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A Garden and Autumn Dinner with the Girls

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Good Morning Friends,

I can NOT believe how warm it still is. Honestly, it’s driving me nuts! I hate this. It’s October. I know that at this moment I could not live in a warmer climate. I love the cooler temperatures. It’s still 80 degrees here. 

Sorry for my rant, let us move on. I recently printed out my Christmas list. I am trying to get started with that. Since it is almost the middle of October I feel like I need to get started on Christmas shopping.

I am still organizing my home and replacing items bit by bit.  I recently organized all of our family photos. It took me hours but I feel great that this is now done. I had brunch with my brother in law this past weekend and then went to HomeGoods afterwards. I believe I just found my curtains for my canopy project. I shared them on a reel recently. 

I have been trying to capture beauty in my life. With so many things coming up, I just want to try to enjoy life whenever I can. Which is why my “girl’s days and dinners have become some important to me. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

A few weeks ago I had a girls dinner planned with my Guild friends. We decided to tour the gardens at Newfields. Now I have been here several times but I have never toured the gardens. It was a real treat.

 

 

There were small ponds and water features everywhere. I did a Google search on lots of the flowers there. I am always looking for ideas to add to my garden or green house. 

 

 

It was such a beautiful day. We had the sun, just enough heat and lots of florals. We walked around and chatting about everything under the sun. 

 

 

My friend Kathy, the little one in the orange jacket, is so outgoing. She wanted to have a photo shoot and wanted to include us in it! I just laughed the whole time but she got me out of my comfort zone. The photo on the right is both of my friends Kathy and Judy. 

 

 

I could not pass up the Lily House. If you have read this blog long enough then you will know that this is my favorite home. I take inspiration from this every time I see it. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

After touring the beautiful gardens we headed to dinner. We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called the Meridian. I have never been here before but was open to visiting a new place. 

I got the brussels sprout salad. It had toasted pecans, shallots, pears, and warm apple cider vinaigrette. It was delicious. For my main dish I ordered the Ora King Salmon with turnip and apple harsh, onion, celery, craisins, kale, soy-cashew, aioli. Again so good. We also had a glass of rose wine to toast our dinner! 

 

 

I can’t tell you how much I needed a girls dinner that day. Having these monthly get-togethers is such a needed luxury in my life. As I stated I never knew how priceless friendships were until recently. My supervisor at my office has been such a excellent example. I have watched her for 3 years go to dinners, host book clubs, and take girl’s trips. Once I saw that I thought, “oh that is what friendship are all about”. You can have fun!  I never saw good friendships until now and I want to make sure that I cultivate wonderful friendships with those I love. Nurture those friends! 

 

 

My Color Analysis Journey

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Good Morning Friends,

I had a really good birthday weekend. Thank you all for the birthday wishes truly! I actually have a lot of content to share. I will be working with my friend Dr. Minju Witte here soon on a blog collaboration for etiquette! So if there are any etiquette questions that you want me to ask Dr. Witte please put it in the comments section below. 

I have some wonderful autumn photos from the Lily House and an outdoor lunch that me and my Guild girlfriends had a few weeks ago. And I have a reel that I will be posting soon from my birthday dinner at the Cakebake Shop. I had tea there and loved it. Of course I could resist purchasing a teapot for myself. They are so beautiful in person. 

Okay now let me share my wonderful color analysis appointment with you that I had on my birthday!

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

A few weeks ago, my branding company, shared a new project that they were working on. It was a new branding project for a local color analysis consultant. Ummm that caught my attention immediately and I reached out to her to find out what services she offered.

Elizabeth from the Color Coordinator , was so helpful and offered an in-person experience and a virtual one as well. I thought about having the virtual appointment but honestly nothing compares to doing it in person. So I set up an in-person appointment and put it on my calendar! 

When I arrived I saw that she had the scarf rack which made me so excited. Now I have seen this done on YouTube so I kind of knew how it was going to be.  

 

 

She was very personable, knowledge and fun. She made me feel so comfortable and we talked about colors, age, and a little bit of everything. I could not resist a selfie! 

 

 

I did wear one of my favorite pink dresses but I was open to whatever Elizabeth was going to show me about color. I was also wanted some advice or make up colors. Sometimes people will just tell you, “oh that color lipstick looks great on you”, but then you get it home and find out that you don’t love it. I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased a pink lipstick only to not wear it.

In the above photos you will see a before and after. Elizabeth suggested that I go for berry color lipsticks and blushes. She actually applied a color on my lips and cheeks while I was there. You can watch her reel of my session here. 

 

 

After going through all of the seasons Elizabeth was able to narrow down my colors to “bright winter”. I never thought in a million years that I would be a winter. One of the great aspects of this season of colors is that black is a neutral for me. Now how great is that! Elizabeth also explained that I have three other sister palettes which are dark winter, cool winter, and bright spring. In addition to the booklets I got this color swatch to help me pick out colors for my clothes, nails and makeup! I love it! 

It was such a wonderful experience and I have NO regrets doing it. I have been wanting to experiment with more activities in my life and this was one of them. As we all know, life is so short and I want to do as much as a can to make it beautiful. 

If you live in the Indianapolis area, I would recommend Elizabeth if you want to take an adventure in discovering your colors. It could do wonders! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday evening I had another girl’s day with my friends from the Guild. We went to Newfields to visit the gardens, and had dinner at a restaurant called the Meridian.

 

 

The gardens were lovely and the weather was perfect. We had such a wonderful time. Now on to my favorites for the month of September!!!

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

My first favorite is this beautiful scarf from a company called Fable England. This is the Morning Song Narrative Square scarf. It depicts a tranquil woodland scene and a whimsical doe. What also captured me were the colors. It’s a beautiful pink color. 

 

 

I also got the Rose scarf from Fable England. It contains Dr. Robert John Thorton’s painted roses. Both scarfs are made from 22% silk and measure about 90 cm. They are both large, light weight, and very elegant. 

My boutique’s scarves are still on sale as well. 

 

 

Have any of you heard of Create Academy? If you are a member I would LOVE to know your thoughts. Their advertisements have been appearing in my social media feeds for sometime now and I reached out to ask about their classes and memberships. I really want to take the A Year of Cut Flowers course. That really captured me. I will be signing up soon! 

 

 

My fourth favorite was a new find. I noticed that during the summer my lips hurt sometimes or burn. Then it dawned on me (after 20 years) that my lips needed to have an SPF (duh). So I did some googling and found this on Amazon. It is the Beekman 1802 Goat Milk lip tint with SPF. It is wonderful and I truly feel a different now. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I feel like such a dork saying this but “I GOT NEW POTS AND PANS AND THEY MATCH”! Sorry but my pots and pans usually don’t match and I feel like such an elegant woman with a set. This is the GreenPan pot set . I wanted something that was going to be toxic free, easy to clean, beautiful, and non-stick. I thought this was a lovely set to try. I am in love so far. 

 

 

Most of you know that I love my totes but sometimes my handles can get a little worn. My bags are “work horses” for me and I need them to last. I found these faux leather handle protectors on Amazon and now I don’t need to worry about frayed handles. They work great and come in several different colors. 

 

 

Of course the new home items did not stop at the pots. I started to look around my home, and noticed that my curtain rods were looking a little worn and they were black. My goodness I have had these same curtain rods since we moved in around 2013. It was time for an update. So I ordered these gold heavy duty curtain rods from Amazon and they worked perfectly. I was a little worried about the color but they look phenomenal! 

 

 

 

I also got rid of my black light fixture in my office and replaced it with flush mount light fixture. It gave my office a completely different look and the lighting was much better in the room. 

 

 

 

And lastly is my new sparkling water drink called Bonsai. Now the only place that I could find this online was my store Kroger. I don’t know if it is available anywhere else but I love this drink! It only has 10 calories and 1 gram of sugar. It is so wonderful! I asked my dietitian if this was okay to drink and she said yes! So happy! 

Of course I hope that you all enjoyed my favorites for the month of September. On Saturday, my birthday, I will be having my first appointment with a color analysis. I am so excited you guys and will be sure to share it soon! Have a wonderful weekend and keep an eye on your mailboxes for this month’s newsletter. 

 

ShopMy ~ New Sarah Flint Platform

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Good Morning Friends,

Whew what a week so far! We had our HOA sale this past weekend and a few dresses finally left the boutique. I was so happy to see them go! Fingers crossed that my new arrival will be coming soon. They have been on back order with my vendor. I don’t want to ruin the surprise but I sure do hope that they ship soon and they are not dresses! 

I am in “small update” mode in my home. I got a new light fixture for my office and hopefully some new curtain rods will be arriving soon. Speaking of updates… the Sarah Flint Brand Ambassador/Curator program just got an update. Not only did we get new codes, you can now use them more then once, and we got our very own platforms to share our favorite Sarah Flint items. 

 

 

I am now on the ShopMy app or website for Sarah Flint! We can share our favorite Sarah Flint items and our discount codes are active on every item. The wonderful thing about this new platform is that you can use our codes MORE THAN ONCE! It’s a great website for brand ambassadors to curate our favorite SF accessories.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have my page divided into shoes, accessories, and the home collection. You can shop all those items and use my code. 

 

 

I love that our codes are displayed right under the item and shows the percentage. 

 

 

I recently ordered the Sarah Flint Gracie Oxford and have already taken them for a spin! I have been wanting these shoes for a while now. They are the perfect balance of comfort and elegance. I loved the pink blush color, Gracie print shoe strings, and the extra padding added to the foot bed. 

 

 

These are officially going to be my travel shoes. These are a perfect combination to my dresses. I love wearing dresses and finding comfortable shoes to wear with them when I travel is always a challenge. I hope that you check out my new ShopMy page and look around at my favorites. Also don’t forget to check out the home collection from Sarah Flint. She has a few great pieces there. You can watch my unboxing on YouTube. 

I am so excited about this new upgrade to the program. It’s a wonderful way to keep getting your favorite Sarah Flint pieces with our codes on repeat! My new code is SF-SHOCKLEY-15 and you can use it on the site at any time. Just sure that your order is at least $230 or more! Enjoy! 

 

  • This post is sponsored. 

An Entryway Refresh

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Good Morning Friends,

The crisp mornings and cooler air feels so good right now! This past weekend was spent in the greenhouse. I threw out plants, cleaned out containers, swept, and re-arranged the space. I feel like it is ready for the autumn season. This weekend is our HOA sale and I am hoping that the rain will hold out. I have quite a few items to sell. 

The St. Margaret’s Guild season is about to begin. We had our fabulous luncheon on Tuesday to start the season and it is always a good time to see the ladies. We do have our next show house lined up for next year! Yay! 

Friends, I can’t seem to stay off of FBMP. I stumbled on a recent find and could not resist it. I have been wanting a vintage secretary for quite some time but they are so expensive! I have envisioned having one in my entryway. 

 

 

So when you walk into our house this is the entryway. I must admit I have always hated it. My husband purchased this shelf-hook combo at a garage sale about 15 years ago and I hated it then! I have always felt like this was not inviting and it appears to be cluttered. It has taken me years to get this shelf-hook removed and clear out the area. I desperately wanted a refresh! It has looked the same since we have moved in the house!

 

 

The first thing that I knew that I had to do was find a hoodie hanger replacement for my husband. He grabs these on his way out the door and it would nice to also have a location for guests to hang their coats so I found this coat rack on Amazon and it works perfectly. I also have my blue and white umbrella holder which looks so chic in this area along with my vintage garden stool. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is my newest FBMP find! The gentleman originally wanted $80 but then said that I could take it for only $50! I was so HAPPY! Now it does need a glass shelf inside and there are some scratches but I don’t mind those little things. I think its a beautiful piece that I can enjoy for years to come. I placed my white arm chair there so that I could see what it would look like if I were to write there. 

I did end up using my desk to write some pen-pal letters and to journal. It was wonderful. The desk is right by the front door so I could look out and enjoy the sunshine. I am still on the hunt for a china buffet table for my bedroom. I will be using it as a t.v. stand so the hunt continues. 

I am loving this FBMP era that I am in. I do enjoy a good antique hunt and have been really blessed to find so many wonderful pieces for my home. Since the children are practically adults and we have no dogs, I feel like I am in a time in my life where I can bring in beauty and I will to the best of my ability. 

If you have been reading my blog for a while I would really appreciate it if you would share my blog posts with your friends! It helps me reach other beautiful, like-minded people such as yourself and spread the things that we love the most! Share it on FB, Instagram or Pinterest. Not on any of these platforms? Send an email with a link! 

The boutique’s Chinoiserie Silk Scarfs are still on sale! Order one for yourself and one as a gift! Enjoy your week. 

 

  • This post contains affiliate links. 

 

August Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Everyone,

The last week of August, can you believe it? It’s crazy to think that. Although I am so ready for some cooler weather. This past weekend was very nice. My husband and I just ran a few errands, had breakfast, and I picked up a new FBMP find! I will be sharing it soon. I am so looking forward to this longer weekend that is coming up. I plan on getting a few things done around the house and styling my new FBMP find. 

While grocery shopping I picked up the latest issue of Traditional Home magazine and saw that Gracie wallpaper is releasing a new book next month! If you are a fan of their wallpaper then you will probably want to add this to your Amazon favorites list. It’s now been added to mine and Aerin Lauder’s new book Living with Flowers which will be released in February of 2025. So exciting! Okay, now time for my favorites for August. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I cannot and I mean cannot get over that these are at my home. I have David Austin roses! These have been making me and my husband so happy. Each day we cannot wait to get home from work and go to the side of our house and see what has bloomed today. They are just so elegant, so fragrant, and so classic! I just keep hoping that they will grow and grow. What a dream! 

 

 

Second on my list are these sparkling water drinks called Bubly. I have been meeting my dietitian at least once a month and she has been helping me to find better food options. She wants to me eat less carbs and sugar and it has been really hard. The first thing that I wanted to cut out was my sugary drinks and these have been so wonderful. I have one everyday with my lunch and have been having them with dinner. You should give them a try. They have no sugar and no calories. My favorites are lemon, cherry and blackberry. I will have to give the lime a try. 

 

 

Third are my vintage garden stools that I picked up from an antique store. These are a little smaller than my other ones but are perfect for the greenhouse. I got both for only $30 each which was a steal honestly! I love them in my greenhouse. It’s the perfect classic décor item to add. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The fourth item is this stunning clutch. I saw this on Lydia Millen’s channel a few weeks ago. It comes in all sorts of colors and can be used as a clutch, makeup bag, or a small travel bag. It’s quite lovely.

 

 

Next are my new sports bras. I desperately needed some new ones. My old ones didn’t look that great and these fit wonderfully and look smooth under my workout clothes. I highly recommended these!  

 

 

 

I got a portable label maker and I love it! Oh my goodness, I was a bit skeptical when I ordered it but I love this thing. It was easy to set up. It does require an app on your phone but it only comes on when you open the app. It’s so handy and I feel like I can label just about anything. A big thumbs up!

 

 

Okay you guys. I have fallen. I have fallen into the Stanley cup trap! Now it has taken me a lot time to even buy one but when I heard that they keep water cold all day… I had to give it a try. So my husband purchased me one. I got this one and honestly they were not kidding. It does keep water cold all day long. I have had mine for about 2 weeks and having ice water with my lemon, lime, and mint has been a real treat. If you are looking for a more affordable one I was told that these were a good option. 

Another new item that I have ordered is a Britta filter pitcher. I have been using it to fill my Stanley cup. This has been the best thing ever! It was so easy to use and I love having fresh water everyday without the plastic water bottle. 

 

I do have a new video on my YouTube channel. I am sharing a flip-thru of my Estee Lauder book. I do hope that you enjoy it. 

Please don’t forget about the $10 dress sale going on right now for the boutique. The Chinoiserie Silk Scarfs are on sale for only $25! Order one or two for your wardrobe. 

 

 

AND we have a new arrival! 

 

 

The Garden Satin Cardigan is available in plus size. It comes in 1x, 2x, and 3x. It comes in a gorgeous dusty blue color and black. I am tempted to keep one for myself. 

I hope that you enjoyed my favorites for the month of August. Enjoy the boutique sale, and new arrival! Order while you can. I do have a pop-up shop coming up soon. 

 

  • Affiliate links attached. 

 

 

 

The Vintage Birdcage

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Good Morning Friends,

I feel like a new woman. I changed around my office and I swear it feels like a completely different space. I told my husband that I need a refresh in this house. I am going to be replacing all of my curtain rods here soon and hopefully buying some new curtains. I got a new office rug, a new lamp, and I moved around some art work on the walls. I now love going into my home office again. I knew that I was due for a change because I didn’t enjoy going into my office space. Not a good sign. But now the space feels new. Sometimes that is all we need. A little change. 

With this new office change I have also been going thru cabinets and drawers. I feel like we needed to purge some things as well. I will be going thru my closet here again soon and getting things ready for our neighborhood HOA. I am trying to encourage my husband…. wish me luck. 

New antique items are being added to my list. I really want to change up my entryway as well. I have so many ideas for my home. Purchasing antiques and furniture with a little more substance is where I am headed and trying to stay. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I spotted this vintage birdcage at an antique months ago. The owner of the store told me that this gentleman sells lots of items on FBMP. I found him and began following him. The original price was $220 and I did not want to pay that.

 

 

A few more months went by and I saw that he dropped the price about $100! A part of me wanted to purchase it then but something on the inside told me to wait a bit longer. Now this birdcage is really big! I loved the color, and the details. It reminded me of a Victoria greenhouse honestly. I thought it was stunning. 

 

 

Then one weekend I was on my phone checking for other antiques when I got an alert that he dropped the price to $80! What a steal. I immediately reached out and asked if I could purchase it. He said of course and met me and my husband at the antique store. He is quite the collector. He goes to estate sales all the time. I have no idea where he finds these sales! All I ever find is junk! We asked him if he knew anything about it and he said no. He didn’t know the year or what the history was. I really wish he knew the details. That would have been the wonderful part about this purchase. I love learning about antique pieces.  

I hope to have this piece for years to come. I think having a few “whimsical” decor items in your home makes life interesting. This is definitely one of those pieces for me. I hope that my “future” grandchildren adore it and that it will always remind them of me.