Posts that inspiring an elegant life

My Third FBMP Purchase ~ Pale Green Settee

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Good Morning Everyone,

What a busy weekend! We had our neighborhood HOA sale this weekend. A few things have sold out from the boutique and have been removed from the site. Lauren went to prom and she ended up having a great time! On Sunday I had another showhouse duty shift. It was very crowded despite the pouring rain that we had. I am completely wiped out! This week at work will be pretty busy as well as my upcoming Saturday. It will be my last showhouse shift. We take a break off for the summer. I do plan on having lunch with the ladies in my group once a month and next year’s house has already been chosen! I can’t wait to see it. I will be sure to share some photos from this year’s home. 

As you can see by the title, I have found another treasure on Facebook Marketplace! I have been looking for a new settee for office as well as a new desk chair, and bookcases. I have a few things saved on my list but saw this beautiful settee and had to reach out!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

When it appeared in my newsfeed, I took a big sigh! I was so beautiful, and the price was only $175! I could not believe it! I messaged her right away! As I waited for her to message me back, I began to study the color and the beautiful wood. I love the pale green color. It’s something different and unique yet elegant. When she reached back she told me that it was available and that I could come by her warehouse to pick it up. Wait a sec? You have a warehouse? There’s more!???

 

 

She told me to come to Violet Vintage Rentals and when I walked in my mouth hit the floor! So many beautiful, vintage pieces, and china! Turns out that her and her husband have a party rental company that allows you to rent their beautiful furniture for your parties. I have my eye on those white and gold shelves. 

 

 

Isn’t it stunning!? I can’t believe that I found this by buying an item from Facebook Marketplace. 

 

 

There were rows and rows of vintage teacups, china, elegant vases, vintage mirrors, and other elegant props. You can borrow it all for your parties. 

 

 

And every so often, they have garage sales! They had one this past Friday, but I could not go! I was so frustrated. These two pale green chairs are for sale on FBMP right now. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course, I could not leave without my pale green vintage settee. There was a man there by the name of Richard who worked on their restoration projects. He restored this settee. He told me that it was from the 1920s! I could not believe my ears. I could not wait to get it home and put it in my office. It fits perfectly and I love looking at it from my desk. 

 

 

The scallop detail on the back is amazing! I wish I had a better way of showing it but I don’t at this time. This settee has hardly any damage to it. I adore it with each passing day. 

All I can say is FBMP is becoming my source to find furniture for my home. I usually can’t find things in the store. It’s usually too modern or has the farmhouse look which is something that I am not interested in. 

I have about 10 more items saved on my FBMP list. I will be going back to Violet Vintage Rentals for their garage sales. I don’t think that I could continue to pass those up! Let me know in the comments section below if you have purchased from FBMP! I am curious about your finds.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I only have a few more dresses in the boutique. The inventory is getting very low on some of the dresses. I only have two Daphne Flutter Dresses, and only two of the Maggie Stripe Mid Dresses. I did add a size 3x to the list in the mauve and white. It does have a sewing defect on the right sleeve and is on sale for $15. I do plan on trying to get some more inventory, but we will see. Enjoy our day! 

 

 

Adding Something New…

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope everyone is well! I have been so busy the last few days trying to get things done for Lauren. Our college list is full of to-dos! I am also gearing up for the Showhouse. It is done and the house tours start next Saturday! I am nervous but excited at the same time. My mother-in-law’s birthday is next week, and I am still trying to get her birthday gifts. She is so hard to purchase for. There are a lot of events coming up and I am just trying to make sure that I stay on top of everything. 

I received a great response on my recent Instagram poll about adding the vintage Elizabeth Arden beauty jars! I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek below. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Beautiful, aren’t they? What I learned is that they date back to the 1970’s -1980’s era. I am still trying to find out more information on them. I think that they are so beautiful and if you love a beautiful vanity like me then having one of these is perfect for you. They will be on the website soon! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

A Desk Update

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Good Morning,

Everything is in full bloom here! My Canadian choke cherry tree is blooming and so are my lilac bushes! My peonies are coming up as well! I’ve got the Peony festival scheduled on my calendar. I hope we can attend this year!

Lauren’s college visit went very well. There is a lot that we have to do. She got to see the campus, her potential dorm room, and meet her Art Director! It was a very productive day. I on the other hand, got a new delivery recently…

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was my desk in my office. It is actually my dining room table from my first apartment in 2002! I have been using it as a desk all this time. It has been great. It has provided me with the space that I needed and saved me a lot of money! Most of you know that I have been on the hunt for a new desk for some time now. I have been collecting office inspiration for a few years now and I am still trying to find items and decor pieces that fit into my style and what I need. 

 

 

I went back to the furniture store that I purchased my new dining room table and dresser from and found the desk version of my table! 

 

 

I do love it. It is called the Charthouse Office Desk and I got it on sale 2 months ago! I got a steal! It’s not on sale now so I am really happy that I got it while it was. 

 

 

It has so much table space. I love having all this room. I can actually do some paperwork in my office and write! I have never had that before. My old dining room table was not big enough if you can believe that. Also, the color goes so well with my office decor. My office is my next project area. I am trying to wait until the kids go to college. I can’t believe that I am staying that but they both will be going in the fall. My stepson is taking his furniture in his bedroom so I can finally clear out his room! Yay! I am going to move some things in there and get rid of some other items. I can’t wait to purge both of their rooms! 

Another idea that I have been thinking of is adding vintage pieces to sell from my antiquing adventures to my website. This past Sunday I found these gorgeous vintage Elizabth Arden vanity jars. 

 

They had “made exclusively for Elizabeth Arden in Japan” on most of the porcelain jars. I had to buy two!

 

 

Gorgeous! Now my question to you all is if I went back and purchased a few more of the jars and added them to my website would you purchase any? Let me know in the comments section below! 

 

Easter Sunday & A New Recipe

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Good Morning!

Happy Friday Morning! We are headed to our daughter’s future college today! They are having a “welcome freshman” kind of day and we want to get a head start on events and deadlines to come. Wish us luck! I have a feeling it is going to be a busy day.

I am still thinking about my Easter dinner. It turned out to be such a great day with family. We really sat and enjoyed ourselves. I love sitting at the table and just enjoying a meal. Hearing how the boys are “adulting” now has been so interesting. Hearing them discuss marriage and families had been eye opening! I am always praying they God will lead them in their decisions. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This year I added more rabbits to my decor. I purchased the gold rabbit from the At Home Store. He is actually on sale right now for only $10! Get it while you can! 

 

 

I really did experiment with my table setting this year. I brought in my blue and white of course and I wanted to use my lily plates from Pender and Peony but I didn’t have enough. They sure did look great on my table while it lasted. I matched them with my lily goblets from Pottery Barn. It looked so pretty!  

My family wanted turkey and dressing this year so that is what I made along with some mashed potatoes and green beans. We love dinner rolls so I baked some of those as well. Now for dessert I made Jennifer L. Scott’s black forest cake!

 

 

I was really nervous about making this cake because I have never made anything like this nor have I tried it. Baking the cakes was really easy. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I think most of the trouble and time went into making the whipped cream frosting. I have never made this before, so I was quite nervous. It took about 10 minutes to finally get stiff but once it did, I felt relieved. 

 

 

I added the cherry pie filing right from the can and putting it together was so easy! I am so glad that I tried this!

 

 

I LOVED the way it looked! I thought it was so pretty! It was simple, tasted good, and was elegant. What more could you want for a beautiful celebration?  I hope you all try Jennifer’s cake and let me know in the comments section below if you have already made black forest cake? Let me know if there are different things that I could add. I would love to read your comments. Have a great weekend! 

 

Becoming a First Lady in your Life ~ Thoughts on Elegance Series

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday! We kept things simple and spent time with the kids. We sat at the dinner table and just talked about life. It turned out well. The weather here this week is suppose to be outstanding. It will be sunny the whole week and in the 50’s and 60’s! So happy! 

For Easter dinner I did try Jennifer L. Scott’s black forest cake. I will be sure to share that later this week and my new desk finally arrived! I will be sharing that as well but today I wanted to share a beautiful email that I received from a company called Notiq. I have shared this company before and absolutely love their products. On a weekly basis, Notiq sends out these very inspiring emails. I had to share the one that I got this week. It was called “Elegant Secrets/ Become a First Lady”.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

In her newsletter, VJ, the founder of Notiq, said, “What if you were a First Lady? Who will you be? What will you be known for?

While the term First Lady is often associated with the wife of a president or leader of a nation or state, the Oxford English Dictionary defines First Lady as the leading woman in a particular activity or profession. I am here for the latter. 

As a student and (humbly) connoisseur of Elegance, I have learned that while I may not be the First Lady of a nation, I can choose to live as an elegant First Lady in my private life. How? You might ask. 

It all begins with a mindset.

For a long time, and for many reasons, I suppressed my dream of fully living an elegant life. The truth is, I was afraid of distinction. I was scared of what people might say if I showed up and was (one of) the most stylish, thoughtful, graceful, or refined in any room. The idea that I could carry a secret dream of living as an elegant first lady in my own right was terrifying yet possible.

Today, I wish to inspire a fresh perspective. 

Will you consider seeing and carrying yourself as an elegant first lady? I know life is not always easy or perfect. However, what if you and I embrace a meaningful mindset that inspires us to live out dreams others judge impossible or unrealistic? What will a renewed perspective like this do for you? 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I imagine:

  • You’ll show up differently everywhere you go. 
  • You’ll look and feel your best. 
  • You’ll take better care of yourself.
  • You’ll commit to speaking better.
  • You’ll give more thought to what you wear or what you eat.
  • You’ll likely work on your posture and decorum.
  • You’ll be more likable and approachable.
  • You’ll stand out and become more.

Remember, many first ladies were (are) ordinary people like many of us who were not born with the position of First Lady. They simply grew into their roles with intent and dedication to learning. (Hint! Hint!)

From history and in no particular order:

  1. Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was admired and revered for her impeccable grace and style until this day. (1961 – 1963)
  2. Lady Michelle Obama commands our attention with her intentional style, fashion, and poise. (2009 – 2017)
  3. Lady Nancy Reagan’s refinement and support of the arts will remain unforgettable. (1967 – 1975)
  4. Lady Bird Johnson’s warmth and love for beauty inspire diligent care and devotion. (1963 – 1969)
  5. Lady Louisa Adams’ sophistication and fluency in music and arts are noteworthy. (1825 to 1829)

Frankly, every first lady from history has something we can learn from. I simply selected a few to inspire you.

For now, I am grateful for the person you are. Might I add? I am excited about the person you are becoming. I am also confident you (too) will make a memorable and noteworthy impact.

Until next week,

VJ | Founder & Chief Elegance Officer

 

Now how inspiring was this email? I was thrilled and absolutely enjoyed this email from VJ. I just had to share it. I hope you all enjoyed this motivating email and absorb it into your mind and soul! 

An Elegant Car?

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Good Morning Everyone!

I had a nice quiet weekend! I did not do much and was quite happy with it! I ran a few errands on Saturday, came home did a few chores, ate dinner, then some desert and watched a movie. It was very nice! Our weather was okay. We did have a tornado warning Friday evening but thank you Lord we did not have any touch down near us. I finally managed to post a video on my Youtube channel. Here is the link if you have not seen it yet. 

I think that I mentioned that I am on an organizational kick, and I have been purging and organizing my life honestly. I created a list in my phone called “home projects” and on that list I have things that I need to purchase along with details and measurements if needed. One area that I worked on recently was my car. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

One of the first things that I needed to buy was a SUV Trunk organizer. I have needed one of these for years! I had a basket that was literally falling apart, and I had my grocery bags, scarves, and whatever else shoved in that small little basket. I told my husband that I could not take it anymore and ordered this. My world has changed completely!  

It has 3 sections. One section is for my scarves, the middle is for my canvas grocery bags, and the third is for my car cleaning sprays, scents, and ice scrapers. I love it!

 

 

The second item was these purse hooks. Now I have seen these in multiple places but never really looked at them. My life has changed! These stop my totes from falling all over the car. They stay in place and everything stays organized. I am going to be ordering this set next. I like these a little better! 

 

 

Next was this car steering wheel cover. My car is all black on the inside and I wanted a pop of color but not too much so I ordered this new steering wheel cover. It’s black and beige and adds just enough color and a custom feel to my car. It comes in a few different colors. I also needed a new cell phone holder so I decided to order this one and I love it! I hooked it up to my vent and my phone is now up where I can see it. I am no longer looking down while driving. That drove me nuts! It’s not safe. I love having my phone sit higher up. 

I know that many of us don’t carry money anymore but sometimes coins seem to find their way in my car so I managed to find that coin holder that was in that Instagram reel that I shared in my newsletter. I have this sitting inside my car door. I can now place the lost coins that find their way in my car in this holder. I am still thinking about getting this car trash can and this tissue holder. I still keep my favorite napkins in my glove compartment, but I think this tissue holder might be a great idea. 

Let me know in the comments section below if you need to organize your car! I hope that I have left you with enough organizational tools to accomplish your goals! Have a great day!

 

fyi: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

Nicola Bathie ~Spring Table Styling Tips

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Good Morning,

It’s the last week of March! My goodness! I have been so busy this month and I am gearing up for a busy April as well. In the first week of April I am taking the flower arranging orientation class for Random Acts of Flowers. I am so looking forward to arranging bouquets for hospital patients! Then we have Easter! I look forward to listening to my favorite preachers and teachers discuss our Lord’s triumph and spending time with family. This year I decided to make turkey and dressing along with Jennifer L. Scott’s black forest cake. I will share how that all goes. 

We also have our daughter’s freshman day at her soon to be college, and the Guild’s Decorator’s Showhouse starts! Lots of things going on! I also hope that the weather will be a little better. I am so looking forward to seeing the peonies this year. I know everyone is looking forward to spring. I was recently looking at my Victoria magazine and saw an article about Nicole Bathie’s beautiful tablescapes. 

 

Photography via Nicola Bathie McLaughlin

 

In the March/April issue she gives her tips on how to decorate with vintage pieces and antiques. Nicola mentions to “not be afraid to layer.” I am learning about and experimenting with this technique. It truly is all about what you want. I know things that I put on the table have been conversation starters. 

 

 

She also mentions that “petite bud vases add intrigue in between other accessories; they also make the perfect take-away treasures for guests.” I love that idea! Using a single bud vase as a gift? It’s simple, elegant, and I guarantee you the guests will love it. I know I would. If you want to see the rest of Nicola’s ideas just read the rest of the article here. 

I really love Nicola’s style and I get a lot of inspiration from it. I hope this article brightens your day. It did for me! Have a great Monday!