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The Manor on Meridian ~ The Show House 2026

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Good Morning Friends,

I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I just got back from a work trip last Thursday and have my second one coming up really soon. I have ordered some new suitcases and will be discussing what I have learned about traveling that works for me on the blog. Let me know below if you would be interested in that kind of blog post. In the meantime, let me share what else has been keeping me busy and that is the show house!

Now some of you know that I am the social media director for the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild. I joined in 2022 and love the work that we are doing. The show house is our number one fundraiser of the year. 

This year’s home is called the Manor on Meridian. 

 

 

This year the show house is located at 5141 North Meridian Street in Indianapolis. It was built in 1930 and is about 5,700 square feet. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It was an early example of a “spec” home, constructed not for a specific owner, but in anticipation of one. It did not sell initially but once the library was added the home finally secured its first owner. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

I will share the entryway in my part 2 of the show house. I kept trying to get photos, but someone was either there or the lighting was not right. Now this is the dining room. The interior designer for this space was Blake Richardson. Blake is one of my favorites and is a maximalist at heart. He decided to paint the walls the color Amaryllis pink by Sherwin Williams. I loved the silk chinoiserie wallpaper panels, the Asian china cabinet and all of the dreamy antiques in this room. There is Wedgwood china, Wedgwood crystal, and 1950s flatware from Thailand. It is truly elegant! 

 

 

I really want to buy the panels but goodness, I don’t think I could swing the price! So sad! Here is an up-close look at the dining room table setting. 

 

There are so many layers to this room. There is so much to look at and take in. 

 

 

Next up is the Curio Room by the beautiful Sallie Lord from Greyhunt Interiors. This was the library that was added to the home and Sallie decided to turn it into sitting room part gallery. It showcases collected objects that tell a story through design, artifacts, books and heirlooms. I love those leopard stools!

 

 

Now I loved designer Eric Scott. He is so sweet. He had the family room, and I thought he executed it so well. The teal couch was inspired by Sallie Lord’s room, and I loved how the designers were inspired by each other. Eric added a curated selection of furnishings, combined with an electric mix of fabrics and textures. The space had artwork from Anna Afashar and beautiful lighting from Ferguson. 

I hope that you have enjoyed the tour so far. I will be sharing a part 2 next week. I hope to take a few more photos, but we will see. The show house has been quite busy. Have a great weekend!

 

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April Favorites ~ 2026

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Hello Everyone,

I have decided to share my April favorites a week early. I have a lot going on next week and will not be posting to the blog. Of course, I will share any elegant adventures or finds that may occur. My newsletter will arrive the last week of April and I am currently working on a survey. I want to get everyone’s opinion about the future of the boutique and blog. 

Photo via Helena Simon.com 

 

First on my list is this new website discovery. I don’t know how this website ended up in my feed, but I am glad that it did. Helena Simon is a designer who crafts beautiful brooches. This one is a dream! The cherry blossom branch brooch is handmade with silk organza and two 14-carat gold pins. It is on my dream list! 

 

 

Next is this lion tissue box that I purchased for my home office. I love the gold trim and lion head. Then I decided that I needed a little extra protein the mornings before my walk. So, I ordered these small glass bottles to put my favorite protein drink Owyn in. It helps me to not waste my drinks and gives me a little boost before my walk. 

 

 

Oh, this was an interesting purchase from Amazon. I saw another influencer using this and thought I would give it a try. It is a such a treat and helps with puffiness and inflammation. I think it will be my go-to self-care treat this hot summer!

 

 

 

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and I am sharing some gift ideas on my page here. I think this peony candle would be a great gift idea. The scent is light and floral and just look at this adorable, fluted candle holder. During my recent HomeGoods spring shopping visit , I picked up these absolutely stunning faux roses with vines! I mean these are a dream. I am now trying to hunt them down at every HomeGoods in my city. I need more!!! 

 

 

And last is a new YouTube channel discovery. I found Chic Between the Lines earlier this month and have really enjoyed this channel. I hope that they record a second season and I would love to see more vlog style videos as well. I hope you all enjoyed this month’s favorites. I hope you have a great week, and I will see you all in May with blog posts about the show house! 

 

 

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Evening with Designers ~ 2026

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Hello Dear Friends,

I am posting this a little late but that is okay. I am trying not to keep myself to such a strict schedule when it comes to posting on the blog when it is a busy week. We had our Influencer/ Press Day at the show house. We had lovely weather and great people. This is always an exciting time!

 

 

This was me on Influencer Day! We had a great turnout and the house looks WONDERFUL! It always surprises me how our designers pull it all together each year. It sort of magical!

 

photos via: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

Here are a few snippets of the from our show house! We have some great new designers, lots of colors, and very supportive sponsors.  This particular home was built in 1930 as one of the first spec homes in Indianapolis. It is 5,700 square feet and has 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. 

 

 

This is the dining room. Just look at the amaryllis paint color! There are lots of layers, Staffordshire Dogs, and Waterford Crystal. I will have more details in the next few weeks.

 

 

The weather turned out so great! It was nice to thank our sponsors and celebrate our designers. It’s a great start to our show house year and to catch up with members as well. 

 

 

Mr. Shockley, always joins in on the festivities. He serves with me as a docent each year and everyone is getting to know him. Oh brother! But it is nice having a very supportive husband and someone willing to serve this wonderful organization! If you are local, please stop by the show house. We have lots of events going on including a Mahjong event! The link is here if you are interested. Have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antiques & Brie

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Well, it’s a snowy cold week here! Yeah you read that right, we have snow in March!!! Now the good thing is it will not stick but good grief! I am so worried about my tulips. I hope they will be okay. 

I am still trying to “plan around my energy”. If you watched my latest video, then you will know what I am talking about. I have a very low stress weekend planned. I really want to head to an antique store, but we will see how things go. 

We (the Guild) had an event a few weeks ago and it was marvelous! I have been wanting to share it. It was an antiquing event at Midlands. Now I have shared this place before numerous times, and it is still a feast for the eyes! 

 

photos via: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We walked in a saw a vintage table laid out with wine, tea candles in wine glasses (I will be stealing this idea), cheeses, nuts, crackers, pita bread, chocolate, and this amazing brie! I love that the antique store used crystal and silver in the table settings.

 

 

This was the amazing brie. One of the hostesses told me how to make it but I seriously needed it written down. I know it had brown sugar in it, almonds, and layers of gooey brie cheese. It was truly magnificent!

 

 

 

Look at this fantastic table setting! Now this is how you greet your guests. I loved the many layers that it had and all of the antiques surrounding it. We had vintage chairs, and beautiful Asian screens. 

 

 

The store is huge. It’s an old warehouse with probably hundreds of vendors. Everyone carefully curates their spaces and makes it look like a store. 

 

 

 

I love it when a vendor styles their space in a way where you can visualize the items in your space. I think it provides or assists in giving you ideas and inspiration. Now here is one of my favorite rooms in the building. I call it the chandelier room! It’s a dream when you walk in and has so many layers. There are linens, and vintage pieces, pillows, curtains, lamps, and on and on! 

 

 

I found this charming vintage inspired vanity. The fabric is a showstopper! I had to grab it. I have nowhere to put it, but I will figure it out later. I could not leave it there. The price was only $50 so I thought it was a steal. 

 

 

 

It also has a lot of storage in addition to its beauty. Who knows, it may end up in my closet or dressing room. That’s what I want to call it. 🙂 I really hope that we can do this event again. I loved it and thought it incorporated so many things. It involved supporting a small business, friendship, connecting, and food.

 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Before Look at the Show House ~ 2026

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A beautiful morning to you all. How is everyone doing? Cold right? Well, I am not trying to wish it away so soon. I find that I do that a lot and I am trying to take each day as it comes and each hill as it arrives. We are in our new space, and I am loving my new office. I will share some new photos soon. 

In other news we have a new show house for the 2026 year, and I wanted to share a few rooms before the designers come in and work their magic. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

These two rooms are the living room and dining room. We have been doing house shifts, and it has given each member the opportunity to walk through the home and admire the bones of it. It is truly a beautiful house! I love the paint colors in each room and the wall paneling. I would love to try this in my home one day. That green in the dining room is so subtle yet elegant. I believe that chandelier is original. 

 

 

The room on the left is the entry way. It has lots of room to add a table and beautiful colors and fabrics. The kitchen has lots of details as well and is immaculate! I can’t get enough of the crystal chandelier! 

 

 

 

 

And the last room that I am going to share is the master bathroom. This is now my bathroom inspiration. I love the mirrors and the paint color of the cabinets. I see a beautiful floral arrangement in the center and lots of opportunity for storage. This house has lots more rooms and a stunning exterior. I look forward to sharing more about our show house this year. If you are local mark your calendars for April 23 thru May 10. That is when you can come and tour the show house and help us raise money for Eskenazi Hospital!

Our next event is posted to our website. Dash by the Past is a family-friendly 5K or 1 mile walk with a scenic route that takes participants past previous Decorators’ Show House and Gardens homes on Meridian Street. It is open to register! 

Have a great week! 

 

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My Word for 2026~ Curate

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Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone has started 2026 being safe and with family. Of course, we had a quiet evening at home, and I even stayed up this year. Which honestly, I think my hormones has something to do with it but whatever. It was quiet which is what I love. I finally got my recent video edited and posted to my channel. I will share it below. 

In the video, I talk about my word of the year which is curate. The dictionary meaning of curate is selected, organized, and presented using professional or expert knowledge. This word came to me in November of last year as I was thinking about my life as whole. I told my husband that I wanted to live well and then live beautifully. I also remember mentioning it in my “becoming a better life curator” blog post. I want to first start with my thoughts. I have a lot of junk that I let run rampant in my mind. I remember driving to work one morning and this crazy thought came into my mind. I remember stopping it and thinking now why am I letting this crazy thought stay here?

That’s when curate came into my mind. Now I know that I will not get this perfect but let’s start the process. Let’s curate these thoughts. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

The next is my home life. Once you watch my video you will understand what I am doing in my home and what is on my list. We have to update carpet, repaint rooms, and purge! Oh my goodness, we have so much stuff in this house. Just last week I dropped off 3 trashbags, and 2 big boxes of home and closet items. There is so much stuff that we are living with that we just don’t need. Curate. Let’s curate the home decor and my closet. 

 

 

Now on to my planners. I will continue to use my Day Designer, but I am now adding a second planner. I decided to order the Monthly Planner from Jamie Beck. This planner is exceptionally beautiful, and I will be using it for my monthly goals. You can watch my video to get an up-close look at it. 

On a second note, I found this gorgeous Christian Dior journal and pencil set on Poshmark! I thought this would a beautifully curated addition to my journal inventory. 

 

 

I hope you all enjoy my video and let me know your word of the year below. I am always curious about where people are and I think your word of the year says a lot about your yearly journey. Take care!

 

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A Christmas Tea at Irwin Mansion

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Good Morning Friends,

It’s the week before Christmas, can you believe it? These last few months have just flown by! I went to the L.S. Ayres Team Room yesterday with my team. It was a wonderful lunch. I don’t think we are going to see the Nutcracker this year. I honestly want to take a break. The last few years have been a lot. The venue has been so crowded and dealing with people has just been a lot for me. They did change venues this year so maybe…..

This past weekend I did something fun with my girlfriends. We went and had Christmas tea at the Inn at Irwin Gardens! We were not sure if we were going to go because the temperatures dropped so low. It was -2 that day and then we had tons of snow the night before. Also, the mansion is about an hour away from everyone, but we decided to go out, and we had a great time!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was inside the mansion as we entered it. The ceiling had lots of details, and I loved all of the wood in the entryway. The original mansion was built in 1864 and was remodeled again in 1890. 

 

 

These were some of the beautiful rooms that you could choose to have tea in. I actually loved the green room. It was so warm and inviting and the color in person was perfection. The other room was very grand and had a fireplace. I also loved the fabrics in that room.

 

 

Here is an up-close photo of one of the chairs. I LOVED the fabric so much. I believe these chairs were vintage as well. The room on the right is the room that me and my girlfriends had tea in. 

 

 

We started off with a cup of roast pears and plums. It had a little bit of Greek yogurt and nuts. It was quite delicious. Of course, there were tea sandwiches, a hearty vegetable soup and dessert. 

 

 

The dessert was the banana pudding with a ginger snap cookie. I enjoyed a cup of peppermint tea and a lovely conversation with the girls. They also gave us a tour of the bedrooms. This mansion was quite big for being 135 years old. I think it would be lovely to stay in a mansion like this. My husband hates bed and breakfasts so this would have to be enjoyed without him but that is okay. 

 

 

Aren’t these Dress Christmas trees beautiful? A few on the rooms had them. I would love one for my office one day. I may have to search Amazon. It was a wonderful, lovely day with the girls and so needed before the holidays. I will be taking time off from the blog next week. Let me know in the comments below what you plan to do this holiday season! Merry Christmas!

 

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