Wonderful Books to Read

A New Book ~ Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining

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And it is the weekend…. the NBA All Star Game is here, and I am trying my hardest to stay away from downtown. I am working from home today and will enjoy every minute of it. I am looking forward to making some time to read the latest copy of Victoria magazine. I had a hard time finding it in my stores! A little scary.

For Valentine’s Day Rick and I kept it simple. He got me a beautiful bouquet of roses and took a Hershey chocolate bar bouquet to Lauren! She was so surprised. It was so sweet!

I really want to make some time to sit and watch Three Coins in a Fountain and read the newest book that I just found!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Can you all believe that I found this? It was a treasure for sure. I found it while we were waiting for our table for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We always go into the Barnes and Noble bookstore that is attached. It’s a great place to read and relax. While we were there, I stumbled on this The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining and it is truly a treat!

 

 

As soon as I opened the book, I audible gasped. The photography was so beautiful! Just look at this, the first chapter is called “A Breakfast Visit with the Bridgerton’s”. I mean, come on, who would not be curious about this? In this chapter, they give you recipes for crumpets with salted honey butter, Meyer lemon & poppy seed tea biscuits, crustless quiche with leeks, ham, and English cheddar, kippers on toast, and London Fog lattes! Oh my! 

 

 

Here is the table of contents. Each party is divided into chapters. We have the Queens Lawn Party, Afternoon Tea with the Sharmas, Dinner at Featherington Ball and Lady Danbury’s Den of Iniquity. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

Not only will you be inspired by the recipes, but the photography is inspiring as well. I love these elegant glimpses into the family home, clothes, and decor. 

 

 

This is truly a beautiful book and I hope that if you are a Bridgerton fan that you will order a copy for yourself. It is priced quite well on Amazon so don’t feel bad about ordering this treat of a book! If you do order it and make one of the recipes I would LOVE to know! I will be sharing my recent afternoon tea adventure next week!

I hope you got to see the recent Instagram story from the Little Pink Casa sharing the blush Cameo earrings! They look so lovely on her. Please feel free to use her code: PinkCasa20 for 20% off the entire boutique. Enjoy! 

 

  • Affiliated link attached. 

 

Victoria Magazine’s New Journal

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Good Morning Everyone!

We are almost in the home stretch! I have one more holiday luncheon for this season and one more party to attend. I am looking forward to being done! I know that sounds bad, but I have been the lead for two of these parties and I tell you it is a lot of work! Today I am working from home. Rick and I will be going to the new Restoration Hardware Gallery and restaurant that just opened in my city later this afternoon! It is located in the Christal DeHaan estate. It is gorgeous! I hope to share photos soon. 

Today I wanted to share a beautiful new journal that I purchased from Victoria Magazine. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

If you follow Jennifer L. Scott on the Daily Connoisseur, then you would have seen this beautiful journal on her Christmas holiday gift guide video. I knew as soon as I saw it I wanted it!

 

 

Just look at the inside. The journal is well made and has lots of beautiful photos from the magazine. I love that feature. I think that when you write an entry and have a beautiful photo next to your entry it could provide so much inspiration, hope, and beauty. I think adding this to their journal was brilliant.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

The French blue cover with gold letters truly beckons your heart to write. It also has gilded page edges and a satin bookmark. It truly is a timeless journal. I am not sponsored but I would really consider ordering one especially if you journal like me. It will be a great addition to your collection. I love to journal and my blog entry from 2016 explains why. I hope it inspires you to journal as well! 

 

 

My First Flower Workshop ~ The Guild

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Good Morning!

I am so happy that it is Friday. Honestly, I feel like this week went by really fast! I mean really fast. I don’t know. The days are just moving quickly to me. Oh well, so this weekend I want to go to a furniture store called Value City.  We purchased our dining room table from there a few years ago and our sectional. I still love both pieces, but I recently became very discouraged about my office furniture. A few days ago, I walked into my office and turned around because it made me so depressed walking in here and not inspired. So as a quick fix I re-arranged my desk and now I feel much better about my space, but I still want a new desk and will be looking this weekend. Wish me luck! 

On Wednesday I did something really fun! My group the Guild had a wonderful volunteer opportunity. We were given the opportunity to sign up for making flower arrangements for patients at hospitals, nursey homes, etc. for a place called Random Acts of Flowers! This non-profit organization was started by someone who worked on the HGTV set. The story is he was working one day, fell off of a ladder, broke every bone in his body and ended up in the hospital. While he was there, he received lots of flowers, but he noticed that no one else was getting any. So he took his flowers and began to pass them around and saw how happy people were when they received them! Now how great is that!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is what it looked like when you walked into the studio. You can smell roses everywhere! So lovely!

 

 

 

 

I had to take a look at all of the flowers. I smiled from ear to ear. You all know how much I love flowers. This was right up my alley! After the Assistant Director gave us the story and the instructions we were then allowed to go and shop for flowers. We got to choose as many as we wanted and whatever kind. We had to make two bouquets. They were both going to patients at a hospital. 

 

 

So exciting….

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

This was the first bouquet that I made. I loved it so much. I had roses, lilies, hydrangeas, and lots of greenery. 

 

 

After making my second bouquet, I was able to shop for my own vase and make my own bouquet. Of course, I just made a duplicate of the first bouquet. This was a blast!

 

 

These were all the bouquets that our group created. I had to take a photo. Now how great of a cause is this? All of the flowers were donated by Kroger, Whole Foods, and a few wholesalers. The vases are donated by everyday people. I loved this so much. I want to be able to volunteer often. They need flower arrangers twice a week. I am hoping to do this a few times a month so I am checking my schedule to see if I could fit this in. 

Check around your city to see if you have something like this. I guarantee you it will put a smile on your face. Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

Don’t forget to shop the boutique’s new arrival. The Sylvia Midi Shirtdress is really chic! It has a classic silhouette and beautiful dusty blue color!

 

 

 

Living with Roses ~ New Book

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Good Morning,

We have a three-day weekend coming up! I look forward to these. Our daughter is also going to be on fall break which is so nice. I have some plans for how I want to spend it, but I got slapped with a summons for jury duty!!! NOO! Right in the middle of the week I wanted to take! Lord forgive me but I sure hope they don’t need me! I will share as the time gets closer about my plans for fall break. For right now let’s share the latest Victoria Magazine new book release!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I could not resist ordering this book! I love roses. That is no surprise. I think we all do. Victoria Magazine has done such a great job on their latest book releases. I have gotten most of Victoria Magazines book releases and enjoy reading them all the time. 

 

 

You will find so much inspiration in these pages. The pages are filled with beautiful photography. The authors are very descriptive about the rose gardens and each species. They discuss how to grow roses in your region and what works best and what doesn’t. They also share beautiful rooms. Like this room above from Josephine Davis’s home. I love all the colors and textures. 

 

 

This room is another favorite. It may look familiar. It’s the beautiful dining room of Jenny Bohannon from Tallwood Country House. I am a huge fan of her home and website. It’s the perfect balance of elegance and comfort. One thing that I learned about Jenny from the book is that she worked for Desiree Lee who was the former gardener to the great Bunny Mellon! Now how fun is that? They created settings which Ms. Lee called Vintage Tastemakers Spring Tablescapes. 

Jenny said, “when Mrs. Mellon died, many of her former garden staff dispersed from Oak Spring, allowing women like her with dreams of following in Jackie Kennedy and Bunny Mellon’s footsteps, to work with them in their own homes and gardens.” What a dream!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley of Living with Roses Victoria Magazine book 

 

A dream chateau. This chateau is in the book as well. It’s called Chateau d’Yquem and it dates back to the 16th century. A dream, isn’t it? It’s actually a winery located in France. This is actually on the cover of Victoria’s calendar. I just received mine in the mail! 

 

 

Overall, the book encourages you to live beautifully which is what this blog has been all about since I started it. Roses are often throughout my home. I have flowers in the bedroom, bathroom, and dining room table. Flowers will always be a part of my life. You should order this book, pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy it. I can’t wait to read it during a cold winter morning with a cup of hot ginger and chamomile tea. Enjoy!

 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

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.

 

 

Life Lessons from Chanel….

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Happy Friday!

I hope everyone is well. I have started decorating for fall. I have my faux pumpkins on the porch and my velvet pumpkins on my table! I am not trying to rush the autumn season, but I am trying to rush the weather part. Geez, it’s still humid! I hate it. I am looking forward to those crisp mornings again. 

It’s Friday and I am feeling a little inspired by Chanel. I purchased this book from the gift shop when we were touring the mansions in Newport. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Here are a few quotes from the book…

“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.

“A woman can be overdressed but never over elegant”. (Love this!)

“Fashion has two purposes: Comfort and love. Beauty comes when fashion succeeds”. 

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”. 

 

 

I always check my jewelry before I leave my home. I try to keep it to only three things. Earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace or scarf. Sometimes it’s only two pieces. 

 

“One shouldn’t spend all one’s time dressing. All one needs are two or three suits, as long as they and everything to go with them are perfect”. 

“I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without making herself up a little”. I think the key word to this quote is “a little”. Chanel isn’t saying that it has to be much. Just a little people!

 

 

I always share this photo of this vanity. I believe this is where it starts. 

 

“Once cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics”.

I want to see classics!

 

“I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all”. This quote puts a smile on my face every time I read it. 

And the last one that I will share…

 

“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life”. Now that would be wonderful!

 

I hope you all found some inspiration and confidence in these quotes. This is a really cute and uplifting book. It’s funny how this woman had these thoughts so many years ago. It’s pretty amazing. 

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to watch my latest video on Youtube!

 

 

 

 

Vintage Roses- A New Book

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Good Snowy Morning,

And we have tons of snow! It is so cold here and it will be in the negatives tonight! I am working from home today as well. I am hoping that I can go out and run errands on Saturday but we will see. I am trying to get some things ordered for Lauren’s 17th birthday! Can you guys believe she will be 17 next month? Her favorite party of mine was the flower arranging birthday party that I threw for her in 2015. She was only 10! Her paint party was a blast as well. Time is slipping away, really fast. 

I think most of you know that I ordered the Georgianna Lane Book called “Vintage Roses” and I could not be happier with it. It not only has beautiful photography but is very informative. I wanted to share some snapshots of it below. 

 

 

 

 

I love a soft pink rose. I wish I could find these at my local grocery store. This is called the Heritage rose. It was introduced by David Austin in 1984. 

 

 

This flower is called Tasogare. This is a sugary, sweet-pea lavender in hue. This is a Japanese rose introduced by Morji Kobayashi in 1977. Tasogare means “sundown time” in Japanese, and is also used as a metaphor for old age. 

 

 

 

Queen of Sweden! Isn’t she beautiful? This is a beautiful English Musk hybrid that was introduced by David Austin in 2004. It is a cross between an Old Rose and a Noisette. David named it to commemorate 350 years of friendship between Sweden and Great Britain. 

I could just stare at it for hours. I may have to take this book with me to the garden nursery when it gets warm and ask if I could grow these here. 

 

 

These deliciously blowsy roses are called Penelope. I have ALWAYS wanted something like this growing on the sides of my home. I think these became popular again by Sarah Jessica Parker in the television series called Sex and the City. It is a hybrid musk and can grow around 59-79 inches. It can grow taller in warmer climates where it can turn into a climber. It is tolerant of shade and can withstand poor soil if it must. It was created in 1924 by Reverand Joseph Hardwick. 

I hope you all enjoyed this little snapshot of this stunning book. Please stay warm and enjoy your weekend!

 

 

A Checklist for Cozy

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Good Morning,

Our temperatures here are beginning to drop. I still can’t believe the weather that some states are getting. So far here in Indy, we have been able to dodge the snowstorms. I can’t believe it! We are suppose to drop tomorrow down to the single digits and everyone is complaining. I keep telling people, “we are due”! With cold temperatures in mind that had me thinking about Paula Sutton’s “Checklist for Your Cozy Nesting Space”. 

I read this in her book a few weeks ago and wanted to share her tips.

 

My cozy blanket

 

  • Her first tip is: A favorite warm blanket. Getting cozy is all about staying toasty and warm. You may not have an open fire, but a good-quality blanket reserved for this exact moment of the year will make it feel extra special.  (I purchased this cozy blanket from Amazon. The link is here. ) 

 

My candles 

 

Her second tip is:

  • A scented candle. Never underestimate the benefits of smell and calm-inducing aromas. Lavender reduces stress levels and helps you to sleep, ylang ylang is known for its relaxing properties and has been found to aid issues of anxiety, depression, and even high blood pressure (although always check with your doctor to treat serious medical issues); lemon and other citrus scents are good for calming stress- they are also said to improve memory!  (I am loving these Tory Burch candles another favorite candle is fresh cut lilacs from Bath and Body Works.)

 

The third tip is:

 

 

And her last tip is:

  • Your favorite hot drink. Warm milk is a great addition to your calming routine. Milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that can make you feel calm, and hot drinks naturally provide comforting feelings. Chamomile and lemon balm are also known for their calming properties if you’d rather not drink milk. ( I drink chamomile tea every day. It’s my favorite! ) 

 

Just reading this list makes me want to stay home and “cozy up” in my bed with my blanket, soft socks, scented jasmine candle, and a cup of hot tea! 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.