Posts that inspiring an elegant life

My Small Tour of the Columbia Club

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Good Morning,

I am so ready for the weekend. I plan on cleaning up my entire walk-in closet. I ordered a lot of organizational supplies from Amazon. I will be sure to share what I order. I want to clean it out and turn it into my very own boutique. I am looking forward to it.

Lauren will be going back to college this weekend. I am a little sad. We will miss her! Earlier this week one of my Guild friends invited me and a few others over for a late lunch. It was marvelous! She made salmon, lamb chops, red potatoes, asparagus, couscous, polenta, salad and a homemade apple and pear pie. It was sooo good!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

She set a beautiful table for us for lunch. 

 

 

What a beautiful lunch! It was such a wonderful time and a great way to start the new year. Then another Guild friend a few weeks prior invited me to lunch and a tour of the Columbia Club. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

The Columbia Club is a private social club. There is fine dining, fitness, wellness facilities, offices, conference rooms and hotel rooms. I have worked downtown for many years and was ALWAYS curious about this club.

When Sue took me to this room, I thought WOW! I could throw a party here if I was a member. 

 

 

Loving the details.

 

 

There were so many different conference rooms and party rooms. Each one decorated differently. This particular room had all of the blue and white. 

 

 

 

 

This space is used for weddings. Just think as a member you could be using this space. 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: My dear friend

 

Sue took me to all of the office spaces which I could use if I became a member. There is also a hotel which you could stay. There is a spa, and lots of events for members. It was a great experience, and I was so grateful that I got to see it. After looking around we had lunch in the French Room. I order their delicious Harvest Apple Salad. It was so good! I am thinking about getting a membership and if I do, I will be sure to share more about this fantastic club!

 I hope you all have a great weekend!

 

 

 

Being Elegant in Public…

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Ready to celebrate the new year? Me…. I am not sure yet. With each new year I know that there should be excitement but for me I am always apprehensive. I never know what to expect for the upcoming year.

I do need to figure out my word for the year and I do know that organizing is at the top of my list this year along with getting my greenhouse installed! I have been on the hunt for small organizational tools and will be sure to share what I order and end up using from Amazon. 

I really want to get my schedule under control. I hope that some recent changes at work will help with that. I also want to get the carpet replaced upstairs this year. Some many home to-dos. 

Continuing with my elegant appearance as best as I can is always number one and the photo below is one of the number reasons why I dress my best every day. 

 

 

Yes, this is a photo of me. So about two years back my family and I were at an ice-skating event, and they had some news anchors there. What I did not know was they were filming the event for their recent news story. 

I was caught in some of the footage, and they have been using it ever since. So, every year now for the last two years people text me and my husband saying that “I was on the news”!  But no one has been able to send me a snapshot until this year. 

When I got this photo I thought, “okay I look put together” because honestly you just never know how you might be caught on camera. I then looked at my husband and said, “You see this is exactly why you should always try to look your best”. You never know who or what is around you. I have said this so many times on my blog. Always look your best. If you need any ideas for a new year resolution, let this be one. Have a great weekend and Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Christmas Happenings…

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It’s the end of the year already and here shortly I will be sharing the top posts for this year. But I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you to all of you who are STILL reading the blog. My 10-year anniversary for the blog will be coming up soon and honestly, I am surprised every year that I am still blogging.

My blog and/or website has truly been a blessing for me. I really needed something other than my job and this blog has given me new friends, and new opportunities! I do love it and hope that you still enjoy reading it and being inspired. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I really enjoyed the Christmas decor around my home. I look forward to going out in about a week and looking for decor that might be on sale. Especially at the antique stores.

 

We had our Guild luncheon and it was a lot of fun! I love seeing the Woodstock Country Club all decorated and festive. It is truly a beautiful place. 

 

 

I had to sneak in a “bathroom selfie”. The wallpaper in this room….. I just love it! We had a speaker at our luncheon this year and I will be sure to share her in another blog post. 

 

 

 

I was on the decorating team this year and it was a lot of fun being there early to help set up the dining room for our luncheon. This year we kept things simple and added poinsettias, velvet fabric, glitter ornaments, and vines. I will tell you this, I learned a lot working with these ladies about affordable decor options. Our favors this year were these cute compact mirrors that we ordered from Amazon. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

After the luncheon I decided to go on over to the Lily House and tour it again. Truth be told this is my dream home and I have it saved to my wish list gallery on my phone. I can’t get enough of the chinoiserie walls and beautiful fabrics. 

 

 

This hall is always fun to walk down. The beautiful lanterns are the perfect pop of color in this area. And the floors don’t disappoint. 

 

 

This is the dining room in the Lily home. If you missed my tour of the Lily house you may read it here. This past weekend Lauren and I went to see the Nutcracker as well. My husband and I went and toured the new RH Indianapolis gallery and a good friend of mine took me to tour the Columbia Club downtown. I will be sure to share these elegant adventures in the days to come. Until then have a Merry Christmas and don’t forget to shop the boutique. The BLKFRIDAY23 code is still available, and you get 20% off the entire boutique when you use it! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria Magazine’s New Journal

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Good Morning Everyone!

We are almost in the home stretch! I have one more holiday luncheon for this season and one more party to attend. I am looking forward to being done! I know that sounds bad, but I have been the lead for two of these parties and I tell you it is a lot of work! Today I am working from home. Rick and I will be going to the new Restoration Hardware Gallery and restaurant that just opened in my city later this afternoon! It is located in the Christal DeHaan estate. It is gorgeous! I hope to share photos soon. 

Today I wanted to share a beautiful new journal that I purchased from Victoria Magazine. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

If you follow Jennifer L. Scott on the Daily Connoisseur, then you would have seen this beautiful journal on her Christmas holiday gift guide video. I knew as soon as I saw it I wanted it!

 

 

Just look at the inside. The journal is well made and has lots of beautiful photos from the magazine. I love that feature. I think that when you write an entry and have a beautiful photo next to your entry it could provide so much inspiration, hope, and beauty. I think adding this to their journal was brilliant.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

The French blue cover with gold letters truly beckons your heart to write. It also has gilded page edges and a satin bookmark. It truly is a timeless journal. I am not sponsored but I would really consider ordering one especially if you journal like me. It will be a great addition to your collection. I love to journal and my blog entry from 2016 explains why. I hope it inspires you to journal as well! 

 

 

My Christmas Decor Inspiration

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Good Morning,

Thanksgiving is next week… all I can say is wow! So far I am ready. I have a few more things to get for dinner but other than that we are ready. My house is completed decorated for the holidays. I am going to try to go and get more velvet ribbon and vintage ornaments so stay tuned.

My inspiration for this year is the photo below. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I saw this photo in the Victoria Magazine 2023 calendar. Once I saw it, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some of the details of this photo into my own Christmas decor. Then I found the vintage ornaments that you see in the corner of the photo at the antique store and knew that they were a perfect fit for our tree.

 

 

I love how our family tree turned out.  I am so glad that I got these vintage ribbons last year. It makes me want more of them so the hunt continues. You can see our Mouse King from the Nutcracker and many other vintage ornaments that I have found over the years.

 

 

I am so pleased with my white tree this year. I scaled it back a lot. I threw out a lot of ornaments that just didn’t suite it well nor me. I tied velvet ribbon on some of the branches and added my ornaments from the Enchanted Home. My tree urn is so wonderful! I am so glad that I ordered it. I loved gathering some of my blue and white vases along with my Santa and nutcrackers from the At Home Store. I think it looks lovely. 

 

 

This is something new. I moved this photo here because I felt like this spot needed something more. I also liked the fact that my bar cart was under it, so I decided to decorate everything on the cart this year. I loved the way it turned out. I added some champagne buckets and filled them with faux poinsettias, pine, pink roses, and green hydrangeas. Adding the garland around the artwork was a nice touch I believe. Seeing my sitting room in the distance made me smile. 

I hope this provided some inspiration for you. I hope you all enjoy your weekend! 

 

My 1911 Watercolor Painting

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Good Morning,

I really enjoyed this past weekend. I got A LOT done at home, but my list is still long. My Christmas shopping is just about done, and I got my turkeys for both Thanksgiving and Christmas! I feel a little complete. I am now gearing up for Black Friday for the boutique. It will be having a sale on all items, so I hope you order something that you like. I have some meetings this week and a lot of work to do!

I had a Zoom call with a rep. from Pinterest last week. It was very interesting learning the business side of that wonderful inspirational website. I have so many things that I would like to do with A Home for Elegance, but we will see.

I did just purchase a wonderful antique item recently. I think I shared that I was going antiquing in Franklin. It was wonderful as usual, but I wanted to share what I purchased while I was there.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I went to 2 different antique stores. I went to Vintage Whimsy and Fren Chic. I purchased some antique ornaments, giant floral pitcher on the table, and the gilded white trim mirror from Fren Chic. I am on the hunt for more vintage ornaments for my trees. While I was there, I did pick up some Harney & Sons Vanilla Comoro tea (which is delicious). I love it with a spoon full of honey. 

 

 

I then went to Vintage Whimsy. I wasn’t going to, but I could not resist. Now I see why. I walked around the entire store and then this painting caught my eye. I walked away and then came back. Something about it just called to me. Then I saw that it was on sale. I asked the owner if I could get a little more off the price but then I heard the owner say, “I can’t”. She then came up front and told me that it was an original watercolor painting from 1911. My heart said SOLD!

 

 

Now I did try to “google” the artist but I did not find anything. I believe it is Elizabeth M.K. Connor. That’s what it looks like to me. 

 

 

It looks wonderful in my dining room area. It was the perfect addition to my Christmas decor this year. I wanted an elegant, vintage inspired Christmas this year. I will be sharing my inspiration soon for that. Let me know in the comments below if you have an original work of art. I would love to know!

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have to share this, but FrenChic has a space in the back that you can rent to have parties! Now wouldn’t this be wonderful for a bridal shower or tea party with friends?

 

 

 

Tips for Antique Shopping

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Good Morning Friends,

I feel like I got a lot accomplished this past weekend. It could be because I got an hour back. Boy does that help A LOT! I did do some fabulous antiquing. A few shops in Franklin, Indiana had an early Christmas sale, so I went down and purchased a few things. I will share those in a later post. 

Today I wanted to share a few tips from Ajiri Aki recent book called Joi. I have been reading this book slowly on my lunch breaks and I am being honest, this is a wonderful book to read if you really want to know how the Parisian’s live. Ajiri has created such a beautiful, wonderful life in France. I envy her antiquing opportunities that she has there but let’s get into her tips for antiquing! 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

  • First tip is to, “use your imagination”. Look beyond what the object once was and imagine how it can serve you today.  Oh my goodness! I use this tip all the time when I go antiquing. I immediately think, “okay where can I use this. Where will this fit in my home. Will this be beautiful and useful”. Thinking about antiques in this way can help you to find those treasures. 
  • Find perfection in the imperfect. The imperfect bits give antiques character and make them unique. Of course, it’s important to inspect pieces before you commit- especially textiles. But embrace the patina on copper or silver objects; even small chips on ceramics are okay. These are signs of use. Plus, you can reupholster or polish any damage or imperfections you don’t want to live with. 
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for a better price. In France, you ask, Est-ce que c’est possible de faire un petit prix pour moi? Which literally means, “Is it possible for you to make the little price for me?” It’s a cute and polite way to ask for a price reduction. They expect you to ask- in fact, most items are priced with wiggle room in mind. And if you buy a few things from the same vendor, they’re likely to give you a bigger reduction. I do this all the TIME! Sometimes I get a deal and sometimes I don’t.

 

Some of my antiquing finds…

  • Don’t let an item be the one that got away. Know what you want to pay for something, but if you walk away from it, understand that the object might be gone forever. I used to worry that I was being scammed on prices. Now I know what I am willing to pay for something. There are items I sold to others that I wished I had kept for myself, and I may never find another like them. I know now that if it’s something that brings me great pleasure to use and own, I will willingly pay a pretty penny for it.  I don’t know how many times this has happened to me and I have gone back to look for that piece and it is GONE! Antiques usually don’t stay. Especially if they are priced well and if they are in good shape. My recent Rose Canton jars were a recent “walk away” item. I walked away from them but then got home and realized that I may NEVER see TWO of them together again! So I went back and got them! NO REGRETS! 
  • Educate yourself. The internet is full of articles on how to identify silver-plated versus sterling, porcelain versus stoneware, earthenware versus faience, transferware versus hand-painted. I don’t think one is better than the other, but just knowing the difference will help you feel more confident in the market. Bonus: I also think it’s fun to educate yourself about the different styles and their iconography and ornamentation. It makes spotting something more exciting. Also, collecting art books or visiting museums and chateaux will help you learn what you like and train your eye to seek certain things. I have heard the express “train your eye” for beautiful things more than once. Learn what you like. Then seeing quality will come to you. 

 

Some of my lovely finds…

 

You should definitely order this book. Not only are the photos good but you can just read the honesty in Ajiri words. She really does love living in Paris.  I am enjoying this book so much. She had more tips but you will need to order the book to read the rest. Have a great week! 

 

  • this post is not sponsored.

 

Tips from Joie by Ajiri Aki, page 188