Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

A Dream Cottage

 

Hello Everyone,

I had a pretty good weekend. My new dress for the boutique has arrived. I have decided to name it Frances. I hope you all enjoy it and will love it as much as I do. On Saturday I went to our outlet mall to do a little school shopping for Lauren. That turned out to be a bust! She hates shopping and it was really hard trying to find her things for school.

I did visit the Ann Taylor outlet store and the Coach outlet store I will share those items with you all later. I am now helping our daughter look at colleges. I can’t believe I am saying that. Oh my goodness. Life is happening too fast.

Alright now let’s get into today’s post. I have also been looking at the new Victoria magazine. Have you ever looked inside one of their issues and thought, “I sure do hope they put these pictures on the website” and when it happens I am always excited. In this month’s issue, I was really hoping that they were going to put this article’s photos on the website and they did!

 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson

 

Don’t you just love the chair? In the magazine, it talks about the owner Ann Monfore’s and how she collects child-size chairs. This is a child-size chair. I would love to see this in an adult size. Wouldn’t you? 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson

 

When I turned the page and saw this simply stunning dining room and I thought, “okay they better post this on the website”! This room has so much inspiration! This room is absolute perfection. The french doors in the distance, the 1850 French trumeau mirror and look at that solid wood table. They don’t make tables like they used to! 

 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson 

 

Okay, beach who? This would be a dream vacation spot for me! I would just plant my umbrella in the yard and have a picnic out there. The only thing this house would need is a swimming pool then I would probably never want to leave my house! 

I love how she designed the garden choosing boxwoods and blue hydrangeas my favorite! Another fun fact about this home is that it caught fire some years ago and was rebuilt in 2004. The owners wanted to replicate the previous home which was known as Seldom Inn. 

I would say two big thumbs up! They turned this into a wonderful retreat and beautiful home at the same time. It has the comforts of home yet houses beautiful antiques. I hope you all enjoyed this post and pick up an issue for yourself. It’s rare that Victoria magazine disappoints. 

 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

First Boutique Pop-Up & Antique Shopping

 

 

Hello All,

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I had a really good weekend. I took Friday off and hung out with my daughter and we set up the boutique for our subdivision’s community sale. We had fun and really enjoyed ourselves. On Saturday I set up again for the second day and I sold more than I expected! I was really happy. I hope to do it again soon.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

The boutique is having a 4th of July sale. Lots of items are under $10 so I hope that you find something that you love. There are a few dresses that are $10 as well. The Beverly tote is only $38! I received lots of compliments on this bag during the pop-up sale. So I hope everyone can find an item or two to order. Okay now on to my lovely finds from antique shopping. 

 

 

So my first stop on Friday was Solomon Paris Antiques. I mentioned them a little while ago in my blog post about the Indiana Decorator’s House. This place was everything that I imagined. It was chic, elegant, and really expensive. I circled the store three times to make sure that the prices were correct in my head. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

You could tell that everything has its place. The owner was very kind and knowledgeable. 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Then I had to go to the bathroom and when I walked in I just stared. It was like walking into an art gallery. The textured wallpaper was so rich and so was the gold tilted ceiling. 

I didn’t want to take too many pictures because I wanted to enjoy the moment but I did need a few to share with you guys. So after looking around there I walked down two doors to another antique store called The Corner Bazaar

 

 

The very first thing that caught my eye were these Waterford crystal wine glasses. They were in a cabinet and the price was marked “5 for $35”. I couldn’t believe it. I had to have them. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The second item that caught my eye but that was in the same cabinet was this mid-size Waterford vase. It was only $35 and I had to have it as well!

 

 

The last item that caught my eye was this crystal bowl. Now I have no idea what brand this is but I thought it was stunning and wanted it for my dresser. It was only $20 which was a steal to me!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Gotta love the crystals! I hope everyone enjoyed today’s post and found some inspiration today. I am still on the hunt for my upholstery cleaner for my new vintage chairs. Let me know in the comments section below what upholstery cleaner you have tried if any. I would love some tips or tricks! Thanks for reading and have a great Monday!

 

 

 

 

New Home Decor Websites

 

 

Hello Everyone,

The weather here has been so great! It has been sunny and the humidity has vanished for now. I am on the hunt for a new company that can reupholster my chairs. I have a vision in my mind. I just hope that I can find someone to help me make it a reality soon!

Now on to some beautiful new websites that I have recently discovered. The first is called French Garden House. I found this website on the Victoria magazine website. This website is filled with exceptionally beautiful french country home antiques. 

 

photo credit: French Manoir Instagram 

 

My favorite selection is their jewelry selection. I love a good brooch! The second website is called Mrs. Alice and it is a GORGEOUS website! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Alice Instagram 

 

Mrs. Alice is a tablescape company that offers beautiful accessories for your dining pleasure. You could probably spend hours on this website staring at all of the items. They are just stunning. 

 

 

Just look at these candlesticks! It is a grandmillennial’s dream!

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Alice Instagram 

 

There are so many beautiful accessories on this site. I do hope that everyone enjoys scrolling through it and finding their favorite items. I have a few on my list that I would love to order! 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

My Second FBMP Purchase ~ White Armchairs

 

Oh goodness, you guys I am so excited. As you can tell by the title I had a wonderful weekend! On Friday I decided to work half a day and get some housework done. I think I shared on Friday that I was looking for some antique or vintage armchairs and that I had found some on Facebook Marketplace. 

Well, I am so happy to share that I was able to pick them up early Friday afternoon! This is my second Facebook Marketplace purchase. I shared my first purchase in March. I am still loving my china! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I saw these beauties and had to make an offer! 

 

 

Aren’t they gorgeous? Very grandmillennial. She responded pretty quickly and we had made an arrangement for me to pick them up on Saturday around 7 in the evening. Well, 7 came and went and I was really frustrated! I thought, “oh no did she sell them”?

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

But she responded (thankfully) and we rescheduled for this past Saturday. Then I reached out on Friday and asked if I could pick them up early and she said yes! Yay!!! I do love them and can not wait to start looking for new fabrics! I will be changing the color. I may go with white or cream again but I would love to add a different fabric, maybe toile or some chinoiserie print on the back. What do you all think? 

 

I decided to add my blue and white chinoiserie pillows to them. I purchased these pillows when I was 20. It is one of the last decor items from my first apartment.  These chairs have no damage. There are a few stains and spots but nothing that concerns me. I also think I paid a really good price. She wanted $200 and I asked if she would take $150 and she agreed! I’ve seen one chair like this go for $200 by itself in a store so I am really pleased with this price! 

 

photo credit: Lauren  (my daughter)

 

Okay, so that is Mrs. Shockley $200 spent total on two wonderful items on Facebook Marketplace. I pray that my luck continues. We will see. Oh, and I also wanted to remind everyone that the dress sale is still going on for the boutique. My new earrings are ready for purchase. I decided to name them Vivian. The Vivian pearl drop earrings are ready and I am hoping to get more in stock. We will see how these do. And lastly, the Beverly tote is 10% off this week! I hope you guys all enjoy the boutique. Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for Beautiful Things…

 

Hello and Happy Monday,

I hope everyone enjoyed that fast weekend. I didn’t do much. I ran my normal errands, got my nails done, and waited on some orders to come in. I also watched a bunch of romance 90’s movies on Tubi. They were all a part of the Harlequin romance series. They had a few movies on the Tubi app so I watched those. They were pretty good. Watching movies that are over 20 years old just reminds you of how far downhill we have gone. I hate a lot of t.v. shows today. I watch a lot of old stuff but let’s move on. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

My roses are doing well. Thank you to my good friend and reader of the blog Mya, I was able to save my roses from some pesky slugs that kept eating them! I am happy to report that they are now slug-free and happy! 

I have recently been on Facebook Marketplace again! I have been looking for some blue and white armchairs. I was inspired by the photo below from Nicola Bathie

 

photo credit: Nicola Bathie Instagram 

 

I have found a few sets and will let you guys know if I purchase anything soon. I have also been on Madame de la Maison website. I love this woman. She is my hero. Being able to turn a passion into a career is the dream for everyone. 

She has so many beautiful pieces on her website. I am sure that I will be purchasing something in the future. What beautiful things are you searching for? Anything on your radar? Please share below we would all love to hear. 

 

Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

My Flower Garden Thus Far…

 

Happy Friday and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Thank you to everyone that has served our country. We know what it costs to keep our freedoms so thank you!

 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my flower garden so far. It is always a struggle to grow flowers and learn about them. I am certainly not an expert but my husband and I try our very best and sometimes it works out. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

If you have been following the blog then the flowers above will not shock you. I am a huge fan of mandevillas and have to have them every year. They grow so well and I enjoy having them on my porch. It makes me happy when I begin to see the vines get longer and how they droop from the planter. It’s so gorgeous to me. 

 

 

My rhododendrons bushes are doing okay this year. For a few weeks, I didn’t think that they would bloom, but they surprised my husband and me. But I think we may be replacing them next year. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This year was the first year that I purchased roses bushes. I actually purchased these from Costco. I didn’t get a chance to put them in the ground because we couldn’t get over 30 degrees at night and we had snow! So I just put them in the planter because they had already begun to grow in the box!

 

 

They are doing well in the planter. I am beginning to have some rosebuds open, but I noticed that something has begun to eat the leaves! So frustrating! I have no idea what little bug is doing this. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This new azalea bush did excellent this year! This was another plant that we were worried about. We purchased this last year from the Biltmore and we didn’t have any flowering last year but this year it was beautiful! I was so happy with it! 

 

 

Next are my peonies and I am in absolute bliss with these! They multiplied! I couldn’t believe how many more blooms we had this year!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

They are so healthy and strong!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So happy!

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We only had a few white ones and they smelled like a dream. My husband just kept going over and smelling them. It was quite enjoyable! Well, I hope you all enjoyed my little garden tour. I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and enjoys the DRESS SALE for the boutique!

Some of the dresses are as low as $15! Head on over and grab a dress or two! No coupon code is needed! Thank you again in advance for your support and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Shares…

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

Today’s post is going to be short but I forgot to add my recent Youtube video to Monday’s post. I show my peonies, talk about my beautiful gifts from a subscriber, and show the Beverly tote from the boutique. I hope that you enjoy it. 

 

 

And one more thing, I wanted to share my recent order from Anthropologie. I ordered their peacock trinket tray and I could not LOVE it more! It has an incredible vintage-inspired look to it. It looks like a piece passed down to me from my grandmother. It is a wonderful item to have. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Isn’t it stunning? It is a beautiful piece. I believe that I will have this piece for a long time. I hope you all enjoy the video and have a great Wednesday!

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.