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October Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Friends,

Can it really be November so soon? I have started buying my Thanksgiving dinner ingredients as well as December’s. I don’t want to be running around here in the next few weeks trying to locate items. I want to be prepared. My favorite brand of turkey has arrived in the stores but I am waiting on them to drop the price. It is still too much per pound. I have started Christmas shopping as well. 

This week has a lot going on. Taylor Swift will be here at the end of the week downtown and I am dreading it because the Indiana Conference for Women will be on the first day of her concert! Oh my! And I am on staff! I wanted to just enjoy this conference but I am so worried about the traffic. I keep telling myself just go and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about the concert. There is nothing that you can do. 

We have some excellent speakers this year! I don’t think that I can stay of the entire conference but I already have the agenda and I am at the registration table this year which means my duties will be done around 9 a.m. Technically I can leave but I want to hear Valerie Bertinelli and Grace Puma. Wish me luck!! 

Okay here are my favorites for the month of October. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

First on my list is this beautiful Chanel and dahlia canvas that I found at Burlington. Now I have not been in Burlington in years and we have a new one that was built in the downtown Indianapolis area. The beautiful colors and large gorgeous dahlias caught my attention. I normally do not like these types of perfume bottle paintings. They are normally pretty cheap looking but this one was beautiful! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next on my list are my parrot tulip bulbs. This particular flower has literally been on my Pinterest board for years! I have always wanted these but could never find them in store. So I ordered some from Easy Grow and they arrived a few weeks ago. I planted them in the greenhouse recently and look forward to how they will turn out next season. 

 

 

Third are my set of two teacup and saucer from Williams Sonoma. This is from the collaboration from Bridgerton. I was not sure what these were going to look like but when I opened the box I gasped. The size is perfect, the details are lovely and just look at the box. They are so beautiful! 

 

 

Most of you know that I just had my color analysis done for my birthday and true red is one of my colors. Needless to say that I was shocked but after leaving my appointment I immediately thought of these shoes. This are from J. Crew and were made in Spain with quality leather. I had to order a pair when they dropped the price. I also ordered this extremely chic Chanel inspired cardigan. I am so inspired to try jewel tones in my wardrobe now. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Whenever I go to the Cake Bake Shop I always stare at the china. It is so expensive but I think that Gwendolyn recently added this teapot at a lower price. It is still made from Lenox so it is not really cheap but then again beauty and quality does have a price. I love using my teapot on the weekends! 

 

 

Sixth on my list are my Pilates shoes! I absolutely love these! I feel like a ballerina every time I wear them. They are perfect for my class but also perfect to feel elegant walking around the house in. You should get a pair! 

 

 

 

Next are my new books! I got these for my birthday. I have glanced at both but have not had a chance to dive in. The Art of Gracie and de Gournay are both based on hand painted chinoiserie wallpaper.  There is a lot of inspiration in these books and I love forward to reading them. They are both exquisite! 

 

 

 

Last on my list is my recent Amazon favorites video. I am sharing my most current Amazon favorites. I use all of these items and love them. I hope that my video gives you an idea of how these items work and encourages you to try them. 

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for this month. My October newsletter should be hitting your inboxes very soon! Thanks for following along. 

 

 

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. 

 

July Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Everyone,

Well, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. My work trip was last week and honestly it really kicked my butt! I was so tired most of the time. We had late meetings and I had lots of interviews, reports to write, and still had to manage my workload back home. Whew!!! I am taking a few days later in August as “puttering days” because I just want to hang out at home and do things around the house. I have a few antique stores to visit, and I want to move around furniture in my office. I am really looking forward to being home. 

Okay, let’s get into my favorites for this month. Thank you to everyone who reaches out to tell me how much they love my monthly favorites posts. This are not easy to put together, so I am glad that you all enjoy them. 

My first favorites have been a working horse in my wardrobe lately. I have been looking for chaffing shorts for years and I mean years! I finally found a pair that do not “ride up”, sink, or move. 

 

These have been so wonderful and come in various sizes and colors. Get you some! I have 9 pairs now! I have been wearing them under my dresses non-stop. They are perfect. 

 

My second is my new phone sanitizer from Amazon! It can sanitize any phone, any size. It’s great!

 

 

Third is my new bikini trimmer. I have been on the hunt for one of these for a while and you know what else it does? It’s a nose hair trimmer! Yes! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

It comes in other colors and with a $15 off coupon. 

 

 

Fourth is my new to me but vintage armchair that I found while antiquing last weekend. I saw it in one of the booths in Midlands and could not leave it there. It was only $35 and I immediately saw it in the greenhouse. It’s perfect. 

 

 

This was such wonderful purchase. This fly/bug trap has been a summer dream this year. I hate seeing flies and gnats flying around my home so I have been on the hunt for something that would work. I saw this on QVC and found them on Amazon and had to order them. They are so easy to install and use. Order you some! 

 

 

The sixth favorite was my new dress that I purchased from JJs House. My stepson was recently married, and I went on the hunt to find a dress that I could wear to the wedding, but I also wanted this dress to be something that could stay in my wardrobe for other events.  This dress worked wonderfully! I got lots of compliments and the price was fantastic! I order the dress as a try on and only paid $10. I ordered two different sizes and kept one and returned the other. Once I decided to purchase it they gave me 20% off. The dress was only $99 then with the 20% off I paid around $79! Wonderful transaction! Would highly recommend. 

 

 

My seventh favorite is actually for the fall season. I tried this on at Von Maur and initially I didn’t like it when I smelled it in the bottle, but I decided to spray it on and walk around. After a few minutes, my daughter turned and looked at me and said, “Mom is that you? You smell good!” Okay at that point I knew that it was a winner. I already have a few of the Aerin scents and honestly, she never disappoints. The notes are violet leaf, cedarwood, and amber. A little scared of scents? Order a sample here or the bottle here. 

 

Next on my list is this divine video of Dame Joanna Lumley at Wimbledon explaining afternoon tea.

Simply wonderful to watch. Now I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for this month. My newsletter should be hitting your inboxes soon. Here shortly I will be sharing the status of my plate wall, sharing two new bags, and my new vintage birdcage! It is stunning! 

I am also about to start putting items on sale for the boutique. I need to start trying to clear out inventory. With that being said the Gatsby Pearl Necklace is now on sale for only $10! The WooPay option is easy to use and accepts all cards. Order a pair for your wardrobe to enjoy and to wear when you feel the need to be elegant. WEAR THE PEARLS!

Enjoy!

 

  • Affiliate links attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Everyone,

Well, I had a wonderful few days off. It was so nice to be home and to be able to get some housework done and read a little. I also had resting on my list. I wanted a few moments just sitting on my porch resting and reading. 

I have a few days in the month of June where I don’t have things scheduled so I am hoping to take advantage of that before my work trip in July. I do have some news… MY GREENHOUSE HAS BEEN INSTALLED! I am so excited and honestly in love with it. My husband has been watching lots of reviews on YouTube and we have seen nothing but good things. I will be sure to share it very soon!

Now I have some wonderful May favorites to share with you this month if I do say so myself.

 

 

First on my list are new beauty products that I have been trying (for a year) for the summer. So far this has been the best anti-chafe stick that I have ever had! If you are a plus size gal like me then chaffing legs is your worst nightmare during the summer. I mean my legs have blistered because of chaffing. I have used this stick for over a year and love it!

 

 

The second beauty product is this Dove Melanin Even Tone bodywash. I saw that it was co-created with dermatologist of color and thought I would give it a try. I have been using it for several months now and can say that my armpits are a little “lighter” in color. They had some dark spots in them, but those spots are now gone! I will continue with using it in other areas. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Third is the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens candle. I co-created this with some of my fellow Guild members. I shared this on the blog back in February and this was such a fun project. We sold several at the show house this year and I hope to make another for next year’s home. My team at the office loved this and want to have a “team building” session making one this year. I hope to do this in August with them. 

 

 

My organizational projects continue. Fifth on my list is the registration and insurance card holder for your vehicle. I will admit my registration and other car info were just thrown into my glove compartment and I have been looking into finding something and saw this. It is wonderful and comes in many other colors. You will love it. I promise you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sixth was finding something to hold my EarPods and charger. I would just place this in my bag and have the charger hanging from it. It was really bothering me, so I ordered this hard case to carry both in. It works wonderfully!

 

 

With spring arriving, I was on the hunt for some new faux florals to have in my home. With all of the recent Homeworthy home tours I was so inspired to try some new arrangements. I found these gorgeous faux lilac bushes at Michaels for a steal! If they don’t have them in store order them online. 

 

 

I simply could not pass this up! I saw this on an influencer’s reel and had to order it! I wear glasses in the evenings, and I am always looking for a “safe place” to put them at night. This has been perfect! It comes in several different colors!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now this find here has been a TREASURE! I saw this on another influencer’s reel and had to have it. My goodness if you work from home and use a laptop this is a hidden gem! I ordered this screen extender and I now I cannot go back to just working on one screen. I have two screens at my office downtown and I honestly dread working from home because of the small laptop screen. This has truly made my life so much easier, and I now love working from home again! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And lastly is Winston. I have been wanting this faux golden doddle since December and my husband got him for me for Mother’s Day. I just love him. I was inspired by Nicola’s antique sheep that she had in her home. Once I saw those I knew that I could have Winston in the office with me. I changed his collar to this beautiful emerald green and I think it suites him.

 

 

I hope you all enjoyed this month’s favorites. I have several more but I am going to wait until June to share those. Please don’t forget about the beautiful new boutique arrival. I now have two chinoiserie silk scarfs available and they are stunning! Order both for your neck and handbag. 

 

 

  • Affiliate links attached 

 

April Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning Everyone!

Whew! Busy, busy! I have had no time to do anything related to AHFE. I hope that you all have been doing well. You all saw my post from last week. That collaboration meant everything to me and to be ASKED instead of asking was huge! I have made some new wonderful friends in the interior decorating world and hope that this will open more doors for my brand. 

The Showhouse has started, and the home looks wonderful! I do have my favorites and will be sharing those soon. Our candle is doing well and is selling! I wish you all could smell it. I am very proud to be included in this special project. Now onto my favorites for the month of April. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The first is this beautiful bouquet that I created from grocery store flowers! I love greenery and always love to have lots of it in my bouquets. This was colorful stock, scented baby’s breathe, and Queen Anne’s lace. Just marvelous!

 

 

Second are my new house slippers from Amazon. These memory foam, velvet house slippers are so fun to wear and look lovely. I will definitely be ordering more pairs. I really want a green pair, red, and black!

 

 

Third is a new book that I ordered. Jennifer L. Scott mentioned this book in one of her videos and I tell you I am so glad that she did! This book is wonderful! I just started and cannot wait to continue it. It’s so informative and will really shed light on your life!

 

 

The fourth is my new spring/summer pink nail polish color. Now this is a dip nail polish that I get at my local salon, so I have no idea what the name is. It has taken me 2 summers to find it! Once I like a nail color, I take a picture of the number and save it to my nail polish gallery. I now have my winter colors, spring colors, summer colors, and autumn colors! Yay!

 

photo credit: Williams Sonoma

 

The new season of Bridgerton is about to begin and everyone is taking part in it. I will say that I am loving some of the items that have launched. Especially, these new Bridgerton plate sets from Williams Sonoma. Aren’t they lovely? Perfect for a beautiful spring tablescape. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Alice.com

 

Last on my list is an item that I recently added to my wish list. I want to add this beautiful chinoiserie tole tray to my tea-time in the mornings. I mean this is an absolute showstopper. It is a perfect soft green color, pops of orange and a gold border. Just stunning!

 

Oh wait a minute. There is one more discovery for this month….

 

 

I found another delightful YouTube channel! This video was suggested to me earlier this month and I have watched it 3 times already! I love her decor and I think you will too! 

I hope you all enjoy my April favorites. Sorry it is posted late but the showhouse calls! I am almost done with my docent shifts, and I cannot wait to share my favorite rooms. I also hope to post a video soon of the home. 

 

  • Affiliate links attached. 

 

February Favorites ~ 2024

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Good Morning!

I can’t believe it is the end of February and our wedding anniversary is this week. We have officially been married 20 years! I can’t believe it. I remember back in 2016, I wrote a blog post called Renewing Vows and I shared how I wanted to renew my vows when our 20 years approached. 

I must say that in that short amount of time, my views have changed a little. I recently brought it up to my husband about renewing our vows and he imposed a very interesting question to me. He said, “would you want to spend that kind of money on a vow renewal or would you rather travel”. I must say that I thought about it, but my heart strings were pulled by the opportunity to travel. I believe more people are becoming more interested in experiences than things and I can understand why. I am not saying that my desire to have a large wedding is gone but that question did make me think twice. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. 

Now let’s into those favorites for this month…

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

First on my list are my new custom stationary notes cards from Etsy. I was stalking these for a while on the website. So glad that I ordered them. They remind me of the English countryside. 

 

 

I have been adding new organizing items to my home and office and I spotted these. This clear file sorter is perfect for your office and home. I love the gold tips on the corners. I also added this gorgeous gold and white ginger jar that I found at the At Home Store. My ginger jar is not available online, but this one is similar. 

 

 

Nothing like antiquing on a beautiful day. I recently got to go, and these are two of the pieces that I picked up. The clear candelabra and crystal ice bucket are perfect additions to my tablescape inventory. I got the candelabra for only $20 and the small crystal ice bucket for $5. When I looked up the price for the candelabra it was over $150! Wonderful find! 

 

 

My home office has been receiving some small updates here and there. Having my antique finds in my office space means a great deal to me. I could not resist these swan candle holders from Bath and Body Works. They are so beautiful! I went and got two! If you are interested in getting one don’t wait too long. Once they are gone, they are GONE!

 

 

These were so wonderful to enjoy this week. I volunteer at Random Acts of Flowers and sometimes we have an overflow of flowers. This month it was blue hydrangeas! Can you believe it? It was so nice being able to take a bundle of these home. It really made my day. 

 

 

Small organizing tools can make life easy. I saw this fridge Lazy Susan and I thought I would give it a try. It does save a lot of space and is so easy to use. Installing it was nothing as well. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Continuing with home products, my dream is to update my laundry room but until then adding helpful tools to the room has made taking care of my clothes much easier. I found this stain brush on Amazon and have been wanting to give it a try. I must say it was the best $15 I have spent! Being able to add my stain remover to my dresses and scrub it in with my brush. Game changer!

 

 

I have seen these Amazon belt organizers in several influencer closets, and I have always wondered about them. So I order three for my closet and must say that I have no regrets! These are great! I can see my belts and I feel like it takes up less space. 

 

 

 

 

Another organizing addition to my closet are these wardrobe organizers. You can use them for just about anything. I am using them to organize my longer and thinner scarves. Another game changer for me. It keeps them nice and neat, and I don’t have to worry about where they are. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

And the last favorite for this month is my vintage Christian Dior silk scarf that I found on Etsy. It is so beautiful and one of a kind. I have been watching it for months before I decided to order it and I must say that I have no regrets. It’s stunning!

As usual I hope that you have enjoyed these finds for the month of February. I wanted to also tell you that the boutique is having a $10 dress sale! Some of the boutique’s dresses are only $10. Order as many as you want. Enjoy!

 

  • Affiliated links attached. 

 

December Favorites ~ 2023

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Oh my goodness friends, I hope you all have been well and had a wonderful Christmas! I had a wonderful Christmas but boy was I sick! I don’t know if I got food poisoning or if it was upset stomach, but I was down for the count last Thursday thru Saturday. I didn’t feel better until Tuesday of this week! It was horrible! I couldn’t move and liquid was leaving my body from every hole possible. Ugghhhh!

But I got through Christmas, that sounds so bad but I did. My family could tell that I was exhausted and was gracious and helped out a lot. I got some great gifts. I got some gift cards to my favorite places but one gift that stood out to me was my Hermes pop-up book that was given to me from a co-worker! It’s fabulous! I will share photos soon.

Now let’s continue with my December favorites…

 

 

First on my list are my wreaths that I picked up at Michaels. They were on sale, and I have been on the hunt for quite some time. I added them to my stair rail and could not be happier. I do want some thicker ones but what I could do is order two more to have for next year and just add those to the ones I have for a thicker look. I added some satin ribbons as well. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

In addition to the satin ribbon, I got some houndstooth ribbon from Michaels as well. I dressed some of our gifts with it. My husband was a fan!

 

 

More beautiful boxes… I was so surprised when the Estee Lauder counter ladies gave me these beautiful Chanel gift boxes. They are very small but fit perfectly on my vanity as Christmas decor. I will be sure to add them next year as well. 

 

 

The fourth item was my new Julie Vos Monaco cuff. This cuff has literally been on my list for almost a year. I was so happy when they dropped the price by $100 and then I got 20% off! Yay! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My fifth favorite has been my home office. That’s right being home as much as possible this month has meant the world to me. I loved my Christmas decor, holiday candles, snuggle blankets, and delicious treats. Every time that I had a day to be home, I did not want to leave! My space truly made me happy this holiday season. 

 

photo credit: Laudree.com

 

Okay, I saw a LOT of advent calendars this year but this was the first advent calendar that I REALLY WANTED and sadly did not get. It was Laudree’s 2023 Advent calendar and it was gorgeous! I saw it on Instagram and stalked it for weeks. I told my husband, but he did not order it in time. It’s okay. I will be stalking Poshmark for the next several months. Someone is selling their advent calendar from last year but I don’t want that one. I want this year’s so we will see. I also fell in love with the Dior advent calendar but that one was almost $1,000! I will be stalking Poshmark for that one as well. 

 

And lastly…

 

Have you all seen this video from Helen Mirren? It is wonderful! I looked up some of her beautiful products and I ordered them from Amazon. I ordered her L’Oreal hydrating lip balm, and the L’Oreal Perfect Rosey Tone face cream. I’ll let you all know if I like them. 

I hope you all enjoy this month’s favorites. I have some beautiful tours to share with you all very soon! 

 

  • Affiliate links attached.