are scheduled to open. I sure do miss Homegoods. I don’t want to go as soon as they open. It is going to be crowded!!!!


I think I mentioned a while ago that I did not have any blue and white teacups. Shocking I know. I have been looking for years but I could never find the pattern that I wanted and as soon as I did find the pattern I wouldn’t like the size of it. 


It had to be the perfect combination and I recently found a set on eBay. I made a bid and I did not think I would win because I never do but I did! So exciting!!!

I won a bid for a set of vintage porcelain blue and white cups originally from Japan. I was the only bid and paid under $40 for the set. 
They are perfect to me. The perfect size, color, and price. I could not believe that I was the only one bidding on them. 


Loving all of the details




Now I have already put them to the test and had a really to cup of tea and they were strong enough to hold it. I have been using them all week. They are so incredibly chic to me. 

I did order another blue and white cup before I made a bid on this set and it is beautiful as well. 


This is a vintage woods ware teacup with a panoramic scene. The handle is different but it is still quite lovely. It is a wonderful addition to my china collection. 


I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay safe and enjoy your homes. Thanks for reading!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Flowers Returning…

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Good Friday Morning,


Another week down… it seems like we have so many more to go. I shared in another blog post that I am have been watching old episodes of the Martha Stewart Show on Dabl. Well, a few days ago it was the “Healthy Show” which aired sometime in 2009.


On that show, they discussed natural ways to cure colds and aid in physical ailments. Dr. Andrew Weil was the guest on the show and he discussed how in the future we would face a pandemic. That blew me away when he said that! Wow…. he also talked about an herb called astragalus and how it helps aid the common cold and respiratory issues. Interesting right….. 2009. It makes you wonder. 


In addition to watching the Martha Stewart Show, I have been checking the LiketoKnowit app for wonderful deals and found another blogger and Instagrammer to follow by the name of The Pink Dream. She has a beautiful website and home. Below is a photo that inspired me to pull out my silver bucket and julep cups that I forgot about. 

Lovely isn’t it? I went to eBay to look for a gold plated ice bucket. Wish me luck!
I was so happy to see a new shipment of flowers this past Wednesday. I normally pick one day out of the week to go to the grocery store. They had not had any new flowers for a month! That to me this was scarier than toilet paper because here is the thing we are not running short on soap. You could always use soap and water to clean your rear! Right? 

But not being able to buy a bouquet in the store….. oh that would make me so sad. Being at home and having beauty is a luxury to me that I cherish. Enjoy your weekend! 

Today is Good Friday…. thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross and thank you for your resurrection on Sunday! 
(photos via ThePinkDream.com and Mrs. Shockley)

Small Quarantine Projects

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Hello Everyone,


Since we all have been home and are taking things slow, I have been trying to do little projects around the house. Keeping a list and keeping busy has made my days feel much more productive and enjoyable. 

This past weekend we did a little bit of gardening. I have lots of planters and have decided to buy different kinds of flowers and plant them myself in the planters. Doing this gives me a chance to be more creative. 

I do love the way this looks so far…
Some of you may have seen this on my Instagram this weekend. I cleaned my chandeliers. Very scary (because I don’t like heights) but very rewarding once I was finished. 
Alfred (my iRoomba Robot) has been hard at work too. He is currently set for three days a week to clean. I am glad he is around. He is the only consistent helper that I can count on. 🙂 


Some of you may have seen in another post that my husband got me a glass door for the front and he installed my office chandelier. This is the next major project that I want my husband to work on. I want to paint this t.v. cabinet. It is about 40 years old and was given to me from my mother in law. It is in our master bedroom. 

You guys may remember that back in 2017 my husband painted my cupboard that was about 30 years old that was also given to me from my mother in law. 

These pieces are solid and I want to keep them. I just wanted to update them a little. I was thinking about painting this one gray but with our walls being gray I just don’t think it would look good. So we may be going with black and brass hardware. I know I don’t want it white. I just don’t think that it would complement our room well. 

I will keep you guys posted!


Thanks for reading and stay safe!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)