Blog posts that inspire

Personal Arcadia

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I follow a Youtube channel called BellisVintage. A few weeks ago they posted a video called “the Personal Arcadia of Sir John Richardson”. I loved this video. It is a tour of his home. I have watched it several times already.  Also Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic wrote a blog entry about him, see here. You take a look at the video and see why, sheer elegance……

Photo by Sophie Vinetlouis on Unsplash

Photo credit: Tim Knox   ( The Guardian) 
Sir John Richardson


To watch it on your phone click here.

Creating Beauty ~Oscar de la Renta

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The legendary fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died on October 20, 2014. I think we all loved Oscar like he was our very own personal designer. I for one loved his wonderful attitude toward elegance and pleasure. I followed his channel on YouTube (see here). 



About a year ago Oscar posted a video of an interview that he had with interior designer Miles Redd.  I loved the comment that Oscar made, he said, “I don’t want to see one tulip in one vase. I like to see 10,000 tulips in one vase”. That sounds like something I would say. So watch the video and fall in love with Oscar all over again. 

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Unsplash





To watch the video from your mobile click here.
(all photos via google)

Naming your Home

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I’ve being thinking about this idea. It was in the Style and Simplicity book by Ted Kennedy Watson. He said:

Naming your Home

WHY NOT? This practice should not be reserved for old, stately English manor homes. Whether you live in a studio apartment or a grand mansion, naming your home makes it more personal. “Come for drinks at seven to the Gainsborough” sounds much more intimate than just giving your street address. It adds a specialness to your home. We often give a gift of a personalized item (notepads or tote bag) with the house name on it when we have weekend guests.

I thought about this and said okay, maybe I can name my home. I was thinking of naming it “East Heritage”. What do you think? Should one name their home?

Our home
I posted this photo on my Instagram and tagged the author Ted Kennedy Watson in it.

Below was his response. I was so excited!!!



I read Ted Kennedy Watson’s book #styleandsimplicity. I love the idea about naming your home. I have no idea what to name it. Any ideas? @watsonkennedy; #ahomeforelegance

watsonkennedyI love that you are going to name your home! Just something that has meaning to you when you think of it and it makes you smile when you say it. Fab house, btw! Bestest, Ted
smsshockley@watsonkennedy; thank you! I was thinking of East Heritage.
watsonkennedyLove it! Come for dinner at 7 to East Heritage sounds perfect! I think you have a winner. Have fun with it!

To Decorate ~ My Dream Job

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I love decorating, cleaning, organizing, basically anything to do with making your home life more plentiful. Being a decorator has always been a dream of mine. I hope to someday make it a reality. For the most part I really want to “soak up” anything I can learn from someone who is a decorating.

I am still young and I know there is time but all I do is dream of having a job where beauty is all around me. I posted this about two weeks ago on my facebook page:

I want to be around beauty for a living. I want a career where I can create, observe, & learn about beauty. Whether that be flowers, china, decorating, clothes, accessories, travel or food; I want beauty to be my life. I pray this in Jesus name Amen. ~


I know that prayer isn’t respected as much today but I still believe in it and do it. I just want a life where my 9 to 5 is making things beautiful. Creating, putting things together and making beauty, to be working with my hands and imagination instead of staring at paperwork all day and staring at a computer.

If I am staring at a computer I want it to be at paintings, or restaurants, clothing samples something that stirs the heart, will and emotions. I will just continue to have faith that one day this will come to pass. Below is a photo of one of my favorite decorators Bunny Williams and her intern Kelly. I have also included a video from Martha Stewart. It is a video of  interior designer Alexa Hampton and she is giving bedroom decor advice. See here.

Bunny’s advice for interns who want to be decorators is :
Advice I give to interns… 
Absorb every part of the business and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Questions show interest.
One anecdote from my own internship experiences… 
I actually never interned. I took the job as a receptionist because I was willing to take anything.
If I could intern anywhere now, I’d intern at…
The New York Botanical Garden, to learn more about gardening.
Ambition is…
The pathway to success!
If you want to see more of this click here.  This article & photo came from the Tory Daily blog. 

My sitting room at home. I am still moving some things around. 
I want to get rid of the pink chair and maybe put a blue and white one there. I need a rug.
And I want to change my large floral arrangement to all white flowers. 

But I love my new curtains. They are Tahari.