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Small Lux in my Powder Room

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It is so cold! It has been so frigid this week! BRRRR! I have been trying to stay warm and stay at home. Goodness! This week will be hard because I have some meetings and we are moving buildings here shortly. I do look forward to decorating my new space. 

In my free moments I have been doing things that relax me. I have been able to pick back up in reading some of the books that I ordered and purchased recently. One of them is called A Life in Good Taste by Caroline Gidiere. This book is so good! I have a lot of pages “bunny eared”. I wanted to share her ideas about the powder room since it inspired me around the holidays. 

Most of you know that in 2021 I did a little powder room update and I still love it! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

I still demand that the door stay open and I still love being in here. Around the holidays I always try to make sure that necessities are placed in here for convenience. Caroline says, “entering a powder room should feel like opening a little jewelry box and finding a hidden gem. I love to cover the space in pattern, even on the ceiling, for a luxurious and enveloping sensation.”  

I believe that my stencil chinoiserie painting created that enveloping sensation in our powder room.

She goes to say, “to me it is the height of comfort to have a fragrant bar of soap and pristine hand towels close to the faucet.”

 

 

 

I found this vintage peacock napkin holder from an antique store and added to my powder room during the holidays. I loved it so much that it will now stay. Now I do have hand towels. They are not monogramed but I like to make sure that they are clean. I purchased this basket and placed it on the floor. Inside are fresh towels that I can just grabbed whenever we have guests at our house. 

Caroline said, ” my favorites are floral hand towels from D. Porthault, whose offerings are so special that I often don’t pay attention to whether or not they match the surrounding elements.” I love the idea of having quality hand towels but sometimes you just can’t afford them. You can find great ones at affordable prices at HomeGoods or these that I found on Amazon. 

 

 

 

Another thing that I love seeing in other powder room are the soaps that some families use. I have been able to try out or test other products because of what a powder room may have. I love the soaps at Bath and Body Works. This one is my absolute favorite! I also love the Nest brand. They have beautifully scented soaps. I purchased these soap dispensers from Amazon and have gotten compliments from all of our guests and added this jasmine scented lotion to the powder room. Everyone enjoyed using both products. We cannot forget about scents. I love a Bath and Body Works wallflower to add to the senses and to help alleviate any other smells.  Again, it’s the small luxurious items that you can offer your guests for a wonderful experience. I know using the bathroom is not a fun thing sometimes but why not offer some elegance while using yours. 

I hope you all found these tips helpful and will take a second look at your powder room. Turn it into your jewel box if you can! Be bold and enjoy. 

 

 

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The Inspiring Design Panel

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Hello Friends,

What a busy few days I have ahead of me. I am now trying to get caught up with “life” since they have re-opened the government. I am now working on my Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas list. For the past few days, I have really been into home design, comfort and beauty. My home is completely decorated for the holidays, and I will be sure to share that later but for now I did want to share a recent video that posted to YouTube.

The video is called Conversations on Design. 

 

Photo via Charlotte Moss.com 

 

 

This video was an absolute joy to watch, and I so enjoyed the conversations. I wish I could have attended this in person! This was a special event spearheaded by Charlotte Moss celebrating creativity, community, and the future of interior design. This inspiring program benefits the Interior Design Scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUarts), supporting the next generation of designers, creators, and innovators. The program features leading voices in the world of design:

If you love design, then you will LOVE this video! I will be taking next week off from the blog to spend Thanksgiving with my family but will return the following week with my November favorites. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

  • Some text via YouTube. This post is not sponsored.  
  • Shop my favorites page for any gift or ornament ideas! Or go to my ShopMy page for more higher end purchases. 

Flower Magazine Show House~ 2025

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Hello Everyone,

I have started my Christmas decorating in my home. I took some days this week to get my trees up and get everything decorated. It feels good to have that long list behind me. I am also in this small task/details/ tedious work in my home mood. What I mean by that is I am going into various rooms in my home and re-organizing, and cleaning small areas. Recently, I went into my kitchen cabinet under my sink and re-organized it. I am picking apart my closet again. I will be going thru my home office and moving it around. I need to clean out my phone gallery and get my digital photos organized. There are just a lot of small projects around the house that I want to do. 

I also need to go through everything in my downtown office before we move. I can’t wait to take everything out, throw stuff out, and move my new furniture and items into my new space. Like I said I want to be a better curator. 

I just want beautiful spaces wherever I live. Speaking of new spaces, we now have our new show house for the upcoming year. I also just found out about the Flower Magazine Show House! Oh, my goodness, if I would have known about it earlier, I may have planned a trip to go and see it. There are so many show houses going on in the country. I really need to get a list going and get dates on my calendar but for now here is the Flower Magazine Show House. It is gorgeous! 

 

watercolor illustration of the Flower magazine 2025 showhouse front facade in Nashville Tennessee

Illustration by Adrienne Retief

 

 

Look at this spectacular home! This is a 6-bedroom, 11 bath home was built in 1999. It is a total of 20,000 square feet and was built by architectural firm Pfeffer Torode. This show house was open from October 9 to October 26. There were 23 designers and 9 floral designers. Some of the big names that I recognized was Mark D. Sikes, Corey Damen Jenkins, and Meg Braff. 

 

photo by Leslee Mitchell/ Illustration by Diane Carnevale 

 

First up for me was this beautiful bedroom decorated by Alexandra Norwood Interiors. This is absolute heaven. I love the fabrics, and simple elegance of the room. I would have loved to have seen the green light fixture. You should visit her website. She has lovely taste. 

 

photo by Leslee Mitchell/ Illustration by Diane Carnevale 

 

Next up is the fantastic Corey Damon Jenkins. I recently fell in love with Corey’s work while watching the Kips Bay Show House in New York. He decorated the dining room and oh my goodness! It was spectacular and wonderfully layered. Corey decorated the study in this show house. I am loving the blues, greens and creams. 

 

photo by Leslee Mitchell/ Illustration by A. Moreno 

 

When I saw the wallpaper in this room, I immediately took a screenshot. I am toying around with ideas for my walk-in closet and adding wallpaper is one of them. This room was designed by Duval Design. Again, another design firm that has the gift of layering. I loved this little corner of the bedroom with the vanity/desk, chair and dreamy wallpaper. 

 

photo by Leslee Mitchell/ Illustration by Shanna Masters 

 

This room felt like a secret garden. This was the guest suite in the show house designed by Kim Scodro.  Again, the wallpaper! I am in love with it along with the substantial furniture pieces. This room also has wonderful light and French doors. What a guest room! 

 

photo by Leslee Mitchell/ Illustration by Diane Carnevale 

 

The last room is the mud room designed by Parkes & Lamb Interiors. Now this would be a dream room to have. I love the flowers and fabrics. It would be a great space to house all of my coats, scarves, and other outerwear accessories. I love the idea of having fresh flowers in a mud room. Now what a great welcome would that be to come home to? I hope you all enjoyed this house tour. I am loving home tours lately and looking for inspiration in my home that I can incorporate. Let me know in the comments below if you have visited a show house in your city! 

 

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The Dream Secretary

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Good Morning Friends,

Oh I am so happy to have the hour back. It means a lot in the mornings and really does help with getting things done throughout the day. This past weekend was nice. I did my usual errand runs and did a few things around the home. 

But friends I will be honest, this past month has been really frustrating especially these last two weeks. As a federal worker, I will say that it is hard. Lots of people think that we are sitting at home still collecting a paycheck but what people don’t understand is that we really are not. This week could be the second paycheck that we miss, and I tell you it is hard on families. I shared this back in 2019 (Living During a Shutdown), and I am still living this way but with a lot of frustration. 

I am still praying for clarity, peace, and understanding. Now onto my glorious FBMP find!

 

 

I still cannot believe that I actually purchased my dream secretary. I mentioned that I wanted this desk back in 2020. It is so funny how sometimes you can mention something, share it, post it, or put it on your vision board and watch it come into fruition. I must admit sometimes it is a bit scary. I shared this office in a blog post in 2019, so this desk has been on my mind for a long time. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

Now how did I found this beautiful piece you may ask? Well my one of our interior designers from the show house, Blake Richardson, sent me the FBMP post. I told him that I was on the hunt for one and he mentioned that he saw this piece on marketplace. I looked at it and immediately fell in love the only problem was it looked humongous on marketplace! I went home and pulled out my measuring tape and measured it out. Then I reached out to the seller to get more info. I spoke with my husband, and he said that it would just be too big. I then convinced myself that it would be too be for my space and tried to let it go. But I could not. I mean do you see the details of this beautiful thing! 

 

 

So a week goes by and it does not sell on FBMP. I cannot shake it. I kept thinking about it and you know what the price was? Only $330! Unbelievable! The cheapest I could find one was on Charish for $1,400 so I was completely aware that this was cheap, and I needed to see it in person. So I reached out to the seller to make arrangements to see it. Once I walked up to her door I knew. She was a beautiful older lady with fantastic taste. As soon as I stepped inside the house, I looked to my left and saw more Asian inspired furniture and the biggest smile on her face. It was as if she knew. One thing she did mentioned when I messaged her was that “only certain people can appreciate a piece like this”. I knew that that person was me. 

We sat and talked for over an hour! We talked about work, and beautiful homes. It was like she was my long-lost friend. The connection was truly incredible! 

 

 

She told me that this piece was over 40 years old and was purchased from an estate sale. She believed that it was originally from Spain but could not recall. I told her that it was beautiful and could not believe that she was selling it! She said that her and her husband were downsizing and that it would not fit in her new home. I then asked about the price of $330. She said that it was her favorite number. Look at all of the beautiful storage. I told her and her sweet husband that it was going to be placed in my new office in February downtown and that I promise to take care of it for the next 40 years. 

I am so happy to have this piece in my life. This was truly a surprise, and I am very grateful to God for having Blake send me the listing and for letting me have a wonderful encounter with Mrs. Ragland! Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Hydro-Facial

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Whew, another short week for me. I am loving these! Actually, this week has been hectic so far. The Indiana Conference for Women is happening this week, and I am on staff! We have some great speakers like Hoda Kotb and Tina Knowles! It should be really exciting, and I am looking forward to it. 

I am still on my self-care exploring journey and in today’s post I want to share my first hydro-facial that I got a few weeks ago. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

When I walked into Restore Skin Therapy I was greeted by the lovely receptionist and the staff. They had soft music playing and made sure that I was comfortable. They had lots of their own products. I loved their lip balm and their Renew Immune Serum. I have been using both while at home. After I spoke with Erin, I got all comfortable for my hydro-facial. She warmed the bed for me and explained the process of how it worked. 

 

 

It was so relaxing. The first thing that she did was massage my face and shoulders which was so needed. She then prepared my face for the machine. I will say I loved seeing it at work sucking all of the dirt out of my face and pores. The mask felt like heaven so did the aromatherapy oils that I smelled. We talked about my skin, skin tags, moisturizing routines, and hormones. 

Here is the four-step process that I went through:

HYDRO-FACIAL: A FOUR STEP PROCESS

  1. Cleanse – A deep cleanse with product formulated to each client’s skin.

  2. Exfoliation – The Hydro-Facial uncovers a new layer of skin with gentle exfoliation and relaxing resurfacing. The enzyme removes dead skin cells to reveal healthy skin.

  3. Extraction – The wand cleans out pores with painless vacuum suction. Blackheads, whiteheads, and impurities are removed instantly.

  4. Hydrate/infuse/protect – The Hydro-Facial saturates the skin with antioxidants and peptides to maximize your glow. Targeted skin solutions are delivered to address specific skin concerns. The skin is washed with a solution rich in antioxidants and highly moisturizing hyaluronic acid.

 

You can surely see my hydro-facial glow in my photo above. That was right after my session. 

 

 

This was the day after. I was still glowing! I did not have on any makeup, just lipstick. It felt as if my face had a reset. It certainly needed. I would highly recommend getting one if you can. If not I did find some great at home tools that you could use. The BeautyBio GLOfacial tool was highly recommended. This serum came recommended for the BeautyBio. There is also the blackhead remover, and the facial pore blackhead remover. I also found this face steamer. Oh, my I think I may have to order it. 

Let me know in the comments below if you have every had a professional hydro-facial. I would love to know!

 

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Becoming A Better Life Curator

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Good Morning Friends,

It is the middle of October already! I have printed off my Christmas shopping list and started thinking about my Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and decor. It just seems to be creeping up on us! Last week I had a fantastic hydro-facial at Restore Skin Therapy. I will be sure to share that next week. Now let’s discuss my topic… becoming a better life curator.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have been thinking about this phrase for a while, and it popped in my head while driving to work one day. I was thinking about how I wanted to live. How I wanted my home to be, how I wanted to travel, where I wanted to travel, what I want to wear, and how I want to spend my time. I said the words “curate” and then it just came to me. How do I better curate my life? 

 

My new Asian Chinoiserie secretary desk from FBMP

 

To curate means to select, organize, and look after the items in a collection or exhibition. I know recently (maybe in the last year), I have been trying to get better at selecting. When I am out shopping, no matter the price, if it is not a heck yes when I see it then I don’t buy it. My husband and I just went to the Cincinnati outlet mall, and we were in the Ralph Lauren store. He kept picking up things and I just looked at him and said, “is that a heck yes”? He got a little frustrated with me at one point, but I really wanted him to think. I did the same thing looking at a sweater that they had and necklace. I ended up buying only ONE thing in the whole outlet because I was asking myself that question. I want to do better at selecting when I shop. The first step to being a better curator.

Next up is organize. I have set my sights back on my closet. In July, I shared that I had a consultant come from California Closets to give me a closet design. I still love this design and want to do it but for now I have other home projects on my list. That does not mean that my current closet needs to stay the way it is, so I have another option in mind that I want to try. I will update you all of course. 

Third is to look after items in a collection. The photo above is a recently FBMP purchase. One of our interior designers, Blake Richardson, sent the link to me after I told him that I was on the hunt for an Asian Chinoiserie secretary. This desk is literally a dream desk for me. I spoke with my husband about it and looked at the measures. I thought it might be too big for my new office but four days later I could not stop thinking about it. That’s when I knew that this piece was for me and I only had a limited amount of time to get it. So I reached out to the seller. Turns out it’s over 40 years old; she and her husband traveled a lot and believe that it is from Spain. I told her that I would take care of it the next 40 years. I intend to look after this item. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I believe that being a curator of your life includes everything. It includes what you read and watch to what you eat. All things need to be carefully curated. It goes along with “building your life team”, to seeking life seasons, to etiquette, and past choices. I am currently trying to curate my vacation for next year. I want to go back to New York and have Lily of the Valley Afternoon Tea at the Lowell Hotel! I would like to see the Belizaire painting which is currently housed at the MET in New York and dine at La Mercerie. Of course, the Ralph Lauren store and an antique store are on the radar. But I am carefully curating it. We will see what we do. 

I know this living with beautiful things is a risk that I take daily. I risk it being stolen, broken, or lost. But I would have rather had it then not at all. And I truly believe that. Let me know your thoughts below. 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

September Favorites- 2025

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Good Morning Friends,

Well I turned 43 yesterday. I had my yearly birthday dinner at the Cake Bake Shop and decided to do a little antiquing.

 

 

I found this beautiful emerald green brooch, peacock hair pin, pearl earrings and Wedgewood dish. I also found this huge vintage swan. The biggest prize was my blue and white Wedgwood lamp! So happy and I only paid $60 for it!

I feel like I am a little behind on my September favorites but it’s fine so here we go. There may be a lot for this month. First is a new shopping website that I learned about called Over the Moon. 

 

photo credit: Over the Moon.com 

 

 

This website has a lot of elegant designers and carries clothes to homeware. It is absolutely beautiful, and everything is high quality. You should look around the website just to “window shop”.

Now this bag went viral on TikTok and I did order it. I was a bit afraid because I don’t trust a lot of the viral ads but this I had to at least try it. I ordered the Velantra Weekender. Now it has not arrived yet and rumor has it that it can take up to two months (which is nuts)! Once it arrives, I will share if it is good or bad. 

The next item was the orange marmalade jam from As Ever. We all know that this is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex brand and I have to say that it is delicious! It’s sold out of course but I would recommend it if you can get your hands on it! 

 

 

Next up is this garden tea party body scrub from Dove. OMG! I usually don’t use body scrubs because they irritate my skin, but this is so good and smells like a floral garden. I enjoy using this for a beautiful bubble bath on a self-care day. It comes in a variety of scents and did not disappoint. 

A few weeks ago I was shopping in T.J. Maxx and decided to go over to the jewelry counter. I normally don’t see anything that I want until I saw this bird cocktail ring. I could not resist. It had chinoiserie vibes to it and was only $14.99! I looked this up and it is actually $60. I ended up finding it here for a much cheaper price. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Oh Chico’s! I never shop here but for some reason this  Jaguar Brooch popped up in my feed. Once I saw it, I knew that I had to have it. Look how beautiful this is and chic! I know it will take a little confidence wearing this but don’t be afraid. Wear beautiful things. I loved wearing this and will be wearing it more now that cardigan and coat season have arrived. 

 

 

I got something fun! I have not had a coloring book in decades and have always known about adult coloring books. I have seen them but never wanted one until I saw this on Amazon. Again this popped up in my feed. I don’t know how. This book is called Le Bouquet Coloring Book of Classic Illustrations. It is full of beautifully illustrated floral bouquets and is so pleasing to the eye. I have really enjoyed coloring in it. It’s only $10. Enjoy! 

 

 

Now this beauty has been on my wish list for months! I have been following this brand for a few years now and this was my first order. This is the Mrs. Alice pink chinoiserie tole urn and it is massive. I posted a reel of me unboxing it on Instagram. It is absolutely stunning, and I must have it in green for my downtown office. Since we are moving spaces, I have some new ideas for my new office. I really want a vintage secretary in it with the green Mrs. Alice urn sitting on it with some gorgeous flowers. Oh, my goodness, I can see it now. 

 

 

And lastly is a new FBMP purchase. This beauty showed up in my feed and when I went to find out who the seller was it turns out it was one of our show house designers! Blake Richardson has fabulous taste so when I saw that it was him, I was thrilled. I went over and picked it up and got to see his wonderful vintage home. What I also found out was that buttercream yellow is the color of 2025! Who knew! Now should I reupholster it or not? 

It is currently sitting in my home office, and I do enjoy looking at it from my desk. I hope everyone has enjoyed this month’s favorites. The newsletter should be hitting your inboxes soon. Have a great week! 

 

 

 

 

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