Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Antiques from Asheville

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Good Morning Everyone,


This weekend went by rather quickly. We had a thunderstorm sometime last weekend and our downstairs t.v. has not been working all that well. After a few days passed some of our neighbors posted that some of their appliances and electronics stopped working. So we figured that somehow our area was struck with lightning and almost half of our neighborhood lost a t.v., garage door opener, dishwasher, stove or some sort of electronic. None of us are happy but it is what it is. 

At least no one was hurt. We have to learn how to find some blessing in some of our life complications. Now on to something beautiful. 
In this post, I wanted to share up-close photos of the beautiful items that I purchased from Antique Tobacco Barn in Asheville, North Carolina.

I talked about these items on my Youtube channel. I purchased a crystal letter opener, Australian cookie jar and an Asian or chinoiserie inspired teapot with stand. 

Here is an up-close photo of the Austrian cookie jar. That is what the label described this as. I am not sure if it is. I will not be putting cookies in this. It’s way too gorgeous for that! I am not sure if it is hand painted but it is just an exquisite item to me. I had to have it. 

Here are the stamps on the bottom of the jar. If anyone can tell me what these mean I would greatly appreciate it. 

Here is my “gorgeous darling” in my Eartha Kitt voice, Asian teapot. I saw these and just stared at it. Once I picked it up I realized it had a stand I said to myself, “oh there is no way I am leaving this here”. No one will have this. It’s one of a kind. It feels solid, the colors are gorgeous and it appears to be well made. I know the bottom of this teapot said 1986 and it looks like it was hardly used. I wish I knew the story behind this. I bet it is interesting, 1986, I wonder where it has been. 

I just love it, don’t you? If you are a teacup or teapot lover you can’t resist this. I wonder how owned this? It was made 34 years ago. I may have to conduct some research to see what I can find out. I’ll let you guys know if I learn anything. 



(UPDATE):

I found out some history about my teapot. This is the Franklin Mint 1986 “Bird and Flowers of the Orient” designed by artist Naoko Nobata. 

Franklin Mint Birds And Flowers Of The Orient Collection | Etsy
I saw this set. It was sold out. Each set that I find it is sold out so they are not lasting online. You may be able to find one on eBay if you are interested. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a wonderful Monday. I am in the office this week filling in for my friend. I pray this week goes well. I have not been in the office for a full week since March. 

Thanks for reading!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


An Office Find ~ A Vintage Table

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Good Morning Everyone,


I am off today, YES! I am so happy. I have quite a few errands to run today. I have to pick up my dress from the seamstress, grocery shop, and pay a visit to HomeGoods.


I purchased a new vintage table for my office last week. The one I had was too small (see my Youtube office tour below). The table served me well but I needed more room. 

I saw this table at the antique store last week. I thought it would be perfect for my office but I was not quite sure. Now that I have moved it in here it looks good! 




I have more surface room which was a must!

Underneath the tablecloth is an old vintage table that was green. The previous owner then painted it white which looks much better I think. 

And there is a shelf for my vases! I must admit that is what sold me. I needed more room for my vases and had no other place in my office for them. It’s great!

You will notice in my Youtube video that I got rid of the previous chairs. For one they belong to the office and for two they were too small. Our rears could barely fit in those. Talk about a shot to your ego. Those chairs seriously made you consider diet and exercise all the time. Also, I didn’t need two chairs. I hardly have more than one visitor so I thought I could free up some room by getting rid of both of those chairs and bringing in one of mine that I loved. 

I think it turned out great. Now I am on the hunt for a new lamp and mirror. I like the gold one but it doesn’t “sing” to me. 


I hope you all enjoy your holiday and your weekend!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



A Little Antiquing….

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Gosh, it’s Friday already. This week went by really fast. Today I have to go into the office for a bit and then I have a hair appointment with my daughter. I am just getting a trim. I haven’t had one since January of this year so I am due. 


I really don’t have anything planned this weekend. With Covid still lurking around, I am still a little nervous about going places. I have been on the Tubi app on my t.v. trying to find “good” movies to watch. It’s been really hard but I have been watching a lot of movies from the ’80s and early ’90s. 


I posted on my Instagram page last weekend the beautiful treasures that I picked up at a local antique store. I only paid about $22 for everything. I love antiquing. It gives me such peace and allows me to step back in time. 

I managed to find this beautiful picture of a flower, love the gold frame, this beautiful bust, and this gold cup which I didn’t realize at the time that it had someone’s name on it. 

It says “Pete” but it is so faint no one will notice it. I plan on using the cup as a holder for pens on my desk and the picture will go in our bathroom. 

The beautiful bust has found her way into my office. 

She looks quite comfy and chic on my table with family photos. I love adding pearls to a bust. I think it’s so fun and unexpected. Plus who doesn’t look good in pearls? 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and if you want to let me know what your plans are below. I have been wanting to take a picnic for months now. Has anyone done that yet?
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

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)