Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

A Wardrobe Idea…

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Good Morning,

Goodness gracious! It has been so cold here in Indy. We got down to negative temperatures! Burrrr! I sure do miss my morning walks, but it has been much to cold outside! I am still getting over a cold and trying to learn to listen to my body. So going for a walk in cold temperatures is not ideal. 

My organizational projects are still going on in my home. I have so many ideas on how to transform my spaces, but my husband is not on board with some of them. I really want to paint my cabinets, but he does not. I am trying to come up with other ways to brighten up my kitchen so we will see.

I recently had an idea about my closet space. I shared this on my recent YouTube video which I will post below. So I am trying to use my space more properly and the last thing that I realized was I need an area to hang my daily outfit. I had a hook in my closet on the wall, but I was hanging my robes on it, and I realized that this was not working. So I moved my robes to the back of my closet door and decided to purchase a vintage door knock as a hanger for my daily outfit. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

What I ended up finding was this gorgeous vintage key hook from an Etsy shop called BespokeOnBrookline. Now she only had one which is another reason why I purchased it right away!

It looks so classic on my wall! As soon as I opened the package, I squealed a little. I just loved the way it looked and it was the perfect size. 

 

 

After hanging it in my closet I thought one of my pictures in my storage closet could look wonderful in the space as well. So I hung this photo with lots of names of flowers called “Summer” above the hook and I could not love it more. The gold frame and the gold key hook practically match one another. 

 

 

I share a small video of the hook on my YouTube channel and I found a few on Etsy. You can view one here, here, here, and here. I hope you all have wonderful weekend! I am hoping to get some blog posts done, finish organizing and decorating my home. I actually just hung some of my vintage plates in my closet and family room. I will share those soon! 

 

 

 

My Visit to the RH Indianapolis

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Good Morning Everyone,

“Taking a deep breath”…. let 2024 begin! I still don’t have my word for the year, but I think it will come to me very soon. I will not rush it. I know that I want to work on my schedule this year and try not to be so busy. That is at the top of my list. Organization is still at the top of my list as well. I have already started with a few small things.

I am hoping that more “elegant adventures” will be coming down the pipe this year. I visited a lot of beautiful places in 2023. I hope that the Lord will allow me to see more beautiful things. I do have an upcoming work trip to Viriginia in July. I am looking forward to that. I hope to slide in a historical home tour and maybe some antique shopping before I began my busy week there. 

My husband and I recently got to visit the former estate of philanthropist Christel DeHaan. No one was sure what was going to happen to this beautiful Palladian inspired villa, but I am happy to report that RH has taken over and I could not be happier!

 

photo credit: RH.com

I still can’t believe that this estate is here! The rumor is Ms. DeHaan lived her with just her staff. If that is true, that is incredible! This property is about 42,00 square feet. It is so big! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

This was me and my husband approaching the property from the somewhat long drive to it. This house was located pretty far from the busy street on Michigan. I hope you got to see my reel on Instagram about it. 

 

 

Valet parking is available, but we decided to park the car ourselves and walk up to this beautiful villa. 

 

 

 

Walking in we were greeted by a wonderful team of hostess. They provided all the information we need to guide ourselves through the 42k square feet and helped us with drinks and reservations!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I was trying to listen to the hostess as she was explaining everything but I could not take my eyes off of the entryway. I loved the antique inspired statutes and marble floor. I just kept thinking is this original to the home or no?

 

 

These gilded mirrors… oh my!

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

These hallways. For just a short moment I pretended that I lived here. I looked to my right and pretended that my English garden of roses was there and that I was on my way to my room for a cup of tea.

 

 

Of course, I could not resist talking a selfie in these gorgeous, gilded mirrors! I was very comfortable and felt put together. If you like my faux fur scarf you can shop a similar one here. My wrap you can find a similar one here, my shoes are from Ann Taylor (last season) and my tote is the On the Go by Louis Vuitton. 

 

 

Each room was decorated with simplicity but lots of elegance. 

 

 

My husband and I wanted to try a drink and decided to get the RH bellini with peach puree and prosecco. It was marvelous! So good!

 

 

Walking around the gallery….

 

 

Another elegant bedroom 

 

 

After walking around we sat down for our dinner reservations. I got the rotisserie chicken salad with butter lettuce, lemon and, chives. The taste was really good but I wanted a few more veggies in my salad. I LOVED the sweet potato fries with the rosemary aioli. So good! My husband got the filet with truffle fries. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

We had a really wonderful time and plan to return in the spring. We want to venture outside a little more and see the gardens in bloom in the spring. If you live in Indy I would encourage you to go and see the property! It is truly a dream. I know that some of my friends from the Guild want to go for a visit so I might be returning with them. 

Have a wonderful day!

 

 

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Toile for Me

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Hello Friends,

All of my luncheons and office holiday festivities are complete. I took a deep breath yesterday. I was so happy that everything was done. Now I can relax a little and prepare for Christmas and Christmas Eve dinner. I really need to catch up with some blog and boutique work and next week. I will be taking a few days and hope to do just that. I also want to have a day to just sit, read, and watch some home tours on YouTube.  That would be wonderful. I am also trying to find a vision board. I think having one in my personal office would be great! I saw a beautiful one that Lydia Millien had on her channel and I cannot for the life of me remember which video that was, but I am now in the hunt!

One new decor item that I have added to personal my office is the Harlem Toile from Sheila Bridges. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I shared this new collection on the blog in October. I shared a few pieces that really caught my eye, and I knew that I wanted to order them. One of those pieces was this teacup and saucer from Wedgwood. I loved the “vanity” scene, and the colors reminded me of Laudree. I use this teacup and saucer set every weekend! It’s marvelous! 

 

 

The next item that I ordered was this pillow cover made of 100% silk and hand stitched. I only ordered one and thought that the black was a great contrasting color to my sage green settee. 

 

 

The third item that came in that order was this set of old-fashioned glasses. I saw Sheila put peonies in these glasses in one of the reels! What a brilliant idea! I loved it and had to try it. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

And the last item that I ordered was the L’or de Seraphine Morningside Park candle.  I absolutely loved the colors! It also has my favorite scene “vanity” and I could not resist ordering it. I think that this will be something in the future that one will not be able to find. Once the candle is finished burning it will be a wonderful work of art. I can use it to store pens, put flowers in, and the ideas will be endless. The candle is light floral scent. Very feminine and subtle. These little decor items are great additions to my home decor and have blended beautifully in my home. 

I hope you all have finished your Christmas shopping and are ready for the holiday season. Lauren and I will be attending the Indianapolis Ballet this weekend for our holiday tradition of seeing the Nutcracker. I just hope our seats are good. Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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Thanksgiving ~ 2023

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Good Afternoon,

It’s the day after Thanksgiving and ours went very well this year. We just kept things simple and spent time with our kids and their girlfriends. I just wanted to catch up with them and see them. That was enough for me this year. 

It did take me a few days to figure out a table setting theme. I shared that I wanted a vintage inspired Christmas, and I wanted the same for Thanksgiving. Last weekend I went and got a pedicure at Woodhouse Spa and it was wonderful! I had a new girl, and she actually gave me a warm eucalyptus wrap for my neck. I so enjoyed it. While enjoying my pedicure, I decided to read the latest Victoria magazine to get some inspiration. 

After leaving the spa I headed to Midland antiques to look around for vintage decor. They had lots of beautiful items that day, but I did not want to spend too much. I did find a beautiful table runner which inspired this year’s look….

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The green table runner in the middle was what I purchased from Midlands this year. I decided to layer some tablecloths at different sizes to see what I would end up with. 

 

 

I just loved all of the textures, different shades of green, and different designs. I pulled out all of my usual Christmas decor but decided to add a garland with this year’s design. 

 

 

I could not forget to add blue and white, and I had the idea of adding my swans from the Cake Bake Shop! I think that they fit perfectly into this year tablescape. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

For flowers this year I decided to get potted ones. I wanted flowers that would last a little longer and I wanted something a little different. So, I found these small white and pink roses that were potted plants and I decided to place them in my smaller vases. They turned out so well. I pulled out my Spode Woodland plates and everything just came together. 

I really enjoyed Thanksgiving this year and look forward to spending time with family in the weeks ahead. I have already started my Black Friday Cybershopping and wanted to share that the boutique is having its sale as well! 

 

(Watch Instagram story here) 

 

Use code BLKFRIDAY23 for 20% off your entire order! That includes new arrivals! Order the Belle Rose Maxi for your upcoming parties or a pair of the blush Cameo earrings which will be under $20 if you use the code! Don’t forget about the Charlotte Velvet Midi which is a plus size dress. I only have 3 left (two in 1x and one 2x). Enjoy! 

 

 

 

My Christmas Decor Inspiration

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Good Morning,

Thanksgiving is next week… all I can say is wow! So far I am ready. I have a few more things to get for dinner but other than that we are ready. My house is completed decorated for the holidays. I am going to try to go and get more velvet ribbon and vintage ornaments so stay tuned.

My inspiration for this year is the photo below. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I saw this photo in the Victoria Magazine 2023 calendar. Once I saw it, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some of the details of this photo into my own Christmas decor. Then I found the vintage ornaments that you see in the corner of the photo at the antique store and knew that they were a perfect fit for our tree.

 

 

I love how our family tree turned out.  I am so glad that I got these vintage ribbons last year. It makes me want more of them so the hunt continues. You can see our Mouse King from the Nutcracker and many other vintage ornaments that I have found over the years.

 

 

I am so pleased with my white tree this year. I scaled it back a lot. I threw out a lot of ornaments that just didn’t suite it well nor me. I tied velvet ribbon on some of the branches and added my ornaments from the Enchanted Home. My tree urn is so wonderful! I am so glad that I ordered it. I loved gathering some of my blue and white vases along with my Santa and nutcrackers from the At Home Store. I think it looks lovely. 

 

 

This is something new. I moved this photo here because I felt like this spot needed something more. I also liked the fact that my bar cart was under it, so I decided to decorate everything on the cart this year. I loved the way it turned out. I added some champagne buckets and filled them with faux poinsettias, pine, pink roses, and green hydrangeas. Adding the garland around the artwork was a nice touch I believe. Seeing my sitting room in the distance made me smile. 

I hope this provided some inspiration for you. I hope you all enjoy your weekend! 

 

Harlem Toile ~ A New Collection

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Good Morning Friends,

It is Friday and yes I am happy. I know one thing for sure.  I am going to Crumbl Cookie to get some cookies! I have literally been thinking about these all week. I can’t wait. 

On Tuesday I volunteered at the Indiana Women’s Conference. It was my first time going and I had a great time. I got lots of free books from our speakers. It was a great event. I have to say that my favorite speaker was Neha Sangwa, M.D. Her speech on “burnout” was phenomenal and just what I needed. I can’t wait to dive into her new book Powered by Me: From Burnout to Fully Charged.

This weekend we have our “Before Tour” for the St. Margaret’s Guild. We get to tour the home before the interior designers come in and start decorating and transforming the home. I look forward to seeing their designs come to life. 

Speaking of interior designers does anyone know Sheila Bridges? Her new design called Harlem toile appeared in my feed and I am in love, truly I am! It is beautiful and honestly, I have always wondered if I could find toile in an image more like myself and Shelia delivered!

photo credit: Williams Sonoma

I love this new collection. You find it on Williams Sonoma. I love these pillow covers and throw. They are hand stitched and made of 100% silk. Just beautiful!

 

The bar collection is made of mouth blown glass and has hand-painted gold rims. I ordered the old fashioned glasses. I plan on uses these as vases for flower arrangements. The cocktails napkins are another fun feature and conversation starter. 

 

photo credit: Lor de’ Seraphine 

I also found out about her candle collection at Lor de’ Seraphine. This is called the Morningside Park Candle, and the notes are lemon peel, gardenia, violet and pear. I love the scene on this particular candle. It is called vanity, and it looks like a family helping each other get dressed for an event. The colors are perfect, and I can just see this as a pen holder on my desk once I finish using it. So of course, I ordered it because it keeps selling out and I have a feeling that this collection will be sought after once it’s gone. 

photo credit: Wedgwood.com

 

And lastly is her china collection with Wedgwood. Inspiration was taken from Sheila’s Harlem toile collection and Jasperware to come up with this gorgeous and truly one-of-a-kind collection. I had to order this one! I just adore the vanity scene. 

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this collection. Have a great weekend!

 

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Autumn Blue and White

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Good Morning Everyone,

My branding project is still underway. I have been slowing changing and playing around with my new logo and other new branding tools that my brand manager has sent me. It has been truly inspiring seeing my vision for a more elegant logo and signage for my blog and boutique come to pass. I am hoping that this is a sign of things to come. 

I had a lot of fun creating a reel for the boutique’s new arrival. My husband helped me with filming. I want to create more reels but they are a lot of work! Especially if you have a certain vision in mind and don’t want to mimic with other people are doing which can be very hard because there are so many creative people online. 

We are now in the full swing of the autumn season, and I have found myself a little too busy to decorate! Well, I will be honest the items that I really want are far too expensive. I follow Belle Omniley on Instagram and find her holiday style so inspiring! She recently posted the photo below and I knew that this would be the inspiration for my porch!

 

photo credit: Belle Omniley (Instagram)

 

Oh my goodness! Do we see the color palette? Do we see the blue and white ginger jars? Oh my goodness! As soon I saw the ginger jars I wanted to pull mine out and place them on the porch immediately! It’s just gorgeous!

 

 

So happy that she shared an up-close photo. I have this photo saved in my phone. I have already purchased 3 huge mums but they died already! I am seriously considering getting some faux mums! I found these faux green topiary balls on Amazon and I think that they would look great in my blue and white planters. They look really similar to her green mums in this photo. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I did find these beautiful blue and white pumpkins at the At Home store last year at the end of the autumn season. I don’t think that they are available anymore, but I have these placed in our family room. 

 

I pulled my fabric blue and white pumpkins out this year. I love these and they were such a good find! Of course, they are from the At Home Store, but they are no longer available. You can see my skeleton Frank who is sitting in his chair for this Halloween season. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I did purchase a new magnolia wreath for my porch. It looks beautiful! If I am able to find some new mums or purchase some faux topiary I will be sure to share a new photo! Happy Autumn!

 

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