Blog posts that inspire

To Fit or Not to Fit

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Hello All,

The weather, oh the weather has been wonderful. Our trees have begun to bloom. It’s like it happened overnight. I love it so. I hope you are able to enjoy your weather wherever you are. It is Wednesday and our daughter is back in school four days a week. I can not tell you how happy I am. She needs to be in school and I need a break from Algebra. We had a 3-hour Zoom meeting during quarantine about Algebra. I don’t want to do that ever again! 

I received the most wonderful email Monday evening. In March I wrote a blog post called, “Beauty from Mom”, and in that post, I talked about an article that I found in Victoria magazine. Well, I don’t know how but the author found my blog post and sent me the following email…

 

Message: Dear Mrs. Shockley,

I just stumbled across your blog post “Beauty from Mom,” and I wanted to say I am fairly certain your daughter absolutely will appreciate all the elegance you bring into her life. Growing up, I definitely rolled my eyes at the amount of time my mom spent sorting through boring old linens in our local antique stores. I definitely did not understand why we had multiple storage boxes of fake flowers for every season. But here I am, years later, not only “getting it” but celebrating it in the frilliest magazine I can think of.

Thank you for giving your girl that gift. And thank you so much for sharing your story. It was such a thrill for me to discover your blog. I love writing because of how it connects us to people we’ll never meet. Usually, I just have to hope the connection is made. It’s always such a joy to hear that it worked for sure.

Abi

photo credit: Pinterest (Reily Vintage Home Photography)

 

Isn’t that WONDERFUL? I immediately wrote back and told her thank you for reaching out and encouraging me. I really needed to hear that.  Now on to today’s post. 

I have recently been ordering books from my Amazon list. The most recent order was Linens for Every Room and Occasion by Jane Scott Hodges. This book has been on my “want” list for over 4 years and I am so glad that I ordered it. It is huge! 

I was skimming through it and came across a list of sheets and pillowcase basics. The paragraph that pulled me in was the fitted sheet one. How many of you like fitted sheets? I use a fitted sheet but have been wanting to try a flat sheet. I have used flat sheets in the past but my husband normally complains. 

 

photo credit: Walmart.com

 

What are your thoughts? Are flat sheets better than fitted sheets? Jane mentioned that “some don’t like fitted sheets due to the elastic, which can lose its tautness over time and often rides up if the sheet isn’t deep enough”. 

I am experiencing that now with my fitted sheets. Please share what you think in the comments section below. I am really curious. 

 

Have a great Wednesday and thanks for reading!

 

 

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.

The Beauty of Collecting ~ 3

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s Friday and I have a few things planned for today. First I wanted to let everyone know that I am having an Easter sale on some of the items in my boutique! Some of my pieces will be $10 off! The items that are going to be on sale are the gray garden dress, ivory & pearl cardigan, pink mauve cardigan, the blue peplum top, and the preppy vintage dress! This sale will be for about a week and then these items will go back to the original price. So I hope that you all find an item that you will enjoy! 

A new dress will be arriving in the boutique and I absolutely love it! I will be posting it on the website today! I am also going to be headed out to do a little shopping with my daughter. 

 

photo credit: Cathi’s Place 

 

Well, let’s finish the Beauty of Collecting with Aerin Lauder. We are now down to her last two tips from her book Entertaining Beautifully. Aerin mentions, “Don’t be afraid to use your collections. My mother, who collects very fine antique pottery and glassware, actually sets the table with it. If there are pieces that are especially valuable (even for sentimental reasons), consider displaying them on the wall- as Daniel Romualdes does with his seventeenth-century delft plates- or on plate racks, as my mother does in the Hamptons. That way you can enjoy them every time you pass through the room, not just when you’re entertaining.” Again, I could not agree with her more. I love having the antique items that I collect out and around so that I can see them.

 

photo credit: Nicolas Fairford Instagram 

 

And the last tip from Aerin is, “by the same token, take good care of your collections. Store platters in cabinets with vertical tray dividers, or on secure plate racks. Place felt rounds or foam dividers between antique plates. Store silver in lined chests or bags made of anti-tarnish cloth. Fine crystal and glassware should be stored right side up, so as not to put pressure on delicate rims. Or invest in quilted, divided cases to store and protect infrequently used pieces”. 

I hope you all enjoyed these simple yet helpful tips from Aerin. I know that from now on I will be enjoying my mismatched pieces. I now feel like I have the freedom to enjoy those items as well. If you missed the other tips from Aerin you can read them here, here, and here.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and look out for my new arrival coming soon!

 

 

(tips and text taken from Entertaining Beautifully by Aerin Lauder, page 80) 

 

The Beauty of Collecting ~2

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Hello Wednesday,

I am actually working a half-day today. I need to pick up my contacts and I also want to take one of my recent Gal Meet Glam dress purchases to the seamstress. It’s a bit big and I need to have the top part taken in. This will be my 6th Gal meet Glam dress (I think). This is the Elsie dress and it’s in a beautiful green color and is very flowy. I am looking forward to wearing it this spring. 

Alright, let’s continue with our lesson on the beauty of collecting. Yesterday, I mentioned from Aerin’s book, Entertaining Beautifully, that your collections don’t need to be valuable but instill joy and have meaning to you. Aerin continues with her tidbits on collecting. She says, “once you start a collection, learn about it. You will get greater enjoyment from your collecting and will make better, more informed purchases. You can learn by talking to knowledgeable dealers or shopkeepers, researching online or in books, or connecting with other collectors”. 

 

photo credit: Aerin Lauder Instagram 

 

The second tip is, “don’t feel you have to find perfect matching sets (I was so happy to read this!!!). I love my collection of mismatched floral china in the Hamptons. The mix of floral patterns in similar colors, with touches of gilding, makes for a lively, individualistic table”. 

 

photo credit: Victoria Magazine Instagram 

 

My eyebrows raised when I read the comment above. I can not tell you how many china pieces I have walked away from because they did not match. I will no longer be doing that! If I love it, will use it, have room for it, and if it brings me joy, I will be buying it! 

 

I hope you enjoyed Aerin’s collecting tips for today. I will be posting the last two tips on Friday and hopefully will be sharing another new arrival for the boutique! Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

 

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!