Monthly Favorites Archives - Page 4 of 15

May Favorites ~ 2023

May 30, 2023/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Everyone,

It is so good to be back home and finished with traveling. I had a wonderful time in South Carolina. I got the management training that I needed and networked! I met more people and got more connections. Networking is so important, and I didn’t realize that until the last few years. I would encourage anyone to try to network. Get people around you to help you with succeeding and training people if you need to. It helps! Trust me it does!

Lauren graduated on Saturday, and we are so excited for this next chapter for her. It was so nice seeing her with her friends’ taking photos and making memories. Now we are in open house party planning mode, and I hope to get that list completed here soon.

Now let’s get into my favorites for the month of May.

First on my list is another bathroom organizing idea. I found these simple, yet beautiful bathroom storage containers from Amazon. They have been just wonderful having and using on my vanity. I have my cotton balls and reading glasses wipes in them.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Second on my list is my new lunch bag and card holder from Notiq. These two items have been on my wish list for some time now. I have been getting lots of compliments on my lunch bag. It is so elegant and chic. It will inspire you to grow in your meal planning and be an elegant lunch companion!

Third are my new candles. There is a new candle collection at Bath and Body Works created by Chiaki Nomura. I absolutely love this new collection! It is rare for me to like all of the scents and I love all of the scents from this collection. What I dislike about Bath and Body Works is that most of the scents smell like foods and are just a little on the juvenile side to me. I want scents that are light, beautiful and classic. I purchased all of the scents that I could and will enjoy them. This collection will not be around for long so go and give them a try.

The fourth item was my Mother’s Day gift to my mother-in-law. I saw a beautiful advertisement for these on Instagram and decided to take a look at their website. What I discovered was a company that made these giant, lifelike floral bouquet cards for all kinds of celebrations. I ordered the Nantucket Hydrangea card and she loved it! It was all she kept talking about. I also ordered the Cherry Blossom one for myself and the Sunflower card for a friend. I hope you order one for someone!

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

Fifth on my list is my new Sarah Flint Royal Kingdom Scarf! My husband got this for me as a Mother’s Day gift. I love it! I remember when Sarah was sharing this on her Zoom call with us. I fell in love then. Right now, there is a 60% off sale going on with an additional 20% off markdowns! And don’t forget about our brand ambassador codes that you can use and are now $60 off instead of $50! You can get a lot of elegant pieces with these sales. Use my code: SARAHFLINT-BASMSSHOCKLEY for your discount.

And the last thing is my newest adventure, eating Vietnamese food for the first time! So on my recent work trip, a group of us wanted to go have dinner but one of our friend’s has severe food allergies so she mentioned Vietnamese food. I thought, “oh dear unknown territory for me”, but I felt my heart open to it and so I agreed. We went to a place called Pho Viet. I ordered the beef noodle soup and some spring rolls. It was so delicious!!! I immediately came home and began to Google places near me. I found one and will be going next week.

That is all I have for my favorites lists. There are more items to share but they will be put into separate posts in the upcoming weeks. Also if you have subscribed to my newsletter please make sure to check your spam folder. I have been checking the reports and some of you are not getting the newsletter because they are going to spam. Please make sure to check that folder. I hope you all have a great day!

Affiliate links attached.

April Favorites ~ 2023

April 28, 2023/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Friday Morning,

It has been a very tiring week for me. I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and had to do a glucose test which was awful. In addition to drinking that extremely sugary drink, the nurse could not find my vein, so I ended up getting stuck two extra times! Not ideal for me but I got it done and now I can talk about some options with my doctor next week. I just hope everything goes well.

This evening my husband and I will be attending our very first cocktail party! It’s the opening party for the Guild’s Showhouse and I am a little excited about it. My first shift as a docent will be this weekend so wish me luck. I will share a few photos of the home in addition to last year’s home and the year before. Now let’s get into some favorites for the month of April.

My first favorite was our daughter’s college visit. It turned out to be a very pretty day and I wore a dress, beautiful scarf, and my glitter pink sneakers! I am so glad that I did! I was so comfortable, and I still felt chic. I also ordered this lace slip shorts to wear under my dresses. They are so good! I need more!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

My second favorite is this beautiful room in a church where we have our Guild Meetings. This is one of the other rooms. I just love the decor and paint color! It’s the “perfect pink” for me.

Third on my list is my new Nespresso machine! I adore it. I can now make my own chai tea lattes! I have had it for a week now and love making my own foam oatmilk.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Next are my lilac bushes! They are in full bloom. I wish these lasted forever!

Fifth on my list are my new mules from Ann Taylor. Now how elegant are these? These have been my weekend go-tos! They go so well with my dresses and cardigans. I still feel put together comfortable and elegant.

Sixth is a new organizational find from Amazon! I saw one of the influencers that I follow have this in her bathroom and I had to order it. It’s outstanding! Everything fits on it and I still have room for other beauty items. It’s great and look at the gold buttons!

As I mentioned earlier the Guild Showhouse starts this weekend. This stove is in the kitchen at the Showhouse. It’s my dream stove. I love it so much! After I heard the price on it I now know that it will stay a dream stove!

And lastly are these new tea bag filters that I found on Amazon! I have teatime every day and some of my tea bags fall apart and I don’t have a filter to pour tea. So, I ordered these and could not be happier! You get both the silver and the gold.

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for the month of April. The monthly newsletter should be going out soon! Have a great weekend!

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.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas ~ Small & Elegant

April 22, 2023/4 Comments/in Beauty & Health, Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning,

My busy month of May is about to begin. I am serious. I barely have any free time in the month of May. I will be sure to share what is going on but let’s get into some gift ideas for Mother’s Day which is May 14th!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

First on my list is this beautiful lettuce ware candle from Tory Burch. I purchased mine last year and have been slowing using it. I don’t want the scent to go away! I love it so much. The scent notes are jasmine, gardenia, and pink pepper. It is such a lovely gift for the floral lover and grandmillennial at heart. The Oiseau candle would be perfect as well.

My second suggestion is the Fresh Floral Recovery Calming Mask. I have been using this for a month straight and I have seen great results! So I wash my face with my normal facial cleanser then put this cream over my face and go to sleep. In the morning I follow my normal skin care regimen. Everyone has been coming up to me asking me what foundation I am using or makeup! I just look at them and say ” I am not wearing anything”! It has really changed the tone and texture of my skin. It’s a wonderful gift to help mom moisture at night!

Another beauty suggestion. I love Sally Hansen nail products and I use this product on my nails at night. This is the Color Therapy Nail and Cuticle oil. It has a light scent and I just rub it on my nails and cuticles at night. Such a small but glorious luxury.

Fourth is a new tote organizing luxury. I have been eyeing this pencil case from Notiq for quite some time now. I am so glad that I ordered it. I can now find my pens pretty easily and it stops my bags from having pen mark everywhere! Mom might move this! I think the Notiq water bottle is a wonderful gift as well. I love using mine!

Last on my list is a wonderful pair of mules. This is one of my weekend outfits and I paired it with my Ann Taylor patent mules. These are so elegant as well as super comfy! I have the plaid print coming soon. It’s a perfect, elegant, low heeled shoe for mom or you for that matter!

There is also the glorious Amazon wrap! I love this and will be ordering it in black and gray this week. This quilted tote from Amazon is still a favorite and mom might like the size as well. There is also my Vintage Vanity Collection! It has launched on the boutique website! Please go and check it out! One of those vintage items might be great for mom as well!

I hope you enjoyed my Mother’s Day gift guide. Please let me know if you have purchased one of these items for your mom. I would love to know.

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.

March Favorites ~ 2023

March 31, 2023/5 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning,

It’s the last day of March… wow! And it’s still cold here. It’s quite annoying but I am trying to make the best of it. We are gearing up for prom! Lauren and I dropped off her prom dress earlier this week for alterations. I scheduled her hair and makeup appointment. I purchased her jewelry and glitter clutch. I am not sure if I will post a picture or not. I will have to wait and see how she feels about it and how things go. But so far so good. I will try again to film a video for YouTube. Every time I schedule this something comes up, but I will try. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this month’s favorites.

First on my list for March favorites are my recent Loeffler Randall dupe find from Amazon.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

I absolutely love these! I went and ordered them in black as well. They are so comfy and so pretty on. I hope that they get them in pink. I would love a pair in pink seriously!

Second on my list are my new scarf rings! Now if you follow me on Instagram then you would have seen a reel of me showing you how to use this. It is so easy to use and so elegant! I took one to Washington with me. It was so chic and they are so affordable.

Speaking of Washington, D.C., the azalea garden at the National Gallery of Art was a dream. I have shared this before. It never gets old. If you ever go there stop by and look at the art and make sure to see the azalea garden. It is for the most part always there.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

The fourth item is my new jewelry travel case. I am ashamed to say that when I travel, I normally just put my jewelry in a box. It usually works out okay but having an actual jewelry travel case is soo much better! I worry constantly when we travel about my vintage earrings being damaged or lost. I remember a few years back; TSA opened my suitcase and went through it for whatever reason and dumped everything everywhere! I was so upset. Now if I would have had a jewelry case then I think my suitcase and jewelry would have been in better shape and protected!

Speaking of organized suitcase, I purchased my first set of packing cubes. I watched a few videos on YouTube and was convinced to try some. I am so glad that I did! Above is how I packed for my trip to Washington. I felt so organized, my clothes stayed in place, and everything had its place. It was so wonderful! I felt like I got more packed in my suitcase because of the packing cubes.

Sixth on my list is my monthly luncheons with my friends from the Guild. I love having these! Honestly, I did not understand the importance of female friendships until recently. I never saw healthy female friendships when I grew up. I only saw my mother have her “friends” and as soon as they left her sight, she would just talk about them so bad! So I assume that’s what friendships were, and I never wanted it! But now that I am older, I now know that friendships are so much more and that what I saw was not correct. We have so much fun during our monthly luncheons and I look forward to them each month!

Okay one more shoe favorite….

Now I have never been a white shoe kind of person, but I saw these on the Ann Taylor website and could not resist! They are so pretty on! The heel is the perfect size, and the color is outstanding. It has a bit of cream in it and will go with a LOT of items in my wardrobe. I can’t wait to wear them this spring and summer.

I hope flowers and trees are beginning to bloom in your world. My heart is longing for beautiful blooms right now. Have a great weekend!

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.

Oh I wanted to tell everyone that some of the boutique’s dresses and accessories are on my Poshmark page! If you want to make an offer you can and shipping is cheaper! Here is the link!

February Favorites ~ 2023

February 27, 2023/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Everyone!

It’s Monday again… gosh I am not ready for this week. I really want to stay home and purge some items in my home. I started going through cabinets and drawers and just got honest with myself. We don’t use most of the stuff in these cabinets. So I am planning a purge day. I am trying to plan it while my husband is at work. He has hoarder tendencies. I never purges anything and I mean anything! While I will get rid of something in a heartbeat and will feel like my life is complete!

I also made a big purchase this weekend! I ordered my new desk! I am so excited! It will not be available until April which is okay. I was a little disappointed that I could not get it sooner but it will be worth the wait. Right now, I am using my dining room table from my first apartment! You all have seen it before. I purchased it in 2002. It is time to move on for sure. I want more substantial pieces in my home, and I am trying to move things out bit by bit.

Now on to my favorite things in February….

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

February was already a rough month for our family. Most of you know that we had to put our last dog down earlier this month. He was diagnosed with cancer and watching him suffer was horrible. He seemed to be in good spirits, but he was dwindling away right in front of our eyes. Getting these beautiful roses from my husband the day after he passed was wonderful!

Second on my list has been my salmon salads at lunch. I am actually making these at home and they are so delicious! I bake the salmon the night before, put it in a container, pack my salad in a separate container and then mix it all together for lunch the next day. The other great part is that no one is smelling it in the office! They have been so good!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Third on the list was my first digital magazine newsprint! I shared this on the blog. I ordered a magazine newsprint of the article. I will get a frame for it and hang it in my office somewhere soon!

Fourth is this fantastic Amazon find! It has been really hard for me to find great dresses. I am really picky and want a certain look and fit and I love this dress from Amazon. It comes in several different colors and fits so well and is very elegant. I just ordered it on violet and hope to order it in burgundy soon.

The fifth has been this “Lady in the Blue Dress” picture. I had it upstairs but then decided to move it downstairs to enjoy. I love it here! I did have some information on it. I will try and find it.

Sixth was a new restaurant that my husband and I went to for Valentine’s Day. It was called Monterey Coastal Cuisine and it was divine! I got the roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, and honey roasted brussel sprouts. It was soo good! My goodness I loved this meal. The restaurant was beautiful, and it was so nice going somewhere different.

The last favorite on my list was the flower workshop that I just did this past week. I enjoyed that so much. It was so nice to be with other women working towards a great cause and enjoying the beauty that God created.

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for this month. I can’t believe that we are headed towards March. Mr. Shockley and I will be celebrating 19 years of marriage on Tuesday and 20 years together in May. Have a great Monday!

fyi: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

January Favorites ~ 2023

January 23, 2023/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning,

This will be my first favorites list for 2023! This is also tax time for me. I am trying to get all of my documents together and get everything organized before I file. With my regular job, the blog, the boutique, and my influencer work, tax time has been a very busy time for me. There is a lot that needs to be done. I am looking forward to when I am completely done with it. Then I want to focus on getting new inventory for the boutique. That is always the fun part!

I finally finished season 1 of the Crown and I am now starting season 2. Let me know in the comments section below what series you are watching. Now on to my favorites for the month of January.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

My first favorite is my Royal Albert Tea for One set that I purchased from Wedgwood. I love it so much! I have been wanting this for quite some time and decided to go ahead and purchase it. I am so happy that I did!

The second favorite is my Staffordshire dogs that I purchased from an Instagram account called Willow Road Interiors. She also has an Etsy page as well. Now I think I have may share that I don’t normally like these figurines. In fact, most of them (to me) are quite ugly. But when I saw these, I instantly loved them! Here is another pair that you might like. Check out her account!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Third on my list were these yellow tulips that I found at the local grocery store. It has been so cold, gloomy, and dark here in Indy that having these for a week during January was a joy! They were so bright, cheery, and added a lovely feeling to our home.

Fourth on my list has been my most FAVORITE thing this month! I love this new houndstooth tote from Kate Spade. Now I will share that during this month I did purchase a Teddy Blake bag, but I sent it back. I will be sure to share that experience but after sending it back I saw this and could not resist it. A few influencers did purse tutorials on YouTube. Here is the one that sold me! I love it! No regrets!

Oh this one was good as well! I saw this on Amazon months ago and decided to go ahead and order it! So glad I did! It comes in 21 colors. It is the perfect wrap cardigan! I will be wearing this while traveling and I think I may be wearing it during the spring! The fabric is so soft, it wraps so easily, and it’s the perfect pink. It’s perfect you guys!

Sixth on my list was my latest blue and white haul at HomeGoods. I wanted this peony arrangement in the blue and white vase and it sold out at the HomeGoods near me. My co-worker went to her location and found it! So of course, I go and in addition to getting that arrangement they had some blue and white on sale! What a wonderful surprise! Also I was able to shop alone so that made it all the more worthwhile.

And the last favorite for this month was a new YouTube channel that I found!

Mariana is another influencer who enjoys being elegant. I love her style and enjoy her videos. I hope you will enjoy her content as well.

Well, that is it for my favorites for January. The quest for beautiful things is always on my radar and I hope to find more beautiful items to share next month. 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.