Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

Blue and White Dinnerware

Blue and white dinnerware has been on my brain since I first saw it on the Enchanted Home. Then one of the women I follow on Youtube did a video on her entire Spode collection of blue and white dinnerware. Once I saw that I was hooked!

I take a trip to the flea market every Friday after work. I have had my eye out on a few things. This past Friday I found some blue and white plates. I went home without purchasing them that night and could not stop thinking about them. So Saturday morning I got up and took my daughter with me. I was going to go back and get those plates!

Luckily they were still there. Yeah me! I have used them already and I love them. The look of blue and white decor is so sophisticated and chic! For me it takes you back in time. The texture and the colors just go so well together. There is a richness to the combination.

Below are some photos of my plates that I purchased at the flea market. Also, there is the Youtube video from Trina Leavers. She has a fantastic blue and white Spode collection! Lastly, visit the Enchanted Home website. It is utterly beautiful! Enjoy!

My table set for dinner


My plates; I purchased 4 for $4.99 each!



They are called the Currier & Ives “Harvest” collection. 
The are made in England 



Peonies in vases; just gorgeous!



The Enchanted Home




Michelle Nussbaumer, interior designer



(Click on the link to watch the video)
(all photos from Pinterest and myself)

Comfy Outdoor Porches

I don’t know about you but this past winter has been the worse I have ever seen! I HATED Indiana from November until really about now! This winter just seem to drag for everyone! So now for the last few weeks, I have been on my porch just sitting and enjoying the weather and the scenery.



This is our first full year in our new home. We built it from the ground up last year and closed in July. So I really didn’t have much of a spring. But this year oh I have enjoyed it! I love my new home and the porch! My last home didn’t have a porch. I had to sit in the garage to watch my daughter ride her bike up and down the street. So when picking out the options for our home having a porch was at the top of my list!


My porch decor is really simple. I have some second-hand furniture that I received from my mother in law. It was red but my husband’s friend painted it black for us. I love it!! It goes well with the house. I have a few plants and I just purchased some pillows from my favorite flea market (see here about the flea market).

I think the plants and the pillows help my porch to feel more inviting. I would like to add some peony bushes, lavender, lilies, and maybe some hydrangeas in the near future but for right now I am just enjoying the fact that I even have a porch! So below are some photos of my simple porch and also is a Youtube video from Martha Stewart Lily Pond Garden and Porch tour.  Lastly, Southern Living has a porch club! Just click here to watch the video and visit the website. Enjoy!




My porch; very simple and we have our wandering jew plants hanging above. 

I planted these last month and I love them!



I love hanging plants. They always look so pretty on the stands. 



I love the way the pillows look on the chairs. Looks very inviting. 




My pillows up close. I only paid $5 each for them!

I planted these last year. I only had one now I have four new ones!
My plants




I am just sitting on my porch enjoying a glass of wine. 



Lets enjoy a Lily Pond Garden tour!! – YouTube

(click on the link to watch the video)
(photos are Mrs. Shockey)

My Second Hand Finds

As most of you know I am a thrift store shopper! I grew up shopping at thrift stores with my grandmother so it’s in my blood! I love going to Goodwill, flea markets and garage sales. My home is full of great finds that I have purchased over the years.

I started shopping at antique stores a few years ago. I simply love going and looking at all the items and the decor. Thrift store shopping has become an essential part of being a good homemaker for me. My husband even appreciates the time and effort I put into making our home lovely. I love cleaning and organizing. You can see my blog post here about home-keeping.

Sometimes I even hear him tell a visitor where I purchased an item. One thing I wish I had more of is passed down family heirlooms. I have nothing from either one of my grandmothers so starting this heritage for my daughter has been rather important to me.

Along with decorating I also love having my home smell divine. I love when people walk in and say how good my home smells. If you wish to know what I use to keep my home smelling great please read my blog entry about home scents here. 


My favorite second hand places to shop are the Goodwill, Value World and the Beech Grove Emporium. See my blog entry here about the emporium and my blog entry here about my Goodwill shopping.

Now below I am going to give a tour of my “Sitting Room” in my home. I do enjoy using this room. It’s a great place to host my girlfriends when they come over for a little chat and maybe some tea. I hope you enjoy looking at my finds just as much as I do. Enjoy!

I found this leopard cloth at the Beech Grove Emporium for only $7.99. The shag pillow
I found at Garden Ridge for $12.99. 
I am a huge Martha Stewart fan. So whenever I see her books at the flea markets I buy them.
I purchased these at the Half Price Bookstore. Fantastic right? I love my Jane Seymour “Making Yourself at Home” book. It was a great Ebay purchase. 



More Martha Stewart books 

And more Martha Stewart books. I purchased these for $1!



I have some of my books sitting on my brown trunk. I love this trunk! It reminds me of a Louis youknowwhat. But in time I believe that I will be able to purchase one of those trunks!



I found these plates at Value World. I only paid $2.50 each!



I love my gigantic floral arrangement. I actually purchased this from my mother-in -law’s friend. She was downsizing and needed to get rid of some things. She sold it to me for only $10! But it originally had these ugly green and gold roses. I pulled all of those out and replaced them with flowers I love. 



I purchased this antique pitcher and bowl from the Goodwill store. The price was only $25 but on that day everything was 50% off! So I paid half!


These Royal Albert cups were purchased at the Emporium for only $5 each! There other large tea cup was purchased from the Manor House antique store but it closed its doors last year! Sad face! The angel statute was a gift from my husband years ago. 



The goblets were a gift from my mother-in-law. My pink and white cherry blossom tea set was a birthday gift from my husband from the Teavana store.  The other tea cups were purchased from the Emporium. I will pass down these items to my daughter.



This floral wall decor was purchased at the Old Time Pottery Barn. I thought it was splendid!



This table was purchased at a garage sale from my neighbor for $5. The other table items were purchased from T.J Maxx



Okay, I had to have a chandelier. I love it! I purchased it from Lowe’s. 



This lovely mirror picture was purchased from Hobby Lobby. 



All of my pillows were purchased from T.J. Maxx and the Goodwill. 



Oh gosh! I found this fantastic tapestry at the Emporium for $16!



My bamboo table I found at the Manor House for $29. My tray and pineapple are from Marshal’s. 



Overview of the room
Another view from the stairs. 




I just recently found this beautiful vintage lamp at the antique store for $25! 
I wish I knew what the year of it was. 



I found this gorgeous wing back chair from the Goodwill for $40.
It is in great condition. What a find!




This is my chair in my office. My husband purchased this for me at a garage sale!




Here is another view of the room. 




I found this lamps at the Goodwill store for $3.99 & $5.99!



I purchased these window panels from the flea market. 
I loved the fabric that was added to them. I paid $20 for both!



I don’t know where to put them yet so I just sat them on the nightstand in our bedroom. 



I have been inspired by the Enchanted Home blog. 
The blue and white looks so classic!



I will be redecorating my family room and kitchen with the blue and white decor. 



This was a great find. I found this at the antique store. The Royal Albert Old Country
Roses plate and tea set! I was so excited when I saw it! 



Now if you need some ideas on how to decorate your space then read my blog entry about ideas here.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Crate & Barrel- Store Tour

Crate & Barrel has some of the best home decor and accessories. I love going and looking inside the store. It is always decorated beautifully and the prices are affordable.

Crate & Barrel offers a variety of “upmarket” housewares, furniture and related merchandise. Items are displayed in the “vignette” style which means items are grouped together as they might appear in a home. Crate & Barrel has two sister stores. CB2 is a home furnishings division geared toward young adults and The Land of Nod sells home furnishings and gifts for children.

It is a great place to shop for items to update your home. So take a look at my photos from our store at the Keystone at the Crossing mall. Enjoy!

This was the entry. So gorgeous! I purchased some of the
blue hydrangeas. 

Elegant glasses for $2.95 each!

Dining decor

The silverware was great too. I purchased some forks. 

Bright bedding 

More decor and the stairs to the second level. 

I really liked this chair. 

Office furniture 

Outdoor furniture, I would love to have this for our backyard!

The Beech Grove Emporium

The Beech Grove Emporium is a wonderful flea market store located on the south-side of Indianapolis. I took a visit there last week to see what treasures I could find. I was on the lookout for blue and white dishes and ginger jars. I looked at a few kitchen dishes, pots, pans and cake domes.

There is one woman in particular whose booths I am just smitten with! I don’t know her name but I know her booth numbers. Well, this week she was there. It was great talking with her and looking at all of her wonderful vintage items.

I purchased a few things from her booth. If you are in Beech Grove you should visit the Emporium. It is one of the nicest flea markets I have seen! Below are some photos from my favorite booth and my great purchases. Enjoy!

The Beech Grove Emporium, located at 3535 South Emerson Ave., Beech Grove, IN 46107


This round vintage table was great! Only $29.99!


These dishes were just lovely. They would be a great family heirloom.
My mother in law just adored these. The entire 55 piece set was only $69!
The cupboard was also for sale. 


I so wanted this cake dome. It had a great vintage look and was very heavy.
It was only $24.99!


Homemade vintage aprons. Only $5 each!



More vintage knick-knacks. The silver plated teapot was gorgeous!


Vintage perfume bottles 

These are some items from my favorite booth (#1125)! I loved the vintage painting
the pretty Royal Albert tea cups and saucers and the plates. 


This was a neat find in my favorite booth. A picture made of glass. 



Great vintage linens and pillows from booth #1125! Only $5-$20!


I purchased the Royal Albert tea cups & saucers. I paid $15 for all 3!


I also purchased 6 vintage linen napkins for $4!


I also could not pass up the vintage oil painting. She wanted $39 but let me pay only $25!
I was ecstatic!


The painting is by Frances W. Rogers (I think) and it was painted in 1983!




Office Inspiration

I work a 9 to 5 job and sometimes just staring at my computer all day just drains me! So I bring in fresh flowers and a few decor pieces to brighten up my day!  I also have a fragrance bulb from Bath and Body Works so my area smells great also!  I figured I am here 8 hours a day I should have things around that I enjoy!

I have an office at home also. Home is where I am more inspired. So I just have a few pieces here also. Below are some photos of my offices and also photos of other offices. Let them inspire you to bring in some decor pieces of your own. Even if you have just a cubicle. I think your space should reflect you and you should make it a joy to be there. So take a look at these photos below and check out my Rooms that Inspire board on Pinterest. 

Photo by OhTilly on Unsplash

My desk at home. I love my little decor eggs. They
are music boxes that I purchased at T.J. Maxx over 10 years ago.




My desk at home 





Always have inspiring computer wallpaper. This is Tory Burch at her office. 





(photos via Mrs. Shockley)
 

Decorating with Vintage Pieces

I always take advantage of those moments when you are standing in line at the grocery check-out to look at and catch up on decor and fashion magazines. The magazine that caught my eye this time was the Special Collector’s Edition of Southern Living.

On the front, it had “Style Guide: which was like lights to me! I picked it up and immediately became captivated by all the ideas and instructions on how to decorate a room. So far this is the best decor magazine I have purchased this season. The magazine really focused on collecting and how to decorate with antiques.

I have been trying to learn more about antiques and how to train my eye for good finds. One thing that you will learn about my style of decorating is that I am not “matchy, matchy”. I love putting different pieces into a room to pull it all together. That is the fun part of decorating.

The one item that caught my eye in this book was the idea of taking vintage champagne buckets and trophies and using them for flower arrangements. One of the blogs, I follow called Simply Put Vintage put this idea to use.

I thought how creative! You can collect vintage silver pieces and use them to put gorgeous fresh flowers in? Fantastic! I’m in! So I searched eBay for a champagne bucket that I liked and purchased one! I love it!

 I went to the grocery store and purchased a few bouquets of flowers and Voila! Take a look below and search eBay for your vintage bucket or trophies.  Also, watch the video by One Kings Lane with decorating queen Bunny Williams and train your eye for vintage finds!





The vintage champagne bucket that I purchased from eBay for $35.





Simply Put Vintage 



Train Your Eye for Great Finds with Bunny Williams – YouTub