Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

My Flower Garden Thus Far…

/6 Comments/in , /by

 

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…

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

 

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.

 

 

 

New Office Decor ~ Lady in Blue

/2 Comments/in /by

 

 

Hello Wednesday,

I hope everyone is well! I am really excited and please with the new dress arrival for the boutique. The Claire cream midi is a beautiful white dress in person. I hope that you all enjoy it. I do have two more dress arrivals coming. A new plus-size dress should be arriving this Friday. I should have it ready for purchase on Monday and it’s blue and white! So exciting! 

There are also some accessories that I would love to order from my vendor as well. There is a swan brooch that I have had my eye on for a while so we will see. In today’s post, I wanted to quickly share my recent Etsy order. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I recently ordered this watercolor painting called Summer Breeze by the Etsy shop called A Thing Created. Some of you may remember the stationery cards that I ordered from her. I love those things! This piece of art is so elegant and spoke to me the moment I saw it on Instagram. She does such a great job capturing a woman’s feminine ways. I love this piece in my office!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I think I shared on Instagram that I purchase old photos with gold frames. Even if the photo is quite ugly and I like the frame I will purchase it because I know that eventually there will be a piece of art that I will purchase that I can place in it. I purchased this frame about 5 years ago from a Goodwill store and now it looks lovely with “the lady in blue”. Well, that’s what I am calling it. 

 

 

Now a “sample piece” does come in addition to your order. She will print a smaller size on the back of your order card. It all depends on what size you order but instead of throwing it away, I decided to take a small gold frame that I had and place that print in my home office! Now I have two copies! So wonderful!

Thank you all for reading my post and for visiting the blog! 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.

 

 

 

A Delightful Home Tour ~ 2

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

And a Happy Monday to you all. It’s May already. It’s suppose to be a little warmer this week. I certainly hope so. Today is moving day. I move into my new office today and officially start my new job. On Friday, me and our officer manager took a look at my new space and tried to come up with a way for me to change it. I don’t like the setup now but I am hoping that we can get things moved and into an arrangement that I will enjoy. Fingers crossed!

I wanted to finish my home tour today. There are a few spaces left that I need to share.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Now the Study was my second favorite room in the home. Well, maybe a close first to the dining room. I adored this room. I loved the french doors, the navy floor-to-ceiling draperies, and the oriental rug. 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Now I LOVED this desk! Oh my goodness, I just stared at it when I saw it. Isn’t it an elegant dream?

 

 

Just sheer beauty. I read in the booklet that Catherine Wright decorated this room and that Solomon Paris Antiques was one of the sources. I looked them up and they are local! I am planning a visit now.  Couldn’t you see yourself in this room with a cup of tea and writing some letters?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Then we walked upstairs and into the master bedroom suite. 

 

 

They had chinoiserie wallpaper! Honestly, I am not a big fan of the bed but it compliments the wallpaper well. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Here is the chinoiserie wallpaper up close. I do love the deep purple and golds. 

 

 

What do you guys think about the yellow vintage sofa? I love the structure but the color…. not my taste. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Now on to the master bathroom. I do love the dual vanities. Lots of space and beautiful details. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

The lady’s side…..

 

 

 

The walk-in closet which we could not go inside to see… sad face. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Loved the light fixtures and details. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

A Juliet balcony… well almost. It is lovely. 

 

 

 

The outside was an oasis itself. The tents housed the gift shops. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

And of course I could not end this post without showing the beautiful pool. The gift shops had jewelry, flowers, cookies, and tea towels. I purchased some baked goods, tea towels and some peony thank you notes. 

I hope you all enjoyed this tour and let me know below which room was your favorite? Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Delightful Home Tour ~ 1

/3 Comments/in , /by

 

Well Hello Friday, and I am tired. For the last two weeks, I have been so busy! With me learning my new role and still trying to keep tabs on my current one it has been very hectic, but I have been down this road before. Yesterday I shared how I would be taking half of the day off to attend the Indiana Decorators’ Show House and Gardens tour! I loved every minute of it. First off I had no kid and no husband, yes! 

Secondly, I was doing something that I love… going to a historical home and looking at beautiful decor. It was a wonderful 2 hours that I got to spend alone and it was so worth it. I will be sure to do it again next year and do it alone. Let me share some of the rooms!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is the home as I walk up the driveway. This home is called the Columns on Meridian and was built in 1930. It is 5,536 feet on the main and upper levels and 2,110 square feet in the basement. 

 

 

 

As you walk in you see this beautiful door and flooring. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This was the living room. I don’t know the details, unfortunately. I did notice the beautiful Hermes throw in the piano chair. This room was decorated by Audrey Studley of Kittle’s Design Studio. 

 

 

This was the sunroom. I wasn’t a fan of the tropical wallpaper but it brightens up the room. The name of the wallpaper is Urban Nature AF440 and provided by Ukuta Lafayette Interior Fashions. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Then I walked into the dining room and saw all this beautiful blue and white china! 

 

 

And these gorgeous chandeliers that are original! They have been with the house since 1930! And did you see this beautiful tablesetting?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I wish I knew the sources for everything. I keep searching my booklet for the information but can’t find it. 

 

 

This room was my favorite. It was decorated by Rosalind Brinn Pope of Pope Interiors. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The chandeliers are original but this insert is not. I do love it. It gave the room a much more custom feel. 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Then you walked into the kitchen which was updated. I love the huge island and the paint color on the kitchen cabinets. I believe it is called cotton ball by Benjamin Moore or it could be Tarrytown Green. 

 

 

Lots of color!

 

 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And of course blue and white are throughout the home. I actually love this faux peony arrangement. Well I hope you all have enjoyed this half of the tour. I will share the rest of the home and another favorite room of mine on Monday. If you follow me on Instagram you may get a sneak peek of it sooner. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and don’t forget about the boutique’s Mother’s Day Sale! Use code MTDY25 for 25% off of your order! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

Affordable Table Setting Pieces

/2 Comments/in , /by

 

Good Morning Everyone,

I am peering out of my bedroom window hoping that I don’t see snow! This time last week we had about 2 inches of snow on the ground! I couldn’t believe it. Yesterday evening I went out and checked my lilac bushes, rose bushes, and peonies and everyone looks great! My lilac is even blooming. I went to smell the bushes and they smelled wonderful. My husband and I sat on the porch for a moment and enjoyed the scent. Fingers crossed we have no more snow! Geez! 

I also wanted to tell everyone that the Beverly tote is ready for purchase! Please know that since this is a new arrival the Mothers Day sale code (MTDY25) cannot be used on this purchase since it is a new arrival. It can be used on anything else in the boutique. I do hope that everyone will be able to enjoy the sale and thank you again for your purchases!

 

photo credit: Etsy.com

 

Now on to today’s inspiration…. during my lunch hour on Tuesday, I was looking at my Aerin Lauder book and saw a lot of beautiful table linens and dishes and I thought, “there has to be some affordable tableware out there. So I did a quick search and found a few things. I found this beautiful sheer chiffon table runner on Amazon! It has great reviews and is under $20! 

 

photo credit: Amazon

 

Next was this gorgeous set of 4 Portmeirion Botanical glasses. They are under $50 for all 4!

 

 

Third, are these shatterproof Godinger glasses! Even your kids could use these! They are stunning and only $21 for a set of 4! 

 

photo credit: Amazon

 

Fourth are these spring-inspired dessert plates. All four are under $40 and would be a great addition to anyone’s china collection! Oh and I found this set of six Blue Room Georgian plates for under $80! What a steal! 

 

 

Next is this adorable Garden soup and sandwich set! Great for an afternoon lunch or a snack by the fire with a good book. It is under $30 with 5% off right now with Amazon! 

And last on my list is this beautiful garden pitcher! Can’t you see it filled with flowers or lemonade with fresh lemons? So gorgeous….. I hope you all enjoyed these affordable china finds and have found some inspiration. Tomorrow I am going to the Indiana Decorator’s Show House and Gardens. I am going all alone and I can’t wait!!!! I am taking the afternoon off. I have been wanting to attend this for some time now so I am really excited. I will share photos if I can. Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hunt for Floral Danica

/3 Comments/in , /by

 

Oh my goodness you guys, I am furious right now! As I look out my home office window I am seeing SNOW! You read that correctly snow! I am so upset right now. My Canadian chokecherry tree is leaning over to the side. He looks so sad. Just this weekend I was out smelling his sweet floral scent and looking at his beautiful white and creamy blooms. The same for my lilac bushes. The purple buds are beginning to come out and now everything is covered in snow!

I feel like screaming! And in a few days, we are suppose to be back up to 60 degrees! I am so mad right now but let’s talk about something else I love and that is china. 

 

photo credit: Victoria Magazine

 

I saw this beautiful china pattern in the Flowers & Gardens Victoria Classica Magazine in July 2020. I love this design. It is called the Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica collection and it is extremely expensive! 

If you read some of the information about this china you will quickly learn that each piece is handpainted and each one is different! Now how fantastic is that! You ladies should know that I have already checked my local Facebook Marketplace section to see if anyone has a listing for any piece. I will be checking often and I hope to stumble on some plates. Fingers crossed!

 

photo credit: Victoria Magazine

 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and I hope that none of you have snow right now! This is dreadful! I will be covering my bushes tonight because I think we are due for one more freeze and hopefully that will be it. 

Let me know in the comments section below if you had snow these last few days or if there is a china print that you have been after for some time now. I would love to know what it is. Have a great Wednesday.