Weekly Beauty Inspiration ~ LABL Book (4)

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Good Afternoon,

The middle of October already. I am trying to plan out how I am going to get my early voting done. I hope you all are ready to vote or have accomplished it already. No matter who your party is vote. I am one who supports freedom. It doesn’t matter to me who you vote for. It is your freedom! 

Well, I had a wonderful weekend. I got my grocery shopping done, went to the nail salon, and got my gel nails back (yay) and we got to have dinner at the Cake Bake Shop!

It is so quiet. Our dinner was delicious and our server Brian was fantastic! It was not crowded which we loved. I will share some photos below. 

Today I wanted to share this week’s Living a Beautiful life post. I am in the middle of Chapter 3 which is “The Kitchen: Enhancing the Flavor of Good Eating”. 




















Alexandra said, “The more carefully we plan our meals, the less tempted we will be to overdo in quantity. Meals are small acts of great importance, moments set aside for conversation, reflection, and communion. I think there should be a high concentration on the ritual of eating. Beauty has no calories and yet it improves your health.” 

Well said! Beauty has no calories and yet improves your health. It does! There are countless times when things around me have helped pull me out of a dark cloud. 





















She goes on to say that there are “three basic elements in interior design that bring atmosphere and charm into your kitchen: Keep it simple, make it appropriate, make it beautiful. It sounds so easy-simple, appropriate, and beautiful- yet you need to be watchful to accomplish it. “

I understand the watchful part. Sometimes with the day to day life schedules clutter can creep into your kitchen and dining area. My husband is a “pile keeper”. He will keep piles of crap everywhere if I let him so I have to be mindful. 

I hope you guys enjoyed these beautiful tips from Alexandra today. I will be sharing more kitchen tips next week. Now on to my Cake Bake visit and photos!



Once we arrived I checked us in and went to the gift shop to look around. I loved the new Christmas ornaments. 




This was Lauren’s favorite!

I have to say that the swan ornament was my favorite!

The gift shop and bakery shop is always fun to walk around in. 

This was the chandelier above our table. Glorious isn’t it? 

These swan pillows are new decor features around the restaurant. They are very pretty in person. Smaller versions are available if you are interested. 

I could not pass up the brown butter salmon. It was great this time with the roasted brussel sprouts and potatoes. So yummy! I cleaned my plate! 

This time I decided to get a slice of the apple crumble cake! It was an apple spice cake made with real apples and pecans. It was also filled with homemade caramel. It was DELISH!

I have never seen it this empty but due to Covid there was limited seating. It was nice to be able to take a few photos with less people around. 

















These new fairies were a new addition too! I hope you all enjoyed this post filled with home inspiration and great dining. The Cake Bake Shop is always a magical place! Thank you for reading! And this blog post today marks my 1,000th POST!!!! I can’t believe it! Wow, thank you to all of you who continue to read my blog. 

(photos via Pinterest & Mrs. Shockley)

A Few Autumn Outfits

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I am taking the day off today. I want to take our daughter to a new restaurant and have her try some beignets. My husband took me there a few weeks ago and it was delicious. I brought home some beignets for Lauren and she went on and on about them. So this should be a nice brunch that we can have together. Also, I saw an advertisement for IL Makiage and I took their foundation survey. The survey gave me what they thought was my match for foundation. I went ahead and requested the trial bottle. It shipped out yesterday so we will see.

Okay so on with today’s post. Some of you may have already seen a few photos on my Instagram account about my fall outfits. I wanted to share a few of those on the blog. Let’s start with my first outfit….


So in this photo, I am wearing a v-neck sweater from H&M, a pleated skirt from Walmart, leopard slingbacks from Ann Taylor and my vintage Louis Vuitton from Tradesy. I love how the pink and burgundy look together. Feminine and still fall-inspired. If you are interested in a pleated skirt I have found some similar ones here and here.

For for a similar H&M sweater see here and here. I also found this great travel wrap from Target that also comes in 5 different colors! For some similar leopard slingbacks see here and for a vintage Louis Vuitton tote check out Tradesy. You can sometimes find a used one for under $500! 




















For my second look I am wearing this super comfy and chic long sleeve swing dress from Amazon! I was very apprehensive about ordering this but it turned out to be a great purchase! I love this dress! I paired it with my gray heels from Ann Taylor, cognac Coach tote and faux Chanel pearls. 

If you are interested in a similar gray heel look at these and these. For a similar Coach tote check out this one and this one. Also I found this fantastic tote at Macy’s for under $100! As far as the faux Chanel pearl necklace, sorry I could not find anything online. I got mine from an online website over 10 years ago. I only paid about $30! They are heavy and look so real! 






















For my third look, I am wearing the blue version of my red dress from Amazon! These dresses are great! They could be dressed up or down. So versatile and cheap! I paired it with my Kate Spade pumps (which are practically sold out), Anne Klein Sandra tote and vintage Coach scarf. 

It was quite hard trying to find something similar to my pump but I did find these great pumps at Target! Loving the snake print! For a beautiful chic scarf, I would check out Ann Taylor. They always have beautiful, elegant scarves at great prices! For a similar gray tote, this tote from Target looks pretty chic to me.

And for my last outfit…..






I am wearing this extremely gorgeous lace blouse from Express! This blouse is stunning! It is so stunning that I decided to order a second color. I ordered the truffle pink. I am wearing it in the cloud cream. It is beautiful! And I am so excited to have my first faux leather skirt! It is super comfy and chic. I am also wearing my Kate Spade pumps and Coach tote.  For a similar faux leather skirt see here. 


I hope you all enjoyed seeing a few of my outfits for fall. I hope that you all found a few pieces that you love as well. I am looking forward to the weekend. I am going to head to Von Maur to find a new foundation brush for my trial bottle that should be arriving soon. Also, I made reservations for the Cake Bake Shop! I hope we can go. My husband has been extremely busy so I hope we can get out there. I’ll post some pictures if we do. 


Enjoy the weekend!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



Antiquing on Monday

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I decided to take Monday off from the blog and go and visit a new antique store called the Salvage Sisters.

The drive to Franklin, Indiana was so nice. All of the trees were changing colors and the small-town feel was so charming. Lauren and I kept looking at all of the old homes. 

Once we got there I immediately went to the chandelier above. It’s a smaller version of the one I have in my kitchen. I still want a double chandelier in my kitchen. 




I turned around and saw this beautiful cabinet filled with cream porcelain and crystal. There was crystal vases filled with silver everywhere. 



Found another gorgeous chandelier! I would love to have this in an office. 




Now, this is one piece that I can not forget. I really wanted this piece. It’s a vintage buffet table. I opened it and it would have been perfect for all of my entertaining items. 
I also thought this would be perfect for a t.v. stand. I could see my flat screen on here with some of my vintage dvds in the drawers. I believe vintage furniture could be used for anything. 


I did end up purchasing this English rose teacup and saucer set. It is quite big when compared to my other teacups. 


I did end up finding the website for this brand. I have never heard of Roy Kirkham but the china on the website looks absolutely gorgeous! I only paid $13 for my one teacup and saucer and it appears that a set of two is $53! 
And there are other sets that I am really interested in. I really liked the David Austin Roses set, the English Rose set (of course), and the Redoute Rose collection was another favorite. 
Let me know in the comments section below if you have heard of this brand. 
I really wanted that vintage buffet table….. sad face… I hope you all enjoyed this little journey with me. I wanted to do a vlog but I was using my phone for directions. Next time I should just use my car navigation dashboard! Have a great Wednesday!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Google)








































Elegant Jewelry at Kohls

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Hello Friday,

Sorry, I am running behind. Yesterday I had to go to the office for work. I was in my “flow” getting things done and the fire alarm went off! Oh my goodness…. no! I then had to go down 21 flights of stairs. Not fun…  And this morning I wanted to work out to keep up with my routine and I was so sore and tired this morning. Urgh… okay, but let the 3-day weekend begin!

I have been online searching for Christmas gifts and trying to find great ideas for my family and friends. I ended up on the Kohl’s website and found some great jewelry at great prices!





First on my list are these gorgeous Downton Abbey oval pearl earrings. I love a beautiful pearl earring and these are only $14.28! Great Christmas gift for that classic lady in your family!

Or these classic Downton Abbey cameo stud earrings for $13.09. They come with an elegant Downton Abbey box as well. 

It turns out that Kohl’s has an excellent Downton Abbey line full of beautiful classic jewelry all for great prices. Grab some Christmas gifts!

Okay, one more pair of cameos and these are the 14k pearl cameo drop earrings. These are on sale right now for $85! They look beautiful!

Next on the list is this beautiful 14k rose gold drop necklace. It is on sale right now for $59! Wowzers!



And I am not really a Halloween person but I thought this spider brooch was really cute. It’s still elegant and chic for Halloween. 

I hope you all enjoyed these finds from Kohl’s. I know that I found a few pieces that I want. Everyone please enjoy your weekend and the weather! 

(photos via Kohl’s.com)

(This post is not sponsored but does have affiliated links)

A Southern Lady Flower Tutorial

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Good Wednesday Morning, 

I thought I would share this fun and fantastic video about flower arranging from Southern Lady magazine. I love all of the blue and white that she has. 

And speaking of blue and white here is another fantastic video from the Chateau Diaries on Youtube. This has been one of my recent Youtube channel finds. I hope you all enjoy the video. 



(photo via SouthernLady.com & video from Youtube)

Weekly Beauty Inspiration ~ LABL Book (3)

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photo credit Mrs. Shockley 

Good Morning,

We are in the first week of October. October already…. I have been pulling all of my autumn and winter inspired candles to the front of the cabinet. I can’t wait to use them. I also ran some errands this weekend. I finally found the perfect faux leather skirt at Target. You can click on the size to change it to yours but I went and picked up my size and tried it on. I love it! It’s not too short and hits me at the perfect length. It is going to look very chic with a sweater this coming season.

Now time for this week’s inspired post from Living a Beautiful Life. I hope everyone has been enjoying the snippets that I have been sharing from this book. It has been a lovely evening read and a way to end my evenings. 

This week’s inspiration is…. “Coming home and shutting the door on the outside world is an experience I look forward to, and I celebrate with something refreshing.”  





photo credit Lilyoake.blogspot.com

“Having a soft drink, fruit juice, or a cup of tea or coffee as I prepare for the rituals that will follow, both symbolize coming home and uplifts me. And while I prepare my refreshment, I anticipate having it in a favorite glass, cup and saucer or mug, in my own place. We remind ourselves, as we pause, that being home is a real treat”. 

Being home is a real treat! I cannot tell you how working from home has given me such peace during this time. I look forward to the holidays. I am enjoying even the cold days that we have had this week. I am loving the rain and crisp air. There is something about the autumn months that gives me peace. Truly it does. 


photo credit Charisse Kenion 

At the end of Chapter 2, she mentions her “Grace Notes” and one of them was “when you’re just about ready to throw away your cologne, put the bottle in your lingerie drawer to give you and your clothes a lingering fragrance.” What a wonderful idea? Have any of you tried that? Let me know in the comments section below. 

I hope you all enjoyed this week’s beauty inspiration. Here is the first week’s and here is the second week’s inspiration from the book. 

Here is the link to Alexandra’s newsletter. 

Have a great Monday!

A Quiet Birthday

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Happy Friday All!

It has been a fantastic weather week here in Indy. It has been in the low 60’s and ’70s. Dream weather indeed. My birthday was Monday and I just wanted to share some small details from it. I got some flowers even though I get them every week. I just love them. They make me happy! 

My birthday was rather quiet this year. I wanted to go to the Cake Bake Shop but my husband has been soooo busy!! I didn’t know when he would be free because you must have a reservation to get in there. You will wait for about 2 hours if you don’t! So we went to the Cheesecake Factory instead! I love their food as well. 


















I did go and get a manicure and pedicure. I was there for about 2 hours getting those done. It was nice. I have not been to the nail salon since February. It was a treat! 

Most of you have probably already seen these gorgeous earrings on my Instagram account. 



 

These are the Vera clip-on earrings from Loren Hope. I have been “stalking” these earrings for almost a year! I was so happy and surprised when my husband gave them to me!



I have been wearing them all week. The last item that I received was this beautiful “Chanel” inspired brooch that I ordered from a boutique on Instagram!

It was only $27 after shipping! I am considering ordering a second one. I don’t really have much planned for the weekend. I do want to visit a boutique and look at a few things but then again I don’t really need to shop. I need to finish up my Christmas list. I started shopping for Christmas gifts in September. I have been buying my ingredients and baking supplies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a feeling that items are going to be slim pickings this year. 

I have also been taking Jennifer L. Scott’s Chic Financial Principles for Debt -Free Living course. She has some great ideas and she shares some personal stories about herself and her husband. I have enjoyed it very much. 

I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the weather wherever you are!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)