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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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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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December Favorites ~ 2025

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Hello Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I still cannot believe that Christmas is over and 2026 will be starting this week! I am ready to take down all of my Christmas decorations and start my new year refresh! I got my floral and fresh candles out and I am ready to start reorganizing and cleaning. Lauren came home from break and decided to purge her closet! OMG! You all I was so surprised. I did not see this coming. She got rid of a lot of her toys and clothes. It made me kind of sad to see all of her items go but I knew she ready. When I asked her why, she said that she wanted to move in her things that she was using. What it said to me was she was growing up and I was okay with that. 

Also, in other news my closet makeover has had many turns. I shared in July that I had a consultant come from California Closets and give me an estimate. Well I then tried to do a cheaper closet update. I ordered these closet organizers from Amazon. They are absolutely wonderful but don’t fit into my space well. So now I think I may have to spend a little more and get my closet updated with revamped rendering of what California Closets sent me. We will see. Now let’s get into my favorites for December!

 

Photo via: Old Money Culture via Instagram 

 

I want to start with this image that I saw on Instagram. I just adored it so much. I don’t know if it is real, but it spoke to my vintage heart. Her style is impeccable, and I really want to mimic her draped scarf! 

 

photo credits via: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Next up is a new diffuser and scent that I am trying out in my office space. Just look at how chic this diffuser is? This is the citrus and sage porcelain diffuser from Williams and Sonoma. It is wonderful and beautiful.

I also wanted to try some hair perfume. So, I ordered this Gardenia Grace from Amazon and all I can say is 4 stars! I love the scent, and it has a slight oil base to it. It comes in different scents but so far this has been my favorite. 

 

 

Oh I found an electric lighter! Now I have been wanting to try one of these for a while and I found one on Amazon that I LOVE! They are so easy to use and charge. I have been using it since November to light my candles and using my new faux fur blanket to snuggle under when I do my devotionals in the morning. 

 

 

I know Christmas is over, but I have been having these blue and white floral Christmas ornaments in my cart for a while now and I decided to order them. They are the perfect fit for my blue and white tree, and I am so happy that I ordered them. 

 

 

 

Now these were a fun find. This is a car diffuser. I did not put oil on it. I just wanted it for decor, and they both look lovely in my car. I have the gardenia and the lily of the valley. They are just beautiful and another way I am curating an elegant life. 

 

 

For my Christmas table setting this year I added a flannel tablecloth and lots of pine. I added little bunches of pine to my vintage vases and placed them in the center of the table. It turned out great and only took me about 30 minutes to set. We had a great Christmas dinner and I showed my husband’s aunt how to play Mahjong. It was a wonderful evening. 

I also wanted to share that a few items from the boutique are on sale for only $10! The cream Chinoiserie silk scarf is only $10, the Gigi velvet pump is only $15, and the Scarf Bracelet Cuff is on sale for only $10 as well. Order while you can. The sale won’t last long! Happy Holidays Everyone! 

 

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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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Christmas at My Home ~ 2025

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Hello Friends,

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving. Doesn’t it feel like everything is a rush right now? I think it could be because Thanksgiving was so late this year. Now I feel as though Christmas is right on my heels! This week I reviewed all of my gifts. We just have a few more gift cards to get then we are finished. I am on the hunt for another turkey. Geez, I hope I can find one. I am also helping with our first grandchild’s baby shower! We are having that in January and that is coming together nicely. My Christmas decor in my home is ever evolving. This year the family tree looks a little different and I am exploring with ways on how to insert ribbon inside of my trees. Let me know what you think!

 

photos via: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This year I decided to add some red and burgundy to our family tree and I do love it. I purchased the ribbon and ornaments years ago. I knew that I would have a moment when I wanted red and this year was the year. I filled the bottom of the tree with white poinsettias. I loved the way it looked. I also added some green velvet as well. I am trying to learn how to tuck in ribbon in my tree. It’s an art form for sure. 

 

 

I love my blue and white tree this year. I need to take another photo of it in the front. I used ribbon in this as well. I also got a new star topper. One cannot forget the ginger jar ornaments from The Enchanted Home. They are just so pretty and always look so elegant. In the second photo is my new tortoise shell hurricane vase from the At Home store. I added faux peonies to it. I think it’s a perfect fit. 

 

 

Decorating the entryway is always a challenge for me. We have very limited space, so I try to work with what I have. Of course, my dream is to have a large entryway but maybe later. For now, I decorated the stair rails with this beautiful blue ribbon and some garland. I added these small wreaths on the secretary with blue ribbon. I think it ties in my ginger jar perfectly. Maybe I should have added a bow to that!  

Now I love my Barbie tree. You all have seen this multiple times. I added the nutcrackers to the bottom of the tree, and I think they are better suited for this. I love the way everything looks. I have been buying vintage Barbie ornaments from Poshmark. I love the vintage ornaments from the 90s and early 2000s. 

 

photos via Mrs. Shockley 

 

OMG! Yes, you are seeing the green version of my pink Mrs. Alice chinoiserie urn! I could not resist. I got an email during the cyber-Monday sales and I was able to buy this $150 less! This was on my radar to purchase next year because I think it may be going into my new office downtown. We will see. But I have it placed here on my new black chinoiserie secretary next to my 2024 Christian Dior Advent calendar and my new ginger jar vase. 

I have also shared how much I love the giant poinsettias at Costco. This year they had the white ones and so I purchased a red and white. I kept thinking if I had a planter to place my poinsettia in, so I pulled my Asian planter from the guest bedroom, and it was a PERFECT fit! I adore it. I think poinsettias will be going in this planter yearly now! 

 

 

I added a little bit of Christmas decor in our bedroom. Here is our vintage chest in front of our T.V. I picked up some small red poinsettias from the grocery store and placed them in some of my ginger jar vases. It looks lovely in our bedroom. And lastly, I had a stupendous shopping haul from HomeGoods that I will share in an upcoming reel soon. In that haul was this gorgeous pine scented candle. Just look at this sophisticated emerald green and gold candle holder. The scent is wonderful, and I will definitely be keeping this container and tassel. I need to go back and get a few more! 

Well friends this is the decor in my home this year. There are a few more items around but most of it you have seen before. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and let’s try to remind ourselves to be grateful. I am saying that to myself and much as to you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November Favorites ~ 2025

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

It has been so nice taking time off from social media and the blog. I almost forgot to get this post done. I have some beautiful finds for the month of November. My newsletter should be arriving soon. Creative Mail who I have been using for years is closing their doors and I am now using MailChimp for my newsletters. We will see how this goes.

I have a few scarf bracelets left. They are now on sale for only $15 and I only have one Lux Cardigan Brooch left! Order while you can! Now onto my favorites for the month. 

 

photo credit: MeetatMahj

 

First on my list is me and my friend Minju! You all know her from my YouTube video and blog post called Etiquette for Life. You have become really good friends and have started learning Mahjong together! We are so excited and will be going to our Mahjong studio this week to play!

 

 

Next up is one of my new planners for the upcoming year and commonplace book. So, I heard about the commonplace book from Jennifer L. Scott, and I never thought I would be interested in having one, but I started one this month and I do enjoy it. It helps me to get my thoughts out and captures my dreams and goals as well. I found this Notes book at T.J. Maxx. The other book is a new planner from photographer Jamie Beck. It is stunning! I will be using this not as my daily planner but a monthly to-do list. You have to visit her website to get an understanding of it. She really put thought into this planner. 

 

 

Now we have my new tote. I talked about this in a previous blog post or video but it finally came. This is the viral Velantra bag. It took two months to arrive but it finally did. Now I will tell you it is not high quality, but it is beautiful and is pretty solid. I ordered it in the large in light chocolate. I am not sure how long they will be selling these so if you are truly interested then order soon. I did share a video on my Instagram account. 

Then I saw this video on Instagram. O.M.G… I had to take this screenshot of it. It is Jennifer Lopez in her upcoming new movie called The Last Mrs. Parrish. She looks so elegant. I had to find out what her bag was! Of course, I could not but I did end up finding one from H&M that is quite similar. I ordered it of course! 

 

 

THIS COAT! Oh my goodness. I have never been this smitten with a coat. I LOVE IT! I ordered it in gray and red and I am so sorry to report that they both have sold out! I did find a similar one here and here. I also ordered this beautiful, embellished scarf from Ann Taylor. It is a showstopper but so elegant. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now this bag is an old one, but I recently pulled it out to take it for a spin. I accidently broke one of my old Ann Taylor necklaces so I draped it over my tote. I loved it! It looked so beautiful and sophisticated. You will also see my ginger jars all on the floor. This is my downtown office, and I am currently going through all of my things to decide what is going and what is not. The ginger jars are going of course. 

I went to another tag sale recently held my one of my favorite interior designers Jenni Eggers. I ended up purchasing this vintage cabbage bowl. It is huge and I could not stop staring at it. It will be a lovely addition to my decor and could end up being a part of my tablescape in the future. 

 

 

Speaking of tablescapes here is my tablescape from this Thanksgiving. I hope all enjoyed my favorites from November and let me know in the comments below which one was your favorite. Have a great week! 

 

 

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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.  
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