Blog posts that inspire

The Beauty of Collecting ~ 1

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The first weekend of Spring has begun. I went out to my front yard to check the progress of my lilac bushes. Everything is beginning to come in! I am looking forward to my blooms this year. I also went and spent WAY TOO MUCH money at HomeGoods. I wanted some new bed linens and purchases about two bed-in-the-bag cases. One is sage green and I am loving the way it looks.  Alright, so last Friday I talked about the beauty of collecting and shared how I was going to be discussing Aerin Lauder’s thoughts on collecting. 

One of her first tips is, “your collections do not have to be valuable (yay); they only have to instill joy and have meaning to you. Sometimes they start quite spontaneously- when you realize you’ve accumulated more than four sets of salt and pepper shakers or you’ve inherited your grandmother’s willow-ware china, or you start picking up antique linens at flea markets. Whatever attracts your eye, pay attention to it”.  

 

photo credit: Rodolfo Marques 

 

The second tip is to “look for meaningful additions to your collections on your travels, both to enhance your journey or conjure happy memories once you’re home. I’ve bought napkin rings on safari in Tanzania, colorful candles in London, and plates in Panama. I often find inspiration through travel”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Whenever we go out of town I always have at least one antique store or Goodwill on my list to visit. I have found some of my best pieces on my travels. My recent obsessions has been Facebook Marketplace. I keep finding the most beautiful vintage French provincial furniture. I really don’t have the room for it but it doesn’t stop me from looking. I am also learning that I have a small obsession with china. I love china and here again, I don’t have the room for it. Makes me so sad! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Another recent find at an antique store has been my Wedgwood piece. It is stunning! You know maybe in the near future I could add antiques to my boutique. It’s a thought, isn’t it? I hope you all enjoyed this post and I am happy to report that the new arrivals for my boutique have been added. You are more than welcome to purchase anything on the boutique’s page. I also have one more plus-size dress on the way and another regular-size dress. I am also trying to get a few more accessories. I will keep you all posted! 

 

 

Also, don’t forget about my favorites page. I do earn a small commission if you make a purchase and don’t forget to follow me on the LIKEtoKNOWit app. 

Beauty from Mom

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

The weather here in Indy is going to be fantastic this week! It’s still cold but it will be sunny and over 40 this week! Yay! Yesterday I decided to go to the At Home store and look around. I wanted to replace my lampshades. I felt like the ones in the family room needed a refresh. I tried cleaning them over and over and now they have stains so I just purchased some new ones. I love the way they look! I also found some new faux flowers and some new bedsheets. It was a nice shopping trip. 

So I recently picked up the newest issue of Victoria magazine (March/April) and I flipped through it quickly to see what treasures they had this month. I came across an article at the back of the book called, “A Lesson in Beauty” by Abigail Wurdeman”. In this article, this woman talked about her mother. The first sentence captured my heart immediately. It said, “My mother creates beauty.” 

 

photo credit: Samantha Stortecky 

 

She goes on to say, “I didn’t recognize this talent when I was a child, despite how frequently other grown-ups mentioned it. “Your mom has a gift for making everything lovely, “her friends would tell me.” The world my mom designed was the only world I’d ever known. I didn’t see what was so special about it until I was an adult myself, fumbling to make a home out of a wood-paneled studio apartment and mismatched dollar store silverware”. 

These two paragraphs stopped me in my tracks. I was immediately thrusted into my childhood. I went to our house when I was in middle school. We moved constantly so I could never really call any home my childhood home. But for some reason, my mind went back to this home. I remembered my mother’s colorful furniture, glass dining room table that was set for dinner but we never got to sit there, her items that we could never touch, street incense (never candles), and there was never an arrangement in the house. I don’t remember my home being feminine. There was never any classical music playing just rap. There was never any decor shows on the television, just whatever junk. And then that’s when I realized, how and where did I come from?  

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Even looking at the photo above, it baffles me. My mother was nothing like what I project. Nothing…. so I still wonder where in the world did I get this inspiration from? I believe that it has always resided in my heart. So now with my daughter (who turned 16 today, yikes) I wonder how she sees me. I hope so much that she will see me the same way this woman in the story eventually saw her mother. She said, she knew (her mother) how to design a refugee, and she knew how to share it with people like me who struggled to create beauty for themselves.” 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Right now my 16-year is annoyed with all of my arrangements, candles, pink, and pearls. But when her friends see me they stop me and ask questions and this and that and it drives my daughter crazy. She hates the attention and I get it. But I told her, “Lauren I was like those girls once”. Whenever I saw a mom who had a beautiful home and dressed well I admired it greatly because I was never privy to that. She still rolls her eyes but I just believe that in the future the Lord will open them and she will see how I created beauty. 

 

Have a great Wednesday! 

 

 

30~Days of Cleaning

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I had a pretty good weekend. Things really didn’t work out for my photoshoot for the boutique. The original model that I wanted could not make it due to family reasons. So then I asked my sister in law who comes down every weekend to see my in-laws and she initially agreed but could not due to her husband’s coaching schedule. No fun but while I was waiting I got an email from Fed-Ex saying that my order was arriving today and it turns out that it was my mannequin. Perfecting timing!

So I moved right along using my mannequin for the boutique photos and I think they turned out great! I keep telling myself, you are just starting out. “Don’t despise the days of small beginnings”. Thank you Lord. I told my daughter that I need to name my mannequin. She suggested the name “Patricia”. I told her that I love it! Patricia it is. It turns out that was my grandmother’s name. Interesting…. Okay let’s get into today’s post. 

Have any of you seen the daily posts on the Better Homes & Garden Instagram account about 30- days of cleaning? I have been following them and saw the daily posts about a week ago. Each time I saw one it made me want to go and check whatever area it was assigning for the day.

 

photo credit: Lilyoake 

 

The article suggests incorporating small daily tasks into your routine. I started doing this last year. I just got tired of cleaning my house on the weekends. So I decided to add one household chore to my day each day and my house has stayed cleaned! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The article breaks down the areas of your home giving you daily tasks and suggestions. I really like the list and they offer it in pdf form. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest 

I think this week they are about to start bathrooms. I also saw on the list that during this week they included cleaning the washing machine. I also make sure that I clean my laundry room at least twice a month. I always go in and wipe down the machines, dust shelves, and mop the floor. It helps keep things in order. 

I hope you found this list helpful and I hope that it inspires you to include one chore a day in your routine. Enjoy your Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

Trying to Live Well ~ Part 2

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Happy Friday!

It is a cold day here in Indy. We got 3 more inches yesterday…. I think everyone is hating snow this season. I hope things get better in Texas. I pray that they do. This weekend I have some errands to run. I really want to go to Kohls. I heard that the Harry Slatkin candle collection is at Kohl’s. I want to go and give those a smell and I may stop by DSW to have a look at their sandals. Well, let’s get into today’s post. 

In 2018,  I wrote a blog post called Trying to Live Well, and in that blog post, I discussed my frustration with rude people. I can’t believe that I wrote that almost 3 years ago! Time is just flying. Well, my frustration with people has since calmed down but the world is still a rude place. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

We are now in a new year and I always try to think about my year ahead. It’s hard to do that but I do know that living a good life is always on my list. I was on Amazon (like always) and spotted another Alexandra Stoddard book called “You Are Your Choices; 50 Ways to Live a Good Life”. 

Alexandra talked about how past philosophers “believed we should live by the Golden Triangle of what is true, good, and beautiful. When we grasp what is true and good, we elevate our lives to become beautiful”. 

 

photo credit: Rachel Parcell.com 

 

Alexandra goes on to say that “the good life is a life of moral excellence that leads to happiness. We need to be hungry and thirsty for life abundant in order to fulfill our highest aspirations day to day. While some people just want to get by, we should choose to thrive”. 

 

photo credit: Gal Meets Glam.com 

 

The last thing that I wanted to share from the book was this, “a well-lived life is not an accident. The challenges that some of us will face in the future are unprecedented. We must be prepared. We are not saints. We are often tempted. We will not always make wise choices, but we will have to live with the consequences and hardships as a result. Nonetheless, we can recommit ourselves to true, good, and beautiful. Never mistake your choice to live a good life as selfishness. This is what all of us ought to be choosing. By having a proper framework for right thinking and right action, we come to understand that we have a right to pursue personal happiness”. 

I hope this helps some of you today. Choose truth, good, and the beautiful! I also believe that the Lord will guide us to it. 

Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

A Time to Focus

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Good Afternoon,

Well, I guess snow felt the need to make an appearance this season. I can’t believe all the snow that they are getting in Texas! Wow…. here we are holding steady and honestly Indy is use to this kind of weather. It doesn’t mean we like it but we are use to it. Well enough snow talk….. 

 

I recently found this meme on Pinterest and wanted to share it.

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I read this during quarantine last year and it made me do some serious thinking. I began to think about everything that I tried to do in my office to get promoted and then it dawned on me that it was wasted energy. So at that moment, I began to take that energy and put it toward things that mattered. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest 

So then this meme popped in my news feed on Pinterest and I thought, hum. God is listening. I think the Lord uses small things to speak to us. So I then started to put more of my time and energy into my home life. I got my daughter on a checklist schedule for school. I began to think of things that my husband and I could do. I put more energy into prayer and devotional time. I got focused on my weight loss, moved my blog to my own website, organized my home, and started an online boutique. And you know what, I have been so much happier!

 

photo credit: Marchioness (Instagram)

 

I honestly just got tired of things. I am tired of all of the stupid competing that some of the support staff in our office do. I just got tired and so now I am at the point where I really don’t care who they promote I am just going to take my energy and run my own race! I am so excited about my new online boutique! I am telling you guys even looking for items for my boutique has given me a joy that I have not had in a long time. That’s how I know that I am following my passion. 

 

If you feel like you are running in circles in your career, you may want to take a step back and re-evaluate things. Really began to ask your self is this what you really want? Is this position or job really worth the fight? I asked myself those questions and I came up with a loud and resounding NO! Now I am not saying that I am going to quit my job but what I am saying is it’s no longer going to take top priority. No, it’s been shifted to last on my list and that is where it will stay. 

 

photo credit: Laurel Bern Interiors 

 

Now if the Lord opens a door for me as far as a promotion then I will accept it because I don’t think he will allow jobs or opportunities into my life that are not his will. But one thing that I am done with doing is being concerned with other people’s thoughts of me. And worrying about if they think I am worthy of promotion. Over it! 

What are your thoughts? Have you been here before? Be brave and share your experience. In the meantime here is an article about 11 Ways to Uncomplicate Your Life. It’s a great list. I hope you enjoy it! 

 

Other blog posts about life elegance:

Challenges in the Office, the Symphony of Elegance, Chic Tips for Working Women, and  Be Someone of Quality

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day at Home

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed your Valentine’s Day with your loved ones. I saw lots of pictures on Instagram full of candies and sweets. They all look great but I don’t know about you but I can’t eat sweets like that anymore. I am not sure why but my taste buds are going through changes. I did enjoy seeing everyone’s flowers. I love flowers and love a wonderful large bouquet for no reason. 

Mr. Shockley and I spent the holiday at home. I am telling you I did not step foot out my door yesterday. Saturday I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things but that was it. Today I wanted to visit my p.o. box (just to check on things) but that will have to wait until later this week. We are getting ready to get hit with our 6 to 8 inches of snow today!

In today’s post, I did want to share how my stay home date went with my hubby.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course one cannot start Valentine’s Day without flowers. My husband asked if I wanted anything specific and I told him to just keep it simple this year. So he came home with these and I could not love them more!

 

 

A rose bouquet that he got me earlier in the week. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I think I shared that I did not want to go out for dinner so I included a steak dinner in our HelloFresh box for this order. This was the middle eastern steak and rice pilaf meal.

 

It turned out pretty good. I was really intimidated by the steak. I have never cooked steak on the stove. I have always cooked it in a crockpot. It always comes out so tender. But the basmati rice was good and I always love roasted vegetables. The dipping sauce for the steak was sour cream, yogurt, and zucchini which I thought was a bit unusual but it tasted good. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

We turned off the lights and I brought down my candelabra from the boutique. I placed a candlestick in it and we enjoyed a nice quiet dinner. Where was our daughter you may ask? Well her bestie called her and asked if she could come by for a few and we sent her over there. It was nice having a quiet home. 

 

 

Even though we spent the day home I still got dressed up. I dress every day so this was not hard for me. And yes I spent the whole day in the house looking like this. I enjoy looking nice so sitting around my home like this does not bother me at all. 

Overall we had a nice Valentine’s day. I did order a few things from Express while they had their sale. I ordered this lace cami, this wrap blouse, and these quilted slides in pecan.  I have actually tried these slides on in the store and they are super comfy. 

I hope you all have a great Monday and enjoy your day! Stay warm!

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

A Home for Elegance ~ Online Boutique

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Hello Everyone!

I hope you all are well. Valentines’s Day is this weekend! My husband and I really don’t have much planned. I really don’t want to go to a restaurant. The wait time has been terrible because of social distancing, so I plan on spending it at home. Our second Hello Fresh box is suppose to arrive today and I am so excited. I picked out a steak dinner to prepare and eat at home. That is what I plan on doing for Valentine’s Day this year.

I think most of you follow me on Instagram (and here) and saw that I have started an online boutique! I made a decision in November to start this journey. I am really excited and have been wanting to do this for quite some time now. A few of my orders have arrived and I will be sharing them on my A Home for Elegance boutique account. Of course, I will be sharing lots on the blog too! Here are a few photos so far. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I took a corner in the loft of our home. I use the loft as my home office so there is plenty of space in this room. I had my elliptical here. It was placed sideways and I just felt like it was taking up good space so I moved the elliptical next to my desk. Everything looks great in this corner! What do you guys think?

I found the table with drawers (buffet) at the flea market. I paid about $100 for it. It is solid! The clothing rack is from Amazon and was only $89 with a coupon! The clear chair I found at a florist shop but I found one similar here. The quilted handbag is from RedDress. I am trying to find some for my boutique. I love how everything turned out.

 

 

Every morning when I get up, I come into this room and just stare at it. It’s not much but this boutique does wonders to my soul. I have dreamt of starting something like this for many years and to actually began the process of making this happen has just been amazing to me. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This dress was in my first order. This is a dress that I will have in plus sizes. I already have it in 1x, 2x, and 3x! I intend on carrying regular and plus sizes. I have a few more items that I will share later. I added the brooch. I think it looks fantastic! What do you think?

My hope is to have everything ready in March. There are still a few things left before we can launch. I hope you all enjoyed this post and I know it’s crazy but I can’t believe that I am turning my blog into a business. I hope you guys come along on this journey! 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

 

Also, don’t forget to follow me on the LIKEtoKNOWit app.  This app is completely free and is easy to download. I was a little apprehensive too until I decided to download it and follow some of my favorite grandmillienials. I don’t regret it. It’s a wonderful app and I don’t get any money if you download it. I only get a small commission if you purchase something from my account.