Because I Said I Would

 Over this Summer Matt and I have been lucky enough to volunteer with our group Because I Said I Would and really help in our small way to make Denver a wonderful place!
You can learn more about our Denver Chapter of Because I Said I Would HERE

 We volunteered at water stations during the Mile High Cystic Fibrosis Climb. I know a lot of families that have someone with CF and my friend Corie is really involved in the Denver CF Foundation so it was really nice to do our part!

In June we took served Healthy Meal for the Homeless and it was a true assembly line process! We served over 150 meals that day! It was such a nice sense of accomplishment for us all!

 Matt and I are also lucky enough to have made a couple of great new friends in the group, we have the best time with them.

 A few weekends ago we did a trash pick-up along the Platte river in downtown Denver and after the volunteering we hosted a cookout for our volunteers! Matt manned our tailgate grill!

 Our group picked up over 21 bags of trash that morning and I loved hearing stories about how people were stopping to thank our volunteers for working so hard!
While they picked up trash I was setting up the cookout and holding down our pavilion!

We have a lot more things coming up like CPR certification and much more!
I have always said it... Volunteering is truly selfish because although you are doing so much to help you leave feeling so good.

The Biltmore Estate

Each time we get to go on a Farmers Topper or Championship trip there is always a day where they offer us several day trips to choose from. Like coming up in Seattle we are going to the Boeing Plant which I am very excited about. And in Asheville we did the MUST see Biltmore Estate. 

You must check out the website for more information and pictures (HERE)The place and gardens plus the village is so large you literally cannot see it all in one day! The home was built in 1889 and that is mind blowing to think about how this stunning home came to be back then. To read up on the History of the Estate click HERE

This is the first thing you see when you walk into the Estate... the GRAND atrium and from this room, rooms like the foyer, office, sitting room, piano room are all set off this grand indoor "garden"

 The basement was my favorite part... to see the servants quarters, gym, laundry, pantry, bowling alley and this pool. I personally thought it was kinda creepy and I couldn't imagine swimming in this enclosed room. BUT especially for the time period this is incredible and those lights on the bottom are original.

 The kitchen was also in the basement and it really encompassed around 3 rooms, I can't imagine cooking for hundreds in this kitchen in the 1800s.

 The Grand ballroom was just that GRAND! When we walked in it truly took my breathe away, I can only imagine how stunning this room is at Christmas time... Now and Then.

The gardens take up acres and we ran out to time to see them all but man it was a HOT day so we were excited to find us some shade to enjoy some afternoon relaxation!

After the Estate Tour we headed over to the village to visit the Winery, it was so neat! They have a HUGE tasting room and you can taste as much as you want before you buy. 

 Matt and I really enjoyed the Malbec so we got us a bottle to bring home and are just waiting on the right meal to open it up at.

Over all this was such a lovely day and all we needed was MORE time!

Summer Concerts!

You all know I LOVE going to concerts! I have been to so many I can't even remember them all and that makes me happy! Last year Matt took me to AC/DC and that hands down was my best concert ever well coming in at #2 is...................

 For real Queen with Adam Lambert fronting was so amazing and to hear all my favorite songs it was a dream COME TRUE! Adam is so gifted I have always been obsessed with him I am not sure if I want to be him or be with him (I know he doesn't like girls) LOL!

 Before Queen we ate downtown at one of our favorites and it was such an incredible date night and did I mention NO opener? Just 30 songs by Queen!
Ps- My top below is on sale at Free People and I am obsessed, you will be seeing this again!

 Next up Matt cashed in his Valentines Day present.... METALLICA!!!!!!!! Oh ya we rode the lightening and I was a metal head for one night with the best of them! It was a truly epic show, in Mile high.... the fireworks and pyro was incredible plus Matt had the time of his life soooo I will forgive the fact that the concert lasted until 1am! LOL

Lucky us we have friends who like to share! I had no idea who the Zac Brown Band was but we got invited to join some friends in a suite for the night at Rockies field to watch the show! Now, I am still not a country gal but this show was great AND they played Kings of Leon and QUEEN~~

 The show was sold out and a ton of fun plus who doesn't LOVE free food, drinks and a private suite?

 Matt's parents and their best friends were in Colorado a few weeks ago and they let us tag along to see The Steve Miller band and Peter Frampton at Red Rocks!

 We loved it and Matt knew more songs than he thought he would! Red Rocks is always epic

 We are lucky to have so many great venues to see shows all the time! Just in this post not one show was at the same place! Another reason I love Colorado

Microblading

First of all many people have no idea what in the world micrblading is, so lets start there!

What is microblading? Everything you need to know about the game-changing eyebrow treatment.....

Click HERE

Here is my before, I didn't hate my brows by any means but the idea of waking up and having them ready to go sounded awesome and after really thinking this over.... I mean this is MY FACE I decided to take the leap! Lucky for you I took you along for the ride!

If you are in Denver Claire at Restorative Injectables is your gal! Plus Restorative Injectables is awesome and Taylor can help you out with all your skin needs PLUS she is a fellow OKIE!! Yup, who would of thought Oklahomans are everywhere! You can check her site HERE

This is the numbing portion of the day and although it doesn't hurt like a tattoo it is not very pleasant. Literally a "micro blade" is cutting into your skin. For real.

This isn't something they just wing.... it's very precise for your face shape hence the drawing on my face. And during your first treatment it should take around 2 1/2 hours and that includes several rounds. I know.... I love giving you guys good silly face!

I mean look it looks like really hair and plus my real brows are still there! This was right after my first session!

So I will say this... the first 10 days are rough. I mean you have the same eyebrows your whole life and then WHAM bold brows. I thought WHAT DID I DO! Over 10 days they fade and heal so you have to trust the process. Plus did I mention you can't get them wet for 10 days? No sweating, no sun, no make-up.... it's a whole process ...

Lucky for me I love wearing hats and I used neutrogena make-up cleaning cloths to wash my face each morning and evening and that worked out pretty well. Yes, they will itch and that sucks and you have to keep ointment on them so they constantly look wet... it's weird.

This is after they have healed, 10 days. Since then they did fade some more and I had some open spots that needed to be touched up but that is why it is a 2 step process....

I went back on Monday for my "perfecting" session and this is right after. So currently I am healing again and wearing hats but I am so excited to see the final product in 10 days! This should last about a year and then after that you go back in for touch-ups as needed.

After the initial shock I am super pleased and so glad I did it! I feel like my new brow shape makes me look younger and I absolutely recommend this for you!!!!! Just do your research and research your esthetician as well because its literally your face! LOL!

Interior Design Client

The past few weeks I have been working with a new Interior Design Client and yesterday I got the go ahead to start the project. We are only doing their main level right now and then possibly next year moving forward with their basement and second level.

This project was budget friendly, they have a baby so easy not too fussy decor and a home that is livable and put together. I am loving the color scheme and I can't wait to see it all come together. On each board there is also a budget for extra decor that I will be shopping for to make the room come together.

Client Living Room by nsavage featuring wall panels

Client Kitchen/ Eat In by nsavage featuring a silver serving tray

They really like maps and in their hallway they have a accent able that they built so I am excited to use that table and actually make it a space to be proud of. Amy loves pops of yellow which is going to really brighten up the house!

Client Entryway #2 by nsavage featuring a metal basket

The guest room is the first room when you come into the house so I really wanted this room to shine, it will be seen more than other rooms in the house for sure. In fact I am adding bedside tables to go along with this space to really pull the room together.

Client Guest Room by nsavage featuring a floral bedding

The guest bath is also the bathroom that literally all guests that come to their house will use. I wanted it to be a clean, bright and modern space.

client guest bath by nsavage featuring brushed nickel bath accessories

I hope to have everything done by the beginning of September, so be on the look out for the before and after post that will come!!

Moving On

Something my family knows about me and plenty of you might as well is that once I get an idea I MOVE on it. Literally. About a month ago I woke up with this large idea and in a matter of an hour this was my shopping cart at HomeGoods. What is this idea?

 This is our 4th bedroom and in fact the day I took this picture was a rather clean day. This room was to be the nursery. SO for the past 2 years since we moved into this home it has been empty and waiting. What this room had also become is a junk all. Open the door, throw something in and close door. Now, even if one day we decide to adopt this room will not need to a nursery anytime soon so why leave it this open room of despair that makes us unhappy? Hence my idea was born.
I wanted to make this a room we can both us, one that makes up happy and is functional...... an office/memory room.

 This has been my office, we have a rather large master bedroom so 1/2 of the room was my office space but I never liked it. So I woke up looked at this space from the bed and decided right then and their I will move it to the other room TODAY! ha! In all actuality this project took me a total of 5 days, pretty proud of that.

Can you imagine how thrilled Matt was when he came home from work that day to see the upstairs a mess and me asking him at 8pm to move furniture for me? LOL, pure joy was his reaction! LOL!!!!!!! In my defense I did try and move the desk by myself but I could not and I needed some of our old furniture from the basement (2 stories down) to be moved up. That was another thing I wanted to use things we had for this Reno and I gave myself a budget of $1,000. And I stuck to it! YAY ME

ps- Have you ever moved furniture up 2 stories with your husband to decide you hate it, then need to move it back down 2 stories? That is a true bonding experience let me tell ya! 

 I have never been one to be a complete DIY'er but I will say I was pretty proud of myself for this project, I turned our basement into "Nicole's Workshop" and yes, there may or may not be spray paint on the concrete now but in my defense I didn't realize how far the cloud of spray paint would travel outside my drop cloth zone.

 * Turning an old ugly file cabinet into something  to be proud of!
1. First up sand the whole thing to ensure that spray paint will stick. Also remove handles and then in the open space tape old magazine pages inside so the paint doesn't get inside as well.
2. Spray paint, I choose Chalkboard spray paint and it took me 3 full coats to cover it completely
3. Let dry over night just to be sure.
4. I then used gold spray paint on the handles so when I put them back on they look fancy!

Something else about me you most likely know is that I am saver, I like to keep memories. They have been in storage in our basement but this Summer I have been organizing them and going thru everything and I always think what is the point of having them if they have kept hidden and you can't go thru them.?! Somethings will still have to be stored but I wanted this office space to display our memories in unique ways.

First up, at our wedding our groomsmen gifts were custom engraved bats and we have one for us. And 10 years later we finally have it on display...

 My next DIY I forgot to take before pictures but this guy was white from Ikea and that bottom shelf is glass. So again I sanded all of this down, used gold spray paint that matched the handles on my file cabinet and got to spraying. This took 4 coats! Then that bottom shelf I ordered marble contact paper from Amazon and covered the shelf and I was shocked it really looks awesome! The whole shelf looks so much more expensive than $50!!!

I got matching photo boxes and in each box is Matt and I 's HS, College and "US" memories. So we can open them when we want to but they also look good styled on our shelves. The glove was Matt's Mom's and I knew that had to be prominently displayed along side her picture. That is a very special keepsake that did not deserve to stay in a box. 

 Inside these boxes are our wedding keepsakes along with the champagne flutes we used that is Mom and Dad used at their wedding and of course my garter!

 I turned that terrarium I got at HomeGoods into a display box.... inside is the Bolo Tie I have from my grandfather and a Tie that Matt received after his grandfather also passed. Keepsakes like that deserve a special place and it looks so awesome, I was so pleased.

 Here she is guys, my old filing cabinet!!! I Love it, it looks modern and turns a boring office area into something unexpected! And did I mention FREE!!!!!!

 I wanted to keep the desktop open with no clutter so Matt can easily come in and work as well. I did add a few touches like this calendar and succulent on one corner and ya, if you can't tell I love using books as decorations!

 Bella loves the new space too so she is all sprawled out on the desk for you guys like a model! That picture behind the desk I found at HomeGoods and it actually a custom piece with an authenticity seal on the back, and that piece was the first thing I found and planned the whole room around.
Color Palette: Blues, Blacks, Grey, Gold and White
One one side I framed my Bridal portrait and our wedding photo and on the other side I created shadow boxes. One hold our World Series game tickets and the other holds our 2 tickets to the very first Okc Thunder game in 2008!

 I have a fun furry poof, got some fun arrow curtains from Overstock and those 3 blue boxes also hold memories. On the bottom shelf in those 2 grey boxes that is so very special to me, that is 2 cases of real silverware that my Oma brought over from Germany with her. It was in fact the only thing that she brought with her and she used her own money to buy them. Now I will cherish them.

 SO when I was going thru boxes of memories I found an old sketch book of Matt's and in it was this sketch of the front of our very first house together in Oklahoma and I knew it had to be framed! and ps- that HOME frame looks crooked but I swear it is straight!

 SO what did I do with the other space in our large master??? Well I used an old love seat we had in the basement and created a reading nook or also known as the cat's favorite new chair!

 Those are 2 shelves from Ikea that were $40 total and I have finally have a bookshelf to showcase some of my books and pictures. I used grey and white to make this space light and a calming space in the bedroom and I am very pleased with how is turned out! That chair is just waiting for you to come and visit!

I do feel like these spaces are better in person, when my Mom, Oma and Marissa came then went on and on and it made me so proud.
Maybe this post will inspire you or you can take away ideas to use in your own home!