Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

The Dream Secretary

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Good Morning Friends,

Oh I am so happy to have the hour back. It means a lot in the mornings and really does help with getting things done throughout the day. This past weekend was nice. I did my usual errand runs and did a few things around the home. 

But friends I will be honest, this past month has been really frustrating especially these last two weeks. As a federal worker, I will say that it is hard. Lots of people think that we are sitting at home still collecting a paycheck but what people don’t understand is that we really are not. This week could be the second paycheck that we miss, and I tell you it is hard on families. I shared this back in 2019 (Living During a Shutdown), and I am still living this way but with a lot of frustration. 

I am still praying for clarity, peace, and understanding. Now onto my glorious FBMP find!

 

 

I still cannot believe that I actually purchased my dream secretary. I mentioned that I wanted this desk back in 2020. It is so funny how sometimes you can mention something, share it, post it, or put it on your vision board and watch it come into fruition. I must admit sometimes it is a bit scary. I shared this office in a blog post in 2019, so this desk has been on my mind for a long time. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

Now how did I found this beautiful piece you may ask? Well my one of our interior designers from the show house, Blake Richardson, sent me the FBMP post. I told him that I was on the hunt for one and he mentioned that he saw this piece on marketplace. I looked at it and immediately fell in love the only problem was it looked humongous on marketplace! I went home and pulled out my measuring tape and measured it out. Then I reached out to the seller to get more info. I spoke with my husband, and he said that it would just be too big. I then convinced myself that it would be too be for my space and tried to let it go. But I could not. I mean do you see the details of this beautiful thing! 

 

 

So a week goes by and it does not sell on FBMP. I cannot shake it. I kept thinking about it and you know what the price was? Only $330! Unbelievable! The cheapest I could find one was on Charish for $1,400 so I was completely aware that this was cheap, and I needed to see it in person. So I reached out to the seller to make arrangements to see it. Once I walked up to her door I knew. She was a beautiful older lady with fantastic taste. As soon as I stepped inside the house, I looked to my left and saw more Asian inspired furniture and the biggest smile on her face. It was as if she knew. One thing she did mentioned when I messaged her was that “only certain people can appreciate a piece like this”. I knew that that person was me. 

We sat and talked for over an hour! We talked about work, and beautiful homes. It was like she was my long-lost friend. The connection was truly incredible! 

 

 

She told me that this piece was over 40 years old and was purchased from an estate sale. She believed that it was originally from Spain but could not recall. I told her that it was beautiful and could not believe that she was selling it! She said that her and her husband were downsizing and that it would not fit in her new home. I then asked about the price of $330. She said that it was her favorite number. Look at all of the beautiful storage. I told her and her sweet husband that it was going to be placed in my new office in February downtown and that I promise to take care of it for the next 40 years. 

I am so happy to have this piece in my life. This was truly a surprise, and I am very grateful to God for having Blake send me the listing and for letting me have a wonderful encounter with Mrs. Ragland! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Toile Collection

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Hello Friends,

I had a really nice weekend this past Saturday. I received a message on TikTok (@Mrs..Shockley) regarding an antique store in Noblesville called The Annex by Thistle & Thyme and I went to visit this weekend. It was so lovely. I am in a point in my life where I only want to visit antique stores that are carefully curated. I don’t want to go to flea markets or antique stores full of junk. I have visited a few recently where I walked half of the store and just walked out. They were just full of junk and I have no interest nor time. 

I had a thought recently. I was repeating my morning affirmations while heading into work and I began to think about the word curate. I will explain it in another post. I promise. Last week I went to my first Indy Chamber meeting. The Indy Chamber is a non-profit organization that helps small business owners. They also have a Women’s Business Center and last week I attended my first event called Women and Wealth. It was a great opportunity to network and learn more about the organization. 

I also have lots of fun things going on this week. On Tuesday, I will be attending our Guild Luncheon to start off our next designer showhouse. I was recently added to our Supervisory Working Group for the Department of Justice which is a huge honor because it is so competitive. So that means my first meeting is this week. I have a Guild Director meeting, and my first Mahjong class is on Thursday. I am so excited! 

On Friday, our neighborhood is having its yearly fall HOA yard sale and then after that I am attending an interior designer workshop for Judy Bates Designs! It’s a fun and busy week. Speaking of interior design have any of you seen the new toile collection by Brandon Maxwell at Pottery Barn?

 

photos via Pottery Barn 

 

 

Can we say gorgeous? This showed up in my feed on Facebook and I just had to take a look at it. There are a lot of toile prints out there some are good and some (I think are really bad). I love toile with animals and nature. I believe that could go with your decor more.  This upholstered dining room set is stunning! 

 

photos via Pottery Barn 

 

I love this table skirt and reversible throw. The table skirt is not available on the website yet. I don’t know if it ever will be. If someone finds out, please let me know! Of course, the collection would not be complete with dinnerware and utensils. 

 

 

Ceramic pumpkins and vases are included in this beautiful collection as well. I love the combination of the toile and stripes. I think they flow together so well. I must admit the pumpkins were very tempting. I even love the doggie bed! Oh my goodness, so cute and chic. 

Let me know in the comments below are you a toile lover or not. Have a great weekend! 

 

 

  • Affiliate links attached; this post is not sponsored. 

 

Antiquing in Florida

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Hello Friends,

I am back from my work trip to South Carolina, and I really enjoyed myself. I went to a presentation skills class, and it was a great experience. I love being around people who are better than me. I find it to be so inspiring! There is so much that you can glean from someone who is better than you in something. You should not consider them to be an enemy but a teacher. Especially if that person is kind. If they are not, then that’s a different story. There were some great presenters as this training, and I am already looking forward to the next. This course helped us to focus on presenting in front of an audience, instruct classes, lead our teams, and put together PowerPoint presentations. I have already asked to be included as a facilitator in the next courses. I love being in this part of my life. I feel like I can finally participate in things and take risks.

Well let’s finish up my Florida adventures. I did find some boutiques to visit and antique stores. I have to have at least one antique store to visit while I am out of town. It is a must! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

The first antique store that I visited was called the Antique Center on Alden Road. They don’t have a website so I could not link it, but it was the most beautifully curated store that I have ever seen in Florida! 

 

 

I had to stop and look at every corner and every detail. It was lovely and the owner was so kind. I wanted everything in the store. It was so good, and the items were such good quality. The prices were a bit high, but you can tell that this store carried quality items. 

 

 

I circled the store three times. I wanted to make sure that I did not miss anything. The owner did come from around the counter to talk with me. He took me to a space in the back where they had new inventory to price and place inside the store. He showed me this china set. I fell in LOVE with it! It was not priced yet and he had just purchased it from an estate sale from a widow who had recently passed way. Her home was worth $12 million dollars! This was one of her china teacup sets. It was from Tiffany & Company and was called the Audubon Limoges. I quickly looked it up and found this! So beautiful but so expensive! 

 

 

 

I purchased a vintage brooch from this store. When I left noticed that this little area had a few shops around it to visit. The next store that I went to was called Bamboo & Foo. It was a really pretty store. Lots of color and beautiful antiques as well. There was a nice couple there assisting and helping out. I purchased some vintage tassels for my ginger jars in my room.

 

 

Once I left that area, I found a clothing boutique store called The Primrose. It was a cute little boutique that sold clothing, baby items and home decor. I purchased this blue and white clutch from there. 

I had a nice “mom day” shopping around and looking at antiques. I needed a day away from the park. It was just too much for me. It’s amazing. We went to Florida in June, and it is August already. Goodness time is just flying by. Have a great week! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bathroom Decor Refresh

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Good Morning Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend! We just grilled and hung out with the kiddos. I did go to the fabric store to pick up some new fabric for my cane chair that I purchased on FBMP in March of 2024.  I hope to be dropping it off soon with the reupholster. I always look forward to his transformations when it comes to my furniture pieces and fabrics.  I am trying to plan a day to just stay home. I really need some “stay at home days”. I want to relax and get some things done around my home. I also just want to hang out alone and try to recharge.

I do have some exciting events this week. On Friday, I have a consultation with an organizing specialist from California Closets!  She will be coming by the house to look at my closet and hopefully the laundry room. I want to see what designs she can come up with to reconfigure my closet and laundry. 

I also have an influencer event. I will be sharing that next week. For the past few weeks, I have been working on a simple decor refresh for my master bathroom. I was inspired by my friend Nicole Blair’s bathroom revamp that she did for a client of hers in May. 

 

photos via: Nicole Blair Instagram 

 

Here are some screenshots of the bathroom refresh that Nicole did. I was so inspired by the wall of beautiful florals and art. I loved the small chandelier that she added in the space. I think it added the right about of elegance and luxury. This space for was an elderly woman and I tell you something changes in you when you update your spaces.

 

 

This was a screenshot of the video that Nicole posted. I fell in love with floral valances that she added to the window. I loved them so much that I went on the hunt and tried to find something similar. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Sorry I could not get a better photo of my new valances, but I found this blue and white chinoiserie inspired set on Amazon. They look so good in my bathroom. I originally had this green set of curtains up. They have been there since we moved in. I have tried multiple curtains for this space, but nothing seemed to work. It is exciting to have a curtain refresh after 12 years. The photo on the left is the first set of pictures that I purchased. I started building my wall of art in May. In this spot I had a giant print of a flower. I had that print for almost 20 years. I found these at HomeGoods but Amazon had a few here, here and here. 

 

 

 

As the weeks went by every time I went to HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx I would check their picture area and see if any new goodies appeared and I found vintage inspired photos and frames bit by bit. It was a process for sure. I wanted to make sure that each photo fit the section and blended well with the other photos. I added this starburst mirror in the middle. I bought that over 10 years ago and it has just been sitting in my decor bin. The landscape photo at the bottom was a T.J. Maxx find from a female artist. 

I then thought that a wall plate was needed so I search Etsy for one and found the blue and white platter for only $44! I found a small blue and white ginger jar at HomeGoods. The area was slowly coming together. 

 

 

 

 

Here is the final look. I may change the pink vintage photo. I do like how it ties in with the pink rose photo in the middle. I will be sharing a reel on my Instagram page if you want to take a peek. Honestly, I am glad that I did this. I needed a refresh in this bathroom. I thought about changing the wall color but I don’t know what I want yet so we will see. 

I hope this has provided some inspiration to all of you. Keep in mind it does not take much to add beauty to your life. It can come in small doses like this. Enjoy your week!

 

  • Affiliate links attached 

 

 

 

 

2025 Decorators’ Show House & Gardens

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Hello Friends,

The weather has been wonderful and I have been in my garden most of this week! My sweet peas are starting to come up as well as my hollyhocks. Fingers crossed that everything comes up beautifully this year. I do have to repurchase my parrot tulip bulbs. I don’t know what happened to them but the seem to vanish in my pot in my greenhouse! I think something ate them or took them out. It is very confusing. 

I am a little late posting this, but the show house has ended for this season. I was so busy. I was a director this year, so I barely had time to really enjoy it. There was a lot of running around and I a lot to learn this year. We had a great turnout, and I think everyone really enjoyed it!

 

 

photo credit: Haven Media 

 

This year’s house was called the Baxter home and had some incredible history. It is also owned by one of our lovely Guild members. The original Baxter family moved into the house in 1931. I loved the French Norman style design and the stone on the home. It was so pretty!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

The home was originally 4,400 square feet and now spans approximately 7,000 square feet. The photos above were a few snapshots of the living room that was designed by BWR Home. Designer Blake Richardson is known for his maximalist design and bold blending. I renamed this room the “Ralph Lauren Room” because of all of the equestrian inspiration. 

 

 

 

I feel in love with this painting above. It did not make it in the show house, but it was there while I was doing a house-sitting shift. Designer Todd Ottermann, created a beautiful wall of art in the entry way and second floor landing, and this piece is in his inventory. I think it is stunning! 

The room in the photo to the right was called the Golden Apple Cafe. It was designed by Greyhunt Interiors.  Sallie Lord was there in person discussing the room and I just really enjoyed meeting her and talking about wallpaper. She was trying to “fight for my honor”. My husband was there helping me with a house shift and Sallie was telling him that wallpaper is not all that bad. Thank you Sallie! 

 

 

This space was called the Hideaway, and it was designed by Catherine Marrano Interiors.  What I loved most about this room was well everything! This room was originally the laundry room, but Catherine turned it into a multipurpose space. She added the murphy bed which maximized the space and just look at the color of that wood! I loved the warm wood tones and the beautiful greens. It came together so well. 

 

 

 

The last space that I managed to get a photo of while running around was the called the Keeping Room. It was attached to the kitchen which had green colored Viking appliances. I loved the beautiful natural sisal rug and all of the cozy fabrics. I am now on the hunt for a sisal rug for my family room downstairs. I want to layer it with my blue and white rug. Both the keeping room and the kitchen were designed by MW Harris, LLC. 

We had lots of awesome sponsors this year and continue to raise money for Eskenazi Health. We also had some new decorators join the show house! This year marked the 64th year and we continue to be the longest running show house in the country. If you are local, I do hope that you will stop by next year and help us continue this tradition. If you want to take the virtual tour you can do so here.  Just double click on all of the spaces to move around. Enjoy the tour and let me know what your favorite room was in the comments section. 

 

  • I am a member of the St. Margaret’s Guild. 

 

 

 

 

Spring Garden Party – Providence Home

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Hello Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! I wanted to keep things simple and just have dinner and stay home.  My husband did get me this green cherry blossom ginger jar from Williams Sonoma. It has been on my list for a while now and I am enjoying it in my kitchen. I was busy with the show house last week. We had really big crowds and beautiful weather. I was one of the directors this year, so I was running around keeping an eye on everything and relieving the docents for breaks, but it was a lot of fun! I am already looking forward to seeing next year’s house and will share a few photos later of the 2025 show house. 

I am sharing a recent spring garden party that I attended a few weeks ago. It was actually hosted by one of our show house designers Judy Bates. Judy has an interior design company called JB Designs Interior Design and she focuses on clean, classic, and comfort. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The event was held at a store called Providence Home & Garden located in Noblesville. This store is a home decor store that offers a cafe shop as well. It was beautifully decorated, welcoming, and smelled wonderful! 

 

 

This first event was a mini cocktail workshop with a complimentary cocktail to sample. I am not a cocktail person but have grown to become interested in it since the kids are getting older. The company that taught this portion was called MixoIndy. They are a local company that teaches in person classes, and they provide everything. I cannot remember that name or ingredients for this drink, but it was so delicious! 

 

 

The next event was table setting and Judy took the lead in this portion. She talked about the furniture, china or dishes, napkins and floral arrangements for table settings. We looked at one of her table settings for indoors and outdoors. There were lots of laughs and down-to-earth conversations about how one could live with beautiful items which I am always discussing here on the blog. We went outside to look at one of her outdoor table settings and to hear her ideas. One of them was to use a blanket as a table cover for the outdoors. GREAT IDEA especially for the summer!  

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Once Judy finished discussing her table settings we went inside to shop with our discounts and gather some flower arrangements outside the store. Overall, it was a fabulous experience, and I am so glad that I attended. It gave me an opportunity to talk with Judy, visit a new store, try a cocktail, and learn a few tips and tricks about dining and making drinks. If you are here locally, I would encourage you to visit Providence Home and Garden in Noblesville. If you love home decor and are looking for different places to then drive up there. It’s a beautiful store with a wonderful staff. Also if you are looking for someone to help you decorate your home or your elderly parents’ space then contact Judy Bates. She is adding that new feature to her company which is helping family with life transitions. 

 

I will be sharing a reel of this event on my Instagram page here. 

  • This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

 

 

Story by Tiffany Skilling~ A New Store

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Good Morning,

I’ve been a busy little elf. This week I am filming a video in my home with Dr. Minju Witte! I have been keeping it under wraps because I needed to work out the details but now, I can share it! We will be discussing the questions from you and then just letting our conversation have some freedom! I look forward to sharing the video soon!

In my April newsletter I shared that I had lots of “elegant adventures” scheduled in the upcoming weeks ahead. This is one of my adventures from April. I visited the beautiful new store of one of my favorite interior designers here in my city Tiffany Skilling. 

Her new store is called Story….

 

 

Her gorgeous new store is located just across the street from her interior design firm. I have been to her firm before to shop but love the idea of her having a second location! I decided to go for a visit after my floral prep volunteer shift at Random Acts of Flowers. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

Walking into the store I gasped, and I mean I had a big GASP! It was so beautiful and so layered. That is one thing that I think Tiffany and her team do well is layering. There were antiques in every corner. There was china, crystal, chandeliers, solid wood furniture pieces and vintage rugs. 

 

 

I mean seriously! This was an elegant dream! The beautiful vintage garden stools, wonderous trinkets, oil paintings, and can we talk about the wallpaper!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The lovely sales associate told me that it was Schumacher. Of course it is. Look at how beautiful that is! And just look at that stunning vintage mirror. 

 

 

I then began walking about the tables investigating all of the details until I noticed a heavenly scent in the air. I looked on the bookshelf and they had this beautiful collection of botanical candles called Carriere Freres 1884. I could not resist so I went over to smell all of the scents and had a very hard time not buying all of them. In the end I ended up choosing Lily of the Valley and Tomato. I was told that the tomato scent is one of their most popular scents and I can see why. The notes in it are so good and it does not smell like a vegetable candle. It is quite lovely. Now not only do we have a gift for the eyes, touch, and now there was a scent. The store is a gift to the senses! 

 

There was also wrapping paper that looked like wallpaper. Each table had a charming table setting with different plates, napkins and glassware. There were also trinkets and paintings. I was in love with the pink blush bench that was position at this table and just look at the spectacular chandelier! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The store felt so cozy, warm, inviting and elegant. The way interior design should be. You can tell that everything was carefully curated and thought out. I believe that beauty is a way of living and as I get older that belief is becoming stronger in every element of my life. Life is so interesting to me now. Since my mind and heart want beauty it seems to come to me in every way. Even visiting stores like this bring fulfillment to my soul. If you live in Indy and love design, you should visit Tiffany’s store. As I said before, it is a gift to the senses. Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day! 

 

  • This post is not sponsored.