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New Vintage Inspired Bags

 

 

Good Morning Friends,

I hope you are all well. My recent “girls day” went so well. I spent the entire day with some of my friends from the St. Margaret’s Guild and we had a wonderful time. I will be sure to share a blog post later about our adventure. 

This week we are taking Lauren back to her college campus. 🙁 I am really sad but she is ready to return to her friends. I also will be taking a few days off this week. I want to just “putter” around the house and get things done. I am thinking about changing around my office furniture so we will see what I end up doing. 

Have you read the title? Oh my goodness. I recently received a package and it was just stunning when I opened it. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This vintage hatbox is stunning and was created by V.J. from Notiq! 

 

 

This hatbox is a serious head turner! I took it with me on my recent work trip and you would not believe the amount of people that stopped me to look at it. It is perfect as a carry-on and to take with you for short trips. I have even used it to take to my office to carry my lunch bag, water bottle, and planner. 

It is made of sustainable luxury materials and will absolutely elevate your look. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The second bag that I just got is the MME. Carlton Basket tote. It is huge and I have always wanted a large basket bag. I absolutely love it. For one it is different. You will not see many people with this bag. Anytime I carry one of my MME.Mink bags I always get stopped and people ask me questions. This basket bag is made from organic grass fibers woven together. The bag also has leather and the distinctive MME. Mink design and gold hardware. It’s lovely. 

 

 

 

It’s has lots of room inside and I added my purse insert from Amazon to give me compartments and proper storage. I found something similar on Amazon, see here if you are interested. 

I can’t believe that summer is almost over. I am preparing for my closet review here soon. I actually cannot wait to do it, purge some items and get ready for fall. Speaking of purging most of the dresses in my dress boutique are on sale. Most of them have been marked down to only $10! Order a few for your wardrobe! 

 

 

 

 

  • This post is a paid partnership. 

The Peony Festival ~ 2024

 

 

Good Morning,

I have been in my greenhouse every evening since it has been installed. I am on a bit of a learning curve, but we will get there. Right now, I am trying to defy the odds. Most of the individuals at the nurseys around my city are telling me that I cannot grow a flower cutting garden in my greenhouse! I WANT TO PROVE THEM WRONG! I know that flower bulbs need to freeze but I really want to try this. I am not saying that I don’t want to plant vegetables down the road but for right now my goal is my very own flower cutting garden. I am hoping that the Lord can guide me.

Did any of you get a bouquet of peonies this year? It seems like the season came and went so quickly! I tried to get out and get more peonies but it seems like everyone in my city was looking for them. 

One place that had tons of peonies and people was the Peony Festival this year. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I saw these walking up to the festival this year. There were so many peonies and so many people! The word has gotten out and now everyone is coming. I think they may need to stretch it for two days. 

 

 

One flower that caught my eye this year was the Christmas velvet peony. Have any of you ever seen this version or color before? It was quite striking but so beautiful! A company called Mimi Made it by Lattia had these beautiful flowers. 

 

 

These little peony bouquets were so adorable and chic. I loved the pink blush containers and the little statute sitting on the table. This company was local as well as was called Louloudi

 

photo credit: L. Shockley – My handbag is the Bentley from MME.Mink. 

 

This was Louloudi’s photo area. Wonderful isn’t it? I am normally not a photo area person, but I could not resist the mannequin with the peony dress. I mean no one could! 

 

 

 

I walked around the festival with my flowers in my tote like this and EVERYONE stopped me about the bag and flowers. Lauren said that as I was walking thru the crowd women were leaning over to smell my bouquet. Love it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

As we were leaving the festival a door was opened to a historical home and the owner was standing there. I looked over and said, “Can I come in and look around”. He said, “SURE! Come on in!” Turns out it was a newly renovated historical home turned into an Airbnb called Timeless on Tenth. 

 

 

The interior designer took me through the entire home giving me a tour and telling me about all of his FB Marketplace finds! I could not believe how much he find on FB Marketplace. 

 

 

It was truly a gem to find after the festival. I loved getting the tour and learning about the Indiana Historical Society. 

 

 

We left the Airbnb after the tour, had some brunch with friends and then I got home, and began to place my lush peony bouquets all over the house. I love this part as well. Smelling them throughout my home is such a treat. I also stopped at my favorite local candle vendor called Linnea.  I purchased their Moss and Rhubarb candle from their Botanik Collection. It is so good! I also ordered a few of the travel candles which I will share in a different post. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I truly do enjoy going to the Peony Festival every year. As I said, beauty is so important to me in life especially with so much ugly in this world. Just having a snippet of it in my daily life is a necessity for me. 

 

  • This post is not sponsored 

 

 

The Guild- Show House 2024

 

Good Morning Friends,

This past weekend was actually a good one! My family and I attended the Indiana Peony Festival, got to tour a new Victorian Airbnb, and had brunch with some friends. The weather was perfect and so were the peonies. I also made time to just sit. I have been craving some porch time. So, I carved out about two hours on my Sunday to just sit on the porch and read. It was so wonderful! This week I am taking two extra days from the office. I need it! I want to get some house chores done. I really need to get my new vintage plates hung on my wall. I am about done with purchasing them and can’t wait to share my end result. I was inspired by the showhouse to do the plate wall and hope that you all enjoy this year’s home. 

 

photo credit: St. Margaret’s Guild 

 

This year’s showhouse was called the Sylvan House and was located in the Northern Estates in Indianapolis. It was built in 1927 was about 9,000 square feet! It was a huge house! One thing that I loved that we were able to do was keep the original floors. Most of the floors in the home were the original floors. How wonderful is that! We had 21 different local interior designers all assigned to different areas in the home. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now I did not take photos of all of the areas. I really wanted to enjoy the showhouse this year. This was the foyer. It was designed by Julie O’Brien Design Group, and it was the “koi fish” room. Designers Megan Watson and Joel Contreras created a hand painted mural with 3D fish. It was quite incredible. 

 

 

Now when I saw this area I gasped. Of course, this spoke to my “grandmillennial” or “granny chic” style that I have! This space was designed by Jennifer Eggers who also invited me to her recent tag sale. 

 

I spoke with Jenni about her space, and she told me that this space was inspired by an English country home. She had the couch reupholstered and the plates were found at different antique shops. I actually managed to find a few of them and will be hanging them in my sitting room very soon!  

 

 

Off of Jenni’s lounge area was the powder bathroom where the original tile was kept, and Thibault wallpaper was added. I actually love the chinoiserie fishbowl sink! Jenni said that she found this on Amazon!  

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Woosah! I was actually a docent in this room twice! It was wonderful. It was the sunroom and greenhouse. I wanted to take a bunch of photos but then I decided not to. I wanted to enjoy the space. This sunroom was actually orange previously, so I was happy to see that Monica Due from Cornerstone Interiors painted this room a beautiful green color. The floors were original, the table was vintage, and the ferns were real. All of the rugs from the showhouse were from a company called Joseph’s. The greenhouse was original to the home from 1927 and was still intact! It was so beautiful. I could see myself having tea in the sunroom and having my English flower garden in the greenhouse. The greenhouse was decorated by Allisonville Home & Garden by Sullivan. 

 

 

Vintage inspired plates made another debut in the sunroom. I used my “Google Lense” on my phone to figure out what these were, and I managed to find a few. I will be sure to share them soon. 

 

 

As you went upstairs this was the guest bedroom suite. It was designed by Stacy Thompson of Compass Design, LLC. I loved the bed linens from Parkside Linen. The chinoiserie prints were wallpaper I believe from Thibaut Honshu. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Attached to the guest bedroom suite was a guest bathroom. The tile was original, and I was glad to see that Stacy worked with it. I think that the wallpaper in this room was a 1920s Japanese inspired Thibaut Honshu wallpaper. 

 

 

Now down the hall was my favorite room of all, and it was the master bedroom designed by Sassy Green Interiors. That name should sound familiar because it is the same interior design firm that I did my first collab with last month.  

Maryellen and Christy told me that the lush woodland landscape in the window was the inspiration for their design. Their bed linens were from Parkside linens and Schumacher. The antiques were from Architectural Antiques of Indianapolis which I hope to add to my radar to visit soon! I loved the Schumacher damask fabric draping over the bed. 

 

 

This was the office area in the master bedroom. The Babylon willow wallpaper was from House of Hackney was supported by deep greens and soft neutrals. 

 

 

This was to the left of the master bed. I loved the double vintage lamps. These sold at the showhouse. 🙁 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Another focal point in this room was the double chaise lounge chairs and this beautiful painting. This painting was done by local artist Deb Slack. 

 

 

Across the hall from the master bedroom was the summer sleeping porch room. This photo does not do this space justice. This room was decorated by Blake Richardson of BWR Home. I actually got to speak with Blake about this room. The centerpiece of this room is the vintage Chinese wedding bed that he found in an antique store in a corner in pieces, with dirt all over it! Now what a find! 

 

 

This is the other side of the summer sleeping porch room. These chairs were another centerpiece. Can we talk about the color? How bold and grand! The walls were covered in curated statement art pieces and custom furnishings. 

I am already looking forward to the next showhouse. I can’t wait to see what the designers will come up with next. Another great part about this organization is that all of the money from our showhouse ticket sales goes to our charity Eskenazi Health. 

And I have news… 

Speaking about all these chinoiserie pieces in these homes, the boutique has a new chinoiserie item! 

 

 

The Chinoiserie Silk Scarf is available to purchase! It is 100% silk and measures about 53×53 inches.

 

 

I also have it in blue. They are the perfect addition to any elegant woman’s wardrobe. The Cameo Blush earrings are also on sale for only $10! Order a scarf and a pair of earrings for your events this summer!

 

 

 

March Favorites ~ 2024

 

Good Morning,

Easter is this weekend! We thank you Lord for your sacrifice and your love. I still can’t believe how early it is. I am not sure if my kid is coming home this weekend. I hope she does.

I have lots of interesting favorites to share for this month and I hope that you find use in them.

 

 

First on my list is this iron holder. I needed somewhere to put my iron. Every time I used it, I would just place it on my shelf (while it was hot) and it made me very nervous. I always believe that everything should have it’s place. This has been so helpful to have. I can even place the iron on it HOT and push the cord in the hidden compartment. 

 

This is a photo of my cabinet under my sink. It was a hot mess. I kept trying to find organizational shelving that could help me. 

 

 

This is wonderful! I ordered this 3- tier shelving system from Amazon. The drawers slide in and out making the access of products so much easier. It’s been a win. 

 

photos via Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have been on the hunt for a cord organizer since Covid. I saw this on an influencer’s page and had to give it a try. You can literally store your cords inside to hide the horrible appearance. 

 

 

Looks much better!

 

 

My fourth favorite is my newest FMBP purchase. This cane chair was on FB for $50. Now the stripe fabric is a little faded and I may have to reupholster it but it’s quite beautiful. 

 

 

A purse hook? Yes PLEASE! I found myself putting my bags on the floor and various places when I was in restaurants. I have also had to squeeze it in between me and someone else when the floor was too dirty. So, when I saw this, I was desperate to give it a try and I must say I don’t leave home without it. Order one!!! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Sixth on the list are these simply chic and sweet house slippers. I have been on the hunt for a new pair, and I saw Jennifer L. Scott wearing these. I have had them in my Amazon cart for a while and I am so glad that I ordered them. They are quite enjoyable to wear. 

 

 

Next are vintage plates. I was recently inspired by a beautiful, decorated room at the Showhouse this year. Vintage plates have been at the top of my home decor list, and I have enjoyed adding them to my personal spaces. 

 

 

Aren’t these beautiful? I recently received them from Dillards and cannot get enough of the green roses. They are so gorgeous! You can watch my unboxing on my Instagram account. 

 

 

My ninth favorite of the month was a recent discovery. I saw this vintage birdcage at the antique and from the moment that I saw it I knew that I wanted it. Now I am not getting a bird, but I figured I could use this just for decor. I am waiting patiently to make an offer. 

 

 

Last favorite organizational item for the month is this dryer sheet box. I have been one of those people (nothing wrong with it) who kept their dryer sheets in the original box. I saw this on someone’s video and thought well I like that! So I ordered one from Amazon. It’s great!

I hope you all enjoyed this month’s favorites. The boutique is still having a dress sale. Order a few dresses for your wardrobe. Also don’t forget to watch my most recent YouTube video. 

 

 

  • Affiliate links attached. 

It’s Been 10 Years for the Blog!

 

 

Good Morning Everyone!

It is still cold here, but we are used to it. I have swapped out my fall/winter shoes and accessories for my spring/summer items! I think this past weekend just staring at my shoes and accessories made me feel a little sad and that’s when I realized that changing things out will not hurt. Our weather has gotten a bit warmer but wearing a few spring items will certainly cheer me up! I just ordered these amazing green roses and ivory sandals from Dillard’s. I can’t wait to wear them this spring and summer. The dress is on my radar, but I will have to wait a moment for that. 

Please share below how you are preparing for spring!

As you can see from the title, it has officially been 10 years since I started my blog A Home for Elegance. Pretty incredible to me honestly! I cannot tell you how many times I have contemplated quitting. Blogging is hard, coming up with daily inspirational posts is hard! It is SO HARD! 

But I love the space that I have created for myself and for all of you. This blog has also become a journal for my life. There I have been times where I have come to my blog to try to remember what I did or what was the name of a certain place or location. I do hope that you have found inspiration as well!

In honor of my 10 years, I am linking my very first blog post here. As I journeyed back to my first month of blogging, I still remember what I felt and how my home was back then. So much has changed in the last 10 years. I only hope that the blog will get better. That I will be allowed to create my own brand and that beautiful things continue to follow. Thank you for reading all this time. 

Please comment below how long you have been reading A Home for Elegance. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

Top Posts of 2023

 

 

Good Morning,

It has taken me a few weeks to get this post written. Goodness, I had some website issues and then my photos begin disappearing from my website. It was a mess, but I got it fixed so…

Now let’s get into the top posts of 2023!

January:

February:

March:

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

April:

May:

June:

 

July:

August:

September:

 

October: 

November:

December: 

 

Enjoy all of the reading! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

January Favorites ~ 2024

 

Good Morning,

Oh my goodness everyone, I had a good weekend, but I sure do feel like I was hit by a truck this week! I don’t feel sick but I am emotional and physically drained. I had lunch earlier last week with some of my Guild friends to work on a special project for the showhouse this year. During our lunch we started talking menopause and perimenopause which I think I am in the thick of. 

I talked about how I loss 18 pounds during Covid and then last year it ALL came back within a few months. My friends shared a doctor with me that has a podcast, and I have started watching some of her videos regarding symptoms of perimenopause. I am on a journey right now to figure things out, but I will be SURE to share with you all what I am learning and supplements that I have started to take. 

I also binged watched Operation Niki’s organizing videos on Instagram. Oh my goodness! I love them all. I have so many items in my Amazon cart. Lord! I have also joined TikTok! My handle names are of course @ahomeforelegance and @mrs..shockley. I hope you can find me and follow along. Now let’s get into my favorites for the first month of 2024! 

 

 

You all know that I have been on an organizational kick recently and finding this bag was a part of it! I get stopped non-stop about this bag and the trolley that it comes with! I mean even men stop me about it! This has been a game changer. I normally carry two totes to the office every day and having this tote that I am able to put on the trolley and pull it into my office has been wonderful. Now my particular color is quite expensive but there are other colors that are a little less. Let me know if you get one!

 

 

The second was a crazy find! So for Christmas last year I really wanted a Christian Dior advent calendar but at $1,000 (with products) I could not stomach spending that. Also, with products it could be hit or miss with if you like them or not. I really just wanted the calendar part and then it dawned on me, “hey I wonder if anyone will just sell the calendar on Poshmark”. So I checked and found one! This particular seller was selling hers for just $40 and I quickly added it to my cart and purchased it. It is so elegant, and I cannot wait to use it this upcoming holiday season! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

Now with these shoes I understood the power of an influencer. These shoes were posted on the LTK app. There were about 4 pairs left in my city and I thought I would just pop by one and pick up a pair. Wrong! By the time the evening came there was only ONE pair left and I had to call the Target which took them 2 hours to answer the phone, to find out if the pair was still there! I was able to put them on hold and pick them up but oh my goodness! My city was filling online orders because of the demand! It was incredible! So glad I got a pair but sadly they are sold out! 

 

 

My fourth favorite is a table full of wonder. While I was putting away all of my Christmas decor, I decided to change my floral arrangements around my home as well. I put all of the arrangements on my dining room table and saw this. It was so wonderful! I left it like this for a few hours and just enjoyed it. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Speaking of flowers doesn’t this pink bouquet look wonderful in this vintage vase? This was one of my antique finds during my shopping in January. It is stunning and looks wonderful on my dresser. It is from FrenChic in Franklin, Indiana. 

 

 

My sixth favorite was my very first avocado toast! Yep that is right! My very first avocado toast. This had avocado, poached eggs, bacon, and was marvelous! This was what I ordered at a place called the Garden Table with my Guild friends. 

My last favorite is a newly discovered YouTube channel…

 

This channel is called American Viscountess and it is spectacular if you love touring historical castles and properties! You could seriously binge watch her channel. It is quite enjoyable! 

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for this month. I will have some more organizational finds and decor ideas coming soon!