Monthly Favorites Archives - A Home for Elegance

January Favorites ~ 2025

January 23, 2025/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Hello Friends,

It was so nice having a nice long weekend. I so needed it. I spent the weekend going thru old paperwork and getting it ready for shredding. I just learned last week that I was suggested to our learning facility to be an instructor for the upcoming year. So that means that I will be on a panel teaching other paralegals later this year. I will also be doing a virtual training in April! I am so excited for these new opportunities and extremely nervous. I also have another office to evaluate this year in Boston and a potential training in Washington. We will see how things go.

You will also notice some items have begun to vanish from the boutique. I did an inventory check this weekend and remove some things. I have some different ideas this year for inventory so we will see what I come up with. I may be taking a break from dresses and just focus on accessories. Let me know in the comments below what items you would like to see in the boutique this year.

Now let’s move on to some favorites.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

First is my new devotional that I ordered from Amazon. This was a suggestion from the late Dr. Charles Stanely. I have been listening to him for years and read his recent book Living the Extraordinary Life -Nine Principles to Discover it. In this book Dr. Stanley mentioned My Utmost for His Highest devotion written by Oswald Chambers. It is so good and really challenges one’s faith. I read this passage in it this week… My best for his glory. At first, the call comes gently. Then it grows louder, until finally God produces a crisis in our lives that demands we make a choice. For or against, yes or no; stay or go.

There was another devotional that has stuck with me for months now. It is called the Law of Antagonism. The law if antagonism means that in order to stay healthy, I have to fight. Health is a kind of balance between things that would harm me and my ability to resist them. Physical health occurs when there is a balance between my body and those things in the external world that are designed to put me to death. If I have enough vitality, enough fighting power, I will produce a healthy balance.

If you are a person that enjoys devotionals then I would HIGHLY recommend this book!

My second is the Fresh Balsam candle from Bath & Body Works. This candle gives such a clean and fresh pine scent. It has been perfect to start off my year and I love smelling it in my home. I also saw this lovely blue and white teapot plugin. I had to grab one!

Speaking of blue and white I did not stop my hunt for the Love Shack Fancy Stanley cup. I did find this in August of last year but could not share it because I was getting one for our daughter in law for Christmas and I did not want to give up my gift idea! I found mine and purchased it from Poshmark. They are sold in various places. Just make sure that you have the Stanley stamp on the bottom, and it comes with a box and the straw with a bow. I heard that there are some fake ones out there.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Fourth on my list is this glorious brand. Now of course I learned about Holland Cooper from the British influencer Lydia Millen and loved them immediately. I mean can we talk about the super elegant branding? The rich colors? It’s stunning. I decided to take a leap and order my first candle from them. Then I could not resist the Chelesa Emerald Green makeup bag! When Lydia shared this on a video I was foaming at the mouth. It is so elegant and every time I pull it out to use it I stare at it. It is now on sale. It’s still a little expensive but it’s a wonderful piece for the elegant wardrobe that you want to build.

Don’t you just love a good antique find? I know I do! I found this while at a friend’s house. She mentioned this antique store to me, and I thought, well okay, I’ll take a look! I ended up finding this beautiful French blue armchair. Score! I love it and have moved it to my office downtown. It looks wonderful!

In addition to adding my new chair to my office and purchased this gorgeous cashmere scarf from Amazon and it is double sided. It is a stunning emerald green color and I have gotten lots of compliments on it. I am thinking about going back and ordering it in the khaki.

And lastly on my list is this classy video from Parisian Vibe where photographer and artist Jamie Beck demonstrates how to tie a scarf or “foulard”. I love that word. This video is the epitome of elegance, and you will enjoy the scarf techniques from Jamie, the Hermes scarves that she wears, and the home! It’s a beautiful video.

I hope you all enjoy my monthly favorites as usual! Please let me know in the comments below if there are things that you would like to see in the boutique and have a great week!

This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached.

Word of the Year ~ 2025

January 16, 2025/7 Comments/in Elegant Living, Inspiring Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning!

It’s still cold but manageable. I do miss my morning walks. I need them now since I am seeing so many things in the news. My goodness… California. I didn’t realize that the fires were that bad until this weekend when I actually got a chance to sit and watch the news. My goodness… North Carolina is still struggling from the hurricane. So many things Lord, so many. My mornings walks would always help be sort things out in my mind. I am back on my elliptical for the next few months because the mornings are so cold here.

Now as you can see from my title of this blog post I will be sharing my word of the year. For me it is never just one word. My words are always phrases. It always takes me a few days before the end of the year to get my phrase, but it usually comes because of some life event. This year it came because of a recent activity that I did with a therapist. I may share that later, but my word of the year or phrase of the year is “be present”.

Now I catch myself and I have been doing this most of my life, thinking about the future or the past. Those thoughts in most cases provided a distraction from something that I was dealing with at the moment. Now my goal is to be present. In happiness, and sadness. Be present!

I have also started my new planner. Jennifer from the Daily Connoisseur recently shared her planners. I am normally a Day Designer kind of girl but this year I decided to try a new planner called Planned & Proper.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

This planner is exceptional! I was not sure how it was going to work for me, but it is a perfect fit for my life! I had my name added to the first page, so personalization is an option. The third page is your word of the year page! You write it down along with your thoughts. There are pages for plans or projects, book goals, and brainstorming your big ideas. The daily format is a winner. It provides a section for your top 3 priorities, to-do list, current goals for the day, a timeline, self-care section and daily gratitude. I mean each day has those items for you to jot down!

This planner has so much! There is a body & wellness page for the year, a place for you to map out your goals for your social life and friendship goals, career and business, financial, home and family, spiritual and creativity! It truly forces you to think about your life for the year. Using this planner and brainstorming about your life will take a few days. It’s not some basic planner that you can just jot down a few things. It really does encourage you to think big about your year in detail. It took me about 2 days to fill out my lists for the year and now I just keep going back to them to keep myself on track.

Let me know in the comments section below what planner you are using and if you have already tried this planner. Also share you word of the year. I think this maybe a repurchase for me next year!

Enjoy your week!

affiliate links attached

December Favorites ~ 2024

December 26, 2024/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning and Merry Christmas to you all!

It is the end of 2024. Can you all believe it? Wow… it has really flown by. I think that I have my “phrase or word of the year” for 2025, and I am making a list of home goals, personal goals, and career goals for 2025.

The one thing that I am really trying to do is to keep things in perspective. And I don’t want to absorbed other people’s issues, dramas, and problems. That list of responses from Dr. Witte is putting me on the path to learning how to respond to things in my life. I hope you all can use those responses.

Now this week will be filled with enjoying my time off and family. Lauren and I attended the Nutcracker this year and we went to the L.S. Ayres Tea Room as well. I love keeping our family Christmas traditions.

Now here are my favorites for the last month of 2024!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

First on my list have been the holiday shoes this season! Now I took my time this year and decided to curate a collection where I loved and enjoyed wearing every pair. I have already shared my red satin shoes in my November favorites which have been a season hit. I could not resist a second pair so I went back for the black ones and then I purchased these velvet bow slingbacks from Ann Taylor Loft and lastly these gorgeous, sparkly bow pair of pumps from J. Crew.

Second on my list are more holiday fashion finds. I wore this comfortable but fantastic red skirt from Old Navy to two parties this season and this satin blouse from Old Navy as well. I was inspired by Nathan Rollinson and Nicolas Fairford in their autumn video to buy some long leather gloves for the winter season. I found these stunning leather gloves on Amazon! They are so good! I really need a second pair in brown.

My love for accessories continues. I ordered this bandana scarf from Zara. Sorry but it is now sold out so I cannot share it. I also added some new bands to my wedding set. Inspired by Lydia Millien, I decided to add some crown inspired bands to my set. The compliments have been non-stop! I do love the look!

My fourth favorite was a new store discovery! While taking the kids ice skating (photo on the right), I got to visit some shops that were around the Carmel Chriskindlmarkt and one of them was called Addendum. It was a fantastic upscale gift shop. They carried lots of elegant items that I only get to see online. I will be adding that to my list for a future visit soon. The other photo is a rare photo of us as a family going ice skating. It is me, my husband, our daughter Lauren, son Ely and his girlfriend Faith.

Next on my list is this photo of me earlier this year at the Guild Luncheon. It is me with my friend Kathy and Shannon. I love it so much. It shows the importance of friendship and spending time together. As I get older, I am learning that “it is not good for man to be alone”. Is that not in the Bible? Spending time with people is so important and I don’t want to lose that.

I hope that you all enjoy your holiday season. I hope that you got to see my videos on YouTube. I recorded two “shorts” of me discussing a question and response from Dr. Witte.

Enjoy your week!

affiliate links attached

November Favorites ~ 2024

November 29, 2024/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Hello December!

I know that I am a little late with my November favorites, but I needed a few days away from the computers, and I do mean computers! My eyes needed a break and so did my head. It was nice. We spent Thanksgiving at home of course catching up with our adult children. I tried two new recipes which I will share soon, and I loved my table setting.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

I found some orange astromelias at the grocery store and thought that they would be perfect in the center of the table, and they were! If you want to shop my table, you may read my blog post here or see my short video on my LTK page.

I had to search my phone for my November favorites. This month went by so quickly. I was not sure if I had any, but I have a few.

My first is this beautiful, green, chinoiserie inspired cabinet on FBMP. Now currently this is still available. It turns out that the seller actually has a store nearby, so I went to see this in person. I am trying to wait to see if I can get it a little lower if so it will go in my kitchen. I can see it now!

Second are these GORGEOUS star and pearl earrings from Amazon! We all know that Amazon is hit or miss sometimes, and these are a hit! They are so pretty in person and the quality is not bad at all. I have been wearing them non-stop. They are a perfect Christmas party accessory or gift.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

Next is my Christmas decor this year. Each year I fine tune my home style more and more. This year I got to decorate the entry way with more items and having my vintage cabinet there was lovely. When I open the front door, I no longer feel like I have to hide my hideous coat rack that was there. If you missed the before and after post you can read it here. I will be sharing more Christmas decor here soon.

Oh I know I got another STANLEY! I could not resist the antique pink that was on the website. That was the name antique pink, and I got it in a smaller size. It’s quite lovely. Order one soon you know that they don’t last.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Next up is my recent Target visit. Sometimes I find things and sometimes I don’t but this round… oh my goodness! I finally found a coat that I love! I found this gorgeous herringbone wool coat and these stunning red satin shoes! Both items looked like a million bucks when I wore them together. I got so many compliments! Then I purchased this beautiful vintage Cameo brooch from my local jewelry store. Both the coat and the shoes were about $100 together! Now that is chic but affordable.

My last favorites are these leopard pom-pom key chains from Amazon. I was not sure how they were going to look but they are quite chic. I got three. I got the navy, gray, and brown. They could dress up any bag or key chain.

Well, that is all for this month. My boutique is still having its Black Friday sale. Use code BLKFRIDAY24 for 10% off of your order sitewide. Also, if you make a purchase, you will receive a free pair of Cameo earrings! Just put “free Cameos” in the note section of your order! I don’t have many left so order while you can. My newsletter will be going out soon and new items have been added to my Shop my Favorites page. Have a great week!

affiliate links attached

October Favorites ~ 2024

October 29, 2024/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

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

September 26, 2024/5 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

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.