Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Why Should I Add Elegance to my Home?

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Good Morning,

It has been such a busy week. Today is our last day watching our neighbors greyhound and bearded dragon! It has been rough adding it to our daily schedules, but we have gotten through it. This weekend I am hoping to SLEEP in a little. 

Our summer vacation plans just took a different turn. Lauren will be going with her brother and some friends to an amusement park and has basically asked us not to come. I was a little sad by this but then I realized that Rick and I have NEVER taken a vacation together without our kids! So we are planning to visit the Swan House, have lunch at the Swan Coach House and do some shopping in Atlanta in September! I must admit I am a little excited by this. I will keep you all updated as we plan this trip!

In today’s post I wanted to talk about a recent podcast that I listened to called “How to Cultivate an Elegant Home in the 21st Century”. Author Shannon Ables shares tips from interior designer Timothy Corrigan and how he things elegance is much easier to add to your home than what you think. 

 

photo credit: L. Shockley 

Timothy says, “Elegance is not something that adds stress or difficulty to our lives — quite the contrary. True elegance . . . means confidence in who you are and what you love, grace in how you handle yourself, and openness to the best in others.”

Great quote, isn’t it?

 

 

This is my favorite quote of Timothy’s “Elegance adds immense pleasure to life. To seek elegance — in your behavior, in what you wear and surround yourself with —is a treat you give to yourself and, almost inadvertently, share with those around you.”

I can attest to this myself. Whenever people come to my office at work or my home there is always of sigh of pleasure when they come. They always enjoy something and ask where I got it. People yearn for elegance. They just don’t know that’s what the sigh is all about. 

I am linking Shannon’s blog post. She goes into more details about the book and tips from Timothy that I know you will enjoy. If you are on your way to work, then listen to the podcast. I have linked it above. Let me know what elegance you have added into your life. Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

A Beautiful Life Contains Small Things…

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Good Morning Everyone!

I hope everyone had a good holiday. Ours was a bit rocky. We have been having thunderstorm after thunderstorm. Some have been okay, but others have been difficult. We lost power on Sunday and then had hail!! It was awful. Luckily the power came back on after about 40 minutes, and it does not appear that we have hail damage on my husband’s truck. It’s been really awful!

We kept our holiday simple. I really did not want to do much. I just wanted to hang out at home and look at some things online. I think that I shared that recently how I am wanting an English aesthetic in my life. When I saw the recent Sarah Flint Gracie collection with the beautiful and breathtaking shoe bags this quote came into my mind, “Having a beautiful life is also in the accessories that you possess”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I have always loved the “small” beautiful things in my life but now that I am getting older, I want my small life items to be beautiful as well. I mean why not? The world has been such a crazy place recently and it does not seem like it is going to get any better! 

I reached out to my contact with Sarah Flint and asked if we could purchase more shoes bags. They of course said that it was not an option. I will mention that in our next Zoom call. I believe that her shoe bags would do so well! 

 

 

I think that the small details in our lives can put smiles on our faces. These garden floral napkins from Pottery Barn just arrived. I smiled as soon as I saw them. Beautiful small details… 

 

 

This lovely English garden inspired pillow cover just arrived as well. I added it to my loft and it is sitting on my pale green settee. The combination of colors and patterns just adds to the beauty and simplicity in my office space. This stunning pillow case is also a favorite of mine and should be arriving next month. 

Wherever you are in life, and it doesn’t matter your budget, add beautiful things in the small items that you possess. Life is so short. Make your journey every day beautiful.  Have a great day!

 

 

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Plans for my new Greenhouse

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Hello!

I can’t believe June is almost over! Goodness gracious, that went by really fast! I have had some busy days and I have some more busy workdays ahead. Next week, I am so nervous, but I found a new hair stylist. I have not been to the salon for a full-service appointment since 2019! Ever since my hair stylist passed away almost 2 years ago now, I could not bear going to someone else. This new stylist that I found I discovered her on Instagram. So wish me luck. 

 I also did something wonderful recently. I got a greenhouse!!! I can’t believe it. I have always wanted one and Costco lowered the price on theirs, so my husband and I had to go and get it. I would provide the link but it is not available online. 

 

photo credit: Mr. Shockley 

 

I am on cloud 9. I love it so much! We are hoping to get it up in the fall or by the fall of this year so we will see. My husband wants to do some more research on how to handle the foundation. We also have to get it cleared by our HOA. As soon as I walked inside of it I saw my very own flower cutting garden. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I know that I want to grow this tulip pictured above. These are white parrot tulips, and I will definitely be ordering these! I have never seen them in person but have always loved them.

 

 

I, of course, want to grow peonies and I would love to have some David Austin Roses. Casablanca lilies are also on the list as well as some climbing roses. I would not mind some wisteria as well, but we will see. 

Overall, I am delighted that I get to start this new project. I adore flowers and have them everywhere in my life. To be able to grow what I want right outside my back yard will truly be a blessing. I can’t wait to smell the beautiful scents inside my greenhouse. Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

Peony Festival ~ 2023

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Good Morning,

We got some exciting news a few days ago. Lauren got her first job and it is at an antique mall that I shop at!!! Now how fun is that? She is so excited and so am I. I am really shocked that she would even be interested in a job like this but so far she likes the staff so we will see how this goes. 

Today we are headed to Lauren’s future college for her student orientation. She is excited and nervous about her new journey. Today will be a day of getting more information and getting her scheduling done. On Saturday her open house party will begin and on Sunday I have scheduled absolutely nothing so that I can get caught up on housework and take photos for my new boutique dress arrival! I hope to have it posted this weekend or next week.

I can’t believe that it has been two weeks already since this year’s peony festival. I hate that that season is so fleeting. I am still on the hunt for peony bunches. I may call my local Trader Joes to see if they have any. Oh well, here are some photos from this year’s festival and here is last year’s if you want to revisit it!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

When we walked into the festival this was the very first vendor that I saw. Her blue and white olive oil containers caught my eye.

 

 

I did purchase one. I could not resist. I am trying to remember the name of the company but it escapes me. Sorry!

 

 

We did a lot of walking around and of course I had to get peonies from my favorite vendor JP Parker Flowers. I swear Mrs. Parker has the most flawless, and fantastic peonies ever!

 

 

Of course, I could not leave without my favorite candles from Linnea. They have a new candle called Passiflora and I had to take it home with me. It is amazing! I do hope that they continue to make it. Another tip that I learned about was “layering the scent of candles”. So they told me to burn Petals and Fields together and oh my goodness! The smell is amazing in my bedroom. I am also interested in getting their small travel candle to take me with on trips. I can burn it in my hotel room. They also gave me a sample of their Persian Lime lotion and my goodness. I could not stop smelling my hands. So wonderful…

 

 

I had such a good time this year. I wish the peony season lasted longer! I felt really comfy but elegant in my outfit as well. I got lots of compliments on my floral tote from Express.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was the biggest and most fragrant peony bouquet that I have ever had! It was like a dream truly. Let me know in the comments section below if you were able to get a peony bouquet for yourself. Make sure you do. Just buy it for you and enjoy it.

Have a great weekend! 

 

 

My Fourth FBMP Purchase

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Good Morning,

Gotta love these short work weeks. They always seem to feel longer to me. Lauren is out of school so I feel like I got my life back a bit. I am always waiting on her to leave in the morning and go to bed at night so it has delayed my schedule for so long that now I am in “schedule shock” a bit. Now when it’s late at night I have to catch myself and tell myself to start to get ready for bed. In the morning, I have to tell myself, “okay Lauren is not in school, get ready early”. It’s been quite an adjustment, but I am ready to be back on my own schedule for once. I have not had my own schedule in 20 years, literally! Life is certainly going to be different in the next few months. 

Not only is life changing but so is my home. I am now on FBMP so much looking for vintage pieces. I can’t get enough of Facebook Marketplace. I think I finally fixed my algorithm. It has taken me some time, but I now have vintage pieces showing up in my feed that I would purchase instead of junk. I think FBMP is a great source to use to discover or locate those vintage pieces that you can’t find in stores or even online. I was inspired to look for a vintage floral divider last year when I saw the photo below on Jenny from Tallwood Country House’s Instagram account. 

 

photo credit: Tallwood Country House (Instagram)

 

When I saw this on her reels I knew that I had to have one in some form for myself. It took me a while to find something. I typed the words “vintage floral divider” in the search menu for months and then something appeared. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

THIS! And it was located in my city only 30 minutes away! I saved it and waited another week before I messaged the seller. It is all wood and hand painted. I just loved the floral design and the birds. Also the light green color or sage is a perfect fit in my home office with my pale green settee that I just purchased a few weeks ago on Facebook Marketplace. 

 

 

When I went to pick it up she had her garage door open and it was FULL of antiques! I turned and looked at her and said, “now what do you do?” She then proceeded to tell me that people hire her to help them downsize their estates! She helps them get organized and then sells their items on FBMP. She had chandeliers from France, dividers from Asian, vintage furniture from Pottery Barn, I mean it was marvelous!  I can’t believe that I keep finding these people on FBMP who have access to all these wonderful pieces, but I am so grateful that the Lord allows me to. Get busy searching your city for vintage furniture or antique pieces to fill our home. You never know who you may meet. To read my other FBMP purchases you may see it here and here. 

Please don’t forget that the boutique is still having a spring sale! Use code spring15 for 15% off of your entire order and that includes the Vintage Vanity Collection. I hope you all have a great weekend! 

 

 

Always Elegant Living- 5 Hobbies that You Need

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Good Morning Everyone,

My busy month of May is halfway complete. I still have lots on my calendar! I will be leaving this upcoming Monday. I am headed to Columbia, South Carolina for a work trip next week. I will be networking and getting training with other paralegal supervisors. I am really looking forward to that. Then Lauren will be graduating! I can’t believe it! It will truly be a celebration for her!

I have been meaning to share my recent favorite podcasts with you all. So I started to search for podcasts that I would enjoy and I put in certain search words in my Spotify app. I put in the word “elegant” and “women’s health”. I ended up finding “Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50″ and “The Always Elegant Living” Podcast with Ashley Brown. Now I listen to both of these completely free and have been enjoying them on my morning walks. 

Last week during one of my walks, Ashley Brown from the Always Elegant Living Podcast mentioned a meme that she saw regarding “the 5 Hobbies that you need and I just had to share it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The first hobby is to have something that makes you money:

I thought about this and asked myself, “do I have a hobby that makes me money”? I do! Well the blog makes a small amount each month, my commission on the LTK app, and the boutique. Now all of these hobbies are not making me a fortune, but they help keep A Home for Elegance running. The money is used to pay for my website fees, orders for the boutique, taxes, business fees, and supplies. I don’t take a salary from any of these but it keeps my small business running! 

 

The second hobby is something to keep you in shape:

My hobby is of course my morning walks. I started walking in the mornings in 2021. I don’t know why but I thought I would give it a try. My workout before then was some workout videos on Youtube but I just got tired of them and being in the house. I wanted a new setting but I refused to go to the gym. I hate the gym! It’s just a meat market and if I do go I want a trainer so that I can stay focused on my workout. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Royal Kingdom Scarf 90 (Sarah Flint)

 

 

The third hobby is something that helps you stay creative:

I have so many activities that help me to stay creative. This blog for one was the number one thing. I started this in 2014 as a way to share beautiful things that I love and to document it. I always come to my website and search for things that I have written about to remind me of my ideas. I love my blog! I love antiquing and this helps me to create a beautiful environment at home. I love having a beautiful home and antiquing is a way for me to create it. Instagram is another platform for me to be creative. It’s hard work trying to make sure that your content is different from everyone else but it keeps me inspired. 

 

The fourth hobby is something to build your knowledge:

I read and listen to lots of things. I read my bible and lots of other books. I listen to podcasts every day! Building your knowledge is something that we should take seriously. I have always wanted to be someone who could talk to anyone or listen. I read a lot of self-help books, leadership books, magazines, and home decor. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

Teatime Discipleship 

 

And the last hobby that you should have needs to be something that grows your mindset:

For this hobby I would agree with Ashley that listening to podcasts has been helping me to grow my mindset and networking. I remember going on one of my morning walks and I spoke out loud, “I want to network”. Once I said that the gates were opened to me. I joined the Guild, got accepting on the DOJ EARS Evaluation Team, have been asked to attend lunches, joined the state’s Paralegal Association, and lots of other things have happened. In regard to podcasts, I have been listening to Women in the Middle, Maxwell Leadership, The Career Contessa, The Wall Street Journal, Suze Orman’s Women & Money, and a few others. 

All of these resources have been growing my mindset and educating me on so many things. One of the podcasts from the Women in the Middle talked about farting! Yes farting and honestly I learned so much about health and laugh while listening to that podcast. It was great! 

I hope these tips will help you to look at your life and encourage you to add some of these hobbies to it. Life can be beautiful if we live it with purpose. Enjoy! 

 

 

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Beauty Lessons from Living in Paris ~ Thoughts on Elegance Series

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Good Morning,

I am so ready for the weekend! Tomorrow is my last Showhouse shift. I am looking forward to it. It has a really bittersweet kind of feeling. On one hand I am so excited to be there and on the other hand I am so tired! My weekends have been so full because of the schedule. Sunday is Mother’s Day and I really don’t even want to leave my house! But I will. There are some things that I need to get from Lowes. I really need to get my porch cleaned up and I really want some new furniture for my porch. I will be sure to update you all if I purchase anything! 

 

In my quest to find information for my “Thoughts on Elegance series”, I recently stumbled on to this article about what living in Paris has done to this antiques owner from America. I have been following the author of this article since 2020 and I am in love with her antiques account Madame de la Maison. 

 

Aki with her signature red lips.

photo credit: Ajiri Aki

Ajiri wrote a wonderful article about how living in France has changed her views on beauty. I especially loved how honest she was in the beginning of the article. She said, “In 2011, I moved to Paris with a $700 weave and green contact lenses camouflaging my dark brown eyes. I was chasing the superstar-meets-supermodel look I aspired to throughout my twenties when I lived in New York City. I lusted after luscious flowing locks like Beyoncé’s and a long, lean body like Naomi’s. (I tried each and every fad diet to attain that body—most of which required severely unhealthy calorie restrictions and pungent elixirs that left me in a rotten mood for days). What’s more: I hated my wide nose and gap teeth and spent hours researching possibilities to change them”. 

Wow…. I read that paragraph over and over. I think we all have been there. Trying to be something that we are not. You have to finish reading the article. It is truly eye opening and inspiring. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered Ajiri’s new book called Joie A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life. I have been reading it for a week. You guys it is so good! She is really honest about her life in France.

She gives tips and locations on how to enjoy Paris as well. I hope you read the article in Vogue and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful weekend!