Home Updates, Accessories & Tours

Hanging Plates ~

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Good Morning,

The weather has been soo good! I just wish the humidity would stay away. I am looking forward to the weekend. I will be attending an outdoor antique fair on Saturday. This will be my first time going and I am hoping to find a blue and white chair or a floral arm chair for my downtown office. Wish me luck! 

Speaking of new things, I remember some years ago I watched a video from Martha Stewart about hanging plates and ever since I saw that video I knew that I wanted to try it some day. I could never find any plate wall hangers and I couldn’t really afford to buy a bunch of plates and honestly had no inspiration. But now with Pinterest, bloggers, and Instagram the inspiration is just over flowing. I went antiquing a few weeks ago and found this platter below…..

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I paid about $35 for it. It’s quite large and the colors were perfect for my home decor. I loved the blue, white, and gold. It has beautiful details and the size… I could not pass it up. 

 

 

I searched Amazon and found this super plate hanger for large platters. There are so many options but I wanted something that I knew would fit my platter and this was a perfect fit! It comes in a pack of two and the price was outstanding as well. 

 

 

I decided to hang it in our bedroom next to our mirror. Now I don’t have a platter on the other side and it might look unbalanced but I love the platter here. For some reason it just looks so good to me here. I may move it down the road but for now I am loving it in this spot. 

Please let me know in the comments section below if you have plates hanging on your wall in your home. Oh and I wanted to let everyone know that the boutique will have a new arrival soon! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

My Small Backyard Oasis

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Good Morning,

I am back from Chicago and I had a great time! I met a lot of wonderful and beautiful people. Everyone was so nice and I am so glad that I took the time to go and network. I am not sure where it will lead but we will see. Sometimes taking small steps can lead to bigger ones. I will be sure to share my adventure soon! 

A few weeks ago I shared on my Instagram account a photo of me setting up for our Memorial Day grill with our kids. It turned out to be a great day and everyone enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised at how pretty my little oasis turned out to be. I have been wanting an outdoor area to eat meals and read. But with two dogs, now one, it has been hard to take an interest in my backyard. It is used primarily by our dog and it has been really hard trying to figure out what we can do since it’s his bathroom basically. 

I am hoping that in the near future we can create a concrete area for me to be able to set up furniture and have some big blue and white planters. But for now this little area worked out just fine. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I wasn’t sure how my umbrella would look with my table. I ordered it last year from Amazon and I am so glad that I did. I also ordered an umbrella anchor so that I can take it with me when we have beach adventures! 

 

 

The table cloth I found at the Goodwill ages ago! I only paid a few dollars for it. I did have to cut a slint in the middle in order to use it for my table. I really don’t mind. I have not used this cloth for anything and I am glad that I finally can. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The beautiful peonies are from of course JP Parker, and the blue and white ginger jar/vase was a Mother’s Day gift from my step-son and his girlfriend. Well done right?

 

 

The first day that I set it up it was early in the morning and I would not wait to get out there and have my breakfast and plan my week! It was so nice. 

 

 

It was a nice change of scenery, and the weather was perfect. I sat out there for hours. My husband could not help himself. He came out and joined me as well. 

 

 

 

I had to pull out some dishes and play around with it for a while. I decided on using my Aerin Lauder plates from Williams Sonoma. They are currently sold out but I did find these on sale that are similar. They were a perfect match with my green goblet glasses from my mother in law. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I also set up a little sitting area. This bench rocks back and forth and was quite cozy after I added the cloth and outdoor pillows. I could not resist putting my blue and white planter back here as well. We grabbed a few more chairs and everyone was able to find a place to sit and talk. It turned out well. I hope this post inspires you to use whatever you have. This outdoor furniture that we have is old and needs to be repainted but with a few lovely linens and pillows it gave the furniture a fresh look. 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.

 

 

 

 

Tulipiere ~ Do you own one?

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Good Morning,

By the time you read this I will be in the road headed to Chicago for the Sarah Flint Brand Ambassador meet-up! I am so excited! I am hoping for a good turn out and a wonderful opportunity to network and meet new people! I will be sure to share my adventure once I return. 

Now on to a recent beautiful find…

Do any of you own a tulipiere? I have seen numerous versions of these and for the most part they are quite hideous. I haven’t seen one that I really love until Katherine from Peony & Pender shared this one on her Instagram feed.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love it! It is called the Artichoke Tulipere and it is stunning! It looks wonderful with the white tulips on top of my antique cabinet. Now it is sold out on her website but I found it on Wayfair. They also have it in a light blue and white. 

I do want to share this video of P. Allen Smith from Youtube sharing his tulipiere. This was the first time I had seen one. 

 

 

Isn’t his beautiful? Wayfair does have his version in white as well. Let me know in the comments section below if you own one. I would love to know how you use it! Have a great Monday!

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Peony Season ~ 2022

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Good Morning,

I spent a nice quiet weekend at home. I was really tired. I think all of the running around from the last two weekends kind of wore me out. On Saturday I started my day early and went grocery shopping then spent most of the day at home doing a few house chores and then sitting on the porch and reading!!! Oh I loved it! 

While I read I went and put my favorite dessert in the oven, a berry tart. I then put it on my favorite blue and white plate and took it outside to enjoy on the porch. It was a nice afternoon. On Sunday I finished laundry and watched the Schmacher1889 channel on Youtube. 

On Friday I did walk to Whole Foods to look around. I forgot that once the weather breaks I normally take a stroll there once a week during my lunch break. I got some more peonies and I found white tulips for my tulipiere!  I will do a separate post sharing that later. Now let me share my beautiful peonies for this season!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I still can’t get over how beautiful these were! This was my first peony bouquet of the 2022 season. I purchased these at JP Parker of course. The corals are my favorite. They don’t smell as wonderful as the pink and white ones but they are still expectational!

 

 

This bouquet was actually from my front yard garden! My peonies did so well this year! My husband and I kept going to smell them every day. They were truly wonderful! 

 

 

My husband said that we should plant more in the backyard! I am totally on board with that but we still need to get some other things done back there before we plant. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

These are my white ones. They bloomed first and where the most fragrant. I don’t remember what they were called. I think we have the peony called “bride’s dream”. I remember it being something like that.  I took some to my office the first chance I got. 

 

 

These are also from my garden. I still can’t believe that these were mine! Each year they get bigger and I get more of them. I hope it continues to grow.

 

 

photo credit: L. Shockley 

I don’t remember if I mentioned this already but while we were at the peony festival I got to meet Mrs. JP Parker herself. She was incredibly nice and enduring. I have to give credit to my husband for walking around and talking with people. He networks pretty well. Because of that I got to meet her and her husband and I told her how much I loved the flowers and the company. She then gave me 10 free peonies! I went to pick them up and they were stunning! Just look at them!

 

 

My house has been so beautiful and so fragrant these last few weeks. Each morning that I came down to go out and do my walk I would just stare at them. It’s the small beautiful things in life that make it wonderful! Enjoy your homes!

 

 

 

 

A New Antique Piece

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Good Morning,

Happy Memorial Day! Did you miss me? I am having the worst computer troubles. I did a computer update almost two weeks ago and my computer just crashed! I still don’t know what happened and I am still working out the issues. I just knew that I was not ready to buy a new computer. We purchased this desktop that I have in 2017 and I am not ready to let it go yet! I hate buying electronics. I was already having issues with my new phone. It seems to be one thing after another.

So my husband took my computer to the gentleman who created my website and he reset my computer. So fingers crossed that everything is okay!

I did have an incredible weekend about a week ago. If you follow me on Instagram then you would have seen that I went to the peony festival here in my city! We had a wonderful time. I will share photos later. I also submitted our passport applications!!! I am so excited. I told my husband I am going to Italy one way or another!  It won’t be for a year or two but I am working on it!  

Now I have been waiting to share my new chain cabinet.

 

 

This is my old one. My mother in law gave it to me about 9 years ago. Honestly, I never wanted it but she insisted on me taking it and I can rarely so no to her so I did. It’s a solid piece and is good quality but it’s just not something that I would pick out. I knew that eventually I would find a piece that suits me and I finally did!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I saw this piece while antiquing and new immediately that I wanted it. 

 

 

I could not wait to get it home. Now the original price was $400! I talked her down to $250! What a steal right? I was so excited when she accepted my offer. I got it home and clean it and sprayed it. 

 

 

I was able to fit all of my china teacup sets. It’s a wonderful fit and it goes well with my home decor. It is the perfect size. I didn’t want a huge cabinet because I knew that I did not have the space for it so this works well. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Here is a up-close look at my teacups and teapots. Most of these pieces are probably familiar to you. At the bottom I have my new soup tureen that I purchased from the same antique store. 

 

 

This may sound weird but it was so fun cleaning this out and placing all of my china inside. I finally have a beautiful piece that goes with my home decor and personality. This looks really similar to my vintage nightstands that I purchase a few months ago. 

I am looking forward to having this piece for a very long time. I just love antiquing. There are a few more things that I want to replace in my home and I will be sure to share those items once I find them. 

The boutique does have a new plus-size arrival! The Maggie Stripe Midi is available in two colors mauve and navy. It is super comfy and incredible chic. I hope you enjoy it! Order it in both colors!

 

Have a great Monday! 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom Time ~ Antiquing!

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Good Morning,

It was a great weekend! The weather was perfect and I was able to get everything done on my list. I am starting to have problems with my home computer. I hope I can work them out but we will see. I hate buying electronics! I placed two orders with my vendor for some new dresses for the boutique. A plus size dress and regular size dress. We will see if those orders can be filled. Everyone is having issues with supply. 

Our trial last week went well. I am glad that it is finished and off my radar. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Our courtroom ceilings…. beautiful aren’t they?

 

On Friday I had a light day at the office so I left a few hours early to have some “mom time” before I came home to start the weekend. I wanted to go antiquing. I just love antiquing. I could do it every day if you let me. One thing that I added to my list was a bike ride. 

 

photo credit: L. Shockley

It was a wonderful evening for it. We went as a family. 

 

Now let me show you the beautiful items that I purchased!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I purchased this lovely little Lenox swan, a Haviland Limoges beautiful soup tureen, Waterford Marquis small vase, Spode blue and white plate, and a Wedgewood Jasperware pitcher. I paid about $70 for all of it! Wonderful deal, I think!

 

 

The swan has a home on my dresser. I love seeing all of my vintage and antique pieces placed on my dresser. 

 

 

And the small Waterford Marquis vase is on my second clear table in my bedroom which I will share later. This little vase is the perfect size for a small bouquet. I really enjoyed my few hours of antiquing. I did see something else that I wanted from there and I went back to get it. I will share it tomorrow! Have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Delightful Home Tour ~2022 (part 2)

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Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I certainly did! The weather was perfect. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and I was able to get my favorite dish, herb-crusted salmon with lemon sauce. Sooo good! I also have some exciting news that I will be sharing later this week. For right now let’s finish this gorgeous home tour that I took last week. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

We are going to start with this gorgeous half bathroom that was off of the kitchen. I loved everything about it. This bathroom was designed by the same woman who designed the kitchen. Tiffany Skilling is a local interior designer. I started following her on Instagram last year after I saw her work on the previous home. 

Don’t you just love the wallpaper? It’s by Kelly Ventura and this flawless vanity was custom built! Trust me I asked the guides if I could buy it or find it!

 

 

I wanted more pictures of the space but people were waiting behind me to take a look.

 

 

As I mentioned before all of the artwork were by local artists which I thought was a wonderful addition to include the local creativity in my city. It was very eye-opening to see all of the talents. This painting caught my eye because one of the guides told me that this was a local Italian restaurant in my city! I thought, “You’re kidding me right”. So I looked it up and sure enough, it was. It’s called Iozzo’s Garden of Italy. My husband and I were going to go this weekend but it is closed for renovations but will be open here pretty soon! Yes were are going! It looks like Italy. I have to go!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So we came upstairs and passed that beautiful wallpaper and we walked into this room. Can you say Tory Burch vibes? I mean the couch!!! I was walking around with an older lady and we both looked at the couch and said, yes please! This room was designed by interior designer Todd Otterman and his inspiration was the Chiang Mai Dragon curtains. 

 

 

The next room was this bedroom and it was my favorite. I loved the chairs and the colors. This is the primary bedroom and bathroom in the home. This room had lots of antiques and french inspiration. It was designed by MJ Coyle and Blake W. Richardson. 

 

 

The pillow….

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I spy blue and white… 

 

 

This was in the bedroom as well. A photo of C.Z. Guest! 

 

 

This room did have an attached bathroom and closet. I tried to get photos of everything but it is hard when you want to absorb the tour as well. 

 

 

This was one of the kid’s rooms. It was the cutest room! I love the candy-coated color palette. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

I love this bed. It’s a canopied bed that provides space to sleep and curl up with a book but it also had a bottom bed great for sleepovers. 

 

 

This was the wallpaper in the adjoining bathroom. OMG! I love it. This room and bathroom were designed by Compass Design, LLC. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We then headed down to the basement. This space was so big but I only took one photo because I was trying to learn about the space and be in the moment. The designers turned this space into the family room. I love these chairs! I have no idea where they are from but they are stunning to me! The chalky green paint color is a winner. It’s called honed soapstone 9126 by Sherwin-Williams. This room was designed by Shine Design, LLC. 

 

 

Afterward, we went outside to the backyard to shop the vendor tables and take a look at the space which was stunning! It was a wonderful tour and I so enjoyed it. I will share this. Before I entered the home the host that was giving us information before entering the home stopped me. She looked at me and told me, “you need to be doing this”. I then looked at her and said, “what”? She then proceeded to say that I need to join their committee and be a part of hosting and volunteering at these yearly home shows! Now I have never met this woman in my life but I took her up on her offer and decided to learn more about it. She has invited me to the new member meeting set for this Wednesday. I will update you guys on what happens! To read about last year’s home tour see here and here. 

The boutique also has a new arrival. The white dress for the season has arrived and I have decided to name it Chrissy. The Chrissy Ruffle Maxi is available in sizes small – extra large. It has a beautiful silhouette. Have a wonderful Monday!