Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Reminding Myself of Elegance

/2 Comments/in , /by

Good Morning Everyone,

We have finished the first week of December. I have a lot on my to-do list this weekend. I have finally finished Christmas shopping and have to get ready to wrap presents and prepare my Christmas Eve dinner list. With that being said I wanted to talk about keeping a great attitude during the holidays. 









photo credit Tamara Bellis on Unsplash


I think we are all on the same page about this year. It has been a really rough year for EVERYONE and now we are going into the holidays and some of us may have to deal with family, friends, or co-workers who are not exactly our cup of tea. 

I have been going through my blog and cleaning it up. I am hoping to have this finished before the end of the month. Most of you know that the blog will be moving to my new website here soon and I am so excited! But as I was “cleaning it up” I was reading some of my past posts and finding great information and reminders in them. 







Photo by Jean-Philippe Delberghe on Unsplash

In 2018 I wrote a blog post called Radiate Calm that reminded me of why I pursue elegance. Those four ways that Lea and Jeremy provided renewed a little more drive in me today. I totally forgot to stay compose, avoid drama, find common ground, and maintain perspective. 

And most importantly “rise calmly above”. This year has made it so hard to keep those four qualities. I will be honest I have had moments of “rudeness”. Just this week I wanted to yell at the customer service representative at Ann Taylor about my order. 

I wanted to scream at the car next to me for not letting me over. I wanted to give that classless co-worker (yes she’s still around) her hateful resume verbally to remind her of ALL of the horrible things that she has said about people. 




















Photo by Anastasia Lysiak on Unsplash


But then I read this post and it reminded me to calmly rise above it. So I want to remind you all of this as well. You will have moments when you want to join in on the drama but if we wish to remain beautiful then calmly rise above it. There will be times that you do have to address people. I just pray that the Lord will guide us as to when. Have a great weekend!!! 

 

Elegant Bedroom Essentials

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash


Good Morning Everyone!

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving. We really enjoyed ours. It was just me, my husband, the kids, and one of the boys has a girlfriend so she came. It was very nice! We had a nice quiet family dinner. 

It’s Cyber Monday! All of the sales have begun. I started my “sale hunt” on Friday. There were quite a few items that I wanted from Ann Taylor and I ordered this gorgeous belt from H&M. It arrived this weekend. It’s beautiful in person. I also ordered this houndstooth handbag from H&M. It has not arrived yet and this beautiful dusty peony Kate Spade tote for 40% off!  I also found this beautiful Kate Spade Satchel for $99! It comes in a beautiful pink mauve color. Don’t wait on it….

In today’s post, I wanted to talk about elegant items for the bedroom. I have been looking at certain accessories in the bedroom to update. I do want to change around our bedroom but my husband doesn’t like it when I move furniture around but I am getting so bored with the way our room looks. It has been this way since we build our home in 2013. I need a refresh!


photo credit Alex Papachristidis Instagram

I am trying to find inspiration. I really want to get rid of our television cabinet in our room. I want something different. 


photo credit Aerin Lauder Instagram


I was really inspired this week to make a list of beautiful things for my bedroom. I am still on the hunt for a nightstand table that is long. I have also been looking at bedside carafes. I found this gorgeous one on Amazon.

I also love this porcelain cup from H&M. Beautiful pen holders have been added to my list such as this mint julep cup from Amazon. This would be such a beautiful piece to hold your pens or pencils in your bedroom. In my office right now I have my pens in a beautiful small crystal vase. Here is a similar one if you are interested. 




















photo credit French Manoir Instagram


A bedroom bench is always on the list. I still love the one I have from Walmart. There are so many options now. Like this one from Wayfair or this one from Walmart.

And the last item on my list is a beautiful throw. I love having a soft light pink throw in the room. Like this one from Wayfair or this one from Kelly Clarkson.


I hope you found some beautiful items that you could bring into your home. Our homes have become a place that we are spending more time at. Make it beautiful while you are there. 

Enjoy the day!



Hotel Elegance

/6 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Morning Everyone,

Hope everyone is well. I must confess I have not watched the news in 3 days. I needed a break! I’ve been watching vintage Martha Stewart shows and staring at my Christmas trees. All four of them are up and we are enjoying them. 

Did anyone watch the new Hallmark movie called A Timeless Christmas? I really enjoyed that this weekend. Even our 15-year daughter watched it with me! Extraordinary right? Okay, let’s get into today’s inspiring post. 



















Photo by Dilyara Garifullina on Unsplash



So I am still reading Living a Beautiful Life and gleaning so much from it. One section of the book I wanted to share in a separate post. Well, it’s more like one paragraph. 

Alexandra talked about a famous actress that she knows and how she is on the road for long periods of time, living out of her suitcase in ordinary hotel rooms. She said that this actress craved a place to retreat to when she wasn’t on set. She said that she was starved for beauty and her ugly rooms made her nervous. 

So her solution was to bring a suitcase of things that will give her a sense of connection while she was away. So she packed framed family pictures, some pretty pillows, a blanket cover and top sheet, some pillowcases, scented candles, and an elegant scarf to drape around. 












photo credit Clay Banks 

photo credit casadevalentina

How glorious!!!!! Have any of you ever done this before? I have!!!! We use to go to these office retreats and we did not stay in the best hotels. I would always pack some of my own linens and candles. I remember some of my co-workers stating that they could smell flowers down the hall. I would never tell that it was me. 

Now if we are staying with some friends I usually don’t pack any candles. I try to be mindful of their home and that having my candles burning in my room and throughout their home would not be a good idea unless they said it was.  

What are your thoughts? How do you feel about packing a suitcase full of beauty and pleasure for yourself? I know I have gone to stores and purchased bouquets to put in my room. Now I would only do this if I were staying somewhere for more than a week. 

What do you think? Have you packed your favorite items before? Please share below and have a great Wednesday!





A Target Run ~ Part 2

/5 Comments/in , /by

Flocked white wreath
And it is Friday…. already. This week went by really fast. As I stated in Wednesday’s post I am in the office this week and next. I have forgotten how to be in the office all week. Boy, it’s a lot but it’s going well. 

I know some of you may have started decorating for Christmas and so of you may have not. I have started and finished. That’s another reason why I am so exhausted but I am very pleased with how it turned out. I do want to share a few items that I saw at Target recently.

I loved all of the picks and organic looking faux flowers. Everything looked so rich this year and real. I have been changing a lot of my decor. I want simple and elegant. I threw away a lot of hodgepodge items. 

I purchased a hand full of these flocked pine stems from Target. They look so wonderful with my velvet poinsettias at home. 

Also found all of these wonderful candles. The peppermint dream candle and apple cinnamon joy candle looked wonderful. 


There were pillows galore! This one is my favorite. 

These gold standing reindeer are the epitome of Christmas elegance. I had to grab some for my dining room table. They are outstanding centerpieces. 

I have been seeing these clear bottle vases everywhere. Not really my cup of tea but they are lovely. 

Beautiful wreaths all down the aisle. They look so life-like and chic. 

Once I got home I could not wait to put my flocked pine stems with my velvet poinsettias. This is one of my favorite Christmas arrangements I have ever made. 

I just adore my reindeer….. 

 

And I finally got a flocked Christmas tree! I love my tree you guys! It turned out so well. I actually put all of my Barbie ornaments on this tree. I would love to buy a second one but we will see. 

I am really enjoying decorating this season. I took my time this year. I didn’t want to rush through everything. I am trying to find my “holiday style”. It is changing. I want more order in my decorating and ornaments. I will share more with you guys later. Enjoy your weekend!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Changes Coming….

/3 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I have decided to move the blog to my very own website! The bad news is some of my old posts will vanish….

I did not know that you can not use photos from Pinterest on your blog unless you have permission. I now have to go through every last one of my posts (that I believe) my have an image from Google or Pinterest and delete the photo. I have already deleted some of my posts because I can not find the beautiful photography that I want to replace it with. You guys I am devastated.  Pinterest had been my main source for beautiful photography and to know that it is encouraged that bloggers NOT use it is crushing.

But I get it. The gentleman who is working with me on getting my new website set up has already experienced the horrible consequences of using an image that you don’t have permission to use. He had to pay a few thousand dollars for using one photo. It’s incredible. So I say this with a broken heart that some of my posts will disappear if I can not find the photos that I want. You will see more of my photography on my page (and honestly you should) but this is what I am dealing with. 

I hope you all continue to follow the blog as I try to learn all of these new rules. I am not sure what I can share and what I can’t. I have reached out to a more experienced blogger for help. I hope she gets back to me soon. I am excited about having my own website and having some freedom finally!

I am trying to keep that in front of me. I will be posting my October favorites this week! Enjoy your day!!


Also if you have moved from Blogger onto your own website I would love some pointers if you could provide them! I will let you guys know when my blog has transitioned. 

It will take several weeks. Thank you!!!!


(photo via Mrs. Shockley)








Antiquing on Monday

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I decided to take Monday off from the blog and go and visit a new antique store called the Salvage Sisters.

The drive to Franklin, Indiana was so nice. All of the trees were changing colors and the small-town feel was so charming. Lauren and I kept looking at all of the old homes. 

Once we got there I immediately went to the chandelier above. It’s a smaller version of the one I have in my kitchen. I still want a double chandelier in my kitchen. 




I turned around and saw this beautiful cabinet filled with cream porcelain and crystal. There was crystal vases filled with silver everywhere. 



Found another gorgeous chandelier! I would love to have this in an office. 




Now, this is one piece that I can not forget. I really wanted this piece. It’s a vintage buffet table. I opened it and it would have been perfect for all of my entertaining items. 
I also thought this would be perfect for a t.v. stand. I could see my flat screen on here with some of my vintage dvds in the drawers. I believe vintage furniture could be used for anything. 


I did end up purchasing this English rose teacup and saucer set. It is quite big when compared to my other teacups. 


I did end up finding the website for this brand. I have never heard of Roy Kirkham but the china on the website looks absolutely gorgeous! I only paid $13 for my one teacup and saucer and it appears that a set of two is $53! 
And there are other sets that I am really interested in. I really liked the David Austin Roses set, the English Rose set (of course), and the Redoute Rose collection was another favorite. 
Let me know in the comments section below if you have heard of this brand. 
I really wanted that vintage buffet table….. sad face… I hope you all enjoyed this little journey with me. I wanted to do a vlog but I was using my phone for directions. Next time I should just use my car navigation dashboard! Have a great Wednesday!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Google)








































A Quiet Birthday

/4 Comments/in , /by

 

Happy Friday All!

It has been a fantastic weather week here in Indy. It has been in the low 60’s and ’70s. Dream weather indeed. My birthday was Monday and I just wanted to share some small details from it. I got some flowers even though I get them every week. I just love them. They make me happy! 

My birthday was rather quiet this year. I wanted to go to the Cake Bake Shop but my husband has been soooo busy!! I didn’t know when he would be free because you must have a reservation to get in there. You will wait for about 2 hours if you don’t! So we went to the Cheesecake Factory instead! I love their food as well. 


















I did go and get a manicure and pedicure. I was there for about 2 hours getting those done. It was nice. I have not been to the nail salon since February. It was a treat! 

Most of you have probably already seen these gorgeous earrings on my Instagram account. 



 

These are the Vera clip-on earrings from Loren Hope. I have been “stalking” these earrings for almost a year! I was so happy and surprised when my husband gave them to me!



I have been wearing them all week. The last item that I received was this beautiful “Chanel” inspired brooch that I ordered from a boutique on Instagram!

It was only $27 after shipping! I am considering ordering a second one. I don’t really have much planned for the weekend. I do want to visit a boutique and look at a few things but then again I don’t really need to shop. I need to finish up my Christmas list. I started shopping for Christmas gifts in September. I have been buying my ingredients and baking supplies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a feeling that items are going to be slim pickings this year. 

I have also been taking Jennifer L. Scott’s Chic Financial Principles for Debt -Free Living course. She has some great ideas and she shares some personal stories about herself and her husband. I have enjoyed it very much. 

I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the weather wherever you are!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)